ONE WOPPIN' WEEKEND!

As leaders there are two big things that are required of us going into this weekend: 

1) Believe BIG!

Time and time again Jesus said in the Gospels, “According to your faith, it will be done for you...”

Notice that God’s miracles took place in people’s lives based on what they believed could be done for them. God can’t force us to believe but He is limited on what He can do based on our belief. The Bible says concerned the Israelites that they “limited the Holy One of Israel” because of their stubborn unbelief.

Let’s set our faith high! Not only for what God can do corporately in the church, but also in your personal life. There are an innumerable amount of situations taking place, but God is bigger than all of them and why not this weekend be the one that He breaks through!

2) INVITE!

Let’s take a second and look at this passage as it pertains to our second point today. Proverbs 24:11-12 says this: 

Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die. Don’t try to disclaim responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it. For God, who knows all hearts, knows yours, and he knows you knew! And he will reward everyone according to his deeds.

Wow! If that doesn’t get right to the heart of the matter I don’t know what does! We have an obligation, as those that have received life it is our duty to give life to others. Not that we are the ones to give life but we are the ones that God will work through.

Don’t let the business of life, or job obligations steal your purpose in life! This is the greatest joy on earth, to see others impacted by Jesus! Clovis leaders, let’s fill up that building this weekend; with God’s help we can do it!

Here are some ways that we DON’T want you to invite :)

RECRUITING!

As you leaders know, the Clovis campus would be a disaster every weekend if we did not have the amazing volunteers that we have. We are so grateful for you! Without you, people would be everywhere! There would be kids swinging from the light poles in the sanctuary, there would be no coffee, which means everyone would be grumpy, and most of all, people would not be welcomed, loved, and cared for.

We are truly thankful for you and are excited to see where God is taking us! Let’s keep in mind leaders, that our church is growing and with that growth God is expecting us to “tend to His flock”. With that growth we need more people to step up and help shoulder the weight. With where we are going we can’t do this thing with just us, we need more help!

Aggressively go after those people with us that you know should be serving. The truth is, serving does benefit the church, but it benefits the individual’s life exceedingly more!

Who are you recruiting???

VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK

ROLAND RAMON!

Roland has been a part of our Campus Security for many years now and he is the perfect candidate for Volunteer of the Week! He is a tremendous leader on our campus, laying down his life and schedule to serve and we can’t thank him enough. Not only is he very good at what he does, but he also takes the time to love people and sincerely care for them on our campus. Thank you Roland for being an over and above kind of guy! We love you and thank you for all you’re doing on our campus. And also a big thank you for sharing your “money miracle” with us, how inspiring! 

This Stuff REALLY Works!

Welcome Clovis Leaders! We wanted to start the blog off this week with some incredibly good looking Clovis Leaders that have some terrific words of wisdom to share with us. This current Dave Ramsey series is certainly one not to miss! 

GOD ENCOUNTER

SEPTEMBER 2013

August is flying by and we are already looking forward to our special God Encounter service coming in only two weeks!

Damon will be with us that weekend, and you can always expect him to be fired up when he hasn’t been here in a while! 

BOLD INVITATIONS

Live for eternity with NO REGRETS!

One day, we will all be in heaven. Eternity for all of us is just right around the corner. I don’t know about you, but I want to live forever with the satisfaction of knowing that I did everything here on Earth that I was supposed to do!

A big part of that satisfaction will come from knowing that we were bold for Jesus. That we took a stand for Him wherever we went, and that we were aggressive in our efforts to take people with us into eternity. God is excited about us getting the new car, the great job, and having healthy relationships, but I can guarantee that He is much more concerned with seeing people rescued from hell.

Let’s be the answer to God’s heart cry! 

Who are you inviting to church with you this weekend? Who can you bring to God Encounter in two weeks? Ask God to put people across your path today that you can help bring to Jesus. This series with Dave Ramsey is a great opportunity to invite the “guy that hates church”- most people need help in their finances, let’s not keep what’s going on as a secret!

