eNews September 2008 Encouraging, Establishing & Equipping Churches to become Thriving and Healthy
In this issue	A word from Jim
Churches -West LA -Rancho Cucamonga -Huntington Beach Pastors -George Chakarji -TJ McCall -Mentoring Groups Retreats -Women’s -Hispanic Men’s Training -Assessment Training -Board Training News -Prop 8 -Ideas New President -Denver Seminary -BGC’s name change -Leadership Summit Job Opportunities -Pacific Justice -Dynamic Plants Int. Recommendations -Small group material -Marriage Statement Gatherings -Transmit Conference -National Outreach -Preach the Word -Couples Retreat	Different Name, Same Team Have you ever heard of Yum! Brands, Inc.? They are based in Louisville, Kentucky and are the world's largest restaurant company in terms of system restaurants with more than 35,000 restaurants in more than 110 countries and territories. They own KFC, A&W Root Beer, Long John Silver's, Pizza Hut, WingStreet and Taco Bell. In 2007, Yum! Brands generated more than $10 billion in total revenues, including company sales and franchise fees. If you go to any one of these restaurants, the money goes to the same place. You can discover many corporations that also own many seemingly competing chains, but in fact, they are all within the same corporation. Some people think that all roads lead to heaven as well. That is just not true. There is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ. (John 14:6) However, sometimes we Baptists think that we are the only ones on the narrow road to heaven. A joke mentions that St. Peter was giving a tour to a new arrival and just before he entered another beautiful location in heaven, he turned to his audience asked them to be quiet. Someone asked why? He said, “this large group of Baptists think they are the only ones in heaven.” Look around, there are solid believers in many churches. Celebrate their joys and help them in their struggles. We are in this together. This is why we are partnering with two strong Christian associations, Transformation Ministries and Cornerstone Church Network to bring you a helpful church conference this fall called “Transforming Churches Conference.” It is a two-day event, Thursday, October 9 through Friday, October 10. If you can, I hope you’ll join us for this very beneficial conference. You can even go free if your church registers. Check out our web site (www.cbasc.com) or “gatherings” below for more information. Hopefully we will see you there! Jim Smith Executive Director jim.smith@cbasc.com Note: If this format doesn’t work well for your email program and you can’t see the graphics, please look for this publication on our website at: E-Ministry Matters August 2008.
Churches Around the Region
First Baptist West LA Suspends School Operations The leadership of West LA has decided to suspend operations of their Christian school. The church provided a school for 7^th -12^th graders for over 26 years, but recently have seen their numbers drop and the cost increase to a point that they felt their energy and resources could be used in other areas of the church that would have greater kingdom impact. Pastor Jerry Wilke is now refocusing the church on how to be more missional in their Santa Monica/West LA area as they continue to change lives and impact people for Christ. Muslim Prayer Focus in Rancho Cucamonga Pastor Rob Acker and the Community Baptist Church in Rancho Cucamonga will begin a 30-day prayer focus during the month of September for Muslims around the world. This annual 30-Day prayer emphasis coincides with the Muslim month of Ramadan has been a remarkable global effort to focus millions of Christians on prayer for the spiritual needs of Muslims. Is it surprising, then, that during the 15 years of the 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus there has been a corresponding rise in the number of Muslims turning to Christ? For more information go to http://www.30-days.net/. Memorized Book of Revelation Presentation Sunday, September 14^th, 2008 at 8:45 am and 10:30 am You are invited to a spectacular and dramatic presentation of scripture, light, and movement at Calvary Baptist Church of Huntington Beach, when Michael Reardon prayerfully and powerfully proclaims the Book of REVELATION, directed by Patrick Lane. This is a contemporary translation of scripture, proclaimed in the oral tradition of the early church, designed with music, lighting, and costuming. Michael Reardon has memorized the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as well as the Book of Revelation, and performs them dramatically worldwide. These scriptures have been shared in over 1,000 performances in cities throughout the United Stated, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Republic of China, Europe, and Israel. To hear the entire book of Revelation, you must attend both services (8:45am and 10:30 am). 8281 Garfield Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92646. Office phone: (714) 962-6860. back to top of page
Pastors
