Simple Faith

Don't Want To Go Anymore

My granddaughter started kindergarten this fall. She had anticipated it for weeks. Her parents had prepared her well. The first few days were fun. Then, the beginning of the second week, she announced that she didn't want to go anymore. All done. For the next few days, tears and sad faces were evident anytime school was mentioned. She missed home, her family--it was too long. Yet, mom and dad said she had to go because it was good for her and God would be with her always. She got that. God will be with her wherever she goes. The faith of a little child grew stronger at that moment. Now, she has a better perspective and is accepting and enjoying school again. All this drama in a few short weeks. In her 5-year-old mind, she understood that God is with her and it made a big difference. It's a good thing to remember for all of us. Sometimes as we get older and more capable of accomplishing things, we forget that God is with us. He provides wisdom, comfort, boldness, strength, peace, patience, self control and the list goes on. It's the simple childlike faith that seems to please God. Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3) and "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. (Luke 10:21)

Restore the Awe, Wonder, Joy and Resiliency of that simple faith.

Jim Smith
Executive Director
Pacific Church Network

	Wedding Bells

	*Pastor Joel Webbon gets Married* Joel Webbon, Pastor of the Pacific Church Network church plant in San Diego called the Response Church, got married at the Lazy V Ranch in San Marcos on July 31, 2015. Congratulations to Joel and his new bride, Megan. They met at the church and Joel wrote, "I have been church planting as a single man all this time, but God in his mercy has given me a beautiful bride to love me as well as help me in my ministry efforts. Her name is Megan, and the women of our church absolutely adore her. She is so wise and gentle. I have no idea how I've gotten as far as I have in ministry without her!" Their church has lots of young people in attendance. This past summer their church had five other weddings!

	The Response Church Official Launch

	Moving to New Location in Point Loma It's been almost four years since the beginning of The Response Church. They started as a group of four young single men praying in a tiny apartment located above a bar in the heart of Ocean Beach, San Diego. By God's grace, over the last few years they have had the privilege of baptizing almost 30 people, and now average around 80 people in weekly Sunday evening attendance. They are a young congregation, but highly committed, with 48 people becoming official covenant members at the church. After four years, they are finally able to officially launch in a new location on Sunday morning, September 6! Pastor Joel Webbon writes, "Up until now we have only been able to host an evening service, but thanks to our faithful members growth in financial giving and the generous support we receive from the PCN, we are officially making the transition from Sunday evening to Sunday morning. Our goal is to double in size and finish the year with 150 people in weekly Sunday attendance! So far everything seems to be in order, but with new growth comes new needs. Please continue to pray for us that we would be able to financially and spiritually support the new church growth God brings us. Thank you and God bless."

	Man Camp

	October 2-4, 2015 / Time to Sign Up Man Camp has been designed for all men to ignite godly living through outdoor activities, great food, engaging worship, and messages of conviction. It is a reminder that every man is called to a life of honesty, purity and integrity--along with other priorities. We have lined up 11 engaging speakers to bring God's Word alive to the men at this retreat. Don't miss it. Sign up now and bring others with you. Become the man God has called you to be, and be a light to a dark world. $135 Basic Housing (bring your own sleeping bag/bunk beds) $185 Deluxe Housing (bedding provided) Register and more information

	Man Camp Scholarships

	Hope Again Hope Again is a ministry serving the poor, homeless and disenfranchised in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles. Many of the men would love to get away to the Man Camp, but are unable to afford it. If you would like to sponsor one or more men to be able to attend the retreat, click here to donate online or call our office at 909.944.5900. $135 Hope Again Scholarship

Retiro de Varones

October 23-25, 2015 / Time to Sign Up

PCN Retiro de Varones 2015

Don't miss this year's Men's Retreat in Spanish, Cristianismo Sincero, Hombres Reales y Sincero, with special guest speaker Juan Carlos "Rabito" Fern�ndez. Click on the video to see what it's all about. We host this retreat to equip, encourage and establish men in their Christian walk. Come on out and experience this great weekend developing new relationships and strengthening bonds of friendship.

$80 Saturday Only
$135 Basic Housing (bring your own sleeping bag/bunk beds)

$185 Deluxe Housing (bedding provided)

Women's Fall Retreats

Spanish Retreat: September 18-20, 2015
Calvary Chapel Conference Center, Murrieta, CA

Ana Mar�a Granados

We believe that God has been moving like He did with Esther as she came to the throne with a purpose. The theme that the Lord gave us for this year is: "The King and I," inspired by Esther 4:14. Our guest speaker is Ana Maria Granados whom we are bringing especially from El Salvador for the retreat. We look forward to this special time at the beautiful Hot Springs in Murrieta.

More information and registration

Noe'l Robbins

English Retreat: September 25-27, 2015

Pine Summit Camp & Conference Center, Big Bear Lake, CA

The English Retreat will also have the theme, "The King and I," and will feature speakers Noe'l Robbins and Vicki Smith. We hope you and your group will be able to attend as we purpose to slow down, find refreshment and see a new revelation of God in our lives during this beautiful weekend.

More information and registration.

	Interim Pastor

	Bethany Church On Sunday, August 30, Scott Foster was accepted as the Interim Pastor at Bethany Church in Long Beach. After going through a summer-long assessment process, Bethany was given the results and followed the recommendation that they should suspend the search for a senior pastor and focus on other priorities identified in the assessment. Scott has already been on staff at Bethany for a long time and was the Elder Board's obvious choice to step into this role to lead Bethany Church.

