Status of Regional Church Operations, Effective March 20, 2020

Listed below are areas of Regional interests. Our Regional Office Staff was resourced to work from home until further notice. We deemed two of our staff as essential to our operations and those will care for our Disciples Ministry Center / specific operational needs. Here are some of our efforts inside our Region and Regional Office.

1. Pastoral outreach

   Regional Minister Richie Sanchez will be coordinating ministries and administrative responsibilities as usual. 

   Regional Ministry Team members (all work from home) will be reaching out via email, phone call and Zoom videoconference calls on a regular basis to individual pastors serving congregations.

2. Accounting

   Recurring monthly and quarterly checks (Senior Assistance grants, New Church grants and Acts 2 grants) will go out as scheduled. 

   Check requests (e.g. Vision Fund grants) and invoices will continue to be processed on a weekly basis by our Finance staff. Please be early in submitting your requests as the timing of gathering staff together for these functions is "new territory." We appreciate your patience. 

3. Office status

   Visits to the Regional Church office are postponed for the foreseeable future. 

   Due to reduced staffing onsite, we ask that you please direct all contact to staff members by email rather than by phone.  

   In the event of emergencies, incoming phone calls to our office are being worked on to forward to an on-call staff. Voice messages can still be accessed, on a limited basis - please use email instead. 

   When a staff member is / has been permitted to return to our office, they have been instructed to practice social distancing. Our office has sufficient space for them to honor this requirement.

4. Local facilities

   Local facilities managed by our Region will continue to be overseen by Bruce Indermill directly. The facility users and vendors will continue to have direct contact with Bruce via his cell phone.

5. Disciples Ministry Center in Fullerton

   The Disciples Ministry Center will follow the applicable governmental recommendations for groups and social distancing. First Christian Church, Fullerton and its ministry partners, have suspended the Hot Meals Ministry until further notice. Casa de Oracion, Fullerton has suspended all in person services and events.  Both congregations are meeting online. The large AA group that meets onsite on Thursday evenings have suspended meetings until further notice as well.  

6. Loch Leven 

   The Outdoor Ministry Committee and Camp Ministry Committee in consultation with Camp Manager, Nick Selway and I will be providing additional information relating to the Summer Camp season in the coming weeks. At the present time, the camp is closed for groups and visitors. Our Loch Leven staff is working on infrastructure and beautification projects during this period. Virtual camp activities will be offered for the remainder of the social distancing season. Read more

7. Acts 2

   We’re working to convene our Regional Leadership in the creation of a new Acts 2 effort to help our congregations and pastors for a recovery. Our Zoom Calls with District, Convencion and NAPAD Clergy will help us to hear about the needs in our region. These will help us to make and announce future plans, accordingly. Read more

COVID-19 Recovery With the Help of Acts 2

Dear PSWR Disciples,

May the peace of God be with you. 

Our Disciples’ congregations found their start in part by the book of Acts, and it is where I invite all of you to your draw inspiration. We all find ourselves much like the Disciples in Acts 2, inside, some struggling to make sense of the following days and trying to imagine what is ahead. I’m convinced that much like their experience, we will soon find a moment of our own, a visit of Spirit with courage and vision to reimagine the way forward. It will launch us into a new day, and in a new way to be the Church. 

It is with this conviction our Regional ministry and leadership have begun plans for our recovery (I’m aware we are inside, and much is still unknown). We are determined and responding to the energy and courage by many of our pastors. These who are using some old and new ways to worship and commune online and on social media platforms with their congregations, taking the Gospel from the inside out. This is what we have been doing since the news of this COVID-19 pandemic. Acts 2 is widely known to have helped some congregations and pastors in the past. We are grateful for its existence to help us recover in our moving ahead. Help us on the way! Let us keep praying for each other and look forward to our new day, together.

With prayer for healing and safe concern,

Rev. Richie Sanchez
Regional Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Pacific Southwest Region

Loch Leven Offers Virtual Camp Activities

Greetings from Loch Leven!

