KIDS MINISTRY
As the name suggests, Sunday school is held every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. All children from the age of 3 years (toddlers) to 16 years (junior youth) are a part of it. From time to time other events like VBS (Vacation Bible School), kids’ camp etc. are conducted. As and when new believers begin attending church, their children are encouraged to start attending Sunday school.
YOUTH MINISTRY
The Youth group at NLF-NLR is a dynamic, alive, active and fun loving group. Above all they are a group that is passionate about God and about showing God’s love to others around them individually and together as a group.
The Youth group gets together often for various purposes:
Sunday Service: Every Sunday at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. or 5 p.m.
Youth Celebration: Every fourth Sunday of the month at 7 p.m. in English and every second Sunday of the month at 7 p.m. in Hindi.
Bible Studies: Weekly at different locations (Shanti Ashram, I. C. Colony, Kandivali, Mira Road, etc.)
Freedom: Annual Christmas Youth Event in English
Aazaadi: Annual Christmas Youth Event in Hindi
Youth Seminars: Twice or Thrice a year
Youth love feast, outings, camps, other activities : Once or twice a year
In the New Testament, Jesus sets down only 2 commandments for us to follow: a) Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind AND b) Love your neighbours as yourself. We believe that everything about living a God-focused life falls into place when you follow these two commandments. As we meet together for various activities, it is our endeavor to encourage each other to live the life that Jesus Christ modeled for us. All young people above the age of 16 are welcome to the fellowship.
Anyone above the age of 16 can join in. All you have to do is meet with someone on the core team (Sandesh Shetty, Christie Alex, Trusha Motiwala, Mahendra Ghoderao, Indu Ghoderao or Sharon Shashidharan) or the Usher/Volunteer team (Trusha M.) and the person will plug you in to the network.
COUPLE MINISTRY
Marriage is a beautiful thing. However, it needs proactive and daily working on to keep it alive and make it strong and flourish! There is no better way to build one’s marriage than in the friendly and fun filled environment of a small Bible study group. When the relationship between a couple is strong, they can leave a Godly legacy for their children. As a result the church, as a family, is made strong. The couples’ ministry hence focuses on strengthening the family units so that each family may be strongly rooted in the Word of God.
The couples group meets once every week on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. for an interactive Bible study. This small group Bible study is dedicated to making families, all that God intended it to be. It is designed to strengthen marriages and forge supportive relationships with other couples. It is open to all married couples, both young and old. Whether you have been married for years or are newly-weds, this will help you and your spouse discover timeless principles from God’s word that you can apply to your own marriage.
WORSHIP MINISTRY
The worship ministry is one of the most important ministries in the church. The primary responsibility of the worship team is to lead people to worship by assisting them to lay down their burdens and cares of life and worship God in freedom. Also, as musicians, the team strives to sing and play their instruments skillfully to the Lord.
The worship team meets for practice on every Saturday at 4:30 pm in the church hall. Anyone who is gifted and committed to the calling is welcome into the team. Currently, it is the young people of our church who are part of the worship ministry.
In worship, the church as a body is edified, ministered to and strengthened. It also prepares a platform for God’s word to penetrate into the hearts of the people. In other words, it prepares the field (hearts) to receive the seed (Word), which in turn bears much fruit.
PRAYER & INTERCESSORY
Prayer and intercession play a very significant role in the life of a Christian. The Bible records that our Saviour spent a considerable amount of time in prayer. Following the example set by our Lord, we meet together as the Body of Christ to intercede for the church and the members of the church.
We meet in two groups – the ladies meet every Wednesday between 5 and 7 p.m. and a general group meets every Saturday at 10 a.m.
Anyone who is led by the Lord is encouraged to join in.
Ushering
Ever so often God calls us into His vineyard and gives us different assignments. He has called some to be pastors, prophets, evangelists, musicians, prayer warriors and Ushers amongst many others (1 Corinthians 12:28).
As per the definition, the ushers help people to get to empty seats in the hall, meet and introduce new people to other church members. They help to maintain order and control movement throughout the service. The ushers ministry involves making people feel welcome and at home by extending a genuine greeting smile and handshake and being alert to special needs of both members and guests. They also assist other ministries by lending support during events, festivals etc.
The youth of the church are the members of this ushering ministry. They meet every Sunday before service and also for all events.
The Bible clearly states that our God is a God of order and not chaos. In keeping with this, the ushers help the church to maintain order during worship and events. The aim of an usher is to lend assistance to all members of the church who have come to worship without any hindrance and truly experience God’s presence. This help rendered is a form of committed worship.
