One of my greatest blessings of 2015 was finding a church that I can finally call home! Bridgette and I had been seeking and searching and praying about it for a year, and I’m so happy that God led us to New Beginnings Community Church (NBCC) in Mountain View. This happened to be the church of my dear friend, Jean Marks, who also had been praying for me for years. She has been instrumental in my journey with God, and I am deeply grateful for our friendship through the years despite the challenges its gone through.
NBCC is an amazing church for many reasons. It is incredibly diverse, and ministry team is deeply committed to creating a safe and encouraging place for people to learn about God. In the past, going to church was admittedly a “chore” to me. Most of the time, it would be challenging to get myself to church on Sunday morning and when I am actually there, my mind would wander off during the sermons. With NBCC, Sundays are my highlights now, and I genuinely look forward to going to church week after week. Bridgette also loves the Sunday school there, which was an important factor in our church seeking journey. I am just so, so grateful to God for leading us to NBCC, and for blessing us with a church community that is loving, kind, and inspiring!
One aspect we love about our church is its continual mission to give back to the community, both by monetary donations and by serving. Over the holidays, there were lots of opportunities to serve and we participated as much as possible. Though Alan does not attend church with us (yet!), he’s always had a very generous and giving heart, so he happily came along whenever we signed up to volunteer.
Here are some photos of our holiday giving + serving opportunities, which truly were some of the most joyous times for us because we were living out the true meaning of Christmas!
Restoration of East Palo Alto Charter School:
Campus Grooming and Food Sorting at Ecumenical Hunger Program:
Care Packages to the Homless
I know we’re all busy and our to-do lists are seemingly endless. If there’s an extra hour in the day, we’d rather be mindlessly watching tv or scrolling through Facebook. I often feel like that as well. But through faith, I am reminded of our real purpose on this earth, and the blessings that God gave me which I so did not deserve. I then feel an immense gratitude to have the ability and resources to serve and help others, to show love by contributing what’s finite to all of us–our time. I can assure you that the experience will open up your hearts in a way that social media cannot. I hope this inspires more to contribute their time in helping others, not just during the holidays, but every day!
COMMAND THEM TO DO GOOD, TO BE RICH IN GOOD DEEDS, AND TO BE GENEROUS AND WILLING TO SHARE.
– 1 TIMOTHY 6:18
