Northside Christian Church

2009-04-16T19:35:00.003-04:00

Ooops, ok ok I know I promised to blog more often but sometimes you just get busy. There are lots of things happening around here, we started playing softball again and have 14 guys playing, including some of us old guys.

We are planning new ministry outreach programs so keep your eyes open for whats to come!

The new video equipment is installed and looks fantastic, it really changes the look and feel of the worship center, now we just have to paint, carpet, new sound system etc...

Short conversation for now!

Later

2009-03-16T13:05:00.002-04:00

Hi all, a lot of stuff going on around here so let me see if I can bring everyone up to date.

Yesterday we spent several hours putting together the new set for KidMo and it looks terrific! We had our largest group of volunteers yet and we really go most of it done, we hope to post some pictures this week as well. Of course the whole church smells like paint, but that should dissipate soon.

In the worship center they are busy putting up the new screens and projectors and should be done this week. It is going to make a major impact on our worship time as we will be able to see the Cross during the entire service that stands above the baptismal.

We have created a men's softball team that starts playing the first week of April. Hopefully we will have all the players we need but it looks to be a lot of fun and an opportunity to invite new people to be part of NCC.

As we head into Spring it is exciting to watch God do amazing things with nature and with this church. We are continuing to be blessed by new families and friends who are becoming a part of our fellowship. We are trying our best to train them as disciples through our Sunday morning education program that started a new set of classes this week. The response and quality of teaching remains high and we are optimistic that people will continue to grow and be excited about their faith.

We have also moved our Sunday night services to a Friday evening prayer time. It is our hope and intention that Sunday evening becomes family time. In our culture our time has been stretched and we don't allow time for our family or take a true Sabbath. Pray that our families use this opportunity to grow together in their faith.

2009-02-16T17:56:00.002-05:00

Hello world,

I am freezing! We are in Erwin TN skiing with the youth group seniors. (OK, that is pretty much all of the youth!)

Eliza and Christian are pretty adept but Kate, Tony, Richard and Amber are all beginners. It is 6pm and Richard, Amber and myself are sitting in the nice warm ski lodge while the others are out getting ready for night skiing. I hope we have some pictures turn out so you all can experience our adventure with us.

We left Columbus at 7 am and got here about 2 pm, had a little traffic coming in, and are leaving to go home at 8 am tomorrow. We are having fun but everyone will probably sleep all the way home, except me of course, I am driving!

Talk to all of you soon!

Never to busy to post!

2009-02-10T11:53:00.008-05:00

Hello, as I was recently informed we have not updated this blog in quite some time so let me see if I can catch everyone up!

Things are moving pretty fast around here, we are adding new families and ministries all the time. We recently completed an expansion of the media/sound room that doubled its space and actually allows people to perform their ministry on Sunday's. We have several volunteers that are helping with that but are always looking for more.

This week we start construction on our new video screens. If you haven't been to our building we have one large screen that covers the cross and baptistery area but are putting in 2 smaller screens on either side of the stage. We received a generous donation to make this possible and can't wait to see the finished product.

Our KidMo program continues to grow, if we had all the kids here at one time we would have well over 20! Eliza Davenport continues to serve as our intern and is responsible for the production of KidMo and does a tremendous job with help from many volunteers. This next 5 weeks program is called "Beefessians" and it is based on a western theme, the set has a general store, hay, saddles barrels etc. and looks great.

This Wednesday we are using the set to have a Valentine banquet themed "Roped and Tied: a celebration of love" and looks to be good food, fun and some silliness!

Next week I am taking some of the youth on an overnight ski retreat, a chance for us to get away and spend some time together while I "watch" them kill themselves on the slopes!

We continue to see many visitors at NCC and are hoping to make connections with them to become a part of this ministry. Over the past few weeks we have met on Sunday evening as a congregation to try an find our focus as a church and where our strengths and weaknesses lie. Hopeful we can concentrate on Kingdom building initiatives that not only benefit our congregation but us as individuals as well.

"Invite someone" has become our stream of conversation, we are starting off with the basics of our faith and learning and practicing inviting people to our building. Of course we know that this is not the only means of sharing the Gospel but we have to start somewhere. This will hopefully lead people into our new adult education program called A.C.T.S. (Academy for Christian Teaching and Service)

A.C.T.S. begins Sunday February 15th and is designed to create a greater learning environment and a wider range of topics for people to expand their knowledge base and grow in their faith. We are introducing new teachers and bringing back some that have taught in the past. Basically our focus is in 4 areas:
1. Bible intensive
2. Christian Living
3. Foundations of faith
4. Exploring our faith
Response has been tremendous and 2 of the 4 classes are completely filled.

