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Brothers and sisters,
 If our church disappeared tomorrow, would anyone notice? Would it matter to our community? Are we being a blessing?
Each one of us has been blessed by God. Even better, we can be a blessing to others. And even better than that, together we can bless God through our being a blessing to others. It's what it means to be Christ's church. It's why Jesus calls us together.
Through loving outreach to "the least of these", and thoughtful care for God's creation, in our welcome and in our worship, we incarnate Christ. We live Christ into the world. We become His church.
The Holy Spirit has inspired a bunch of you, and you have kicked our summer into high gear! God is doing a new thing among us. Actually, several new things: E-waste pickups, CPR training, Gay Pride booth and worship, 150 AIDS Caregiver Kits for World Vision, Couples Retreat, expanded outreach to homeless men, and Relay for Life for cancer research and treatment.
That's not all: The promotional items we're giving away are made of recycled materials. T-shirts are from organic cotton. The kids going to camp are earning much of their own way. And to continue to nurture our growing youth and children's ministries, with God's help and your generosity, we'll bring on a new Family and Youth Minister in the fall and make the Director of Music Ministries a full-time position.
It takes a lot of Spirit and a life of devotion to make all this happen. It takes every one of us giving, serving, and praying, to make a real difference in this world. With your help, we can be Christ in our community. With your help, we can be a blessing.
We can be His church, His body, His blessing. And matter, more than we can imagine.
Pastor Elane |
"U" Are Part of "Us" -- Working Together
God works miracles through you. Through you, children are taught about Jesus. Through you, homeless men are given hope. Through you, families receive food. Through you, our Sanctuary rings with praise and proclamation. Through you, we provide warm, safe space for people in recovery, new churches, youth, and kids' tutoring programs.
You are absolutely necessary to this community, and to our living as Christ-followers together. It takes about $280,000 to do the work we do now. To continue to live out Christ's mission at this level, members and friends must provide about 43% ($120,000) of that income, and about 100% of the time and talent. We need you. God needs you.
So far, we have received promises of about $76,000 for next year. If you haven't submitted your annual covenant, it would be great if you did before June 15. (You might also want to consider giving a special gift from your tax "stimulus" check toward our summer outreach ministries.)
Thank you for your faithfulness to Christ and your church community.
Your Budget Committee
PS -- If you are doing your estate planning, please consider a gift to the
ministries of this church. Through your gifts, you can make a lasting
impact on the faith lives and real lives of our community. Some programs even provide income to you while you help your church! Contact Pastor Elane or our church treasurer, Teresa Lewis to discuss how you can leave a legacy of faith and works.
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Next Series: Things I Wish Jesus Hadn't Said
 Ever read the Bible and thought "Oh, I wish Jesus hadn't said that!"? You're not alone, and you're not wrong for thinking that: Jesus said a whole bunch of difficult things. So from June 22 - July 27, our series will be Things I Wish Jesus Hadn't Said. We will also be studying the gospel of John in small groups Sunday and Wednesday evenings, and at Tuesday Night Bible Study. Look for signups in the Sanctuary and in our mid-month newsletter update.
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Dive! into Family Worship -
Tonight! June 4, 7:00 p.m.
Join us on June 4th at 7:00 for the first Wednesday of the month experiential Worship service of praise and prayer we know as Dive!. Dive! is an opportunity to dive deep into the heart of God with your brothers and sisters in Christ as we dive deep into a theme from our current series in intimate worship. Who are you connected with when you worship God? Do you know that being adopted into Christ's family give you a whole new relationship to the family of saints and the cloud of witnesses who follow Jesus? Dive in to an experience of real family worship. |
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Gay Pride and World Vision AIDS Caregiver Kids: June 14-15
" . . . and our hope for you is
firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you
share in our comfort." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (click for whole text)
Our kits are ordered, our volunteers are gathering and our prayers are rising to God for a tremendous outpouring of the Holy Spirit on our World Vision AIDS Caregiver Kits project at San Jose Gay Pride! Our theme is "Building Hope," and our goal is to build 100 World Vision AIDS Caregiver kits at Gay Pride to be distributed to AIDS caregivers in Africa, Latin America and Asia.
About the project: World Vision is "a Christian
humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and
their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the
causes of poverty and injustice." Caregiver kits are filled with basic
supplies that can improve and prolong the lives of those living with AIDS while
protecting caregivers and preventing the spread of infection. We will purchase
the kit making materials, take the materials to our booth at San Jose's Gay Pride, and offer festival
attendees the opportunities to assemble the kits (including writing a personal
note to a caregiver) and donate money to support World Vision projects.
Help us reach out to both the lgbt community and caregivers in third-world countries with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Sign up to staff the booth during the Gay Pride festival June 14 or 15, or sponsor one or more $28 World Vision AIDS Caregiver Kits by putting an envelope or check in the worship offering designated to Caregiver Kits, or by sending a designated offering to the church. For more
information about this project, World Vision (www.worldvision.org), or our
activities at San Jose Gay Pride, contact Pastor Bran at 408-896-8230.
