|
Greetings!
Greetings, CCNC-N Disciples:
By now, everyone should know that this theme:
2012 YEAR OF EVANGELISM!!
"Cultivating Disciples of Christ to become dynamic 'evangels' sharing the good news of God's transforming love."
2012 Year of Evangelism-
two exciting opportunities right now to help us alll grow in understanding, practice and comfort with the E-word!
1). 1,000+ People Praying" in a three month commitment to daily prayer relating to evangelism. Over 1,100
prayer bookmarks have been ordered; only 400 remain. Call the Regional office today to order them for your church at 925-556-9900!
A Service of Prayer Commitment and other details all can be found at: www.ccncn.org
.............................................
2). Doable Evangelism Workshops in four locations around the Region.
Here are dates and places:
Doable Evangelism registration forms are at: www.ccncn.org.
........................................
The Justice Commission wants your input!!!
What are the issues that are engaging the hearts and minds of Disciples across our Region?
Here is the link to the online survey that invites your thinking. FIVE MINUTES is all it takes!
We now have close to 50 completed surveys but our goal is at least 100! DO IT RIGHT NOW!!! Justice Commission Survey . Deadline is May 31.
And regarding the Justice Commission-
A Great Opportunity to Serve-
Applications to become a Member of the Justice Commission are available
http://www.ccncn.org/jc.html.
Due to persons moving or life changes, we have several positions open. You MUST apply for membership on the Justice Commission.
NOTE THE DEADLINE IS MAY 31
........................................
Human Sex Trafficking Awareness Day
(Sponsored by Women of Spirit and Action)
FOR BOTH WOMEN AND MEN!
May 12, 9:00-4:00
with registration from 8:00-8:45
Oakland Peace Center
111 Fairmount Avenue, Oakland
For Women- $15 for morning program and lunch
For Women and Men- afternoon program is open to the public.
(People can still come in the morning by calling or e-mailing Paula@ccncn.org . Anyone can come to the afternoon panel without pre-registration).
Learn more at: http://www.ccncn.org/dwf.htm
...........................................
PENTECOST OFFERING- MAY 20& 27
 Pentecost Offering makes it possible for new churches to set tables in new places. Our CCNC-N Region has welcomed over 20 new congregations since 2004!
We now speak 6 languages when we worship together-isn't it amazing that God speaks them all and calls us all by name-Children of God!
Later in this e-news, read about the exciting vision of one of our newest congregations, First Samoan Congregational Christian Church of Sacramento. They are new to the Disciples but have been a worshiping community for 20 years.
At Annual Gathering this year, we welcomed three new congregations. When the New Church Committee meets on May 19, they expect to welcome two more new congregations!
Your Pentecost Offering makes a huge difference in this movement of God's Spirit!
50% stays right here in our Region
50% goes to General New Church efforts.
Click her to read more about the Pentecost Offering
|
|
 |
 HOT NEWS CHURCHES TO HOLD IN PRAYER
Congregation to pray for this week: theTable,Berkeley; East Bay Area; Pastor Tami Groves.
Congregation to pray for next week: First Christian Church, Chico; Mt. Lassen Area; Pastor Jesse Kearns.
We will feature two congregations in each edition of the eNews. Please pray for their vitality, spiritual and numerical growth, their commitment to serving their neighborhood and their openness to the Spirit of God calling them into ministry in the 21st century.
.............................................
WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND THE REGION???? 1. 2012 Summer Camp Dates- Registration materials at: www.ccncn.org Registrations are coming in....where is yours??? PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DEADLINE FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS IS MAY 22 That deadline is firm and final!! Adult Camp June 7-10
ChiRho/Junior Camp June 24-30
CYF Camp July 1-7
Grandparents & Me I June 30-July 2
Grandparents and Me II July 4-6
South San Joaquin June 24-29
HELP! HELP! Junior Camp needs a nurse!! What a great opportunity for someone with special skills to share them and God's love with a group of 4-6 graders and in the beauty of CGC. Dates would be June 23-30. Please contact Pastor Larry Love, CC of Woodland, 530-662-9356.
2. First Samoan Congregational Christian Church of Sacramento, a new Disciples congregation who was welcomed "under care" with us at Annual Gathering, and brought us the incredible music that opened Saturday morning with a 35 voice a cappella choir, is trying to complete their new 300 seat sanctuary this year.
The foundation is completed and the parking area is paved, but the building itself lies before them. They are seeking a loan from Disciples Church Extension to help with this building project, and want to cut the expenses as much as possible.
One of their hopes would be to receive bids for some of the work from skilled Disciples!! They are looking for licensed electricians, air-conditioning and fire sprinkler experts, and landscaping experts to bid on the projects. Their desire is to offer the work at a fair price to Disciples whom they feel share important Christian beliefs about their work. Please contact Ben if you would like to know more.
