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The
History of the New Church - Southwest Florida
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Just eight short years
ago, several people got together with Rev. Dick Tafel,
founding minister, and dreamed of building a brand new
congregation, free from the weight of tradition. A congregation,
that has everything you have always believed a church
should have, began to take form. But it evolved like
no other church on the beach or surrounding areas. It
is a program based, community focused church where everyone
can do something which makes a difference in our community.
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It’s quite
interesting to hear how this all came about. We looked
in the Gospels and saw how our Lord in his earthly ministry
spent his time. Yes, once or twice a year our Lord would
go up to the temple in Jerusalem. Yes, every so often he
would spend time in a synagogue. But it was amongst the
people in the back alleys, the by-ways, and among the sick,
neglected, and rejected that he spent most of his time
and energy - healing, teaching, loving, forgiving, feeding,
and instilling worth and dignity in the people. What better
model for a church? But this calls for a fresh vision of
service, new ways to touch people’s lives, and
different priorities. |
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The traditional
church has pulled back from her mission of reaching those
who are hurting, the neglected, the outcast, the needy.
So we must go where they are and not wait in vain for
them to come to us. Thus, daily you will find us in the
back alleys of Fort Myers Beach, in the offbeat bars
and gathering places, and at the crossroads of need.
You may find us talking to the owner of a local business
about the needs of an employee, delivering our daily
bread for needy families and those living on the cusp,
in Times Square or a local restaurant supporting a special
community fundraiser, or at the playfields of Bay Oaks
supporting kids playing soccer, baseball, and flag football,
speaking in front of a juvenile court judge in support
of a teenager or intervening in a family conflict. We
take seriously our Lord’s command that we are our
brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.
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| Photos:
1) Patty sorts through clothing in our Thriftstore. 2)
Our Thriftstore provides clothing, household items and
more, plus
serves as the New Church office. |
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