Thank you, families, for all your support this Ministry Year! With all the changes and pivots, we are so grateful for your grace, patience, and understanding. What an incredible year - full of life changing moments, celebrations, and partnership!

FELLOWSHIP HALL RESTORATION UPDATE & NEXTGEN PROGRAMMING

Thankfully, all the work in the Fellowship Hall is complete. We can resume full access to the space this Summer. We will continue to make use of the outdoors, when possible. 

STUDENT MINISTRY SUMMER INTERNSHIP

All Students will participate in a Summer Internship Program this year where they will serve in different Ministry Teams. Internship Forms are due July 9th via email to east.students@newlife.nyc

Our Ministry Team Leaders are excited to have our Students serve with them! Orientation is on July 13th during Sunday Programming. 

SUMMER RHYTHMS

Similar to last Summer, there will be NO NURSERY Drop Off throughout the Summer. The Play Area will be open for families to use during service, if you would like. 

PreK/K and Elem Kids lessons will focus on Sunday School Stories, in conjunction with the messages in the Main Service. 

SUMMER FUN AT BRIERLEY PARK

We have partnered with Natalie to provide a weekly Summer crafts and activities time for families at Brierley Park. We invite you to join us! More details to come! 

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 7/6/25 Family Sunday: Enjoy the long holiday weekend. There is no NextGen Programming for Kids and Students. 

• 7/12/25 All Church Picnic: Please join us for our All Church Picnic at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens. You can RSVP till Tuesday, July 8th

• 7/13/25 Move Up Day: All Kids and Students will Move Up to their new class for the 2025-26 school year. Middle and High School Students will receive their Summer Internship placements this day and will go through Orientation together. 

• 7/16/25 Summer Fun at Brierley Park: Our weekly Summer Fun starts. More details to come. 

• 7/19/25 Summer Party on the Kanes' Boat: We invite you to RSVP for our Summer Parties soon, as spots fill up quickly. 

• 7/20/25 Summer Hangout at the Beach (Post Service): We will be hanging out after service at the Beach! Check in with Jainnie for more specifics like car pooling, location, etc. RAIN DATE 7/27

• 7/26/25 Night of Worship: Join us for a special night of musical worship and prayer from 4:30-6PM. All are invited. There is no childcare. 

• 8/2/25 Summer Party at the Kongs: We invite you to RSVP for our Summer Parties soon, as spots fill up quickly. 

• 8/8/25 Brierley Park Community Day and Neighborhood Dinner with Backpack Drive: We're having a Block Party for our Brierley Park neighbors. We will give out Backpacks, have some music, games, and yummy food. More details to come! 

• 8/10/25 Summer Hangout at Hempstead Lake State Park + Prayer Tent: We will be hanging out after service at the Park! Check in with Jainnie for more specifics like car pooling, location, etc. RAIN DATE 8/17

• 8/24/25 Summer Carnival: Join us after service on the Front Lawn for some fun, games, and food as we celebrate the end of our Summer on the Island! More details to come. 

Happiest of birthdays to all our Summer friends!

Please note: due to Modified Programming, we are only providing snacks on Sundays for the time being. 

Grateful for the beauty that May brings!

May also marks the beginning of many endings - the close of another school year, graduation, transitions of all kinds. We pray that you are reminded of God's goodness in all of it. 

FELLOWSHIP HALL RESTORATION UPDATE & NEXTGEN PROGRAMMING

Thank you so much for your flexibility and grace during this time with changes to Check In, times, meals, etc. We will continue to have modified programming (Check In in the Lobby with dismissal during People Greet). We will provide you with updates and share any changes to programming in a timely manner. We hope that with the warmer weather, we can enjoy some time outdoors, as well. We will notify families of any changes in location so you can be prepared. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 5/11/25 Mother's Day Outdoor Programming for PreK/K and Elementary Kids: after Kids and Students are dismissed during People Greet, PreK/K and Elementary Kids will make their way outside for some craft time and outdoor fun. Nursery and Student Ministry (Middle School and High School Students) will remain in the Fellowship Hall. Nursery will have Open Play. Student Ministry will have their Story Sunday.

