Our Mission and Vision

Our New Light Leadership Community had an opportunity to spend a full day together this week on a little leadership retreat. We shared morning prayer and worship together, had lunch together, and broke for prayer several times over the course of the morning and afternoon. In the midst of this prayerful setting, our primary task was to consider some larger-picture issues of leadership and vision as we continue to develop this exciting new faith community in Portland.

Here are some of the fruits of our prayer and discussion:

A new mission statement for New Light:

• The New Light community exists as a safe place to explore the way of Jesus and to express God’s love in our neighborhood and world.

A new vision statement for New Light:

• New Light envisions a world that embraces community, celebrates inclusivity, expresses creativity, seeks transformation, and practices simplicity.

And then further exploration of the core values identified in the vision statement:

• Community: Faith is a journey best traveled with others who share common values and a common commitment to life together. We strive to be formed as a community steeped in God’s love, expressed in loving relationships with one another, and engaged in the larger community in which we live.
  
• Inclusivity: No one is outside the bounds of God’s grace. We strive to practice generous hospitality, welcoming and embracing everyone with the same love we have received from God. We affirm the sacred worth of every human being – no exceptions.
  
• Creativity: At the foundation of our faith is the story of a God we call Creator – a God who is continually in the process of creating, who gifts us with creativity and invites us to create. We strive to incorporate music, drama, visual arts, dance, and other creative elements in all that we do.
  
• Transformation: As we journey inward, we strive for transformed lives that better reflect the love of Christ; as we journey outward, we strive for a transformed world that better reflects God’s vision of peace and justice.
  
• Simplicity: In a world preoccupied with materialism, consumption, and greed, we long for a simpler way. We strive to live simply, both individually and in our life together; to generously share our resources and practice faithful stewardship of God’s Creation.

What do you think? Do these faithfully represent your experience of the New Light community? Are they statements that express your vision for our community and for God's kingdom?

Wayside Soup Kitchen

New Light LIFE Groups will be serving dinner at the Wayside Soup Kitchen this month. Mark your calendars now for August 7th (Thursday group) and August 11th (Monday group). Meet at Wayside at 5pm to help with dinner preparations and stay to serve between 6 and 7pm. Directly following we will share dinner together, and have some time to reflect on our experiences.

This is a great time to invite your friends to come along, to meet other New Light people, and share time with us as we live out our commitment to serve those in need.

Today's Daily Reading

I really felt the depth of these words as I read today's daily reading. I have been reading from a version call The Voice. I really love the way things are stated. I think this passage has a lot to say to us about the kind of authentic, open, humble, hospitable community we are building.

What stands out in this passage to you?

Romans 12:9-13

Love others well, and don't hide behind a mask; love authentically. Despise evil; pursue what is good as if your life depends on it. Live in true devotion to one another, loving each other as sisters and brothers. Be first to honor others by putting them first. Do not slack in your faithfulness and hard work. Let your spirit be on fire, bubbling up and boiling over, as you serve the Lord. Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always just around the corner. Hold up through the hard times that are coming, and devote yourselves to prayer. Share what you have with the saints, so they lack nothing; take every opportunity to open your life and home to others, even if they are outside your faith family.

(the italics are from this translation. I didn't add them.)

Give me your eyes

I've heard this song on the radio a few times. Everytime I hear it, it becomes my prayer. I want to see each person. I want to take no one for granted. I want to open myself to the lives of other even when they are messy and heartbroken. I pray that God would give me God's own eyes so that I can find the compassion has for everyone.



Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black tile
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?

Chorus:
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide whats underneath
Theres a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
To ashamed to tell his wife
He’s out of work
He’s buying time
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?

I’ve been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all alone

Potluck Dinner & Worship Gathering - Sunday, July 20

Our Potluck Dinner & Worship Gathering for the month of July is coming up Sunday, July 20, and we hope you're planning to be with us!

We'll meet at the Ewing-Merrills' house (31 Sheffield Street, Portland) at 4:15 pm and carpool to Shelly's house in Gray. Shelly has a big room in her finished basement that will be a great gathering place for food and fellowship. Shelly's got hamburgers and hot dogs for the grill all under control. Bring an appetizer, salad, side dish, or dessert to share!

After dinner, if the weather cooperates, we'll plan to have a big ol' campfire in Shelly's backyard, complete with marshmallows for roasting. (Rumor has it there will even be some graham crackers and chocolate, too -- which is pretty much a recipe made in heaven!)

Our monthly Potluck & Worship Gatherings are always a wonderful time to get together with the full New Light community. Come for the fun, and bring a friend along!

And while you're at it, mark your calendar for the August gathering, too: Sunday, August 24. We're thinking about a community trip to Old Orchard Beach or another fun summer gathering spot, for a little fun, a little food, and worship in the beauty of God's Creation. Stay tuned for more details about that one...

For the Beauty of the Earth

I had the good fortune of spending time on Long Pond in Belgrade with my family over the Fourth of July. All together there were 14 of us in a small three bedroom cabin, for five days. While I love my family I found being constantly surrounded by that many other people who always wanted to be doing something a little taxing on my increasingly introverted self. I couldn't get through a shower without an interruption from a family member, and I quickly gave up hope on getting any devotional time in.

Sunday morning I decided to get up early, before the rest of my family and take the kayak out. It was an beautiful morning, the lake was calm and the air was just warming up. I paddled to the middle of the lake, and just sat there for a long long time. It was amazingly peaceful. After a while I sang whatever praise songs popped into my head, and I had a time of prayer thanking God for the incredible creation that was all around me.

It is my hope that among the busyness of our lives this summer we all take a moment to sit, and just be surrounded by the beauty of the earth, and to thank God for sharing it with us.

Celebrating the Fourth of July with a Global Perspective

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine;
this is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine:
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;
but other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine:
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.

May truth and freedom come to every nation;
may peace abound where strife has raged so long;
that each may seek to love and build together,
a world united, righting every wrong;
a world united in its love for freedom,
proclaiming peace together in one song.

This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth's kingdoms,
thy kingdom come, on earth, thy will be done;
let Christ be lifted up 'til all shall serve him,
and hearts united, learn to live as one:
O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations,
myself I give thee — let thy will be done.

— Lloyd Stone & Georgia Harkness

New Light Retreat

We are planning an awesome retreat for October 10-12 for our New Light Community. Everyone is welcome...those who have been a part of New Light since the begining and those who have just started to get connected with our community.
It will be a wonderful time of getting to know each other better in a place away from our usual day to day routines. A fun loving and deeply spiritual retreat leader will be joining us to lead us in reflecting about who God is calling us to be as a community and as individuals. We will focus on our core values and explore them together. Rockcraft Retreat Center has comfortable accomidations and good food which will make everything more enjoyable. Spaces are available for families and individuals.
There will be a cost but those of us who have a little more will pay a little more to help those who have a little less.
It is sure to be a rockin good time. So be sure to mark your calendar. You never know what crazy things will happen when we spend an extended amount of time together.
See you there!

Spirituality and Children

Tonight our LIFE Group Gathering ended up being just those who are parents, so we chose a topic we wouldn't cover with the whole group.

We had a wonderful discussion using this article.

Through the discsussion we all expressed how grateful we are to have our children in a community where they experience the moments of group prayer, where they hear the stories of love and compassion from the Bible, and where they learn to be concerned about others. We look forward to seeing them develop further in these ways as they grow in years.