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Church Brings “New Life” to Its Walls Have Your Worship With A Cup Of Joe Loyal ROTC member (New Life Church Member), 16, killed by car
By Carisa Biesecker Quoting Winston Churchill, “’We shape our buildings, and, afterwards, our buildings shape us,’” Pastor Rodger McFarland of New Life Church and his congregation have made the switch to a Saturday night service, leaving the 350-seat sanctuary as an option for community use. “In leaving our traditional sanctuary and the time-honored ‘Sunday morning’ model, we have symbolically ‘broken out’ of the trappings of traditional religion,” mentioned McFarland, initially the church’s music minister turned pastor in 2003. “Allowing the actual sanctuary to be used by other groups is not just about stewardship of our resources – it’s one more way of saying, ‘The building isn’t the church; we are the church.’” Located at 2802 E. SR 60 in Valrico, New Life church, originally the First Baptist of Valrico, now holds its service on Saturday nights at 6 p.m. and Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. in the church’s fellowship hall, known as the New Life Cafe. Here residents can enjoy a relaxed, coffee house-like atmosphere while listening to McFarland’s message with childcare being offered. “For too many people, church is a routine of religion, a Sunday morning practice on which they stake their well-being. In contrast, New Life Church is placing a priority on purpose and faith over works and quotas,” stated member Chris Hicks, a supporter of the transition. “We are seeking God, anytime, anyplace; who says it has to be on Sunday in the Sistine Chapel? If it were me, I'd do it on Tuesday. Why not? That's the point we are making. God is love, not an obligation; the church is us, not the building; and the mission field starts the moment we wake up, not once we hit South America.” The concept simple, New Life will rent out its sanctuary to the community for weddings and events, and in turn, the church will use the proceeds to benefit the church’s community projects and outreach missions which currently consist of an outreach to the homeless in Tampa as well as New Life Kid Kare, a daycare and preschool program. The church has hopes of expanding the daycare program as well as the preschool, offering all elementary grades an education, and creating a ministry specifically aimed at single mothers in the area. “It is our desire to positively impact local children and families and share with them the love, compassion and joy modeled by Jesus Christ,” commented the pastor. Described as “post-denominational,” New Life was created in 1950 upon the now four-lane S.R. 60. “We seek to love God and one another in very practical ways and to bring about change that is so desperately needed in our city, our nation and in the church as well. We are looking for radical followers of Jesus who are tired of religion and are serious about taking the power and the message of the Kingdom out into their world and making a difference with their lives,” said McFarland, who concluded saying, “We are doing our best to equip people to fulfill their destinies, live full and meaningful lives and be part of a community of faith that really lives and really loves, because that's what this life is all about.” For more information, go to www.findnewlife.org or call 689-7163. Caption: New Life of Valrico transitions from Sunday morning services to Saturday night services, allowing its sanctuary to be rented and missions ministries to be expanded. Have Your Worship With A Cup Of Joe VALRICO - To help members and visitors feel at home during worship services, the 58-year-old New Life Church at 2802 State Road 60 E. in Valrico moved its services to 6 p.m. Saturdays in the fellowship hall, complete with soft lights, round tables and pots of coffee. Worshippers may have a cup of coffee while they listen to the Rev. Rodger McFarland's messages. After the service, participants enjoy a family-style meal, sharing laughter and conversation, said Janci Despain, the pastor's assistant. "I love it," says Janci's husband, Brian, a new member. "It's convenient, and the services are comfortable and fun. I look forward to church every week." New Life no longer will use its large sanctuary with Greco-Roman columns and 40-foot-tall steeple. The church will rent the sanctuary for other church uses, weddings and community events. For information, visit www.findnewlife.org or call (813) 689-7163. Loyal ROTC member (New Life Church Member), 16, killed by car By MICHAEL A. MOHAMMED VALRICO - Lindsey Rutledge, 16, decided to walk to Bloomingdale High School Tuesday afternoon to tell her ROTC commander why she couldn't come to drill practice. Meanwhile Zachary Carroll, also 16, got in the driver's seat of a 1998 Chrysler for a lesson with his father. He has a learner's permit and was practicing for his license. They collided about 5:15 p.m. The car struck Lindsey as she was crossing Lumsden Road near S Valrico Road. She died at the scene, making her the 10th person younger than 20 to die in a crash in eastern Hillsborough since early October. Lindsey had missed school the previous week because of an eye infection, and her mother wanted her to catch up on homework instead of going to drill practice. So Lindsey decided to walk 4 miles to Bloomingdale to tell her commander in person. "Sometimes she just liked to walk," said her mother, Yvonne Rutledge. Just before the accident, Zachary had been driving at about 43 mph, just below the speed limit, said his father, David Heckman. "She darted in the path," Heckman said. "My first view of her was about 4 feet in front of us." Still, he said, the accident has shaken both him and his son. "We are just so sorry. I was standing here crying about her. I've been praying for her." 'A daddy's girl' When she was 9 months old, Lindsey climbed on top of a refrigerator. At 12 months, she climbed a drainpipe onto a carport. At 2, she chased the neighborhood boys around with a frog or a bug in her hand. "She was a daddy's girl from the moment she could say 'Daddy,' " Yvonne Rutledge said. As she got older, she fixed cars with her dad, Mark Rutledge. "The dirtier she got, the happier she got," her mother said. Her parents called her "Mouse" for the squeaking noises she made as a baby, but by 10th grade she was 6 feet tall. Hoping to follow her father, an Air Force master sergeant at MacDill Air Force Base, she put everything she had into ROTC. If she couldn't make it into the Air Force or the Marines, she would have become a veterinarian, Mark Rutledge said. "Our sunshine is gone," he said, fighting back tears. "My little Mouse is gone." 'The go-to person' A seven-member crisis team helped Lindsey's fellow students cope with their grief Wednesday. Classmates told the counselors that Lindsey was a feisty, popular girl who made friends with a diverse range of people. "She was the go-to person," said crisis team member Flossie Parsley. "If you weren't feeling well, she was the person you'd count on to cheer you up." Lindsey participated heavily in the youth group at New Life Church in Valrico, said Pastor Roger McFarland. "She's an outgoing young lady," McFarland said. "She has a formidable presence." She also played trombone in her school's marching band. She had a "zest for life," said band director Jon Sever. No easy answers Another Bloomingdale High student, 17-year-old Tyler Clark, died in an October crash. The cascade of driving deaths has shaken students, crisis counselor Parsley said. In counseling sessions, they ask, "Why?" "There's not a good answer, not an easy answer," she said. "You just try to let them know that those are the questions we all ask." While directing a steady stream of teenage drivers out of the school at dismissal time Wednesday, Bloomingdale principal Mark West said the deaths have changed the tone of the school. "Kids aren't supposed to die this young." The accident is under investigation. In addition to her parents, Lindsey is survived by brother Robert Curtis, 19, and sisters Mattie Joyce, 9, and Sophia Marie, 6. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations toward Lindsey's burial in Alva, Okla., where her grandfather is buried. Checks can be sent to the New Life Church's Lindsey Rutledge Fund at 1802 E State Road 60, Valrico, FL 33594. |