That is NCC's update and will blog you later!

2008-11-18T10:39:00.002-05:00

Hello!

We made it back from the land of fire and brimstone!

As you may have known we were in Southern California very near to where the recent fires have been. My aunt was evacuated, she lives in Yorba Linda, if you saw the news lately you probably saw that city regularly. Michael Stephen our oldest works at Brea mall, the fire cam within 1 mile of the mall and his home as well. But other than bad air quality they are all doing fine and we are praying for all the people who lost their homes in this horrific disaster. It seems now that 2 of the fires were set by arsonist, what a sad tale.

Maggie and I had a wonderful trip and were able to relax and visit with old friends and family. Saturday we were in Oceanside California and helped a small group from my friends church paint a home for mentally challenged adults. I know it doesn't sound much like a vacation but it was truly rewarding. Sunday morning we worshipped in a Korean/American church in Anaheim, Michael Cranston, our middle child, sang with the choir from Hope International University and the choir and orchestra from the church. It was an amazing time of worship and praise and one of my old professors happened to be preaching that day, Bonus!

We are home and well rested and ready for the holiday season and the new year. I hope each of you are prepared to go to work! God has great things planned for His church in Fortson/Columbus and as faithful followers we need to step up and prepare the way for the lost.

May God bless each of us and our endeavors as we unite for the sake of the Kingdom.

Cranston

2008-11-14T12:40:00.002-05:00

Already Friday and need to catch you up on what we are doing! The weather here is spectacular and we have been able to visit with most of our friends out here, of course we have spent a great deal of time with our boys. I think all we have done was eat though.

Last night we went to an indoor go-cart racing facility. This are not average go-carts, you have to where helmets and neck braces and racing suits with gloves. We raced with 8 other people but had to qualify before we actually raced, I qualified 4th! (not bad for the oldest one out there) I finished the race 5th just after my son but we beat 3 of the four "street racers" who talked a good talk but couldn't perform as promised. I think they all felt bad that the old man beat them so bad!

We are heading down to the San Diego area today, probably get to the beach either today or tomorrow, and spend some time with another old friend.

We are really getting a lot of rest and able to enjoy ourselves without much pressure to "have" to be anywhere, it is nice and relaxing.

Blog you tomorrow, if I don't forget!

Cranston

2008-11-11T11:51:00.004-05:00

Its Tuesday, the second day of our vacation and we are currently sitting at the Salt Lake City airport waiting to go to LA. We spent the evening last night with 3 of my friends and their wives as we shared a meal, told tall tales and shared our lives. It is always fascinating to me to spend time with people from different parts of the country and to hear their perspective on faith, politics, parenting and all other things that come up in conversation.

Portland was cold and rainy and we are hoping for more moderate weather in LA, I am sitting here in shorts in anticipation. We hope to spend the day with our oldest son Michael Stephen and have dinner with both our boys and some other friends from the area. Michael Cranston (our #2 son) is the marketing manager at a restaurant called Ruby's and we get to eat for free!
If you travel through airports much you are aware at how interesting people are. I enjoy hearing their conversations,, some people are working, some are traveling for fun and then there are those who are traveling because of family crisis. But it is comforting that for the most part people are friendly and polite while we share this short time of our lives together.

Blog you tomorrow!

Cranston

2008-11-10T14:20:00.002-05:00

Ok, so we really are not too good at keeping up with posting on our blog, but we really do mean well!

So I thought while I am on vacation and have a little extra time I would kind of log our journey, trust me it is "really" exciting!!

We left Columbus shortly after church Sunday and our daughter Eliza drove us to the airport. We cleared security around 3 pm in hopes of getting on a flight around 5 pm. Well, 5 pm came and went so we were bumped to a 7 pm flight. I don't know if any of you have ever flown to Portland but that is one of the longest flights you can take from Atlanta to a US location. "6 Hours", and of course I was in a middle seat between a man at least my size (rather large in the belly) and a woman with a 6 month old baby, I will let your imaginations fill in the rest.

