HOPE Walkathon!

The event last year was an incredible success!  Please join us again this year on Mercer Island for an energizing time of fun and fundraising!

INFORMATION ON HOPE WALKATHON

When: Sunday, July 25th, 2010

Where: Luther Burbank Park, Mercer Island

Time: Church service — 10AM, Walkathon and Carnival — 11:30AM-3:00PM

Why: Fellowship Galore, Amazing Food, and Fun Games (Dunk Tank, Gladiator Games, Volleyball Tournament, and Obstacle Course)

Questions on Walkathon: Alex Whitaker, alexpblues@gmail.com, or Naomi Wallace, naomi808@gmail.com

Questions on Volleyball Tournament: Matt Rollins: Matt_Rollins@hopeww.org

Link to the Donation Page to register and create your account: WWW.HOPEWW.ORG/WALKFORHOPE

 Print This Post

New Church Planting in Fairbanks, AK

The Anchorage church is planting a new congregation in Fairbanks, Alaska.  For more information, check it out at Disciples Today:

http://www.disciplestoday.org/content/view/1967/42/

 Print This Post

REGISTRATION Now Open for the Northwest & Western Canada Christians Conference!

Join us in Tacoma August 13-15 for the 2010 Northwest & Western Canada Christians Conference!  For more details and to register, click here!

 Print This Post

Derek Scholz – an example of patient endurance!

Derek Scholz is an inspiring part of the South Sound singles ministry, and his life is proof that with God’s help, patient endurance will produce fruit in our lives.  Back in 1999, Derek was working as an assistant manager at a Red Apple Market in University Place.  He was working and attending school, but felt little spiritual progress in his life.  One day he was invited to Bible Talk by Alex Whitaker, who was a member of the Tacoma singles ministry.  He never went, feeling like life was a bit too busy and hectic.  He was also invited by other members of the church at various times.

About that time he became friends with Nicole Savage (now Moen!).  Nicole was at a point in her life where she began contemplating a relationship with God, and began attending church with an old high school friend, eventually getting involved in some personal Bible studies.  Of course, she invited Derek to attend church with her one Sunday.  Derek showed up, and was amazed to see it was the same church that Alex and others had previously invited him to!  He began to attend church regularly, and also started to study the Bible, eager to find out if God indeed had plans for his life.  Derek was inspired by what he saw – deep relationships that are committed to caring for one another, principles and people that called him higher, and a purpose that transcended anything he had ever experienced.  He really felt like God was calling him to do so much more with his life.  Derek was baptized into Christ on November 16, 1999!

If you ask Derek about his struggles, he will be the first to tell you that often, when the going got tough, he was quickly tempted to give up.  He started attending Pacific Lutheran University and playing on the baseball team, only to encounter a series of frustrations and disappointments.  He quit both.  When confronted with tough relationships in his life, he usually pulled back and went elsewhere.  Whether it was family issues, financial pressure, or the stress of school and life, Derek felt weak.  All that changed as he became a Christian and began to rely on God’s strength, not his own.

Surrounded by caring relationships, Derek began to confront his fears head on.  He enrolled at the University of Puget Sound, determined to finish his business degree.  With a little pressure from friends, he even tried out for the baseball team and won a spot!  After a lot of hard work and many ups and downs, Derek graduated!  He boldly moved on in life, and is now a very successful sales associate for Esseloir Laboratories, specializing in custom optical lenses.  I recently asked Derek  what God has helped him overcome as he has devoted his life to following him?  He answered, “God has helped me have a spiritual view of money and possessions, has allowed me to be a giver, not a taker in life.  He has graciously helped me build strong relationships, and become more of a leader with the campus students, teens and singles.  He has helped me gain control over my emotions, giving me the strength to overcome long held fears, and to step our and take risks in life.”

Derek has felt what almost all of us have felt many times – when we grow weary or feel pressure, we are tempted to give up.  However, with God’s help and a stubborn commitment to standing firm in God, Derek has grown into a steady, mature disciple of Christ!

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  Galatians 6:9

 Print This Post

Historic Day in Seattle!

Sunday was an historic day for the Seattle and Sound Sound Congregations, as four elders were appointed!  For the full story on the Seattle website, click here!

 Print This Post

THANK YOU for your support of the adoption assistance program!

