Dear Friends of NewWay Ministries,

Good things have been happening.  We began 2007 with a fully re-designed website, complete with new logos and with better accessibility to you. Our online bookstore/library will be up January 2, 2008.  Visit us regularly to check out current and new audio and video products (including our new DVD small group curriculum The SoulCare Experience), as well as all available books. NewWay can now serve people literally across the world, all from my basement.  We like to keep things simple.

Through our website, we created a ministry called Join the Journey, designed to keep folks connected through a periodic NewWay Now newsletter and the Prayer Initiative, a note from Rachael updating interested folks on our prayer needs.  The newsletter will, of course, continue.  The Prayer Initiative has put strong legs under our ministry, growing from about 50 friends to now more than 3000 prayer supporters, many of whom share their needs that put us on our knees.

Feedback from the 750 graduates of our School of Spiritual Direction (Larry and the SSD team have just completed the 25^th school) convinces us that the Spirit's powerful anointing is on this unique ministry.  Note: Schools continue at Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but in 2008, we're offering one school at the Cove, the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, N.C.  For dates and information on all 2008 schools, go to http://www.newwayministries.org/ssdschedule.php

Life on the Narrow Road, a well-received weekend conference introduced in 2007, will now be offered as our gift to the Christian community; at no cost to participants (a voluntary offering will be taken). We believe this will provide Larry the opportunity, in his words, "to share in a largely unscripted weekend what is most alive in me in the moment that follows the Spirit in His work of promoting real change in real community in those who choose to live Life on the Narrow Road".

In 2007, speaking engagements kept Larry and Rachael in airports almost as much as at home.  In hotels and planes, Larry continued work on his next book, 66 Love Letters: From God to You, due for release in 2009.

In 2008, speaking engagements have been intentionally reduced to provide us needed time for developing DVD curricula that will expand the vision of NewWay Ministries.  Because spiritual formation must reach into all our relationships, we're planning a marriage curriculum (piloted at WOO, our upcoming Weekend Of Oneness conference), a parenting series (building on our two MOM and POP weekend conferences scheduled for spring 2008), and a Foundations for Spiritual Foundation video series designed to produce a common language for groups that gather to know Christ better.

Plans for 2008 also include new audio CD's, a single volume collection of Larry's articles previously published in various journals, and a booklet tentatively titled The Church I Want to Go To, reflecting NewWay's vision for spiritually forming communities. 

Lots of plans, but all made with a commitment to depending on God's energy and to not surrendering to the pressure of expectations.  Pray for us: it's easy to get caught up in the busyness trap and lose focus on personal, relational, and spiritual health.

And please consider partnering with us financially.  As part of our commitment to supporters to hold down overhead and maximize the impact of every dollar given, we maintain a small organization, leveraging our team (with neither rented nor purchased facilities) over the many tasks we manage.

To either previous or potential donors, we ask you to consider NewWay in your year-end giving and in your gift planning for 2008.  One time givers have kept our ministry going, and we hope you'll consider another one time gift.  A big thanks to all of you.

And an equally big thank you to those who already give monthly.  Regular gifts of $25 or more will become, we trust, the basis for sustaining and effectively planning for continuing ministry growth.  If regular donations fit your giving, please join our monthly support team by logging on to www.newwayministries.org/nwmdonate.php and checking out the simple procedure we've designed to receive monthly gifts.  We're asking God to expand our monthly support base.

I hope it's obvious that we're excited about NewWay Ministries.  We want to deserve your support. Our history, we believe, is financially, ethically, and "kingdom-ly" credible.  We want to keep it that way. Pray that the Lord continues to open doors of opportunity that fit our calling and stretch us to reach beyond our doubts.

One of the best parts of my job is speaking with folks like you about NewWay.  I believe in and I love this ministry.  If I can be of any service or answer any questions please contact me at kep@newwayministries.org 

And thanks for reading a lengthy letter.  I wanted to provide a good review of 2007 and a good preview of 2008.