First CRC Monthly
- SEPTEMBER ISSUE -
Our Mission: To Glorify God by making More and Better Disciples
Looking Forward
Greetings family and friends of First CRC!
Depending on when you read this, today (September 5th) is the first day of the resumption of many of our Fall ministries and programs. Coffee Break has already begun. All of our youth ministries start tonight. And Life Groups officially begin on September 16th. Please join me in expressing gratitude to all of the incredible leaders and volunteers to make all of these ministries possible! Ministries may officially start this week, but that's only possible because of all the planning and preparation that has gone into it on the front end by these faithful leaders.
To all of our Leaders - "THANK YOU!"
TESTING THE "80/20 EFFECT"
On that subject, perhaps you've heard of the "80/20 effect" in churches. This is the adage that stipulates in the majority of congregations only 20% of the congregation is responsible for at least 80% of the ministry that takes place in terms of their investment of time, talent, and treasure. That is why serving becomes to burdensome to the select few who 'do it all.'
Well, we have put that adage to the test in our congregation to see where we fall on the spectrum. I look at this as a marker of congregational health. We took our average Sunday morning attendance and divided it by the number of volunteers in WEEKLY ministries. So this number doesn't even include the army of volunteers in our Infant and Toddler Nursery program, Children's Worship, Ushers, Greeters, our Welcome Team, Worship Team Leaders, Kitchen Crew, our A/V team, and a whole slew of other ministries that are absolutely essential to making ministry here possible day-in and day-out. We only included leaders in ministries who meet every week.
When it was all said and done, we calculated over 100 people in our church who are dedicated to weekly ministries! This includes, but isn't limited to, our Care Team Leaders, Life Group Leaders and Hosts, our Life Group Coordinator Team, Nursery and Children's Worship Coordinators, Youth Ministries Volunteers, Members of Council, Coffee Break Coordinators, and more.
All of that is to say, we are not an "80/20" church. Not even close! Over half of our adults who attend weekly are also actively serving the body as a whole every week! WOW!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
1 Corinthians 12:12 - "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body."
In Christ,
Pastor Justin
P.S. We have a lot to look forward to in the month of September, so let's jump right in!
SUNDAY MORNINGS THIS MONTH
In the month of September we have a lot to celebrate...
This past Sunday, September 2nd, we celebrated the Sacrament of Communion. This sacrament confirms in us God's abiding love and faithfulness. Not only that, but Communion is also a meas of grace that unites us with one another. What a joy it is to celebrate Holy Communion together!
This week, September 9th, we have the rich opportunity to witness the public Profession of Faith of Tone Blanchard. Tone, now retired, is originally from Norway and has been worshipping with us for the last year or so. She has been so encouraged by the warm reception she has received and is excited to publicly commit to serve alongside us.
On the third Sunday, September 16th, we will have the opportunity to hear the faith and life story of Judy Marcum. We call these "God's Story/Our Story." We are so grateful for faith and life testimonies like Judy's because it gives us another opportunity to "...Let [our] light shine before others in such a way that they glorify God in Heaven." [Matthew 5:16] When we hear how God works in the lives of others, it gives is the courage and hope to share our faith stories as well! Judy became a member of our church a month ago [August 23rd], so what a joy it will be to learn more about her story of faith!
Also, on Sunday 16th we will be celebrating our "Life Group Kickoff" event right after our AM service. There will be BBQ food, snacks, prizes, events, and activities for the whole family to enjoy. We will meet on the front lawn of our campus. This marks the start of our Fall Life Group ministry.
We have a few other events planned for later in the month, but are working out those details as we speak.
ALSO, here are a few others dates to take note of on your calendar:
- September 5 (Today) - is the start of our Fall Youth Ministries
- September 16 - Fall Life Group Kick-Off
- September 26 - Middle School Ministry "Pasta with a Purpose" Fundraiser
- September 30 - An information meeting regarding our planning Missions Trip to Guatemala with "Living Water Ministries." If you are interested in learning more, be sure to keep an eye out for more updates in the bulletins to come.
LIFE GROUPS UPDATE
I am delighted to share with you that as of today 146 people have chosen to jump into a Life Group this fall! Wow! The largest number of participants we have ever had in this ministry was 129 last semester. So, somewhat logically, our goal for this fall was to beat that number (130+). We have already blown past that number with two weeks of sign-ups to go!
We want Life Groups to be the hub of our ministry here at First because we believe when people are connected to: A) God's Word, and B) Fellow Christians, they will grow! Thank you so much for choosing to taking part!
If you haven't signed up yet, now is your chance! Simply go to http://hanfordcrc.org/lifegroups to learn more.
Please note - if you are looking for a group and cannot find one that meets your schedule and/or station-in-life, please let Heather Thomas know! As a result of so many more sign-ups than expected, as we speak we are putting together additional groups.
Heather Thomas - Executive Director of Ministries
559.582.4423
FOCUS GROUPS
On behalf of First CRC Leadership, I want to thank all of you who have chosen to take part in our "Focus Groups" that are looking at a possible Design, Build proposal we have received. When we are all said and done, we will have heard from 95 members of our congregation on this very important topic. Our goal is to hear as many voices as possible since we are deeply persuaded that God speaks in and through His people.
If you didn't have the chance to jump into one of our Focus Groups, rest assured that this is not the end of the conversation. It is only the beginning. You can look forward to hearing more on this subject in the weeks and months that lie ahead.
In the coming weeks and months, please pray with us that God would give us clarity on what direction he would have us go.
PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR COUNCIL
Governing Council Elders
Bill Tos & Robert Butts
Governing Council Deacon
Josh Zonneveld
Ministering Elders
John Prys & Darin Reenders
Ministering Deacon
Johnny Zonneveld
Please pray for our leaders that God would continue to fill them with wisdom and a deep love for Christ and His church!
About Us
Email: hanfordcrc@comcast.net
Website: hanfordcrc.org
Location: 2175 Leoni Drive, Hanford, CA, United States
Phone: (559) 582-4423
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HanfordCRC/