What We Know AFTER Christmas

Sunday, December 26, 2021 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments


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1. LIGHT ALWAYS SHINES IN YOUR DARKNESS
Matthew 4:16 NIV, The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned. (From Isaiah 9:2)

2. GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES

3. THERE IS PURPOSE, PROMISE, AND POWER IN JESUS NAME
Matthew 1:21, And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
4. EVERY MENTION OF HIS NAME DECLARES THAT HE CAME TO DELIVER, SAVE, AND RESCUE YOU
Luke 2:21, On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived

5. BECAUSE OF JESUS, WE RISE
Luke 2:34, Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against."

6. WISDOM IS NOT ONLY FOR THE OLD, BUT FOR THE YOUNG
Luke 2:40, And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

7. GOD PROTECTS YOU FROM DESTROYERS OF LIFE AND PURPOSE

8. INTER-GENERATIONAL LEARNING AND GROWING IS GOD'S PLAN
Luke 2:46, Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 49, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

      

2021 Community Christian Jesus Celebration Report, Photos, and Videos

Monday, December 20, 2021 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments



The 2021 New Covenant Church Community Christmas Jesus Celebration represented our 31st year of reaching out to our neighbors with both provisions and the love of Christ. We partnered again this year with Friends Fellowship and Chaplain Delores Epps in providing gifts and necessities to ladies at the Indiana Women's Prison and to mothers and children at the Craine House residential facility for returning citizens (ex-convicts). Additionally, we served men from the Jesus House residential facility for returning citizens. Program operated by Jesus Inside Prison Ministry and Pastor William Bumpus.

We served about 30 families (around 140 persons) at the event on Saturday, December 18. Those who are vaccinated were invited to come inside to enjoy a light box lunch, receive their gifts, receive prayer, and pick up a food box as they left. Others were invited to drive through to receive gifts, prayer, food boxes, and a treat for children in the car. We also delivered a gift and a food box to a person who could not attend the event. 

Ladies at the Women's Prison knitted 20 beautiful comforters that we have begun to distribute to seniors within our community. We also delivered 50 caps to the Juvenile Justice Center, which is an Indianapolis jail for teenagers.

Visit our gallery below to view photographs and video clips of this year's outreach. Appreciate the help of New Covenant Church volunteers, volunteers from two churches, and diligent planning and execution by the core team. 

CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW GALLERY

We are thankful to Lilly Endowment for grant funding and appreciative to the members of New Covenant Church for their in-kind gifts of service.

I invite you to pray for persons with whom we made connections. We will follow up with those who who participated in our program as we continue to shine the light and the love of Christ.



~ Pastor Bryan Hudson, D.Min.







Good Tidings of Great Joy: Understanding the Power of Joy

Monday, December 20, 2021 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments


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Psalm 16:11 NIV, You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Luke 2:8, Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 

We learned about joy. It's a simple word, but it is greatly misunderstood. The most common definition of joy is happiness. While there is a relationship between having joy and being happy, they're not exactly the same. We learned that Joy has to be something greater than happiness because of what Jesus did to change the circumstances connected with the promise of joy, and having joy.

What is Joy?
• Joy is the knowledge and satisfaction of God’s grace through Jesus Christ.
• Joy is the knowledge or satisfaction of knowing you are in the will of God.
• Joy is a feeling, but more than a feeling.

Has the Church Become Irrelevant in the Larger Society?

Wednesday, December 08, 2021 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments



It does not appear that the church (as a whole) is leading on the wider community and world stage. Evangelicalism, unacknowledged systemic racism promulgated by church leaders from past to present, alignment with Trumpian politics, silence on glaring social concerns, resistance to COVID vaccines/science, and the like, have created the perception (or the reality) that the church is not relevant to the times. There are exceptions to this perception or reality, but those leaders and churches must work against a negative tide of opinion.

We know about the death of prominent Christian television Network founder, Marcus Lamb (and pray for his family), who considered the COVID vaccines unnecessary or harmful; “We want to warn you, we want to help you, we want to give you an alternative,” Mr. Lamb said. Instead of getting vaccinated, “we can pray, we can get ivermectin and budesonide and hydroxychloroquine,” (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/01/us/marcus-lamb-dead.html)

What Lamb discredited would have prevented his death, absent a spiritualized worldview.

There needs to be a cultivation of better thinking and better practices to restore credibility and effectiveness in the larger world. Our role as leaders within the church differs from our role in the larger community. During this public health crisis and pandemic, I've been intentional on being faithful as a Bible teacher and pastor to believers in Christ, while simultaneously accepting my responsibility as a community leader. These are different responsibilities.

I think the mistake that some ministers and Christians make is attempting to overlay the Bible and their church-informed worldview on top of every condition in the world. For example, the Bible has nothing specific to say about media production, live stream, and the Internet, but this has become hugely impactful to our work during the pandemic. Spirituality had nothing to do with the science of developing COVID vaccines. However, it is a modern marvel, along with the other 19 or so vaccines that have been developed through scientific methods over the past decades.

We need to focus on our core competency, as Christ said, "Make disciples." Christ followers who have professional skillsets should certainly put those to use. It has become a tragic mistake to think that spirituality is a "core competency" as a relates to addressing matters in society.

I watched a video where a Christian lady at a school board meeting expressed her concern about elections. She shared this text from 2 Peter 1:10 to admonish school board members, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” This was an extreme example absent context, but not far from what has become normalized behavior in the larger society.

Allow me to suggest: The primary assignment of Christ following leaders is to develop the character of Christ within oneself, within others, and encourage relationship with Him, so that we become the best versions of ourselves. As an outcome of this priority, we may effectively serve God’s purpose in the church and meet human need in the community. This will also include evangelism, but not limited to that aim (under the assumption that the only thing people need is salvation to solve their problems). 

The conditions that we create or allow in society help or hurt people. 



California, December 2021 - Photos and Videos

Sunday, December 05, 2021 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments

 




Photos and videos will be added. Bookmark the links to view more later



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