AUG
2016

PACWEST
DIALOG
Your Friends
and Faith
Genesis Church of Antioch is reaching their community. See July 30 FB video.
 
What Do Your Friends Think About Your Faith?

Check out exceprts from a recent Christianity Today article:

     Americans who don't go to church are happy to talk about religion and often think about the meaning of life. They're open to taking part in community service events hosted at a church or going to a church concert.
     But only about a third say they'd go to a worship service, if invited by a friend. Few think about what happens after they die.
      Those are among the findings of a new online survey of 2,000 unchurched Americans from LifeWay Research and the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism....
     More than half of Americans who don't regularly go to church identify as Christians. They are mostly indifferent to organized religion, said LifeWay executive director Scott McConnell.
      "Unchurched Americans aren't hostile to faith," he said. "They just don't think church is for them."
     But even though they aren't interested in church, few of the unchurched are turned off by conversations about faith, said McConnell. 
Read the whole Christianity Today article.

Look for implications on how churches can plan, program and provide training to help church members reach their unchurched friends!

Yours for BetterGospelSharing,
David Yetter
Executive Minister

PacWest Prayer Requests and Happenings
 PacWest Day of Prayer is Tuesday, August 9 (tomorrow!)
 
Pray for strong gospel impact as churches ramp up their fall programs, outreaches and community engagement. 

Pray Pastor Martin Medina's ordination council is a rich and affirming time with the leaders of Iglesia Nuevo Pacto and the Valley LEAD Team tonight, August 8.

Pray for the South Bay LEAD Out Team's launch on Sunday, August 21, at 5:30 pm.  This is a pilot program seeking to provide added training and support for South Bay church leaders to bring greater health and growth over an 18-month period.

Ask the Lord to lead the PacWest Church Starting Team as they meet, August 25, and further their Strat Ops action plans.

Pray for the pastoral couples looking forward to the Hume Lake Retreat in September. This retreat was cancelled last year due to nearby fires.

Pray for all PacWest church leaders planning to attend the Church Board Retreat, October 28-29, at NewCov. Also pray for Gary McIntosh as he prepares to challenge and instruct our leaders.


Ask God to bring our BetterTogether dreams to reality:   
  • BetterGospelSharing, resulting in waves of people saved, baptized, and well-discipled
  • BetterChurchHealth, resulting in leaders and congregations fulfilling their God-given mission with joy and power
  • BetterPastorFitness, with pastors courageously leading, helped by God and a peer network
  • BetterChurchStarting, with established churches supporting life and community transforming church plants
  • BetterWorldImpact, resulting in the world seeing our good deeds--here, near, and far away--and glorifying the Father in heaven

Interested in Supporting Converge PacWest?  
Church Planting Pastor Bernard and Kim Emerson of Oakland

It's an exciting time partner with PacWest. Churches are being started and strengthened, leaders are being raised up, missionaries are being sent out, communities are seeing and hearing the gospel, and lives are being transformed! If you want to play a financial role in our mission, go HERE, and choose to whom and how you want to give!

We appreciate your partnership in seeing the glory of God and the gospel of Jesus proclaimed and lives transformed here, near and far away!

UPCOMING RETREATS AND TRAININGS  

Hume Lake Pastor's Retreat, September 19-22

Convivio 2016: Hispanic Fellowship of Churches, October 1, 10am-4pm in Tracy

Converge Pre-Con + Exponential West, October 3-6, in Los Angeles
Converge + Exponential
Converge + Exponential

Church Board Retreat, October 28-29, at NewCov, Fresno, with Gary McIntosh, trainer

 

Converge Transform Network Gathering, January 24-27, 2017, in Garden Grove, CA

Note: We've suspended our annual Pismo Pastors' and Wives' Retreat this year to encourage participation in Transform. Our intention is to offer our Pismo Retreat on years when Transform is on the East Coast (traditionally every other year).  

 

Women's Conference, February 3-5, 2017, in Monterey with Margaret Feinberg, speaker

 

Men's Retreat, March 10-12, 2017, at Mount Hermon

A resource for PacWest pastors...

We are pleased to announce that Converge PacWest has joined with QuietWaters Ministries to bring you the CareLine. 

 

 

 The CareLine is a professional and confidential consulting resource for Converge PacWest pastors and their families, provided free of charge. Twelve (12) hours a day, seven (7) days a week, the CareLine answering service puts you in contact with one of QuietWaters' licensed, doctor or master level counselors with personal experience in ministry to talk about a personal or congregational issue. The counselors provide assessment, consultation and referral when you have personal, congregational, or ministry concerns and problems. You simply call the toll-free number 888-814-5550.

 

Contact the PacWest office to find out more about the program. 

Converge PacWest's mission is to glorify God by starting and strengthening churches that transform lives and communities here, near, and far away.