This Sunday: "The Art of Conversation"

Scripture: John 1:1-9

Join us On Campus or Online | Sunday, April 21, 2024

There are few things better than a good conversation. Ideas and emotions swirl together. Past, present and future conjure images and prompt questions. As we begin our Conversations series, we will explore some ways that we enter into conversation with God. The opening passage in John’s gospel notes that God is the initiator of conversation, speaking the world into existence and then incarnating this same Speech as the Word made Flesh. God joins us here for the conversation, and we respond in many different ways. This weekend we have community garden day where we will tend the earth as Genesis 1 invites us. On Sunday we will have intergenerational worship where we will hear from a wider variety of voices that invite us to hear God and respond in our own unique way. Then Sunday afternoon at 4:00 pm we will return for a concert and reception The One Accord Men’s Chorus (highlighting our own Johnny Brown) and "Clotilda", an amazing art exhibit on display in the Narthex by Vikki Martin. Talk about great conversations! See you Sunday.

“The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.” This affirmation of Psalm 24:1 is a great reminder and balance to our possible misunderstanding of Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion.” While the bible celebrates that humans are the pinnacle of God’s creation (though we often don’t act like it) this must be held in the context of the true meaning of dominion. We are still part of creation, not above, beyond or outside of it. We are among the “those who live in it”. We belong to God. The Creation stories make clear that humans are created and called, ordained even, to be caretakers of God’s garden. This caretaking includes all the other creatures on the earth, and whatever they need for their flourishing and wholeness.

I marvel that with all the abundance of God’s creation, and all the ingenuity of the human imagination, there is still so much suffering. I’m not talking about the challenges that are simply a part of being alive – illness, injury and death come to us all. I’m talking about the ways we harm one another, and the ways we fail to prevent, limit, reverse and heal the harms that do come. When I see people living on the street, I can’t help but grieve that we as a society haven’t found a way to do better. To be better, for them and for ourselves. We are more willing to accept the moral cost of watching our neighbors suffer than the material costs of building societies that work for everyone.

When we lean in and pay attention to the vulnerable around us and we share in their imagination about the future, what do we see? What kind of communities are we building to pass on to them? How are we protecting them and ensuring that every child and adolescent has everything they need to thrive now and in the future? What are we doing to ensure that the earth they inherit will sustain them and their children and grandchildren for generations to come? Again, we seem more willing to accept the moral cost of environmental degradation than the financial cost of making the necessary changes to our way of life.

There is so much joy, love, abundance and peace to be found among the human family and in our engagement with the natural world. All of this reflects and transmits the goodness of God. Those of us who are convinced that God has Good News for all of Humanity, ought we not seek out every opportunity to not just tell the good news but to create it and even to be it? The kingdom of God on earth as in heaven is not simply an inward disposition of the heart. We are intended to be co-laborers with in the project of building the Beloved Community.

I believe that part of the message of the incarnation is that humanity will not be rescued from death, but that death itself will be transformed and transformative. Jesus went through death into life – Paul poetically says that death is swallowed up by life

(1 Corinthians 15:54). What an image! Let us walk in this life as those who know that death has been swallowed up. And may we ensure the resurrection life is available to all God’s children. 

Rev. Dr. Ken G. Crawford

Minister of Mission, Innovation, and Operations

9:00 am - Sunday School

10:00 am - Fellowship

10:30 am - Worship Service

You may join us in the Sanctuary or online for Sunday morning worship service at 10:30 am. The service is also available on Facebook and YouTube. Below are some tips for worshiping with us online.

Announcements begin at 10:15 am, with the prelude to follow. Join us early! Prepare your own bread, cup and candle for communion. Turn on and adjust the sound to your computer.

Intergenerational Sunday

Children who usually participate in Worship Rocks (ages 3-5th grade) will remain in the worship service, where we will worship together for Intergenerational Sunday.

