ONLINE SERVICES ONLY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE 

Warm greetings to all Newlifers from Lisa, myself and the pastoral team at New Life Church.

We trust that this letter finds you and your family experiencing God’s grace and God’s peace as we journey together through these challenging times.
 
Thank you for the love and support you have shown to New Life Church even in these tough economic times of the pandemic. It is an honour and privilege to serve you pastorally in every way we can. We believe God has so much more to do in and through our church and we look forward to seeing the fulness of the vision God has given us as members of His Body, “Inspiring everyone to love God, love others as ourselves, and impact the world for Christ”.

As a direct result of your generosity and faithfulness to God’s Word, as New Life Church, we have been able to keep holding live weekly online Sunday Services, run online weekly prayer meetings on Facebook live, post weekly online resources for the children and teenagers and provide online courses and connect groups. Due to your giving and service, we have also been able to provide ongoing pastoral support to Church members and issue weekly food parcels for the hungry and financially stressed in our four New Life communities of Bryanston, Diepsloot, Cosmo City and Alexandra. The biblical principles of sowing and reaping are eternal and ever true in all seasons. God bless all Newlifers.

Spring has sprung and it's time for new beginnings! In line with the new Alert Level regulations announced by our President, we are so excited to welcome everyone back to in person services on Sundays starting this Sunday 19 September at 9am. We will continue livestreaming the service for those who prefer to join in from home, but New Life Church will be opening the doors for all ages. Individual bookings to secure your seat are essential and tickets are available now at newlifechurch.co.za/bookyourseat (this also includes children and teens attending Kidslife, Inside Out and New Life Students). Social distancing protocols for the venues will be adhered to, including sanitising and the wearing of masks for the protection of us all.

We know our Mighty God is our Restorer, Comforter and Redeemer, our Great Shepherd and Provider. Please continue to pray with us for those who mourn the loss of loved ones, those who are struggling with ill health and those seeking employment. Like Paul of old, we join our faith with yours to say the words of Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.”

Ongoing Grace, Peace and Strength,
Chris and Lisa 

Greetings to you and your families from Lisa, myself and the staff at New Life Church.

We pray that the powerful love of Jesus will wrap you warmly during these chilly months as the season of winter is upon us. Over the past six months we have enjoyed meeting online and in person, and we are deeply thankful to the Lord for helping us thus far.

In keeping with the President’s announcement on Tuesday night and as per the latest gazetted requirements concerning gatherings for the safety of all, we will only be live-streaming our 9am Sunday services, starting this coming Sunday 20 June. For those of you who have booked seats for this Sunday, we offer apologies and ask for your understanding. As the alert levels improve, we will notify all New Lifers when in-person Sunday services will resume.

Kidslife and InsideOut continue offering refreshed weekly online resources on our Website.

As a Church, we are very much open and available to serve Newlifers pastorally where needed and Connect Group ministry continues unchanged.

No matter what we face, God is with us as He was with Joshua and we can hold fast to the promises in scripture:
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

We continue to pray healing for those of us who have been affected by the virus. We pray especially for the Lord’s comfort and grace for those who have lost loved ones.

Grace, peace and protection to you all,
Chris and Lisa Stark 

Loving greetings from Lisa, myself and the New Life staff to all at New Life Church. Thank you for your wonderful faithfulness in loving and supporting New Life Church the way you have during these very challenging times of various stages of lockdown.
 
Exciting news following the President’s latest announcement regarding Church gatherings! We have now been permitted to gather in groups of no more than 100 people per venue, depending on the size of the venue. We have decided to march forward and make the most of what we are currently allowed. With this in mind, our Sunday Service plans are in place as follows:

NEW LIFE CHURCH REOPENS ITS PHYSICAL DOORS ON SUNDAYS AGAIN FROM SUNDAY 21st MARCH!

The Sunday Services will continue to be held at 9am every Sunday, now in-person as well as being live-streamed online. We please request that established mask wearing, hand sanitising and social distancing safety protocols be observed by all attending in-person.
- The Main Auditorium will be set up for 100 persons, including tech team and worship team.
- The North Wing, East Wing and West Wing will also be utilised as overflow rooms, each having their own access. These venues will provide a live feed on the screens, with a pastoral MC and relevant volunteers in attendance.
- The Mother’s Room will be open for parents with babies with numbers limited to social distancing regulations.

Very happy news! Kidslife, Inside Out and New Life Students for Juniors will also be open from Sunday 21st March at 9am observing safety, social distancing and sanitization precautions.
-The Kidslife Building will accommodate children aged 4 to 13 years (including Inside Out - ages 11 to 13). Please note that we will open for children under the age of 4 in due course, as soon as we feel it appropriate to do so.
- New Life Students for Juniors (Grades 8 to 10) will gather in the Pastor’s Lounge in the Kidslife Building as the venue can be kept separate from the Kidslife venue.
- New Life Students for Seniors (Grades 11 and 12) are invited to join the adult services from 21st March. We will announce when we offer separate New Life Students for Seniors Sunday gatherings after current number regulations per venue have been officially increased.

Members will need to please book their seats for in-person services (including for their children attending) through the New Life Church website on a first come first serve basis. Quicket bookings will be open from 8am on the immediate Monday prior to a specific Sunday (i.e. on Mon 15 March for Sun 21 March).
 
All abovementioned venues will be properly sanitised and cleaned before a Sunday Service. Let’s keep each other safe!
 
We pray the deep comfort of the Holy Spirit to heal the hearts of those of us who have suffered the loss of loved ones during this time. We continue to pray for the healing of our land so that churches can open for everyone.
 
Looking forward to seeing you soon.

New Year’s Greetings to you and your families as we commit the year 2021 to a great, faithful and loving God in whom we fully place our trust. No one knows our future, but we who serve Jesus can know that as we have built ourselves on the rock of faith in Him, He is our firm foundation and we do not have to fear the future. Psalm 65:11 says, "You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance."

As a church our heart is to protect our members and to be wise concerning the spread of infection. In light of the recent address by President Ramaphosa and the changes in the lockdown regulations, Sunday church services will remain online only until further notice, at 9am and on demand.

We continue to pray for our nation and our church, trusting for healing for those who are sick and praying the deep, abiding comfort of the Holy Spirit for those who have lost loved ones. We also pray for God to give you courage and strength to fulfil the purpose He has destined for you.

Some super exciting events are lined up to take us into the year in the power of His Spirit: 

- 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting begins Mon 11 Jan with a 21 daily devotional to guide us through a time of prayer as a church. Fasting is optional, and you can read more about how to fast on our website. The daily devotionals will be available for download from Sun 10 Jan.

- Our first series in 2021, “Love More” kicks off this Sun 10 Jan, a wonderful series that challenges us to love more. Can a simple concept like love change your entire world? Jesus certainly thinks so. In this series we walk through the ways to make love the most important goal of your life.

- As children prepare to go back to school, we are launching our Back to School Servolution where we collect new shoes and stationery or good quality used shoes. This is a wonderful way we can support children in our New Life community who can’t afford school shoes or stationery. Find out more about this project here.

- Groups Ministry starts in the first week of February, offering both support groups such as the Marriage Course, Financial Hope and other evergreen courses online as well as Connect Groups Online. Registration for Groups opens on Sun 17 Jan. Connect Groups are where you can meet others and do life together with like-minded people in life giving small groups.

- The Zone, Injabulo Land, Inside Out (tweens ministry) and Students Ministry (High School Juniors and Seniors) will be meeting, as before, online, on demand. You can catch what’s new from these age specific ministries on our website.

Let’s keep our eyes fixed firmly on Jesus, who is leading and guiding us as we journey through this year together.

Warmest Christmas greetings to all Newlifers from Lisa, myself and the staff of New Life Church!
 
This is our last weekly email to the New Life Church congregation until next year. May you and your family have a blessed time of rest and peace over this Christmas whether you are travelling or spending this festive season in Johannesburg.
 
2020 has been a very challenging year that we will all remember with mixed feelings for decades to come. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected us all on many levels and some of us have had to pay the ultimate price of the loss of dearly loved ones. The pandemic has sadly not yet ended and we would be wise to all go into the new year in faith while still following all established Covid-19 regulations and health practices.
 
In light of President Ramaphosa’s announcement to the nation on Monday evening, we are going to revert to online services only for holiday service times at 9am. All these services can be watched on demand anytime for the week following the specific Sunday:
• Sun 20 Dec - 9am (online)
• Fri 25 Dec - 9am (online)
• Sun 27 Dec - 9am (online)
• Sun 3 Jan - 9am (online)

We will timeously communicate with all Newlifers the planned way forward from Sunday 10 January to ensure we operate within the permitted regulations at the time.
                       
There is a quote on the wall in my office that reads “a smooth sea never made a good sailor”. How we individually choose to respond to a storm makes all the difference. We can choose to embrace hope or choose not to embrace hope. I encourage us all to hold onto hope and believe the truth and encouragement in God’s Word. Two of the many verses of hope and encouragement in the Bible are:

- Hebrews 13:5: “For God has said, I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
- Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

 Today, the 16th of December, is celebrated as the Day of Reconciliation in our country. This public holiday was instituted in 1995 to foster unity and reconciliation across our land. May the Lord continue to bless, help and heal South Africa.
 
We concluded our series on “Biblical Legends” this last Sunday with the inspirational story of Esther. Against the backdrop of many challenges and facing great danger, Esther responded to the call of God, spoken through the words of her uncle, Mordecai, in Esther 4:13-14 “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
 
God has positioned us in His royal household (us, His Church), for such a time as now! Let us put our focus on our King, refuse to be intimidated by the odds and be determined, by God’s grace, to make a difference. We go into the Throne Room boldly and confidently to stand in the gap for others and ourselves facing current storms. Click here to watch or re-watch Sunday’s message about the Biblical Legend, Esther.
 