BACK TO SCHOOL PRAYER

Time to put your swim trunks away- school is back in session! On Wednesday, September 4^th @ 7pm in Clovis we will be praying for all of those involved in school. Whether you’re a student, teacher, or in school administration we want to pray for you! We believe that this can be a year that surpasses all other years for you and your children so come be prayed for and let’s see this be a great year!

BE A CGROUP LEADER TODAY!

Do you have what it takes to lead a cGroup? We believe that you do! Take a step out onto the water; this could be the very thing that God uses to propel you into an amazing new season of life. We’ve heard a ton of leaders who have loved this opportunity and we want to make sure you have the same wonderful chance!

VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK

CAREY JOHNSON!

Carey is an amazing volunteer! He and his family are a vital part of our KIC team and he is always prepared and ready to serve with a great attitude. Carey does an amazing job running the services and leading cGroups; always willing to go the extra step to make whatever he does fantastic. Thank you Carey for all that you do! We love and appreciate you. 

We LOVE Clovis Leaders!

This weekend continues with another great message from Dave Ramsey. Last week people left feeling helped and equipped, and we want to make sure you don’t miss it! Here’s a quick clip to wet your appetite:

Is our money really a big deal? Well, not only does the Bible have much to say about the subject, but check out these startling statistics as you consider that question.

·   One quarter (25%) of people surveyed say they disagree with their partner about money monthly or more.

·   Nearly one-third (29%) of respondents also report that they have argued with their partner about money in the last year.

·   Almost 2 million people over 60 are still paying off student debt.

·   “Couples with debt tend to fight more. They are more stressed about their money and some recent research that I have done even shows that debt is associated with divorce.”

·   1 out of 10 Americans carry student debt.

Not only is this series important for us to be a part of but we need to get the word out to others as well! Everyone knows somebody else that is struggling in his or her finances or is eager to learn about how to make more.

Clovis Leaders this is an opportunity for us to throw out the net! What a great opportunity to get them to church!

This is a great introduction to Celebration for someone who’s never been here, and besides, you know that we’re going to be ending right on time! Who do you know personally that you can invite to church THIS WEEKEND???

PRACTICAL HELP:

Check out DAVERAMSEY.COM for more tools and information. There are a ton of free resources for you to use to take your money to another level!

There is also a free web program called MINT.COM that will help you manage your finances. There are a couple staff members who love this tool!

BACKPACK RECAP: THANK YOU!

Thank you Clovis leaders for stepping up and doing an amazing job at the Backpack Outreach. WOW! So many lives were touched and we couldn’t of done it without your hard work and generous contributions. The level of excellence you exhibited last Saturday was off the charts- Celebration truly does have the best volunteers ever!

To express our gratitude to you, not only for helping at the Backpack Outreach but also for your dedication every week, we will have a special little treat for you in our volunteer closet :)

Now don’t get your hopes too high- this isn’t Oprah’s Christmas giveaway, but one day we’ll get there!

VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK

PRISCILLA MURO!

This is one great girl! As you know, we had our Backpack Outreach last weekend and Priscilla was a huge contributor to make it happen! She was with the outreach staff countless hours preparing for a successful event; whether it was shopping for backpacks, making phone calls or doing paperwork- she had a big smile through it all! Priscilla’s heart to serve and see lives changed at Celebration and throughout the community is second to none; thank you Priscilla for always going the extra step to make a difference.

“I’m so honored to have Priscilla as a part of our Clovis team! Her passion for God and heart towards people makes us better!” – Brandi Sanders 

HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

What a great weekend that we just came out of! Thank you Clovis leaders for stepping up to the plate and putting your best foot forward; your efforts are greatly appreciated! Every service had so much impact and added so much value to people’s lives, and we have God and you to thank for that! :)

JESUS CAME TO...

Last week, in our daily Bible reading, we see that Jesus had to make a correction to how the disciples were thinking about themselves and each other. In Luke 22 it says that a dispute broke out among them concerning "who was better than who." But this kind of mindset didn't appeal to Jesus, so He taught his 12 about a better way. He said in verse 26-

“...the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is grater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.”

Jesus made a connection. He connected greatness to serving others.

