THE 13 NPC DNA COMMANDMENTS

1. Thou shall be God Centered.

2. Thou shall be Christ Following.

3. Thou shall be Spirit-led.

4. Thou shall uphold and teach what NPC views as Biblical absolute truths.

5. Thou shall do Biblical Teaching that is balanced in “formation” and “information”.

6. Thou wilt be a church that is Reaching up, Reaching Out, Reaching In.

7. Thou shall concentrate on the Five Focal Points- Weekend Services, Small Group Ministries, Children’s Ministries, Students Ministries and Life-Guard Ministries.

8. Thou shall be a Church Characterized by Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness.

9. Thou shall endeavor for “Seeker Friendly Services”—Designing services that Celebrate Christ and Connect with the people. Planning services that reach those who are unconnected to the church (may not necessarily be what the churched people would want). In other words, identifying and connecting to the best of our ability the gospel message of Jesus Christ with the unconnected “Everyman” of the area we serve.

10. Thou shall concentrate on Externally Focused opportunities by showing the love of Christ to individuals and helping the community succeed for the cause of Christ.

11. Thou shall be Staff-led.

12. Thou shall endeavor to be a church that is open and authentic.

13. Thou shall endeavor to build openness to change that enables the church to reach the “everyman”.

NPC MULTI-SITE VISION…by MIKE FOSTER

I love what what Mike shared about our vision for the new campus during our weekend services last Sunday.

The multisite vision for North Point is to have more campuses in more convenient locations for more conversions. Some of you may cringe at the sound of the word convenient in conjunction with the church. I unashamedly want to make it easier for people to come to know Jesus. Not by watering down what it means to be a Christ-follower, but by providing more places and more opportunities for people to begin a relationship with Jesus. We want more conversions, we want more life change, more people coming into relationship with Jesus and letting Him change their lives.

Some may ask why? Why take away from the group here to go and start something elsewhere. You might say, “I like my church. I like it just the way it is.” You know why? It is because the fields are ripe. According to a 2006 census estimate there are some 713,000 residents of Lake County. Some numbers that the Chicago District Evangelistic Association have come up with state that only 250,000 of those residents are “claimed” by a church. “Claimed” is a loose term meaning they are on the membership roles of a church but they may or may not actually be attending that church. The need is great in Lake County and the best way for us to reach Lake County is by starting new churches or new campuses so to create more places for people to experience Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness.

We are also going so we can meet the needs of others. I have heard many stories of how North Point has met the needs of many through acts of kindness. I got to take part with some of you yesterday helping out Mrs. B. To the best of our abilities we want to “give to anyone as he has need.” We want to give the Gospel its best hearing possible by meeting the needs of others and showing them the love of Christ. We want to do good deeds to create goodwill to share Good News. Tim said it last week but I too love the quote by St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.” Too often we go to the words too fast and they don’t see enough love in action.

Some of this launch is like becoming a parent for the first time. You are scared to death, yet terribly excited, all at the same time. I was describing how I felt to a friend of mine and I said, “I feel like I am at the place where peace and terror meet.” I have peace knowing this is exactly where God wants me to be and that I am doing exactly what He wants to do. At the same time, I have this sense of terror as I don’t know exactly how we are going to get from here to there. This is where God wants us to be. A place of peace totally relying on Him, yet holding on for dear life not knowing exactly where He will take us.

We serve a wild God, a furious God. A God of Adventure, and by no means tame. We’re expecting. We’re expecting God to move and to move us to greater levels of faith. So many times we limit God by the things that we can do, let’s let God be God and let Him take us to where He wants us to be.

Rebuilding Together

Mark hard at it...

Mike D. preparing the header for the porch

Mike F...praying....................my son Kurt...playing with his glasses.

Awesome painters in action

About to be attacked by Nancy T...priceless!

50 North Pointer’s descended upon Mrs. B’s house this last Saturday, as NPC joined forces with the national organization called Rebuilding Together. Rebuilding Together is an organization that helps people with their homes who may not be able to afford or have the physical ability to do work on themselves. This is a great way to get into the community and help people succeed for the cause of Christ.

