The CCC Anchor
September 2006

The Latest News for Clayton Community Church




Can God Really Heal Something Broken?

Pastor Shawn Robinson

Several years ago when I was a youth pastor (OK, many years ago), I was at an amusement park with a group of kids and happened to spend some time in the “glass blowing” shop. You know the place. Everyone watches the “craftsman” heat up a piece of glass and then mold it into some kind of beautiful figurine.

What caught my attention was a little girl who had entered the shop cautiously holding a bag. She timidly presented it to the shopkeeper and asked “Can you fix it?”

He carefully removed a beautiful glass unicorn from the bag which had somehow broken it’s horn. I was surprised and pleased by what he said next. “Sure I can honey” was the quick reply. But then he said something I will never forget. “You know it was smart of you to bring this to me, because I was the one who created it. I know how it’s put together, so I can hold it under the flame without hurting it. Once it’s heated up and pliable, I can easily re-attach this horn. In fact, when I am done working on it, your unicorn will be even stronger than before. I’ll even add a few special touches to make it even more valuable!”

I don’t know if the little girl recognized the correlation, but I was in awe of this holy comparison.  You see, this is our story.  We come to God as fragile people, unable to repair our damaged lives. Yet our God carefully takes us out of hiding. He holds us under the fire (because he knows how much heat we can take), but instead of leaving us in our broken condition, he molds us into something new, stronger and more beautiful than ever before.

The best part of this story however, was the face of the little girl when he handed the newly  “repaired” figurine back to her. For now, on the top of the unicorn was a brightly colored pair of wings! She was now holding a flying Pegasus in her hands!

You see once we are in the hands of the creator, he makes us stronger so we can soar!

As I look across our church each Sunday there are times when all I see are broken, hurting people. Yet however sad this first appears, I believe with all my heart that God can restore someone who is broken and make them whole.

That’s why I’m grateful to be sharing the story of Joseph on Sundays for September and October. Even though he is broken, hurt and confused, God holds on tightly to Joseph. Through the heat of trials, Joseph is molded into a man of God whose life lessons equip him perfectly to save many lives. Instead of becoming bitter, he is given wings to soar! At the end of the story, Joseph is able to proclaim to those who hurt him, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:19-20)

Joseph saw that this incredible life transformation came, not through will-power, charisma, or determination, but through the presence of God in his life. My prayer is that you will allow God to take a hold of you and mold you into something that can be even stronger and more beautiful than before!

- Shawn

From the Desk of Scott Downing

Pastor Scott Downing

To the left I saw what finally appeared to be an open store.  Like the sun nestled near the horizon, the Wal-Mart sign rose above the tops of the cars and cabs of trucks stationed in its vast parking lot.  By now, I couldn’t believe the sense of relief thinking I could stop and get a case of water and maybe a towel for someone who had left theirs behind.

I circled the edges of New Orleans.  Skimming along west St. Bernard Highway in Chalmette, passing Ferry Landing Road where east meets west, as far as the St. Bernard highway is concerned.  It mattered little what side of the van I looked.  Nothing was open.

I thought of the franchise fairs some family attended—signing up for 70 hours a week to make a fast-food drive through the cornerstone of their emerging fortune.  Over there, to the right was a small store that served the community near Borgnemouth Park.  Not so much a store as a place to gather, to talk, to sip a coke or beer and let the humidity wash over you like a heated political conversation.

It was closed.  No one stood near its boarded doors and spoke about the oil companies that ran their rigs and pipes like a border separating the land and Gulf.  No one talked about the upcoming Saints season and the big money that would never make it down on this end of town.

Someplace had to be open: some fast-food joint, some storefront.  But on this drive, little community followed little community in the flood’s insatiable foreclosure.  Damage vengeanced itself on shack and store, on bar and booth, on property and person.

Mile following mile.  Following mile.

The political turf of Wal-Mart meant little as I pulled into the parking lot filled with people and vehicles.  I could already taste the cold water and hear the ice breaking against itself as I would sway the cup in my hand.

My mother is from Louisiana.  As was my brother, sister and me.  My dad, who lies at rest in the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery, was born in Arkansas.  Louisiana was where we lived until we migrated west to the Golden State.

Now, with no real particular attachment to New Orleans, I drove among its ruins and sensed a deep loss, a personal vacancy.  It was presumptuous of me to even entertain these emotions.  My loss was emotive, moved at the site of such disaster.  Who wouldn’t drive these same streets and be awed and humbled at the wasteland stretched out before them?