We are in Portland all day Monday and leave for LA Tuesday morning to see our boys and many of our friends. I hope the weather is warmer in LA it is in the mid 50's and rainy here. Portland is an interesting city but I am not really crazy about the weather, it is a little too dark and wet for me. However, we are staying with friends who bring sunshine in to our lives (very poetic, huh?)

Well, keep us in your prayers as we travel and I will try to update you with hopefully more exciting details, remember we are going to LA so things could get weird fast!

Blessings,
Cranston and Maggie

What is God doing in the lives of kids these days?

2008-11-08T22:18:00.005-05:00

Have you ever seen a kid, when it is time for them to do something they take seriously, step up and SHINE. I tell you, it makes a parent's heart skip a beat, but never more so than when they are SHINING for CHRIST.

For weeks these kids have worked to memorize the stories and verses of II Kings 5-8:15. Though I have quizzed them for an hour each week I did nothing to make them go home and study, I can take absolutely no credit at all for their knowledge of this text. You know, it's one thing to see them cut up in practice and fumble along through the text, but today it was like being in a dark room when someone turned the lights on. Eliza would buzz in and get those Toss-up questions securing her team the bonus questions. Courtney would rattle off verses so fast it would make a quizmaster's head spin. Addam, who joined the team only a week ago, caught his teammates by surprise (and himself too by the look on his face) when he picked up a couple of those Toss-up questions and carried them through questions from chapter 8. Their 4th teammate, Trevor, who is too young to compete, did his part by manning the buzzer board. The competition, while fun, was nothing compared to seeing these kids with a passion for God's Word.

Sitting at home tonight, grateful to have survived Atlanta traffic once again, I am filled with the awsome wonder of God. Among the 19 youth that participated in today's Georgia Bible Bowl League are the furture leaders God is setting apart for His Church and this Nation. In our midst we have our future Ministers, Teachers, Worship Leaders, Missionaries, possiblly even Senators or a President. What an awsome responsibility God has entrusted to us! As I tuck them in and kiss them goodnight, I thank God immensely for the honor.

Georgia Bible Bowl League Results of the 11/08/08 Round Robin:

Round Robin Competition:
1st Place - Mountain City
2nd Place - Northside Christian Church
3rd Place - First Christian Church of Roswell

Written Test Winners:
1st Place - Benjamin from Mountain City
2nd Place - Eliza from Northside Christian
3rd Place - Charlee from Mountain City

Great Job, Everyone!!

KidMo!

2008-09-11T13:37:00.002-04:00

Bring a child to KidMo! Every child should have the opportunity to experience worship in this kind of setting. The staging, the lights, the props, the sound along with our brilliant MC Eliza made it a worship service that the kids will beg to come back for.

God blessed our efforts to assemble everything in time and we had 13 children jumping, shouting and praising God. Not only that, none of them got bored because there was no down time. Kidmo keeps them busy from the time it starts until the hour is over.

KidMo! services begin at 11:00 am on Sunday mornings. We are located on Whitesville Road, about 3 miles North of Double Churches Road. For more information call the church office at 706-324-5220.

Moving forward

2008-09-02T09:55:00.002-04:00

For those of you that weren't with us this past Sunday you missed a wonderful time of communion and fellowship, and believe it or not I am talking about our congregational meeting!

This church never ceases to amaze me with their commitment to serving the Kingdom, from the leadership to the children and everyone else we are blessed to have a true spirit of fellowship. After serving here for just over a year I am excited about where we are heading and am confident that God has tremendous plans for NCC.

A few things to look for:
Beginning Sunday September 7th we are initiating a new children's worship for grades 1-6. It is called KIDMO and is an exciting and vibrant worship designed especially just for children. We do this with the intention of making sure our children are being spiritually trained and motivated as we prepare the next generation for service in the Kingdom of God.

The 3rd Saturday of every month beginning September 20th we are initiating a new service focused on experiencing God through alternative music and practice. We are creating an additional way to seek God that allows individual to participate in worship. Our youth is assisting in the planning and implementation so it promises to be exciting.

Read It!! The Shack by William P. Young

2008-08-15T12:30:00.003-04:00

I normally would not pay $14.99 for a paperback book, especially one with less than 300 pages. The day I bought this book was the best money I spent that day.

If I start giving a synopsis of the story I'll just ruin it; I'm like those people you go to a movie with and they tell you all the details of each scene before you get a chance to see it for yourself. So, I'll just behave myself and highly recommend that everyone read it.