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Calling All Youth Campers! June 13 - 15
 The youth group is planning a campout over Father's Day weekend at Del Valle Regional Park. Known for its swimming, boating, and fishing, Del Valle is located 10 miles south of Livermore. We will be leaving the church at 1pm on Friday and returning at 1pm on Sunday, however several people may be coming at other times so let us know if you can't make the full trip. Sunday morning worship is being planned by the youth group. Reservation forms will be available at the youth group meeting or contact Larry Edson to get a reservation form via email. You can also contact Larry via phone for more information - 408-309-9857.
We still need chaperones!
We still need more chaperones for this event so if you want to spend a fun time with our youth over Father's Day weekend please contact Larry Edson. If we don't get enough chaperones we will be forced to postpone or cancel the trip.
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Old Fashioned Chuch Picnic - June 21
3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
John D. Morgan Park
There will be egg races, sack
races, horseshoe, capture the flag, and much more. We have the picnic area next to the Tennis
Courts reserved for us. John D. Morgan Park is located on Budd Avenue, behind our campus.
Hamburgers/Hot Dogs and
condiments will be provided. Bring appetizers, side dishes and desserts to share, along
with whatever you want to drink. We
will eat around 5:00 p.m. Look for an
evite coming soon to let us know if you will be coming and how many people will
be with you, so we can have plenty of food.
Come, have fun, fellowship and relax at the church's picnic. |
Annual Meeting - June 22
Campbell UCC is not only a church community - we're a corporation too! Our annual business meeting is Sunday June 22nd right after Worship. We'll be voting on the budget (to be mailed by June 9) and corporation officers. We may also have the opportunity to affirm the call of new Council members. Hope to see you there.
If you have seen spiritual leadership in anyone in our community, please let Pastor Elane or Moderator Ken True know - that person may have a holy call to church leadership.
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Couples Retreat - June 28
 On June 28, you can make your relationship better. If you love your spouse, and want a deeper, more knowing, more accepting union, this day is for you. If you and your spouse want to practice inviting Christ into your relationship, this day is for you.
What
is it? This day is not a marriage clinic or a counseling session. There are no
group discussions and couples are not required to disclose any aspect of their
marriage to others. This day is presented from a Christian perspective, but the
concepts go far beyond the boundaries of any one faith expression.
Who
may attend? Couples who are married, joined in Holy Union, or have registered
as domestic partners are all welcome. All that is needed is a commitment to
each other and a willingness to work towards a stronger and more meaningful
future together. Couples who have been
committed for several years may find it easier to relate to some of the
presentations. Persons from any religious faith or background are welcome.
What's
the timing like? Couples will arrive at
the retreat location (Villa Holy Names, Los Gatos) between 8:30
and 9 for breakfast, and the day will end with a celebratory dinner.
What does it cost? We're still working on arrangements, but something like $50 per couple. If this is a hardship, it's more important that you and your spouse are there than that you pay!!
What
do we do with the kids? Our plan is to have a full day of meals and activities
for them. We are looking for people to help with that, so let us know if your
inner child wants to come out for a day!
Infant care will be provided on site.
How do we register? Click here to complete the online form. Or contact the office at 408-378-4418.
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Relay For Life with Campbell UCC
July 12 - 13, 2008Whether it's a friend, a family member, or the neighbor down the
street, we all know someone whose life has been affected by cancer. Many of us
are concerned about this disease and want to do something to make a
difference. The American Cancer Society Relay For Life® is an
event that brings together the whole community and helps raise funds
for the fight against this disease. Campbell UCC will be sponsoring at team at the Campbell edition of Relay
for Life on July 12-13, 2008. Teresa
Lewis will be our Team Leader and has already started to go to training
meetings! To
raise funds for this important outreach event, Faithful Followers is putting
together a cookbook of church community members' favorite recipes. The cookbook will be on sale at the Relay for Life and also available
through the church. Price to be determined. The team is also looking for donations for raffle prizes. They would like items connected with nutrition and fitness, such as jump ropes, exercise balls, juice machines, Whole Food gift cards, etc.
Family Campout Weekend
August 22nd
We'll cook, play, and worship together in the woods and under the stars. RV sites are available near the campsite.Pastor Elane Out of Town
Pastor
Elane will be out of town for continuing education in spiritual
formation and discipline after Worship on June 8th until June 21st, and
will lead Worship June 22nd. Rev. Nathan Miller will be covering pastoral emergencies; he can be reached at 408-377-7121, ext. 111.
Learn CPR this Saturday!Are you prepared to save a life? Learn CPR June 7th on our campus; rsvp to John Rodgers (408-378-4418) asap. Donation accepted for cost of supplies. | |
Real Faith for Real Life The
world is waiting ... for new saints, ecstatic men and women who are so deeply
rooted in the love of God that they are free to imagine a new international
order.
Henri Nouwen
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