Last year we were able to work with Mrs. A…this year Mrs. B…next year I hope to be able to help out Mrs. C, D, &E. There were people painting the interior and exterior of her home, putting on a new porch, fixing broken windows and doors, and endless numbers of maintenance jobs around the house from electrical to drywall patch. More than the work though was this amazing time of Christian fellowship as we worked side by side. It was awesome to witness and awesome to be part of.

I want to thank the team leaders for all their extra time and effort that they put into this project…Scott Lindemann, Donna Taylor, Michele Phillips, JC Crawford, Scott Holverson, and Don Evans…THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!!

As the day was wrapping up, Mrs B came to me one more time to say thank you…as she had done so many many times during the day. But this time, as she looked at her new porch and fresh paint, the emotions and tears were very evident that words could not express her sincere thanks.

All there was left for me to say was, “you are entirely welcome” as she gave me a huge hug…and in my mind I was thinking, “as Christians, isn’t this just what we are supposed to be doing?”……keeping our eyes open at the intersections of life to share the love of Jesus Christ with others.

The Office

Synergy… defined as, “The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.” When the apostle Paul speaks to the churches in his letters found in the bible, you will see a repeated theme surrounding unity within the church…Romans 15:5, Ephesians 4:3-13 & 5:31, Colossians 2:2 & 3:14, I Corinthians 1:10.

There are great things that can happen when we put our thoughts together and work together as a team…whether in the church, in our homes, or where we work. As Mike Foster has come on board with us as our “New Campus Pastor” we were looking at our office space and decided to try an idea for awhile. Mike, Dennis, and I will be sharing an office. The hopes are to synergize our thoughts and efforts and to be as unified in thought as possible as we move forward. I can’t wait to see how this plays out. If things go well…I would love to be able to do this with more staff members…just finding a space big enough to do it. So the experiment begins.

Happy 13th

I am not old enough to have a teenager. Happy 13^th Kurt!

Time

It has been a great...but very long 2 weeks. Over the last 10 ten working days I have been putting in 12 plus hours days. All good stuff, but makes blogging a bit more difficult. But I have a few neat things I would love to share.

Seasons

Seasons come and seasons go; and according to what the Bibles says every season has a purpose, its not just a famous song. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

Some seasons of life come upon us without warning, other seasons we see coming from a distance. Some of these seasons we look forward to while others can be a complete trial and struggle to make it through, but again it seems as though each one has a purpose.

There is a man I that I admire greatly that is on the cusp of a new season in life. He has been in his current season for nearly 48 years and has seen many ups and downs, yet through it all as been a man of great integrity and humility as God’s servant. I have only had the awesome privilege to be in this man’s life for the past 6 years, yet have witnessed God do amazing work in his life. I have come to admire his unquestionable love for God and pastoral devotion to humanity.

As I closely watch this man develop a plan for the coming season, I see both mourning and anticipation. Mourning over moving beyond a season he loves, yet anticipating the great adventure of the new ministries that lie ahead.

Here's to Dennis Corley! A Christ follower, a mentor, a counselor, a teacher, a pastor, husband, father, and an amazing friend. Dennis is by no means stepping down from his Senior Pastor ministry at this time, but will be laying out the final transition plans that he and I are in. He will be sharing with the congregation how we will be “passing the baton” during this Sunday's Worship Service. You see, as he lays out this transition plan, he will be going into a new season; a season of many transitions that will take place over the next 14 months.

I cannot imagine how he must be feeling at this moment and so I will not to put words into his mouth. I can only express what I see in him. That is a spirit of humility, which to me is one of the greatest characteristic a person can possess.

Dennis, I so look forward to seeing how God will use you in the coming seasons of life…I know He will use you as much and more than He has in the past. I thank God for allowing me the great privilege of ministering with you, learning from you, and being your friend. And I look forward to continuing to learn from you into the future.

As I have been encouraged many times, Dennis continue to “Preach the Word brother”…because it’s a “God Thing”!! love ya!

This is what I have learned so far..........

Let The Fun Begin

Foster’s have arrived. Mike, Eskai, and Sarai Foster made it to their new home in Gurnee, IL last night. Thank you to all who were able to come and move their household belongings in...even in the rain.

Mike is our multi-site Campus Pastor for the new North Point Church Campus that will be located in Warren Township. I am looking forward to watching God work in the life of this family and how His Kingdom will expand due to their humble Christlike efforts.