Well...I will say this, I'm very sensitive to stories involving children. This story can be heart wrenching , but read it anyway. I hope that when you are done that you will sit quietly and think about your relationship with God. This book does not reveal any truths at all, this is a work of fiction - keep that in mind. What this book did for me was leave me wanting to run to God, jump up in His lap and give Him the biggest hug imaginable. Even a work of fiction can bring glory to God, see for yourself.

-Phoebe C. England

Bible Bowl Teams Forming Now!

2008-08-02T11:18:00.002-04:00

Northside Christian Church is excited to announce the beginning of a new Bible Bowl season. Each Sunday night at 6:00PM students in grades 5-12 meet to study selected sections of scripture and to practice using the buzzer system and prepared practice questions. These practice sessions prepare us to go and compete monthly against other churches in our district. From October - May monthly Round Robins will be held, these larger competitions prepare the students to compete at the National Bible Bowl, this year to be held in Indianapolis, Indiana July 3-7. Throughout the year we will do little things to raise the money needed to offset travel expenses.

Bible Bowl is more than just a Bible Trivia game. On the National Level students compete for scholarship money to sponsoring Christian Colleges. The great thing is any team can go to the National Bible Bowl, there is no pre-qualifying.

While we invite the 5th graders to practice with us they are actually ineligible to compete until 6th grades. A junior Bible Bowl for grades 3-5 is available at the National Bible Bowl, however, Georgia is still working on organizing this junior level. Here at Northside we ask our 5th graders to be our "Assistant Coaching Team" so that they are prepared for competition when they enter 6th grade.

We invite you to come and see one of our practice sessions, look over the material we are studying and see what all the excitement is about.

2008-02-25T14:56:00.000-05:00

Play Ball

2008-02-25T14:41:00.004-05:00

While American Little League fields are being revamped our church's recreation field has become the place for these teams to practice. It's not just little league though Calvary Christian School is using it for their soccer practice as well. We're very excited about being able to support our community. For information about use of the field at Northside Christian Church please contact Phoebe @ 706-324-5220.

I'm Back!

2008-02-18T19:20:00.002-05:00

Wow, for a guy who claims to be techno-savvy and in tune with cyberspace I really haven't posted much lately!

We have been really busy around here! The leadership is looking at new ideas and discerning where God would have us go. Last month we had an informational meeting with most of the congregation present and talked about ideas and direction, some really great thoughts came out of it.

We are still looking for an associate to help with our youth program but response has been slow. The youth however went on a winter retreat to Woodland camp with Community Christian in Sharpsburg GA. We had a total of 7 kids go along with a youth sponsor (Michael Davenport) and they had a great retreat.

If you are reading this then we want to hear from you! I will try to keep more current and you can keep me accountable by posting your ideas, prayers or whatever is on your mind.

Cranston

Christmas Eve by Candlelight

2007-12-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

We are really looking forward to the Christmas Eve Service. If possible the whole service will be done by candlelight - that is if we get enough candles. It is going to be a very moving service. We hope all of our members will be here but we also want anyone else who needs Christ in their Christmas to come.

We're located at 9801 Whitesville Road, Columbus, GA. We're just 3 miles north of the intersection of Double Churches Road and Whitesville Road. If you're coming north on I-185 take the Williams Road exit, turn left, then at Whitesville Road take a right and we're about 2 miles down the road on the left. If you're coming south on I-185 take the Smith Road exit and turn right. Come down Smith Road until it dead ends into Whitesville Road and turn left. We're about a mile and a half down the road on the right.

For more information call us at 706-324-5220.

You can also email us at: northsidechurch@bellsouth.net

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Home Again!

2007-11-07T11:19:00.000-05:00

It is sure great to be home after being away for almost 2 weeks. Of course I am suffering from jet lag, but the time I was able to spend seeking God in my studies and devotions was amazing. Many of you may not know that my Doctorate program is on Leadership and Spiritual Formation.

Much of my time is spent researching and studying the history and different aspects of leadership and how that may tie into spiritual formation, both for the individual and groups. After much study and reflection in my opinion I believe that the one thing it comes down to is "relationship". That pretty much sums it up! Jesus was completely relational, God created us for relationship with him and every aspect of the Gospel, in my opinion, is relationship. So as we continue our journey together be constantly aware that we are building both a vertical relationship with God and horizontal relationships with each other.

