Our Current Sermon Series is "Our Money Story"

We all have a money story, whether we recognize it or not. Perhaps we are living from a story of fear or shame. Or a story that the church is dying and no longer relevant. Or a story that our actions won’t have an impact. Or a story that we don’t have enough. Where might God be speaking a new narrative into the limited ones we have told ourselves? This theme invites us to discover and tell our money stories in light of God’s money

story of liberation and justice. This series encourages us to transform our stewardship practices into more full expressions of who we are and what we believe. This theme is intentionally direct—it invites us to name exactly what we’re talking about and not skirt around it. To speak of money is to invite tension into the room. We so quickly want to avoid it. But it’s time we reframe this. Money and possessions are one of the most common topics in scripture, and Jesus talked about money more than faith and prayer. Our money story, therefore, is a spiritual story. Thinking about God’s money story should be liberating, inviting, and transformative. This stewardship season, we invite you to remember, release, reimagine, and restore your money stories so that we can write the one God is begging us to live into.

Upcoming NACC News & Events:



Retreat is TOMORROW!! Saturday, October 11th!! 🎉

Join the Spirituality Collaborative hosted all-church retreat at Hideout Haven (in Kissee Mills) on October 11th. This will be half-day OR full-day (you choose), with several different events/experiences for you to try! There is something for everyone - from our littlest to our most elders. Please note that all activities are optional, and there is also the option to just hang out under the pergola and visit with each other.



If you signed up for the treat, you should have received an informational email from Kassie. If you did not receive the email please reach out to her at [email protected].

Join us for an Advent planning meeting after worship on Sunday, October 19th right after worship! The Theme this Advent is "What Do You Fear?" We will all be invited to chime in with any ideas or questions we have -
including ideas for worship-songs, poems, worship ideas in general, and anything else!

Come join a time of planning-all ages welcome!

The Join us for our annual Halloween Fun Fest on Sunday, October 26th!! We will have a mac n cheese and chili cook off beginning at 5:30pm, indoor trick or treating, photo booth, haunted basement, and Halloween bowling will all begin at 6 - you are free to explore the activities as you wish! 



CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!! (New sign up - even if you already signed up for any positions via the Google form, please sign up again using the Sign Up Genius below)

• We need several types of volunteers to make this happen. ALL of the positions available are (subjectively) super fun ones - so check them out and sign up if you can!
• We need volunteers to spookily decorate afterworship or before the event on Sunday the 26th (decor provided - but feel free to bring fun stuff if you have it!).
• We need volunteers to hand out candy to our trick or treaters! Option to decorate the door where you are, as well!
• We need volunteers to set up and run several activities! We are providing activities ideas to sign up for, but if you have an additional idea - we will have an extra spot for that, too!
• SIGN UP AT THE SIGN UP GENIUS HERE!

The sign up for the cook off is separate! If you want to participate in cooking for the chili/mac n cheese cookoff, please sign up here. 

As most of you know, Pastor Jody, who served as our spiritual formation for youth pastor, will no longer be serving in that position. During her time with us, she has shared a wealth of creativity, wisdom, and love with us - especially the littlest amongst us! We plan to make a card with messages of love and gratitude to Pastor Jody and are collecting messages and "signatures" in a Google Form. We will take your responses and turn them into one big card with messages from all of us! Please share your name/s and any messages you may have as we wish Pastor Jody farewell! Find the Google Form here.

Tammy Smith had knee surgery last week. She’s home now and doing well! As a way to cheer her on and fill her mailbox with kind and encouraging words, we are inviting you to send a card her way! We will have a card station next Sunday and if you’d like, you can drop a note in the mail this week.

Her address is: 

4715 S Saint George Ct 

Springfield, MO 65810

We will also have cards available to pick up and write your messages in this Sunday! Look for the at the greeter's table just inside the door. You write the love, we will send it off! 💜



🐾 Thank You for Joining Us for Blessing of the Animals!

Thank you to everyone who joined us—and brought your beloved companions—to our annual Blessing of the Animals! It was such a joy to see the lawn filled with wagging tails and all the love that our furry friends bring into our lives.

Each year, this gathering reminds us of the sacred connection we share with all of creation—how every creature, great and small, reflects the love and wonder of Creation. Thank you for being part of this beautiful tradition and for sharing your joy, laughter, and tenderness with our community. 🐶🐱🐰🐢💚

Spiritual Formation Classes & Groups at NACC:



Join us for a new class - Disciples 101! Next classes will be October 12th and November 9th and 16th from 5 to 7pm. We will be using the book "We Call Ourselves Disciples" by Kamilah Hall Sharpe and Joel Brown. Copies of the book will be available for purchase for $7.



Attend one, a few, or all four sessions — whatever works for you!



To sign up, please contact Candy Adams at 📧 [email protected] by Sunday, September 28th

This Sunday, October 5th, we will begin a new series based on the book Homegrown Mystics: Restoring Our Nation with the Healing Wisdom of America’s Visionaries by Bruce Epperly.
This Sunday, October 12, we will continue our series based on the book Homegrown Mystics: Restoring our Nation with the Healing Wisdom of America’s Visionaries. Marcia Morriset will be leading a discussion on Mary Oliver.

