Greetings!

CCNC-N is celebrating a second year in a row of outstanding summer camps! With the addition of South San Joaquin Camp and Grandparents and Me  

Camp... we have increased attendance by over 40%! Wow!!

Adult-  June-7-10: 20 Adults   ChiRho- June 24-30: 21 youth/9 adults  

Junior-   June 24-30:  44 youth/10 adults 

South San Joaquin- June 24-29- 23 youth/11 adults

CYF-      July 1-7: 32 youth/9 adults 

Grandparents & Me I-June 30-July 2: 20 youth/24 adults
Grandparents & Me II-July 4-6: 3 youth/6 adults

Total- 231 (four more than last year) 

It is wonderful to note that we gave a record amount of camp scholarship support this summer- $5,945.33 to 38 campers representing 15 churches!

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YOU'VE BEEN ASKING FOR IT!

AND NOW, WE HAVE IT!!

ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR ALL EVENTS

Thanks to the excellent research and work of Bill Garrett, our Regional Minister of Faith and Giving, henceforth...registration and payment for Regional events can be made online!! 

(or still by hard copy)

AND IT ALL BEGINS WITH MISSION SPRINGS

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/   

As stared above, Women's Ministries is launching the online registration and payment option for the 2012 Mission Springs event.

Two options are being offered:

The first is the traditional one... go to the website and download the registration form (or receive the registration packet in the mail), complete the form by hand, include your check or Visa/MC information, put it in an envelope, address and stamp it, and then mail it.

The second choice is the online option. In this, you click the link on the website on any announcement of the event through email, which takes you directly to the registration form. Fill it out online, put in your payment information for your electronic check or Visa/MC (and yes, the information is completely secure - we are actually using the same merchant provider that our denomination uses), and hit the "submit" button. And, it's done. You're going to Mission Springs! Very easy, very nice, and very efficient.

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ATTENTION MINISTRY COUNCIL!!

Our next meeting is just around the corner...

Saturday, July 21, 9:00-3:00 at United CC, Livermore. Our major work of the day will relate to 2013 programming and ministry plans including a presentation on a possible mini-Miracle Day, Annual Gathering themes and speakers, and a possible overall theme for 2013 Regional Ministry!

Sounds like some pretty important work for the day.

(Just a reminder that the Ministry Council is composed of 5 elected members of the Executive Committee and one selected member from all Regional Mission Clusters of which there are about 15. Janet Hecker is Moderator and Sara Steenhouse is Vice-Moderator)

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WHEN OUR REGION VOTED TO BECOME A GLOBAL MISSION REGION THREE YEARS AGO, WE WONDERED WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE! 

In 2012, we are experiencing the amazing impact of three sets of Global Ministries missionaries:

1. For two weeks in April, we traveled to Africa and the Republic of Congo, as Georges and Gertrude Ngoka traveled across our Region and into our hearts at Annual Gathering at Sotifel.

 2. We are in the midst of two weeks with Betty and Ken Frank, who are taking us to Turkey where they spent nearly 30 years in ministry. They are closing out a wonderful time with us in Northern CA.

3. And still to come, for one week in August, Tom and Lynnea Morse, will take us to China, the world's largest nation.

Their schedule so far is:

August 5- CC of Pacific Grove-morning

August 5- Sinapi Fellowship, Palo Alto

  (afternoon)

August 8- Forest Hill CC, SF-evening

August 12- Mayfair CC, Stockton 

We are still looking for other speaking possibilities as well as people who would be willing to host them in their homes and/or provide tours in the Bay Area. WE DO NEED HOST HOMES!! Contact Ben.

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By now, everyone should know this theme: 

DEVOTIONAL
By Paula Pociecha, Minister of Congregational Care and Women's Ministries 

Ida Withers Harrison writes in her book Forty Years of Service, a history of the Christian Women's Board of Missions, 1874-1914:  The first thing to do before entering on any enterprise is to convert oneself thoroughly to it, and this our pioneers had done with their fixed purpose 'to do something in the missionary field.'  The second step was to bring the great body of women in the church to a like state of mind.

I am in the throws of working with the Women's Ministries leadership of the Region right now for the weekend Fall Retreat at Mission Springs (the 75th!) September 14-16.  Our theme on "Spirit-Empowered Women" has me really thinking about the way Spirit has moved through the church by the faithful, united work and commitment of the women.

In 1874, Caroline Neville Pearre knelt in her morning prayers, the lack of funding for missionary efforts of the church weighing heavily on her mind.  She knew in her heart that women were passionate about missionary work, and had much to contribute if they could just be organized.  She prayed to God to send them a leader-and was humbly surprised when the answer came:  "Why cannot you do it?"

