NS 4th B-day

Northside Church

Birthday Celebration

Jamey Mills

2/18/24

Happy birthday Northside!!!

My name’s Jamey Mills, I’m the lead pastor here at Northside… and I’m so excited to be celebrating Northside's 4th birthday with you all.

I wanted to call the elders out to share some of their favorite memories over the last four years… one of the many cool things about this group of guys is that they are all founding members of the Church… They've been here from day one.

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Jonnathan

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Gary

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Bill

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Bobby

Look at you… big o4….

It looks good on you.

my understanding is that 4 is a whole new world…

Things 4 year olds can do…

Enjoys doing new things

Cooperates with other children

Knows some basic rules of grammar, such as correctly using “he” and “she” (turns out we know that early on)

Understands concept of time (not great for me as a preacher)

Draws a person with 2 to 4 body parts

Plays board or card games

Hops and stands on one foot up to 2 seconds

Catches a bounced ball most of the time (so… more capable that the KC Chiefs)

Pours, cuts with scissors with supervision

Act early by talking to your child’s doctor… If I show up at your house and try to take you to the dr… this is why.

Can’t jump in place

Has trouble scribbling(notes during sermon)

Ignores other children or doesn’t respond to people outside the family (church emails and texts)

Resists dressing, sleeping, and using the toilet

Doesn’t follow 3-part commands

Doesn’t speak clearly

Loses skills he once had

Sounds like 4 is going to be rough…

In fact I’d tell you that I believe it's going to be one of the most pivotal years (all time) in the history of Northside and that's saying something…

Northside has been through it… We’ve seen some things… I don’t think anyone ever plans on planting a church just a handful of weeks before a global pandemic hits…

But in the face of all that, we’ve seen God work in powerful ways. We’ve seen his favor and provision and faithfulness over and over. We’ve seen God provide… We’ve seen lives, marriages, and families changed…

Just real quick… If God has used Northside in a powerful way in your life would you stand.

I don't know if you know the Northside Story, but I love to tell it.

It was about 14 years ago that God poked my heart with the potential of planting a church. I found and took an online assessment. Less than a minute after, Bob Wood from the OCEF called… and said I scored in the 97% of potential church planters and that they just don’t see that.

He drove to Corvallis that day to talk. Got my first parking ticket in Corvallis that day.

And it was an incredible conversation until it got to the part about fundraising…

I got scared and stepped away.

I was hired at Suburban in 2001, spent about 20 years there as a pastor in several different roles… Loved my time there…

Several things were changing there and some of them were hard for Brandi and I. We’d felt God moving us to a greater form of leadership….

I’m pretty transparent… the elders knew I was struggling and called me into a meeting where we talked about what might be next. Through the course of several conversations… We landed on planting a Church through Suburban.

Suburban gave us 4 major steps… sort of tests to see if God was in it.

3-4 day assessment in Indianapolis.

Heaviest spiritual attack in our lives.

Mom, son

Really hard… preaching, worship, strategy…

We passed with a really high score.

After that, within two weeks we had to…

Find at least 75 people who were willing to commit to joining us that became our launch team.

Raise over $100K in start up fund

Both of these things happened in less than 2 days.

I’ll never forget these two things…

The phone call we got from a past student from youth ministry past that God used to make what felt impossible… possible.

Brandi and I were on a date at first Burger when the phone call came. I just remember bawling… in gratitude.. . But it was also in realizing what God was doing. this was going to happen.

Tim Buhrkuhl told me that His son Matthew, who was in my small group pretty much through high school, had told his dad that if Jamey every plants a church, we are going.

Today, Matthew is the youngest and one of the strongest ministry team leaders we have. Matthew, you’ll never know how much your friendship and support mean to me.

Lastly we had to find a facility…

We felt called to NA… but there really wasn’t a facility that would work.

I was still at Suburban ½ time… And I will never forget getting up and driving to work that morning like I’d done for 20 years, and all the sudden the little white school where we now sit was gone,torn down. I got to the office called the District and a lady named Tressa answered the phone who told me that she was hoping somebody like us would call. The facility began to be built, and we as a church where some of the very first people that used it. it was almost as if God was building it on our timeline. It was a miracle.

At the same time… the staff was coming together…

Hannah, was and will always be the first Northside hire… She was in our small group at Suburban, and whatever it is, she has… we asked her to pray about it and we are so thankful she said yes. I couldn't say enough about the job that she's done at northside.

Matt… I met Matt when he was in Middle school. He’d come and help at retreats and things and we joked about planting a church some day… not knowing that God was listening… Matt has been an amazing partner in ministry…

Jim… was one of my youth volunteers at Suburban for about a decade. Always connected with students well… I remember when and where we had that conversation… and Jim as done a good job balancing a more than full time job on top of leading our youth.

Beth Williams Was originally hired as our administrator, and did a great job helping us get organized. She stepped back as her family grew, but we hope to get her back on the team someday.

Charles took over… after learning the job, Charles has crushed it. I don't think people realize just how much Charles does. He’s an outstanding teammate.

Daniel was the most recent hire… Learning a new church culture and role is always really hard… but they’ve also faced some incredibly difficult things since joining the team. I absolutely love Daniel's love for the Lord, his family and for people.

We brought Bri Vandersanden on as a kids assistant and Megan Huxman as a youth assistant. And they are both phenomenal…

At that same time, god was putting together the NS management team… the group that often makes decisions for a church plant before the elder board is formed.

Typically, they are from other churches… but our agency realized we had the people on board for this… Right out of the gate… Steve Lee, Bill Mancuso, and Myself served as the management team… We invited Bobby Hemmer, Jonathan Powell and Gary Eaton to step in.

Steve Lee and I talked about him coming for a couple of years, and he went back to Suburban as planned… though they loved their time here.