By the Grace of God coupled with the faithful generosity of Newlifers, as a Church, we have been able to weather the storm of 2020 and also provide monthly food parcels to hundreds of struggling families over the four New Life campuses (Bryanston, Cosmo City, Diepsloot and Alexandra) since April this year. Thank you all so very much.
 
As Christmas draws near, we send loving Christmas greetings to all! Whatever our storms currently are, may we all embrace hope and join the heavenly host in Luke 2:14 praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
 
Blessed Christmas to you all!

Here we are, by the amazing grace of our Lord Jesus, almost at the end of 2020. Holiday plans have been made, whether remaining here or going away, most exams are done and dusted and January 2021 seems very close. In the midst of all the immense challenges of 2020 so far, we can say, “Ebenezer”, thus far has our Mighty God seen us through.

Last Thursday evening, President Ramaphosa put out a call for every South African to do their bit in the rebuilding of the nation. As the Body of Christ, we look to our Mighty God as we get ready to play our part in this restoration. You never know how a God-ordained passion is going to be conceived in your spirit. There are times when the brokenness of our nation and our city requires the passion of the Holy Spirit to infuse us so that we can use our sphere of influence to be a part of the greater plan of this rebuilding.
 
This past Sunday we went deeper into the story of the Biblical Legend, Nehemiah, a simple, ordinary man, cupbearer to the King of Babylon. We see how God mobilised him to rally others to rebuild the ruins of his city Jerusalem which had been destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar in 556 BC. It was a time when the Jews were held captive in Babylon, as was Nehemiah. In Nehemiah 1:11, he prays, "O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honouring you. Please grant me success now as I go to ask the king for a great favour. Put it into his heart to be kind to me." The King of Babylon agreed to Nehemiah’s request to go to Jerusalem and God used an ordinary man and strategically placed him so that he could complete the extraordinary task of orchestrating the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem in the strength of his God in just 52 days.
 
There are many things in our lives, and in the lives of others, that need rebuilding now. The Lord can use us and strategically position us to help right where we are. We may not be able to do all things, but we can encourage, pray, and reach out to others with the love of Jesus and bring His hope, vision and purpose to the people around us. God loves our city, Johannesburg, and the nation of South Africa. He has put us all here at this time to make a difference and impact our world for Christ. Click here for more of this message or to watch it again.
 
HOLIDAY SERVICE TIMES HAVE CHANGED TO 9AM ONLY
As many Newlifers are away during the December holiday period, we have made a slight change to consolidate the holiday service times, as follows:
• Sun 13 Dec - 9am only (online & in-person)
• Sun 20 Dec - 9am only (online & in-person)
• Fri 25 Dec - 9am only (online)
• Sun 27 Dec - 9am only (online)
• Sun 3 Jan - 9am only (online)
 
Thank you Newlifers for your continued generosity. We have been able to help feed over 400 struggling families in our communities over the holidays and have provided Christmas gifts for an ongoing New Life project at an orphanage in Alexandra.
 
God bless you and your family with the grace and love of Jesus this holiday season. For those travelling, we pray for safety and travelling mercies.

As we approach December and get ready for the holidays, we look forward to one of the highlights of our Christian calendar, Christmas Day Celebration. Matthew 1:21-23 says, She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means 'God with us')”.

Up until Sunday 20 December, we continue to gather for Sunday services at 9am and 11am in-person and online. On Christmas Day, and until Sunday 3 January, we will celebrate online only at 9am and 11am. Thereafter in-person and online services will resume from Sunday 10 January.

The message this past Sunday, continuing in our ‘Legends’ series, was called “Integrity influences our destiny”. We take up the story of three young men; Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who stood for their integrity towards God even when threatened with death by King Nebuchadnezzar, for refusing to worship his image and his gods. The King was so full of wrath against them that he ordered they be thrown into a fiery furnace, a furnace heated seven times hotter than normal. We continue in Daniel 3:16-18 with their honest and respectful answer to the King, as they faced the threat of imminent death by fire: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
 
Maintaining our integrity during a personal trial and temptation is often very challenging. However, there is tremendous blessing released when we decide to choose obedience to God and His principles over compromising to conform to the ungodly order of the day. In the Biblical account, the King saw “the fourth man in the fire” as a divine being, the Son of God Himself. The key idea here is that no matter what fire is flaming in our lives right now, He is right there with us. We can be strong and resist the ways of the world, just as the three young men did in the Book of Daniel. Even when we fail, God is there to deliver us through the cleansing Blood of Jesus, as we turn to Him to restore us. He is always our Defender! Click here for more from Sunday’s message, or to hear it again.

From this week, KidsLife can get into some vibrant, life-giving praise and worship on demand! Kids, you can jump in and enjoy praising Jesus with us online!

Grace and peace to you all.

How glorious is our mighty God! When we gather online and in person, the Holy Spirit moves in an unprecedented way, building us up and empowering our lives afresh. We are grateful for the Body of Christ in this nation and particularly for all our members who love and support our local church, New Life. Thank you for your prayers, your service, your giving, and your faithfulness to the Lord. It is continually reassuring that no matter what comes our way during this challenging time, we can rest in the assurance that Jesus has gone before us and leads us in His victory.  

This past Sunday, Lisa brought the message: “A Mother in Israel”, as we continue to study the lives of Biblical greats, we find so much that is applicable in times such as those we are facing now. Deborah was a prophetess, judge of Israel and an obedient servant of the Lord who rose up and became a mother to the nation. Judges 5:7 says: "Warriors were scarce; they were scarce in Israel, until you arose, Deborah, until you arose as a motherly protector in Israel." She encouraged Barak, General of Israel’s army, to be obedient to the call and purposes of God. Together they led the nation of Israel in victory against the evil General Sisera and his army. The battle was won through courage and obedience to the Lord’s commands.

As followers of Christ, we are also called to impact the lives of others, just as Deborah did. You might wonder how you can impact the direction of a nation? As the Church of Christ, we can pray for our land and respectfully share the love of Jesus with those in our sphere of influence. When we are obedient to His Word and His commands, the Spirit moves and God’s power is released. As more and more people’s lives are changed through the victory Christ won at Calvary, we will see the spiritual outcome of 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” You can watch the fourth message in our ‘Legends’ series here.

Exciting news for New Life Kids! KidsLife are offering a special KidsLife Encounter Praise Service to worship Jesus! This lively session will be available on demand from Sunday 29th of November. We continue to provide fresh weekly age-relevant online messages for KidsLife, InsideOut and New Life Students on-demand. Your children, 'tweens' and teens can enjoy these resources and grow stronger in their knowledge of a God who loves and cares for them.

As we draw nearer to the end of the year, we pray for peace and success to all who are writing exams at this time, including university students, matriculants, high school teens and junior school children. Strength to the Mom’s and Dad’s who support, love and encourage their children during exam time.

This coming Sunday, 29 November, at both 9am and 11am services, we will be sharing communion. For those attending the services in-person, individually pre-packed emblems will be provided. For those watching online, we encourage you to prepare grape juice and bread to celebrate communion with us from your homes.

Grace and peace to you and your loved ones.

At New Life Church we are passionate about seeking God and His presence. Gathering on Sundays either in person (250 persons per service) or online is one of the most rewarding ways to seek Him. As we assemble in His presence as His Church, it is always a cherished occurrence. In challenging times, such as those we are facing in 2020, getting together helps us to continue to trust the Holy Spirit as we pray for Him to move across this nation and bring a fresh wave of healing and restoration.

In the current “Legends” series, we have already looked at the lives of Gideon and David. This past Sunday we took an in depth look at our third legend, the prophet Samuel, who was a Judge to the nation of Israel before and during the reign of David. For Samuel, it was also a challenging time in the land of Israel, with many people seeking idols and partaking of the worship of the Philistine and Canaanite gods. At this point in our story, Israel has been in a place of slavery and oppression for 20 years, and they are mourning and once again seeking the Lord. Samuel instructs the Israelites to destroy their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worship only the Lord. There is a significant truth that we learn from this story - breakthroughs often follow breakdowns. Sometimes when God breaks us down or encourages us to turn away from unhealthy practices, He is building and expanding our emotional capacity to handle more responsibility and more growth! Pruning produces more growth.
 
Samuel then gathers the people of Israel at Mizpah and prays for them. When the Philistines heard the people were praying and fasting before the God of Israel they prepared for battle. The Israelites were frightened when they heard the Philistine army was approaching.
 
1 Samuel 7: 9-10 says "He cried out to the LORD on Israel's behalf, and the LORD answered him. Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived for battle. But the LORD spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them." This event in Biblical history shows us that if we breakaway from unbiblical practices and seek only the Lord with all our hearts, He will hear our cry and answer from Heaven. The battle belongs to the Lord.
 
If life is a struggle right now, begin to cry out to Him. Sometimes we are still trying to do this thing called life in our own strength. When we get to the end of ourselves and cry out to Him, His strength is made perfect in our weakness and he helps us win our battles. You are on the brink of your breakthrough! To watch or re-watch Sundays message, click here.
 
Join us for New Life Facebook Live prayer every Wednesday morning at 8am for a half hour of life-changing prayer. Praying together is a wonderful way to inspire us to go deeper in our own prayer lives.
 
Join us on Sundays at 9am and 11am, online or in-person. Bookings for in-person services (to ensure we do not go over the 250 person limit) can be made from the preceding Monday from 8am by clicking here. You can also cancel tickets if you have booked and find you are unable to make the in-person service by emailing info@newlifechurch.co.za.
 
Grace, peace and breakthrough to you and your family.

We are so encouraged on Sundays as we come together to worship in-person and online to experience the presence of God as we continue to trust God for help in this challenging season. This past Sunday, we took a fresh look at the well-known story of David and Goliath. This age-old story has some subplots that inspire hope and courage in these present times, as we looked at the story of an Israeli shepherd boy facing down a massive Philistine giant.

