BIG Pre-4th of July Celebration

Friday, June 29, 7 – 10 PM

BBQ, Games, Fun, Fireworks

Be there and invite your friends!

Book Club News

By Edward Strom

The Circle of Friends Book Club will meet next at 2:00 PM on June 12 at the Waffle Shop, located SE of Folsom Blvd on Zinfandel Dr. We will be discussing The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. Please come whether or not you have read this Christian classic. I know you will enjoy talking about wartime Holland and how anyone who knows Jesus is secure in this very insecure world.

On July 10, we discuss The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Stevenson. August 14 we will take up Ben-Hur by General Lew Wallace and on September 11 we will discuss A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain.

We hope you will join us. Questions? Call Edward Strom at 916-812-5290.

Our Teens Love Summer!

By Youth Pastor Bryce Cooley

It’s that time again. Summer time! Though everyday has not felt like summer, all of our students are waiting with eager expectation to walk out of school and not come back for 3 months. With summer comes a lot of fundraising and a lot of fun. After all you can’t have FUNdraising without FUN. Here are our summer plans:

High school camp (June 10 – 15)
Camp will be at Alliance Redwoods in Occidental, CA. Camp cost $350 which pays for travel, lodging, food, entertainment and activities. It’s well worth it and with all the fundraisers we have been doing more than half of it is paid for a majority of our high school students. Summer Camp is a time that blesses and challenges our students to re-think the way they live and draw closer to God. It is an amazing chance for them to get away, re-evaluate and start their summer of with God on their minds. I’m so excited for our High Schoolers.

Middle School Camp (July 8 – 11)
Camp with be at Camp Alta in Alta, CA. Some will know this is the camp our middle school kids went to for Winter Camp. They loved it and wanted to return for the Summer Season as well! With that and the $175 price of admission, we decided to move our Summer Camp program to Camp Alta. Money is tight and we want to help families in any way possible. I am certain that students and staff alike will be blessed by the ministry of Camp Alta’s friendly staff and leadership.

Ministry Graduation dates
8th graders going into 9th grade are welcome to start coming to high school group starting Thursday July 19. High School group over the summer will be held at the Cooley’s house (11119 Concord River Ct.) for a good time hanging out and swimming.

Graduating Seniors can begin going to our college ministry June 24. The college ministry meets at Philip Cooley’s home (10660 Beclan Dr.) in Rancho Cordova and goes from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Fireworks Booth
The fireworks booth is coming. Do you have students you’re trying to raise money for or even a friend with a student? Each hour you work gives $10 towards the student of your choice. Sign up on Sundays or e-mail me at bryce@cnchurch.org and I can tell you the availability.

We are looking for someone to open and close the booth June 29 – July 4. If you can take care of this, we will pay half of a designated students way to Summer Camp this year.

Have a blessed day,
Bryce

Getting Away

By Pastor Mike Mitchum

In May, I was able to go to a men’s retreat in Colorado. For four days I stayed in a retreat center in the Rocky Mountains. I found out there is nothing like the clear blue sky at 8,500 foot elevation to clear one’s head.

Then I found out something else. There is nothing like getting away from the hustle and bustle of daily living to clear out the cobwebs in one’s soul. I got to hear good preaching (I didn’t have to listen to my own for a change!) and spend quiet time alone. It was so refreshing!

I have had these kind of experiences before, and that is why I have pushed for us to have an all-church retreat at CNC. Granted it won’t be in the Rocky Mountains, but the concept is the same. On September 14-16, we will all have the opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily living. Those who go will get to hear good preaching (not mine, but a speaker named Leonard Lee!) and spend time alone or with others from the CNC church family.

This retreat is designed to help us bond together more closely as a church family and experience the refreshment that comes from a few days of concentrating on our relationship with the Lord. It will also be a lot of fun for those who attend. You can get details any Sunday morning at CNC or on the website.

I will be ready for another getaway in September. I hope you will join me.


Summer Ministry

By Pastor Bryce Cooley

Hello CNC! Exciting news. This summer, July 7 – 13, we are taking a small group of students along with Rancho Murietta Neighborhood and Church of the Foothills youth to Ensenada, Mexico on a short term mission trip. It has been far too long since our students have gone to serve in Mexico. I am excited for this opportunity. Below is a broad overview of the ministry we will do in Mexico.

Participants will have the opportunity to assist with three styles of ministry: Construction Projects, Breakfast Ministry, and Sports Outreach. We are looking for people who are willing to get dirty and serve in the name of Jesus.

The students going will be raising money, on top of the cost of Summer Camp, to serve the Lord in this way this year. They will need your help. There are three ways you can get involved:

(1) Students will be putting on Car Washes. We will post the dates in the bulletin all you have to do is show up and get your car cleaned, it’s that easy!

(2) Rancho Murietta is putting on a golf tournament. Date is TBA. Proceeds go towards Mexico. Like Golf? Like Watching Golf? This might be the right fundraiser for you.

