Have we traded friends for fans? In this panel discussion, CJ and Pastor Mark walk through Acts 2:42-47 — the first description of church in Scripture — and ask a hard question: are we actually devoted to our church family, or just fans who show up when nothing better is going on?

We unpack the loneliness epidemic in America (including the 2023 Surgeon General's report), what the early church actually looked like, and why the definition of a church isn't a building or a service — it's a community of friends pursuing the mission of Jesus together.

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47 ⛪ New Life Gillette Church | Gillette, WY ️ Series: While I Breathe, I Hope (Week 5)

Next Steps:

• Join a Life Group: [link]
• Plan a visit: [link]
• Connect with our care team: [link]

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#WhileIBreatheIHope #NewLifeGillette #GilletteWyoming #Acts2 #Community #LifeGroups #SundaySermon

• (00:00:02) - Introduction and Scripture Reading from Acts 2
• (00:02:42) - Why Acts 2 Matters to the Church
• (00:05:43) - Mission, Hope, and Overcoming Tragedy Together
• (00:07:32) - Defining Characteristics of the Church
• (00:08:54) - Devotion: Fans vs. Family in the Church
• (00:12:12) - Experiencing True Community vs. Just Attending
• (00:14:45) - Made for God, Not for Money
• (00:16:44) - Sharing Possessions and Meeting Needs as Friends
• (00:20:06) - Life Group Stories of Support and Care
• (00:21:30) - Friends Shape Your Faith and Future
• (00:24:45) - Large Gatherings and Life Groups at New Life
• (00:26:56) - The Loneliness Epidemic in Gillette and America
• (00:30:02) - Jesus Kills What Kills Us: Sin and Isolation
• (00:32:15) - The Gospel, Friendship, and Changing Our Community
• (00:33:53) - Call to Join a Life Group and Closing Prayer

Are you made for more than once-a-week encounters with God? In this message, Sawyer Poitra unpacks John 15 — "I am the vine, you are the branches" — and what it actually looks like to abide in Jesus, not on a retreat and not as a checklist, but as a daily, moment-by-moment relationship.

The deeper we abide, the deeper we depend — and that's where the Holy Spirit grows real fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness. And because our hope is anchored in Jesus (Hebrews 6:19), we can walk through grief, hard diagnoses, and uncertain seasons with resilient hope. While we abide, we hope.

Scripture: John 15:1-8, Hebrews 6:19 ️ Speaker: Sawyer Poitra ⛪ New Life Gillette Church | Gillette, WY ️ Series: While I Breathe, I Hope (Week 3)

Next Steps:

• Join a Life Group: [link]
• Get the "Becoming" book: [link]
• Plan a visit: [link]

Subscribe for weekly messages from New Life Gillette Church.

#WhileIBreatheIHope #NewLifeGillette #GilletteWyoming #Abide #John15 #SundaySermon #Hope

• (00:00:02) - Introduction: Family Resemblance and Influence
• (00:03:11) - Turning to John 15: The Vine and Branches
• (00:04:59) - What It Means to Abide in Christ
• (00:07:43) - The Plant Illustration: Weekly vs. Daily Connection
• (00:11:00) - Struggles with Abiding: Busyness and Checklists
• (00:14:21) - Inviting God Into Every Part of the Day
• (00:16:49) - The Promise of Fruit from Abiding
• (00:18:20) - Deeper Abiding Means Deeper Dependence
• (00:20:55) - Fruit of the Spirit and Transformation
• (00:22:32) - Resources: Becoming Book and Life Groups
• (00:24:09) - Connecting Abiding to Hope
• (00:25:04) - The Rappelling Analogy and Anchored Hope
• (00:27:46) - Hope Anchored in Eternity Amid Grief
• (00:30:31) - Closing Prayer

What's in your hands? In this message, guest speaker Katie Arriaza — President and CEO of Hope of Life International and daughter of the ministry's founders — shares the story behind one of our mission partners in Guatemala, and challenges us with the same question Jesus asked a boy with five loaves and two fish in John 6: are you willing to give what you have?

Katie shares her family's story — her father Carlos's miraculous healing 40 years ago and the single "yes" that's since multiplied into thousands of partners and nearly half a million families reached — along with the realities of chronic malnutrition in Guatemala and Hope of Life's mission to meet physical needs first, opening the door to share the gospel.

Scripture: John 6:1-13 ️ Guest Speaker: Katie Arriaza, President & CEO, Hope of Life International ⛪ New Life Gillette Church | Gillette, WY ️ Series: While I Breathe, I Hope (Week 4)

Next Steps:

• Learn about Hope of Life International: [link]
• Sign up for a mission trip: [link]
• Give or sponsor a child: [link]
• Plan a visit: [link]

Subscribe for weekly messages from New Life Gillette Church.

#WhileIBreatheIHope #NewLifeGillette #HopeOfLife #GilletteWyoming #FiveLoavesTwoFish #Guatemala #Missions #SundaySermon

• (00:00:02) - Intro and Welcome to Katie Arriaza
• (00:02:02) - Introducing Hope of Life
• (00:05:02) - What Hope Means at Age Five
• (00:06:21) - Malnutrition Crisis in Guatemala
• (00:08:13) - Five Loaves, Two Fish: Lesson in Generosity
• (00:09:54) - What's in Your Hands? Living on Mission
• (00:13:05) - Influence and Impact as a Church
• (00:14:30) - Carlos's Story: The First Yes
• (00:17:56) - From One Yes to Thousands
• (00:18:42) - Cheryl's Illness and Ongoing Faith
• (00:20:52) - 39 Years of Growth and Testimony Video
• (00:21:19) - Hope of Life Video Testimony
• (00:25:24) - Compounding Impact Over the Years
• (00:26:28) - Faces of Generosity and Rescue Stories
• (00:27:54) - Climate Crisis and Food Security
• (00:30:54) - Partnership Over Charity
• (00:31:44) - Practical Gospel: Earning the Right to Share
• (00:34:07) - The Story Isn't Finished
• (00:35:20) - Teaching to Fish: Sustainability Focus
• (00:37:31) - Katie's Personal Calling
• (00:38:43) - Closing Challenge and Vision for the Future
• (00:41:08) - Closing Prayer