We hope that everybody is practicing responsible social distancing and doing their part to flatten the curve to the Covid-19 virus. 

We are experiencing an unprecedented situation, and we do not know how long this will last. Loch Leven has closed its Retreat Center until further notice as a way to be a part of the solution. We are reaching out to everybody that was scheduled to stay with us to discuss contingency plans for those retreats. If you have any questions or concerns about the retreat calendar, please email the Camp Manager at nselway@lochleven.org

While our status quo has been disrupted, Loch Leven is excited to bring some Camp Magic to your home. We will be launching new virtual camp activities for the remainder of our social isolation. These activities will include arts & crafts, virtual campfire, cooking, meditation, and with your help, an amazing community! Our first program will be launched this Friday, March 27th. Be sure to follow our new Facebook Page, Loch Leven Camp and Retreat Center, and our Instagram @camplochleven, to stay up to date, and experience some camp fun!

If you have any questions, please contact Loch Leven by emailing me (see below).

Thank you!

Nicholas Selway
Camp Manager

Loch Leven
39610 Old Mill Creek Rd
Mentone CA 92359
Phone: (909) 794-2507
Email: nselway@lochleven.org

Mensaje de la Moderadora de la Convención Hispana del Pacífico y el Ministro Regional Hispano

¡Dios les bendiga! 

Que la paz de nuestro amado Señor Jesucristo sea sobre cada uno de ustedes. 

Les saludamos en el amor del Señor, amados pastores, pastoras, delegados y miembros de nuestra Convención Hispana del Pacífico. Dios es fiel y Él continúa estado presente en nuestras vidas, especialmente en estos tiempos que estamos viviendo. La Palabra del Señor nos anima y nos exhorta a orar en todo tiempo y cuidarnos los unos a otros. En Efesios 6:18 dice: “orando en todo tiempo con toda oración y súplica en el Espíritu, y velando en ello con toda perseverancia y súplica por todos los santos;”. 

Por consiguiente:

·      Oremos los unos por los otros. 

·      Conéctense con aquellos pastores o pastoras que están más cerca de usted y apóyense en oración. Recuerden que su palabra dice: “la oración eficaz del justo puede mucho” Santiago 5:16. 

·      Manténganse en ser iglesia activa. Podemos planificar cadenas de oración y ayuno por las necesidades de su comunidad. Ore por cobertura y protección de su comunidad y de aquellas personas que son más vulnerables. También incluya a los servidores públicos como doctores, enfermeras, bomberos, policías, etcétera. Declare su Palabra “no me sobrevendrá mal ni plaga tocará mi morada” Salmo 91:10   

·      Ayude y planifique sus servicios online ya sea por Facebook, Youtube, Instagram y por Twitter. Hágalo dándole instrucciones fáciles a sus miembros, especialmente ayude ha aquellos que no tienen mucho conocimiento de tecnología.

·      Promueva entre sus miembros altares familiares. La palabra que usted ha sembrado en cada uno de sus miembros es palabra buena y se que dará fruto. Cada familia puede comenzar su altar familiar: con una oración, una alabanza, leer juntos la palabra y finalizar orando por las peticiones de cada uno.

Oro, por cada uno de ustedes, para que no les falte la fe y continúen cada día confiando en el Señor. Pues he aprendido que no es con nuestra fuerza sino con su Espíritu. La Palabra del Señor en Zacarías 4:6 dice así: ... “Éste es el mensaje del Señor para Zorobabel: “No depende del ejército, ni de la fuerza, sino de mi Espíritu, dice el Señor todopoderoso.” Zacarías 4:6 DHH94PC 

Éste es uno de los retos que muchos tenemos, pues estamos tan acostumbrados a depender de nosotros mismos y nos cuesta depender del Señor. Pero vemos que, durante este tiempo presente, mientras enfrentamos esta pandemia del virus Covid-19, nuestra fe será fortalecida pues no dependemos de nosotros mismos sino del Señor. Mientras nuestra fe es probada, tenemos la plena confianza de que Dios hará.