We all have giants that we face at times. Problems so big that they threaten to overwhelm us. But we begin to understand that failures and past experiences in God’s economy, are preparation for future opportunities. Often, when we feel side-lined and not where we want to be, we are being prepared by God to win future battles. Just like David in 1 Samuel 17:37 we can say, “The LORD who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!"

David goes on to miraculously slay the giant with nothing but his simple slingshot. He was prepared for this great victory on the mountains and hills where he protected the sheep from ferocious wild animals, honing his skill with the slingshot. We can take courage that when we feel side-lined and washed up, God is preparing us for a future opportunity. Also, on a far higher level, our true victory has also been won by Christ on the hill of Calvary 2000 years ago. As we experience God’s faithfulness and love for us, our faith increases. Our best days lie ahead! Watch last Sunday’s message here.

If you have not yet attended our LifeStart class, or you are considering to pursue membership at New Life Church, you can attend the course in-person on Sunday 15th November at 12:15pm, after the second service. LifeStart Online will also be run on Wednesday 18th November, 7pm via Zoom. This informative class introduces you to the vision and values of New Life and you may only want to attend to know more about New Life Church and become a member, if you choose to, later. Come and meet with some of the New Life staff team, enjoy a light lunch (at the in-person version) and see what we are about!

We are so blessed by the generosity of those who are always mindful of those in need. This past week, we were able to hand out food parcels to over 325 people at our Cosmo and Diepsloot campuses. A huge thanks to every NewLifer for enabling us to continue fulfilling the mission God has given us.

Grace and peace to you and your family.

What a great Sunday we had in-person and online this past Sunday! It was the start of the new series called ‘Legends’, a series that digs deep into different Biblical Legends, heroes and heroines of the faith. We were encouraged by the story of Gideon, a man who at first cowered in fear in his winepress to protect his harvest. However, even though the odds were heavily stacked against Gideon, the Lord called him to lead a tiny army of Israelites against the cruel overmasters of Israel, the Midianites and their huge army. The Lord encouraged Gideon and answered him just as He answered Moses, and just as He is answering us today:  I will be with you. Judges 6:16 The LORD said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” Using nothing but clay jars, lamps, trumpets and raising a fearful shout of “the Sword of the Lord and of Gideon” they overcame the enemy. Impossible odds often set the stage for amazing miracles as we obey God’s Word. If God be for us, who can stand against us? For more of this message, you can catch it on our website here.
 
To attend services in-person, please go to our website as booking a ticket is essential for either the 9am or 11am services. Bookings open from Mondays 8am, and if you are unable to attend in-person, you can watch online on our website or Facebook (and on demand). If you have booked a ticket for a service and you are unable to use it, you can email info@newlifechurch.co.za before Friday to cancel your ticket and in this way free up a seat for someone else.
 
LifeStart, our new members class is being run in-person at church on Sunday 15 November after the second service (from 12:15pm) and also online on Wednesday 18 November at 7pm for those who are unable to attend the in-person class. At LifeStart you will encounter the heart and pulse that makes up our DNA as New Life Church. Snacks and refreshments will be served.

KidsLife continues to be online on demand. We are excited about the new programme in the month of November as we present a fun summer series called “Summer Games”. We will journey through the book of Daniel together as we commit ourselves to God, and He gives us the ability to finish well. Kids can tune in to their fun online services here.

New Life Students are busy with a brilliant series called “Belief and Practice”, exploring key concepts such as the identity of Jesus and the meaning of life, prayer and baptism. This series will take them through to the end of November. Teens can watch on demand here.

Grace and peace to you and your family.

How amazing to experience the presence of God as we did this past Sunday as we were caught up together in the worship of our King. Freddie and our worship team ushered in a powerful presence of the Spirit as we worshipped online and in-person. Here are some beautiful words that were shared from Psalm 91:9-14 “If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go... The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in My Name.” We find our peace and strength in worship as we put our focus fully on the One who loves us most, the One who heals and restores our souls, our beloved God, Jesus.

We have just arrived at the end of our Connect Groups Online for the third term. A very big thank you to all who attended and especially to all our CG Leaders who led their groups so well. Community is one of our key New Life values, so keep an eye on our website for the announcements for the next Connect Group season. If you perhaps missed being part of New Life Connect Groups this term, there is a vibrant group of people who would love to get to know you at Connection Point, a group that meets every week at the church at 7pm on Wednesdays.

This coming Sunday is the launch of our inspirational new series, “Legends” at 9am and 11am (online & in-person services). There are Biblical truths to be learned as we look at some of the Bible’s greats, as we come to understand their successes and their failures and how these apply to us today. Bookings open from 8am every Monday here and parallel online services continue to be streamed here if you are unable to join us in person.

If you are new at New Life, or if you have not attended LifeStart before, this wonderful class that sets you up for membership will be held on Sunday the 15th of November directly after the second service in-person. Alternatively, you can attend LifeStart online on Wednesday the 18th of November at 7pm from the comfort of your home. As you attend this course you will find out more about our spiritual DNA at New Life Church and get to know our leaders as you make this vital commitment to become part of a spiritual home.

Thank you for joining us as we continue to trust our faithful God to lead us and guide us through to the end of the year.

It is heart-warming to be worshipping together again in-person on Sundays although under gazetted large meeting regulations and restrictions. Worship (at home or at Church) is one of the greatest ways to experience God’s presence and His power as a believer. Jack Hayford, an American author, former Senior Pastor and Chancellor Emeritus of The King's University said, “Worship changes the worshiper into the image of the One worshiped". Christ-centred, Holy Spirit led worship is our heartfelt response to a Father who gives and has given us everything through His Son Jesus. There is a dynamic exchange that takes place in worship between God and man that strengthens us, empowers us and brings personal freedom. The Bible puts it this way in John 4:24, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."

This Sunday 25 October, 9am and 11am we are looking forward to having an extended time of worship at our first Worship Encounter services since lockdown so that we can experience more of the refreshing of being in His presence together. Come and enjoy the in-person services, as usual bookings open at 8am on the Monday prior to the Sunday, you can book online here. The parallel online services continue to be streamed here for you to enjoy if you are not joining us in-person.

This last Sunday we heard a message from Ps Samuel Tabe, an elder at New Life Church and pastor of the Cosmo City campus, on “Back to Basics”. 2,000 years ago, Jesus said something so profound that we refer to it as the Greatest Commandment in Matthew 22:36-40: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Ps Samuel reminded us that true life boils down to loving God and loving others as ourselves. Life is about relationship with our God and others. If you missed this evergreen message, you can watch it online here.

We finish this weekly letter with reminding you of our exciting new series called ‘Legends’ kicking off on Sunday the 1st of November, where we will learn lessons from some Biblical greats! In this series, we will be looking at Biblical Legends to see what we can learn from them, from their successes and their failures, and key truths they lived by and how they apply to us today.

Grace and Peace be multiplied to you and your family.

There is truly something wonderful that takes place when believers gather to worship Jesus. There is a unity and a bond in the Spirit that inspires and strengthens us as we enjoy Sunday services together. There is a beautiful scripture verse that bears this out in Ephesians 4:1, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace... one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

The message this Sunday took us on a journey through childhood to becoming an equal with other adults. We don’t measure ourselves in terms of being “one-up” or “one-down” because we are on equal footing with other adults. Learning to process all the events and outcomes of our lives through the lens of truth, sets us up to mature and grow into true Biblical maturity. Ephesians 4:13, “...until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” If you did not get to watch the message on Sunday or want to watch it again, click here.
 
We are elated to be meeting together on Sundays in-person at the 9am or 11am services again!  Booking is essential and tickets are available every Monday from 8am for the following Sunday’s service. Click here to book your seat and help us adhere to the 250 people per service limit.

If you missed the start of Connect Groups this term, or you are new at New Life Church, Connection Point is a group that introduces you to new friends and to our Church. Connection Point begins at the Church, on Wednesday 21 Oct at 7pm and is hosted by Jeremy and Jeanette Freeman using a life-giving DVD resource followed by discussion time. Social distancing, mask wearing and hand sanitising will naturally be part and parcel of this in-person 6 week group experience. Click here to find out more and to register.

You can still join the 7 week Financial Hope Course starting at Church in-person tonight where again Covid-19 protocols will be observed. This is a brilliant evergreen course designed to help you get out of debt, create a working budget and to apply God’s principles in handling finances. Click here to find out more and to register.

So pleased to let you know about our new series called ‘Legends’ kicking off on Sunday the 1st of November, where we will learn lessons from some Biblical greats! In this series we will be looking at Biblical Legends to see what we can learn from them, from their successes and their failures, and key truths they lived by and how they apply to us today.

As always... grace, peace and strength to you and your family.

What a wonderful Sunday we had gathering together at the first in-person service (restricted to 250 people) since March this year. It was so special seeing your beautiful faces. Many of you also joined us online as the service was livestreamed from New Life Church. We apologise to those who were watching online for the sound technical issues at the beginning of the 9am service. Everything was resolved for the 11am service so if you missed it, please feel free to watch on demand.

Although restrictions are easing, on Sunday we observed social distancing protocols, wore masks and sanitised our hands. We need to remain prayerful, aware and vigilant as we are still in a world-wide pandemic. We fully respect the choices of all New Lifers to attend in-person services or not.

This past Sunday we heard the next message in our series, “Habits that Heal: Sorting out the good and bad.” God designed us to be perfect and live in a perfect world. Unfortunately, the disobedience of Adam and Eve in choosing the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, has left mankind with the residue of their shame and brokenness. As a consequence of this choice, they had to leave the perfection of Eden. Through Adam and Eve’s disconnection and fall from grace, humankind lost their connection to God, however, God provided the cross and a process of sanctification to save, heal and restore us.

Leaving Eden has left humankind (and even believers) with a strong desire for personal and interpersonal perfection wired into our psyche. It is because of this wiring we have not properly processed that knowledge of good and bad. However, to be emotionally and spiritually successful, and to be free, we must be able to deal with the good and the bad, both in us, in others and in the world.

