From Bennett:  It has been flooding here.  I know it is not the best picture, but that picnic table used to be about 30 feet from the water's edge.  One of the largest snow amounts in history combined with a fast melt-off has caused all of our rivers lakes and streams to swell and over flow.  They say there hasn't been flooding like this since back in 1997.  That's not that long ago is it?  That's when I graduated high school.

 

May has been a busy month.  We've had mother's day and  communion, and we're gearing up for summer time.  Our pastor search team is diligently seeking the man God would have lead our church and I have been preaching about the Life of Jesus.  Good subject, don't you think?

 

We're trying something new for NorthStar this summer.  We're having Dinner and Prayer each Wednesday night.  That's where we'll come together for an evening meal then have a prayer service to lift up our church, our community, our nation, and our world.  I don't know what will happen with this time, but I am very excited about it.

 

We're also trying something new when it comes to VBS.  We're stepping out from the traditional "in-house" vacation Bible School to try putting together some teams that can do Backyard Bible Clubs.  That means we want to serve children and families who would not normally come to our facility for VBS.  I don't think many of our church members have ever done anything like this before.  There are a lot of questions about how to pull this off.  Please pray that God would lead us all the way!

 

Finally, please continue to pray for our preparations for Ironman.  We have a very large team coming to serve during Ironman.  Please pray that we will find transportation and get all their volunteer work coordinated in time.

Sunday night we had our first ever NorthStar Extravaganza. No one new our church was so talented. This was a variety show of sorts. We had Nate and Elena doing a skit with only their upside down chins showing. We had a group of ladies recreating the Pirates who Don't Do Anything music video. We had the advanced musical talents of both Sean and Rochelle Sydney. Travis, the singer/songwriter, performed two of his originals, with Tom on keyboard and Sean on drums.

The preschool class was well represented, singing Jesus Love Me. Then  two of our special needs kids both sang. One of them sang Row Row Row Your Boat and kept giving her parents a thumbs up with a huge smile! The other sang Blessed Be the Name of the Lord. It is hard to explain how touching these two performances were. I guess you'd have to know these two very special kids.

Another favorite was Fondra's crowd participation. She got four church members to stuff as many marshmallows in their mouth as possible then recite "chubby bunny" to the cheers of the crowd. Also in the for humor's sake category was my performance of the Eagle Song. I don't know how to describe that, so you'll have to get someone else to. Of course there was much more to the evening, but there's a taste for you.

In conclusion, we were all reminded that being together can be a lot of fun. Maybe that why God designed the church the way he did. So we could have an excuse to be together often. Let's make the most of those times!

First Ever NorthStar Choir Performance a Success!

Thanks, everyone who helped out with this performance!  We had a great time!  Stay tuned to find out when there will be future performances by the NorthStar Choir.

The Beast Feast is Over! 'Til next year...

We've had one of the largest snow accumulations in recent memory.  As a result the roads have been icy, parking lots are a mess, and some buildings' roofs have caved in.  As a precautionary measure some of the men of NorthStar gathered to shovel ice off our roof.  We've posted some pictures of this event on our site.

 

In spite of the weather our attendance has held strong and we are looking forward to some big events in the life of NorthStar.  We have the Beast Feast, a choir production and Easter Sunday in the month ahead.  Then it won't be too long before Summer!

 

Also, our prayers go out to those affected by the recent storms across the South.  Union University is Tom and Fondra's Alma Matter.  We hope everyone recovers quickly from this disaster, and we pray God is glorified even in the face of this tragedy.

The Fourth Annual Beast Feast is being planned for March 8th at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.  Our Speaker will be Jim Grassi of Outdoor Connection Ministries.  Last year we had over 130 men for the dinner.  Please pray that through this event we will impact our community for Christ.

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