In this Issue

Letter from Pastor

A Bowl of Soup & A Listening Ear

Coming Key Dates

· Ladies’ Craft Night, July 27th, 6:30pm

· Concert of Prayer, August 5th, 6:30pm

· Mom’s Play Group, August 10th & 24th, 9:15am

· Ladies’ Bible Study, Wednesdays, 9:30am

· Ladies’ Craft Night, August 31st, 6:30pm

Summer Birthdays

· Emma Schwartz, July 3

· Connie Evans, July 5

· Dina Stitt, July 6

· Will Haase, July 6

· Ross Rodriguez, July 7

· Gwen Rodriguez, July 12

· David Bullock, July 15

· Pat Hawkins, July 15

· Cami Nelson, July 28

· Jake Trumbo, July 29

· Zachary Lee, July 29

· Barbara Hampton, July 30

· Lynzi Berg, August 3

· Ellen King, August 7

· Madison McWhorter, Aug 8

· Emile Wijnans, August 14

· Eric Simpson, August 16

· Chelsea Leavell, August 19

· Debbie Pinkley, August 24

· Lynda Hall, August 25

· Carolyn Boyer, August 27

And One More Thing…

“Prepositions and Purpose”

Words, rightly used, mean things.  Which means they’re worth our attention.  If I tell you I have a pair of alligator shoes, you’re likely inferring from that not that I have something for the feet of my alligator but that I have something for my feet made from an alligator.  On the other hand, if I tell you I have a pair of baby shoes, well…you get the idea.  Words mean things and are worth our attention.

Prepositions, though small, are words and mean things as well.  In fact, they can wholly change the meaning of a sentence.  Case in point, the interrelationship of the coming “community groups” and the vision of our church.  You may recall I alluded to the development of this ministry in the last issue of this newsletter.  If I tell you that Christ Presbyterian is becoming “a church with community groups,” you would rightly read that as meaning this will be but one thing among several others.  But if I tell you that Christ Presbyterian is becoming “a church of community groups,” you would rightly read into that as saying that this will something on a whole new level, of great significance, given a high priority by the leadership of the church.  And you would be right.  Indeed, it is the second of those two options that best describes the course we believe the Lord has set us upon.

But why?  What function are these groups to play?  What is their purpose?  Great question!  I’m glad you asked.  If you’ll bear with me, I’ll quote a bit from our Leader’s Manual.  It sets forth four sound reasons for such a ministry and solid goals towards which we can strive.

A place to meet with and experience Jesus Christ in our midst:

The primary goal for the Community Group meeting is to experience Christ Jesus in our midst in his presence and power.  We want Him to be at work by His Spirit ministering to us and through us to one another to the end that people are cared for and encouraged to lead God pleasing lives.  We desire Christ to transform and change our lives as individuals, as small communities, and through us, the larger communities of which we are a part.

A place for community and friendship:

Community can be defined as seeking to share with others what God has made known to you while letting others share with you what they know of him as a means of finding strength, refreshment and instruction for one's own soul. The Scriptures give us numerous commands concerning how we should interact in Community with one another. We are told to encourage one another, serve one another, rejoice and weep with one another, correct, instruct, sing to, build up, accept and love one another. There is no better way to put yourself in a position to fulfill these commands than by becoming part of a Community Group.

These groups also serve as a key way to integrate people who join our community and as a way to keep the leadership aware of the concerns and troubles which face the members of our congregation which might otherwise remain hidden.

A place where gifts are exercised:

The church is sometimes compared to a football stadium where you find 22 people who desperately need a rest and thousands of people who desperately need exercise. Community Groups are a place where spiritual gifts are discovered and exercised within the group itself, within the larger church, and to the world. They are a place where a vision for ministry and service are developed.

A place to discover Christianity:

Community Groups are a place where individuals who are seeking truth can be invited and encouraged to enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ. In addition, they serve as a place where we can remind one another of our call to share the gospel and pray for those with whom we are sharing good news that God has reconciled himself to us in Jesus Christ.  The claim is sometimes made that small groups can either be used for evangelism or for discipleship, but that they can not do both at the same time.  That has not been our experience.  It is true that if you aim at edification you will probably lose the attention of the non-believers in your midst.  It is also true that if you aim at evangelism, you will eventually bore the believers in your midst.  But those are not our only options.  If we aim at experiencing Christ in our midst, we will find that we are both building up believers and challenging non-believers.

Now, obviously, the Bible does not explicitly command us to organize the ministry of the church in such a way.  However, it does presuppose that a significant relational life exists within the local church and that this relational life forms what we could call “the nervous system” of the body.  And since this does not and cannot happen naturally, we must take steps to cultivate it, doing so with the anticipation that the One who has led us this far will bless even these feeble efforts.

Interested?  Stay tuned…

A Bowl of Soup and a Listening Ear

By Andi Ashworth

Grandma Martha was my first mentor in the ways of hospitality. The home away-from home that she offered my sisters and me during our childhood left an indelible imprint on my mind and heart. The moment I opened the screen door and crossed the threshold into my grandmother’s world, I felt surrounded by caring and comfort. It wasn’t any one thing she did that stirred those feelings, it was more about her presence and the way she cheerfully included me in the all the daily activities of her life. Her little house on B Street in Yuba City, California was the base of operations for service to her husband, children, grandchildren, friends, and community. As she sewed for clients or church mission projects, cooked the daily meals, ran errands or cared for her neighbors, I was welcomed to join her. Conversation flowed naturally in all these settings and she always treated me with dignity, respecting my questions or comments, regardless of my young age.

Her home was a bright spot where my life mattered

Hospitality was a way of life for my grandmother. She valued relationships and kept an open heart and an open door. Her home would never have passed muster in the women’s magazines of our day, where hospitality is so often depicted as perfection: a perfectly appointed home, a perfectly cooked meal, and a perfect evening waiting to unfold. Her house was small. It was cluttered with stacks of papers, fabric pieces, and letters waiting to be answered, but it was cozy and well cared for. And for my sisters and me, it was a bright spot when our own home was often stormy and unpredictable.
Through her simple, ordinary acts of welcome my grandmother showed me that my life mattered, that I was important and dearly loved. And I knew by the life she lived that other people mattered, that relationships were her treasure. I doubt that she was aware of the gifts she was imparting—gifts of comfort, security, and the opportunity to observe a woman’s life lived creatively and in service to others. In her wisdom, Grandma knew that hospitality was not only an occasional, special event. It is an open, welcoming life that communicates the generous, welcoming heart of God.

The church was a powerful example, welcoming and loving others with the incarnated love of Christ