Our Ministries

Prayer will be the center piece of the Children’s Ministry and as such, all children should be properly taught how to pray and commune with God. God has revealed to me the need to include our children in our prayer life and rather than just praying for them, we should pray with them and encourage them to embrace their destiny and lend their faith to their future.

In so doing, collectively, the family creates a meaningful and Godly relationship with our children, which further prepares them to embrace a lifestyle of prayer and consultation with their creator. It also creates a lasting impact on their lives and prepares them to properly take on any of society’s ills.

We are to stretch our beliefs to include the development of children programs. NCFC Fine Arts Program, will consist of such things as Christian Puppetry, Christian Children Drama plays. Each of these dynamics are a great way to help our young members and the unsaved by breaking down communication barriers and as a way to introduce them to a clearer understanding of God. It is my belief that Puppet and Drama ministries are extremely relevant in our time period. Both the puppet and drama ministries can act as an appropriate means of communicating with children, older adults, mentally handicapped patients, or the disabled. The NCFC Christian Puppetry and Drama Ministry is also an accepted ministry in nursing homes, children's hospitals, and even prisons. Additionally, these ministries can capture the true innocence of a child’s imagination. An imagination that incorporates the use of the talents, gifts and the times of Christian’s right here at New Covenant Family Church. This will require the recruitment of volunteers who will be willing to devote quality time to any project that is put before them.

The following are just a few of the goals that are being proposed in an effort to realize the dream and vision of our pastors for the children of New Covenant Family Church:

God said, let the children sing songs of ministry... to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. To sing psalms in the manner that they were designed to be sang; following explicit instruction from Chief Musicians, Skilled Psalmists, and Psalmodists. Give them the true meaning of hymns and their importance in worship and why and how God inhabits the praises of His people. To show forth the innocence of the children’s heart through spiritual songs. Songs that capture the essence of who His Son is and His love for children. Songs that at their core, will promote Christian family values and feature Christ Jesus, His teachings and His love of all children, big and small everywhere. Songs like I’m a Soldier, Jesus Loves the Little Children, He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands, Praise Him, Praise Him, This Little Light of Mine and Jesus Loves Me.

God said to command the Psalmodist and Chief Instructors to become skilled in every facet of music. To offer their talents to the development of a children and youth orchestra. To encourage them to take up the Neginoth or Stringed instruments, the Mahalath or open tube or wind instruments, and the tymbrals and harps or drums and percussions. To teach them what this and other terms means. To pursue musical excellence, personal character, and discipline in the context of a Christian education. Teach them to properly place music to the Lord of Hosts and declare His goodness to the nations.

This children’s music ministry will also be about refocusing the need for making Christianity personable in the everyday lives of our children. Not just on Sundays, but everyday. How do we do this...Simple; instead of buying CD’s that promote worldly views, we will encourage the purchasing of Christian themed music and products through our Children’s Store. This store will provide items that can replace secular things, i.e. jewelry, children shoes and clothing, children’s personalized music CD’s, etc. All of the profits from this venture will be used to bless the church, purchase needed musical equipment. To buy costumes, songs and props for upcoming productions; productions that will offer a chance for the talents of the children that are in this house, to shine before the Lord of Hosts! Amen!

As we get underway, it is also important to remember that the key to the success of this ministry, is God working through the parents of New Covenant. With their support and prayers, this vision from God will be successful beyond our wildest imagination. In that vein, we should continuously lift His name and exhort them (parents) to embrace the ideas of this ministry. In so doing, we offer to some of them the chance to be instrumental in the Body of Christ, through the proper use of their children’s gifts.

The following pundits are being presented in an effort to establish a clear definitive role for parents of children in the Body of Christ at New Covenant. Each of our parents faces a crisis that has never been seen in the annals of history. For the first time in man’s existence, we face the prospect of losing not only one generation to the sins of this world, but maybe as many as three. In an effort to prevent that from happening here and throughout the body of Christ, it is the goal of this ministry to instill biblical principles not only in the hearts and minds of the children, but also in the hearts and minds of parents as well.