After Church Choir Rehearsal

11:45 am in the Music Suite

In Concert: One Accord Men's Chorus 4:00 pm in the Sanctuary

Reception to follow in F-101

Solomon's Porch (Men's Group)

2nd and 4th Saturdays 7:45 am

in the Music Suite.

Diaper Distribution

4th Saturdays

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Front lot of the church.

Tai Chi

Mondays at 10:30 am In F-101 Contact Donna for info

972-271-3949

Mobile Food Pantry

1st, 2nd, 3rd Tuesdays

11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Front lot of the church.

Midweek Bible Study

Wednesdays at 12:00 pm

Zoom only on April 24

Choir Rehearsal

Wednesdays at 7:00 pm

in the Music Suite .

NTA DWM Spiritual Life Retreat

April 19-21 at Disciples Crossing Request more info

North Texas Area Assembly

Sunday, May 5 at 3:00 pm

Creekwood Christian Church

Flower Mound, Texas

Senior Adult Ministry Lunch Monday, May 13 11:30 am in F-101

Tri-Area Men's Retreat

May 17-19

at Disciples Crossing

Register here

What’s Next ? A conversation About Northway’s Future! — Mark your calendar for Sunday, 5 May as a “must attend” day for Church! This will be an enjoyable and important event for Northway as we journey together to find our Way Forward. The event will start at 10:00 am with Worship at the regular time (10:30 am) followed by lunch and activities aimed at understanding what you value most about Northway; your aspirations for Northway in the future, and assess our willingness to change. The Northway Task Force is planning a number of innovative and creative ways to identify our congregation’s preferences, so please plan on attending this important All Church Event.

The Task Force is working hard to pray and learn and research all the paths available for NCC as we journey together into whatever God is up to next. You are hearing announcements about the May 5 What’s Next? Event, and we want you to join us as we pray. However, we all know that church goes on before and after meetings, so we want to keep praying together all the way to Pentecost.

Our prayers are going to be short: short enough to be a single text message! To join in, sign up to receive a single text message daily through Pentecost. You will also be able to read the prayer on the church’s social media.

All you have to do is CLICK HERE to sign up for the text messages, or contact Pastor Chesna with any questions.

Renowned pianist and conductor John Tatum will lead the performance by the acclaimed One Accord Men's Chorus, known for captivating audiences with their range of diverse musical genres. Northway's Choral Scholar, Johnny Brown, will be a featured soloist. Please join us for a spectacular afternoon of music!

Join us for a virtual time of discovering our voices as writers and poets to deepen our own faith, and reflect on how we can profess our experience of God’s amazing work in our lives. To participate and to receive Zoom details, please send us an email.

Northway partners with a wide range of community nonprofit organizations that serve our neighbors near and far. Many of these are familiar to us, some others may not be. As Pastor Ken prepares to transition off the staff one of our goals is to identify an individual who will serve as liaison for each of our ministry partners. If you would like to be the representative for our relationship with one or more of these organizations, please let Paul Schmidt or Pastor Ken know. Here’s a list of our primary partner relationships: Juliette Fowler Communities, Family Gateway, North Dallas Shared Ministries, Meals on Wheels, Hope Supply Co, Carter BloodCare Blood Drive, North Texas Food Bank, Jarvis Christian College, TCU, Housing Forward, Seeds of Hope Garden, Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries, Disciples Beans and Rice, International Rescue Committee, Disciples Crossing, Boone Elementary, HPISD, Hotchkiss Elementary, Be The Neighbor, Week of Compassion, Christian Church in the Southwest, North Texas Area DoC, HON Scholarships.

Hey Parents! If you'd like to keep up with Northway's activities for children and youth, you'll want to click here to check out our "Parent Connection" newsletter. If you're not receiving this weekly email, but would like to, send us a note.

Week of April 11 - April 17, 2024

Weekly Receipts: $21,620.

Year to Date Receipts: $137,952.

2024 Budget: $464,840.

Financial Update Note: Contributions will be reported at the time they are received, even if they are prepayments of annual pledges. If you have questions, please contact Laura Giffin or call the church office at 214-361-6641.