Empowered by her own conviction and vision of what mission could be, she strategically organized the wives of influential church men, and worked on many levels for support of both the men and the women to lay the groundwork for what would ultimately become The Christian Women's Board of Missions, a $1.5 million enterprise, organized and managed exclusively by women.

Throughout Disciples history, women have organized to develop their leadership skills and raise funds to strengthen every area of church life and mission.  At a time when women had little cultural power or influence, Spirit-empowered church women were working alongside men, making a difference-not only in the church, but in society as a whole.

One of the most enriching parts of regional ministry for me has been the privilege and opportunity to work with the women of this Region as they continue this legacy.  I am always humbled by the faithfulness of these servant-leaders as they use vacation time and give up five or more weekends a year to ensure that women are spiritually nurtured and challenged to lead the missional work of the church, working to end human trafficking, establishing relationships with our global missionary partners on the Woman to Woman trip, raising funds for numerous outreach projects, and creating a deep sense of community and belonging.

In today's culture, where women seem to have fairly equal access to careers, education and positions of power, it is sometimes questioned why the women still need to organize and meet separately.  I can't explain it, and I myself didn't really believe it before serving as Regional Staff for Women's Ministries, but there is a special power when women gather and share their stories and gifts.  If you are a woman who knows this-or wonders if it's true-then I strongly urge you to be part of the Fall Retreat or a women's group, and see how Spirit moves when we "bring the large body of women in the church to a like state of mind."

REGIONAL STAFF NEWS

Quan will be on vacation, tomorrow, July 13 and all of next week, July 16-20. We will have volunteers in the office each day (sometimes regular staff), but please be patient with everyone.

Ben has returned from vacation and was back at work on Wednesday of this week. 

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.   

Sandhya has completed a glorious week at CGC serving as Keynote Speaker for CYF Camp. Ask our high school youth how blessed they feel!

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 

UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS

We do not put the dates of local church events here as we never could get them all and we would always miss some!    

JULY 

16- NAPAD Planning Meeting

17- Regional Resources Committee   10:00-2:00

21- Regional Ministry Council - Livermore

24- Bay Area Pastoral Relations Committee - Livermore

AUGUST

12-16- E-Van on the road across our Region

SEPTEMBER

14-16- Mission Springs Women's Conference

OCTOBER

20- Celebration of Ben's Ministry

NOVEMBER

3- Unity Festival UCC Lodi

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CELEBRATIONS & PRAYERS

CELEBRATIONS

Congratulations to Sandhya Jha and Cynthia J. Wright for their featured article in the new Summer issue of Just Women about the Oakland Peace Center!  You can learn more about the magazine and article at:
www.discipleswomen.org

New members as reported:  United Disciples Fellowship, San Jose (1 adult transfer);  

Good news for Marlene Elliott, who along with her husband Bill, are decades long members and key leaders at FCC Corning, and both have several terms on the Regional Board. Marlene is now out of Enloe Medical Center in Chico, and has completed the first of six chemo treatments for lymphoma. She is feeling strong and positive and deeply appreciates the prayers of so many. Send cards to: PO Box 474, Corning, 96021.

We continue to keep Pastor Mark Foglio, Oakdale CC in our prayers. Mark is now working with his doctors to make decisions about how to address herniated disks in his neck, which have been the cause of numbness and heart challenges. Cards of support can be sent to: Oakdale CC, 330 Maxwell Avenue, Oakdale 95361.

We have received sad news from the Pat Sanborn of the Africa Office of Global Ministries, about Charlotte Lomponda of The Republic of Congo, Brazzaville, who was to be the Women's guest of this Region and at Quadrennial 2010, but who was unable to get a visa: "Mrs. Charlotte Lomponda of Brazzaville died this week. She was very active in the work of the church women in the Republic of Congo and worked on the project of making handbags for the last quadrennial assembly. She died in a hospital in Kinshasa. We don't know the cause of death, or any other details, except for funeral arrangements for June 30. She was originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, but has lived for quite a few years in the Republic of Congo." The Regional Council of CCNC-N Women's Ministries has sent a gift of $200 to Rev. Georges Ngaka and the Brazzaville church in memory of Charlotte and her work with the women of The Republic of Congo church.  

Pastor Taulau Tupua, Via Dolorosa Samoan Congregational CC of Modesto sends his deep appreciation for the many cards and prayers over this long and challenging battle with lymphoma leukemia. As he continues his second round of chemotherapy, 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 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! 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: 

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