August 30, 2022
by Eric Stillman
Nine years ago on Labor Day weekend 2013, NewLife joined together with First Church, Wethersfield Evangelical Free Church, and Center Point Church for the first Cove service. This coming Sunday, we will join together once again as one body of believers, one family of God, to worship our great God.
The vision for the Cove service was borne out of a biweekly pastors’ group that I was a part of under the umbrella of Barnabas Ministries...Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: Encouragement, Barnabas, Cove Service
October 27, 2020
by Eric Stillman
The longer I am in pastoral ministry, the more I feel like I am running a marathon with snipers hidden along the path. I have been pastoring NewLife for 14 years, and during that time I have painfully watched many of my pastoral colleagues leave the ministry ...Keep Reading
Tags: Spiritual Warfare, Encouragement, Pastoral ministry
March 10, 2015
by Eric Stillman
Two of the most influential voices in my life during my youth pastor years were Mike Yaconelli and Ron Luce. They were two men who loved Jesus, loved teenagers and youth pastors, but could not have been more different in their approach to youth ministry. Yaconelli was the co-founder of Youth Specialties, an organization that provided tons of resources and training to youth pastors across the world, but during his later years became a man with an almost singular focus on the importance of helping teens and youth pastors develop intimate relationships with Jesus. He hated how youth ministry had become so focused on big events, big numbers, and attractive personalities, and loved to honor those men and women who may not have fit the stereotypical mold but because of their willingness to love teens were making an eternal difference. He would tell stories about 75 year-old grandmothers, rough-around-the-edges truckers, and scared youth leaders everywhere who just wanted to love young people to Jesus. Yaconelli frequently boasted about being the pastor of the “slowest growing church in America”, a small community church out in California that had shrunk since his arrival, but based on his stories seemed to be made up of a lovable band of misfits who would dare to follow Jesus wherever He led, even if it involved doing things that normal churches might not do. His message was a simple message that always reminded me of Jesus’ incredible love and grace over us, no matter how far we fell short of the ideal....Keep Reading
Posted in: Fellowship Tags: Encouragement, Ron Luce, Mike Yaconelli