Generally, we deal with the conflict between good and bad in our lives in four different ways, three of which fail miserably. We can:
1. Deny the Bad - pretend that it’s not there. Live in denial and never deal with anything bad in ourselves and others.
2. Deny the Good - where our self-image and image of others becomes skewed by negativity and suspicion.
3. Attack and Judge - where we become critical of ourselves and others. We can begin to deny the good in ourselves and others. This is called judgement or condemnation.
4. Acceptance - No Condemnation - the key to overcoming the cycle of sin and condemnation, is to sort through the good and the bad in us and others through acceptance and grace. As we lean into grace, we lean into what Jesus did for us through His death and resurrection, His grace will set us free. Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." There is so much more to this message, so if you missed it, you can catch it online here.

As we have mentioned, we are restricted by regulations to 250 people per service so if you missed booking your seat for the in-person services this week, you can book here. Bookings open from 8am every Monday for the following 9am and 11am Sunday services on a “first come, first serve” basis.
 
We’re always thrilled to offer new opportunities for people to grow and connect. Starting next week, you can take advantage of these opportunities, 
1. In-person Financial Hope Course at the Church observing social distancing protocols. Click here to register and/or find out more. This is a 7 week course.
2. Doing the renewed version of The Marriage Course online at home in your own time over 7 weeks. Click here to register or for more information.
3. If you missed the start of Connect Groups, Connection Point is a group that starts on Wed 21 Oct, 7pm and runs for 6 weeks. You are sure to enjoy an inspirational evening and make new friends. Click here to register or for more information.

You can also join us for 30 minutes of live prayer every Wed at 8am on New Life Church Facebook Live. We pray together in agreement for the nation, the church and for personal needs.

A huge thank-you to every New Lifer who has loved their church and stood with us in faith over the past six months.

It’s so good to know that our times and seasons are in the hands of Almighty God! The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1 “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven...” and this is surely a time for rejoicing as we look forward to seeing you in-person soon!

Although we are so blessed to have been able to run online Sunday services for the last 6 months, (which will continue as normal at 9am and 11am on Sundays), we’re also getting ready for a great time together at our first in-person Sunday services on Sunday 4 October 2020. Only adult services are happening in-person for now - KidsLife, InsideOut and New Life Students will be phased in later (weekly updated resources for young people remain online).

We have tried to put the fairest process together for New Lifers to book seats at services, as we need to limit both the services to 250 persons according to government regulations. If you haven’t already reserved your seat, you can make your booking here. Tickets (free of charge) will be available weekly online on our website so that you can book your seats for Sunday services every Monday morning from 8am for the upcoming Sunday on a ‘first come, first serve” basis.

This past Sunday we covered the next message in the series: “Habits That Heal: Boundaries”. The definition of a boundary line is a property line, it is the demarcation of the limits of an area. What is ours and what is our neighbour's? For example, the door of our home is boundary line. It ideally allows us to determine who can come in and go out. In the same way that there are physical boundaries, there are also spiritual boundaries and emotional boundaries. Boundaries help us know what our responsibilities are and what responsibilities belong to others.

Proverbs 25:28 “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.” When we don’t have the right boundaries in place we are like a broken down city without walls. A city without walls is vulnerable and open to being attacked. When we use the word “no” skillfully and without fear or guilt, it helps to define and protect ourselves. In this way we become more effective for God, in stewarding our time to prioritize the essentials, while still being respectful of others. It also helps those who are trying to control us to pick up their own responsibilities. When we set healthy Biblical boundaries, we can truly do what God has asked us to do and be who He created us to be.

Coming up at New Life in October are our evergreen courses, Financial Hope and The Marriage Course. For more information or to register for Financial Hope Course, click here. For more information or to register for The Marriage Course, click here.

Although we are grateful for the easing of regulations to allow us to run services for 250 people, we continue to pray fervently for the healing of our nation, especially for those whose lives and livelihoods have been affected by the pandemic.

Weekly greetings to all! Our hearts were encouraged when we heard the President’s announcement on Wednesday last week celebrating the gains made in our fight against Covid-19 and declaring it permissible to meet indoors in groups of 250 or less.
 
The wonderful news is that on Sunday the 4th of October, we begin gathering again at New Life Church at our regular service times, 9am and 11am. The worship teams, volunteers and pastors are getting ready to make this first in-person Sunday back in the church building an unforgettable and safe experience, as we continue to build a community that loves God, loves others as ourselves and impacts the world for Christ.
 
We will start in-person services slowly as a safely phased approach, respecting personal boundaries, but with the touch of God and the warmth of being together. Only the adult services will be available until further notice. KidsLife, InsideOut and New Life Students will be phased in later and young people can attend the adult service with their parents and/or continue to track with the current weekly online and on-demand age-appropriate resources.
 
We respect and honour that many New Lifers will not feel ready, at this stage in the pandemic, to attend Church in person so the same services will be live-streamed on the usual online platform on our website at 9am and 11am.
 
We ask for your understanding with the 250 people limit per service (including staff and volunteers) which we legally need to adhere to. The fairest method we can think of at this point is one of pre-booking through our website. This is the process we have established:
1. Pre-booking to attend either the 9am or 11am service on Sunday the 4th of October opens online today at 8am.
2. Thereafter, new services will be available for pre-booking on Mondays at 8am.
3. A ticket per person needs to be pre-booked so if a family of two adults and two children want to attend, 4 tickets need to be pre-booked.
4. Please bring proof of your e-ticket with you to gain access to the Church property.

Please can we ask for your adherence to the following when arriving at your pre-booked Church service:
- We all need to wear masks covering our mouths and noses while on the Church property.
- We request that everyone sanitize their hands on entering the Church foyer at the available sanitizing stations.
- We humbly ask that everyone coming to Church services keep established social distancing protocols and ask, for all of our safety, that we refrain from hugging or shaking hands. The new temporary normal is elbow greets and/or foot tapping. We recognise what a difficult ask this is given that we have not seen each other at Church for six months.
- Life Café will not be open before or after services.

Whether online or at a physical campus here is an invitation:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Getaway with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” - Matthew 11:28-30

Let’s walk with and work with God as we learn the unforced rhythms of Grace. Looking forward to this next season together!

This week, the season of spring officially starts, heralding the warmer weather and the new season as we continue to pray for our land and trust God to do something fresh and new in all of our lives.

Song of Songs 2:11-13 says, “See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”

It was encouraging this last Sunday as we enjoyed the message delivered by Ps Hanlie Barry, "Bread of Life". We need physical bread to sustain our bodies, but we also need to have a hunger for spiritual bread, for the sustenance, the nourishment, the strength that we need spiritually, from The Bread of Life, Jesus Himself. We are divinely enabled to speak the life found in His Word, and when we do that, we speak "Spirit words", and the Source of all life, the Creator of heaven and earth comes into that situation. We are called to be “carriers” of the life of God in each and every situation that we facing right now. Let us use the power of life in our tongues and see the amazing things the Lord accomplishes as we speak and pray His Word!

As part of our growth as believers, it is also vital that we maintain our connection with each other and a big part of the way we do this is by getting involved in Connect Groups Online. This term you will be inspired by a great resource called “Pray Like This” which will help you to refresh your prayer life in Christ. A very friendly bunch of people will be waiting to meet with you online every Wednesday evening for 6 weeks, starting from Wednesday 16 September. If you would like to register, check out which group you would like to join here.

As well as all these exciting new events, KidsLife will be investing in your child’s life through the new series “Armour” in September and October, where we are going to enjoy learning about the Armour of God (Ephesians 6). Inside Outers will be learning that when you trust and follow Jesus, you're a light to the world.

New Life Students will be exploring a series called “Overcome”. We may mask our shame, sin, hurts and fears, but the truth is - Jesus invited us to be free, not to just look happy.

Grace and peace to you and your families as you journey through this week.

God’s richest blessings to you and your families.
 
This past Sunday we enjoyed the message from Ps Samuel Tabe, “A Journey of Change from Within” taken from the book of Habbakuk. The story of Habbakuk charts the progress of a man who battled big spiritual questions. Here was a prophet who journeyed through a process of change, from fear to faith, confusion to confidence and from trauma to triumph. Finally, we find that even though at times we may feel God is distant, He is very much at work. Although circumstances might not change immediately, as we put our trust fully in Him, God changes our perspective so that the way we see things is no longer the same.
 
Habbakuk 3:17 "Even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain, even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty, I will still be joyful and glad, because the LORD God is my saviour."
 
So far this year has truly been a journey of faith, perseverance and patience, as all of us have experienced the changes and challenges of lockdown. We have seen the Lord move in amazing ways as we have continued with the mission God has given us, touching lives via online platforms: 
Sunday services at 9am and 11am.
Weekly KidsLife, Inside Out and New Life Students resources.
Weekly emails and sms’ to all on our database.
Live Weekly Wednesday 8am Prayer on Facebook Live.
Successful Connect Group Term 2 season (Term 3 starting in September).
Alpha and Financial Hope Courses.
Online counselling.

Added to the online endeavours, we have also been so pleased to: 
Host the drive-through Madiba Servolution day.
Provide food and provisions weekly to vulnerable families.
Be in contact with many New Lifers via phone calls and WhatsApp messages.

In light of the current peaks of infections, we will continue using online platforms for Connect Groups in Term 3, even though the nation has moved to Level 2 Lockdown. As a church, we feel we need to continue to take into consideration the overall risk of meeting face to face in groups. Let’s continue to stay safe until things become more stable.
 
As New Life Church Leadership, we just cannot express enough, our gratitude for your ongoing financial support when we needed to close the physical doors of the Church in submission to the Governments regulations. God bless you for your faithful giving during these uncertain and challenging times. According to 2 Corinthians 9:8, may “God make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
 
Our new series “Habits that Heal” starts in September as well as Term 3 Connect Groups, so keep an eye on the events page on our website as registration for the groups begins from Sun 30 Aug!

