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Pacific Church Network
October 2016
To-Do Lists
Lately I have been extremely busy-- leaving the office at 8 p.m., speaking opportunities, sermon prep, training events, coaching times, meetings, phone calls, traveling, writing newsletters, etc... I am sure you have had seasons like that. And then your car battery dies one morning and it takes all morning to get it replaced. Yep. That happened two days ago. 
However, I'm getting through it all and I turned to a to-do list that is helping. I don't always use them, and I know some don't like them, but it helps me. Usually I have an envelope that was hanging around my house and I start writing things down, because I often come up with ideas while in the shower, so try to remember the thought long enough until I write it down. I sometimes scribble things down while waiting at a stoplight. Sometimes I reorganized them all on one piece of paper at the office and prioritize them. It feels good to scratch the things off the list that I got done. Hopefully you have a good system of getting things done, it not, try a to-do list. I don't want to hear Jesus say, 'You wicked and lazy servant!" (Matthew 25:23). Paul said, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord..." Colossians 3:23. God want us to use our time wisely, making the most of our time and working well in whatever we are doing. We try to make this newsletter worth your time.

Enjoy reading.  

Jim Smith
President
Pacific Church Network

 P.S. We still have two spots left on our Israel trip. Call our office at 909-944-5900.
 
Halloween Day Free Lunch
Join Dougg Custer from WorldVenture and Jim Smith to find out what is going on in the world around us and what you can do to be involved. Pacific Church Network is inviting church leaders to attend this free luncheon. PCN and WorldVenture recently reaffirmed their historical connections and expressed a mutual concern for making disciples of Jesus Christ in an ever increasing globalized world. Together, we desire to take steps to improve the communications, the coordination, and the cooperation among us. Join us on Monday, October 31 at 11:30 am for a free lunch at San Antonio Heights Community Church in Upland (2520 Euclid). We will be done by 1:00 pm. Register.
Temple Baptist Search Team 
Temple Baptist Fullerton has voted to allow Pacific Church Network to serve as their pastoral search team to find a candidate to be voted on by the church. This is one of the prescriptions the church received from PCN at the conclusion of an assessment of the church. The church voted to follow all the prescriptions which, prayerfully, will help bring health and growth to this strategically located church.
PCN Seminary Classes Begin teacher_helping_adults.jpg
Eight classes are up and running this fall with about 65 students in attendance. We have six classes in Southern California and two in the Phoenix area. One class costs only $100. Classes in SoCal are located in Norwalk, Bell Gardens, West LA, Riverside, Montebello and Lakewood. In Arizona, classes are held in El Mirage and Mesa. Our seminary director, Emilio Núñez, mentioned that this is one of highest enrollments in recent years and he is expecting it to 
continue to increase.  
You can view our Spanish
language classes on our
New City's new location in San Diego
With a growing church, our PCN church
plant in San Diego, New City, needed to find more space. This summer they moved to Roosevelt Middle School near the San Diego Zoo, which has given them more space, better parking and added classrooms for the children's ministry. Pastor Vince Larson and his team continue to share the gospel with the people in the downtown San Diego area and are excited to partner with Pacific Church Network.
One Bad Dude
"My name is Bob Ishkanian. I am presently a CBAmerica Chaplain (PCN supports CB Chaplaincy) serving the inmates at Charlotte Correctional Institution in Punta Gorda, Florida. This is a maximum security level prison and we have some 'bad dudes' here. Many of the men here are in for life.
I have been working with one of the worst of the worst. This fellow, let's call him Bill, is a retired military officer who became an enforcer for the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. Murder was his game. When they arrested him, he had 17 loaded handguns and one sawed off shotgun on him, not in his car or in his room, but directly on him. Bill said he didn't like to reload, that it was too much trouble. I told him he didn't need a bullet proof vest because wherever he might have gotten shot, the bullet would have hit a gun! Read more
Youth Retreat
On September 9-11, 117 youth and leaders traveled up to Pine Summit for a great weekend retreat. Forty-five youths recommitted their lives to Christ while at camp!! We thank Stephany Bustos and her wonderful team for planning an amazing weekend. Plans are already in the works for another fantastic youth retreat next year.
Transformation
Pastor Paul Taylor and the entire church family is excited about the recent improvements at Montebello Christian Fellowship. The church was blessed with a gift designated to improving their facilities. After more than 40 years of the same red carpet, the church recently was able to install new carpet in their sanctuary and it made a markedly strong improvement! A new sound system, video projector and paint have also helped to give this growing church a fresh and modern look and feel.
The Great Date Night - February 25, 2017
Sometimes in marriage we forget that we need to pursue and"woo" our spouse. So PCN wants to give you a great opportunity to make a wonderful memory with your spouse, plus we value strong marriages and want to provide opportunities to strengthen them. This is one of those opportunities. 
We will provide a helpful and beneficial afternoon marriage workshop with Jim and Vicki Smith, and Brian and Chandra Howard. Both couples have four children and have been in ministry for decades. They will give you some practical guidelines to strengthen your marriage. After the workshop, relax and emotionally connect with your spouse by talking about what you learned during your afternoon with a fantastic, memorable evening meal somewhere special, memorable and fun. We are pretty sure you won't forget this event. Saturday, February 25, 2017. Cost is $75. It's well worth it!
more information
Uptown Whittier
Partnering with PCN in 2013, Redemption Hill Church in Whittier planted their first campus church in the uptown area of Whittier. Today, they are renting an entire building from a Korean church, which has allowed them to remodel the gymnasium with new lighting, stage, flooring and more. They are averaging 125 people and continue to add more every week. Pastor Joaquin Garcia recently baptized six believers! Good things are happening! 
A Wonderful Spanish Women's Retreat 
On September 16-18, 169 Spanish-speaking women crowded into the meeting room at Murrieta Hot Springs Conference Center for a wonderful weekend of fellowship, spiritual growth and relaxation. Pasty Mazariegos from Calvary Baptist Santa Barbara (Iglesia Bautista El Calvario), and her team did a fantastic job of organizing this retreat. They continually added more ladies until they reached the maximum available space at the conference center. Many women rededicated their lives to Christ over the weekend.
Man Camp Report
From our evaluation cards, one man commented, "fantastic, amazing weekend, this is my second year and I love it!" Great things were happening in the lives of the 142 men who attended the PCN Man Camp at Pine Summit in Big Bear Lake, CA. Many decisions were made to renew relationships with God and others. At least six men gave their lives to Jesus!
Your Website is Important
We have had recent requests for this information on website design, so here is the article reprinted from our July newsletter.

