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

Why did Jesus give us communion and baptism? In this message, Pastor Mark Boettcher unpacks 1 Samuel 7:12 — where Samuel sets up the Ebenezer stone after Israel's victory over the Philistines — and shows how a simple, unremarkable stone became sacred because of what it pointed to: God's faithfulness.

We are forgetful people. We forget the vows we've made, the promises we've broken, and where we've placed our hope — and that's exactly when the enemy moves in. Communion and baptism exist to help us remember. And baptism, specifically, is how we plant the flag: a public declaration that while I breathe, I hope.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 7:12 ️ Speaker: Pastor Mark Boettcher ⛪ New Life Gillette Church | Gillette, WY ️ Series: While I Breathe, I Hope (Week 2)

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#WhileIBreatheIHope #NewLifeGillette #GilletteWyoming #Baptism #Communion #1Samuel #SundaySermon

• (00:00:02) - Introduction and Scripture Reading
• (00:01:32) - Plymouth Rock Story
• (00:03:52) - Meaning Behind the Rock
• (00:04:44) - History of Israel, Philistines, and the Ark
• (00:07:13) - Samuel's Ebenezer Stone
• (00:08:18) - Sacraments: Communion and Baptism Explained
• (00:10:26) - We Are Forgetful People
• (00:12:54) - Baptism as Planting the Flag
• (00:14:45) - Missionary Story from Africa
• (00:16:30) - Being All In for Jesus
• (00:17:32) - Hope in Hard Times
• (00:18:41) - Invitation to Baptism
• (00:20:13) - Closing Prayer

Do you actually believe Jesus rose from the dead — or have you just checked a box? Week 1 of our new series, While I Breathe, I Hope, asks a question worth sitting with: What Have I Become?

Almost half of Americans say they believe Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead. But there's a massive gap between people who check that box and people whose lives have actually been changed by it. In this message, we unpack why a belief that isn't radical won't give you hope — and why the resurrection of Jesus is one of the most radical, world-altering claims a person can make.

Scripture: Romans 10:8-13 ⛪ New Life Gillette Church | Gillette, WY ️ Series: While I Breathe, I Hope

Next Steps:

• Decide to Follow Jesus: [link]
• Join a Life Group: [link]
• Join the Prayer Team: [link]
• Plan a visit: [link]

Subscribe for weekly messages from New Life Gillette Church.

#WhileIBreatheIHope #WhatHaveIBecome #NewLifeGillette #GilletteWyoming #Romans10 #SundaySermon #Hope

• (00:00:02) - Introduction and Opening Prayer
• (00:02:51) - The Elk Hunting Story
• (00:08:18) - The Bigfoot Encounter Reveal
• (00:09:11) - How Radical Is Christian Belief?
• (00:11:18) - Believing Like We Believe in the Dodgers
• (00:13:41) - Belief Without Allegiance or Impact
• (00:15:18) - Checking the Data on Faith vs Practice
• (00:16:36) - A Belief That Isn't Radical Won't Give You Hope
• (00:19:07) - Jesus Is Lord: The Radical Roman Context
• (00:21:54) - Rome, Crucifixion, and the Resurrection's Power
• (00:23:24) - While I Breathe, I Hope
• (00:24:52) - Nathan Kissack's Story
• (00:28:00) - Nathan's Final Days and Salvation
• (00:29:48) - Hope Beyond Breath
• (00:31:30) - Invitation to Recommit
• (00:32:43) - Prayer of Salvation
• (00:34:52) - Response Cards and Closing

What did Jesus actually ask His first disciples to do before they followed Him? The answer changes everything about how we understand coming to Jesus.

In this message, "Come and Become," we look at Matthew 4:18-22 — the moment Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John — and unpack three things easy to miss in a story we've heard a hundred times: 1️⃣ Jesus asked them to do nothing before they followed Him 2️⃣ Jesus promised to make them into something new 3️⃣ Jesus called them in the middle of ordinary, everyday life

Our mission at New Life is to invite people to come as they are to Jesus and become who they're created to be — and this is where that mission comes from.

Scripture: Matthew 4:18-22 ⛪ New Life Gillette Church | Gillette, WY

Next Steps:

• Join a Life Group: [link]
• Explore Serving Opportunities: [link]
• Plan a visit: [link]
• Give: [link]

Subscribe for weekly messages from New Life Gillette Church.

#ComeAndBecome #NewLifeGillette #GilletteWyoming #MatthewChapter4 #SundaySermon #ComeAsYouAre

• (00:00:02) - His Name Is Higher
• (00:04:49) - How Songs Get Stuck in Your Head
• (00:10:09) - What Did Jesus Ask The Disciples To Do Before They Follow Him
• (00:15:10) - Billy Graham on Coming to Jesus
• (00:16:09) - Coming to Jesus as You Are
• (00:19:07) - Come Follow Me and I Will Make You a Christian
• (00:23:36) - Come as You Are to Become Who You're Created to Be
• (00:29:53) - Living our Mission in Gillette

What does a true journey of generosity look like? In this final week of our series titled "Storehouse," Pastor CJ walks us through Malachi chapter 3, looking at how surrendering our time, finances, and need for control changes our walk with Christ. Discover why generosity is a matter of percentage and trust rather than just an amount, and how God uses our obedience to make a massive impact in our community and around the world.

In this message, you’ll discover:

• The mindset shift: Moving from entitlement to recognizing God as the source of all things.

• The power of percentage: Why generosity is measured by trust and sacrifice rather than the size of a check.

• Real-life impact: Celebrating how your generosity has rescued children, fed kids locally, and fully funded our teens for camp.

Whatever your next step is, run from zero and discover the freedom of trusting God as your provider.

• (00:00:02) - New Life Gillette Church Teaching
• (00:00:39) - December 6: Thanksgiving Celebration!
• (00:02:43) - Malachi 3, Verse 6
• (00:04:43) - I Learned How to Become a Runner
• (00:07:54) - What it means to become more generous?
• (00:14:14) - God's answer to generosity in the Bible
• (00:20:05) - The Wealth of Generosity
• (00:23:44) - How to Be More Generous When You Have a Lot
• (00:28:17) - A Monkey Named Papa Joe
• (00:32:02) - A Step of Dedication to Giving

What does a true journey of generosity look like? In this special panel discussion message, our team sits down with Sam & Ingrid Harris, Cole Simonson, CJ Ward, and Seth & Jessa Curran to talk candidly about how surrendering their time, finances, and control changed their walk with Christ.

In this message, you’ll discover:

• The mindset shift: Moving from "I deserve" to recognizing God as the source of all things.

• Real-life testimonies: How God provides right on time in seasons of financial crisis and medical hardship.

• Why generosity breeds maturity: How unhooking your identity from your resources accelerates spiritual growth.

Whatever your next step is, run from zero and discover the freedom of trusting God as your provider.

• (00:00:02) - New Life Gillette Church Teaching
• (00:00:38) - Panel Discussion
• (00:02:03) - The First Step of Generosity
• (00:05:01) - God's faithfulness in tithing
• (00:10:03) - Generosity breeds maturity
• (00:14:04) - What has been the greatest challenge in learning to live generously?
• (00:19:08) - God's provision for the first year
• (00:22:35) - God's Faithfulness Through My Giving
• (00:26:46) - How Has Practicing the Tithe Affected My Relationship with Jesus
• (00:29:40) - Obedience to God
• (00:30:46) - What Would You Say to Someone Who Is Hesitant to Give?
• (00:32:47) - What is the Next Step?