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Go Into Their World as a Missionary
Follow—Connect—Go
For three weeks, we are exploring our mission statement and church organization.
Ongoing mission of EvFree Fullerton: To develop, empower and release kingdom people and kingdom communities into missional engagement in their spheres of influence.
Last week we looked at Connect and now, let’s examine Go.
To accomplish the mission, every participant in our church community is invited to:
• Follow Jesus as a disciple.
• Connect with others as part of a spiritual family.
• Go into their world as a missionary.
The Go really starts with Jesus. Philippians 2:6-8 says:
Though Jesus existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross!
Jesus is our model of serving God, walking through life with others as we disciple them. As it says in Matthew 28:19-20:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
The Go begins in our areas of life, the people that we see everyday—friends, neighbors, people in the workplace and around town. Go extends to the world beyond our personal borders. As with Follow and Connect, we have many great teachers, leaders and servants in the Go area.
So you can better know the pastors and directors of this area, here are those who lead us. The mission of Go has various areas:
• International Missions—Dan Crane is our pastor of this area. It includes missionaries, international students and mission awareness.
• Global Initiatives—Dan Crane is our pastor here. This area has key teams that oversee work in Africa, Tai Lue people, Ensenada, North Africa and Ukraine.
• Local Initiatives—Jay Williams is our pastor that oversees the ministries of sports, local projects and Maple School tutoring.
• Go Groups—Jay Williams is our pastor here as well and oversees these groups of people who want to focus on missional living.
• Compassion—Jay Williams also oversees teams of people who help with the needs of people in our congregation and community. This includes the Compassion Fund, Good Sam Center and disaster relief.
• OC United—Jay Williams continues his great ministry with this new organization. This will be our arm into the local community. We have found that other churches, civic groups and donors (such as area merchants) will partner with a non-profit organization on community projects.
• Training—David Robles is our pastor over training. This area includes the oversight of our twenty interns and a future training center for biblical instruction.
In these last three weeks, we have explored our mission statement. We have also looked at the staff pastors and directors who oversee these areas. There are thousands of people involved as leaders, servants and participants in Follow, Connect and Go.
It is so exciting to see our church live out its mission statement!
David Fletcher
Executive Pastor
P.S. Be encouraged by the story below about one of our own who is living out the Go mission by loving on kids in her community.
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Go Into Your Community...
It’s Monday afternoon in Anaheim. Children gather on patchy grass. Run down apartments and cars line the block, and litter blows back and forth. Between the sirens sounding in the distance, the food truck generator buzz and the taunts of young gang members nearby, Peggy Westerfeld has a hard time keeping the kids’ attention. But she persists, and they hear the story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. They spread out to gather items to build their own altar like the Israelites did.
Peggy spends all her Monday afternoons in this neighborhood block, hosting a Bible Club for these at-risk kids. Many of the kids have social workers, parents in jail, or siblings active in gangs. Some kids aspire to join a gang themselves one day.
“This is third world,” Peggy describes. “This is a drive by off State College that contains a forgotten people group. This is a part of Orange County most never see or know exist…There is a downward spiral that is happening in this neighborhood, and I have a vision to stop the cycle and give them a vision for better goals.”…
Read the rest of Peggy's story here.
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Thanksgiving with our Neighbors
Thursday November 27, 10:30–12:30 pm at
Maple and Valencia Park Elementary schools
Praise the Lord—most of our serving opportunities have been filled! There are just a few spots left here. If you picked up a food box to fill, please return it to the Plaza on Sunday or to the modular office before Wednesday November 26.
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KINGDOM COME – Christmas 2014
Join us in these upcoming events as we celebrate together the true meaning of Christmas: God’s kingdom has come…for everyone.
Angel Tree
Angel Tree is a ministry of Prison Fellowship that provides gifts for the children of inmates. Tags with specific requests are available on the Plaza. The limit for each gift is $20. The wrapped gifts need to be returned to the Angel Tree tables by Sunday December 7. Come get one before they are all gone!
Christmas PEP Talks—November 22 (Sat), 9:00–11:00 am, Commons
Get your soul prepped for Christmas THIS Saturday. Don’t let Christmas get the best of you. Enjoy coffee and a simple breakfast while listening to brief, 10-minute “TED Talk” style presentations on topics such as:
What Kids Really Need—David Robles
Tradition—Jacque Coulombe
Sharing Your Story—Amanda Young
Difficult Families—Jan Frank
Simplifying Christmas—Jenni Key
Finances—Dr. Peter Robbins
Reaching Neighbors—Kimberly Long
Childcare will provided for children through 6th grade. Please come join us!
Christmas Tree Lighting—November 30 (Sun), 6:30 pm, Plaza
Welcome Christmas with this festive, family-friendly evening! We’ll light the big tree together, sing carols, enjoy s’mores, see Santa, and partake in other treats. The fun will continue into neighborhood caroling, Christmas movies and more surprises. Don’t miss it!
Tru Family Night—'Tis the Season—December 5 (Fri), 6:00–8:00 pm, Gym and D-amp
Join us as we gather together to kick off the Christmas seasons with a family night filled with food, fun, and festivities! It’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of this season. So, come join families in our faith community to pause and focus our hearts and minds on the arrival of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Register here.
Cleaning Out Christmas—December 6 (Sat), 8:00 am–12:00 pm, north campus parking lot
Make Christmas a little more peaceful by clearing out your old stuff. If you bring it, we’ll collect it and make sure it goes to those in need.
The Sweetest Christmas Ever—December 7 (Sun), 6:00 pm, Worship Center
Our Special Needs ministry proudly presents the Christmas Story like you’ve never seen it before. From lollipops to baby Jesus, you’re sure to leave with a tear in your eye and a smile on your face.
See the full schedule of events HERE.
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