Mike and Eskia will be working along side of several people from NPC who already live in this area (Gurnee, Wildwood, Grayslake, Lindenhurst) while reaching out to the surrounding community. They will simply be doing the best they can to show the love of Jesus Christ to the people in this area. The hopes are that God’s kingdom will grow and that people will learn to Reach Up, Reach Out, and Reach In, and that this church will have the basic foundational characteristics of Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness.

Please continue to pray for Mike and his family and for the church as we all set out with God and this grand venture.

Fresh Paint

There has been much work done...yet some work still ahead.


At NPC we strive to focus in on 5 major areas of Ministry as we teach people to Reach Up, Reach Out, & Reach In. We call these areas our “Focus Point” ministries. These include Weekend Services, Small Groups, Student Community, Children’s Ministries, & what we call our Lifeguard Ministries.

Over the last few months there have been several people who have stepped up to help out in creating some very impressive and appealing facades for K-Town and the Small Groups information center. I just want to thank all those who have helped out and all the hard work you have put in. I want to give a special thanks to Ramona Rendall, Michele Phillips, Mindy Bycroft, Don Evans, Shawn Phillips, Kelly Rice, & Fred Rickert for all the extra time they put into all of these projects.

Meant For More '08

I am so proud of and excited for Anne McClane. She has put together a tremendous team of people who will be working with over 130 young women (6^th-12^th grade) from several area churches at the Meant For More '08 Conference. This year it will be held at NPC. This awesome event will be going on this weekend, Friday and Saturday. The purpose of this conference is to encourage and equip young women to be set apart for God, and to give them tools to be more for God than can be imagined. What a great initiative to reproduce into the lives of these young women.

Please pray for everyone involved, that this weekend will truly be a time of Glorifying God and that it will be a blessing to all.

Reflections

I was cleaning up my office today and found a list that Mindy and I put together at the end of year 2000. As I read the concluding paragraph I couldn’t help but be reminded of that excitement of seeing God work in my life and the life of my family. My heart and my future vision was to simply hear God’s voice and follow His will. I pray that I never loose that passion for God to point the way into the future and keep my eyes open to opportunities to serve Him. I pray that we as a church never loose that passion either.

THE YEAR 2000 IN REVIEW

Actually something cool took place right before the year 2000 began during Christmas of ’99 Holly and Dave (Tim’s sister) got engaged.

January:

• · Mindy and Tim decide to have another child
• · Mindy and Tim made a monumental God Thing decision to go back to college and not to have another child
• · Shelly and Doug (Tim’s sister) have Harrison

• · Shelly has to go back to the hospital with a staff infection
• · Grandma Gorsline (Tim’s mom’s mom) in the hospital at the same time as Shelly with pneumonia

February:

• · Tim and Mindy found out that they were have a baby non the less the decision not to…by the way they found out while Tim was applying for LCC.

March:

• · Harry (Tim’s dad) was in the hospital with Blood Pressure and Head Aches
• · Put the finishing touches on the house so we could sell it.

April:

• · Shelly and Doug decide that Doug is going to go to Seminary at LCS.
• · Mindy and Tim house up for sale
• · Angie and Randy (Mindy’s sister) found out that they were going to have their first child.

May:

• · Mindy quit work to prepare for moving.

The next few months were fairly uneventful except for trying to getting ready to move, move, start college, and have a baby. In addition, our cute darling daughter Lindsey kept trying to destroy the house we were trying so desperately to sell. Hiding donuts under the chairs, getting into Mindy’s makeup, and drawing on the walls with permanent markers, and scrabbling eggs in the carpet.

July:

• · Grandpa Raby (Mindy’s grandpa) goes into the hospital with health problems.
• · Mindy reports to Dr. West that she was having some spotting and not feeling well with the pregnancy.

August:

5^th Saturday:

• · Mindy and Tim along with many friends and family move all their belongings to the humble little home in Atlanta, IL.

7^th Monday:

• · Mindy and Tim find out that they lost their baby.

9^th Wednesday:

• · Benjamin Bycroft is delivered in Galesburg, IL.

