A Story of Authentic Love and Invitation
By: Audrey Hood
New Circle Church is a place where people are seriously welcome and welcomed seriously.
I truly believe the individuals that make up the “church” called New Circle are different than others I’ve encountered throughout my years in the church. When I first found out about New Circle (through my brother-in-law who lived nearly 600 miles away at the time), I was looking for a new place to worship because I was in the thick of some serious spiritual transformation and other life changes and wanted to explore it all in a place in which I was unfamiliar. I attended NCC when it was still meeting in the gym at The Oaks Academy. I knew then, when the pastor was preaching on the church’s passion for seeing the city made new, that I wanted to come back. It took me about 7 months to go back and call it my home, but when I did, I experienced an encounter with people that felt unreal. I remember sitting on the far left of the auditorium (at this point, NCC was meeting at The Theatre On The Square) when a man approached me and invited me to sit with him and his fiancé. I was open and eager to meet other young Christians like myself, so I walked over with him as he proceeded to tell me that they typically sat in the front row. So, I was there, in the front row, not just sitting with them, but sitting in the middle of them. They had welcomed me into their friendship and they were actually genuine about it. I got to know this couple, along with so many others over the weeks that followed, but the thing that stuck out to me the most about this really random group of people was the fact that everyone was not just nice, but their kindness was authentic. Consistently throughout the last 3 years, that has been my experience with this body of believers regardless of the heartache it’s endured. Authenticity, that’s what I love about New Circle-- and that’s just one example of a love so tangible that it actually changed part of me.
As New Circle approaches 5 years as a church in Indianapolis, I’d like to invite you to take the next few weeks to hear stories from builders (members), regular attenders, and guests of NCC to show how it has been a place where impact follows action, where lives are transformed through obedience, where emotions are safe to share, and where people are desperate to know Jesus and share his love with others. New Circle Church is almost 5 years old. Look back with me and join us in celebrating 5 years of ministry in Indianapolis!