New Community April Updates
10 Years of New Community: Bear Witness and Be a Witness
Our lives move fast. We are bombarded with headlines of another war, another act of injustice against the poor or those on the margins, and we also face the realities of fractured relationships and compounding stress in our personal lives. If we are not careful, we can spend hours each day bearing witness to the brokenness of this world. But as followers of Jesus, we are invited to not only bear witness to the brokenness of our world, but also to witness the ways God’s Kingdom is breaking into the spaces of our lives in need of grace, healing, and liberation.
A question that has been culture-shaping for us is, “How has God shown up for you?” This question demands that we slow down and reflect on the ways that the Divine has intersected with our day-to-day activities. This is a common reality that is easily missed if our eyes, ears, and hearts are not able to identify the ways of the Spirit.
Over the last 10 years of New Community, there have been so many ‘God moments’—snapshots of God’s Kingdom breaking into our ordinary lives. Evidence of this is not in numerical growth, though we have grown, but in our influence and impact across our city. Though we are small, New Community has been able to bear witness to how God has not only done miraculous things in our personal lives, but has also used us to sow seeds of God’s Shalom in various places across our city.
My encouragement to us, as we practice the spiritual discipline of slowing down to bear witness, is that it will be a catalyst that gives us the courage to be a witness in the days, weeks, years, and, if the Lord allows, decades to come.
Darryl Answer, New Community Co-Pastor
Getting ready to assemble care bags
Although our plan was delayed by sickness, we were excited to finally get everything assembled. Our spiritual family has become a safe place to share struggles and victories—and to work together in showing up for others. It’s been a good reminder that even when we feel like we can do so little, we can still do something. I’m very thankful for this community.
Life Together
Stories and updates from our Spiritual Families and ministry groups.
At the Brewers Spiritual Family we’re known for our casual, slow starts—breakfast, coffee, and cozy spaces. This year, we were excited to try a new rhythm: alternating our usual Bible study and worship time with intentional ways of showing up for our neighbors. This time, inspired by some houseless friends one of our group members connects with on the way to school, we decided to put together care bags to keep in our cars and share with neighbors in need. The bags contained some shelf-stable foods like fruit tubs and granular bars as well as hygiene kits and a laminated list of resources in both Jackson and Johnson County. We wanted the bags to be useful for our unhoused neighbors as well, so we chose sturdy vinyl drawstring totes that could be reused if needed.
The Brewers Spiritual Family, Mission-area
James and others at the Jean Drive at Neighbor2Neighbor
Why We’re Here
Real stories of how God is working in and through our community.
I’ve been at New Community for over a year now, and God is definitely moving through my life. I get to experience firsthand the love of Christ. Early on, I noticed Pastor Darryl picking up a teenage kid for service. This kid was very engaged, asking questions, and Pastor Darryl loved on him like his own. In one of our recent gatherings, a new member and her children came in distraught, and in the middle of service, Pastors Darryl and Stephanie paused to pray and comfort them. That really touched me in a deep place. These are the kind of leaders who set the example of being servants, and it motivates me to follow them.
Before coming to New Community, the Lord had been calling me to serve houseless people. I started out cooking food and going out to find people who needed it. they got behind me—but instead of just sending me out on my own, Pastor Darryl connected me to Neighbor2Neighbor, an organization already doing this work in our community.
Since that connection, our church has been able to come alongside what’s already happening—putting together a jean drive and now working on a sack lunch drive to support Neighbor2Neighbor. I’ve also been given the opportunity to step into leadership in this area, which has been both humbling and encouraging.
I’ve learned that God does a lot with a little. Our small church showed up in a big way with the jean drive, and I’m excited to see what’s ahead.
I am excited to see what’s in store for our church and the community we serve. I’m so humbled and grateful that our leadership sees all of us as chosen to lead. I need a nudge from our pastors, but I am so grateful that I’ve had the chance to serve and lead at New Community.
By James Harden, Answers Spiritual Family
In and Around Neighborhood:
Upcoming events, gatherings, and opportunities to connect with others and serve our community.
Donna Barber - Book Launch and Meet and Greet!
Saturday, May 2nd 10am, Trinity United Methodist Church (620 E Armour Blvd, Kansas City, MO)
Author, advocate, and advisor Donna Barner is making a stop in Kansas City to share her newly released book, Enough for Today: 40 Reflections for Surviving the Wilderness. No RSVPs needed.
May Sunday Gathering
Sunday, May 3nd 10:30 am, Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council
Please note, our large gathering for the month of May will be on a FIRST Sunday, instead of the second Sunday. This will be our only full gathering in May. Author Donna Barber and her husband Leroy Barber will be our special guests.
From The Eastside Out
News from Eastside University, our grassroots initiative to empower young leaders and strengthen our community from the inside out.
They learn a process called reflective intelligence— the ability to pause, think about your experiences, and learn from them.
They’re given real challenges—like building something with limited materials or solving a problem together—and asked to figure it out as a group. The goal isn’t just the outcome, but the process:
“If I had to say it in one sentence,” Tasheba explained, “I’d say it’s about thinking outside the box and working together.”
In one activity, students were given simple materials—like straws—and asked to build something that could guide a golf ball. In another, they worked together to build the tallest tower they could. The leaders step back and let the youth figure it out.
“We want to tell them to work together, but we hold back. When we just give them the instructions for the objective and watch them figure it out on their own—without even telling them they have to work together to reach it—it fills us with so much pride,” Tasheba said. “You see older kids and younger kids working together, really listening to each other… they’re collaborating without even being told to.”
That kind of growth shows up in quieter ways, too.
Tasheba shared about a student who is usually very shy. She happened to see her at a cheer competition and was blown away. “We were like, ‘That’s our girl!’” she said. The next time they met, she told the student how amazing she was.
“She started getting curious about her confidence and how she could be that confident at Eastside University too,” Tasheba said. With a little encouragement—and even holding her hand the first time she spoke up—the student began to find her voice.
“I was next to her, sharing confidence,” Tasheba said. “But really, I think what the change was someone helping her see that it was already in her.” “I said, ‘See? I told you you could do it!’ And she gave me the biggest smile. I’ll never forget it.”
Moments like that are why this work matters.
“These kids—we’re not just changing their lives, they are changing ours,” Tasheba said. “You think you’re coming to empower them, but they change you. When you see that lightbulb go on in their eyes… you have to see it to understand.”
Looking ahead, she’s excited to see what continues to grow through Purpose Labs and team building.
“I’ve already seen change,” she said. “They used to tease each other more, but now they’re building each other up. They’re starting to see each other as teammates.”
And that’s what Eastside University is all about—young people discovering what’s already inside them, and learning to build something better together.