My loss may have tapped into a deep reservoir of belonging, of place, of beginnings.  But the loss of those that looked rising waters in the eye and witnessed homes floating and bodies bobbing; those that lost the place to lay their heads at night and kiss their children in the morning as they readied for school – I felt I had no place to stand and weep in light of their tragedy and pain.

My thirst was to be denied.  Even the mighty Wal-Mart no longer slashed prices for the extra-large package of toilet paper or the open-toed slippers.  There is was: the orange ‘X’ painted on its southern wall.  X was ubiquitous.  Filled in quarters that spoke of search dates and teams, bodies found or not: the oval zero told anyone who still looked that the search had come up empty.  Zero never looked so good or was worth so much, I figured.

St. Bernard’s Parish offices had co-opted the lot and placed trailers on it for Parish services.  Food, insurance claims, medical needs – services that struggled to meet the massive needs brought about by a few days rain and a few levees failures.  Nothing would be the same.

As I turned the van out to get back on the road and head to back to North Claiborne Avenue, I realized why I was so responsive to the devastation around me.  Part was a sense of loss in the State of my birth and still the residence of many of my family.  But there was something else . . .

It is something to stand around a woman who sits on her front lawn weeping.  Our crew was there to remove all her tangible memories.  The ones in her heart would remain, but even they were stained now, the toxic flood waters having crept into her soul as effectively as her living room.  She wept for all things lost and the apparent hopelessness of the present.  She wept for neighbors in Houston and Dallas and Alabama.  She wept because her grandmother had Alzheimer’s and couldn’t understand what happened.  She wept because there was really little else she could do but surrender her groaning before a crowd from Clayton.

The Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans was used to weeping.  This was a tough part of town.  The South side of Chicago.  Hunter’s Point in San Francisco, or the Western addition.  North Philadelphia.  East Palo Alto.  But here in the South, poor seems poorer than poor elsewhere.  Relentlessly poor and almost impossible to break out of its grip.  Here, over the years, thousands of women have collapsed on their front lawn or stoops or doorways and sowed tears into the soil of suffering and loss.

Now we watched as the ground resisted yet more moisture poured upon it.  All we could do is let her do this; let her be ravaged by an unspeakable hurt.

Then we set to task.  Ripping and tearing and pulling and prying and hammering and hitting and lifting and carrying and throwing and choking.  We set to task because if there was any hope of recovery for this house, for this one woman and her child and Alzheimer’s grandmother, it would begin here with us.  It would start by our stripping away all that remained.  Every photo, every report card, every crayon-outlined hand affixed to kitchen appliances.  Pots and pans and lamps and books and pictures and dresses and towels and soaps and bottles and plates and figurines and brushes and tile and walls and desks and pianos and baskets.

The cockroaches formed militias to fend off this injurious attack but they reacted too little, too late.  The sheetrock gave way and the bathroom tiles tried one last hold to the plaster beneath.  All to no avail.  It all went until there was no more to be brought out.  The skeletal structure remained, but the muscle, the organs, the arteries had all been removed.

Piled high outside sat the debris of 60 years.

I looked down the street and saw only a few places that were trying to do something.  The Humvees of the National Guard patrolled streets that looked like war torn Iraq.

Even to rebuild meant living in a place where no community was present.  No store was open.  No restaurant served.  No church offered weekly meetings. One thing: your neighbors were quiet.

I stepped out into an intersection and looked up and down the street.  Only a few here and there were making any effort.  So complete was the destruction, so questionable the recovery.

Then it hit me more fully.  It wasn’t only the loss of this one house and this one family.  It was the utter demolition of an entire community.  Two or three nights before Katrina there had been a populated, crammed, and rumble-tough people.  Then, on one Tuesday morning, ALL of that changed.  All of it.

We worked a field and three young men approached us.  It was so hot and humid, and we were doing the work of hacking through eight or ten-foot weeds.  “Are you guys being paid for this?”

I went over to the three.  “No, we’re volunteers just helping out.”

“You aren’t getting paid?  We need a job.  Do you know anyone paying?”

There really was no place for them to work.  They were in an area where all the traditional avenues teenagers would have for work were gone. 

