November 23, 2021
by Eric Stillman
“Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” This stirring quote came from the pen of Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision and one of the men responsible for Samaritan’s Purse, two of the leading Christian relief organizations in the world.
With a resume like that, you probably envision a passionate man of God, giving his all to share the love of Christ with all who came across his path. And you would be correct to a large extent. But there was much more to the story of Bob Pierce....Keep Reading
Posted in: Missions Tags: Leadership, Missions, Sin
August 24, 2021
by Eric Stillman
You may have heard the expression, “once you see this, you can’t un-see it” in reference to some particularly disturbing picture. I find this quote from Francis Chan to be like that: once you hear it, you can’t un-hear it....Keep Reading
Posted in: Missions Tags: Evangelism, Missions
April 14, 2020
by Andy Hood
On Sunday April 5th, during our streaming NewLife worship service, Pastor Eric led us in reading together Psalm 23. This is one of my “go to” Psalms during times of uncertainty and difficulties. For me, however, there is an added dimension to reading this Psalm. It serves as a stark reminder of the fact that many millions of people (including many believers) do not have this Psalm (or any Scripture for that matter) in their “heart” language (heart language is simply the language first spoken to you as a child). Imagine life without Psalm 23!...Keep Reading
Tags: Missions, JAARS, Bible translation
November 12, 2019
by Eric Stillman
You may have heard the expression, “once you see this, you can’t un-see it” in reference to some particularly disturbing picture. I find this quote from Francis Chan to be like that: once you hear it, you can’t un-hear it....Keep Reading
Tags: Evangelism, Missions, Francis Chan
March 26, 2019
by Eric Stillman
As I type these words, I am sitting in the airport with the Peru mission team, preparing to spend a week of our lives ministering with Compassion International in Barranca, Peru. This trip was made possible by the generous financial contributions, prayer support, and tangible support of our church family, biological families, and friends, so from our whole team, thank you very much for your love and generosity. As we get ready to board, I wanted to share a reflection on one of my favorite verses, a passage that motivates me daily, 1 Corinthians 15:58....Keep Reading
Tags: Discipleship, Missions, Peru
October 16, 2018
by Eric Stillman
The kingdom of God is the central theme of Jesus’ teaching; yet, in classic Jesus fashion, He never defines just what the kingdom of God is! Instead, he speaks in parables, comparing the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, to a treasure hidden in a field, to a man sowing seed, and to so many other images. Since Jesus’ day, theologians throughout the centuries have tried to define what Jesus meant by the kingdom of God. Trousdale and Sunshine define it as “any place where the king’s authority is recognized and obeyed.”...Keep Reading
Tags: Missions, Kingdom of God
October 9, 2018
by Eric Stillman
Next March, a team from our church will be joining with a team from First Church of Wethersfield to travel to Peru to minister at a Compassion International site in the town of Barranca. When we discuss missions in our American churches, I think our assumption is that we American Christians need to bring the gospel, as well as tangible ministry work like building houses, digging wells, and sharing resources, to the developing world in order to help them. However, it is becoming more and more apparent that while the church seems to be shrinking in power, influence, and spiritual vitality in America, it is growing exponentially on all fronts in the Global South. The fact is that we may end up learning more about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus from our brothers and sisters in Peru than they may learn from us!...Keep Reading
Tags: Discipleship, Missions
July 14, 2015
by Eric Stillman
This Saturday, NewLife will be sending a team of six individuals down to Ecuador to work alongside Jessica Wojcik, one of our missionaries and a member of our church family. Please join me in praying that God would do wonderful things in and through them this week, encouraging the believers in Ecuador and leading many to faith in Jesus.
One of the realities of short-term missions is that it often ends up being of more benefit to the ones who go than it does to the ones on the receiving end....Keep Reading
Posted in: Missions Tags: Missions, Bronx, Ecuador
October 7, 2014
by Jessica Wojcik
On January 8th, 1956, deep in the amazon jungle of Ecuador, five American Missionaries lost their lives after being attacked and speared by a group of Huarani warriors, a people group they were trying to reach with the gospel. These five men - Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully and Pete Fleming - spent 5 months leading up to this fateful day trying to reach out to this community and develop a line of communication in order to eventually share this gospel with these Indians.
...Keep Reading
Posted in: Missions Tags: Missions
July 22, 2014
by Eric Stillman
Back in 1921, a missionary couple named David and Svea Flood went with their two year-old son from Sweden to the heart of Africa ��" to what was then called the Belgian Congo. They met up with another young Scandinavian couple, the Ericksons, and the four of them sought God for direction. In those days of much tenderness and devotion and sacrifice, they felt led of the Lord to set out from the main mission station and take the gospel to a remote area....Keep Reading
Posted in: Missions Tags: Discipleship, Missions
January 7, 2014
by Jessica Wojcik
In the first chapter of the book of Luke, an angel of the Lord appears to Mary, and after informing her that she is highly favored of the Lord, announces that she will give birth to a son who will be the savior of the world! Upon hearing this, Mary has questions. She wonders, ‘œHow can this be?‘ since she is a virgin, but she listens to the rest of what the angel has to say. And he tells her it‘s by the Holy Spirit that this will all come to pass. Then Mary says something amazing. In verse 38 she says ‘œI am the Lord‘s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled‘, the equivalent of a ‘œYes‘ to God.
A lot of people admire Mary. I do as well, but I think what I admire most about her is her quiet strength....Keep Reading
Posted in: Missions Tags: Discipleship, Missions
July 30, 2013
by Amely Cross
‘œAct justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.‘ (Micah 6:8)
Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, with 80% of the population living below the poverty level. After the 2010 earthquake, the people, their lives and the physical structures surrounding them were forever changed. Students did not have a place to go to school, families were torn apart by death, and homes were destroyed. Some did not lose anything because they did not have anything to begin with. In the midst of all of this the people of Haiti are managing to rebuild not only the material loss, but their lives in general.
So what happens after we read things like this, hear about it on the radio or in conversation, or watch something on the news about this?...Keep Reading
Posted in: Missions Tags: Missions, Haiti
November 13, 2012
by Eric Stillman
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35)...Keep Reading
Tags: Outreach, Missions
May 1, 2012
by Eric Stillman
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:40)...Keep Reading
Tags: Discipleship, Missions
March 20, 2012
by Jessica Wojcik
Today’s post is written by Jessica Wojcik, who will be heading to Ecuador on a mission trip this summer....Keep Reading
Tags: Missions, Guest Blogger
March 13, 2012
by Eric Stillman
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15)
When it comes to cancer, most of us are so used to the second part of Romans 12:15 " mourning with those who mourn " that we rarely have the chance to rejoice with those who rejoice. For the past year or so, we have been praying for one of our missionaries, Laura Payne, as she faced the probability of death due to stage 4 cancer. This past week, we received this letter from Steve and Laura:...Keep Reading
Tags: Prayer, Missions
December 20, 2011
by Eric Stillman
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:13-...Keep Reading
Tags: NewLife, Missions
June 14, 2011
by Eric Stillman
“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’” (Revelation 6:9-10)...Keep Reading
Tags: Missions, Sin
May 24, 2011
by Eric Stillman
“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)...Keep Reading
Tags: Discipleship, Missions
February 8, 2011
by Eric Stillman
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21)...Keep Reading
Tags: Discipleship, Missions