• 5/18/25 High School Brunch: High School Students are invited to a Brunch before service where they can connect over food. We will also arrange transportation to church in time for service. Please RSVP your High School Student.

• 5/25/25 Funday Sunday (Memorial Day Weekend): NextGen Kids and Students (Nursery to Middle School) will meet in the Fellowship Hall. Nursery will have Open Play. PreK/K to Middle School will have some time for treats and games indoors. There is NO High School Programming.

• 6/8/25 Family Connect Meeting @2-3:30PM (Fellowship Hall) Families are encouraged to stay for a meal to connect with other families. We will provide some NextGen updates and then transition into a time of training - "Parenting with Mental Health in Mind". Registration Form will be posted in WhatsApp.

• 6/15/25 Father's Day Special Activity

• 6/29/25 NextGen Graduation and Step Up Celebration @2-3:30PM (Fellowship Hall): Join us for some food and a fun celebration of all our Kids and Students graduating and stepping up! More details to come. 

Happiest of birthdays to all our May friends!

Please note: due to Modified Programming, we are only providing snacks on Sundays for the time being. 

Happy April, Families!

We hope that you have been enjoying community and engaging in our church values of contemplative rhythms, interior examination, racial justice & reconciliation, sexual wholeness, and missional presence throughout this Lenten season. What a gift to journey through the Sermon on the Mount these last few months!

FELLOWSHIP HALL RESTORATION UPDATE & NEXTGEN PROGRAMMING

Thank you so much for your flexibility and grace during this time with changes to Check In, times, meals, etc. We will continue to have modified programming (Check In in the Lobby with dismissal during People Greet). We will continue to provide you with updates and share any changes to programming in a timely manner. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 4/20/25: Easter Celebration during NextGen Programming (after People Greet) + Chat & Chew after service 

• 5/4/25: Family Connect Meeting @2-3:30PM (Fellowship Hall) Families are encouraged to stay for a meal to connect with other families. We will provide some NextGen updates and then transition into a time of training - "Parenting with Mental Health in Mind". RSVP form will be sent out after Easter.

Happiest of birthdays to all our April friends!

Please note: due to Modified Programming, we are only providing snacks on Sundays for the time being. 

Happy March, Families!

We honor all the women - past and present, near and far in special ways this month. Women's History Month presents a great opportunity to celebrate the tremendous impact women continue to have on our Nation. We encourage you to take some time this month to read about all the amazing women in our history, past and present. 

FELLOWSHIP HALL RESTORATION UPDATE & NEXTGEN PROGRAMMING

Thank you, families, for your understanding as we had to make a last minute decision concerning in person events last week due to the building situation (with mold and water damage repairs). We are still waiting on updates regarding the amount of work to be done and the length of time needed in order for the space to be in safe usable condition. We will post updates on our WhatsApp chats and New Life East weekly email. 

Though, we are happy to announce that there will be in-person service this Sunday (March 16th) but all other activities and events (NextGen Sunday Programming, Chat & Chew, Fellowship Hall events) are still on hold until we are clear to use the space. The bathrooms, we are told, are in working condition.

To note, all our March NextGen events have been rescheduled to a later date or have been switched to virtual, when possible. More info to follow. 

Thank you so much for your flexibility and grace during this time. 

STUDENT MINISTRY FAMILIES

Please take some time to read our Student Ministry Updates, if you haven't already. Thank you!

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 3/9/25: NO IN-PERSON NEW LIFE EAST SERVICE, NEXTGEN PROGRAMMING, OR EVENTS 

• 3/16/25: NO NextGen Sunday Programming (Family Sunday scheduled) Kids and Students are invited to stay with their families in the main service upstairs.

Happiest of birthdays to all our March friends!

Please check out the WINTER MENU CHANGE - we've switched "Share a Meal" to every 4th Sunday of the month. 

Happy February, Families!

What a gift to celebrate, honor, and highlight the incredible ways our Black Community has contributed to the flourishing of our nation and the world!