3. WOMEN'S FALL RETREAT at Mission Springs
September 14-16, 2012
"Spirit-Empowered Women"
Speaker is: The Rev. Amy Gopp, dynamic Executive Director of Week of Compassion who travels the world on behalf of 3,500 Disciples congregations.
Learn more at: http://www.ccncn.org/dwf.htm
4. ATTENTION PASTORS:
Entrepreneurial Possibilities for Missional Churches
(or: Help Me Keep My Missional Church Open!!!!)
A day-long event for clergy with Rick Morse, Vice President for New Church Ministry and Mission Initiatives
WHEN: Thursday, June 14, 9 AM - 4 PM
WHERE: United Christian Congregational Church of Lodi
701 S. Hutchins St., Lodi, CA 95240
WHO: Pastors of Missional churches (new and established)
COST: $50 (includes lunch)
Please register as soon as possible to help the region cover the cost of Rick's travel expenses! The registration form can be found at www.ccncn.org.
5. Graphic artists invited to design Quadrennial Assembly logo
Graphic artists are invited to submit their ideas for the 2014 Quadrennial Assembly logo based on the theme: "I See You." Submissions will be accepted until May 31, 2012. Daily themes for the event should also be considered in the design:
"I see you through eyes of grace."
"I see you through the voice of compassion."
"I see you with hands of justice."
"I see you with a heart of joy."
"I see you whole."
Read more about the Quadrennial Assembly at www.quadrennial.org
6. Pilgrimage by the Sea
August 6-9, 2012
Join us in a spiritual adventure as we pilgrimage along the beaches of the Pacific Ocean from Pescadero to Moss Beach, CA. We will be led in ancient spiritual practices, have lots of fun, tour a local farm and non-profit which serves the farm workers and community of Pescadero, ride a boat around Pillar Point Harbor out to the ocean (optional), and have quality sharing time together. The pilgrimage will end with a closing, small worship service.
Accommodations will be in the beautiful redwood forest in Loma Mar, CA at Redwood Glen.
If you are interested in learning more about this Pilgrimage by the Sea, please contact Loma Eaves, the leader, at lomaeaves@yahoo.com. Loma is a seminary student at PSR, doing her internship at CC of Pacific Grove; home church is Chalice CC, San Carlos.
7. YOU ARE INVITED!!
FCC Sacramento 10:30 service on May 27, will be a rockin' place to be!! Sharing leadership of that service will be the fantastic musical group, Sweet Potatoes. The Sweet Potatoes including Kelly Macleod, Laura and Rick Hall will share their faith, witness and gift for music that day. Be sure to arrive early and sit toward the front. You won't want to miss a single word or note. To hear some of their featured music go to: http://www.thesweetpotatoes.com
Laura and Rick Hall are members of the Van Nuys Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and have performed
at FCC before and were featured three years ago at the Northern California/Nevada Annual Meeting.
8. "OUR CHURCH ROCKS" VIDEOS NOW ON WEBSITE
One of the special joys of Annual Gathering was to view the four entries to the "Our Church Rocks" videos that were made by four church members across our Region. If you were unable to be at Sofitel, OR you missed one of those videos, they are all now on our website at: http://www.ccncn.org/annualmeeting.htm
9. EXCITING JOB OPPORTUNITY SENT TO OUR OFFICE
ORAM - Organization for Refuge, Asylum & Migration - the leading advocacy organization for LGBTI refugees worldwide, is seeking a Director of Advocacy & Legal Services at its San Francisco headquarters to oversee and implement its major program initiatives. You will be a central member of ORAM's management team, overseeing multiple full and part-time staff and contractors as well as legal & non-legal interns. You will work closely with the ORAM team to increase ORAM's reach on behalf of LGBTI refugees and asylum seekers worldwide. You must be a highly energetic, passionate, professional and intensely committed individual.http://www.oraminternational.org/
|
|
DEVOTIONAL
by Ben Bohren, Regional Minister
T here's a lot of death in my life lately.
Spending time with the family of Pastor Nordean Baxter brought home the depth of grief that loss of a loved one brings. The same was true with the family of Teresa Fraticelli. Both families rallied around their loved one with mostly 24 hour vigils for days on end. I saw quite a few tears in the days of those vigils. I also heard some laughs and saw hugs and embraces of love and care.
This week I am heading to southern CA to be present for the memorial service of a very long time beloved administrator at Chapman University who died very suddenly week-end before last. And on Saturday, I will be presiding at the memorial service of the sister of one of my dearest friends from my Chapman days who also died suddenly. I expect to see those tears and hugs and embraces there too.
