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| Dear friends,
Summer has finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest! It's the time for a little rest, rejuvenation, and recharging our emotional and spiritual batteries. Many CTK worship centers and small groups are gearing up for small group camping trips, picnics and worship services outdoors. Since "the church" is really "the people", we are free to move the location of our worship times to anywhere "the people" are. I hope you'll enjoy that flexibility this summer! Be sure to check the website of your local CTK center for info about special service times/locations for this holiday weekend!
Sincerely,
Director, Network Resources |
| GPS Teen Outreach Thrives in Sedro-Woolley, WA |
 In January of 2008, after several months of watching a parade of teens walk by the CTK Town Center in downtown Sedro-Woolley every day when the nearby high school let out, pastor Mark Collins began offering free pizza and soda every Thursday to any teen who would stop in and answer the "Question of the Day". For the first couple of weeks, in spite of putting out signs, there were no takers. So, he took matters to the next level and set a table with the pizza and soda on it, on the sidewalk out front. That did the trick and the kids began trickling in and GPS (God, Pizza, and Sensibility) began.
Since then, every Thursday, as many as twenty-seven teens from both the middle and high schools have been showing up. In the fall of 2009 new Teen Ministries Director Bill Creasey got involved and also began a Monday Night Bible study group that has been averaging between ten and thirteen teens each Monday. While the GPS sessions have been mainly social with a daily, spiritually-based question to answer, the Monday group has centered around deeper Bible and life-issues studies. Several of the GPS teens have begun attending Sunday worship services and one has even been involved in the worship team. Several have made the decision to accept Christ as their Savior. Their backgrounds are varied from those who have been in church to those who have never been. Free Bibles have been a hot commodity with numerous copies given out.
GPS has shut down for the summer months but the Monday night study continues. Please pray for this ministry as it continues to reach out to these youth that no other church is reaching in Sedro-Woolley.
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| CTK pastor builds ministry bridge from South Africa to Venezuela |
 Proving once again that there are no boundaries to prevent CTKers from demonstrating God's love, a CTK Pastor in South Africa has recently gone the extra mile for a toddler being raised in a Venezuelan prison. After hearing of the plight of a South African woman whose granddaughter had been born in a Venezuelan prison, and the imminent removal of the child from her mother at the age of 3, CTK Pastor Maria Joubert decided to do something about it. To read the entire article about this remarkable example of living "Arrows Out", click here.
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| Golfing for justice |
 Human Trafficking? What is that? Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. It is widespread throughout the world and yes, the United States. Many victims of trafficking are forced to engage in prostitution, pornography and exotic dancing. But, trafficking also occurs in forms of labor exploitation, such as domestic servitude or restaurant work, sweatshop factory work or migrant agricultural work. Force, fraud and coercion are the methods used by traffickers to press victims into enslaved lives of servitude and abuse.
According to National Geographic, there are an estimated 27 million people enslaved around the world today. Approximately 80 percent of human trafficking victims are women and girls, and up to 50 percent are minors. (U.S. Department of State)
International Justice Mission (IJM) is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare. They also prosecute perpetrators and promote functioning public justice systems. For more information visit www.ijm.org
What can we do to become part of the solution to this problem? Consider golfing for justice. Free At Last, a ministry of Christ the King, will host, "Tee It Up To Drive Out Human Trafficking," on Friday, July 31 with a 1:30pm shotgun start at Avalon Golf Links in Burlington, WA. Non-golfers are welcome to attend the banquet and silent auction at 6:00pm for $25. One hundred percent of all proceeds will go to IJM for the rescue and aftercare of victims.
For more information visit: www.FreeAtLastMinistry.org to print a brochure with a registration form or register online by July 17 for a free T-shirt for golfers.
-submitted by Mary Bron of CTK Sedro Woolley, founder of Free At Last Ministry |
| CTK Men's Retreat slated for Oct 2/3 |
 The annual gathering of CTK men at Camp Brotherhood in Mount Vernon, WA is now officially open for registrations.
Come hear Pastor Cliff Tadema of CTK Mount Vernon as he delivers hard-hitting messages specifically for men on theme "Man on a Mission". Enjoy some great meals, make a few new friends, relax on the beautiful campus of Camp Brotherhood, and get equipped for living life with a mission. For more information and to dowload the registration form, click here. |
| Register now for CTK Women's Retreat |
 Registration for the 2009 CTK Women's Retreat is now open! The retreat will be held November 13-15 at the Cedar Springs Retreat Center in Sumas, WA.
The theme of the conference will be "Finding Your Joy", and will feature speaker Teresa Rinker and worship leader Carolyn Nichols.
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| What's new on ctkonline? |
 Dave Browning sends out a dose of CTK leadership philosophy every couple of weeks through an email publication called "dMail". If you're interested in subscribing to or reading the archives of these thought provoking articles click here. Or go to http://ctkonline.com, click "Get Stuff" and then "CTKNews and dMail Archives". | |
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