North Lakeland Presbyterian

What are services like?
Sunday morning worship services at North Lakeland Presbyterian are joyful affirmations of our faith in a living God. Gathered from our busy lives, we come together seeking to glorify God through his son Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Services are warmhearted and uplifting. Messages are Biblically-based and life-oriented. Our chancel choir is led by Art Pranno, concertmaster of the Imperial Symphony Orchestra, and accompanied by pianist Nancy Fisher. Hymns and spoken elements of the service appear both in print and on the large sanctuary screen. We celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion the first Sunday of the month and at other times as appropriate. Young children enjoy a special moment with a pastor at every 10:30 service. With a seating capacity of over 700, our beautiful sanctuary offers clear sight lines from every vantage point and state-of-the-art acoustics. “Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place!” (Genesis 28:16). Join us the third Sunday of each month at 10:30am in the Fellowship Hall. You will experience an energetic service of praise and learning. Led by the NLPC youth team, The Bridge is helping us construct bridges across cultures, classes, and generations as we praise God.

What is the community like?
NLPC is a warm and loving congregation. We welcome all to worship and learn to love and live in Christ. The New Testament encourages us to "stimulate one another to love and do good deeds" and that we "not neglect to meet together" (Hebrews 10:24,25). With this verse as a model for our fellowship, we encourage all of our members to find and become active in some fellowship group within the church. In these smaller, more informal settings we have opportunities to get to know one another better, to find common expressions for our faith and to lend a helping hand to one another in times of need. The fellowship of the church takes place in all gatherings of the church. Our Website had tons of information about our different groups. In leaving the church with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus invites us all to become part of the greatest opportunity in history. We have the unique privilege to help spread the greatest news ever given our world; specifically, the news of God's love and redemption for every human being. The North Lakeland Presbyterian Church seeks to share this good news in all that we do. We believe that in our worship, our fellowhip, our educational experiences, and nurture of one another, the good news of God's love permeates these activities. The following opportunutues have as their primary goal the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed. NLPC is committed to providing a spiritually challenging and engaging ministry for all of the children and youth of our church and of the broader community. The goal of this ministry is to present the gospel of Jesus Christ in ways that are relevant and life transforming for all children and youth. We seek to accomplish this goal through ministries of teaching, service, discipleship, fellowship, worship and nurture. The primary expressions of ministry for our young people take place in the following ways: Sunday School classes for all ages - Sundays at 9:15 am in the education building. G.L.O.W.: God's Love on Wednesdays - consists of games, recreation, active learning experiences, a light dinner, music, instructions in social skills and occasional outings. GLOW is active during the school year and takes place on Wednesdays from 5:00 to 6:30 in the fellowship hall Confirmation Classes are for middle-school youth and led by the Pastors and Director of Christian Education, They provide instruction and experiences designed to help lead our young persons to a meaningful affirmation of their own faith and membership in the church. This class is held from December through May of each year. Middle School Fellowship: Wednesday evenings at 6:00pm in the Youth Building. Senior High Fellowship: Wednesday evenings at 6:00 pm in the Youth Building. Vacation Bible School: Fun for the whole community, VBS takes place each summer for five late afternoons in the Fellowship Hall, Youth Building, and Education Building. Each year our Vacation Bible School pulls in over one hundred children including many who have no church home. For such children our VBS provides a vital Christian experience filled with stories from the Bible, catchy songs, arts and crafts, fun, and games. We always need helpers for this week of faith sharing. Cub Scouts: offers a program for boys in 1st-5th grade combining fellowship, outdoor fun and adventure. Activities are scheduled throughout the year for boys to achieve goals and awards in citizenship, character development and personal fitness. Yearly activities include a Pinewood Derby, Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner, Summer Day Camp and numerous public service projects. Scouts meet every Tuesday night starting at 7:00pm in the Fellowship Hall during the school year. See their website ( http://www.pack711lakeland.org/) for more details and events. Other Children's Events include the children's fun day the Saturday before Easter, Summer Camp at Cedarkirk (the Presbytery of Tampa Bay's camp and conference center), Trunk-or-Treat fall costume and candy festival which takes place in the parking lot behind the education building. Other youth events include Montreat Summer Youth Conferences, lock-ins, fund-raisers, youth and adult mission trips, and Night of Joy/Rock the Universe in Orlando. Summer Mission Trips to remote mission destinations. NLPC mission teams have traveled to West Virginia, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Honduras, Brazil as well as parts of Polk County to help as needed in the name of Jesus Christ. Beth-el Mission: a ministry of the Presbytery of Tampa Bay, located in Wimauma, Florida (near Ruskin) and dedicated to the service of migrant farm workers and their families, providing food, education, church services, language skills, medical, and legal help to "the least of our brothers and sisters." You can go to their website for more information. Anchor House Ministry: NLPC is a key sponsor and supporter financially as well as with volunteers. Anchor house provides a ministry of intervention in the lives of troubled teen age boys in an effort to help them turn their lives around through the gospel of Christ and the establishment of a stable and disciplined living environment. Anchor House is in Auburndale. Neighborhood Canvassing/Visitation: NLPC routinely blankets area neighborhoods with packets of attractive and interesting printed materials that share the good news of the gospel and an invitation to our church and to programs that would appeal to persons who may not already be active in a church. Missionary Support: Our congregation currently supports with our prayers and finances two missionary families in Brazil; Alan Mullins and Farris Goodrum. We also support missionary Phil Shaver in Kyrgyzstan. We also support a much wider range of missionary endeavors through our gifts to the Presbytery denomination. Salvation Army Christmas Bell-Ringing: A simple way to share our faith and help with a great community ministry each year. Community Vacation Bible School: Each year our Vacation Bible School pulls in over one hundred children including many who have no church home. For such children our VBS provides a vital Christian experience filled with stories from the Bible, catchy songs, arts and crafts, fun, and games. We always need helpers for this week of faith sharing. Friendship Force: This is the group who follows up with friendly phone calls and/or letters to our first time visitors, welcoming them and inviting them back. A simple ministry of hospitality in the name of Christ. Other faith Sharing Opportunities in the community in which NLPC members are involved include Habitat for Humanity, Kid Packs, Light House Ministries, VISTE, LVIM, and LRMC.

What if I'm not a Christian?
We would still love to meet you and answer any questions about the Christian faith. We welcome all and would delight in the fellowship.