(3) Our students need to send out support letters. Are you interested in supporting a students desire to do a mission trip this summer? Please right “Mexico Mission Support Letter” along with your name and address on your communication slip and we will give your information to our students for their mailing list.

This will be an amazing experience. Our group is small this year but my desire is that through the lives touched this year, the group size will double next year. Please be praying for the trip and the students as it draws near. I look forward to sharing all the amazing ways God came through this summer.

In Christ,
Bryce

New Small Group beginning May 6 at 9:30 AM

Understanding Your Mormon Friends

Led by Pastor and Elise Gaube

The purpose of this class is to improve the dialog between you and your Mormon friends. While there are similarities on social issues, there is also a lot of fuzzy thinking about Mormon beliefs. A big block to meaningful dialog between biblical followers of Christ and Mormons is the enormous misconceptions we have of each other.

Elise and I pastored in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Idaho Falls, Idaho, for 18 years. They were both about 70% Mormon at the time. We became friends with our neighbors many of whom were multigenerational Mormons.

One of our main goals is to help us define the terminology that is being used so we may better understand each other. We ask those who attend to have an attitude of respect and there will be no political discussion.

RSVP today at Susan@CNChurch.org.

Variety Show

 

By Pastor Bryce Cooley

On May 18, the youth ministry is putting on a variety show. A show which I have unofficially dubbedCNC’s Got Talent! Remember the Talent Show we did last year at the Family Reunion? This will be very similar but without the judges. We are going to offer a simple meal: hot dogs, chips, drink and some various kind of candy, for your enjoyment during the show. There will be a photo booth for kids and families as well as fun props to take your pictures with.

The variety show is for any kind of talent you want to showcase! Have a poem? A comedy act? A Skit? A Dance? A song? Share it with us on May 18. We will be doing an “audition” May 12 at noon in the sanctuary. This isn’t to determine who can perform, it is to determine order of performers for the 18th as well as give some helpful critiques to our budding stars!

There will be prizes for performers! We are not having professional judges like last time. This time you are the judge. There will be three peoples choice awards. Like a performer? Each vote costs 50 cents. Simply go to the voting table in the back, tell the student manning the table who you’re voting for and how much you’re voting. Invite your friends; this will be a good time for all, young singles to seniors.

There is a sign up to perform in Rudat Hall on Sunday mornings. Please sign up and encourage any of your talented friends to sign up as well. We’re looking forward to making you part of something special. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at bryce@cnchurch.org.

CMA Prayer Requests

Mali Coup Update

Continue to pray for Mali. “The coup leader has stepped down and elections are promised, but the situation is still fragile,” an Alliance worker writes. “With the distraction of the coup, rebels in the north have taken over large portions of the country. Alliance workers from Mali are now in eight different nations. Pray for our regional director and Mali field leader as they make decisions regarding going back into Mali. A small presence of international workers has been maintained at the Koutiala hospital.” Also, pray for protection of civilians and national believers, especially in the north where there are reports of killings and rapes by rebel soldiers. Pray, too, for divine health, energy, and grace for those in Koutiala to keep the hospital running.

Syria Update

Continue to pray for peace in Syria, where more than 11,100 people have been killed since March 2012. Hundreds of families have fled to neighboring countries, where Alliance churches work with refugees. Pray that God will protect His people and end the violence. Also, pray that believers will demonstrate Christ’s love and that God will be gloried in this situation.

Go to www.cmalliance.org/pray for the expanded Weekly Requests»

When my human frailties show up

By Pastor Bill Gaube

Jesus understands we sometimes feel weak and alone in living the Christian life. Notice His gloom shattering statement at the last supper, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18). Jesus had scared his disciples by saying He was going away. How would they live without Him? We know that feeling, don’t we?

Jesus knows we are incapable of living the Christian life on our own. He is not surprised by our human frailties and tendency to sin. That is why Jesus promised a comforter who would stick by us. One who would give us strength to live in His truth.

Paul’s testimony was, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Sometimes I forget He has given all we need to live the Christian life. There is nothing wrong with me because I am completely dependent on Him. After all, Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing.” We start by acknowledging that we can do nothing to save ourselves. We are justified when we accept Christ’s death on the cross as payment for our sin.

How then do we live this Christian life? It logically follows that Christ sent His Spirit because we cannot live it on our own. Our part is to continuously acknowledge our need of Him. It is to rest, to trust, and freely receive the wisdom and power His Spirit gives. Theologically this is called sanctification.

Let me share something I’ve been learning. Prayer need not be wordy. At the opportunity to choose the Spirit’s direction, my most effective prayer is, “Lord, help!” It is not moaning about my weakness nor fearing sin is irresistible. It is resting in the faithfulness of God.

During this Holy Season, would you join me in understanding in a deeper way that Jesus has not left us as orphans? Let us partake of His life empowering resources.