Pastor Gets Married Pastor George Chakarji, of Bell Baptist Church in Cudahy, got married to Luz Estrella on June 21, 2008 in Bogota, Venezuela. His brother, a pastor in Venezuela, conducted the ceremony. Pastor George works part time at the church and holds a full-time job as a computer expert, assisting people around the world with their computer needs. George and Luz Estrella met at his church and began dating. His church has fully embraced this union. George also asked for and received CB Southern California’s blessing on his marriage. Luz is waiting for the approval of her visa to enter the USA and join her husband and the church. We congratulate and celebrate this marriage and wish for God’s blessing upon George and Luz, and the ministry in Cudahy. First Baptist Commerce New Pastor TJ McCall was unanimously voted in as the Pastor of First Baptist in Commerce and has begun preaching on a regular basis. TJ teaches full time at Bethany Christian School in San Dimas and says, “God is really blessing right now and answering prayer. For a while, it seemed like being in the wilderness, but we knew He is faithful and would work it all out according to His will.” TJ and his wife Jessica and family are excited to be ministering again in a local church. Give TJ a big welcome via email at torch4jesus@gmail.com. Pastor Mentoring Groups Start Again Three pastor mentoring groups will resume meeting this fall, providing a great time for networking, learning and fellowship. Take a long lunch and join us at one these dynamic monthly gatherings. Plan now to attend! Rialto Thursday, September 4, 12:00-1:30: Sunrise Church (lunch provided) Topic: How to Make Hospital Visits Effectively: Chaplain Dick Philips La Mirada Tuesday, September 9, 12:00 – 1:30: Redeemer Church (lunch provided) Topic: Put Your Strengths to Work: Marcus Buckingham (video/discussion) Oceanside Thursday, September 11, 12:30-2:00: New Song Community Church (lunch provided) Topic: 4 Ways to Add Value to People: Pastor Hal Seed Back to top of page
CB Retreats
Women’s Fall Retreats Filling Up Spanish: September 19-21 English: September 26-28 and October 3-5 Hurry to register for this year’s excellent fall retreats. The two English-language retreats will feature Stephanie Edwards, known as the First Lady of the Rose Parade. Stephanie will bring enthusiastic, solid truths from God's Word. The Spanish-language retreat features Doris Rocha de Perdomo as their guest speaker. This season will conclude Arlene Mason’s ministry overseeing our Women’s Retreats. She has faithfully served as the dedicated CB Women’s Director for many years. Thank you, Arlene! Hispanic Men’s Retreat October 10-12 Our Hispanic Men’s Ministry is returning to Pine Summit again this year for their 2008 Fall Retreat. Evangelist Sammy Fuentes will be speaking on the theme of “Men Who Seek God.” Sammy has worked with Billy Graham for over 15 years and has also served with Focus on the Family. If you are involved in a Spanish-speaking ministry, or known of one, please let them know of this great opportunity to participate in this once-a-year mountain top experience. Brochures are available at our office and more information can be found on our web page at www.cbasc.com. back to top of page
Training Opportunities from CBAmerica and Southern Cal
Assessment Training Dr. Bill Hoyt was the seminar leader for a three-day Assessment Training at First Baptist Church in Fort Collins on July 23-25 during the CBAmercia Summer Summit. Jim Smith and Ed Reingrover, from our CBSC office, and Dennis Mohler, Associate Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church of Whittier, were among the 81 in attendance. We are working to develop a team that will be able to assist churches to become more effective through a helpful and practical assessment of their entire church. The Regional Executive Directors (RED’s) will be meeting in the Rocky Mountain Region in September to follow up this meeting. We hope to have our Regional Assessment team ready to serve our CBSC churches by the spring of 2009. Church Board Training Is your board firing on all cylinders? Do you have a plan to increase board and staff effectiveness? We’re offering a new and dynamic one-day personal training session for churches interested in developing a more effective leadership team. ‘Staying Above the Line’ is designed to help board members and leaders understand their roles and responsibilities, freeing staff and ministry leaders to perform more effectively. Our staff will come to you at the convenience of your church calendar for this specialized instruction. Don’t miss the opportunity to sharpen your leadership team and optimize your time and talents for the kingdom. Call Jim Smith at the CB office: 909.944.5900. back to top of page
News
