WSCC Winter_Spring 2015 Newsletter

Amazing is one of the words that come to mind when I look at a beautiful landscape like this. It also describes all that God has done over the years since Westside Community Church became a reality instead of only a vision. Over 80 people have made professions of faith in Christ, men and women have been called into the ministry, marriages that were held together only by a thread are thriving, families are maturing in their faith, many are serving in the community we live in and others all over the world. I could go on and on about all that God has done and is currently doing in and through the great people of Westside Community Church. If you are a part of our family, what a blessing it has been to serve as your Pastor! If you are reading this and have never visited a church where faith means more than a one hour experience on Sunday morning, I and the rest of the Westside family hope you will visit us soon and begin to experience life the way God intended it to be.

In this issue

Winter-Spring 2015

DISCIPLESHIP MATTERS

A NEW WAY TO GIVE

YES LORD, WE WILL GO

HIS LOVE FILLS AND OVERFLOWS

SERVING IN THE CITY

A NEW WAY TO GIVE

Westside Community Church

Ephesians 3:20 20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us,

to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. NLT

Steve Armstrong

Discipleship Matters.

Matt 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in

heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I

have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

A disciple is someone who follows another person or another way of life and who submits himself to the discipline (teaching) of that leader and a new way of living. In the passage of scripture that we know of as the Great Commission, Matthew 28-18-20; Jesus gave clear commands to His followers to, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Those who believed in Him were to go and teach others about Christ and what it means to be a follower of Him. His command to make disciples was very important and foundational to the first century church. Today, some 2000 years later, it is just as important. Westside Community Church realizes this importance and are recommitting to doing just that. We are putting measures into place to train and equip all who come to faith in Christ. In the last two weeks we have kicked off the Foundations class once again and are currently looking into some new discipleship material called Multiply. Pray along with Pastor Steve and key leaders as we discern Gods will in the next steps we take along this most important journey of making disciples. Check out this information on Multiply.

Jesus gave his followers a command: Follow me. And a promise: And I will equip you to find others to follow me. We were made to make disciples.Designed for use in discipleship relationships and other focused settings, Multiply will equip

you to carry out Jesuss ministry. Each of the twenty-four sessions in the book corresponds with an online video at www.multiplymovement.com, where New York

Times bestselling author David Platt joins Francis in guiding you through each part of Multiply. One plus one plus one. Every copy of Multiply is designed to do what

Jesus did: make disciples who make disciples who make disciples. Until the world knows the truth of Jesus Christ.

A NEW WAY TO GIVE .Something to think about

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Our eGiving Products Can Develop A Steady Stream of Offertory The Internet has become crucial for all aspects of contemporary fundraising. Online giving is growing and the trends show that it will continue to grow. In fact, a study by The Chronicle reveals online giving to nonprofit organizations grew 14 percent in 2012. With over 70 percent of Americans already online- it only makes sense. Start today and give your congregation the most convenient and technologically advanced way to tithe. (http://egiving.lifeway.com/)

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Now, more than ever, people are utilizing the Internet for shopping,

paying bills, communication and electronic banking. Why not give

your congregation the convenient option of tithing online? It is so easy

to manage and use.

While all of this sounds like a great deal and something we should implement right away at Westside, we must consider the cost of such services. The fees associated with these accounts are: 0.5% + $0.30 per check donation and 2.7% + $0.35 per credit card donation. Let's use $150,000 as a round number for our church budget. Say 1/3 of our folks started giving with credit/debit cards (because it is "easier and more convenient") that would be 2.7% of $50,000...$1,350 in fees out of the church budget just counting the 2.7%, not including the 35 cents per transaction! We can feed a whole bunch of orphans for $1,350

We are very excited to be getting married in April, but we are even more excited about what God has planned for our life and ministry together. After our wedding, we will be leading the Westside group to Haiti in July. We are thrilled to be able to work together with our Westside family and our partners in Haiti to share the love of Christ with the people of Haiti. After returning from Haiti, we will be leaving Louisiana for the next step in our lives. I (Corey) will be starting my PhD studies in biomedical engineering while Meygan continues her work in special education and finishes her undergraduate degree online. We feel that God is leading us in this direction

so that we will be equipped to meet the critical needs of the people of Burma (Myanmar), where we hope to serve long-term. Burma is just beginning

to open up after years of military dictatorship, but conditions for the people, especially in the areas of education and healthcare, are still some of the worst in the world. Despite Burma being home to many dangerous drug-resistant diseases, the Burmese government currently only spends around $2 per person per year on healthcare. Conditions in education are even worse, especially for special needs students, many of whom never even have the opportunity to go to school. We plan to use our education and work experience to serve the people of Burma in those areas, while communicating the love of Jesus in everything we

do. Our heart is to build a school for students in rural areas, train teachers to reach their students with a Christ-centered worldview, and provide high quality medical care to the people of Burma. While in the states finishing school, we plan to complete seminary courses, take trips to Burma to build relationships with the people, and coordinate with missions organizations working in Burma to prepare for our long-term ministry. We ask that you pray for the people of Burma and that God would give us wisdom and guidance as we prepare for marriage and ministry.

YES LORD, WE WILL GO

Did somebody say Love? Christ has done an amazing work in the lives of the Westside Family and it just cant be contained! This year we are excited to announce a new ministry that will serve one major purpose: to express Gods love to others in our community. Did I say Community? We are all about Community at Westside Community Church! The plan is that four times a year our entire church will blitz the community with all sorts of expressions of Gods love and kindness. We will help Senior Citizens who may need assistance with a good spring cleanup of their yard, help with moving a heavy object, or help with even something as simple as changing burned out light bulbs. Another way that we may express Gods love

is to bless those who serve our community and who might go unnoticed or unappreciated: our awesome Police and Fireman. We may prepare a meal for them or drop off sweet treats. We may pick up litter along the roadway as we know that God loves His creation and expects those who live here to take good care of it. We may just been seen out along the roadways picking up trash! Our team is still currently in the process of trying to figure it all out so there will be more information to come soon on this exciting new ministry. We are giving God the glory for Julie Shanks for answering Gods call to lead in this effort. Be in prayer for her and her great team as they discern Gods will regarding where and who our team will serve.

His Love Fills and Overflows.

Serving the City

Eph. 3:19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.

Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. NLT

What started out just a few years ago as

simple act of kindness to homeless

people in Downtown Baton Rouge has

turned into an ongoing ministry.

Westside Community Church and other

local churches have joined together to

pass out clothing and food while

ministering to the homeless. all for the Glory of God! It is really easy to

refer to these folks as, those people, but if you take the time to sit down and hear their story youll quickly find out that we are all just one unfortunate step away from being right where they are.

Here is the cup of blessing challenge from the people of Westside: commit to serving one

time at our Reaching Out in Downtown ministry events and we are most certain youll find your cup is filled with blessing more so than all of the blessings you intend to give.

Reaching Out in Downtown is sure to bless you in a special way. Will you give it a try?

Contact JoAnn Bucholtz for more information about this awesome ministry.