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Greetings!
 PENTECOST IS COMING!
PENTECOST IS COMING!
PENTECOST OFFERING RECEIVED MAY 20 & 27
We know that at Pentecost, we celebrate the birth of the church. With a great wind and flames afire, all who were gathered were able to hear and understand the good news of Jesus Christ.
The practice of gathering regularly in Christ's name began. None of those original faith communities are still active. Like every living organism (the church is ALIVE, right!?!?), there is a life cycle of birth, life, and death. As much as we cherish our existing churches, we need to continue to start new churches to continue the millennia old traditions of sharing our faith and following God's call in our communities.
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) believes in a continuous process of growth and new birth. Since 2001, Disciples in the United States and Canada have started over 750 new Disciples churches....over 20 right here in Northern CA-NV.
The Pentecost Offering is the primary way that we, as the WHOLE church, can provide direct financial help to these newborn congregations. We are one church together - here is your chance to live our your own Pentecost moment. Please give generously.
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 starts
Click here to read more about the Pentecost Offering
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A very important notice to all summer campers at CGC....the deadline for scholarship applications is MAY 22!!!!
This is absolute and no applications will be accepted beyond that date.
http://www.ccncn.org/camp-scholarship-app-2012.pd
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By now, everyone should know 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
Prayer Commitments reported so far: 327
Annual Meeting- 104
FCC Porterville- 30
Sierra CC, Loomis- 9
CC of Vacaville- 30
Forest Hill CC, SF- 33
FCC Antioch-3
FCC Redding- 70
Oakdale CC- 31
Fresno- 16
We know many other churches already completed your Service of Prayer Commitment. Please send us the number as we strive toward 1,000+ people praying!
(If we missed anyone who send information, we apologize; just refresh our short memory!)
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2). Doable Evangelism Workshops in four locations around the Region.
Here are dates and places:
Registration form at : http://www.ccncn.org/Doable-Evangelism-Flyer.pdf
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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
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 ATTENTION: All Disciples Young Adults in Northern California-Nevada We have a date for the Regional Summer Young Adult Mission Outing called "REACH-OUT-REACH" August 10-12 in Santa Cruz at The Circle Church Friday night will be optional but we'll have some fun for sure. Saturday we will begin at 11:00 with Pastor Steve De-Fields Gambrel beginning to help us learn about the street community and the the rest of the day will be learning and interacting with the street community. In the evening there will be fun at the Boardwalk and back at the church in their full gym which is also where we will sleep. Sunday morning will be worship with The Circle Church and then lunch which always includes all members of the church, some of which are the street community. Much more later, but hold the dates!! Registration forms and more details to come. Thanks to our Regional Young Adult Council for leading this ministry to/with/for young adults.
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Dear CCNC-N:
In 2012 "The Year of Evangelism," we've had:
...Rock the Church video contest
...Lenten Devotional with an evangelism theme
...Annual Gathering with the theme TELL IT!
...Four Do-able Evangelism Training workshops currently being offered
...1,000+ People Praying daily with an evangelism theme
What's next you ask????
THE E-VAN!! (can you guess what the E stands for?)
August 12-16- light dinner, evangelism workshops and closing worship
Sunday, August 12- FCC Concord 5:00-7:30
August 13-16, Monday-Thursday- working on locations now which will take the van all across our Region.
TRULY THIS IS 'THE YEAR OF EVANGELISM"
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 HOT NEWS CHURCHES TO HOLD IN PRAYER
Congregation to pray for this week:First Christian Church, Chico; Mt. Lassen Area; Pastor Jesse Kearns.
Congregation to pray for next week: First Christian Church, Colusa; Mt. Lassen Area; Pastor, Darrin Harvey.
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.
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WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND THE REGION???? 1. 2012 Summer Camp Dates- Registration materials at: http://www.ccncn.org/summercamps.html 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 & 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/
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DEVOTIONAL
An Occasional Update on One of CCNC-N's New Churches
Sinapi Seed Fellowship meets at First Christian Church, Palo Alto. It was our first Chinese speaking church. Sinapi is Greek for "Mustard" so Mustard Seed Fellowship! Pastor John Wu planted this church and has been its only pastor. CCNC-N was proud to ordain John in 2012.
 John reports the following:
"It has been four years since we started in 2008. We have been through many challenges and changes, from a couple of families to an average of 50 - 60 Sunday attendance including kids.