No doubt, this machete wielding would not have attracted their hopes of wages in days prior - - but now there was nothing else.  And even this was not paying.

All community was gone.  The infrastructure that allows us to go out for dinner and a movie was gone.  The little entry job that hints at future responsibility while providing enough for a burger and an old car was gone.  The potato salad and punch at the church pot-luck was gone.

When Connie collapsed to the ground and wept all she had were strangers to console her.  Her neighbors of her own thirty some-odd-years were gone.  She stood for a picture with her new friends.  She smiled a beautiful smile that reflected an appreciated help when so little had been offered by the city powers.  The outside of the hose looked pretty good, but inside it was completely bare.  I knew when we left Connie would have to return to the inside.

And that’s the real base of my sense of loss.  To stand among thousands of homes that are empty now, but yesterday bore life and sorrow, joy and struggle, hope and tragedy is deeply, significantly sorrowful.

Then God whispered. 

“Do you sense the unequivocal need of community?  Do you see the wrecked results of community lost?  What will you do about this when you go home?”

The question was not about New Orleans.  It was about Clayton.  What would I do about Community in Clayton?

In the Apostle Paul’s comments to the elders of the church at Ephesus, he lets them know they will never see him again.  He is going to Jerusalem and he is letting them know things will be tough.  But he warns them that when he leaves there will be those who will seek to damage them, to destroy their community.

He tells them: “Now I'm turning you over to God, our marvelous God whose gracious Word can make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.” Acts 20:32 (The Message)

This community of holy friends.

We have been turned over to God, each one of us.

Paul’s prayer bears the echoes of the masterful intercession of Jesus in John 17.  Space here is too limited, but your Bible publisher has allowed appropriate room for it.  Jesus prays:

“I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name — the name you gave me — so that they may be one as we are one.” John 17:11 (NIV)

When I stand outside my condominium I do not see the destruction of wood and plaster.  I stand amidst an infrastructure that is intact, with power and water.  Just over to my left come the sounds of world-famous artists plying their trade at the Pavilion.  I ease into Safeway and slide my red card for the discounts offered to all who belong to the community of Safeway savings.  Community sustains what I do everyday.

But I am not without understanding that behind these walls and in these stores there is a real and deep need for authentic community: a community of holy friends.  A needed belonging.

There are many types of floods and levee breaks.  All wash away that which is precious.

I sensed God was calling CCC to a new level of commitment.  Repair the levees; restore the seawalls, establish community.

What that means and how that works will always be rooted in the lower 9th Ward of NOLA.  But it will be lived in the neighborhoods of Clayton and Concord, Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek, Pittsburg and Pacheco.  In your neighborhood.  And in mine.

And I can’t wait.


May God bless and keep you by the power of His name.

In His merciful care:

Scott Downing


SMALL GROUP LEADERSHIP

CCC has quite a few small groups that meet throughout the week in locales all over the Valley.  There are people in CCC who want to know of all the groups – and my last list is not complete.  I need your help!

First, we have a small group leadership meeting on Saturday, October 21, 8:30 – 10:00 am.

At this meeting we want to accomplish several things:

1. A picture of all small group leaders.  I will have a camera to take the pictures – but only you can provide your face!  Please bring your face with you to this meeting.

2.  We want a current catalogue of all small groups, along with meeting times, locations, contact numbers and topic of study.  Are there any age, life-stage or gender qualifications for your study?  Please list them (ie; Men who wear only gray and are no less than 20 years of age while no more that 20.2 years of age).

3.  We want to talk about open enrollment for small groups. By this I mean a time of public awareness of the small groups along with a visible presence on a few Sunday mornings where people can meet and talk with you prior to, between and following Sunday gatherings.

4.  We will have some tips for actual small group interaction and material on facilitating the personalities within a group.

THE CAMPUS IS IN SESSION!

Please take the time to go by the Welcome or Life Development tent an pick up a brochure of the Campus classes being offered this quarter.

Classes offered:

Times, locations and topical synopsis can all be discovered in the brochure.

Greetings from Worship Arts

Patti Engle

We spend much of the summer worshiping with a smaller team, taking our vacations, and enjoying a slower pace for a change.  One of the highlights of our summer is getting to know one another’s families at our annual Team Retreat.  We spend three days on Lake Tulloch, boating, jet-skiing, cooking, and camping together. Committing to one another in friendship has always been the heart of this team, and we have done this through scheduling bonfires, pool parties, park days, and small group prayer and discussions.