The following is a compilation of ideas and thoughts that my wife and I believe are essential to the proper development of our children. It is by no way, shape or form a sure fire cure for what ails the church, this nation or the world. It is a means to hopefully make a difference, one child at a time, in the hope of developing a foundation for our future. A future that is filled with the promises of God.

1. Unlike the consumer culture you and I grew up in, our kids are growing up in a participation/collaboration culture.
2. Today’s music is digital and free to roam in our children's minds. It can be re-shaped, reproduced and edited to fit any particular genre as the enemy see fit.
3. The ‘experience’ (events, concerts, meetings etc) will only increase in importance to them as time goes on. So it is vitally important that we not turn a deft ear to these matters. On the contrary, we should explain to our children, the ways and means that these devices can injure their soul. Tell them in a manner that is void of tearing down, but one of positive reinforcement of God’s position on sin and it (sin) penalty.
4. Most of the families in our church have at one time or they’re currently breaking copyright law in some way. It should be explained to them that this is stealing. In Gods eyes, that is an abomination. One of His commandments speaks to this very thing, “Thou Shalt Not Steal”. By stealing the music of recording artists, we are guilty of the same thing that we professed Christian purport to disdain or be against. As parents, we are required to set a positive example for our children. We as ‘grown ups’ need to change NOW, in order to prepare the new arrivals in this world for the society’s many traps.
5. As in the early church, the video screen is the 21st Centuries new stained glass window. Media is being produced where an audience of 100 is considered a success, not just the blockbuster million dollar movie. What this means is simple; our kids have at their disposal, access to My Space, Face book, and other similar blogs. These vehicles are used to create small virtual communities. Communities that are replacing the need to see and feel each other. It is in some instances, a dangerous vehicle that seeks to create in our children, a disconnect that can be carried over into our families, schools and yes, even the church. The scary part of this whole mater is that there are estimates that the cost of producing these types of media will only decrease (it’s practically nothing already). Just think about it, with the proper equipment and skill, any modern home, can now become a home studio and can produce anything from a music album to a movie score. Example.... The movie Shrek is a prime example of technology being used in a manner that illustrates what I’ talking about. You’ll familiar with the character of the donkey in this movie. But what you probably don’t know is that Eddie Murphy never saw the inside of the studio, while making this movie. All of the voice over for his character was done online. YOU don’t get it yet, (neither do I) In essence, the sharing a song by email/or whatever comes/and come as naturally as breathing to our children (thereby breaking current law)
6. One of the major file sharing websites in the world went down for about a 24 hour period late last year and internet traffic in Europe went down by 35% in the same period. Don’t EVER put a computer or a TV in your child’s bedroom, if you do so, you are inviting porn and violence into their lives - kids get lessons before they swim, they need to know HOW and what to avoid online.
7. As kids leave our “Children’s Ministry” and move into “The Youth Ministry”, my prayer to God is for them to be the powerful change agent in the lives of all the youth they meet. I don’t just want them to know about God, and have a deep relationship with Jesus, but also HOW to filter the world around them. Recognizing and understanding the culture they live in. Too know what is beneficial and what is harmful, and how to engage culture... not to picket and denounce it! But to speak intelligently about Christ, the Hope of Glory and not be ashamed of His call on their young lives.
8. It is my belief that we should not be afraid to tell them about Harry Potter, the Golden Compass, The Da Vinci Code...in essence... don’t be afraid of the boogieman. In fact having your child read the Golden Compass during their teenage years may be one of the greatest tools to help your child learn to identify sin and its recourse and to develop a Christian response to them! What is most egregious about The Golden Compass is that these books have been around for over ten years and now it appears that the American cinema has finally shown itself as the great evil of the Christian world.
9. Just as God spoke through a donkey, he CAN and WILL speak through Britney, Madonna, The Black-eyed Peas, Hannah Montana, U2 or any of the groups that add counter-Christian values to our children. We should be vigilant in our efforts to expose these types of negatives and teach our children that these types of lifestyles aren’t the norm. They should be told that these children and people represent a small fraction of mankind and thusly, should not be construed and understood as the majority and the way of life. In essence, we shouldn’t run away from secular music, rather with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will reveal to our children, the sin that are associated with these people and teach them about the true perils of secular music and art. That they are things to be avoided, rather than embraced. If we do this, then we empower them to go from a life of irrelevance, to being a relevant factor in the lives of the unsaved children that really have a void in their lives.
10. I have connected with some kids better through Nintendo DS than any other method available to me. I was able to reach them and do this because of the desire in my heart to reach them at whatever level they are at. Isn’t that what Christianity all about Jesus never turned away a sinner; in fact He went to them and met them where they were. If we are called unto Christ, it is important that we embrace His methods and His mannerism. This is especially true for our dealings with our children.
11. As leaders within the Body of Christ, we are charged with not only to be instructors of music, we are also called to minister to our parents, to offer them understanding of the laws of God through music and that God’s laws are without compromise. We should tell them that the eyes are the windows to the soul. We must protect that window jealously, I still remember vividly the first ‘inappropriate’ material I saw as a very young teenager... who was in the room, where I was, who let me see it... your kids will too... especially your boys... IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE PROTECT THEM.

