Campbell Lodge Grand Re-Opening Celebration!

The renovation on Campbell Lodge at Loch Leven is almost complete! Join us for the Grand Re-Opening Celebration Saturday, May 31, 2014. The event is free of charge but food will be available on-site for purchase after the celebration (bring cash!). The event beings at 11AM, the re-opening ceremony begins at 12PM, lunch and site tours will follow. 

Please RSVP all members of your party online. 

More information on the Loch Leven website, 8171 Mountain Home Road, Mentone, CA 92359.

Click to download the Save the Date to help spread the word!

FCC Santa Paula Featured in Santa Paula Times

First Christian Church Santa Paula, under the leadership of Rev. Jenny Crosswhite, partnered with the Santa Paula Police Officer's Association and Ministerial Association to host a Unity Walk for the community of Santa Paula on April 17, 2014. 

The walk, which aimed to raise awareness about and bring an end to gang related violence in their community, has been featured in the Santa Paula Times. Click to read the full article. 

Mile Marker #54 - Being Missional

by Rev. Susan Gonzales Dewey + Rev. Don Dewey, Co-Regional Ministers

“Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.” Matthew 4:18-20 (MSG)

Missional Church has been quite the buzz in the evangelical church world for most of the last decade. The missional church is not a church with a mission. All churches have a mission. Stated or unstated, all churches practice some kind of mission. The missional church, however is church as mission. In the words of Darrell Guder, the challenge “is to move from a church with mission to a missional church.”

Missional is a way of living, not an affiliation or activity. To think missionally means seeing all life as a way to be engaged with the mission of God in the world. The question to ask ourselves is: “Where is God at work in the world and how can I participate in it?”

Going “missional” will require that you make three shifts, both in your thinking and in your behavior: 

·      From internal to external in terms of ministry focus

·      From program development to people development in terms of core activity

·      From church-based to kingdom-based in terms of leadership agenda

To be externally focused rather than internally focused means that the needs of the community we are called to serve become our priority. It means that the people outside the church become as important as the people inside the church.

In order to reverse the continual decline in most congregations many look to yet another “program” to do the trick. However, there is no magic bullet when it comes to programs solving our decline. Rather, we must re-claim our true calling “to make disciples.” We spend a lot of time, energy and money getting people in our pews but very little of any of those things involving them in serious discipleship. Jesus was not looking for church members; rather he was looking for disciples. 

Kingdom-based leadership is simply helping people discover their gifts and then encouraging them to use them for ministry. Too often we only ask people to serve on committees and boards as “warm bodies” with no training and no understanding of what they are ask to do or how it fits into the mission of the church. Kingdom-based leaders know and understand how and why their ministry is connected to the fulfillment of the churches mission.

The typical church scorecard for how well we are doing focuses on these things: how many, how often, how much. The missional church scorecard focuses on these things: externally focused ministry, people development efforts, kingdom-oriented leadership.

The missional church is not a what but a who. When we think of church in what mode, we focus on something that exists apart from people, some “out there” that people join and attend and support. Thinking about church in the who mode focuses on what it means to be the people of God. The central task is developing great followers of Jesus. It is a call to stop “doing church” and start “being church”.

Interestingly, what was said about the impact of the early church in “turning the world upside down” was not “what great preaching” or “what great worship” or “what a beautiful building” but rather “see how they love one another.”

Missional church requires nothing less than a rethinking of our identity and our practice, of who we are and what we do.

Any congregation that practices loving one another, both inside the church and outside the church walls and does that really well, others will notice and want to come and see what we are doing and be a part of it.

May we be engaged in the God’s mission to transform the world through grace, forgiveness, compassion, justice, peace and love for all.

Together in the journey,

Don + Susan

SOUL-FULL - 2014 Shoe Drive for Regional Ministry

The Pacific Southwest Region is hosting a new and fresh way for EVERYONE to:

-Get Involved
-Do Service
-Provide Outreach
-Raise Money
-Practice Stewardship
-And Put FAITH INTO ACTION!

We're sponsoring a shoe drive as a fundraiser for PSWR Congregations!

