Dear Family, 

          I’ve recently been reading through the account of the Israelites in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. (I’ve read through these many times, but God’s Word is so alive that it speaks every time.) You might already know that these Hebrews had an addiction to complaining. God pointed out to me as I read this time that complaining wasn’t the real problem, but a symptom of something much deeper, discovered only by diving below the surface. They were not punished for their whining and griping and complaining. They were punished for their unbelief. And it appears that the unbelief had at its roots in a lack of passion for things most important.
          Consider for a moment - people of passion don’t complain. They live out their passion in the face of opposition and difficulty or in the midst of cooperation and ease. People are drawn to them. They make a difference. NFL players beat each other week after week with a passion for the privilege of extending the beatings extra weeks until they reach the Super Beating, er, Bowl. The passion drives them. If you have a passion, you don’t complain, you live it with a sense of mission and purpose.
          The Israelites were so busy looking at the inconveniences because they never caught the passion that Moses had for God, for freedom, for the Promised Land. They saw if from afar, even asking Moses to cover his face when he emerged with a glow from God. Out of that passionlessness, they wandered aimlessly for decades, longing for the onions of Egypt. Really, look it up. Onions, when God offered them a land full of the best produce and meat. Passionlessness blinded them. And does the same today.

          Now pick up a mirror. What do you see? A person of passion or … not? In this new year I invite you to a journey of discovering and picking up the passions of God. It is a journey on which God offers the good stuff and where we turn our backs on onions. Won’t be easy, quick or cheap, but it will be well worth it. Here we go…

First, Passion for God through deeper, stronger knowledge of the Bible. It is about knowing Who God is, what He expects, what He promises and offers. Only then can we obey. There are many who claim Christ but live in direct opposition to Him. Sometimes because they choose to do so, but often because they don’t know. Part of this journey will be to understand the distinctions between Biblical Christianity and our culture and live it out. 
          As we experience a passion for God it will lead us to 3 more.

Second is Passion for Lost People. Yes, people without Christ are LOST. Lost from God, from true peace, joy and contentment. Lost from the church family that provides such meaningful relationships. 
          But, most of all, they are lost to HELL for all eternity. You see, it is not just a good idea for people to come to Christ; it is the only way to avoid torment forever, forever, forever and forever. Passion for the lost people in our families, our lost friends, co-workers, neighbors is the heart of God and must be our heart. Once lit, this passion will drive what we do personally and as a church. 

Third, Passion for the Church as the Bride of Christ. Not the organization, the building or the activities, but as the literal bride of Christ. About serving Him by serving other people in more and broader ways. Simple, every-day ways and big, extraordinary ways.
          Some day Jesus is coming back for HIS BRIDE. Think about how a groom approaches his bride. He values, honors, protects, treasures and loves. That’s how Jesus feels about His bride, the Church. If He so treats us, then we must learn to be passionate about the church as well. Not some woman to be used and ignored, but the finest of all ladies to be honored.

Fourth, Passion for removing the “facility obstacle.” I’m not talking about the facility itself, but the reason for a facility at all. We must become passionate about providing a place that removes the barrier in peoples’ minds, that prevents us from reaching the lost and ministering to others. The move cannot be driven by our desire for comfort. God wants every obstacle to His mission to be demolished. By prayer, giving, and working together we can and must do it. This will give us a home base from which to launch the attack on Satan’s strongholds and free those he has captured. 

          Not one of the NFL players who get to the Super Bowl this year will complain. They live to get there. It is a passion. My prayer and hope is that you will be so impassioned times ten for that which moves the heart of God.
Ready to step into the journey? Here we go, “march, two, three, four…”

          "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Phil 3:7-14 (NIV) 

We are in the final days of getting the building permit (we hope to have the permit in hand by the time this newsletter is published). This permit will allow us to complete the renovations to the property based on the architect drawings. The sanctuary, 3 classrooms, 2 offices and 2 bathrooms are just a few sheets of drywall and a quick coat of paint away. Well there are a few more steps in there, but the workload at the property will significantly change here in the first quarter. Colin Lewis has joined the renovation team and brings his years of building experience to the team. Colin will be helping us organize work teams as we move forward. 

God continues to work in this project. The bank has seen to extending our loan for another 9 months. This will allow us to finish the project without fear of loosing our financing. 

The excavating continues to be a problem. The current estimates greatly exceed our budgeted amount. We continue to look for God to show us the path we should take. 

Moving forward, our plan is to publish weekly a list of tasks for the coming weeks in the Sunday bulletin and hopefully on the web site. 

I cannot repeat it enough; we need your help to finish this project. Not the other people getting this newsletter, you. Let me challenge everyone to give of your time. Consider the 12-3-1 plan. Try to give 12 hours per month by volunteering 3 nights a month for 2 hours each plus one Saturday a month for 6 hours. This could generate 1,500 hours worth of labor in just 3 months.

