Easter is coming!
This year, Wednesday, March 5th kicks off the season of Lent. Lent is the "40 day" period of preparation prior to Easter. A quirky part of this ancient tradition is that Sundays are not included in the count!  So Easter is actually 46 days away, landing on April 20th this year. But the point is, Easter is coming, so now (Lent) is the time to starting preparing our hearts and lives.

Easter Choir for easter day
Part of our special (10:00am) Easter morning worship service will be a combined Easter choir. Singers from both the Atwater Baptist and New Life churches will gather for practice sessions on Saturdays at 10am. Hearing the choir's praise will be a great part of our joyous celebration that day. If you want to be part of this choir, come and join in on the fun!
The practice dates will be: March 29, April 5, 12, & 19.

VBS NEWS!
Spring is right around the corner and that means summer is on its way!! And we all know what that means…VBS!! For some, that stands for Vacation, BBQ, & Sun. But for NLCC, that means Vacation Bible School and this year we are keeping it "cool" by heading to Alaska and are looking for some adventurous volunteers to come along with us.
Our first formal planning meeting will be Tuesday, March 25th at 6:30pm. Between then and now, if you are a station leader or want to be part of a specific team, please reach out to me so I can get your materials to you. July seems so far away but it will be here before we know it. Seeing the materials early can help get the creative juices flowing for ya! Mine already are for sure!
One’s smallest gesture can be the biggest blessing to someone else.
Be a big blessing today!

What is Faith Promise Giving?
The idea behind "Faith Promise Giving" is simple: God loves the world and wants to work through us to reach it! The Faith Promise has two parts: a prayer and a promise. Our prayer is that God will supply money for missions beyond what we expect (think, believe, have, expect). We pray for a specific amount that we do not currently expect to earn or receive. We also promise to give that money to missions when God supplies it. Faith promise giving implies faith that God will supply. And He does!  At our missions conference, each of you will have the opportunity to prayerfully seek to be a conduit of God's blessing and provision for the sharing of His love to the world. Faith promise cards will be made available for you, please ask in prayer how God would seek to use you.

Kanvas Kids
New Life Kids, we have an opportunity for you to express your creativity by making cards! Parents, you can pick up a bag of blank canvas sheets at the Missions Table. Once the sheets are finished turn them into the church office. The congregation will have the opportunity to purchase the cards. The money will go to supporting the Children’s Ministry.

RightNow Media– the NetFlix of Video Bible Studies
Here is a gift for you as you start to shape your New Year, free access to a huge video library called RightNow Media!
This is available to you whenever and wherever you want– on your phone, tablet, computer, or on your TV to help with parenting, marriage, discipleship and more. It includes content for all ages and stages of life, and all of your family members are invited to set up their own accounts as well.
You can create your free account in three simple steps:
1. Scan the code below to create your private account.
2. Download the RightNow Media app for your smart phone, tablet, Apple TV, Roku, or Amazon Fire TV.
3. Enjoy!

BABY BOTTLE BLAST 2025
KICKS OFF ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 19TH
ENDS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD
ALPHA Pregnancy Help Center is putting on this fundraiser to help support the moms in Merced County who choose LIFE for their baby.
Beginning Sunday, Jan. 19th baby bottles will be on the Missions Table. Pick up a bottle and you can include check, cash, or coins. You can even give online @ alphaphc.com/donate. For more information you can call 209-383-4700

Get The Tithe.ly app
If you are one of those who have become accustomed to purchasing items online or paying bills with your phone, maybe you'd like to give to the church in this manner as well. Our church utilizes an app called the Tithe.ly app for your convenience. You can download the Tithe.ly app for free on your phone via either the APP Store or Google Play. Just create your account and find us on their list of churches (New Life Community Church Atwater). It is a safe, secure, fast, and easy way to continue to support the ongoing ministry needs of the church you love.

Coming To A Device Near You! RightNow Media
The Wednesday night bible study is utilizing the digital teaching of Bob Goff in the series "Love in Chaos" that we have access to via the online video library at Right Now Media. It has been a blast, but this series is just the tip of the iceberg of resources at Right Now. Even more good news: every member of the New Life family has access to this incredible resource for groups or your own individual enjoyment as well (on your computer, tablet, or phone)! To open this resource, simply use the QR code blow, sign in, and enjoy exploring all they have in store for you!






