Here’s our mission statement: We are engaging together to lead as many people as possible into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. The key to our mission is – We are ENGAGING TOGETHER. Our church was founded on the idea that serving is part of the identity of every Follower of Jesus. It was easier to get that point across when we were a small start-up church because it was obvious how important every person was to the vision of the church. Because of that, people were eager to join a team and help our church by serving in some capacity. Those were exciting days as we gathered in teams to serve. 

This kind of approach to church provided us with several benefits: We discovered deeper purpose, developed new skills, developed new opportunities for greater impact, and deepened our joy. I still remember how much energy and excitement we experienced as we engaged together in something bigger than ourselves. 

This Sunday is a day we’ve set aside to draw more people into the fulfillment of engaging together to serve God through the opportunities in our church. I’ll be honest – there are many people who just “attend” our church as observers. It’s hard to understand because there is so much to be gained from choosing to get involved. This is your chance to join our team as we engage together to fulfill God’s purposes here in Western Nevada County and beyond.

The next DRIVE-THRU FOOD DRIVE collection day to support Interfaith Food Ministry is Friday, September 24, from 8:00-10:30am. Please bring your non-perishable foods to the church, and we’ll make sure all the food gets delivered to Interfaith. This is a huge help to the resource-challenged in our community. We’re also receiving specific items to help Hospitality House. Click here to find out what they most need. Just bring items from this list with your food donation.

GOSPEL ILLUSION SHOW. Children’s Ministry is inviting everyone, children and adults, to join the fun and illusions on Sunday, September 26 in the Student Room. Bernard Bradshaw’s Gospel Illusion Show has been bringing the message of God’s love for the past 21 years. He grabs people’s attention through the gift of illusions helping them to better understand and remember the stories of Jesus. Bring a picnic to eat right after church at 12:15pm. Children’s Ministry will be providing free Taco Bell soft tacos. The Gospel Illusion Show will begin at 1:00pm.

SISTER’S CLOSET. One of my favorite community events we offer is Sister’s Closet, and it’s coming up October 9 from 9:00am-12:00pm. This is a time where women and teenagers can come and shop for free to augment their wardrobe for the Fall and Winter seasons. My heart is so moved each time we offer this event as I watch many women and girls shop with joy on their faces as they peruse the wonderful clothing items, shoes, and accessories donated by the generous women of our church. What an opportunity to bless others out of the blessings we’ve been given. It’s a joyful and even tear-filled frenzy. If you would like to help with set-up or tear-down or during the shopping, please get in touch with Mare. She will help you find a way to serve the women of our community and church who need our support.

FALL FAMILY FESTIVAL. One of our largest community service projects each year is FFF. This year’s theme is Animal Adventures. We’re going to spread out and utilize as much of our facility – indoors and outdoors – as possible to create a fun and irresistible environment where families can come and enjoy the inspiring opportunity we provide as they relax and play together. FFF is such a FUN event, and we’re beginning signups for a whole army of volunteers to help make sure that every family who attends will feel welcomed, have fun, and leave with all the candy they could ever have imagined. You can sign up to serve on our website or by contacting Mare or John. Many families in our community get their first real contact with our church through this event. That makes FFF a high-impact investment as we get to have a personal touch with the families of our community.

LIFE GROUPS FALL LAUNCH. We’re entering a new season with a time of clarification as we launch our small groups. 2021 was a time for us to sharpen our focus as a church to be more intentional in our approach to discipleship and be clearer in our vision to engage together to lead as many people as possible into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. We have four pillars to build on – Share Life, Strengthen Faith, Serve Others, and Spread Hope. The Share Life pillar includes our relationship with Jesus and how He calls us to Share Life with Him and each other. The natural outflow of that is that we want our small groups to be intentional in sharing life with each other, therefore we are going to call our small groups – LIFE GROUPS. If you're going to become part of a LIFE GROUP or want more information on what it means, please email Laura or Mark, and they will help you get connected. Our goal is that we will all find a place where we can know and be known, love and be loved, serve and be served, and celebrate and be celebrated as we grow to become more like Jesus.

This SUNDAY is the second week in our RADIATE LOVE series based upon the New Testament book of 1 John. John writes to correct error that had seeped into some of the second-generation church teachers in the region of Ephesus. He writes to encourage the Followers of Jesus in that region to exemplify the words of Jesus when He said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” Last Sunday we learned that John wrote to fulfill five different purposes. One was to confront their laxity toward sin. They were overlooking and minimizing the sin in their lives which was leading them to hinder their relationship with Jesus. This week’s message is about Releasing Guilt and Shame. I hope you’ll read 1 John 1:5-2:2 and let God speak to you before Sunday. I believe that will make your Sunday experience even richer!

Here are the links you’ll need to be fully prepared for Sunday’s Service:

• Message Notes and Study Guide
• Weekly Spotify Playlist
• Children's Ministry
• Student Ministry 

Joyfully living everyday life on mission in intimacy with Jesus and others,

CANCER SURGERY UPDATE. (Nothing new to report, but since people keep asking, I’m going to repeat myself.) I find myself in a place where I cannot predict or plan the date for my surgery. I am at a new moment of trust as I WAIT for an extensive hospital system to guide me to the surgery schedule. I’m a planner, and it’s hard for me to wait. In a prayer gathering last week, one of the women who spoke to God on my behalf reminded me that Jesus is with me in the waiting as much as He was with me in the days of chemo/radiation treatment and recovery. Would you please pray that I can wait with faith? Please pray that I can grow stronger as I wait because I’m still weak and fatigued from the chemo/radiation treatment I underwent. Please pray for God’s favor because ultimately, He is responsible for schedules and plans. I want to be in the center of His will. As I’ve shared with you, Psalm 27:13-14 are the verses God gave me for this phase of my journey. “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. WAIT FOR THE LORD; Be strong and take heart and WAIT FOR THE LORD.”

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