NEXTGEN FAMILY CONNECT CIRCLES

We are so excited to finally launch our Family Connect Circles in March! These spaces will provide opportunities for our families to connect with each other outside of Sunday programming. While the times can be guided (with a specific theme for the meeting), families are encouraged to bring their concerns, their thoughts, and whatever they are carrying to the time - we want to hold space for you. Please be on the lookout in the WhatsApp chat for meeting times and themes.

NEXTGEN FAMILY CONNECT MEETING

We will be having our semi-annual Family Connect Meeting in March. Date to be confirmed. We encourage you to please attend this meeting as we will discuss upcoming events, leadership transitions, team updates, and more. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 2/16/25 Black History Month Highlight with Special Guest, Angella Cuffe: Angella Cuffe will be spending some time with our PreK/K and Elementary Kids on Sunday, Feb. 16th to share about Black History Month!

• 2/23/25 Black History Month Share A Meal (during Programming): We had such a fun time celebrating Lunar New Year with crafts and delicious food last month. We will be taking some time to enjoy yummy food and do crafts to celebrate Black History Month at the end of the month. Similar to January, we will be posting a poll in the WhatsApp Group chats for items families can bring. Thank you in advance for your generosity! 

PLEASE NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO HIGH SCHOOL SMALL GROUP SINCE IT'S THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF THE MONTH. BUT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE WELCOME TO COME DOWN TOWARDS THE END OF SERVICE TO ENJOY SOME FOOD. 

Enjoy the Mid-Winter Break!!!

Happiest of birthdays to all our February friends!

Please check out the WINTER MENU CHANGE - we've switched "Share a Meal" to every 4th Sunday of the month. 

Happy New Year, Families!

We are so grateful for another year together - we hope you were able to spend some quality time with your loved ones. 

NEIGHBORHOOD DINNER COLLABORATION

We had such a fun time at our Christmas Party with our Hempstead neighbors! Thank you to those who donated and served. We look forward to more opportunities to love on our neighbors.

PARENT WORKSHOPS

We are so excited for all the workshops planned for this year. Our desire is to provide spaces and resources for both children and guardians to receive training and engage in spiritual disciplines and practices. We are all about family discipleship and we are here to come alongside you!

NEW LIFE EAST NEXTGEN GOOGLE CALENDAR

We are happy to announce that we will be utilizing the New Life East NextGen Google Calendar found on the Events page of our Family Connect Board. We hope this will help in streamlining our events communication. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 1/5/25 Pajama Karaoke Party: Let's start the year with some fun! Kids and Students (and adults, if you'd like!) come in your cozy pajamas. Pizza and popcorn will be provided during Programming. Karaoke is only for NextGen Kids and Students (sadly) but... we will have a Family Karaoke Night soon!

• 1/11/25 Night of Worship & Prayer: Join us for some extended worship and prayer led by our Prayer and Worship Ministry Teams. For more info, please check out our New Life East NextGen Google Calendar on our Events page. There will be NO NextGen Programming for this event. Kids and Students are invited to participate in the Sanctuary.

• 1/17-1/18/25 Marriage Weekend with Pastor Rich & Rosie Villodas: For more info & to register.

Happiest of birthdays to all our January friends!

Please check out our WINTER MENU - we've added "Share a Meal" on every 3rd Sunday of the month. We are inviting our Kids and Students to create a menu for each of those Sundays. Kids and Students will volunteer an item to bring to add to the meal. This is a fun way to curate creativity while instilling a sense of community. Thank you for supporting us in this fun idea!

Happy December, families! We can't believe it's the end of the year already!

We hope you were able to take some time this past week to be with family and friends. Our hearts are extremely full knowing we get to walk alongside you in the discipleship of your kiddos and families - thank you for this opportunity!

NEIGHBORHOOD DINNER COLLABORATION

We're excited for this collab taking place on Friday, December 20th at Neighborhood Dinner! We will have some music (carols and worship), fun games, crafts, and giveaways for our Hempstead Residents in the form of food and warm accessories. And don't forget the delicious meal that is always set before us on  Fridays - thanks to our JaM and Neighborhood Dinner Team! We need your help in making this a fun event for all - ways to get involved will be shared soon!