May God continue to guide and help our nation as we navigate Lockdown Stage 2 from this week.

As a church we hope you have enjoyed journeying through the “Love Letters of Jesus”. These letters are timeless, filled with love and concern, and give direction to the churches to overcome their current challenges and look with expectancy toward the marriage supper of the Lamb. “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7.  As we have read these letters together, we have focused on the words of Jesus and how they correlate to wedding preparations so that we can be the Bride ready for His return. Take a look at this snapshot overview to recap the series:

To the church at Ephesus - Keep The Passion Alive - '...you have left your first love.' Revelation 2:4
To the church at Smyrna - Make The Choice - 'Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.' Revelation 2:10
To the church at Laodicea - Accept His Proposal - 'Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.' Revelation 3:20
To the church at Pergamos - Accept The Diamond - 'I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.' Revelation 2:17
To the church at Sardis - Wear The Gown - 'He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.' Revelation 3:5
To the church at Philadelphia - Receive Your New Name - 'I will also write on them my new name.' Revelation 3:12
To the church at Thyatira - Enter The Partnership - '…to the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations.' Revelation 2:26 

Until He returns, He calls us to minister in His name, stand strong as His Church, and use all the gifts He gives us to bring His message and love to the world around us. No matter what challenges we face, Jesus is a safe place to go and He is in this relationship with us eternally - He stays with us forever!

In September we are launching the next exciting season of Connect Groups Online as the Alpha and Financial Hope online Courses draw to an end.

We also look forward to “Habits that Heal”, a brand-new series offering Biblical solutions to gain understanding and healing in the midst of professional disappointments, relational struggles and identity issues.

Thank you greatly New Lifers for your continual giving which enables us as a Church, to fulfil our vision in these trying times, and continue to feed many families weekly.

Grace, peace and protection to you and your families.

Grace, peace and strength to you in the Powerful Name of Jesus.

This Sunday’s message was a great reminder that there is all power and salvation in the Name of Jesus. The beauty of the Name of Jesus is above compare. When we pray and speak the Name of Jesus, we are prophetically releasing the power of His Name against any other name and designation on this planet. When we call on His Name, we are declaring salvation, provision, comfort, hope, healing and deliverance. In His mighty Name we can trust Him to mitigate and eradicate all the effects of the pandemic in our nation and in every nation. We especially pray for those who are sick and those who have lost loved ones during this time.

Psalm 91:14-15 says this, “The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honour them.”

Philippians 2:9-11 also says, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

New Life, He knows us by name and has called us to be part of His glorious Bride, the Church.

With things changing so rapidly, who can possibly predict or know what the world will look like beyond our stages of lockdown. What we do know, in keeping with our vision, is that we are about loving a God who loves us more than we can imagine, and that we too, can continue loving people as ourselves and keep making a difference in a world that desperately needs His love.

This coming Sunday, Lisa and I will be finishing the last of the series together, “Love Letters from Jesus,” ending with communion after the message. To join in, please have your grape juice and bread ready to unite with us as we partake together as a church. As we take communion together, let’s trust Jesus to do something special in our homes, hearts and health.  

KidsLife, Inside Out and New Life Students are doing a phenomenal job in reaching our children and teens with heart, great content and excellence. You are welcome to pop in and see them in action on our website.

Grace and Peace be multiplied to you and your families as we hold fast to the Name of Jesus! 

You are deeply loved, favoured and blessed by the Lord.

There is a powerful hope that comes from the great commitment Jesus made to us, that He is building you and I (His Church) and the gates of hell will not prevail against us. (Matthew 16:18). The deep understanding that Jesus has a plan and purpose for us personally and corporately, helps us face any storm whether physical, emotional or spiritual. Jesus said “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. (Matthew 7:24-25) As we continue to build our spiritual “houses” (our spiritual selves) on the sure foundation of connectedness with Him and with other believers, we will find that our houses will stand in spite of any storm. We are built to stand stronger than any circumstance!

With Spring around the corner we are excited about launching our brand new series “Habits that Heal”. The world is full of hurting people who struggle with a range of issues, such as anxiety, loneliness, depression, relational struggles, professional disappointments and identity issues. Often people have struggled with some of these problems for years. In this series we will discover that there are biblical solutions to help us work through these issues and find healing on the other side.

Parents, an exciting new series for Injabulo Land and the Zone, “God’s Masterpiece” - starts from this coming Sunday. Kids will learn that their identity is found in Christ and that God has created everyone with a unique purpose. The InsideOut tweens will also continue this momentum as they come to understand their identity, mission and purpose in Christ.

Students are launching their brand-new series this month, “Silent Killers”, which speaks directly into several issues we believe are killing this generation. The goal is to see what the Bible says about these things, so that we can shine a light into every dark place in our lives and experience freedom.

Look forward to praying with you this morning at 8am on Facebook Live and worshipping with you on Sunday as we allow the Spirit to encourage and refresh us.

Grace and Peace to you and your families.

It is important that as much as we stand firm on the promises of God, that we can also be real, and being authentic helps us heal and gives us perspective during these difficult times. 1 Corinthians 12:26 : "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together." Therefore, as a body of believers, we encourage one another as we navigate through the deep waters and storms of life. We grieve deeply with Khosi and the family of Moses Mokgapa, precious long-time member, leader and true servant of God who went home to Jesus this weekend. We also grieve with every New Lifer who has been through the loss or illness of a loved one during lockdown, praying that we would all know the comfort of the Holy Spirit, our Helper and Comforter. John 14:16 says, And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you forever, the Spirit of truth”.

A very big thank you to every Connect Group Leader and to those who attended Connect Groups in this past season. Despite some of the challenges of Groups being online, every leader patiently persevered and we had wonderful reports of what the Holy Spirit did through the Wholeness resource, with nearly 400 people joining us online. As a church remaining connected as the Body of Christ is so vital, and we are thankful for mature and committed Connect Group Leaders who give of their time to help people go deeper as they connect relationally with one another. Romans 12:5 “so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another”. We look forward to our next Connect Group season starting in September so keep an eye on the New Life Church website for updates.

This week, please remember to:

• Join us for the 9am and 11am Sunday Services as we continue to journey through the current series from the Book of Revelation, “Love Letters from Jesus”.
• Join us as we continue to pray together live on Facebook from 8am to 8:30am on Wednesdays, interceding for the nation, our church, and each other.
• For the parents, children and students who are on school holidays, the KidsLife and Students ministries are available on demand, as are the Sunday messages.
  
  

We are pleased to announce that the New Life Church Podcast is now available so that you can subscribe and download our audio sermons for offline listening. Podcasting is a great way for us to connect with you and bring messages of faith into your everyday lives.

A huge shoutout of gratitude to everyone who participated in the Mandela Day Servolution Drive-Through this past Saturday! Over 110 cars came to New Life Bryanston representing New Lifers and their families showing overwhelming kindness and generosity! The New Life Staff receiving these gifts of care were moved to tears during the three hours of selfless giving. Through your donations, we have collected 217 clothing bags with toiletries and 130 generous family food parcels of non-perishables. As four local Churches, we are thrilled to be a source of blessing to those who directly need practical help in our communities in these months of lockdown.
 
Since lockdown, the disruptions to everyday life have been far-reaching, leaving many of us with feelings of discouragement, weariness and stress. It is in times like these it is good to know we can spiritually recharge our souls. Psalm 23, a psalm of David, puts it this way, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.” In His presence we find fountains of peace and rivers of refreshing for our souls. Rest and reflection lead to a renewed vigour to face the daily demands of life. Today our prayer is that those who are soul-weary will be energized and strengthened as you draw from the wells of the Spirit.
 
We trust you are also finding the current Sunday message series; “Love Letters from Jesus”, a source of this refreshing.
 
This week, we enter the second week of our online Alpha and Financial Hope Courses. We believe that those attending these courses will gain great value for themselves and their families.
 
Thank you to all New Lifers as you continue to faithfully give to the work of the Lord at the four New Life Churches. Your kind giving enables us to continue to spread the good news and fulfil the call of Jesus on our church.
 
With love and gratitude towards God’s people we are privileged to serve and serve with.

Grace and Peace be multiplied to you and your families. 

One thing we can be sure of in challenging times, is the deep love that Christ has for each one of us. It is this great love and passion Jesus has for His Church that anchors us in times when the waiting seems interminably long and the future uncertain. We are reminded of His commitment to us in Romans 8:28 which says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” No matter the situation we find ourselves in today, this is our great assurance, that God is always working for our good.

We thank God that in times like these we are a part of God’s great family, where we grow in our love for one another as Christ loves us. Being an intergenerational church is vitally important as we can learn from those who are older than us and be refreshed and challenged by those younger than us. We need each other now more than ever as we navigate these times as a body of believers. With this in mind we encourage all parents to please promote our lifegiving series on-line to your children and teens:

• Our current series at The Zone and Injabulo Land will teach kids all about the book of Acts, the early church, the apostles and the power of the Holy Spirit and how He helps us make the right choices.
   
  
• InsideOut's current series "Legendary Character", is where our pre-teens learn that God is calling them to something deeper, more meaningful, and much more freeing than being a “good person.” He’s calling us to live a life of godly character, no matter where we are or who we’re with.
  
  
• New Life Students are exploding a lot of myths and false beliefs about the supernatural. Their new series "Supernatural" begins this week and will solidly ground students in a biblical understanding of the spiritual realm and increase their knowledge of their authority in Christ.
  
  

We invite you and your family to our Servolution Drive Through Mandela Day initiative happening this Saturday 18th July from 10am - 1pm at New life Church Bryanston. This can be a fun outing for the whole family as you hand your parcels of good second hand (or new) clothes, non-perishable foodstuffs, and/or toiletries, to one of our friendly pastoral team through the safety of your car window. Let’s all do our bit to help those struggling at this time.

