September 2016
Date Nights
Necessary Appointments

Wow, we have been busy this summer, and the fall seems even busier. You would think that with an empty nest, Vicki and I would have lots of opportunities for date nights! In the month of August, we had guests at our house or we were away from home 22 days! Then those few days left, we just wanted to rest and not leave the house. In fact, it's on one of those evenings that I wrote this newsletter. However, we did schedule ourselves to get out of the house and go on a few dates, like a Cubs/Dodgers game (Cubs won!), a movie and just walking through Victoria Gardens shopping center near our home. It's still one of those things we have to work at and plan, no matter how busy we are--but it's worth it. "Rejoice in the wife of your youth." Proverbs 5:18.

Jim Smith
President
Pacific Church Network
Get Away at a Fall Retreat
5 Retreats this fall

-Our youth retreat is sold out! We thank all those who are planning this exciting weekend at Pine Summit September 9-11.
-The Spanish Women's Retreat scheduled for the following weekend, September 16-18, has been growing. They have asked for additional room three times, and fortunately, Murrieta Hot Springs has had some extra availability. However, they are reaching maximum capacity.
-The English Man Camp, September 23-25 has rooms available. It seems the men wait for the last month to sign up. Well, that time has come. With about 60 men already signed up, hurry to register in order to get your choice of deluxe or dorm housing. Register now.
-The English Women's retreat is September 30-Ocotober 2. This is almost full as well, but there are a few spots available.
-Our Spanish Men's Retreat at Pine Summit is October 14-16 with a chance to enjoy the cooler mountain air.  

-All retreats can be found on our website.
Baptisms at Branches
2016 Church Plant in La Habra

On Sunday, August 14, our PCN church called Branches Church OC had a very exciting day. They had the opportunity to baptize 4 men and had 86 people in church to celebrate their baptisms. Not only that, but they even had a baby dedication during the same service. Pastor Israel Gomez took the opportunity to explain why they believe in full immersion during believer baptisms. He writes, "This weekend was a big deal to us because we only launched a public worship service this past March. We are new and we are so grateful for what God is doing around us and in our midst--that God changes hearts so these people would respond to the good news of the gospel. We look forward to witnessing more about what our great God is doing."
Israel Trip Openings
Don't wait to sign up

Our Pacific Church Network trip to the Holy Land has, for a limited time, four spots available. The total cost is $3,598.00, which includes the airfare from LAX, hotels, breakfast and supper each day, plus three lunches including St. Peter's Fish Lunch by the Sea of Galilee. It also covers all entrance fees to basic sites, an English-speaking Israeli tour guide, a personal headset system, post departure travel protection plan and all other tour-related expenses, including tips and taxes! You don't have to worry about tipping the guide, bus driver, servers, or hotel employees. Only four spots available. You may go to our website to sign up or call us at 909.693.2424.
Good News for Higher Education
Senate Bill 1146 was Amended

Update: SB 1146 has been amended to address the significant concerns about its encroachment on religious liberty in California higher education. Though some concerns remain as to the legality of certain disclosure requirements in the updated bill, we are pleased that SB 1146 no longer removes the rights of faith-based institutions to freely exercise their religious mission as provided under current law. The new amendments also preserve Cal Grant access for students wishing to attend faith-based institutions.
We thank Senator Lara for his willingness to listen to the concerns of many Californians and amend this bill to protect students while preserving religious freedom. full update
Full House at Workshop
Growing Healthy Congregations a big hit

On Tuesday, August 23, Paul Borden led a one-day workshop for PCN. The room was filled with church leaders anxious to get some practical advice from a seasoned church consultant. They were not disappointed. Some of the comments were, "Simple, straight to the point, very informing." "Informative, insightful, funny, inspirational." "Outstanding!" Many left with very concrete action plans for the coming school year at their church. Our next free workshop will be "Creating a Culture of Generosity in Your Church."  Mark Tuesday, February 7, down on your calendar for this one. Don't miss it.
Helping Kids in Oahu
Reaching Out to their Community
 
Victory Aiea, one of our 2015 church plants, is using many new opportunities to engage their community. They want to be a church in Aiea for Aiea. They want to serve their community with the gospel and in works. As school approached this year, they reached out to two elementary schools and asked them if they had students who might need help with school supplies. To their surprise, both schools were able to quickly identify students in need. They gave backpacks full of school supplies to a total of 30 students! A second opportunity to serve the community arose as they arranged to show a movie to the neighborhood kids at the rec center. They served hot dogs, snacks, and drinks. About 75 kids came to the event. Pastor Dane writes, "we continue to see the gospel growing in the lives of our members. God has gathered a great group of believers who understand who He is and the mission that He has called His people to."
Great Sorrow at WorldVenture
Death of Missionary Appointees