Speaking of collabs - we had such a great time watching Moana 2 with our College x Careers Group! Looking forward to more events together!

NLEAST CHURCH WHATSAPP COMMUNITY

Please make sure you are receiving notifications from our NLEast Church WhatsApp Community. Churchwide announcements are posted on there for sign ups, events, and more. And you can also check out all the groups you can get plugged into - Ministry/ Volunteer Teams, Small Groups, and Community Groups (Men's, Women's and College x Careers). This is a great place to start as we Connect, Grow (aka Form), and Serve together!

HUB CONNECT

We continue to ask our families to make sure you are connected to our HUB (aka CCB, Church Community Builder). This will help us to keep track of all our members and ensure you are receiving timely and clear communication. This will also be a one-stop shop for all Formation Courses (like EHS, EHR, and Foundations), Workshops, and financial records for your reference. If you haven't gotten a chance to create an account for you and your family or if you haven't logged on in the last 3 months, please do so using the link:

New Life Fellowship HUB

Once you create an account, you will be contacted by Susan with further instructions. Thank you for assisting us with this! 

If you are interested in becoming a New Life Member, please also reach out to Susan Vivas (susan.vivas@newlife.nyc).

SAFETY/ SECURITY

Thank you for your support in the installation of the security gate by the main NextGen stairwell. This added safety measure has helped in making sure all our kiddos are safe during our Programming. In the coming year, we will take some time to communicate our Emergency Procedures, our Evacuation Plan, etc. so that all our families and church members are familiar, in the case of an emergency. More details to come. 

As a reminder: gates will be up at Check In time but will remain "open" until 12:35PM. If you check your child in after 12:35, you will just need to open the gate to pass through. 

We should also be seeing our new dividers in the coming year!  

PICKUP/DISMISSAL

Thank you for helping us with dismissal and Pick Up, families! You, all, are doing great!

We just want to add/emphasize 2 things:

• When picking up your PreK/K and Elem Kid, please have your name tag keychain ready to return to the NextGen Team Volunteer. He/She will receive the keychain and remove the name tag off your child. They will then place the name tag set back when you have picked up your child/ren. This will ensure that each child is connected to their appropriate Guardian. 

• When you have picked up your child, please do not congregate near the Pick Up Area. Please try (as much as you can) to congregate at the furthest table away from the Pick Up Area. This will prevent crowding around the Pick Up Area and ensures no child exits without our knowledge. 

We appreciate you so much and the ways you have demonstrated grace, flexibility and understanding as we continue to improve all areas of our Programming - especially where safety is a concern. 

PARENT CUE RESOURCES

We are so grateful for the many resources we have available to us - from books, to podcasts, to sermons, to videos - they are so easy to access and implement. Our Orange Curriculum (the one we use for our NextGen Ministry) provides us with a wealth of resources at our fingertips. As you begin to plan activities around the holiday break, consider gift ideas for your kiddos (big and small), engage in more family time - we want to share a few with you now. The Parent Cue Folder has some great conversation starters to have with your kiddos, a Cell Phone Agreement, a Chore Chart, and (Jainnie's favorite) helpful developmental timelines around technology responsibility, sexual integrity, spiritual interest, and habits. Check out more of our curated Resources!

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 12/14 Jingle Jam @ Elmhurst: Let's start the celebration together at Elmhurst! There will be games, song, and lots of cheer! While the Gingerbread Housemaking has reached its capacity, you can still RSVP to join in on the fun for the afternoon! NextGen Families will meet for some added Christmas joy - look out for announcements in our WhatsApp Group chats.

• 12/15 Baptism Sunday: We are so excited to witness 3 of our NextGen Students get baptized! God is at work and we are so grateful we get to join them in this celebration. For those interested in getting baptized, please fill out our NextGen Baptism Interest Form to get more info. Students in 6th-12th grades will meet in the Sanctuary at the beginning of service. They will go down to their Small Groups AFTER the baptism.                          

• 12/15 Christmas Party & Tech Rehearsal @2-3PM: Stay after as we celebrate Christmas together with a yummy meal, some photo ops, fun trivia, and a sing along! NextGen Kids and Students part of the Christmas Presentation (during service on Dec. 22nd) will spend some time rehearsing in the Sanctuary after they eat. We will reach out with more details for those who want to participate. 