	Fantastic Youth Retreat

	*A Great Weekend* Pacific Church Network's Youth Camp took place over a sold-out weekend in August with 112 kids from Spanish-speaking churches attending. Josh Davalos led this English-language retreat held at Mile High Pines Camp. Three bands from three churches led the singing, and Emilio Núñez and Jim Smith were the main speakers. At least two kids got saved and many other spiritual decisions were made. The youth retreat is now three years old and continues to attract more and more young people. Next year the retreat will again be held at the end of August.

New Pastor in Norwalk

Welcome Pastor Yasmany Portillo

On August 16, Norwalk Missionary Baptist Church (Iglesia Bautista Misionera De Norwalk) voted to call Yasmany Portillo to be their Senior Pastor. Yasmany comes from Cuba where he also attended Bible School. On Sunday, August 23, Emilio Núñez, Pacific Church Network's Hispanic Ministries Director, spoke to a packed auditorium for Yasmany's installation service. We welcome Yasmany and Ana to Norwalk and the Pacific Church Network.

Thank You From Seed Church

Pastor Shaun Garman

Enjoy a video "thank-you note" from Seed Church in Ventura. Since 2012, with the help of our network members, we have planted 11 churches. At our Annual Meeting in January, we will announce four more church plants we will support in 2016. Our goal is 76 new churches by 2026!

Thanks for your support and for being a part of Pacific Church Network.

	A Christian Response to Homosexuality

	*Pacific Church Network Workshop in January 2016* Plan now to attend the Pacific Church Network free training event for its members on Tuesday, January 12, 2016. We have invited Dr. Christopher Yuan to speak on this subject. With the recent Supreme Court decision on marriage, homosexuality is a relevant issue of our day. Without any compromise of truth or grace, Dr. Christopher Yuan combines his life experiences with his training in the Bible in its original languages to bring a fresh and unique perspective on this sensitive issue. We are also privileged to have Dr. Yuan's parents speaking at the training. They will be sharing their own unique perspective and journey. More information and registration.

	Pacific Church Network Annual Meeting 2016

	January 31, 2016 Plan now to attend our 2016 Annual Meeting: January 31, 2016 Redemption Hill Church, Whittier, CA 3:45 pm - 8:30 pm Free meal Multiple workshops Robert Bishop, main speaker Network with other leaders Meet and hear from our current and new church planters Be inspired Be motivated Get new ideas Encourage others Information and Registration

	8 Second Filters

	Attention Span Shrinking What has been conventional wisdom is true: attention spans have been shrinking dramatically in recent years. More dramatically than most have realized. According to the research of the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the average attention span has dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to just 8.25 seconds in 2015. That's around a 25% drop in just over a decade. To put that into perspective, the average attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds. No, I did not make that up. We're .75 seconds less attentive than "Bubbles." Want to know how this fleshes itself out? I mean, after all, it's hard to figure out what 8.25 seconds of attention means in day-in, day-out life. So here are some more facts: Read more.

	Small Church Impact

	Helping Refugees in Budapest A small English-language church in Budapest, Hungary has unexpectedly started a ministry for refugees who have arrived in town and are living at a train station near their church. By giving these refugees water, clothes and food, they are reacting with compassion to a need and demonstrating the love of Jesus. What a great chance to be the hands of Jesus. Many refugees have walked for months....to get this far. This story is an inspiration for all churches. See video about refugees.

	Van Needed

	Reaching the Riverside Community By His Grace Community Church is doing great work in Riverside, reaching out to those in their community who need help. A van is needed to pick up people without transportation so they can come to church. With a limited budget, Pastor Jesse Mendez is looking for an opportunity to purchase or receive a donated van to meet this need. If you can help this PCN member church, please email Pastor Jesse at jessemmendez@yahoo.com.

	Worst Church Comments You've Heard

	*Strange and the Wierd* Recently Steve Engram, the Executive Director of our sister region, Southwest Church Connection, a part of CBAmerica, and pastor of Desert Spring Community Church in Goodyear, AZ, posted this article. "So what is the worse (best worse), horrific, stupid comment you have received in your ministry as a pastor? We all have heard them, the ones that just make you shake your head and wonder how anyone could actually think what they just said, let alone say it. I remember once that I was told I "ruined" communion because I had the audience get up, get the elements on their own instead of having them served by the men of our church. We had a lady tell our youth, who were worshiping with some of the lights turned down in the room, that God could not be worshiped that way because He was light! Huh? I am glad all the saints that worshiped Him before electricity didn't have to hear that one. Anyway, I am sure you have your comment stories too. Thom Rainer posted a list of 25 comments (along with his response comments) he received from real life pastors that I thought were both funny and encouraging - encouraging in that you realize that your crazies aren't THAT crazy. Hope you get some humor out of it, that it lightens your day. Read the list.

	Apologetic Book

	*Footprints of Faith* Dr. Brent Strawsburg, former PCN pastor, has just written Footprints of Faith, which addresses ten different topics with which everyone struggles. It will provide clear and helpful answers on topics such as: How To Disarm Your Doubts. Why Does God Allow Evil & Suffering? Is Belief in God Reasonable? Can You Trust the Bible? Feel free to contact Dr. Brent directly about ordering books for your church or to schedule him to speak on any of these topics at brent.strawsburg@gmail.com. His website is: brentstrawsburg.com.

	About Us

	Pacific Church Network 2520 N. Euclid Avenue Upland, California 91784 909-944-5900