Too often, we as parent (myself included) take our responsibility as caregivers too lightly. With the day-to-day rituals that have been built in our lives, we sometime don’t give any thought to proper parenting anymore. It is easy to call a discipline problem a medical problem. We are now quick to medicate, rather than educate. We sometime assume that there are no sure-fire ways of raising today’s children. There could be nothing farther from the truth. God has given a blueprint to raising our children. That blueprint is found in the Word of God. I submit to each parent the following; it is this reluctance by some parents to adhere to God’s word as it relates to how children are to be treated that have lent itself to the problems that we are now facing. In Proverbs 22:6 we are told to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it”. What does this truly mean? Well it certainly does not mean to give into a child’s every desire. On the contrary; it quite simply means to provide structured and deliberate parenting to your child. To provide proper guidance that offers them positive directions in life; a life that will be filled with enough distractions. We are told instructed and in Ephesians, that we are not to provoke our children, but rather, offer them training and instruction in the things of God. Sweetie and I have found that when we do not exasperate our children, we get better results from them. Results that offer to the whole family the true nature of God. In so doing, we prepare them for a meaningful life of productive praise and worship to our lord and Savior.

If we are to reclaim our children from the perils of this world, then indeed, our first order of business is one of declaring to the world that they can’t have them and we are coming for them. We are taking our children back from the devil. Just as the Israelites stood against God’s enemies, the present day Psalmist/Christians much also stand against the enemies of God, in relation to guidance from the leadership of this church. This is done by getting into the word of God and making it the central part of our existence. It is imperative that we begin to live that life in front of all our children. Our children are not dumb. To the contrary, they are very intelligent and by their very nature, inquisitive. It is this need to discover, to look for...that often leads them to try new things or to experiment with different ideas. Once we realize these things, then and only then will we be able to effectively deal with the societal norms that seek to take them away from their designed purpose in life. This proposal is dedicated to preventing that from occurring and carrying God’s design for them and us... Amen...Amen!

The ‘Great Commission’ is very real to us at New Covenant Family Church. We are passionate about supporting missionaries across our nation and abroad that are boldly carrying the message of the Gospel to communities other than our own. We’re committed to not just offering financial support but support in the form of the sending of ministry teams, and unceasing and vigilant prayer for our friends in the mission field. As a Christian church with much more than one function and focus, we consider our missionaries part of our family and fellowship, no matter the distance that separates us. We seek to deposit this very same passion within the youth of our church, who in reality will become the future leaders one day.

As a body of believers with an outward focus and an understanding of evangelism, we too believe and invest in local outreach. No less important than sharing the Gospel in distant lands, we believe that the very people on our block should also have an opportunity to encounter God and see His goodness. As a new church plant we rely on God to reveal to us ways, consistent with His Kingdom, to affect our community for the better. Our foremost goal is to love the town of Schertz and its surrounding areas of Guadalupe County and to invite our local friends to come to know God, and in turn, make Him known.

Thus, our missions and outreach ministry exists to make disciples of all nations (beginning locally and extending globally) by evangelizing, baptizing (connecting believers to a local church) and teaching them to follow Christ.

New Covenant Family Church seeks to accomplish our disciple-making missions and outreach through Education, Emphasis, and Events.