• 12/20 Holiday Party @ Neighborhood Dinner: More details will be shared on WhatsApp

• 12/22 Christmas Presentation (during service) : Kids and Students participating are asked to arrive at 12PM in the Fellowship Hall. Kids and Students NOT PARTICIPATING will need to stay in the service until the Presentation is over and then they can come down to join in the festivities (Holiday snacks and treats). FOR 12/22 ONLY - Check In Table will be in the Lobby. Feel free to Check In your child/ren as soon as you arrive but please note:  NextGen Programming starts AFTER the Presentation. After the Presentation, Kids already checked in can meet us in the Lobby and we will go down together. 

• 12/24 Christmas Eve Service @4PM: Join us at East for our Candlelight Service. We love celebrating this beautiful moment together as a whole church. There will be NO NEXTGEN PROGRAMMING. 

• 12/29 NO In-Person Service @ East: See you in the New Year!!!

Happiest of birthdays to all our December friends!

The FALL MENU is now available - until the end of 2024.

Happy November - the month of gratitude! Grateful we got to celebrate 3 years of God's faithfulness to our East Community last Sunday!

We hope you all took some time after the elections for yourself and for your family - regardless of who you voted for, it's still helpful to center yourselves and stay connected to God. We are grateful for the right to vote. 

NEIGHBORHOOD DINNER COLLABORATION

We'll be hearing more info on how to partner and serve with our JaM (Justice and Mercy) Team in the coming weeks. For December, we will be collaborating with the Neighborhood Dinner Team and hosting a Holiday Celebration for our Hempstead Residents. Stay tuned for more details.

NLEAST CHURCH WHATSAPP COMMUNITY

As of this week, all our WhatsApp Groups have migrated to the NLEast Church WhatsApp Community. You will be able to see all the groups you are a part of and those you are welcome to join. Many of them require approval to join, so please reach out to the Group Admins and they will connect with you. 

If you are interested in joining a Ministry Team at East, please reach out to the Team Leader for more info or fill out the Next Steps online form.

Here are the Team Leaders:

• AV/Sound: Damiano Milana

• Building: Billy Yang

• Chat & Chew: Sylvia Omega (newly transitioned!)

• Hospitality: Angella Cuffe

• JaM/ Neighborhood Dinner: Joey Rosario, Natalie Anderson-Slaughter

• NextGen: Jainnie Hackman

• Soul Care/ Prayer: Chris Torrellas

• Worship: Robert Hackman

We encourage everyone to be in one of these:

• Men's: James Francis, Jonathan Walton

• Women's: Shamaine Francis, Normel Smith

HUB CONNECT

Susan Vivas was with us last week to help our families connect to our HUB (aka CCB, Church Community Builder). This will help us to keep track of all our members and ensure you are receiving timely and clear communication. If you haven't gotten a chance to create an account for you and your family or if you haven't logged on in the last 3 months, please do so using the link:

New Life Fellowship HUB

Once you create an account, you will be contacted by Susan with further instructions. Thank you for assisting us with this! 

If you are interested in becoming a New Life Member, please also reach out to Susan Vivas (susan.vivas@newlife.nyc).

SAFETY/ SECURITY

As an added measure of safety, we will be installing gates at 2 locations -

1) by the double doors in the main stairwell coming down from the parking lot

2) by the Nursery area in the back

As you know, safety and security is a top priority of ours and we hope this additional safety measure will help given some limitations we have with our space. 

We will also be replacing the dividers we have to more sturdy ones. We appreciate your patience as we implement these new changes. 

Gates will be up at Check In time but will remain "open" until 12:35PM. If you check your child in after 12:35, you will just need to open the gate to pass through. 

PICKUP/DISMISSAL

Thank you for your flexibility as we've made tweaks to our PickUp process. To ensure every child is connected with their grown up at the end of every service, you've noticed we've created a "room". Please wait by the Name Tag carts for a NextGen Team Leader to dismiss your child/ren to you. Once you've reconnected with your child, you can replace their name tags on the carts and then congregate away from the PickUp area, please. 