But just last year… the rest of the group officially stepped into Northside's first eldership board (about two years ahead of schedule). And they have been absolutely fantastic.

We officially launched on Feb 9, 2020… and 5 weeks later… Covid hit.

Then the George Floyd riots, then the huge wildfires, then the massive political division, isolation, fear…

People flooded into the fairgrounds… and NS was one of the first teams there to help.

Through all of it… God has been faithful.

This week has been incredibly emotional and sweet… I found things like…

Our launch team meetings

Our first christmas eve

The staff meeting when we found out we had to go online…

Prayer at the park

Our first online service…

Outdoor christmas eve service in the bitter cold (we need to do that again)

Our first im person Easter Service

Our first service back together after 4 months of isolation

Our birthday party when we outgrew the cafeteria

Our first baptisms in a trough… in a field

Signing the largest financial document of my life

Our first child dedication

In all of it, God was at work. Nothing was normal… and we were paying rent…

After some time, we realized that a significant chunk of change had developed…

We put a team together that was led by Danna Penner and then Ron Wobig that found 20 acres of land on Powers st. less than one mile from where you sit.

We began a 1 year capital campaign with 200,300,and 400 K tired goals… and in that time, NS raised more than $800K. That plus the money we had set aside allowed us to pay in cash…

Just a reminder… this is the future home of Northside Church…

Land pictures (scroll through slowly)

BAPTISM Candidates get ready… come over here back stage

And today, for some it might feel like we aren’t celebrating huge milestones at our birthday this year… but two things…

5 baptism… is so incredibly cool.

The other… At assessment they tell you that 80% of Church plants fail in the first three years…

Have I told you how good 4 looks on you? This is a huge celebration of God’s lasting faithfulness, provision, protection and just all around goodness. In some ways, this might be the most substantial celebration we've had. and I'm so honored to spend it with you.

Planting a church is hard enough… but in all that we’ve faced…

I am so thankful to God… and so proud of you. But He is not finished.

I need you to catch the vision for the first time… or all over again.

It's easy to see that God is at work here. and I hope that there is, it feels like there should be great excitement around this idea of being one of the people that got it uses in the process of building this part of his kingdom.

but as we look ahead, here are a few things that I would ask of you.

Look at the road ahead and be ready…

put on your helmet, it's going to get bumpy. Northside has been through it, and as long as we are partnering with God to build his kingdom, it will continue to put us in the crosshairs of the one who would seek to discourage, separate, and divide us. Be ready. Stay humble… and know its worth it.

Get involved.

Don’t be comfortable sitting on the sideline… Show up, be ready, introduce yourself, be hospitable, welcome people, invite people, sit with people… invite them to lunch…

Volunteer - if you're not, would you consider it. As the church grows, so does the need… and… serving is one of the ways God grows you… All kinds of ways to jump in and serve His body here.

QR CODE - if you have questions, let us know.

Small groups are important…

Commitment yourself to Jesus and to being a part of His work here…

Give to the work of the Lord here at Northside. Kids, youth, staffing, rent, utilities… all of it comes from the giving the body provides…

Consider becoming a member…

QR code… FORM… tells you what it is and why it matters.

Keep first things first.

This is not about you… or me… this is about Jesus and the life He gives.

This is about building His Kingdom for those who will follow us.

This is not about a Church building but building His Church…

And so we seek Him first. We pray… we stay humble.

And I need you to know this… God is not done here. We’ve seen God move in ways that felt impossible… and He is not finished here. Big things… HUGE things are on the horizon. Next year at this time… yea… it will be BIG.

I want to call us back to the passage that God placed on my heart at the beginning ot it all. Planting a Church is scary… and one day as I was praying God put this verse on my heart… and it has not left… it is my prayer today…

Moses was preparing the people of Israel to the promised land… which is hard enough… but they started chasing other things…

Exodus 33:12 (NLT)

Exodus 33:12 NLT

One day Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised Land.’ But you haven’t told me whom you will send with me. You have told me, ‘I know you by name, and I look favorably on you.’

12 One day Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised Land.’ But you haven’t told me whom you will send with me. You have told me, ‘I know you by name, and I look favorably on you.’

What an incredible thing… Moses was struggling… Moses was all caught up on what he did not know, ( who was or was not going) when what he did know should have been enough.

That God knows him by name and looks favorably upon him. What else do you need? Yes, that is how I feel about God's view on Northside. and that should inspire all kinds of confidence and praise

Exodus 33:13 (NLT)

Exodus 33:13 NLT

If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people.”

13 If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people.”

If it's true… if you look on me with favor…

Help me to know you more and understand you so I can live and lead in your favor.

In this stressful time… when even God’s people were losing their way all around him… Moses is seeking God…

And then, the passage that God put on my heart…

Exodus 33:14–15 NLT

The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.” Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place.

14 The LORD replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”

15 Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place.

Moses was saying God this is tough… and scary. If you’re not in this and going with us every inch of the way… if you are not before us, with us and behind us, don’t send us.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve prayed that prayer and seen God move in ways I couldn’t have imagined…. Northside has been a miracle from the beginning.

I love Exodus 33:16

Exodus 33:16 NLT

How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”

16 How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”

The only way this works… the only way it will be effective… is if God is in it. The one thing that set them apart was the promise and presents of God.

Our best move… our best play… our highest goal and good… comes in drawing near… in being faithful… in seeking His leadership… in trusting Him.

Pray

Baptism

Closing

Thanks for coming…

Enjoy some donuts… and please stay a bit and meet some new people…

God is on the move. Big things are coming!

NEXT week Kevin will be here… a bit of an update from the design team and what they’ve been working on…

This time next year… the celebration will be huge…

There are BIG BIG things coming Northside's way… HUGE.

I hope and pray you’ll be there with us!

God is good…