For the last several years, Karla and I have had the pleasure of overseeing the Adoption Assistance Program, a joint effort by the Seattle and South Sound Churches. The goal? Help families adopt orphans, which is often cost-prohibitive. The result? Our church is full of kids who have found a loving, Christian home! Many are growing up in the church, some families have moved on to other congregations. All of them have a chance at family and faith that didn’t exist prior to their adoption.
Currently, we are helping one couple adopt a baby internationally. After that, our fund will again be depleted (a good thing!). As a staff, we will discuss how to collect more funds sometime in 2010. Until then, please pray for the millions of fatherless children in the world today. And thank you for all of your prayers and support for this program! It truly is changing lives.

Enjoy the video highlights of our program:

 Print This Post

PLEASE JOIN US THIS SUNDAY!

Please join us each Sunday for an inspiring church service at:

Washington State History Museum

1911 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma, WA 98402

There are great kids classes available, and anyone who attends church receives free admission to the Museum!

Click here to check out the Museum website

 Print This Post

Raising Our Boys To Be Godly Men

 

Yesterday we were blessed to take part in the parenting workshop in Seattle.  We joined forces with the Seattle church and held classes on raising girls, boys, and helping raise our children with special needs.  Karla and I were able to speak about raising our boys to become godly men – what a task!  Clearly, there are NO experts in this field, just plenty of parents who have gone before us.  

What is the real burden of developing boys into men?  Teaching them to have a deep, godly character.  If we can use prayer, the scriptures, and the wisdom we gain from each other, we can use everyday life situations to equip them to make tough choices in an increasingly tough world.  The class was wonderful – we were able to share some insight and biblical principles, then had a very helpful time of group Q & A.  We have a church full of parents dedicated to developing spiritual families!

We provided a handout for parents to take home.  Rather than a “formula for success,” it is a list that shows a study in contrast – it compares the character of worldly men with the character traits of a Christian man.  To print a copy of it, click here!

 Print This Post

The Fields Family – Growing Through the Years – February 2009

 

When Karla and I entered the full-time ministry in 1996, we moved to Tacoma to assume leadership of the church.  I had prayer list a mile long!  I had a “wish list,” and among other things, asked God to send us people who would be an instant blessing for the ministry, and who would be a crucial part of building a strong foundation in Tacoma that would last for years.  After only one month, my phone rang.  Chris and Annie Fields called to let us know they were being stationed in Bremerton, and were eager to meet us and start the next phase of their life in the South Sound church.  Shortly after they arrived, we had them over for dinner.  Immediately after meeting them, we fell in love with them, their young family, and with their strong convictions!

 

Chris and Annie have been married for 18 years.  They have two beautiful daughters: Kendra (12) is now in 7th grade, and Ciara (8) is in 3rd grade.  Chris recently retired from the Navy, where he spent 23 years in active duty.  He holds an MA degree in Organizational Leadership, and currently works as a Human Resources Specialist for the Navy Human Resource Center Northwest.  Annie holds a BA in Workforce Education and Development, and currently works as Assistant Day Care Director at Peace Lutheran School (she especially loves the job because her kids attend school there!).  Their family and faith shine brightly in the South Sound Church of Christ, where they have raised their kids, served in nearly every capacity, and built strong relationships that will surely last a lifetime.

     Chris and Annie became Christians in November, 1990.  Recently, I asked them what made the biggest impact on them as they considered becoming a Christian:

Chris:  “It really was the openness and honesty of Christian relationships.  I had never seen such a depth in people committed to sharing about their lives.”

Annie:  “Obviously, it was God’s grace and mercy – I realized that with God I was never abandoned, although I always felt like it outside of really knowing Him.  Also, it was amazing that people were willing to invest in me in spite of who I was!  Lastly, I was so inspired by witnessing people who committed to daily living for God.”

     One especially inspiring example of the Fields’ faith is their ability to move around often, yet continue to grow spiritually and maintain a healthy perspective about relationships.  They have been a part of ministries in San Diego, Memphis, Fresno, and now in Bremerton.  Each church and situation has been different.  However, what remains the same is their commitment to God, even in spite of challenges, or the ever-present temptation to “compare” ministries or leaders.  I asked them to share their convictions about this:

 

 

Chris:  “The important thing to devotion to mature relationships in the church.  As we get close, we help each other grow, and are bonded together through experiences such as raising our children.  In my opinion, depth of friendships means everything.  Even in tough times, the people I have seen stay faithful and grow have various strong relationships.  Those who do not invest in the relationships in the church seem to struggle, and sadly, some have left.”