Technology and design styles change quickly and so too can the focus of your church. It is important that your website remains current with these changes and that your church is getting the most out of the new online opportunities that are available. Sometimes there can be a reluctance to outlay the expense of a new website design; however, if done well, redesigning your website can be a high return on investment. For Pacific Church Network members, Drew Moore Design will help you design or overhaul your website. 
Regularly $2,700, enter PCN in the promo code box and they will completely overhaul or design your website for only $1,500. Look for the jump start package (logo, social media, website). Click here for more information.
Year-End Giving Guide 
Cornerstone Pastors Network is a great resource for pastors and we are partnering with them next year to host a one-day workshop called "Creating An Atmosphere of Generosity" on Tuesday, February 7, 2017. The workshop will be lead by Brad Leeper, President of Generis who will be on a free resource call hosted by Cornerstone on October 20. Pastors often have mentioned that time with Brad Leeper has been a game changer for them. Many pastors have downloaded the free Ebooks that Generis makes possible through Cornerstone Pastors Network website. Generis is on the cutting edge but dedicated to helping pastors see their people transform spiritually when it comes to giving. Please take advantage of this great resource from CPN and Generis.
Evangelism Initiative For All To Consider
Mark Ambrose, Lead Pastor of our PCN church in San Clemente, 
Pacific Coast Church, mentioned his church launched an evangelism initiative that has been taking off in their area. People are engaged, asking questions and coming to Christ. Pacific Coast Church is now extending this opportunity to any PCN church that would want to partner with them. The idea can be seen on this new website called PromoteGrace.com and it can be used by any English-speaking church around the world. Essentially what is done is to connect a random act of kindness (i.e. an act of grace that is unexpected and unearned) to God's ultimate act of kindness and grace on the cross. This is done through the website.
So the way it works is someone would do something nice for someone else that they weren't expecting (i.e. buy a stranger coffee behind you in Starbucks, leave a generous tip, etc.). Then you just hand or leave behind a business size card that says promotegrace.com. (The printable cards are available on the PG website.) That's it! No further discussion, no talk about God, church, or anything. What they have seen is that the intrigue of no discussion motivates people to check out the website to see what it's all about. Once they log on, the website is where the connection is made to the cross. At that point, people have an opportunity to submit a question or to even respond to the Gospel. When PG receives their contact information, they would then forward it to any partnering churches in their area for follow up. For example, they are partnering with a church in Clovis, CA. If they get any submissions from the Clovis area, they will be forwarded to that partnering church.
Human Resources One-Day Boot Camp
Hosted by ChurchWest Insurance Services, a good resource for PCN churches, this one-day workshop is a great place to get the quick and dirty details on the latest in ministry-focused best practices for human resources. HR Boot Camp 2016 will take place October 25-27 and November 8-10 at one of six locations across California. This event is an important training day, only held once a year, that covers the biggest HR and operations risks faced by ministries in California.
Most churches find out about their HR and legal issues through litigation. By then it's too late; the damage is done! Start defending your ministry right now by attending this event. They'll cover church-related HR and operations risks - the type of risks that are exclusively faced by churches just like yours.
Find out more
Christian Fellowship Gets New Pastor
Christian Fellowship Church in Simi Valley is excited to announce that God answered their prayers for a new pastor. Pastor Willie Baradas has accepted the invitation to be their pastor. Pastor Willie and his family have lived in the area for a short time since moving to the US. He previously served in ministry in the Philippines. We welcome Pastor Willie, his wife Rebecca, and their two children, Ben and Scarlet!
Pastor & Wife Getaway
Pacific Church Network values our lead pastors! Every year we host a free getaway for lead pastoral couples in Laguna Beach. This upcoming event is already full, but you can pray for your pastor and don't forget that October is pastor appreciation month.
Thanks for reading our newsletter.
 
Sincerely,
 

Jim Smith
President