Each week there will be different opportunities to do different tasks. We know not everyone will be experienced (when we start) but there will always be something to do. Want to tape and mud drywall, your time is coming. Like to paint, get your brush ready. Carrying supplies and handing tools can make the job easier for others. Cleaning up may not be the most glamorous job, but it will be a constant need. From sweeping to removing trash, your work will be appreciated by everyone. If you are inclined to provide snacks or if you want to help with childcare, the need is there. Some people will be putting in long Saturdays, or Sunday afternoons, and your help will allow them to continue to work. 

Safety will be our number one priority so we are asking that everyone check in with the 'foreman' when you arrive. We are going to use the Nursery space for most of the organizational stuff. If you go in the front door farthest to the left, the name of the coordinator’s name will be posted. Patience will be on the supply list every day. Whenever you have many people working closely, trying to do the right thing, some people might be offended in some way. Everyone working on this project is volunteering and the devil will be happy to discourage us by making this about our personal feelings instead of God's glory. Talk to me or to one of the shift organizers if you have concerns. We need to remember to encourage each other. Even if you only work for an hour, come do something. An hour of sweeping, or nailing up 2 pieces of drywall may be enough to allow someone else to finish what they are doing or get ready for the next day's jobs. Many hands make light work. Offer each other drinks, thank everyone who is working regardless of the job. Finally PRAY. We still need more things than we can afford at this time. God cannot fail, but we could fall short if we do not seek His will. If you feel led to pray at the property there will always be a prayer area setup to use. Pray for everyone working on the site and all the known and unknown situations that will be encountered.

I can hardly wait to give you an update in 3 months.

This simple graphic can help us to give Jesus the praise in all we do. Use it as a bookmark or hang it on your mirror as a reminder to Worship the Lord in All Things…

As the New Song congregation faced the end of 2004, we knew that the payments on our mortgage loan on the church property would increase from approximately $450 per month to $2,000. Since the inception of our mortgage loan, and in accordance with the terms of this loan, our payments have been limited to interest only. However, and also in accordance with our loan, we were to begin paying principal and interest beginning January 2005.

Recently, and in acknowledgement of the variety of construction/renovation delays we’ve experienced at the property, Brentwood Bank extended the interest only term of our loan for an additional nine months. Therefore, our monthly loan payments will remain fairly small until the fall of 2005. We can view this development two ways. First, it provides us with some financial breathing room. Second, it is an opportunity to use this respite to redouble our efforts to fulfill our respective building fund pledge obligations. To be honest, overall building fund giving has been somewhat erratic during the past several months. Let’s all do our best to keep our building fund giving up to date. Think of it as a New Year’s resolution.

In terms of the general fund, which covers general operating expenditures, a 2005 budget has been drafted and is in the process of being reviewed and preliminarily approved by New Song’s leadership team. As in years past, the budget will be presented to the congregation for review, discussion, and final approval at the New Song annual meeting. In the next several weeks copies of the budget will be available for your review. If, after reviewing the budget, you have any questions, please give R.B. Lane a call.

In 2004, the Pregnancy Resource Center of the South Hills has (to date) given 68 ultrasounds to abortion-minded and abortion vulnerable women at the center.

Of that number, 63 CHANGED THEIR MINDS AND CHOSE LIFE FOR THEIR BABIES!

In addition, they have served over 500 clients with counseling, STD tests, parenting classes, post abortion program and material assistance. 

They presented their abstinence program to over 36OO public school students!"

The New Song Prayer team is determined to "possess the land". Recently we got some heat and light in the "fireside" room, and plan to continue to meet there as long as we can. Prayer starts at about 6:30 pm on Thursdays and runs about an hour. 
All are welcome to join. "When we work, we work. When we pray, God works."

Since 1996 the children’s classes at New Song have been sponsoring 3 girls with their weekly offering collections through the Children of Promise program; a joint ministry of the Church of God Global Missions, and the Women of the Church of God. Our $15 each month, per child goes to buy school supplies, and provide basic health care such as vitamins, check-ups, and dental care. At Christmas time we send an extra offering so that a gift can be purchased for each child; often their families will also received extra food for their Christmas dinner. In the early spring we receive a personal note and an updated photo from these children thanking us for continuing to sponsor them.

Miles Manuel is 8 years old, and lives in the Philippines. She is the youngest of 7 children, and lives in a one room house. We have been sponsoring her since September 2002.

Maria Nagawa is 13 years old, and lives in Uganda, Africa. She has an older brother and two older sisters. Her mother is sick with AIDS. Maria has some difficulties learning in school. We have been sponsoring Maria since 1996 when she was only 4 years old.

Upendo Zakaria is 16 years old, and lives in East Tanzania. Her favorite subject in high school is Math. She lives with her uncle and 3 younger siblings in a mud house with a metal roof. We have been sponsoring her since 2003.

We encourage you to pray with your child for these children and to remind them to bring an offering to help support these 3 girls. The cost to sponsor each child is rising to $25 per month, per child, beginning in January. They are depending on our financial gifts. Any one is welcome to write a note to include in our monthly support. If you have any questions, or would like to view past communications with these children please see Sheila Shaffer.