April Letter

Student Ministries: We have had two meetings with our volunteer staff of 6. Scott and Trisha Letourneau, Doug Grossman, Amy McCollum, Onnie Judd and Annie Schiefer have all stepped up to serve. Our kickoff meeting will be May 12. Connie Thomas has graciously opened her house to host our first gathering. It is really important that every 6^th- 12 grader (grade in the fall) be there on our kickoff. We are praying for an intern who will join us for the summer. If you would be willing to house a summer intern (12 weeks) let me know ASAP! Our goal is that every one of our students be discipled by one of our volunteers and that we would also be able to reach our community as well.

Elder Board: I have been spending lots of time with these men. We generally meet every Wednesday morning from 6:15 am- 8:00 am. We are reading through the book “The Unity Factor” and discussing the implications for our church. We also had great 1 day retreat on April 12. We will be coming to the church in the near future to talk about our vision, permanent location discussions, 2008-2009 budget and much more.

National Day of Prayer: As announced last Sunday we will be joining with many other churches on the lawn of the Thousand Oaks Civic Plaza on May 1 at 12 noon. We are particularly encouraging families to take kids out of school over the lunch hour to join in this gathering. It will be a 50 minute service. This will be in lieu of our monthly gathering at the Johnson’s which is normally the first Wednesday of the month.

30 day challenge: Only 1 week left on our pledge. Guys keep up the good work. Way to go! Keep sending me email updates. Cheryl and I are getting very good at praying on the phone! I have invited my realtor Diana to church on May 4^th and she accepted! What is God teaching you in the Word?

Home Groups: Our Home group team met last week and discussed our philosophy of small groups, transitions of former attendees and a vision for the future. Our goal is to double the number of home groups by the end of the year. That means we need 3 more groups to launch by next December. Cheryl and I will be one of those “new” groups. We hope to launch by fall.

Finances: You have now heard 2 reports by Dick about our financial situation. Our next year’s budget, our future facility plans, etc. hinge on our congregation’s willingness to give as to the Lord. If you are a regular giver, thank you so much for your support. If you haven’t experienced the joy of tithing, we want to help you in any way we can.

Crown Ministries: Doug And Janet Grossman would like to launch a Crown study when the time is right. If you haven’t been through this material, I highly recommend it. Contact Doug directly to find out more.

Family Camp: Don’t wait! Get signed up for Family Camp at Forest Home for an unbelievable week Aug. 10-16. Go to their web site at: www.Foresthome.org for more information. I am the morning speaker that week focusing on marriage and parenting issues.

Installation celebration and luncheon: I am told that some of you haven’t sent in your RSVP. Please do so immediately. It is going to be a great day you won’t want to miss. That is next Sunday May 4^th at Poindexter Park.

Housing situation: On a personal note, we are still waiting to hear back from the bank of our offer on “our” house. If the Lord wants us to have it, then He knows all about the timing! It is a “wonderful” test of patience as we wait…which is not my favorite thing! Either way, our Yorba Linda house is rented as of June 1^st. Looks like we are moving one way or the other by May 30^th.

Serve Day: One way to make a difference in Moorpark is by serving. We are looking for a point person to lead us in an initiative on May 31 and June1. Go to the website and check it out: http://www.actionvc.org/serveday. I would like us to spearhead a project here in Moorpark. Who is up for the challenge?

 

In His Grip,

John Erwin

Sr. Pastor

Moorpark Evangelical Free Church