 HOT NEWS CHURCHES TO HOLD IN PRAYER
Congregation to pray for this week: First Christian Church, Porterville; South San Joaquin Area; Pastor Joe Gentzler.
Congregation to pray for this week: Iglesia del Pueblo de Porterville, South San Joaquin Area; Pastor Heraclio Hernandez.
We will feature two congregations in each edition of the eNews. Please pray for their vitality, spiritual and numerical growth, their commitment to serving their neighborhood and their openness to the Spirit of God calling them into ministry in the 21st century.
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How do you say thank you?
Simple enough question often creating an initial response of either "I say 'thank-you.'" or "It depends."
If the response depends on something, what does it depend on? Does our gratitude depend on the measure of the significance of the gift received? Does our thankfulness depend on the person to whom we are giving thanks?
What if the "it depends" factor was put into the perspective of the greatest gift we could receive and the most wonderful giver of the gift?
Welcome to the Christmas Special Offering!
As you most likely already know, Christmas is the only special day offering (of which there are four: Easter, Pentecost and Thanksgiving) which stays 100% right here in CCNC-N to support the vast array of ministries that undergird the whole mission of our Region!
And as you most likely know, our Regional family has been remarkable in touching peoples' lives and transforming faith communities. AND, as you most likely know, our Regional family is being presented with so many opportunities to continue creating relevant and meaningful ministries for individuals and congregations. The list of how we make a difference is wonderfully long and filled with stories of new faith, re-awakened faith, and deeper faith. We have a great, great story to share...and with your help, we can and will.
Please consider giving generously to the Christmas Special Offering to continue the gift we received from an amazing God who came to earth to be with us.
Bill Garrett, Minister of Faith and Giving
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In case you missed the special e-news postcard last week, In a called meeting of the Executive Committee of the CCNC-N on Tuesday evening, Rev. Mary E. Jacobs of Tempe, AZ was unanimously called as the Transitional Interim Regional Minister (TIRM). Members of the TIRM Search Committee presented her as a candidate to the Executive Committee with great enthusiasm after many months of prayerful discernment.
Mary is a third generation Disciple of Christ and an ordained minister. She attended Texas Christian University and Pacific School of Religion. Mary was ordained in this Region in 1979, serving her first call as Co-Pastor of Vallejo First Christian Church with her husband Bill Jacobs from 1979 to 1984.
Since then she has served in a variety of ministries in Arizona. Mary was Co-Pastor Developer of the new church Desert Dove Christian Church for twelve years. She has also served in several Transitional and Interim Ministry positions for congregations in the midst of transition.
Mary's service to the Arizona Region and the General Church has been extensive. She has served on the General Board and also as the Moderator of the AZ region. Since 2001 she has been the chair of the AZ Regional Pro-Reconciling/Anti-Racism Committee. She also serves as the President of International Disciples Women's Ministry in a four year term that will conclude in 2014.
The TIRM Position will begin in January, with a one year contract that can be extended by the Regional Personnel Committee and the Executive Council until a new Regional Minister is called. In December Mary will be making arrangements to find a home in the Bay Area and will relocate during the first week of January. Mary's first day in the Regional Office will be January 7th. Bill will stay in AZ and continue to serve as the pastor of First Christian Church of Mesa.
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Earl Lectures and Leadership Conference, January 29-31, Pacific School of Religion.  "We are Family: Real Faith, Real Family in the Real World."
Featuring Margaret Farley, Stephanie Coontz, Miguel De La Torre and Barbara Essex. Learn about engaging ways to introduce Christian practices and rituals into your family life, attend a full-sensory worship design workshop with Marcia McFee, find out ways your church can partner with nonprofit organizations to support social justice work with the San Francisco Foundation, and network with scholars, activists, and other religious organizations. Also workshop tracks for clergy, parents, mental health professionals, and activists - more than 35 options to choose from! -- On Wednesday, January 30, there's a DSF Luncheon, from 12:15-1:45 pm. All Disciples are welcome! Please register online at www.psr.edu/earllectures. -- Also on Wednesday, from 3:15 to 4:15 pm, Jon Berquist (president of Disciples Seminary Foundation) is offering a workshop on "From Kinship to the Family of God: Families in Biblical Imagination." Plus: 15 BBS accredited CE contact hours, Theology on Tap, and a special showing of the film "La Mission" featuring a talk with writer/director Peter Bratt. Visit www.psr.edu/earllectures for more information.
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Youth and adults--Join Regional Youth Council!
Be inspired and be an inspiration!
Applications are being accepted for the Regional Youth Council 2013, both youth and adults. The application and recommendation forms are due no later than February 1st. All forms must be complete and into the regional office no later than Feb 1 or they will not be accepted. Because of the early Annual Gathering, applications are due earlier this year. Also, applicants will need to attend the Annual Gathering at least on March 2 if not the whole weekend. Applicants will be informed by phone after Feb Camp. The application can be found at http://www.ccncn.org/youth.htm and guidelines can be found at http://ccncn.org/ryc-guidelines-2013.pdf . Good Luck and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me: cccrafting@comcast.net. It should be a great year.
