In September, we will launch our Fall Focus entitled, “Greater than Gold,” learning how Jesus viewed, interacted with, and used the Word of God that we might follow his example. The key to getting the most out of the Fall Focus will be the content and conversation only found in a Connect Group. Be sure to sign up for a group here.  It is going to be a great season of God moving his mission forward in us and through us for his glory.

 As you read through the annual report, I hope you are encouraged by what God has done and inspired to pursue his mission with great zeal in this new year.

 God Bless,

Sharing the Gospel begins
by blessing your neighbor!

The most effective way for us to help people who don’t know Jesus to come to Jesus is by becoming their genuine friend. At North, we are committed to being that genuine friend! One way we are doing that is through the strategy called BLESS.

The BLESS strategy is not a program, but a way to organize intentional relationships. Beginning with prayer, listening, eating together, serving, and sharing your story, we can show the love of Jesus to our neighbors.

A personal BLESS experience…

"We had a neighbor we rarely saw.  He was never outside in his yard or driveway.  We would see him ride out our lane never looking left or right. 

         There came a day when we were having company and needed parking space so I parked my truck in his spare driveway.  He came out to see what I was doing.  We began to talk.  I asked him why we never saw him out.  His response upset me.  He said, “I just sit in the house and hate my life.”  Wow!  I had lost my son about 2 months prior due to an apparent suicide.  My antenna popped up.  Over the next few weeks, I told him my story.  Gradually, I could see relief on his face.  He knew that I had been through hardships similar to his.  I related this to my wife, and we began to pray for him.

         The church had just begun its BLESS evangelism model.  We used that model, although not necessarily in the order designed.  We began to share our meals with him.  Sometimes he would answer the door and other times we just left it on his porch.  This began our listening stage and eating stage, though we weren’t eating “with” him.  He had a young son who would come to the door when we stopped by with a meal or dessert.  We began to win his trust and friendship.  I had been mowing their grass for about a year, the serve S.

         Little by little, he began to emerge from his shell.  We asked him if he would like for his son to attend church with us on Sunday.  A few weeks later we asked him for help with a job at our house and he was quick to agree to help.  During this visit, he said we could take his son to church.  We asked him if he would like to go with us.  The next day was Easter Sunday and he agreed to go with us as well.  He has missed just a handful of Sundays since then.    

         This is a man who did not believe in God.  He said if there was a God, he wouldn’t have anything to do with him.  …But he eventually began to pray and he related just a few days ago that the first time he really prayed, he experienced a peace within that stopped the devilish voices in his head and that he physically felt a warmth flow through his body.  Over a year later he is still in church and has accepted Jesus as his Savior.  He and his son come over for dinner every Wednesday for supper with us.     

         None of this was our doing.  BLESS is the vehicle God used when our neighbor was ready.

We believe everyone can take a next step in becoming fully devoted disciples.

Kids Ministry

Bible Buddies

“This is such an amazing children’s ministry activity. My son really enjoys it and I love bonding with him and the Bible while reading with him. Thank you!”
–Amy C.

Over 185 Bible Buddies were "adopted" during the Easter season. This started kids, along with their families, on a 30-day intentional Bible reading and prayer plan.

 Student Ministry

 Summer Camp July 2023

90 students/leaders attended Camp 2023 where they had the opportunity to grow closer to God and to each other! At the end of camp, 7 students made the decision to be baptized and follow Jesus.

Building Christ-like Character

 NCS is dedicated to making more and better disciples every day! Since opening in 1998, our mission statement has been “to develop strong, Christ-like character and academic excellence in a safe Christian environment.” Therefore, our number one focus as a Christian school is to instill Christ-like character in all our students, while our secondary focus is academic excellence. One way we do this is by implementing a Fruits of the Spirit program, where students are recognized for displaying a Fruit while at school. (Galations 5:22-23) They are recognized at the weekly Chapel in front of their peers and staff. On our yearly parent satisfaction survey conducted at the end of this past school year, several parents recognized the Fruit of the Spirit program as having a positive impact on their child! Some of the parent comments were:

“Both of our children know about the Fruits of the Spirit. I love the spiritual things NCS instills in my children!”

“Our child speaks of the Fruits of the Spirit program frequently. We have implemented it at home to help them recognize when they are and aren’t operating in the fruits. We love it!”

“The Fruits of the Spirit program has been really encouraging for my student. It was always exciting for my child when getting one and my child always took the program very seriously.”