 

This year we are once again opening up the vocal team to new team members, but one change will be the breaking up of our season into two parts.   The first season will run from our first rehearsal on August 29th to Christmas Eve.  If you’ve ever contemplated being a part of the vocal team but didn’t feel you could commit to joining us for an entire year, perhaps you’d be interested in trying it out for this Fall season.  Our time commitment is once again Tuesday nights.  We practice from 7:00-8:30 one week and 7:00-9:00 the next.   Anyone in high school or older is welcome to be a part and we’d love to talk to you about joining if you’re interested.  Contact Patti Engle at 827-2108, or pmengle220@astound.net for audition and additional information.

 

Five17 High School Ministries

Pastor Rick Nylund

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
(Second Corinthians Five17)

What an incredible summer we have had in Five17! It seems like we spent the entire summer on some sort of body of water. From Broom Hockey on the Ice to the Capitola Beach to Wakeboarding on the Delta to our summer finale, Whitewater Rafting Trip, it’s been a great time to make new friends and enjoy God’s amazing creation. One highlight for me was sitting under those amazing stars at our American River campground as Ryan Richey and Danny Butler led us in worship for the first time!

As we look ahead to the next school year, there are some specific goals we have in mind for Five17. While small groups have always been a core value for student ministries, this year we really want to see every student part of a consistent small group. In order to improve our small group experience we are going to modify our Thursday night format after meeting at our normal time in September.

Beginning in October, students who commit to joining a small group will go directly to their group’s host home at 6pm. Then those students who wish to engage with the whole group for worship and games will then meet at the CCC Office (transportation provided) from 8-9pm (pick-up will then be at 9pm at the Office). We really believe this new format will improve the consistency, depth and value to being in a small group while still experiencing worship and fellowship together as the Five17 family!

* * *


We are looking forward to another amazing year in Five17 as we welcome a new freshmen class into our fold: The Class of 2010!

We are blessed to have some wonderful additions to our Ministry Staff this year in Nichole Diehl, Andrea Terwillger, Roberta Snow, Jackie Ferguson & Rod de la Sotta! Returning to our incredible team are: Donna Richey, Jenn Bukowinski, Liza & Courtny Cota, Chip Bishop, Roland Engle, & Ed Cleland.

We have lots of exciting events and activities coming up this year…here’s a few important dates to mark on your calendar:

September 14                    Thursday Nights Resume (Normal Schedule)
                                          7-9pm at CCC Office

 

September 30                    “My Superhero!” Guys Night Out

                                          Hosted by the Ladies of Five17

October 5                          Thursday Night Small Groups Begin

                                          6pm    Small Group at Host Home

                                          8-9pm Large Group at CCC Office

October 20                        City Team Service Night

October 28                        TV Character Costume Party

November 10-12              Five17 Neighborhood Retreat

Coming Winter 2007

10th Annual Ski Frenzy

Feb. 22nd – 25th


Look for event flyers with all the details coming soon!

In Christ’s love,

Rick Nylund

Pastor of Student Ministries

673-2163; rick.nylund@claytoncc.com

 

Children's Ministry

Through Different Eyes

Joan Wright

We are so blessed, yet sometimes we wonder where God is in our everyday lives.  My mom wrote this a while back and it can show us all that if we look through the eyes of a child we can see how His wonder is always around us all we have to do is be willing to look.

This morning my grandson and I were off to get stickers for his birthday invitations. As we were leaving, my husband reminded me that we needed a loaf of bread. Figuring that the grocery store would be the most boring for an almost five year old, I opted to go there first.  As we pulled into the parking lot Jacob murmured from the backseat, “I don’t think I have ever been to this Safeway. I smiled as I walked around the car to get him from his car seat in the back.

Once inside I asked if he wanted to ride in the basket or walk. “We don’t need a basket “he replied. We headed to the back of the store where the bread was kept. As we passed the Deli I asked him if he would like to choose some kind of meat to go on the bread for lunch. He looked into the glass counter and moved along slowly taking in everything. “Actually, I like the cooked things better.”

“Let’s get the bread first since there are so many people waiting.” He was very reasonable and followed me to the breads. “Can I pick out the bread?”

“Of course,” I replied just like any other doting grandmother.