Everyone is welcome to pray with us on Wednesdays from 8:00am to 8:30am on New Life Facebook Live (click here at 8am on Wednesdays) for a half hour of powerful live intercession. You can bring your prayer requests and post them in the comments section as we join in unity as a church to pray for the nation, our families, finances and many other themes.

If you missed Sunday’s online service due to load shedding, or any other reason, you can always catch up on demand during the week.

Grace and Peace be multiplied to you and your families. 

Warm winter weekly greetings! This week marks over 100 days of social distancing and we continue to pray for all affected by the virus on every front.

Scripture tells us in Acts 2:25 “I constantly fixed my eyes upon the Lord, because He is at my right hand in order that I may continue unshaken.” Many of us may feel like we are out on the water in the midst of the storm just like the Apostle Peter. He must have felt very afraid, looking at the huge waves coming towards him. When he kept his focus on the stormy waves, he began to sink. But as he kept his focus on Jesus, he safely walked on the water without sinking. Let’s keep our focus firmly on our Lord and Saviour Jesus, trusting He will be with us all the way to the other side and we will not be moved.

Our weekly Wednesday Prayer Devotionals kicked off last Wednesday at 8am on Facebook Live and was joined by over 100 people!

Our KidsLife kids had a great time beating the cold last Friday night with an epic Praise Party. It was heart-warming to see that so many children engaged in the online Praise Party. Well done to Christelle, parents and KidsLife volunteers for making this a special moment for New Life children to enjoy praising God. (If you missed it on Friday, click here to experience the Praise Party on demand for your age group).

We continue to help feed those in need with our weekly food parcels. We are looking forward to the Drive-Through Madiba Servolution on Saturday 18 July (10am to 1pm) at New Life Church Bryanston when we honour Mandela Day. Please bring non-perishable food, your nearly new or new clothing (all sizes) or toiletries, and our friendly New Life pastoral team will be there, observing social distancing protocols, to receive your kind parcels as you pass by. See you there!

Upcoming events launching on Wed 15 July online, are:

• The Alpha Course is an amazing experience run for those who are new believers or for those who are exploring the Christian faith. This is done in a non-threatening and respectful environment via viewing Course videos online followed by a time of discussion.
   
• The Financial Hope Course will set you on a scriptural path to financial freedom. This course has helped thousands of people to properly handle finances, whilst learning how to budget, get out of debt and see the increase as you manage your money God’s way.

Grace and Peace be multiplied to you and your families.

Weekly Greetings in the Name of Christ from the Pastoral Team, Lisa and myself at New Life Church.

As a body of believers, we continue to pray daily for the Lord’s intervention on behalf of all severely affected by the tragedies brought about by Covid-19, both nationally and internationally.

We are half-way through the year as we together press on to fulfil the vision of New Life Church: Inspiring everyone to love God, love others as ourselves, and impact the world for Christ.

This past Sunday we began a brand-new series, “Love Letters from Jesus”, the message of Christ to His beloved Bride as revealed in the letters to the seven churches in the Book of Revelation. The Apostle John puts it this way in John 3:29, “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.” Let us invest time with our beloved Bridegroom, Jesus, as we explore the depth, width and height of His great love poured out to us, as revealed in these captivating love letters.

In July, as a local Church, we launch the following exciting initiatives:

• Online Weekly Prayer
  From this Wednesday (1 July), at 8am to 8:30am, all are welcome to join in the new weekly prayer initiative live on the New Life Facebook page. You can put down your prayer requests in the comments section and stand with us as we pray for the nation, our families, finances and more, as the Spirit leads us.
   
• Online Alpha Course
  Alpha, a world-renowned 10 week course exploring the basics of the Christian Faith that has been attended by more than 30 million people worldwide to date, starts online on Wednesday 15 July at 7pm (click here to find out more and register).
   
• Online Financial Hope Course
  Also beginning on Wednesday 15 July at 7pm, this 7 week online course will assist people to create a budget, get out of debt, save for the future, and most importantly, learn God’s Word relating to personal finances (click here to find out more and register).
   
• Drive through “Madiba Servolution” on Saturday 18 July
  In service to the many hungry in our land and in loving memory of Nelson Mandela’s birthday, New Life Church will host a drive through drop off zone, while wearing masks and observing social distancing, for all to bring non-perishable supplies to the Church on Saturday 18 July from 10am to 1pm. For more info watch our Sunday services online or click here.
  
  

 It’s a magnificent privilege to know that the love of Jesus carries us daily as we continually seek His presence.

Ongoing Grace and Peace be multiplied to you and your families.

It is encouraging to know that although we don’t know what lies ahead, Psalm 46:7 says, “The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress”. The Lord is mighty, able and more powerful than anything we may face. The God of Heaven’s Armies is right there with you.
 
We are super excited to be launching our new series this Sunday (28 June), taken from the Book of Revelation, “Love Letters from Jesus”. There is nothing more personal than a hand-written letter from the one you love. In the beginning of the book of Revelation, Jesus speaks tenderly and directly to His Bride the Church, in seven unique love letters. Jesus knows what we are going through and speaks through the pen of the Apostle John, to reveal a timeless message of His deep love toward us as His church and offer hope and encouragement for our future.
 
This Sunday we also look forward to sharing Communion together as a church. This is an important moment where we celebrate what Jesus has done for us, as He has reminded us to do. Please have your elements of bread and grape juice ready to share this special moment with your family.
 
Next week, we are also launching a mid-week Prayer Devotional where you can tune in on New Life Church Facebook Live at 8am on Wednesdays for a powerful prayer moment led by the pastoral team. Let’s get together in unity and pray for our nation, families, finances and whatever and wherever the Spirit leads us to pray.
 
Wednesday 15 July at 7pm marks the online commencement of two evergreen courses at New Life Church:

The Alpha Course
A renowned 10 week course outlining the basics of the Christian Faith that has been attended by more than 30 million people worldwide to date (click here to find out more and register).
 
Financial Hope Course
This 7 week course has become a very effective ministry tool in assisting people create a budget, get out of debt, save for the future, and most importantly, learn God’s Word relating to personal finances (click here to find out more and register).

God bless you this week as, by the Grace of God, we, as a local Church, continue to extend His Kingdom via the channels available to us.

Greetings to you and your families from the pastoral team, Lisa and myself. Things may not be perfect, but we pray you are well, warm and strengthened as we continue our journey together in lockdown level three.

Sunday’s online message from Professor David Block emphasized a much-loved scripture verse, Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God”. He brought New Life Church a fresh message of hope and today we can know that “Hope is a Rope”, as we remember everything God can do when we listen to His still small voice. We can shut out any voices that cause our thoughts to be troubled and focus our thoughts Heavenward, to a place of peace, hope and trust in the One who holds the Universe in His Hands.

This coming Sunday (21 June), 9am and 11am, we welcome Dr Keith Warrington, Bible scholar and author with over 30 years of experience in ministry, to the online New Life Church pulpit. Dr Keith specialises in New Testament Theology and he and his lovely wife, Judy, now travel the world encouraging people to encounter God through His Word, the Bible. We look forward to experiencing his depth of ministry as we are inspired by the message he brings New Life this Father’s Day.

The following Sunday, 28 June, we launch our new series called “Love Letters from Jesus” which reveal the timeless message of Christ’s deep love toward His Church found in the letters to the seven Churches in Revelation... but more about this in next week’s weekly email!

Thank you for your generous giving as we continue each week to feed families through both our ongoing initiatives, the Wednesday Pick n Pay Douglasdale collections and the Fill-a-Box Servolution drive.

Thank you too for the wonderful response we have received from the Lockdown Survey promoted last week! We received great positive and encouraging feedback. These are some of the results so far:

• 90% of responses have been engaging with our online services
• 88% of online viewers had a fairly good to very good technical/reception experience
  
  

 Please Click here if you would still like to take part in the survey which closes this Friday, 19 June, at 5pm.

We love you and pray that our Father of compassion, the God of all comfort, strengthens you and gives you peace.

We continue to trust our Sovereign God for the healing of our nation and pray for His provision for all who are affected by the virus.

Our thoughts are especially with those who returned to school this week, both learners and educators and we pray for their protection as they engage in their lessons once again.

No matter what we are personally facing, we can take comfort knowing that our God has gone before us into every situation, and we can cast our burdens on Him as He cares for us. 1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you.

Some brand-new happenings coming up to mark on your calendars:

• This coming Sunday (14 June), we welcome Professor David Block, world renowned astronomer and scientist timeously addressing us on "Our Faith Journey... Lessons from SpaceX". We also have a special youth component for this Sunday in line with June 16 being National Youth Day!
   
• Joining us on Father’s Day, Sunday (21 June), is Dr Keith Warrington online all the way from the UK. Keith has spent over thirty years as a New Testament scholar teaching at Regents Theological College in Worcestershire, England. Enjoy the depth of teaching of this valued friend of New Life Church who now travels the world teaching and preaching New Testament and Pentecostal Theology.
   
• We’re excited about the launch of our new Sunday message series: “Love Letters from Jesus”. This series, starting Sunday 28 June, captures the heart of Jesus who speaks tenderly and directly to His Bride in seven unique love letters found in the Book of Revelation. Through these letters the timeless message of God’s deep love toward His church is revealed, offering hope and encouragement for the future.
  
  

 Thank you for your continued giving to our feeding programs, Fill-A-Box initiative and the Douglasdale Pick n Pay Wednesday collections. Because of your kindness, we have been able to supply food to 280 needy families in our communities this week.

Please can we ask all New Lifers to take 2 minutes to fill in an anonymous survey? We would so appreciate your helpful feedback to enable us to ascertain how effectively the New Life Church online ministry is serving you during these challenging stages of lockdown.

Click here to start the survey

"...it is LOVE that really builds up the church."  1 Corinthians 8:1

Weekly greetings from New Life Church as Lockdown Stage 3 began on Monday heralding more relaxed regulations, with many of us venturing back to our physical places of work or study. May the Lord Himself protect us all as we enter this next stage of Lockdown. As a Church staff, we continue praying for you all.