Here’s how it works:

From today through the Regional Assembly, Oct 17-18, 2014, your Region invites you to join us in collecting shoes. Any kind of shoes, sandals, tennis to boots…Rainbows to Adidas to Gucci, we’ll take them all. 

The idea is to collect as many pairs of shoes as you can and bring them to the Regional Assembly. At the Assembly, a company we are partnering with, Funds2orgs, will pick up all of our shoes and within a week, send us a check.

This is where the fun really starts. As soon as the Region receive this check, we will start sending money back to you.  The amount you receive will depend on how many pairs of shoes you collected ($10 for 25 pairs, $100 for 250 pairs, $1000 for 2500 pairs, $5000….!)  And, the best part is, all the money you raise is for you to do with as you please! It’s really that simple! Are you ready…?

So why should you go around collecting shoes?  What better way to engage in a faithful service open to all, which benefits the environment and people across the globe who need shoes. This is the ideal way to active practice being Disciples, “a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world”

FAQs

Host? Your Region

Coordinators? Dan Oliver, Kathleen Bybee and a Regional Support Team

Sponsoring Organization?  funds2org.com

Participants? All congregations and ministry groups

Dates? Today through October 17-18, 2014 (Regional Assembly)

The Purpose? To collect SHOES – any kind and as many pairs as you can collect.

Cost? There is no cost to participants.  We provide you with bags, ties, promotional materials, and if needed, even storage pick up and drop off.

Benefits? Easy way to raise money without asking for a dime! You can raise as much as you like and apply it to whatever you like: Operating budget, youth, outreach, Loch Leven, the Region…

-Spiritual Benefits?  This is a faithful service open to all, which benefits the environment and people across the globe who need shoes. It is an active way to be Disciples, “a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.”

-How Much Can We Make?  The money you raise depends on the number of shoes you collect. Payments are based on the number bags collected. Each bag must contain 25 pairs of shoes.  Here is a quick breakdown:

300 bags = 7500 pairs of shoes = $3000
100 bags = 2500 pairs of shoes = $1000
50 bags = 1250 pairs of shoes = $500
25 bags = 625 pairs of shoes = $250
10 bags = 250 pairs of shoes = $100
5 bags = 125 pairs of shoes = $50
1 bag = 25 pairs of shoes = $10

Where Do We Get The Shoes?  Everywhere you can imagine, from your closet or garage, from your neighbors, community groups, or even a local thrift or shoe store.

How Do We Get Others' Support? The best way is to simply ask.  Many people go door to door. We will help you by sending you fliers, door hangers, or even drop boxes you can ask about placing at church or a local store.

What Happens To The Shoes? All shoes will be sold to micro-enterprise companies in developing countries to be resold for minimum prices in public markets to those in need of shoes.

Why Is This Important? – Two main reasons – 1) All shoes contain toxic contaminants.  When they end up in landfills they pollute the environment, and:  2) Affordable shoes are one of the greatest needs for people in poverty around the globe.

Where Do We Put The Shoes? – Great question. All shoes are to be placed in bags, which the Region will provide. Each bag should hold about 25 pairs of shoes. 

Where Do We Put The Bags? Even better question! Here are two options: 1) Find a location at your congregation or ministry facility to store bags until Regional Assembly.  2) We have designated holding locations throughout the Region that bags can be stored.  We also have awesome volunteers in each area of our Region who can help pick up and drop off bags.

What Do We Do With The Money We Make? Let your imagination help with this question.  You help your church budget, give to youth or outreach, support Loch Leven or the Region.  Pray and see what you are led to support!

What Other Ways Can I Help? Great question. Here are a few:

-Tell everyone you know what you are doing and ask them to get involved, or at least ask for their spare shoes!
-Post your involvement on Social Media, FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
-Take photos/video of the shoes you collect. (The Region will hold a contest & chose the most creative submission!)
-Write a short article on your SOUL-FULL experience and submit it for the Regional blog!
-Download a flier in English, Korean or Spanish and advertise SOUL-FULL in your church and community!

Can I Find Out About The Soul-full Shoe Drive On-Line? – YES! Check back here on the PSWR Blog for updates or on the PSWR Facebook page.

Who Do I Contact With Questions? – Email Dan Oliver