This process ensures every child is picked up. It also helps us keep an eye on kids leaving the space and wandering to different parts of the church. 

FRIENDLY REMINDER to please come down the front stage stairs after guardians are dismissed from service. We want to limit the amount of people going up and down that main set of stairs during dismissal - we don't want any child to escape in the busyness of foot traffic around that exit. 

Lastly, thank you for picking up your child as soon as service ends. We appreciate your consideration of our team members who have to make sure every child gets picked up before they can fully breakdown, clean up, and leave. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 11/17 Baptism Class @2-3PM: For those interested in getting baptized, join us in the Fellowship Hall. Please fill out our NextGen Baptism Interest Form to get more info.                           

• 11/24 NextGen Friendsgiving & Cultural Celebration Potluck @2-3PM: We can't wait to celebrate with you. Please fill out our NextGen Friendsgiving & Cultural Celebration Potluck Form to let us know you'll be coming and what you'll be sharing with us!

• 12/1 Student Ministry MeetUps: Moana Movie (combined with College & Careers Small Group) RSVP here

• 12/15 Baptism (during service) + NextGen Christmas Party with Tech Rehearsal (after service): RSVP form will go live soon

• 12/20 Holiday Party @ Neighborhood Dinner

• 12/22 Christmas Presentation + No HS Small Group : High School Students are encouraged to sit in service or serve in a ministry 

• 12/24 Christmas Eve Service

• 12/29 Family Sunday (No NextGen Sunday Programming)

Happiest of birthdays to all our November friends!

The FALL MENU is now available - until the end of 2024.

Happy Fall!

We welcome the cooler weather with all the beautiful foliage and yummy flavors of the season!

NEXTGEN SUNDAY & BAPTISM

We had such an amazing NextGen Sunday! Thank you to all our Kids and Students who served on the worship team, supported their friends getting baptized, and helped serve the treats after service! Congratulations to:

Tessa Francis

Sofia Olivares

Caleb Olivares

Natalie Carlese

Special shoutout to Niema Anderson who took photos of our celebration! 

You can find some photos taken by Niema, Sini, and Jeremiah in this album: NextGen Sunday + Baptism

PARENTING ON PURPOSE WORKSHOPS

You may have heard that we won't be having our Parenting on Purpose Conference this year but we will be hosting Parenting on Purpose workshops that will lead into the conference (scheduled for 2025). These workshops are a great way for our families to stay connected to each other and to key discipleship practices and topics. Please stay tuned for the list of workshops and for information on how to register for them!

NEXTGEN FAMILY CIRCLES

Community is an important part of our faith journey. We grow, learn, process, and heal in community. This Fall, we are happy to announce that Tom and Shermil Daniel will be hosting our first Family Circle - creating space for our families with newborns, infants, and Nursery kiddos! Please reach out to Jainnie Hackman for more details. We will be opening up more Family Circles in the coming months. Stay tuned!

NEIGHBORHOOD DINNER

As many of you know, our East Community hosts Neighborhood Dinner every Friday at the Brierley Park Rec Center in Hempstead. Thanks to Natalie Anderson-Slaughter, Jose Rosario, Chris Torrellas, and many others - we get to love on our Hempstead neighbors by providing them with a meal, company, and message of hope. In the past few months, we have had several small groups volunteer their time to serve (through serving food, being a table guide, cooking, setting up, etc.). We would love to get our NextGen Families plugged into what God is doing locally. Please reach out to Jainnie Hackman if you are interested in getting more info on how to get connected with Neighborhood Dinner. There may be a few Fridays set aside when we all can serve together!

NLEAST NEXTGEN FAMILIES WHATSAPP COMMUNITY

Thank you for engaging with our WhatsApp Community over the summer. We will continue to use this community platform to share important information and updates, while still keeping the NLEast New Life Kids and NLEast Student Ministry groups open. We highly encourage all families to schedule a weekly moment to check the Announcements section of our Community for any sign ups, event details, and updates.

