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Greetings!
Three of our 2012 Summer Camps start in less than 2 weeks and the final two are the next week. Still time to register but it must be done immediately.
Registration materials
- ChiRho Camp June 24-30 21 registered
- Junior Camp June 24-30 41 registered
- CYF Camp July 1-7 27 registered
- Grandparents & Me I June 30-July 2 44 registered! CLOSED TO FURTHER REGISTRATIONS
- Grandparents & Me II July 4-6 9 registered
- South San Joaquin June 24-29 24 registered
SORRY, THE EARLY BIRD DEADLINES HAVE NOW PASSED. Full price must be paid. Also, if you sent a registration without the required deposit even if before the deadline, the early bird discount cannot be offered. The registration forms are very clear about that.
PLEASE NOTE that Grandparents & ME Camp I is CLOSED to any further registrations! There are openings for GP&M II.
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LOOK WHO'S COMING TO OUR REGION AND BRINGING THE WORLD TO US. MORE GLOBAL MISSION VISITORS ARE ON THE WAY...
1. Betty and Ken Frank, recently retired Global Ministries missionaries, who worked in Turkey for nearly 30 years, will be with us for 2 weeks in early July. Their schedule is just about full. Should you want to check any further possibility, please contact Ben.
2. Tom and Lynnea Morse, home for a few months from China, will be in our Region for just 1 week, August 5-12.
On Sunday afternoon, August 5, they will be speaking at Sinapi Seed Fellowship at FCC Palo Alto and all the Region is invited. On Wednesday evening, August  8, they will be at Forest Hill CC, SF and again, all are invited.
They are available both Sunday mornings:
August 5 must be in the Bay Area but August 12 they could travel beyond the Bay Area.
Contact Ben to invite them.
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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.
There is still time to join in the multitudes in prayer.... A Service of Prayer Commitment and other details all can be found at: www.ccncn.org
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2). Doable Evangelism Workshops in four locations around the Region.
Here are dates and places:
- May 12- FCC Sacramento- 36 attended
- May 19- United CC, Fresno- 34 attended
Two days until the Lafayette workshop and then just one week later comes Palo Alto. Call the regional office for last minute registrations.
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 IS YOUR CHURCH REACHING OUT TO A DIFFERENT CULTURE, OR WORKING TO EMPOWER A MARGINALIZED COMMUNITY?
APPLY FOR A RECONCILIATION GRANT TO HELP YOU DO GOD'S WORK ON THIS FRONT!
The deadline for regional reconciliation grants is July 1.
You can learn more and apply by going to this link:
http://ccncn.org/Grant%20App.pdf
Recent grant recipients have included teaching Samoan youth about their cultural heritage and language, supporting a Spanish language food program, offering citizenship and English classes to Koreans in the South Bay, and creating multicultural worship geared to young adults.
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It's Coming! 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
- Monday, August 13- FCC Chico 6:00-8:30
- Tuesday, August 14- Greater Sacramento Area
- Wednesday, August 15- FCC San Jose 6:00-8:30
- Thursday, August 16- FCC Hanford 6:00-8:30
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, Corning; Mt. Lassen Area; Correspondent, Karen Burnett
Congregation to pray for this week: First Christian Church, Eureka; Redwood Area; Pastor, Christine Tomascheski.
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. ATTENTION:
 All Disciples Young Adults in NorthernCalifornia-Nevada SAVE THE DATE Regional Summer Young Adult Mission Outing "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 11:00AM with Pastor Steve DeFields-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. Check out the registration form at: www.ccncn.org
2. Applications for the Annual Clergy Continuing Education Scholarship Grants have been mailed to clergy across the Region. If you are interested, you can also get the materials at: www.ccncn.org Note, that the deadline is July 6. 3. Thank you, CCNC-N churches, for continuing to contribute to the All Peoples Campers' Health Kit Project! We have almost met our financing goal and are very grateful for every donation. The All Peoples staff feels greatly encouraged by knowing we value and support their work in the community. And, 75 young campers will know our churches care about them!
Individuals, groups, and congregations are all invited to contribute what you can to help provide a camp health kit for each of the All Peoples campers. Please send your contribution to the regional office - CCN-N 9260 Alcosta Blvd., Suite C-18, San Ramon,CA 94583-4143 - and note "All Peoples camper health kits" on the memo line.