A lot of things going on every week. Right now we are having a "Reading the Bible in 10 Weeks" program and there are 15 - 20 people at their sixth week. The Women's Prayer Meeting started a couple of months ago every other Monday. A Young Adult Fellowship started in this year too. Due to the limitation of church facility usage, we are using more and more home spaces.
One of the biggest changes this year is that in June I will end my other part-time ministry of serving a second Chinese church and focus on Sinapi ministries full time. My wife, Joy, is preparing for the Worldwide Woman to Woman Journey to China in November. Many thanks to Regional Women Ministry, especially Paula."
Let us keep Pastor Wu and family and Sinapi in our prayers.
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REGIONAL STAFF NEWS
The Regional Office will be closed on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28.
Ben was in southern CA today only for a Disciples Seminary Foundation Board meeting. He is in the office until next Wednesday afternoon when he leaves on vacation for Memorial Day week-end.
From Cliff: Please add our grandson, LaFrance Cole, to the regional prayer list as he has been deployed to Afghanistan in an Improvised explosive device (IED) clearance unit.
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.
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 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 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 16- Do-able Evangelism- Lafayette CC 23- D0-able Evangelism- FCC Palo Alto (hosted by Walking Faith CC and Sinapi Fellowship) 24-30- Junior Camp 24-30- ChiRho Camp AUGUST 12-16- E-Van on the road across our Region Back to top |
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CELEBRATIONS & PRAYERS
CELEBRATIONS
Great things are happening at Community of the Great Commission, our very own
campgrounds! Claar House now has two brand new bathrooms, including a beautiful accessible bathroom, and there has been further painting and repair. It is looking great. Also, soon to be installed is a $4,700 Low Ropes Course that will be an additional feature for our own summer camps as well as a draw for more outside groups renting the campgrounds. (Special thanks to Pastor Ted Firch, FCC Sacramento, who spear-headed this effort in raising the funds to get this done)
FCC Palo Alto is very excited to welcome Alex Hardt as their new half time Minister with Youth and Children who just graduated from University of Phoenix with a major in business management, but who will be starting seminary this fall. Alex has a Methodist background and is married with one young daughter.
A recent listing of five members of the Steering Committee of Disciples Leadership Institute, (DLI), a program focused on developing young leadership across the diversity of the denomination (ages 23-40), listed two of those five persons from CCNC-N: Sara Steenhouse (who serves as Vice-Moderator of our Regional Ministry Council) and Kyung Min Daniel Lee (who serves as our Regional Minister for NAPAD). Congratulations to Sara and Daniel for their fine leadership offered to the larger church.
Never underestimate the passion of young people when they see a need and want to do something about it.!
Way to go, ChiRho group at Lafayette CC, who heard about the need to educate children in Uruguay. They went to work holding bake sales and recently sent $647 to Week of Compassion for this special need - the program is called Gurises Unidos.
You can now view some photos of the visit by Georges and Gertrude at: http://www.ccncn.org/annualmeeting.htm
New members as reported: CC of Pacific Grove (1 adult transfer); FCC Sacramento (1 adult transfer); The Urban Shepherd (3 adult transfers)
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CONCERNS
Please continue to keep John Grose, former Moderator of FCC Vallejo, as he battles 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 a week ago. Surgery went very well and she is home recovering well. 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.
Here is the latest word from Dick (former Regional Minister) and Doris Lauer on their daughter, Karen:
"We received great news last week. The results of her recent bone marrow biopsy were excellent. 100% of the cells in the marrow were donor cells. Just what they wanted. No leukemia cells were found,. The new cells are actively producing blood cells, not at at normal yet, but higher than they expected at this point; Karen has not had any illness or big complications. She is able to get out and about more enjoying the boys ball games and activities. The anti-rejection medications will continue for some time yet and accompanying annoyances so it remains slow but going well."
Thanks for your continuing supporting prayers and wishes. We love you all.
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
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FINAL WORD
Short-Term Education Courses Available
 Come to Berkeley this summer!
Pacific School of Religion is a progressive Christian graduate institution with strong ties to the Disciples of Christ. This summer we are offering more than twenty courses from July 2 to August 10 online or at our campus in Berkeley, California. Study faith and politics, preaching, church leadership, and more. The program is designed with the needs of laypeople, practicing clergy and seminarians in mind. Courses may be audited, taken for clergy continuing education units (CEUs) or academic credit. We hope to see you in summer 2012! Visit our website at www.psr.edu/summer
 Here is one course, we want to highlight:
Dr. Jon Berquist of Disciples Seminary Foundation fame (!) will be teaching Old Testament Theology from July 9-13.
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