You may ask, “When is New Life Church going to open?”. While we can meet in groups of less than fifty under strict protocols, we, as New Life Church leadership, have prayerfully considered that this is not the time for us to have gatherings at this stage across all four churches. Love is our guide and we want to protect one another valuing the safety of all. Love is what enables us to protect and serve the people of South Africa, the city, our local church, as well as the communities we live in.

For those who head back to work and school, let's love and protect one another by wearing masks, washing hands and observing the established hygiene regulations.

We encourage us all to continue:

• Praying for our nation and the nations of the world (Unite714 Prayer)
• Meeting online for Sunday Worship services at 9am and 11am (also on demand for the following week by clicking here)
• Encouraging our young people to follow the weekly on demand online resources for their particular age groups
  (KidsLife, InsideOut and New Life Students)
• Meeting midweek for the next 7 weeks through Connect Groups Online
• Serving our communities by providing food parcels for the needy through any reputable channels or by way of New Life Church’s “Fill-A-Box” initiative or our Pick n Pay Douglasdale Wednesday collections
  
  

Our lines are now open for personal prayer ministry on Sundays from 10:00am to 12:30 noon: 011 706 7565.
Please call in and we will be ready to pray with you.

We also trust that the recent series, “Possessing Your Tomorrows”, has been enjoyable, encouraging and faith-building to all.

We look forward to Professor David Block and Dr Keith Warrington who will be joining us to minister this month.

It was wonderful to hear President Ramaphosa stating on national TV last night that South Africans are a people of deep faith. The President announced this coming Sunday 31 May, as a National Day of Prayer and as New Life Church, we greatly look forward to being actively involved in this vital prayer initiative.
 
We have just passed the 60-day mark of lockdown and are now looking forward to changing gears down to Stage 3. We believe this will bring a much-needed boost to our economy as we continue to pray and trust our God for healing and provision for all affected medically and financially by Covid-19 in South Africa.
 
May you be encouraged from God’s Word in Romans 12:10-13. “Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fuelled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality."
The all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving and ever-present God is busy and working on our behalf. The God of the universe can do more than we can think or imagine as we remain cheerfully expectant approaching this Sundays National Day of Prayer.
 
Being a large congregation and the safety of our members being paramount, we cannot gather as a congregation yet, but we are thankful that: 

• We are connected to our God forever.
• We can still meet together on Sundays as we worship online.
  Something new: our services will be live-streamed from our website as well as Facebook Live at 9am and 11am. The services will be available on demand for the rest of the week.
• We can pray for one another.
  Something new: we will be providing a telephonic prayer ministry after each service. For prayer please contact 0117067565 to pray with someone or email us at info@newlifechurch.co.za for any other prayer requests.
• We are able to continue to pray and meet within our Connect Groups online during the week
  (It’s still not too late to join a group click here).
• We can continue to serve as agents of His life and love in our own spheres of influence.
  
  We thank you Newlifers for your big hearts of generosity in the midst of these trying times. May God reward you and bless you abundantly.

 
Let us embrace the reality of this season with courage whilst remaining positive through keeping our eyes on Him. The Book of Ecclesiastes 3:1 puts it this way, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Whatever the season, God is in control and He will complete the good work He has started in us, so let’s remain cheerfully expectant.

Please join us online this Sunday at 9am or 11am as we align ourselves with the President’s call for a National Day of Prayer.

Grace and peace to you and your families, both near and far.

In the busyness of life, it’s good to take a moment to see things in perspective. Psalms 46:10 puts it this way, “Be still, and know that I am God’. Pause, for a moment and be reassured that God is still God. With this knowledge we can choose to live with confidence, courage and peace, knowing our mighty God loves us, is with us and is leading and guiding us.

Sometimes waiting for things to change is the hardest part of living. But as we wait, we as Christ followers wait with the knowledge and trust that all things will work together for our good (Romans 8:28). We can choose to quieten our thoughts and renew our minds by holding on to the promises God gives us in His Word. In our waiting, He is working, and we are strengthened knowing that greater times lie ahead.

This week Wednesday 20 May, 7pm, we begin our new Online Connect Group season. Connect Groups are where you can spend time with like-minded people, whilst growing closer to Jesus. This term we are enjoying a life-giving in-sync resource “The Wholeness Course” authored by Madz Deyzel, Pastoral Counsellor and Trainer. This inspirational 8-week course lays the theological and psychological foundations of what it means to be human, and how God fits into every aspect of our lives. It is vital to stay connected to others in times of physical distancing, so if you would like to be part of a Connect Group and haven’t registered yet, you can sign up here.

While you've been adjusting to your new normal at home, we've made a few exciting updates to serve New Life KidsLife Online, on demand. Our new KidsLife program for the Zone (6-10 yr olds) speaks into the different emotions children may experience during times of social isolation. InsideOut (11-13 yr olds), our tween ministry, is learning all about living a life of worship, and the little ones in Injabulo Land (1-5 yr olds) will also enjoy their fun theme, “Fruit of the Spirit”. These age specific ministries have been designed to captivate and engage your children, leading them into a vibrant and exciting relationship with Jesus.

A big thank you to all our connect group leaders who are opening their hearts and homes online to serve us as a church.

Grace and Peace to you and your families.

It is so reassuring to us as believers and followers of Christ, that Isaiah 40:28 says, “The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary.”

The eternal God is our refuge and strength. We may get tired, but He is never tired. When we are weak, He remains strong. Whatever we may be facing, He is there to strengthen us, to uphold us and to make our way straight, to lift up the valleys and to move the mountains we face. He is the voice in the storm that says “Peace, It is I”.

Our sincere apologies for the technical issues we experienced on Sunday at the 9am service. If you missed the live-stream due to the technical issues, it will be available “on demand” on our website. We are addressing the problem, which will be resolved so that you can look forward to our next part of the current series on Sunday 17 May. See you there at 9am.

We are excited as we continue signing up for Connect Groups Online. As you may have heard, we have a brilliant group resource by Madz Deyzel, Pastoral Counsellor and Trainer, called “The Wholeness Course”. This inspirational 8-week course lays the theological and psychological foundations of what it means to be human, and how God fits into every aspect of our lives. Being in relationship with each other is vital during physical isolation. If you would like to join a Connect Group Online, please have a look at our website for more information regarding registration.

As some of us may be experiencing different emotions in Week 8 of lockdown, let’s remain calm, united and in faith as we pray for each other and our nation. Our God is a living God, a God who hears our prayers, let’s praise Him as we put our trust in Him.

Let’s pray together: Lord, we praise You today that You are a Living God who is leading us as a nation and as a church. Thank you for every Newlifer, that You are our all-sufficiency, Jesus. You are a God who promises to meet every need, physical, emotional and financial. We choose to put our trust in You. Lord we choose to praise You, no matter the storm we may be in. In Jesus Name. Amen

Over the past 6 weeks of national lockdown, whilst we are all getting used to the “new normal”, we are so encouraged to see our church being more than bricks and mortar, but “living stones”, each playing our part so that we can go on “loving Jesus, loving others as ourselves and impacting the world for Christ”. We are grateful and take comfort in the fact that almost all of us can connect with each other in different ways through the various social platforms available to us.

Psalm 133:1 says it so well, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”

Great News! Term 2 of Connect Groups for 2020 will be starting online during the week of 18 to 22 May. It is vital for us to keep connected, not only on Sundays, but meeting mid-week in smaller groups both strengthens our relationship with Jesus and with each other, as life-giving friendships are cultivated. Click here for more information or email connect@newlifechurch.co.za

This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day, a special time to honour our New Life Mothers. This scripture puts it so well when we think of all the that our Moms do for us, Proverbs 31:25: "She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future." Moms are often our unsung heroes, so this is a wonderful time to bless them this Sunday as we pray for them and thank God for the part they have played in our lives.

Our current series “Possessing Your Tomorrows” is helping us to look forward to the future, just as Joshua did, as we begin to stir up our faith and journey with boldness into a future paved with the promises of God. This inspirational series is live-streamed every Sunday at 9am for all 4 New Life Churches (and available on demand for the following week). Please join us via our website or Facebook Live.

As local churches in Bryanston, Diepsloot, Cosmo City and Alexandra, we want to remain mindful of those who are truly struggling at this time and help where we can via weekly food parcel handing out (New Life partnering with Pick n Pay Douglasdale) or our Fill-a-Box initiative. A very big thank you to every New Lifer for your generosity.

Weekly lockdown greetings from Chris, Lisa and the Pastoral Team at New Life Church. We continue to pray for wisdom and help for the President and the Cabinet Ministers as they make the needed decisions in these unchartered and very challenging times.

As four New Life Church communities (Bryanston, Diepsloot, Cosmo City and Alexandra), we continue to do Church submitting to the regulations that our Government has implemented. Our weekly online Sunday Services are being viewed by many, many people locally and we have logons from all over the world. We look forward to meeting again online this Sunday (3 May) at 9am as we live-stream the service on our website and on Facebook live.

It is almost time for our 2nd Term of Connect Groups to kick off and we are going to launch our home-based Connect Groups via on-line platforms towards the middle of May! Life is better together! Our next Alpha Course is going online too. Please keep an eye on the website and weekly emails to keep updated with all the latest information regarding online Connect Group opportunities for Term 2 of 2020.

Please also be mindful of opportunities to support others whose lives have been so drastically changed as a result of the economic situation we find ourselves in:

• New Life Church "Fill-A-Box" Servolution initiative
• General ideas and food parcel collections at the Pick n Pay in Douglasdale

If both parents are trying to work from home, remember that you’re on the same team together. Try to set up a schedule that suits everyone. Some of us are taking shifts, where one parent works from 8:30am to 12:00pm, while the other cares for the kids, then switching from 12:30pm to 5:00pm. Make a plan, but leave room to be flexible.

…Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults…
EPHESIANS 4:2

Ask your children to “help” in ways that make sense for their ages. You might help them make a “Time to Work” sign for you, then explain that when you hang it on the door, that means you need to concentrate. Help them make special artwork for your workspace - especially if you’ll be in video meetings. Your kids are more likely to respect boundaries between work time and family time if they feel invested in both.

Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds… Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
DEUTERONOMY 11:18-19

 “Productivity” looks different right now than it did three months ago. And, most of the people you work with are likely dealing with issues very similar to yours. Be a living example of the things you hope to receive from others. Give grace to your coworkers, to your children, and to yourself. 

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
GALATIANS 5:22-23

As much as you can, enjoy this time you have together. It may be hard to remember right now, but just a few months ago, many of us were trying to find ways to spend more time with our kids. It’s true that our current circumstances come with real challenges. But, it’s also true that we have the power to choose how we respond. We can see them as setbacks that are causing us pain, or as opportunities to draw our families closer than ever.                                  

We are about to enter Week 5 of national Covid-19 lockdown and Lisa and I want to encourage all New Lifers to stand strong in our faith according to the words of our Lord in John 16:33 “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

A very encouraging report is that we have had up to 1495 devices logged on to our online Sunday Services (including online viewers from other nations - the UK, New Zealand and Slovakia!). We expect each device to represent approximately 2 adults resulting in about 3000 people watching online on Sundays. This number does not include those who watch the Sunday Service on-demand over the course of the following week nor the weekly KidsLife, InsideOut and New Life Student on-demand online material viewing.

We, as a Church staff, continue handing out food parcels to vulnerable families in all 4 of our New Life Church communities with 200 food parcels going out this week.

Here are some things we would love all to consider this week... 

1. Please continue worshipping and feeding our faith together by watching online Sunday Church services at 9am (or watching the same weekly Sunday Service on-demand until the following Saturday evening). “Possessing Your Tomorrows” is the current sermon series. Weekly KidsLife, InsideOut and New Life Students materials are available online on-demand.
    
2. Please continue praying in line with the global #UNITE714 prayer initiative we are tracking with as New Life Church. Also, please keep praying for wisdom and guidance for President Ramaphosa and all the provincial premiers as they make decisions related to Covid-19 going forward.
    
3. Please practically help others by participating in the New Life Church "Fill-A-Box" Servolution initiative which gives us an opportunity to be ready to help others in dire need as soon as current lockdown regulations are eased. Find out more by clicking here.
    
4. Please contribute to food parcel collections at the Pick n Pay in Douglasdale. New Life Church and other charities are partnering with Pick n Pay Douglasdale with daily pick-ups of what has been donated by shoppers. With immediate effect and until further notice, whatever is donated on a Wednesday is given to New Life Church to distribute to the vulnerable at this time.
    
5. Please continue reaching out to those you personally know are in lockdown on their own or you know are in lockdown under challenging circumstances. We encourage all to be mindful of our older family members and other senior citizens we personally relate to.

 New Life Church marches on and the pastoral staff remain available to gladly serve you as best we can in this difficult time of national lockdown.
 
Grace, Peace and Sovereign Protection to you and your families.

Weekly greetings from Lisa, myself and all the pastoral staff at New Life as we enter the fourth week of national lockdown.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

In challenging times, God reminds us today that He is bigger than any circumstances we may be facing, and although our current situation may bring unforeseen changes, He is the God who has gone before us and He makes a way where it seems there is no way. He is the Mountain Mover who melts the mountains before us like wax in His presence. We can surely trust our resurrected Jesus to empower, deliver and strengthen us as we lay hold of His promises.

Lockdown is new for us all and can hold challenging aspects for couples, families and individuals. There are lots of good and helpful ideas in the media about how best to navigate and utilise this time as beneficially as possible. We also respectfully encourage healthy and helpful weekly/daily routines for couples, for families and for New Lifers in lockdown on their own. Daily times for activities like devotions, work, exercise, family interaction, phone calls, meal times, rest and fun are helpful to us all. We encourage you to be prayerful and intentional about working out daily and weekly routines that serve you best in your specific setting.

Coming up soon! We are livestreaming our new series, “Possessing Your Tomorrows” from this Sunday 19 April at 9am. This timeous message will lead us through a study of the Book of Joshua. Whatever has shaped your life up to this moment has no claim on the tomorrow God has planned for you. Whatever has been problematic, intimidating or disappointing need not hamstring your future. You can decide, “Will I live in the shadow of the past? Or will I open to the possibility that the Lord has greater horizons for my life? Will my tomorrows unfold... or will they fold up?” That is the question we all face. Discover the practical pathway to victory and how to move into and possess the tomorrows God has waiting for you.

We want to help your children stay engaged in their relationship with God and excited about church. Follow KidsLife and find a variety of resources and fun things for kids to do.

New Life Students will also enjoy a unique online experience and stay connected with specific weekly Student Ministry resources on demand.

We continue to pray daily as a Church staff for all New Lifers during these times.  

Join us this Easter for an online service as we celebrate God’s love for us! John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Nothing can stop God’s love for you. His love is bigger than anything you’re facing today or anything that worries you about tomorrow.

We are looking forward to celebrating the hope, peace and victory of Jesus this coming Easter weekend. We will be remembering Jesus as we take communion together at our Good Friday online service at 9am, and our Easter Sunday online service at 9am. For more information on how to celebrate communion in your home with us during the Easter weekend services, click here.

On Mondays, a new weekly prayer schedule for morning and evening prayer is posted on our New Life website as we participate together with churches around the world in the UNITE714 prayer (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Our pastoral team remain available to serve you in prayer and encouragement as we continue to trust Him in these difficult times. We pray that the Spirit of the Risen Christ will fill you and your families with His resurrection power and faith.

Continued Grace and peace to you and your families.

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matthew 19:26

As things change day by day, our prayer is that you know you’re deeply loved and supported by the New Life Church family. When the world seems a little overwhelming, we know we can hold fast to the promises of God and trust Him for a miracle of healing in our nation and the nations of the world.

We are blessed to be able to pray together as a church community. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. Every week a prayer focus will be on the website, which can be prayed daily (morning and evening), as we pray in unity with churches around the world. Let's Pray

Once again, this Sunday 5 April at 9am, we are thrilled to worship together online as we continue with our series “Worry Less: Practice Rest”. Online Service

Important change for KidsLife and New Life Students from this Sunday! Instead of streaming before and after the main service, our children will enjoy their very own online experience worshipping Jesus and download weekly KidsLife activities on demand. New Life Students will also enjoy a unique online experience and stay connected with specific weekly Student Ministry resources on demand.
KidsLife On-Demand       |       Students On-Demand

We at New Life are unstoppable at serving, so here are three fresh, new ideas to keep you serving our community during lockdown:
If you know someone who needs airtime / data you can buy some for them so that they can keep in touch with their loved ones
Phone or contact someone that you know is staying alone at home during lockdown to encourage them
Write an encouraging note/scripture and give it to the teller or petrol attendant when you next go out for essential shopping

At a time like this it is very real to feel fearful. Here are three ways to help overcome fear, anxiety and insecurity:      

1. Remind ourselves of God's everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3)
2. Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)
3. Turn our thoughts into prayers (Philippians 4:6) 

We are so thankful to our Almighty God Who never changes. He is forever watching over us and we can trust in Him through every challenging circumstance. However, things are changing by the day with the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re changing right along with it to help be part of the solution. Psalm 91:4 says, “His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you. You can run under his covering of majesty and hide. His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm.”

As we all know, on Monday evening, 23 March, the President of the Republic of South Africa implemented a 21 day nation-wide lock-down from 12 midnight on Thurs 26 March, 2020. As Bible believing Christians, we obey the laws of the land as is written in 1 Peter 2:13 (Amplified Version): “Submit yourselves to [the authority of] every human institution for the sake of the Lord [to honour His name], whether it is to a king as one in a position of power...” We honour President Ramaphosa and we submit to and support the government’s swift measures put in place to best minimise the spread of the virus in our nation.

Please remember we (God’s people) are the church, not the building, so in times like these, we encourage all New Lifers to stay connected as a community of believers via the channels that are available to us.

As New Life Church, we will continue to have online Church Services every Sunday at 9am until we are permitted by government to resume social gatherings. Please also see below, our added aspects to the online Sunday experience, to continue ministering weekly to children and students.

As New Life Church pastors and staff, we are always available via telephonic contact, WhatsApp videos and Skype to serve and pray with you.

Psalm 46:1 says, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

We pray that you would sense God’s peace in the midst of these difficult circumstances, and walk in wisdom as we serve the Lord and our community in a way that demonstrates our trust in God and our love for people. We are grateful that the Bible tells us,
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

New Life Church is putting a hold on Sunday Church Services, church-based groups and home-based groups, in line with President Ramaphosa’s rulings regarding public gatherings. This will apply to our 4 Church campuses in Bryanston, Cosmo City, Diepsloot and Alexandra with immediate effect.

Beginning this coming Sunday, 22 March 2020, New Life Church will be providing an online live-feed Church Service at 9am for our four congregations to continue to worship with us even though we are unable to meet in person. Ps Chris will be sharing an inspiring message to encourage us all. Join us online this weekend HERE.

At this time let us remember that the Church is so much more than a building, we can still BE the Church during these uncertain times. We can look to help those in need, call those who may be isolated, and show our community what it means to be a voice of hope.

Please know that our pastoral staff is passionate about continuing to support you in the weeks and months to come.
If you have a need or would like someone to pray with you, our pastors are available, simply call (011) 706-7565.

We will update you via email, SMS, our website, Facebook and Instagram.

We love you and are praying for you and your families’ continued safety and well-being and for all those who have been affected by this virus. We’re also praying for a cure from heaven and for our Government and medical community as they deal with the impact of this crisis.