With great appreciation - The All Peoples/CCNC-N Team: Jeffrey Ishmael, FCC Oakland
Karen Barrett, Mills Grove CC, Oakland Margaret Grose, Tapestry Ministries Nancy McKee-Jolda-Chair, Tapestry Ministries 4. 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 For more information on Amy Gopp and Week of Compassion, go to: http://www.weekofcompassion.org/ 5. Women's Ministries Networking from Michelle Nichols: ...Do you want to know what is going on in our region for the women, things like Fall Retreat, Spring Gathering, and any special regional events? ...Do you have an event coming up, an important announcement, or prayer concerns, and would like the women of the region to know about them? We are here to empower women in their faith and provide opportunities for fellowship, networking, making connections and sharing information. We have a place for that over on Facebook. Check us out and get started:
facebook.com/CCNCN.WomensMinistries
Also, be sure you are signed up for the women's ministries list on our constant contact data base. You can update your constant contact profile by going to www.ccncn.org and clicking on the button in the right-hand column to join our free email news.
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GUEST DEVOTIONAL
 Sandhya Jha found the following piece, "What Priests/Ministers Want YOU to Know."
This is about what goes on between Sundays and for that matter, what goes on during Sundays. The Rev. Laurie Brock is the rector of St. Michael the Archangel Episcopal Church in Lexington, Kentucky. The Rev. Mary Koppel is priest in charge at Grace Episcopal Church or La Iglesia de la Gracia in New Orleans, Louisiana.
This could be a very helpful and healthy discussion for your church Board or Leadership Council! Maybe your pastor has another item or two to add.
1. Your minister has a personal life. Just like your teachers in school and your doctor, ministers and priests have a life that existed long before they were ordained. So, just like you, they have family issues and car trouble and dishes that sit in the sink far too long and children who were up sick all night before the Easter Day services. Just like regular people, life can be joyous and overwhelming. And we often are not able to share that with parishioners. A quote I saw on a bumper sticker said, "Be kind, because everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." Yes, indeed.
2. Sundays are long days for us. We are on, and I mean Beyonce at a concert on, from the time we step into the church until the last person leaves. We are responsible for the liturgy, the sermon, and the climate control (because no one in the church agrees on temperature). People tell us things, from random comments about the football game to significant news about their lives. We often are teaching a class, as well. A retired priest I knew said every hour clergy work on Sundays is the equivalent of working 2.5 hours any other day.
3. Clergy have to flip switches in ways that are not good. Every priest I know has many stories of going from a parishioner's hospital room where the family has gathered to say goodbye to a finance committee meeting. It is the nature of what we do. Remember when your minister takes a morning off, s/he may be giving herself or himself time to reflect on all that has happened because that's the only time she has.
4. We miss the parishioners we bury. Just because we're preaching the sermon and celebrating the liturgy like we're totally together doesn't mean we aren't crying on the inside. Clergy do not live day to day, week to week, month to month, and year to year with the people they serve and not grieve when those beloved people die. Again, grief needs her space and time, so allow your minister to take that time (or remind them to take that time.)
5. We are not particularly good at disappointment. Perhaps it's a personality type, but most clergy I know will work until their fingers fall off for the community they love and serve. Just a note - this is not good. God jerked my attention to this fact a week before Palm Sunday, when I just hit a wall. We cannot do everything we want to do. We only have a certain amount of energy, which means we, like the rest of the humanity, have to make choices about where and how our energy can be shared. This will always mean something that someone really, really wants to see done in the church will not be done. And we hate that, but there you go.
6. Life happens at the church every day of the week. A few things that happen when the flock is not at the church: planning liturgies, writing sermons, taking phone calls, meeting with people who need to be heard, visiting those who are sick, working with community groups, dealing with the physical plant, reading emails, and rearranging schedules when the unexpected happens, as it often does. Churches are busy, busy places every day of the week. Which also means it's always better to make an appointment rather than just stop by if you really need to talk.
7. Many clergy only get one day off a week.
For many of us, things happen on Saturday, so our Saturdays are not always a day off. And it's also a day for sermon-writing because often the week gets too busy for quiet time to write.
8. Church life is often feast or famine. Just like regular life, life in the church either seems to run at 100 mph or quite slow. There are weeks that 80 hours is not unusual for me, and I am quite thankful for the ones that require about 20. And when the slow weeks come, having a parish that empowers their clergy to take that time and relax is a gift. We really love what we do, but need down time to re-energize and reflect.
9. We don't remember what you tell us on Sunday. Please, email us or write it down.
10. We make mistakes. Yes, indeed. Forgive us when we do. Love us anyway.
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REGIONAL STAFF NEWS
Thanks to Paula, Molly, Sandhya, Yolanda, Kyung Min and Ben for each one leading one session at Adult Camp on "This I Believe..." The group was small this year but the discussions were deep and meaningful.
Bill Garrett, our new Regional Minister of Faith and Giving, will be away June 8-14 for a very good reason! Congratulations to Bill and Nancy on their 40th wedding anniversary!! Cards can be sent to: 1565 Barn Valley Lane, Lincoln, 95648.
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.