Coffee and Conversations meets at 9am on Sunday on zoom and in person. It is a multi-generational group and welcoming to all.

Coffee and Conversations is currently reading A History of God by Karen Armstrong.

A History of God reading and discussion schedule:
Oct 12 chap 5
Oct 19 chap 6
Oct 26 chap 7
Nov 2 chap 8
Nov 9 chap 9
Nov 16 chap 10
Dec 7 chap 11
Off for the holidays resume Jan 4

👍 The nursery (birth to 5 years old) and adjoining Sunday activities room for older kids (5-12) will open at 9am each Sunday. Located on the north end of the main hall & through the double doors.



👍 The StoryKeepers class will begin for the 5-10 year old group in the Sunday activities room (next to the nursery) from 9:00 to 9:40.



👍 The UNO class for middle schoolers will meet upstairs with at with Claudia and Kylie from 9-9:40.



👍 The Pathways class for highschoolers will meet second floor youth room at the top of the stairs on the south side of the building entrance to the sanctuary.



👍 Children are also always welcome in worship where we do have activity bags for busy minds & bodies and a rocking chair and toys in the Narthex (foyer at the back of the sanctuary).

Meet at Travellers House each Tuesday at 10:30am. Stop by to have a coffee and chat for a while in this social setting! All are welcome!

Other Announcements, Celebrations, or Community News:



October 3 was a busy day at Crosslines. During our 3+ hours there we served 76 families who represented 150 people. We are happy to report that we did not run out of anything. If you have wondered just who are the folks who come to Crosslines for help, Jaimie Trussell, the CEO of Crosslines, recently wrote "3 Myths about Crosslines" describing them. Her article will be available to you in this week's electronic copy of our newsletter and will also be posted on our bulletin boards. One of our volunteers reported helping an elderly woman who has stage 4 cancer and was having difficulty swallowing. She was advised that she needed to eat more nutritional food so came to the pantry to get it. She had to hold on to the shopping cart all of the time and then to the wall as she left. Another elderly gentleman told our volunteer that he was shopping for his mother who has Alzheimer's. Our people get many hugs and words of appreciation. Our gifts of hygiene items are quite popular.



For our Friday, November 7 service day we are requesting toothbrushes and toothpaste. Please have your donations to the church and into our basket by noon on Wednesday the 5th. 



By the way, if you know of any family who is interested in getting a holiday basket, here is what they need to know. They are available to families of households of people who are all 60 years of age or older and to families with children who are 16 or younger. They must meet income guidelines and live in Greene County and apply during the month of October. The baskets will not be delivered; the qualifying recipients must come to Crosslines to get them. For information, call (417)862-3586.

Join National Avenue Christian Church and the Springfield Community Land Trust for a thought-provoking evening of history and reflection on America's unfinished work in creating affordable housing. This event features a film screening of The Pruitt-Igoe Myth followed by a panel and audience discussion. This documentary delves into the human stories behind the infamous St. Louis landmark, exploring the rise and fall of the Pruitt-Igoe housing project.

NACC's Dave D. is a panelist and a board member of SLT! 



As a sponsor, NACC gets 6 tickets to the event! If you would like to attend for free, please contact the NACC office to reserve 417-869-9176 (T-F 9am to 3pm).

OR

• Tickets are limited and start at $5! Visit springfieldclt.org for tickets.

• October 16th at 6:00pm - Doors open at 5:30.

• The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

• Food and Drink Service Available - So settle in with dinner, snacks, and drinks and enjoy the show and discussion!

Transform Outrage in Action: Deep Canvass Power Weekend - 
Hosted at NACC! Tomorrow, Saturday, October 11th, 11am t0 4pm.

This legislative session in Missouri, and across the country, has been brutal. From attacks on LGBTQ+ rights to the ongoing fight over bodily autonomy, the message is clear: our freedom to exist, make decisions about our own bodies, and live with dignity is under threat.

If you're feeling outraged, scared, or just done with it all, we've got a way to take action. Join PROMO for Deep Canvass Power Weekend. We'll connect with neighbors, share stories, and shift hearts and minds — one honest conversation at a time. It's powerful and it works!

Bring a friend. Show up as you are. Let's build power — together.

Donate your car to help support NACC! This process makes it extremely easy for you to donate a vehicle you may not be using to help support the work of NACC. Visit here to learn more about the process!

From CARS: "Donated vehicles are sold through the used-car markets and provide crucial funding for nonprofit programs and services making an impact in communities all over the world. CARS works with a very large network of nationwide and independent suppliers to sell the vehicle and maximize donation proceeds. This includes analyzing vendor pricing and performance on a regular basis to improve the process and ensure the best possible return for our nonprofit partners and to maximize their donors' tax benefit. For unique or specialty items that have been donated, we may use other means to sell the vehicle to help ensure the maximum funds are received for each donation."

NACC uses Elvanto as our church management system. To view the directory, you must have an Elvanto account. Please find the Elvanto and directory links below  (note - you won't be able to view the directory without the Elvanto account first).

Create/Log in to Elvanto here.

Find the latest directory here.

You can find all NACC policies, procedures, and bylaws here.



Office Hours are Tuesday through Friday 9am to 3pm

417-869-9176

C[email protected]