Get the Vote Out for Prop 8 Vote YES on Proposition 8 to overturn the outrageous Supreme Court decision and restore the definition of marriage that was approved by over 61% of voters. Get your church, your friends and your family, out to vote. Proposition 8 is NOT an attack on gay couples and does not take away the rights that same-sex couples already have under California’s domestic partner law. California law already grants domestic partners all the rights that a state can grant to a married couple. Gays have a right to their private lives, but not to change the definition of marriage for everyone else. IDEAS New President The IDEAS Board of Directors announced that Vernon Laverty has been appointed as the next president of IDEAS. Recently retired from Agilent Technologies, Vernon has served as IDEAS Interim President since December 2007. The Board is extremely pleased to present Vernon as President, believing that with over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, and global services and with his many years of dedicated service as a Board member, Vernon is well prepared to assume leadership of IDEAS. Denver Seminary Interim President Denver Seminary's Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Pastor Gordon MacDonald to serve as their interim president. As an alumnus of Denver Seminary, Pastor Gordon MacDonald and his wife Gail, also a gifted and widely read author, have a passion for investing their lives in others and mentoring leaders. They also announced that Dr. Randy MacFarland has accepted the appointment of Provost/Dean for Denver Seminary. This is a new position, created for the interim period until the arrival of a president. In this capacity, Dr. MacFarland will have the responsibility for the day-to-day internal operations of the Seminary. The vice-presidents of each operating department will report to him. MacDonald and MacFarland will work in partnership respecting the guidance and governance of the Board of Trustees. Baptist General Conference Changes Name At the Biennial Meeting in June at Bethel University in Minnesota, it was announced that the Baptist General Conference (BGC) will be called Converge Worldwide. Started in the upper Midwest by Swedish immigrants, they originally were called the Swedish Baptist General Conference until 1945, when they dropped the word Swedish. Converge will move ministry offices to Orlando, Florida, within the next couple of years (though financial and communications operations will remain in the Chicago area). Leadership Summit Jim Smith and Ed Reingrover, along with CBSC board member Sam Williams (far left) and Transformation Ministries Executive Minister Dale Salico (far right), joined hundreds of others at Hillside Church in Rancho Cucamonga for the Annual Simulcast of the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. The summit proved to be helpful and encouraging. Hey, doesn’t that logo behind us look like Batman? Perhaps I’m reading into things too much. At the Movies… FIREPROOF: Opening September 26 At work, inside burning buildings, Capt. Caleb Holt lives by the old firefighter's adage: Never leave your partner behind. At home, in the cooling embers of his marriage, he lives by his own rules. Is it too late to fireproof his marriage? His job is to rescue others. Now Caleb Holt is about to face his toughest job ever ... rescuing his wife's heart. On September 26, the next movie from Sherwood Pictures and Provident Films arrives in theaters across the nation: FIREPROOF. This action-packed love story has pre-release audiences laughing, crying, and on the edges of their seats as they are drawn into the world of a firefighter, his wife ... and a marriage worth rescuing. Check out the theatrical trailer at the FIREPROOF website. Back to top of page
Job Opportunities
Director of Operations Job Position Available In order to deal with some of their recent growing pains, Pacific Justice Institute is planning to fill a new position. The Director of Operations will be responsible for media development, funding development and overall office management. The Director of Operations will need to be very responsible, spiritually mature, and have strong skills in implementing and managing. All applicants may email or fax their resume to the address below or contact Brad Dacus to set up an interview. prez@pacificjustice.org 916-857-6900 FAX: 916-857-6902 Dynamic Church Planting International Ministry Positions DCPI has a number of non-salaried part-time and full-time ministry positions available for those interested in traveling and having an eternal impact on lives around the world. Mark Williams has served on the staff of DCPI for ten years and it has been a very rich and rewarding experience. Here are some of the positions available at this time. DIRECTOR OF STAFF, DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, WEBSITE COORDINATOR, DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS FOR VICE PRESIDENTS, OFFICE MANAGER. If you are interested in learning more, contact Dr. Mark Williams at 760-940-2640, email at markwilliams@dcpi.org, or check out their website at www.dcpi.org. Back to top of page
Recommendations