“I appreciate the way that what my children are taught at North opens so many doors for conversations at home. My husband and I chose to send our kids to a Christian school for this reason. To see my girls blossom in their faith is truly amazing and I could never put a price on that.”

 Moving the Mission Forward

“As a school, academics are VERY important to us, but the MOST important aspect of North Christian School is to raise more and better disciples.  Our service projects have been a tradition at North, and we are grateful to have so many men and women on staff willing to help move our mission forward.” ~Mary Brannan , NCS administrator

These projects not only helped with our NPBC ministries but also in the community as well. 

Kids helping kids
1st Grade donates to Clothing Closet

“We had our yearly donation tote in our classroom which was a huge success. It was precious to hear about each donation. It had to be emptied several times! I loved seeing the excitement the kids had sharing with our class about what they were giving. Some donated their favorite Halloween costume in the fall because Ms Jill told us they needed some. I had a couple of little gals donate Easter dresses in the spring, and they got to tell us about when they wore them. One student gave her NCS store money to Ms Jill instead of buying a snack at the cart. Ms Jill bought a bottle with that tiny donation and shared with her how it made a difference. We hosted a PJ day for diapers, socks, and underwear. Our hat day raised money to buy items over the summer. We would visit the Clothing Closet and learn about needs and help Ms Jill. She made everything so special! The kids love this ministry and so do I!” ~Kasey Snyder, teacher

 “Choice” Food Pantry Opens

In January, the Food Pantry made a change in how we operate. We switched to a “Choice Pantry” and we are now by appointment only! This means that the families who come to us can “shop” in the pantry now and pick out the items their families will use. We wanted to eliminate giving items to people who may not use or like them. We want to serve our community in the best way possible while being able to create relationships with those who come through our doors. This switch is allowing us to do just that!

North Place Maternity House

Miracles of Giving
1500+ items distributed in the MOV!

One of the things that followers of Jesus do is use what God has given them to bring good into other people’s lives. To that end, we had an amazing opportunity to do that through the revamped Miracles.

The entire month of November was devoted to A Miracle of Giving!  With the four weeks of November dedicated to the Miracles, we were able to make a greater impact on the growing needs of our community.  

The Miracles blessed children and families in the Mid-Ohio Valley through three different giving opportunities: coats, food, and winter wear.  

 Stephen Ministry

“Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
–Galatians 6:2

Stephen Ministry equips laypeople to provide one-on-one Christian care to people in our congregation and community who are experience difficulties in their lives.

They care!

“When I first learned about Stephen Ministry, I thought from the outside that the program sounded very beneficial. It was mentioned in conversations about the loss of a loved one or someone who is going through a big life-changing event, but the pamphlet goes into more detail about other scenarios where Stephen Ministry would be appropriate. When I started having some struggles that I didn’t feel were therapy-appropriate, I reached out about Stephen Ministry. I didn’t really trust most of the people in my life to confide in. Honestly, I didn’t want to share some of the information with people who I engage with in my day-to-day personal life. I felt like Stephen Ministry could potentially be beneficial. I was nervous about confidentiality and privacy since I had only dealt with previous therapy services that I knew were legally obligated to keep what I talked about private. Stephen Ministry is confidential and my Stephen Minister has been a huge blessing. The program has been a tremendous help in the personal life struggle I have recently experienced. I would very much recommend Stephen Ministry to anyone currently in a life storm and needing Godly encouragement and a non-biased ear to listen.”–Care Receiver experience

The Clothing Closet

The Clothing Closet provides a unique shopping experience for families with young children. Each appointment time slot allows guests to pick up to 10 clothing items and other essential needs for their children. The end goal is to have 5 outfits for a week. 

“I love how Jenca is so accepting with Jill. She even went and hung out with her in the Clothing Closet while I shopped in the food pantry. She’s never done that before (with anyone) and it was amazing to know she feels so comfortable at North and in the Clothing Closet.”

~ Rebecca Frazier, Clothing Closet shopper

The Clothing Closet’s annual Easter Egg Hunt celebration was held on March 25 and served 12 families with 26 kids participating (not all were pictured). 

A message from Pastor John

Last year, we set a budget for reaching $1.5 million in tithes and offerings. I’m excited to report that we exceeded that goal by $27,602. Total expenses came in at $1,389,311, which ended up being $16,489 less than what we budgeted. Net income was $173,385. With these funds, we were able to replace several heating and air conditioning units that were no longer working and provide a number of security upgrades for North Christian School.   

As you know, we are laser-focused on reaching people for Christ here in the MOV. Your faithfulness allows us to do just that. I’m so grateful for each person who gives toward our mission.