-Carl Cordes
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2013 SUMMER CAMP DATES (Grandparents and Me Sessions will not be held on July 4!) Community of the Great Commission Camps June 6-9- Adult Camp
June 23-29- Junior and ChiRho Camps
June 29-July 1- Grandparents and Me Session 1
June 30- July 6- CYF Camp
July 1-3- Grandparents and Me Session II June 23-28- South San Joaquin at Camp Pacifica ............................................. 2012 Phon-a-thon Update We're getting closer...and closer...and closer! Latest Results: - Donations Received - $24,870
- Pledged Amount - $28,315
If you remember, our original goal was $25,000. Because of your generosity we are so very close to reaching this goal. But, we also have the opportunity to go beyond that amount and reach an all-time high according to the pledges that have been made. And, in case you are wondering, the extra money will come in very, very handy to provide funding for many of our projects and ministries that are behind. So, that means we still need $3,445 to come in to reach our pledged amount. If you happen to be one of our almost-Phon-a-thon-givers why not fulfill your pledge today? You can either send your donation check into the Regional Office, or use our online option at http://ccncn.webconnex.com/2012phonathon (or just click on the red Phon-a-thon Donation button on this page and our website).  However you decide to send your donation, your support of the ministries of CCNCN is greatly appreciated! ............................................. New Church News!
At the most recent meeting of the New Church Committee, we interviewed and accepted three new congregations under care! Over the coming months, you will learn more about Iglesia del Caliz (church of the chalice) - a joint DOC/MCC church start in Watsonville, The Ubuntu Community - an intentional hip-hop community in Oakland, and All Soul's Church - a joint UCC/DOC church start in Napa. All three new ministries are exciting new experiments in creating faith communities and they need our prayers over the coming months and years.
We also received word that Primera Iglesia Cristiana de Fresno has decided that it is time to melt back into the body of Christ. Not every new church venture will live into the great dreams we have for them. But the experiment is never a failure! God is at work in Fresno and there is no telling what seeds have been sown and how God will bring forth the harvest.
Finally, we celebrated the joy of our first ever Unity Festival - held November 3rd in Lodi. It was a great event - inspiring, uplifting, and challenging. We demonstrated the first steps toward building relationships across the ethnic, geographic and theological diversity that is our Region. Many people in attendance commented how much they are looking forward to our next Unity Festival! When you see it advertised, make sure you get it on your calendar!
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UPCOMING REGIONAL EVENTS Raynor Park Christian Church is introducing a Scholarship in memory of Pastor Nordean Baxter. We are extending an invitation to you and your congregation to join us in the first annual Scholarship Musical: Saturday December 15, 2012 4-6:00 PM Raynor Park Christian Church 1515 Partridge Ave. Sunnyvale, Ca 94087. We are featuring The Leggett's and Linda Paulavich, along with several other Bay Area Artists. Long time radio Gospel Music hostess, Ms. Shelia Robinson, will be the Mistress of Ceremonies. We invite you and your congregation to come and join us in honoring the memory of Pastor Nordean Baxter. Call 408-736-8821 if you need more information. We look forward to seeing you there.
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 Young Adult Christmas Event 2012 Sat., Dec. 29, noon to Sun., Dec. 30, noon. Forest Hill Christian Church, 250 Laguna Honda Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94116 Register for $11 by Dec. 7: (1) Online at: https://ccncn.webconnex.com/2012yachristmasevent (2) Fill out this form and mail it with your $11 to: CCNC-N, 9260 Alcosta Blvd., # C-18, San Ramon, CA 94583-4143. Call Rev. Michael Carlson, Director of Young Adult Ministries, at 916-206-2468 with any questions. Thanks!
Check out the CCNC-N website and our FB page (facebook.com/groups/30684014515/) for more details.
.................................................................. ATTENTION ALL CLERGY Clergy Continuing Education Grant Application Process Due to DHM being in the process of migrating our website to a new provider, the Clergy Continuing Education Grant application process dates have changed. The application process will be open from December 1, 2012 - January 31, 2013 -- to receive requests from Disciples clergy seeking continuing education funds for programs/event/activities in 2013. Any Commissioned and Ordained Disciples Clergy with Standing may apply. The maximum possible award for any individual clergy will be no more than $500. Unfortunately, due to the economic downturn, block grants to regions or other Disciples groups will not be considered into the foreseeable future. Availability of individual grants will be dependent upon total number of applicants. Applications received during the Dec./Jan. application process, will be evaluated and considered during the month of February, 2013; final decisions regarding approved awards will be announced by Mid-March 2013, at the latest. No other applications will be accepted for 2013 outside of the process described above. Please send your application beginning December 1, 2012! (link "application" to www.discipleshomemissions.org/pages/CV-ContEd ............................................. SAVE THE DATE! A VERY SPECIAL MARTIN LUTHER KING CELEBRATION:
The region's Reconciliation Committee proudly announces a new CCNC-N MLK celebration
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Mills Grove Christian Church
Communicating Across Cultural Divides:
1-3PM, inspirational panel and workshops by people in our region who have done remarkable work around bridging cultural gaps
3-4PM, Repast (snacks and socializing)
4-5PM, Worship, including the honoring of our MLK scholarship recipient and our MLK Award recipient
Your whole congregation will both be educated and inspired by this unique event--don't miss out!
............................................. CYF FebCamp 2013, Grades 9-12 "Feb Camp 2013 will again be held at Camp Tuolumne Trails in Groveland. Rev. Jesse Kearns will be our keynote speaker this year. Good fun, good friends, good talks, good music and who knows maybe some good snow. Invite your friends. Registrations are due on February 9, 2013. If you would like more information, just let me know."--Carl Cordes, youth ministries, cccrafting@comcast.net. Saturday, February 16 @ 10am-Monday -
February 18 @ 11am
Camp Tuolumne Trails
22988 Ferretti Road, Groveland, CA
Cost: $160.00 youth; $140.00 adult
Registration deadline is February 9, 2013
Keynoted by Rev. Jesse Kearns
Directed by Carl Cordes Registrations and Medical Forms available
online at www.ccncn.org/youth Back to top | 
Per requests around the region,