WorldVenture appointees Jamison and Kathryne Pals, along with their three children, Ezra (3 yrs), Violet (23 mos), and Calvin (2 ˝ mos), were killed in a multi-vehicle crash on Sunday, July 31. The Pals were traveling in their van from Minnesota to Colorado to participate in their final training before deploying to serve as missionaries in Japan, when their van was struck by a semitrailer truck in Nebraska. WorldVenture is in the CB family which includes Pacific Church Network, CB Global and other regions here in the USA. WorldVenture started in 1943 as the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society. Today, with more than 500 missionaries in 63 countries, WorldVenture is still expanding the harvest, taking the love of God to the nations. It is their vision to see people of all nations transformed by Jesus Christ through partnership with His church. read more
International Church Flooded
Tropical Storm Floods Sanctuary

The usually sunny and perfect weather in Hawaii changed it's tune for a day last month. On Sunday, July 24, Tropical Storm Darby hit Honolulu pretty hard in the late afternoon and evening. The creek that runs along International Church property and then runs through a large pipe under their parking lot became clogged with debris, backed up and then proceeded to flood their parking lot and entire first floor, including the sanctuary. Read about how they are recovering here.
Pokemon Go
ChurchWest Insurance Service helpful article

If you do see more folks around the church campus this week, you can thank the global phenomenon known as Pokémon Go for that. Pokémon Go is a new mobile game app for phones running Android and iOS that uses something called Augmented Reality (AR) as part of its game play. Augmented Reality involves using a cell phone's camera and GPS signals to capture a live image of the area in front of you. Next, the game overlays an interactive virtual world over that image which contains different objectives you can complete. Think low-tech virtual reality. How does this affect your church? Read more
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Tax-free Retirement Savings Strategy
Retirement Option

Warren Garrett is the son of Bishop William Garrett, Pastor of "The Way, the Church" in Los Angeles. He has a heart for pastors and their ministries. He just helped his dad set up an Index Universal Life insurance retirement account, and as a Transamerica Licensed agent, he would be happy to answer any retirement questions you may have and assist you to set up a retirement account like he did for his father.  
warrengarrett.tfa@gmail.com or call 310.948.5656
Earthquake in Myanmar
CBGlobal Pastor's Prayer Request
 
Pacific Church Network is a member of CBGlobal. One of our pastors in Myanmar asked for prayer. The earthquake on August 24 destroyed mostly the pagodas and old temples in Bagan, a popular tourist town in Myanmar. In all, 185 pagodas were damaged. He writes "I believe that this may be a door of opportunity for us to share the Gospel about the living God. Please pray for us so that we can visit there and share the good news, so that the people may come to know who is the true God. Thank you for your prayer for the victims and for their spiritual life."
Fullerton Assessment
Pacific Church Network working with Temple Baptist

We do it every day, assess the condition of our health, car, finances, etc. With the retirement of Pastor Joe LoMusio, Temple Baptist has made a wise decision to ask PCN to take them through an assessment process. The value of assessments can be found in Scripture. Proverbs 27:23 tells us, "Know well the condition of your flock, and pay attention to your herds." Throughout the month of August, PCN has taken a church-wide survey, held several focus group interviews and participated in an on-site visit. We look forward to helping them take the next steps towards understanding the needs of their church and helping them map out the best direction as they look toward finding their next pastor.
Canned Food Needed
Hope Again in Hollywood

Hope Again is a Christian transitional housing program that works to end homelessness by providing food, counseling, temporary housing and, most importantly, sharing the gospel of Jesus. They are located just off Sunset Boulevard and currently are in need of some food items. If you or your church could hold a food drive for Hope Again, they would greatly appreciate it and will even come out to your church to pick the items up. For further information click here.
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Millennials More Abstinent
New Study Results

On August 3, LifeSiteNews published an interesting article on the growing practice of abstinence before marriage. The article writes, "Think Millennials are the most sexually active generation in history? Think again, say the authors of a new study released on Monday.
The number of young adults born in the 1990s who report they are not having sex is more than twice as high as it was for the Baby Boomer generation, a sign they have learned from the fallout of the sexual revolution, experts tell LifeSiteNews. The study found that 15 percent of Millennials aged 20-24 said they had not had sex since age 18, more than those born in the late 1960s (six percent), 1970s (11 percent) or 1980s (12 percent). That is lower than their fellow Millennials born in the previous decade."
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Did You Know? 
Fast Facts you may never use

-While conversion is considered apostasy in Islam, more than 90,000 Muslims have come to know Jesus in the last 6 years in Bangladesh.
 
-29% of U.S. mothers are stay-at- home moms.
 
-People who drink 7 cups of water a day consume an average of 205 fewer calories than those who drink just the average 4 cups.
 
-The average person makes approximately 5,000 decisions each day.
Contact:
Pacific Church Network
2520 North Euclid Avenue  |  Upland, CA 91784
909.944.5900