MOMMA'S SPACE

Thank you to our Mommas who extended grace and understanding to us when we didn't set up the Momma's Space in the Lobby. Due to capacity and some new space limits, we had to pivot and decided not to set up the space temporarily. However, we are so grateful we are able to provide this space once again. We will be setting up Momma's Space downstairs in the Fellowship Hall during NextGen Sunday Programming. You can find it near the Nursery Snack Area and will be enclosed with dividers to honor privacy for Mommas as they nurse. Mommas will notice the slow transition of the space to make it more comfortable. For now, we will have a comfy chair and a changing table. Other furniture will make its way into the space soon. Thanks for your patience!

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 10/19 Student Ministry MeetUps : (our Student Ministry Meetups have started for the 2024-25 school year; please note the name change) - the Pan Waltons will be hosting our Students in some delicious time of food, friends, and fun. "Eating apples is certainly better than baking them. So let’s have hot cider, donuts and lunch AND bake apple pies and more with no lines to wait in at the PanWalton House in Bayside." RSVP now

• 10/20 Child Dedication Celebration + Chat & Chew

• 10/26 No HS Small Group : High School Students are encouraged to sit in service or serve in a ministry 

Happiest of birthdays to all our October friends!

The FALL MENU will be posted next week. October 6th's menu is PIZZA.

Welcome Back to School, families!

We hope the first few days of school have gone well for you and your family. Thank you for sharing your First Day of School pictures with us. We love seeing our Kids and Students and are cheering them on!

SUMMER PROGRAMMING

We had such a fun time going deeper with our church's 5Ms. Thank you for engaging at home and sharing your stories with us! 

SUMMER PROGRAMMING

So many thanks for a fun Carnival to end our Summer on the Island! Special shout out to the Omegas for grilling! Thank you to everyone who helped (with set up, clean up, crafts table, serving food, bringing food). The weather was beautiful! Check out some photos here: Carnival 2024

WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS & WHATSAPP COMMUNITIES

Thank you for your feedback concerning the frequency of updates you would prefer via our Family Connect Board. As prefered by the majority, we will pivot to having monthly updates as opposed to weekly. The "NLEast NextGen Families" WhatsApp Community will remain active. All important updates (like events, sign ups, etc.) will be posted in the Announcements section for easy reference. The respective "NLEast New Life Kids" and "NLEast Student Ministry" will continue to be spaces where families can interact with each other. We are so grateful for your partnership and engagement!

FAMILY CONNECT SITE REVAMP

We will continue to make edits on our site but they shouldn't affect any functionality. As you will notice, the Home page has changed a bit in terms of layout but the content is the same. We also added a "Baptism" section. 

NEXTGEN SUNDAY & BAPTISM

Speaking of baptisms, on NextGen Sunday (September 22nd), we will be hosting a baptism of our NextGen Students!!! You don't want to miss it. Wear something ORANGE if you can! Pack lunch and join us after service for a Back to School picnic - with a special ice cream treat to top it off! 

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 9/15 Vision Sunday + Chat & Chew

• 9/22 NextGen Sunday + Picnic after service : Bring some picnic food, blanket/chairs and enjoy our Back to School celebration with a special treat! 

Happiest of birthdays to all our September friends!

The SUMMER MENU is now available. 

Happy August, families!

Hope you have been enjoying some family, rest, and fun time this summer! We can't wait to see everyone back in September. But in the meantime, we have been having an amazing time with our Deeply Formed Summer Programming. 

Our Kids and Students have been engaging so well with our 5Ms on Sundays and what a treat to hear how families are going deeper at home! Keep those stories coming! We are all so encouraged. 

With a few weeks left of summer vacation, we still have some fun planned for NextGen!

SUMMER ON THE ISLAND

Our Summer on the Island form is live with all the fun things happening in our East Community. Please make sure to RSVP to any/all of the events so we have a headcount, especially for events requiring food or admission. 

SUMMER PROGRAMMING

As mentioned, we have been focusing on our 5Ms (Monastic, Marriage to Christ, eMotional Health, Multiracial, Missional) values during Sunday Programming. Our Kids and Students have been engaging in contemplation, journaling, group activities, discussion, and reflection. It's been a gift to hear their questions, their thoughts, their observations, their reflections on faith, community, discipleship, and more! Here's our Deeply Formed Summer calendar with the Deeply Formed Summer @ Home activities to try!

WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS & WHATSAPP COMMUNITIES

During the Summer months, we will also pare down our weekly announcements to monthly announcements. Announcements will be posted here (on our Family Connect site) and our WhatsApp group chats. As many of you know, we are (re)piloting the WhatsApp Community feature. You will notice that all groups in NextGen are under the larger WhatsApp Community "NLEast NextGen Families". We also added the following groups, "Celebrations" and "Prayer Requests/ Needs". You are more than welcome to join the 2 additional groups. At the top of the Community is the "Announcements" group. You can check out this group for all NextGen announcements that require RSVP or Google Form submissions, important dates, and other info that we don't want getting lost in the thread. We'll circle back at the end of September to get your feedback on your engagement with and the effectiveness of this WhatsApp Community. From a strategic perspective, it is more streamlined and we suspect easier to find what you need - curious for your feedback.

FAMILY CONNECT SITE REVAMP

Over the Summer months, we will be making some revamps to our Family Connect Site to create a better, simpler, and cleaner flow. The site will still be live, but you will see changes as they roll out. Thanks for your patience as we make the edits. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 8/15 NextGen Theme Park @ Empire Adventure Park ***please note the location change!!!*** RSVP HERE

• 8/25 NextGen Carvival: Stay after service for some food, games, and prizes! RSVP HERE

• 9/1 Family Sunday : NO NEXTGEN PROGRAMMING

• 9/15 Vision Sunday + Chat & Chew

• 9/22 NextGen Sunday + Picnic after service : Bring some picnic food, blanket/chairs and enjoy our Back to School celebration with a special treat! 

Happiest of birthdays to all our August friends!

The SUMMER MENU is now available. 

What a fun celebration last Sunday - celebrating our End of the Year and 2024 Graduation! Congratulations, again, to our amazing Graduates! We will share both videos soon (End of the Year & Gabby Video).

Please take some time to make note of the Summer Info once more, as our Summer Programming is slightly modified. 

SUMMER ON THE ISLAND

Our Summer on the Island form is live with all the fun things happening in our East Community. Our first NextGen Summer Fun event is on July 9th, please make sure you fill out the form to let us know you'll be joining us by July 5th. We need to purchase tickets for the Sound of Hope movie soon!

SUMMER PROGRAMMING

As we approach the summer, NextGen Programming will adjust some elements to accommodate for a smaller team (folks going on vacation, getting rest, etc.). 

• The Nursery Area will remain open on Sundays but there will be NO DROP OFF available. You can stay and use the area during service if you'd like. 

• PreK/K and Elem Kids will combine for VBS-type programming. 

• MS and HS Students will have Small Groups on 7/14 and 8/4. Other dates will follow a Leadership Camp model where they will help lead and coordinate in NextGen. If there are changes to the programming, Students will be notified.

WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS

During the Summer months, we will also pare down our weekly announcements to monthly announcements. Announcements will be posted here (on our Family Connect site) and our WhatsApp group chats. 

FAMILY CONNECT SITE REVAMP

Over the Summer months, we will be making some revamps to our Family Connect Site to create a better, simpler, and cleaner flow. The site will still be live, but you will see changes as they roll out. Thanks for your patience as we make the edits. 

CELEBRATING AND REFLECTING ON OUR COUNTRY'S HISTORY

We hope you have a good holiday weekend. While our American History is complex and complicated, we still want to take some time to thank God for the country we live in - the ways we have seen God's light shine through our history and its leaders. May we take some time to celebrate, reflect, and pray for our country, specifically this weekend. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 7/7 Family Sunday : NO NEXTGEN PROGRAMMING

• 7/14 First Day in New Classes/ Small Groups (NO NURSERY FOR THE SUMMER)

Happiest of birthdays to all our July friends!

The SUMMER MENU will be posted next week. 

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FRIENDLY REMINDER

As noted, all announcements and events will be posted on our Family Connect Site (here). Please bookmark this link and check it on a weekly basis.