And last Sunday evening I spent about an hour on the phone with members of the Phillips family who "adopted" me when I was their pastor back in Lebanon, Kentucky.
I married three of the four children and took my turn in vigil at the hospital bedside of their dad 20 years ago. Now, their mom is in hospice in Louisville, KY expected only to last a few days. The youngest daughter of the Phillips family came to Chapman because I was there and could look after her and the two college-age children of her marriage are my god-children. I felt my own tears rolling down my cheeks and sent the best hugs I could over the phone.
Our Region has recently also lost some dear older saints and the denomination has lost some too. As one 26 year old stated in a meeting in St. Louis last week-end, "It seems like we are losing a whole generation of our visionary leaders right now."
There's a lot of death in my life right now.
For me, my faith continues to be a solid ground on which to stand. Whatever life awaits us beyond the veil of this world, I believe that if God is present, it will be better than anything I can imagine, so I have never spent much time arguing or worrying about it. I truly trust God to handle it.
I do know that the mid-section of the 23rd Psalm has become more and more meaningful to me as my understanding of it has grown and grown. It says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me."
(Yes, that's King James because it's the translation in which I learned the 23rd Psalm when I was about 5 or 6).
Truth is there is no way to avoid the valley of the shadow of death. We must go "through" it. Death does cast its shadow over us all as long as we have breath and life in this world. Our loved ones and friends will die...and the valley of the shadow of death will cover us with personal loss, grief and sadness. And one day, it will not be the "shadow" that each of us will experience, but it will be the actual valley of death we will enter-our own death.
Psalm 23 tells us that no matter how dark the shadow, we are not alone. No matter how deep the pain of the loss; no matter how broken our heart might be; no matter how sad is our soul- WE ARE NOT ALONE. The Spirit of Comfort and Peace is with us. Not just in the midst of the shadow but for days and weeks and months to come.
And Psalm 23 says more, "Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." These are the support we can count on from God and I have found that sometimes, God's rod and staff are the ever present friends and family who keep vigil with us; they send us cards; drop by with casseroles; make short phone calls; and remind us how loved we
are. These "angels" do help cast away the "shadow of the valley of death."
There's a lot of death in my life these days.
There are moments when my heart is heavy and my face is wet with tears...but I am not afraid and I am not alone. Psalm 23 is etched in my soul as are these words from Romans 8:38
"For I am persuaded that neither life nor death....nor anything in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Truly, "I am anointed with the oil of grace and hope and my cup runneth over with thanksgiving."
|
|
REGIONAL STAFF NEWS
Ben left for southern CA today, Thursday, for a memorial service this evening at Chapman University and he will officiate at another memorial service on Saturday at Church of the Foothills, Tustin, CA. He will be back in the office on Monday. He will be checking voice and e-mail while away.
From Cliff:
As summer nears and you are making plans for pastoral coverage and preaching for your time away, please remember that the Region has several capable "becoming" pastors that are looking for experience and income. If you would like names of students who will be this and the next generation's ordained ministers, please contact me: cliff@ccncn.org for names, phone numbers and EMail addresses. Your church will be blessed by their presence and skill in bringing the word of God.
For the next three months, Sandhya will have a part-time contract position as Interfaith Organizer with the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy working on their "Revive Oakland" campaign, which is advocating for local, living wage jobs at the warehouses being built on the old Oakland Army Base. During that time she will take a leave
of absence from First Christian Church of Oakland (leaving it in co-pastor Tai Amri Spann-Wilson's capable hands), returning there on August 1. She will continue her work with CCNC-N and with the Oakland Peace Center.
The Regional Executive Committee has asked that you save the date of Saturday, October 20 for a Celebration of Ben's Ministry. Exact time and place to be announced later.
|
|
 UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS
Per requests around the region,
here is a listing of regional meetings
and events over the next 30 days or so.
We do not put the dates of local church events here as we never could get them all and we would always miss some! MAY 12- Do-Able Evangelism FCC Sacramento 8:30-4:00 12- Human Trafficking Awareness Forum- Oakland Peace Center 9:00-4:00 15- Regional Recognition and Standing Committee 9:30-3:00 Regional Office 15- Serra Center Board Meeting 6:00 pm 19- Justice Commission- CANCELLED 19- Ad-Ministry Council and Regional Resources Committee- Regional Office 9:30-2:30 19- New Church Committee United CC, Livermore 19- Do-able Evangelism United CC, Fresno 8:30-4:00 20- First Sunday for Pentecost Offering 23- Regional Staff 10:00-1:30- Regional Office 26 & 27- RYC Meeting, FCC Vallejo 27- PENTECOST SUNDAY JUNE 1-3- Women's Ministries Council Retreat 2- Regional Executive Committee 9:30-3:00 7-10- Adult Camp 14- Entrepenurial Possibilities for Missional Churches UCC, Lodi 9:00-4:00 24-30- Junior Camp 24-30- ChiRho Camp Back to top |
|
CELEBRATIONS & PRAYERS
CELEBRATIONS
We missed it, but it is not too late. Our beloved Wayne Bennett, former volunteer staff in the Regional Office and major leader in our Region for some 50 years had his 85th birthday yesterday, May 9. As always, he joined us at Annual Gathering all the way from his new home in Hawaii. Let's surprise him with a whole bunch of belated birthday cards: 201 Ohua Avenue #3202-2, Honolulu, HI 96815
You can now view some photos of the visit by Georges and Gertrude at: http://www.ccncn.org/annualmeeting.htm
New members as reported: Lafayette CC (1 adult transfer); FCC Ukiah (2 adult transfers and 2 adult baptisms); CC of Woodland (1 adult transfer and 1 child baptism)
...........................................