Este es el tiempo de ver la manifestación de Dios en nuestras vidas. Cuando salgamos confiemos que vamos a encontrar lo que necesitamos. Ore de ante mano, pidiendo lo que necesita sea: leche, huevos, pan o papel de baño, hágalo en fe pidiéndole y dandole gracias. Antes de salir vamos a aplicar lo que creemos: nos ungimos con aceite, nos colocamos su armadura y declaramos la cobertura del Señor en nuestras entrada y salidas. Recuerde que usted hace su parte, creyendo y el Señor hace la suya. Cuando uno depende del Señor, es cuando uno comienza a ver su manifestación.

Recuerde este es el tiempo de dependencia y obediencia, se que veremos juntos la manifestación poderosa de Dios. Esta palabra en Zacarías 4:6 es una declaración que afirma que no es por nuestra fuerza sino es por su Espíritu, que la grandes las montañas o los gigantes que enfrentamos son vencidos por el poder de su Espíritu. Solamente uno tiene que obedecer y moverse. Es con la ayuda de su Espíritu que seremos movidos para obtener grandes victorias y luego testificaremos lo que Dios hizo.

Por esta razón en este tiempo que estamos viviendo, te recuerdo, que no dependes de ti sino de su Santo Espíritu. Dios permitirá que durante estos momentos de tensión, inseguridad y falta de paz, todo obre para bien en tu vida pues dependes de Él. 

 Así que los animo a orar, confiar y a depender de Dios. También deseo informarles el Taller Mayordomía Avivada que estaba planificado para el 4 de abril se ha cancelado hasta nuevo aviso. De igual manera la reunión de pastores en mayo estará pendiente, les informaremos mas adelante si nos reuniremos. 

Que Dios los bendiga y les guarde. 

Con amor, 

Rvda. Soriliz Rodríguez 
Moderadora de la Convención Hispana del Pacifico 

Revdo. Francisco Ramos
Ministro Regional Asociado
Director Ministerios Hispanos PSWR

Loch Leven Update, March 2020

Greetings from Loch Leven!

There are so many amazing things happening at Loch Leven in preparation for our 2020 summer season. Our theme this year is going to be “Around the World” in celebration of the 2020 Olympics and the things that bring us together. Our entire program is geared towards immersive experiences, sportsmanship, and empowering our campers to change the world! We are incredibly excited to be launching some new programs during this summer camp. You won’t want to miss it! Registration is currently open!

In the spirit of preparing for summer camp, we at Loch Leven are working tirelessly to remove obstacles and address parent concerns head on. We have a fundraiser entitled “Hike for Camp” on March 28, 2020. We will be leading a hike to our waterfall (alternative hikes will be available), followed by a BBQ and activities in the afternoon. Event tickets cost $20 for adults, and $5 for children. All proceeds will be going directly to sending kids to camp. Please visit lochleven.org for more information, and to register for the event.

We have also been working on how to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak. We want to ensure that all campers have a safe and fulfilling week at summer camp, and to make that is the case, we are updating our health and wellness policies and procedures. Our prevention methods will include improved health screens, and having all Loch Leven staff trained on proper illness prevention protocol.

Pastors, our 2020 retreat calendar is filling up fast, so be sure to contact our office to plan your retreat. Our current rebate for DOC churches is $1600 for the weekend in Campbell Lodge. Our 2021 calendar is currently open for booking. If you book this year for 2021, you will guarantee our current rate for next year.

Finally, our newest program is out and ready! Camp in a Box allows us to bring Loch Leven to your church to engage with participants of all ages, and most group sizes. We believe that camp has so much to offer everybody, and we don’t want to keep it to ourselves on the mountain. Please contact our office if you have any questions!

Best,
Nicholas Selway
Camp Manager