11^th Friday:

• · Had graveside service for Benjamin

14^th Monday

• · Mindy and Tim and kids final Move to Atlanta IL

Other things that took place in August:

• · Tim resigned from Stockland FS
• · Jan and Larry (Mindy’s dad) finally bought a computer.
• · Tim began classes at LCC
• · Kurt began Kindergarten at Atlanta Elementary School

September:

• · Doug began classes at LCS
• · Mindy and Tim finally close on their Monmouth home.
• · Holly and Dave took the plunge
• · Grandpa Raby past away.
• · Lindsey began pre-school

October:

• · Kurt starts having difficulties in school.
• · Holly and Dave have open house at RCC

November:

• · Konnie (Tim’s mom) begins having health problems.
• · Shelly and Doug find out that they are having another baby.
• · Kurt has tubes put in his ears.

Decmber:

• · Grandma Law (Mindy’s dad’s mom) is taken to the nursing home after a short visit to the hospital with some health issues.
• · Jan (Mindy’s dad’s wife) starts a new job.
• · Tim gets his first semester of college under his belt.

I am not sure what exactly this list actually means, maybe just the simple fact that I have too much time on my hands and needed to write something down. I am sure that every family, in the Bycroft/Law clans could put a list together that is just as long if not longer. It is just amazing to me how many things can happen to a family in a single year. As I look over the list there are things that show good times and bad. Through all these family life experiences, Mindy and I believe that we have grown as individuals, as husband and wife, as an entire family unit, and most importantly as faithful Christians. God has shown us many opportunities this last year. I pray everyday for Him to keep our eyes open to the opportunities He puts before us in the future. I truly believe He has blessed our household and extended family. Over the last twelve months, we have seen God work in our lives as well as the lives of our family. Looking over the list and thinking of the life changing experiences that have happened this year to our family, I cannot wait to see what God has in store for the next twelve months.

Celebrate Recovery

NPC has reintroduced the Celebrate Recovery program for those who wish to move past life’s hurts, hang-ups and habits. People from all kinds of backgrounds and life situations are coming together to find out how Christ can help them overcome these life issues. I think that the team that Bruce and Carolyn Bakken are working with are just some phenomenal people and are doing an awesome job with this very important and life changing ministry. Thanks to all involved…lives are being changed for the cause of Christ.

Vacating

Last week was spring break for the kids so we took a few days and vacated to WI Dells and to visit family. Here are a few pictures.

REPRODUCING CHURCH

In the month of April, we (Dennis and I…along with the debut of Mike Foster…also Lance Hurley and Todd Tate rounding out the lineup) will be sharing an exciting sermon series revolving around the future of NPC. We will be talking about how we are called to be a “Reproducing Church”. What does “reproducing church” mean? Well, we will be spending 5 weeks covering that very thing. I will give you a brief overview today, but will be spending more time in the coming days going into more detail with this Biblical concept. The prayers and hopes of this series is to teach about and prepare our congregation for the multi-site church experience we are embarking on.

Dennis Corley will be starting off the series April 13th with a study on the mentoring process and transition that he and I have been in. He will be basing this sermon on 2 primary scriptures: 2 Kings 2 (the transition between Elijah and Elisha) and Eph. 4 (the equipping of the church). The main theme will be “Example of Reproducing Ourselves”.

I have the great privilege of sharing a sermon from 2 Tim. 2:2 on April 20th. In this sermon I will be challenging people to reproduce the “Life of Christ” living in them into someone else. This will be a time to get more specific about the theology of “individuals reproducing”.

On April 27^th Dennis, Mike and I will be sharing a sermon as a team on what reproducing church means on the cooperate church level. We will look at Acts chapter 2 and see how the Holy Spirit is at the heart of all we do to reproduce church in the multi-site direction…to be able to Reach Up, Reach Out, & Reach In to others for the cause of Christ.

These first three Sundays we stayed close to our backyards of Winthrop Harbor (Jerusalem)…the following 2 Sundays we move from Jerusalem to Samaria/Judea to the ends of the earth. Lance Hurley will be with us, May 4th, sharing the exciting things that the CDEA (Chicago District Evangelistic Association) is doing to plant churches in the Chicago land area (Samaria/Judea). Todd Tate will be here the following week, May 11th, sharing about all the great things that are being accomplished at Rio Bravo Christian Ministries in SanCarlos and surround areas of Mexico (ends of the earth).

I am very excited about this upcoming series. I hope you can all be there or at least get a chance to listen to the sermons online at NPC Sermons.