As we share the Gospel with those who have not heard it before we are creating relationship, as we pray to God we are creating relationship, as we fellowship with each other we are building relationship. It is all about relationship! So begin to look at your relationships, both the vertical and horizontal and keep aware that relationship is what God created us for.

Hello from Oregon!

2007-10-23T12:41:00.000-04:00

Hi all,
I am at the beach at Cannon Beach Oregon enjoying fellowship and studying, well actually I am writing this post while the school administrator bores us with details about the school.

What a terrific Homecoming we had this past weekend! It was great for us all to see many different faces in our church, those that came from afar and those that have not seen us in a while. The music, worship and food was excellent and God blessed the day.

I hope this is a momentum builder for the coming year. And we need to start thinking about our coming year, what are we going to do to serve the Lord in our community? What are we going to do to build better relationships among each other and to disciple each other? These are questions we "all" need to be thinking about and sharing our ideas, if we only had a space on the Internet to share these ideas! Oh, wait we have a blog. If you are reading this you are ahead of the game and need to share this venue with those who want to participate in the process.

Well, I better start paying attention , after all this does cost me money.

See you real soon!
Cranston

Fellowship for Fun

2007-10-08T13:36:00.000-04:00

Enjoy ice cream & support a great cause. Bradley attends St. Elmo Gifted Ed Center. In order to support him, individuals can go to Bruster's at Macon Rd on Thursday nights. St. Elmo will receive a percentage of the receipts on Thursday's from customers who say they are from St. Elmo.

Festival Amongst the Stars

2007-10-08T13:18:00.000-04:00

Fall Festival ~ Wednesday, October 31st 6-8 PM
We will be serving dinner at 6 PM. Out of this world games & activities will follow. Start planning your costume, inviting your friends, neighbors & co-workers, and designing your pumpkin.

*CCSSC Star Lab * Star gazing * Moon Walk * Hay ride * Jack-o-lantern contest * Cake Walk * * Saturn's Ring Toss * Saucer flying * Bobbing for planets * Rocket launch * Comet toss *

Finally, does anyone have any of these items or know of someone that might be willing to donate them?
Styrofoam balls, ribbon, Velcro dots, felt, Frisbees, apples, darts, balloons, pumpkin, bag of suckers, hay, Prizes for the Jack-o-lantern contest, extension cords for inflatable & CD player

Care package

2007-10-08T13:03:00.000-04:00

We would like to send a care package to Mark. Here are some things he may like to have during his long deployment to help keep him busy during his off time. If you can contribute an item below please let us know by sending a comment. I would like to have everyone send a photo of your family and a note of encouragement.
new release DVD's
portable personal DVD from Mintex (need to ask Terri if he already has one or uses a laptop)
Hard candy/ gum
pinch lights
cans of chips (Pringles, Doritos, cheetos)
magazines ( hunting/ fishing, 4 wheel drive trucks, hometown newspaper, etc)
fly tape
fly swatter
sturdy shower shoes
mouse tape or trap
granola bars
nuts
playing cards, dominoes
memory stick (512MB or 1GB)
batteries (AAA, AA)
small pillow
gallon size ziplock bags
a roll of toilet paper always makes good padding in a care box

Is anybody out there?

2007-10-05T22:52:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here in my study at home reading and praying and of course watching a little baseball! Wondering if anybody else is out there thinking about NCC? The potential at this church is so great that I seek discernment about what God has planned for us as a congregation and where we are heading as a body of Christ. I would love to hear from those of you that take time to read this Blog and let me know what God is telling you about this great church.

Just wondering if there is anybody out there?

Cranston

We have a home!

2007-09-21T22:14:00.000-04:00

Thank you to all of you who were praying for us to find and close on a new home here in the Fortson/Columbus area. We moved in last week and our furniture arrived this week. We have been busy trying to get settled and it has taken quite a bit of my time but next week we will return to a "normal" week.

You can expect more updates and conversation here at the Blog Spot in the coming weeks and look for us to be contacting you about upcoming events, opportunities to serve and just spending some time with my family and or the leadership.

Once again, thank you for inviting our family into your lives and we are looking forward to many years of service for the Kingdom here.

In Him,
Cranston

2007-09-04T08:39:00.000-04:00

I don't know if everyone has noticed or not but we seem to have a constant flow of guests at NCC! I hope each of you are taking the time to seek them out and introduce yourself. You know it is not out of the question to ask them to join you for lunch after church, maybe get to know them and let them get to know what wonderful people you are. Just a thought!