This is the fifth sermon in the series titled “Acts in 3 Acts: Act 2”.

Theme – Our tendency as human beings is to put certain people up on pedestals.  And we certainly do this in the church!  But as the people of God, each and every one of us has been gifted by God to serve Him in a unique way.  When Barnabas and Saul were commissioned to take the Gospel to the Gentiles, it may look (at first glance) like they are more special than the other believers.  But upon further reflection, we see that the whole church was involved in their sending—because their particular calling was really the calling of the whole community of believers.

The text for the sermon was taken from Acts 13:1-3.-

This has been a tough year for youth ministry at Northminster.

Our beloved youth director of over three years, Chelsea Knox, resigned at the end of last August.  After trying unsuccessfully to replace Chelsea last fall, Luke Walther came on as an Area Director for Young Life (our youth ministry is a partnership with Young Life) overseeing both La Jolla and Clairemont.  Luke was really great at what he did, but after a few months Luke resigned when he realized that both La Jolla and Clairemont needed to be staffed by full-time positions.  Since he had originally been called to serve the La Jolla area, he stayed with that area.

That was discouraging at first.  But we were soon reminded that God never leaves us in the lurch!

So here’s the good news!

We have found a new youth director for Northminster/Clairemont Young Life—and I am really excited about this guy!  Here are some things you need to know about him:

• His name is Kevin Curtis.
• He is married to his wife, Pam, and they are expecting their first child in June.
• Kevin has A LOT of experience in youth ministry, both as a Young Life staffer and as a church youth ministry volunteer.
• Kevin and his wife will be moving here from Verde Valley, Arizona.
• They are both really looking forward to getting plugged in here at Northminster.  One of the things he shared is that they’ve missed having a real sense of church community where they’ve been living, and that’s something they are really looking forward to (and something I know all of you have to offer)!

Because he and his wife are expecting their child in June, Kevin won’t begin serving here full-time until July 1.  In the meantime, however, he will be making monthly trips to Clairemont to begin working with leaders, working with the Young Life Committee, working with me, and getting to know all of you.

His first visit will be the weekend of March 14.  At that time, we will introduce Kevin to all of you in church and give you an opportunity to begin to get to know him.

As I’ve already stated, I’m really excited that Kevin is going to be joining us here at Northminster! Keep Kevin and his wife, Pam, in your prayers over the next several months as they begin their transition and await the birth of their baby.  I believe Kevin will be used powerfully by God in the lives of the middle and high school students here at Northminster, as well as all those kids in the community whom God is longing for us to reach.

–Pastor Markus Watson

This is the fourth sermon in the series titled “Acts in 3 Acts: Act 2”.

Theme – Stress and anxiety are major problems for people today.  And whether you experience a lot of stress or just a little, no one is immune.  As we deal with stress and anxiety, Acts 12:1-24 is a helpful reminder that, no matter what happens in life, God is still and always will be in control.

The text for the sermon was taken from Acts 12:1-24.

This is the third sermon in the series titled “Acts in 3 Acts: Act 2”.

Theme – One thing we know from Scripture is that true spiritual growth always leads to action.  That’s what we see in the story of the new church in Antioch.  Barnabas and Saul spent a year teaching them, helping them grow in their faith, and when the Judean church was in need they responded with tremendous generosity.

The text for the sermon was taken from Acts 10:9-48.

Don’t forget that we’ll have an Ash Wednesday Service tonight at 7:00 p.m. (Feb. 17). Let’s begin the season of Lent together as we prepare our hearts to remember the crucifixion and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus at the end of these 40 days.

This is the second sermon in the series titled “Acts in 3 Acts: Act 2”.

Theme – One thing we can know for sure about God is that he doesn’t tend to let us stay inside our comfort zone.  Sometimes, when God pushes the envelope, it’s downright surprising!  This was true for the early church.  When God poured out the Holy Spirit on Gentiles, Peter was astonished!  God was forcing Peter and the early church out of their Israelite comfort zone by welcoming Gentiles into the family God.  And aren’t you glad those early Christians welcomed what God was doing?