CONCERNS
John Grose, former Moderator of FCC Vallejo, is having a recurrence of lymphoma cancer that he had treated two years ago. He is undergoing a special treatment that his doctor says has a 50% chance of being successful. Please pray for God's healing touch to continue with John for the 100% success of this procedure.
Our prayers are with Tina Heck, Disciples clergy, member at Sierra CC, Loomis, and Chair of our Regional CGC Facilities Committee, who had surgery yesterday, Wednesday in Grass Valley.
Surgery went very well and she should be home in a couple of days. You can send her a note of care at: 10743 Ridge Road, Nevada City, 95959
Pastor Taulau Tupua, Via Dolorosa Samoan Congregational Christian Church of Modesto, is now in the midst of a second complete round of chemotherapy in dealing with his lymphoma leukemia. He reports that he continues to gain strength and has been able to preach each Sunday. The Tupua family and Via Dolorosa congregation appreciate prayers greatly. You can send cards to: 2329 Senimi Circle, Ceres, 95307.
Barbara Wikoff, musician at Oakdale CC, and husband Bob, Chair of our Regional Resources Committee is having some really good days right now following test results showing that the chemo treatments are working! in prayer. She and Bob deeply appreciate all the prayers and ask that you keep them coming. Cards can be sent to: 941 Terrace Court, Oakdale, 95361.
Our prayers continue for the following who remain in need of our support and concern:
Darrell Burrell, FCC Redding
Bea Tiffee, FCC Dos Palos Violet Fields, FCC Oakland Darla Foglio, Oakdale CC Wanda, daughter of Gloria & Nordean Baxter, pastor at Raynor Park CC
Back to top
|
|
|
FINAL WORD
HOW ABOUT A LITTLE EXTRA EDUCATION??
The following is a letter received after CC of Vacaville used the Ad-Ministry ACTS Course which was created and written and video-taped by our own Region!!
If you want to view more about the course for use at your church, go to: ACTS Ad-Ministry Registration & Flyer
 Dear Ben,
I want to take a moment and share some thoughts with you regarding the "Ad-ministry" class. I especially want to thank you, the Regional Staff and everyone responsible for putting the class and materials together. Your efforts are greatly appreciated by we who call ourselves the Christian Church of Vacaville.
Our board decided to use the class as their Lenten Study this year. They also decided to open participation up to the entire congregation. So for the first 5 weeks of Lent we met in the sanctuary, to practice, to worship and to study how we could "repent" and return to Christian practice of administration that not only serves our legal obligations but also God's. We had a total of 26 participants who engaged in one or more sessions, including 15 who worked through all 5 sessions.
They are a group of very committed individuals who were courageous enough to not only give their time but also risk their long cherished beliefs on how things "should" be done. I am so very proud to be their pastor!
There is a tremendous amount of information and study involved in the course and we by necessity adapted it to our present needs. We used some of the video's but not all, we did read most of the material but of course could not discuss it all. We are also very aware that we can go back to the coursework for review. Indeed we have discussed using the course again as we progress towards a vision of transforming the "business" of the church to one of ministry.
I want to hold up three teachings/results that were especially meaningful to our group.
1. The concept of the "Bread Board,"
2. The narrative budget
3. How grounded everything was in scripture.
We incorporated a time for "bible study" in each session and found the time we spent with the story of Jesus and Zaccheus to be especially meaningful for our journey. We discovered some necessary pieces of our visioning and mission structure, are missing or antiquated and plan to focus on those in the immediate future. We have begun a process of at least discussing how we could utilize the narrative budget approach. And much to our amazement, board meetings are more fun.
Again, please accept our gratitude and our recognition of your hard work. From all of us to all of you, thank you for all you do to further God's work in the world!
Sincerely,
Greg Skinner, Pastor of Christian Church of Vacaville.
|
|
|
|