Follow Us On Instagram!
New Life Community Church has moved into the realm of Instagram! In the last two months, we've opened a page specifically for our Youth Ministries (thanks Amanda) and now one more generally for all the church family (thanks Brandy). They are both a great way to follow what's going on at church, and also a great vehicle to share with your friends that New Life may be the place for them as well. So check it out, the youth page is:
@ newlifecc_youth
And the church page is:
@ newlife_atwater
Give us a follow!

Men's Breakfast and Bible Study
Guys, Brooks Ranch is the site! Every Wednesday morning we gather at 7:00 am for breakfast and
Bible study.

Social Media and the Church
Don’t forget we have a presence on Facebook to help connect, encourage, and inform the congregation. If you are a Facebooker please search for and join the "Friends and Family of New Life Community Church" group. Also, for you Instagrammers, we will soon be launching our official
New Life Instagram page.
Let’s stay connected!

Remote and/or Face to Face?
We will continue to offer the weekly live-stream worship option through the Facebook platform. Nursery care is available for young families and the option of Sunday school is available.  If you or someone in your family is not feeling well, please enjoy the live-stream from your home. And please continue to pray for health and safety and that the grace of God and the impact of the church will continue to be spread.

Zoom prayer time continues online until further notice. Watch for the login code on our Friends and Family page on Facebook.

We will continue Wednesday morning Bible study with Pastor John's video uploads every Wednesday morning on Facebook until further notice.

New Options For Church Giving
We have introduced Tithe.ly as an option for on-line/mobile giving to the church. The three options that are now available to you are the mobile app (through your smart phone), text giving and website giving. The app, which you will need to download, is called Tithe.ly, and it can be found at the App Store (iPhones) or on Google Play (Android). Once Tithe.ly (the green icon) is downloaded, you will set a password and pin # just for your security. You will then be asked what church you’d like to donate to. Type in "New Life Community Church" , scroll down until you find our church with the Atwater address (yes, there are many New Life's out there! We're about the 10th one down the list). You will be guided to choose how you'll pay (directly from your bank account or via a debit or credit card) and you are good to go! There are transaction fees with this method, but they will generally be less than 3%. Tithe.ly is a simple and secure way to continue to support our church during this time of being separated and in the future. For text-giving: simply send a text to the # 8554638567 and in the message box type the word "Give", and you will be led through the steps to contribute to the church through this means. And finally, the option to give through the New Life webpage(http:// www.newlifeatwater.org). Go to the site, click on the "Give" tab near the top of the page and you will be guided through the contribution process. Of course, if you are in the habit of writing a check, and would like to continue doing that please do, just drop it in the mail to the church (2124 First Street, Atwater). We are not replacing our usual ways of giving, just giving more options for your convenience.

Call to prayer
Although we cannot yet get together, our Tuesday morning prayer group is fully functioning once again through the medium of Zoom. Download Zoom on your computer or smartphone, click on the link we'll post each Tuesday, 11:00 a.m., on the Friends and Family of New Life Community Church Facebook page and you will be brought into the prayer meeting to pray for the needs of our community and our church family.

Worship Every Sunday thru Facebook Live!
One of the blessings that this shut down has afforded us, has been the experience of the live stream worship service! Until we can safely gather at the sanctuary (and even after that) we'll continue offering the live online worship experience every Sunday morning at 9:00. Simply go to Facebook, click on the New Life Community Church Atwater page (https:// www.facebook.com/New-Life-Community-Church-120311334647085) where the live stream can be viewed. You can also find recordings of the service if you choose to participate at a later time. You are likely one of the many who have "tuned in" so far, but if not please join us and invite your friends to join you for church this Sunday from the comforts of home!

RightNow Media
If you have not signed up for RightNow Media (free electronic library with New Life's account), do it today! Use the barcode below for your smart phone or notify us with a response card or call to the office (we need your email address), and we'll make sure you get an invitation. Follow the directions to set up an accout and then explore all that RightNow Media has!


Start the new year with the Bible at your fingertips. Download the Bible App.