He checked out every loaf of bread on the shelves before he decided on the one he wanted. We went back to the Deli and looked into the glass enclosure once again. It was quite early and there weren’t many choices yet in the cooked food section. I asked how about we have a different kind of lunch today. We will choose new foods and try them out. He loved the idea, and settled on a chicken strip, a potato wedge and a pot sticker. The clerk carefully wrapped them up gazing into his twinkly brown eyes. “How would you like a couple of fortune cookies to try with your lunch?” He gave her his best smile and carefully put the cookies into our bag, as he thanked her.

I said maybe would should get some fruit to which he replied,”I only like watermelon.”  Feeling very generous I said “Lets go see if they have some.” I had no idea how much watermelon would cost in February.

As we proceeded to the opposite side of the store he gently ran his fingers across each display we passed. I asked him why he had to touch everything in the store and he replied, “ They all feel different, Grandma, try it.” So I followed along behind him feeling how different the soda cans felt from the cracker boxes and what a wonderful tactile experience it was to feel the patterns and changes in the neatly stacked merchandise.

Eventually we reached the produce department. Then his eyes widened even more. “Look at the apples, he said. They have every color of the rainbow. Can we buy some apples?” He competently pulled the plastic bag off the roll and began filling it with apples. He then discovered the twisties. He was enchanted with how you could close up the bag very tightly. Then he proceeded to weigh the apples. I could tell he had done this before. He was able to tell me almost how many pounds the apples weighed. He then proceeded to the oranges and asked if we could buy just one; so another bag, another twisty and another trip to the scale. Then we found the watermelon. It was quite expensive, but we bought it anyway.

By now my hands were full, so I did get a basket so we could make it to the checkout stand without dropping anything.  As we approached the cash registers, we found a line with no one waiting. He helped me put the groceries onto the conveyor belt and remarked at how lucky we were to have no line to wait in. Then he turned to me as we were handed our bags and said, “This is the best day of my life so far.”

Through eyes blurred from tears I saw his immense smile. As I helped him in to the car, I asked, “What is so special about this day?”  He replied, “I got to choose everything, I got free fortune cookies, and there was no line.” I laughed to myself as I walked around the car to get inside. He had opened his fortune cookie and handed me his fortune to read.  YOU APPRECIATE GOOD ART AND MUSIC. He smiled and said,” These cookies are always right, must be magic.”

My simple errand turned into a miraculous experience and all because I could see a super market from a different perspective, through the eyes of a very special child.

Have a great day, I pray that you can see Gods love in everything you do no matter how ordinary.

All for Him

- Joan

Children’s Ministry Happenings

Fall Kick Off

Sept. 10th

Room Assignments

Nursery 3-24 months Building 800

Toddlers 2 and early 3’s Building 700

Preschool 3, 4, and 5’s Room 303

Kindergarten and 1st grade Room 401 (music room)

2nd-5th Grade Multipurpose Room


Rooms open up 10 minutes before each gathering


Fall Retreat

October 6th-8th

Alliance Redwoods


Things to look for


Kidventure

A time for k-5th graders to hang with there small group leaders outside of church to just hang and have fun


KidZone

Where kids bring their parents into their world for a shared family experience!
Questions? Call John Wright at 673-2101

 

Jr. High Ministry / ClubC3

Kristy Johnston

Belize is in Central America and smack dab in the middle of the rainforest!  After a lot of prayer and confirmation through His Word and another mission trip to Belize (I also went in 2004), I’ve decided to accept the position of Children’s Supervisor at the Millhollon Children’s Home in Ontario Village, Belize.

There are 28 children in the home with ages ranging from 8-17 years old.  I’ve already met some of the children this summer and their faces are already engraved on my heart!

It’s been such a blessing to be the Jr. High Director at CCC for the last five years.  I’ve learned so much and have loved being apart of your child’s journey with Christ!  I have so many treasured memories and pictures!  I Know God has used these years to prepare me for such a calling as this and I want to thank all of my church family for the love and support that has encouraged me and deepened my faith.  Clayton Community Church is where I accepted Christ, was baptized, served in many different ministries, met my closest friends, learned God’s Word and received so much healing from His amazing love!!  I’ll always consider CCC my church home and all of you my family.

I fully trust that God will provide a Spirit led Jr. High Director to take this wonderful position and I hope you join me in praying for him or her and for a loving and joyful transition for everyone.