Have you been wanting a copy of the directory of churches in our Region?-like names, addresses, phone numbers, pastors names, etc. Did you know you can download that directory any day right from our Regional website. It gets updated regularly (if we know the changes). Just go to:
http://www.ccncn.org/directory-of-churches-2012.pdf
The Regional Executive Committee has asked that you save the date of Saturday, October 20 for a Celebration of Ben's Ministry. Tentative time is 1:00-5:00 p.m. Place to be announced soon. Ben's retirement date is November 1, 2012.
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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! JUNE 14- Entrepreneurial Possibilities for Missional Churches UCC, Lodi 9:00-4:00 16- Do-able Evangelism- Lafayette CC 23- Do-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 SEPTEMBER 14-16- Mission Springs Women's Conference OCTOBER 20- Celebration of Regional Ministry (Ben's Party) NOVEMBER 3- Unity Festival UCC Lodi Back to top |
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CELEBRATIONS & PRAYERS
CELEBRATIONS
Special prayers go with the Mexico Mission trip group as they leave this Saturday morning, June 16 and return on June 23. This year there will be 23 youth and young adults and 19 adults. Participants come from FCC Concord, Lafayette CC, FCC Redding, Pacific Grove CC, Mayfair CC, Stockton and FCC Chico.The group is leaving this Saturday, June 16 and returning on June 23. Plans this year are to build a single house for the Rojas Castaneda family and a double house which will be used by a school (Escuela Tijuana). Thanks to Mike Hecker, Lafayette CC, and Director this year. Also, thanks to FCC Concord who has been the organizing church for the Mexico Mission trip for over three decades! Prayers always appreciated!
The Justice Commission is pleased to welcome Jordan Williams, FCC Selma, as a new member.
Congratulations to Sean Dremel, CC of Pacific Grove, who recently achieved his Eagle Rank in Boy Scouts.
From William Leong, FCC Palo Alto:
We received a kind donation of $250 to go toward funding a trip to The Gathering 2012, National Men's Ministry Event in Bethany, WV. Do you know anyone who would be interested in taking advantage of it?
http://www.gathering2012.org/
New Spirit Community Church, Berkeley, has a new phone number- 510-356-4130. Their office is now back on the Pacific School of Religion campus, having moved from the Ecumenical Center of Berkeley (the former University CC) campus.
New members as reported: Lafayette CC (1 adult transfer); Cottage Way CC, Sacramento (1 adult transfer)
We continue to keep Pastor Mark Foglio, Oakdale CC in our prayers. Mark is still recovering from chest pains several week-ends ago. He has been undergoing a battery of tests this week. Cards of support can be sent to: Oakdale CC, 330 Maxwell Avenue, Oakdale 95361.
Keep those prayers coming for Julie Jones Rodriquez, active leader at FCC Sparks and former Regional Board member for three years, as she recovers from knee surgery that resulted in two different complications. She is doing much better. Send cards to: 11860 Canyon Dawn Dr. Sparks, NV 89441
The news is good for Rev. Wendell Pew, long time senior pastor at FCC Chico, who had been hospitalized in S. California with a serious blood infection. They found that the source of the infection was dental related and he is home and was able to be in church last Sunday.
We continue to pray for John Grose, former Moderator of FCC Vallejo, as he battles a recurrence of lymphoma cancer. John finished his chemo treatments two and a half weeks ago and is now receiving acupuncture treatments which are giving him renewed energy. He appreciates our prayers.
Pastor Taulau Tupua, Via Dolorosa Samoan Congregational Christian Church of Modesto, continues the new portion of his second round of chemotherapy in dealing with his lymphoma leukemia. He is driving to Stanford Medical Center twice a week for special "burning of the blood" treatments. Praise God he is still feeling strong enough to preach weekly. Cards can be sent 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 Baxter of Raynor Park CC
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FINAL WORD- THINK ON THIS!
 This week, our Region received a letter in the mail which included a check for $8,505.30! Hallelujah!
We had been alerted sometime ago that the Region had been named in the estate of Taylor and LaDean Bent, long time members of FCC Alameda. FCC Alameda, Christian Church Homes, other religious entities and charitable groups had been named as well- a long list of beneficiaries. CCNC-N was listed to receive 5% of the estate (after all debts paid). Knowing that the Bents were not wealthy people, being named in their estate was wonderful, but the expectations of a substantial check were not great.
I can tell you that $8,505.30 for our Regional ministry is a substantial amount! It will cover the salaries of our Director of Youth Ministries and our Director of Annual Gathering! That is huge!!!
Too often, dedicated church members never miss a Sunday offering, even when on vacation. They love their church because they love God and want God's love to be shared in their communities. But, when they die, that giving and support stop.
It is so easy for that support to continue! No matter what the size of someone's estate, even 5% named to your local church, Community of the Great Commission, Week of Compassion, New Church, YOUR REGION, can make a difference!
Do you have a will?
What about your estate??
What living witness of your faith do you wish to leave?
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