We have been so blessed by NSBC. First our youngest daughter has gained
so many great friends through the singles program. She has traveled to Brazil on a
mission trip and has been enriched through the small group Bible studies. I
lost my job in June and she took me in to talk with Donnie and the counseling and advice have helped us so
much. Last year I participated in the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace program and have been working toward
getting my credit cards paid off. Several of the singles came out and repaired our ceiling and a soft place in our floor. We had a water leak and the church provided
a plumber to repair it. I am trying to get a job and working hard but slowly to
pay off bills but know GOD is working in our lives. The singles kept me
in prayer while I underwent three surgeries this summer and this fall my daughter and I have
worked in the Revive ministry and have been so blessed. My work background for the past 10 years has been in special education and I am so glad the church has taken this on. Thank you for being here and for being North Side, a vessel for GOD.
Thank You for the opportunity and blessing to be able to Pray for YOU. And, Thank You for the Prayers you have offered up for my family. What a humbling and blessed experience it has been, when you have asked if a family member of mine is feeling better, and told me you had been praying specifically for them. I find myself brimming with thankfulness and gratitude, each Thanksgiving for the Family that IS NSBC. May you all have a truly blessed Thanksgiving! Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4
Barbara Bass
I am thankful that I am not who I was. When I was 13 years old, Jesus made me a new person with hope in Him.
Tracey Hass
I am thankful for the huge blessing that North Side has been in my life. Since I have been at North Side since I was born, the people here have literally helped raise me! They have done everything from change my diapers and sing songs to me in the nursery to teach me the books of the Bible and encourage me as I began my Christian walk. In the youth group, I was taught how to further my relationship with God and be a leader to other young people. I was given the opportunity to go places in this country I would never have gone otherwise and share God with song and missions. Now as an adult in a ministry role here, I am continually supported by these great people. Even better, now my daughter is experiencing the same great church family atmosphere that I did. North Side is not just where I work or where I go to church – this is truly my church home.
Tamra Gutierrez
I am Thankful for Curtis Jefferson and New Hope Baptist Church. Pastor Jefferson helped me discover a great way to express God’s Faithfulness. He closes almost every service by saying, “God Is Good, All the Time! All the Time, God Is Good!” I thank God for such a wonderful Pastor and church.
I thank God for my wonderful family: Randy, Jayme and Owens; Jared; and Kaye. God continues to bless me through them everyday. I am so THANKFUL to God for them!
My heart is overflowing with gratitude to this powerful church family called North Side!
The praise of our great choirs, praise teams, congregation and instrumentalist lift me up weekly. I and my family have experienced the very presence of God as we worship together.
I am thankful for Bro. Van! He is a friend and fellow minister. We have laughed much; cried some; shared many burdens; aggravated one another; pushed each other to be better leaders and godly men and continue to see God work in amazing ways. No matter what you “think” you see or hear on Sunday mornings as we visit at the beginning of each service, be assured that we are “brothers” and love & respect each other more than it sometimes shows!
I thank God for the healing, strengthening, providing and guidance we experience each week as God’s people pray for one another and encourage one another. “God Is Good, All the Time! All the Time, God Is Good!”
Gary Wood
One of my most memorable Thanksgivings was the year I spent as a missionary in Chile. It was my first Thanksgiving away from my family, and there were very few around me who understood the holiday. But being away from family and outside the United States brought a special meaning to this day of giving thanks.
I was a little caught off guard when people from Chile would ask me about Thanksgiving. They had no clue, but it gave me a chance to explain it a bit and therefore understand it better myself. Perhaps it’s what they called the holiday that taught me the most: Día de Acción de Gracias. Literally translated that means “Day of Action of Thanks.”
I used to think of Thanksgiving as a time when I would tell God how thankful I was for His blessings, and tell others how thankful I was for them. But now during this time I realize that being thankful should be accompanied by words and actions. In both the Old and New Testaments, when we read the word thanksgiving many times it is meant to involve a sacrifice to the Lord that flows from a thankful heart.
My prayer for this Thanksgiving is that we will express our thankfulness both with words and actions; that we would count each blessing that God has given us and show Him and others how thankful we are.
Caleb Lain
I have come to realize that Thanksgiving is not so much an action as an attitude. Interestingly, there are those who are grateful for everything in life and others who have such a sense of entitlement they are rarely grateful for anything yet are quick to complain about the smallest of inconveniences. For that reason, I find myself grateful this Thanksgiving for all of those in my life who are grateful for all that God gives them in relationships, resources and health. It is these people that make ministry a joy and a blessing.
I would also add to that at this time in my life the incredible support of friends and family as I deal with my health. Susie has been a wonderful caregiver and nurse and the staff has stepped in to handle the ongoing ministry of the church. I am blessed.
Pastor Van