Annie:  “I’ve learned that in a transitional ministry like the military, you have to be personally and wholeheartedly devoted to your relationship with God.    Faces and friendships change, but God doesn’t.  Also, those who invest in strong relationships with other brothers and sisters, getting advice and input about all phases of life, will be successful and faithful.  Lastly, for those that move around a lot, it is extra important to be immediately active in the ministry you are a part of.  Otherwise, it’s easy to get critical, and you won’t grow like you should.”  Annie had some wise words for the future of our church, saying “The young Timothy’s in the faith really inspire me.  When I look at young people as a whole in our church it gives me great faith to know that we are building a great foundation for generations to come.  Also, I know some of these young people will walk with and lead our children.”

     Talking with the Fields is impressive.  Their family revolves around the church, and it shows.  They serve people, the open up their home to the ministry and the lost around them, and they maintain a strong desire to build up their church in any way they can.  They have obviously remained committed to growing deeper through the years, and with each move they’ve made.  My prayer for them now is that they stay put for years to come!

 Print This Post

Imagine If….2009 Goals and Visions

 

“Imagine If….!”

2009 South Sound Church of Christ Goals

 

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.”

Ephesians 3:20-21

Dear Members of the South Sound Church of Christ,

     As we head into 2009, we look back on last year to gain insight about lessons learned, and to gain vision for the future direction of our church.  God has blessed our spiritual family in so many ways!  We have our faith, which is of greater worth than gold, we have a special purpose in brining the hope of our savior to a lost world, and we share family with a body of believers that has been set up by God himself.  He placed us in our church family in order to allow us to be inspired and called higher by each others’ faith, to be equipped for our crucial work in this world, and to provide a heavenly context around which we can build our lives while on earth, our temporary home! 

     I have entitled our goals and prayer focus “Imagine If….!”  So often, especially as our years pass in the church, we are increasingly tempted to define our faith by what we can see with our eyes, touch with our hands, even set spiritual goals and visions that we can realistically imagine happening!  All of us can find ourselves living daily with such a faith.  However, this idea is foreign to God.  Jesus found the predictable faith of the Pharisees dull, while being moved to action by the simple, anything-can-happen expectations of average followers!  God expects us to expect great things.  He expects his church to tap into HIS power, and as it inspires us to dream big, he expects us to cast a vision in the church that reaches far beyond anything we can see – or imagine. 

     In Ephesians 3, Paul reminds the believers about the power of God.  He created his church to be a collection of different but united individuals, all dreaming about the many ways their lives could bring him glory on earth.  As they relied on his power, quite literally, anything was possible.  With that in mind, let us use the following goals and visions to begin changing the culture of our fellowship.

MISSIONS

1.  Win as many as possible to Christ!  Every disciple is committed to seeking and saving the lost.

2.  Deepen the sense of mission in our Bible Talk Groups.  Everyone committed to being in a Bible study with a non-believer.

3.  Growth in our campus ministry.  Pray fervently for God to bless our efforts at PLU and UPS, and all the area community colleges.

4.  Explosion of growth in our preteen and teen ministries!

MATURITY

1.  Deepen our relationships in the church, by renewing our commitment to the one-another passages in the Bible.

2.  Renew our faith in the congregation by focusing on transforming and changing.  We will be highlighting stories of transformation, people personally bringing glory to God with their lives and families.

3.  Greater reliance on God.  This, of course, will always be a prayer focus of our church!

4.  Strong finish to our building campaign!  We have one year left in our three-year capital campaign.  We will sacrifice our way to the end!

     In addition to these goals, I would like to ask every disciple to imagine a an impossible feat.  What would amaze you in 2009?  What seems our of your reach and power?  Write it down, commit it to God, and fervently pray for it through the year.  Let’s call on our amazing God to do immeasurably more than anything we can ask or imagine in 2009!  To God be the glory!

Daren

 Print This Post

Next Page »