New Small Group Bible Study With school starting again this fall, you may be interested in a new Bible Study focusing on those who have children in public education. Keeping the Faith in Public School, a Bible study by Gateways to Better Education, is a very enlightening and helpful resource. The study gives a solid biblical approach for expressing your Christian faith in schools today. ‘Keeping the Faith’ provides very practical resources and is illustrated with eye-opening historical backgrounds on the Christian influence of our country’s foundation, current religious liberties, and freedoms Christians legally have in public schools. The study also encourages a bold, yet caring and compassionate attitude when working with those in the public school community. I would highly recommend this Bible study to anyone interested in having a Christian influence in their public school. Marriage Policy Example On July 15, we hosted over 70 church leaders who gathered to hear Brad Ducas of the Pacific Justice Institute speak on what churches can do to be legal and Biblical with their wedding policy. We have some helpful recommendations that will assist your church defend the Biblical beliefs you hold on marriage. If you didn’t get to the seminar, but would like some information from the seminar, please contact our office at 909.944.5900 or cbministries@cbasc.com. Back to top of page
Worthwhile Gatherings
"TRANSMIT: Engaging New Generations" Only a little more than 1 month is left before our fall conference. Sign up now!! Transformation Ministries, Cornerstone Church Network and CB Southern California are sponsoring this 2-day event, October 9-10 at the Riverside Convention Center, that you will not want to miss. DAN KIMBALL, Pastor of Vintage Faith Church, Santa Cruz, CA and author of They Like Jesus but Not the Church...insights from emerging generations will be speaking Thursday evening, Friday morning and Friday afternoon. On Friday night, MILES McPHEARSON, Pastor of Rock Church in San Diego, author, national speaker and former NFL player, will be our guest speaker. Other highlights include comedian MICHAEL JR. performing at the Friday night dinner show, SUNRISE CHURCH GOSPEL CHOIR AND PRAISE BAND, HIGH DESERT CHURCH PRAISE BAND, special lunch for Ministry Wives, Youth Pastor Session, Hispanic Pastors Training, CB Southern California Vision Meeting and more. For more complete information and to register, go to www.cbasc.com and look for Transmit: Engaging New Generations. Plan now to attend. National Outreach Convention The National Outreach Convention is known as the best convention available to church leaders who have a passion for reaching the unchurched in our local communities. Be inspired, equipped, and energized as you network with other leaders, see new resources and experience inspirational messages with practical how-to’s from the nation’s leading voices in evangelism: Ed Stetzer, Lee Strobel, Mark Mittelburg, Dan Kimball, Erwin McManus and more. 2000 church leaders, 120 exhibitors, 50 workshops, 3 days...November 5-7, 2008 in San Diego. To register go to www.nationaloutreachconvention.com/2008/ Preach the Word Conference On November 17-20, in Riverside, California on the campus of Harvest Bible Fellowship, comes a fresh and insightful conference to enhance your preaching skills. This conference is for everyone who is called to bring God's Word to our generation, from pastors to Sunday school teachers to you! There are sessions with some of the top Bible teachers in the country, who will help you teach the Word of God in a fresh, accurate, and relevant way. Greg Laurie, Chuck Swindoll, James MacDonald, John MacArthur and more. Find out more… This conference could literally change your life and your ministry. Spring Ministry Couples Retreat Attention all full- or part-time pastors, staff ministers-and spouses! Mark your calendars now and plan to attend a special retreat planned just for you! CB will again be partnering with Transformation Ministries to bring you this refreshing and insightful retreat in gorgeous San Diego! Dates: April 30th Evening - May 2nd Noon Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2270 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, CA 92108 Cost: TBA (will include Retreat program, 2 nights in a beautiful resort hotel, and 4 meals.) Speaker: Alfred H. Ells. Guest Musician: Renowned Guitarist, Jay Leach. Topics: “The Truth about Clergy”; “Marital Bliss in the Ministry”; “Let’s Talk About Sex”; “The Secret to Making it All Work” Space will be limited and is expected to fill quickly. Call our office for more details, 909.944.5900. Find out about other Events by clicking here. Back to top of page
Contact Us
Welcome to our E-Ministry Matters. If you know of individuals who would like to receive Ministry Matters, please contact us with their email addresses. If this format doesn’t work well for your email program and you can’t see the graphics, please look for this publication on our website at: http://www.cbasc.com/. Click on the link for our Current Newsletter. CB Southern California Phone: 909.944.5900  Fax: 909.944.5991 9640 Center Avenue, Suite 100 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 www.cbasc.com cbministries@cbasc.com s1