My last day on staff, was Sunday September 10th and I will be leaving for Belize sometime between the 1st and 2nd week of November.

Please feel free to email or call me with any questions or if you would like more information on where I’m going, you can check out the website:

www.belizefaithmissions.org

Here is how you can be praying for me right now…

                      

I’ll miss you all very much and I’ll keep you in my prayers.

With love and joy,

Kristy xo

ClubC3 meets every Thurs. from 7-8:30pm at DVMS

Jr. High Sunday Gatherings are from 10:45am-12pm in bldg 500 at Diablo View Middle School

Our plans for Junior High Ministry…

In the meantime, we are very fortunate that Tobey Nichols, one of our current JH adult leaders, has accepted the position of Interim Director of JH Ministry. Tobey has a huge heart for our JH students and has served the ministry faithfully for the last couple of years. Tobey is extremely excited to serve in this new capacity this Fall while we look for a permanent person to fill the role.


Welcome, Tobey, we know God will use you in great ways to impact our JH’ers for his kingdom!

We will be putting a team together to work on finding a new Director of JH Ministry this Fall with the hope of having that person on board by January.

If you have any questions at all about the JH Ministry please feel free to call or email anytime. And please continue to pray for God to lead us through this new season in our JH ministry.

In Christ’s love,

Rick Nylund

Pastor of Student Ministries

rick.nylund@claytoncc.com

673-2163

Care Ministries

Chuck Bidondo

What does Care Ministries do at Clayton Community Church?

Food Pantry:

The CCC Food Pantry is set up as an emergency, (or crisis) provider.  We will provide food for one week and up to four visits.

Financial Counseling:

The Benevolence Team and the Good $ense Ministry works together to guide you in the biblical principles of money management. 

Missions:

The Missions Team is committed to help spread the good news of Jesus Christ both locally and around the world.  From Concord to Cuba and Belize to China, we provide prayer and financial support to mission organizations and missionary families in need.  CCC is also committed to sending out short term mission teams to serve along side our missionary partners. 

Healing Meals:

Dinner’s on us!  This Healing Meals Ministry would love to bring you a meal if you are recovering from surgery, serious illness, or after the birth of a baby.

Welcome Baby:

Tell us about your newborn.  We have a gift for you.   

Comfort Visits:

We will visit you while in the hospital.

Grief Support:

We comfort, support and encourage you and your family during times of need. 

Hardship Repair:

Our Help Team consists of various trades people who offer their services cost free or at a reduced rate to meet the practical needs of families and individuals (like single Moms) within our church community who are facing financial challenges. 

Funeral Coordination:

We can assist you in planning the details of a funeral and reception. 

Transportation:

We maintain a team who is available to drive members of our church family to doctor appointments, to the grocery store, or just in general to provide emergency transportation as needed. 

Prayer Chain:

The Prayer Network is a team of 25 prayer warriors available to pray for all the needs of our church family.  All information is confidential.  Prayer requests may be listed on the tear-off sheets in the Sunday bulletin or phone our church office.

Wedding Coordination:

We will provide help in coordinating your wedding.  

Prison Outfitters:

We dress out day of release inmates from San Quentin Prison including shoes, shirts, pants, jackets and other needed personal items. 

Angel Tree:

At Christmas, our church family provides children gifts on behalf of incarcerated people.

 

If you have needs for services or want to know more about Care Ministries:

 

Dance Ministries

Brenda Ameli

Have you ever noticed how food draws people together??  Some of us in Community Ministries noticed and now a wonderful group of volunteers bring snacks, water, and fruit to church on the 4th Sunday of each month.

We love to stand back and watch people gather together, munching away, getting to know each other, hanging out together between gatherings. The heart of Community Ministries is bringing people together, into the life and purpose of Clayton Community Church.

Some other things in the works with Community are the All-Church Fall Retreat, the May Banquet, Lunch with the Pastor, Brown Bag lunches after church and the development of an usher team to serve alongside the greeters.

Speaking of serving, I’ve been giving a lot of thought lately to the concept of service as a form of worship. Sometimes when I serve as director of Community Ministries on Sundays, I miss the worship part of the gathering. I hate missing that, but what I’ve noticed is that even if I don’t get to worship God through song on a Sunday here and there, I am still filled with worshipping Him through serving.

Loving and caring for the people He brings to Clayton Community Church each week is my act of worship, and when I open my heart fully to that idea, I find that I have received at least as much as I have given out.