The text for the sermon was taken from Acts 10:9-48.

This is the first sermon in the series titled “Acts in 3 Acts: Act 2”.

Theme – One of the most amazing stories in Scripture is the conversion of Saul, the enemy of Christianity.  But even more amazing is the fact that God chose this persecutor of Christians to be his instrument to take Christ’s name to the Gentile world!  The good news for us in all this?  If God can use someone like Saul, he can certainly use someone like me.

The text for the sermon was taken from Acts 9:1-2 and Acts 9:3-9.

This was a continuation of our missional dialog dealing with non-incremental, sudden change  that threatens existing or traditional authority  or power  structures, because it drastically alters the way things are currently done or have been done for years.

Theme – We live in an age of incredible change.  And it’s getting more and more difficult to know how to be the church in a world that seems so unstable and unpredictable.  So what’s the solution?  That’s a good question.  The best place to start is to simply ask the question, “What’s God up to?”

The text for the sermon was taken from Acts 7:59-8:3 and Acts 8:26-40.

Many of you have no doubt heard me mention the Missional Transition Team by now.  And many of you may be wondering, “What exactly is the Missional Transition Team?”

First, a little background, and then I’ll tell you what they do.  The Missional Transition Team (MTT) originally started out as the Pastoral Transition Team (PTT), made up mostly of people who had been on the Pastor Nominating Committee that hired me.  The PTT and I started meeting over the phone before I moved to San Diego to spend time in scripture and in reading and discussing The Missional Leader by Alan Roxburgh.

The PTT met from July-December, 2007.  It was a great team!  They were incredibly helpful to me in my transition and in helping me begin to understand Northminster’s history and culture.  By the end of 2007, I said to the PTT, “Y’know, I feel like I’ve pretty much transitioned into the church, but this team is doing such great work!  Why don’t we keep meeting, but change our name to ‘Missional Transition Team’?”  The team loved the idea, so we presented the idea to Session and were officially dubbed the Missional Transtion Team.

Over the years, the membership of the MTT has changed.  Some are still on the team from the early days; other members are newer.  This gradual turnover of members has been great because it means that we’ve always got new ideas coming!  One of the best things about the MTT’s membership is that six out of our nine elders on Session are currently active on the MTT!

So, what exactly does the MTT do?  You can think of it in a few different ways.  In one way, the MTT is simply a brainstorming team.  A lot of times we come together without an agenda.  After spending about 20-30 minutes in Scripture and prayer, we say to each other, “So… What’s coming up at church that we should talk about?”  Other times we have a clear agenda.  For instance, “Vacation Bible School is coming up.  Let’s brainstorm some ways we can connect with those kids’ families.”

You can also think of the MTT as a think-tank.  Since most of the elders are on MTT, we’re able to think through the implications of certain ideas before a motion is brought to Session.  Then, we can answer any questions for the rest of Session with good, well thought out information.

But most of all, this is what the Missional Transition Team does:  It is constantly asking, “What is God up to in our church?  What is God up to in our community?  What is God up to in the world?  And how can we join God in what God is doing?”

If you’re interested in being part of the MTT, let me know!  Call the church office at 858-490-3995, or e-mail me at mwatson@northminstersandiego.com.

This is the second sermon in the series titled “Naming”.

Markus is on study leave and the sermon on January 24th was delivered by Josh Kerkhoff.  Josh is the Next Generations Pastor at Solana Beach Presbyterian Church.

Theme – In this great story of Exodus, we encounter Moses, an ordinary man in the midst of an ordinary workday, who encounters an extraordinary God. God’s revelation alone is not enough for Moses to trust and dare to follow after God. Through their encounter, we are challenged to let God be God and not limit God by our expectations or assumptions about who God is or is not.

The text for the sermon was taken from Exodus 3:1-15.