Our Life Together

  



Together with all Christians we seek to live our lives as Jesus did, integrating prayerfulness/study with service/mission.

Opportunities for both dimensions of the Christian Spiritual Life abound at NOCC.

Christian Education on Sundays  9:00 am
Classes for all ages and a nursery are provided.  In children's classes, the fundamental themes of our faith are explored using Bible content as our focus and the experience of community is nurtured.  Adults use a variety of resource materials with a discussion-based format.

Worship on Sundays 10:15 AM
Come as you are.  You will be warmly welcomed.  Enjoy this time of prayerful praise and spiritual refreshment!  Listen for God's Loving Word as it comes to you through beautiful singing, through the smile of a child, in the dancing flame of a candle, in a time of silent prayer, in meditating on the Scripture,  in the loaf and cup of the Lord's Supper offered to all each week.  A nursery is provided but we welcome all children into our worship celebration.  A "Children's Moment" invites the participation of all children in our worship celebration.

Special Worship Events
The sacred times of the church year are, of course, marked by special experiences of worship at NOCC.   At Christmas time, we gather for a quiet and prayerful service of remembrance for "those we miss at Christmas."  Of course, the highlight of the season is our Christmas Eve Celebration of Communion by candlelight.  Ash Wednesday is annually celebrated in partnership with our friends from Holy Family Catholic Parish.  Holy Week services at NOCC include a Palm Sunday celebration, a Holy Thursday remembrance of the Last Supper, and a Good Friday contemplation of the death of Christ.  A sunrise gathering and a glorious celebration of the resurrection make Easter at NOCC a great joy!

Choir:   Rehearses and performs weekly
Our excellent music director has a knack for making a bunch of amateur singers sound pretty good!  All are welcome to share in the fun and meaningful ministry of giving voice to the music of our faith. Sophisticated musical/vocal talent is not required.......if you love to sing, you'll fit in beautifully!

Servants of the Table
It takes all kinds of volunteer help to make our Sunday mornings function smoothly.  Servants of the table sign up for a month at a time to bake bread for the Lord's Supper, make coffee or cookies, read the Sunday lesson, greet our guests, etc.  All ages have the chance to be involved, and we are especially proud of the involvement of our children and youth in this ministry.

Intercessory Prayer Ministry                                                             Members of an Intercessory Prayer Team pray daily in petition or thanksgiving for concerns or joys shared by the church family via prayer request cards or via email through this website.  We welcome your requests for prayer. Prayerful Love is the most powerful force in creation.  We rejoice in the opportunity we have to add our prayers to yours.

Centering Prayer Group                                                                              On the first and third Saturdays of each month from 9am to 10am you are welcome to join with several members of the church family for an hour of centering prayer. Centering prayer is a renewal of an ancient form of meditative/contemplative prayer which leads us toward an ever deepening consent to God’s presence and activity in the deepest center of our being.   The group is facilitated by our pastor, Rob Carr, a trained teacher of centering prayer.  For more information about centering prayer see our related links page or contact Rob Carr via phone or email.

Book Group                                                                                                   The NOCC Book Group meets twice monthly on Sunday evenings from 6:30 until 8PM   This group enjoys reading and discussing material related in some way to Biblical content or commentary with an occasional novel thrown in for good measure.   Among the writers this group has read recently are Elaine Pagels, John Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg, Walter Brueggeman, Karen Armstrong, and Stephen Mitchell.

Jubilation Ringers                                                                                        Our bell choir rehearses following worship three Sundays a month from September to May preparing special numbers for the Sacred Seasons of the church calendar including Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter.   Bell Choir music beings an unspeakable beauty to moments of worship and prayer.  The Director of the Jubilation Ringers, Stacey Reynolds, is happy to take extra time to work with new members of the group.

Out To Lunch
On the first Sunday of the month, we pick a nearby inexpensive restaurant and go out to lunch together after worship.  This is an informal time of visiting and conversation with no agenda except to spend time together. 

Movie Group:   Second Friday of every month
NOCC Members and Friends gather in homes to enjoy snacks and discuss a recent film with spiritual/theological themes.  Prior to each gathering, participants have watched a video of the "movie of the month" and arrive ready to ponder discussion questions provided by a discussion leader.  This is both enlightening and lots of fun!   Recently discussed films include The Green Mile, American Beauty, The Matrix, Life is Beautiful.  Don't worry: you don't have to be a "highbrow" movie critic to enjoy movie group....just someone who enjoys movies!

Dinner for Friends                                                                                     NOCC members and friends periodically sign up to host gatherings of 8-9 people in their homes for a carry in dinner.  Everyone provides part of the meal.  These regular gatherings offer opportunities to build friendships and are an ideal way for those who are new to NOCC to become better acquainted with others in the congregation.
 

Men's Ministry                                                                                           Men’s ministry is being revived at NOCC.  A regular schedule of Saturday morning breakfasts has begun and a number of workdays will be planned as we move toward completion of our expansion/renovation which includes an ambitious vision for landscaping and developing/maintaining the church property.  This is stuff guys usually enjoy----a hearty breakfast with buddies on a Saturday morning and trimming a tree or two.  Bring a friend!

 

Micah Ministry                                                                             NOCC members and friends including some of our children and youth participate regularly in this Monday evening ministry to the hungry of Northeast Kansas City sponsored by our sister congregation, Independence Boulevard Christian Church located at 606 Gladstone.   We organize ourselves to make dessert for the 300 guests usually served by this ministry and then travel to the church to help serve the dessert along with a meal prepared by other volunteers.  

Habitat For Humanity                                                                                Each year NOCC members and friends participate regularly with a coalition of other Northland congregations known as The Christian Carpenters to build a home for a deserving Northland family.   Habitat for Humanity is one of the most remarkable life changing ministries of our time---working all over the world to provide housing for deserving people.  Everyone is able to participate in the effort to build and help furnish a Habitat house.  People with construction skills are always welcome but much of the work can be done by people with limited skills assisted by a skilled person.  These tasks include painting, insulation, sheetrock, etc.  Church volunteers also are needed to fix lunch for workers and to assist the deserving family with furnishings. 

 

Congregational Partners
With the help of Congregational Partners, a project which links ethnically diverse congregations to foster racial reconciliation,  NOCC has established a relationship with Saint Andrew United Methodist Church. Through a pulpit/choir exchange and other events, NOCC and Saint Andrew UMC have begun to lay a foundation for what we pray will be a fruitful friendship.

Opportunities for Giving
Whenever disaster strikes people in any part of the world, our natural inclination is to ask, "How can I help?"   NOCC folks can feel good about making a gift to our church wide disaster relief effort called Week of Compassion.  This global ministry works cooperatively with the most effective relief agencies in the world to bring immediate and long term comfort to victims of earthquakes, hurricanes, and political upheavals.

 

New plans are being made to reach out to our neighborhood in some creative and, we hope, meaningful ways.  We're also looking forward to planning some fun ways for our people to enjoy and deepen the sense of community we share together at NOCC.

A growing and active Christian Community welcomes you!

 

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To contact us:
Phone: 816-734-8515
Email: nocckc@earthlink.net