If you are curious about serving in Community Ministries, please contact me! You can e-mail me: community@claytoncc.com or call the church office and Jennifer can get you in touch with me.

Brenda Ameli

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Fall Retreat—We want you there!

Our fall retreat is just around the corner and we have a problem! Only 100 people have signed up to be a part of this great weekend so far (we have a minimum occupancy commitment of 175.) However, as we have talked to various members of our church family, we have discovered that the main reason people are hesitating to sign up is because they are giving to the capital campaign and are living sacrificially. They don’t feel its right to spend extra money for camp or to ask the church for a scholarship because of this choice.

So first, we want to say THANK YOU!  We are proud of our church family for choosing to live sacrificially to further God’s kingdom work. At the same time we also don’t want anyone to be left behind because of financial limitations!

Here’s how we see it—we have to pay for 175 beds whether they are filled or not and we would rather fill those beds with people receiving scholarships than have them go empty! So would you re-consider joining us? Whether you have chosen to give to the capital campaign or you just don’t have the funds, we want this to be a big family celebration!

Call Brenda Ameli @ 672-6548 or Jennifer Lutz at the church office at 673-9060 and let us know that you are coming!

<=================>

ANNUAL ALL CHURCH CHRISTMAS BANQUET

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10TH, 5PM AND 7PM 

You are cordially invited to join your church family at our Annual All Church Christmas Banquet.  It will be held at the Centre Concord on Sunday, December 10th.  There will be two seatings for dinner.  The 5PM banquet will be more kid friendly and the 7PM banquet will be geared for more adult attendees.  Our delicious dinner will once again be provided by Englund's Catering.  So mark your calendar now and plan to share an evening of fun, food, and fellowship as we celebrate the birth of Jesus and what his coming has meant to our lives.

 

If you would like to serve your church family by participating in the planning and preparation for the event, please contact Mike Fossan at 672-1646 or Wendy Moore at 682-3255.

<=================>

 


Captital Campaign

from Shawn Robinson


So what’s going on with the capital campaign? How about the property? These have been the two biggest questions I have been asked lately regarding the future of our church. Giving for this stretching next step in the life of our church has been phenomenal. So far, $306,901 has been given towards the purchase of property. We are still making sure we decipher your giving intentions correctly (sometimes it’s hard to tell whether a person is writing a check for the capital campaign or for the general operating budget—so make sure to designate clearly!)

In regards to the property, we are placing the finishing touches on the contract and hope to have all the details worked out before the end of September. For the most part, we are making sure that all the “little details” are clear (for example, the seller wants to specify the number and types of buildings we foresee over the next 20 years. Since he is also “carrying the note” on the loan, we want to make sure these details are clearly spelled out as well.) In working with a lawyer (who is volunteering his services for our church, saving us $10-12,000) and several other experts, I am finding that clarification and simplicity are key.

Probably the biggest issue we have re-visited has been the cost. Already the seller has agreed to reduce the $4.5 million cost of the property by $250,000 to help with infrastructure expenses. However, we have also recently received a value appraisal for the land that is lower than the seller’s asking price. Our goal is to “close the gap” between what the seller tells us the property is worth and what the appraiser sees as the intrinsic value and believe this can best be done asking the seller to get a second appraisal and present to us a logical and justifiable rationale for the price he is asking for this property. We are asking this because we want you to be confident in your leaders, knowing that we will never present any property to you, as a congregation unless we feel the price is reasonable, justifiable, and fair.

We are still confident that these issues will be worked out and that a contract will be ready for congregational approval soon. Once this task is completed, we will gather other remaining and pertinent information such as: hiring a civil engineer to develop a constraint map and forecast the high level cost; select a design committee; hire a contractor/developer; select an architect; and put into place a multi-phase site plan before an informational meeting in November.

We believe there are 4 big questions that need to be addressed at this meeting…

We hope to answer these questions and any additional questions you might have at a “Town Hall Meeting” on Sunday, November 5th at 12noon. Once we address these major issues, we will call for a congregational meeting to vote on the property on Sunday, November 12th at 12 noon (by the way, these are tentative dates)

As you can see, there is much to discuss and most importantly, there is much to pray about! Would you join me as we continue to seek God’s will for the future of Clayton Community Church? I am grateful for your partnership in this adventure.

Your Pastor—Shawn

September 2006