Have you thought about serving in that way before? Or maybe you’ve allowed this truth to slip by you, as you’ve served week after week. Whatever stage you may be in, let’s allow Jesus' words to transform our thinking in this area!

Let’s look at serving others with fresh eyes; as a golden opportunity to become more like Jesus. We need to look at our responsibilities with value and high regard, not lightly esteeming something precious that God has given to us. If for some reason we aren’t able to make it to serve, we need to call another team member to replace us, so they can step in and shoulder the weight and help the rest of the team in our place. We need to treat our piece of the pie with excellence, just like we would any other job!

We truly do consider ourselves blessed to have such a great team to work with every week to reach people for God- your commitment is off the charts! Understand that the world God created works by seed, time, and harvest and we can promise that you are planting amazing seed in the ground! Don’t give up on your harvest if you haven’t seen it yet! You are positioned for blessings to come your way, which some of you have already seen.

If Jesus came to serve then let it be said of Celebration that we are here to serve too!

PRAYER TARGET: BACKPACK OUTREACH

Your prayers are needed for our big event this Saturday! We’ve been presented with a great opportunity to reach our community and see lives impacted. Thank you for all your generous contributions to see this outreach take place, now it’s time to pray!

Here is a snap shot of some fun things going on at Celebration:

KIC

Talent Show

- On Friday, August 16th, our 1st-6th graders will be having a talent show on the Clovis Campus. It will start at 7:00pm. The admission cost for adults is $3.

2SM (7th-12th grade)

2sm Services

- Tuesdays in Clovis at 7:00pm

Back to School Bash

- September 10th @ 7:00pm

C20 (YOUNG ADULTS: 18-29)

Life Discussions:

- Thursday nights in Clovis at 7:00pm.

Grizzly Baseball Bash

- August 1st

Life Discussions

-August 8^th

Baggage Buddies @ FSU

- August 17th (9:30am-11:30am)

Back to School Lake Event

- August 23^rd (5:00pm-10:00pm)

Palazzo Apartments

- September 6^th (7:00pm-9:00pm)

Fresno State Football Game
- September 20^th (Cost $27)

VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK

ART HEREDIA!

This last weekend Art definitely went over the call of duty and helped make our campus an amazing place to be! He is a faithful member of our Parking Team, always serving with a great heart and attitude. He genuinely cares about making our campus shine, and seeing that the attendees are well taken care of. Coming early is his usual routine and serving others is of secondary nature to him. Thank you Art for your hard work and service. We value and treasure you at the Clovis Campus! 

CLOVIS LEADERS!

As leaders it is crucial that we are constantly equipping ourselves. How can we help someone else if we haven't helped ourselves?! Here is a great, practical nugget from Dr. Dave Martin. This is such valuable information that will surely set you up for success- enjoy! 

BIG WEEKEND AHEAD!

I know we’re preaching to the choir, but this is a weekend you’ll want to be at! We are expecting big things and want to encourage you to double up and come to all the services that you can. Bring a friend, a family member, a co-worker- bring someone that you know needs Jesus! Let’s pack that place out with people that need Him, and anticipate that God will do something big in our lives too!

This just in! 

Glen Berteau text Pastor Randy today and said in all caps, "NO EMPTY SEATS! I've got a new Word from God that your church needs to hear!" 

So you heard it- NO EMPTY SEATS! Let's pack Saturday night out! 

On Sunday night, we will be having a bounce house for the kids and a delicious food vendor! Please bring cash (cards not accepted).

 

And don’t forget about our very own Pastor Randy will be with us for all of our Sunday morning services! What a privileged bunch of people we are to have all these awesome guys in one weekend!

BACKPACK OUTREACH: LAST WEEKEND!

Leaders! This weekend is our LAST chance to turn in our backpacks with supplies. Our goal is to see 1,500 and we know that we can do it! We are on our way but we still need your involvement. Even if you have to purchase your backpack with someone else and split the cost, the investment is well worth it! God never lets a seed planted go unnoticed, He is always faithful to return in greater measure what we’ve put in. [Monetary donations are welcome, or you can give $15 for us to purchase a bag for you.]

Lastly we need your prayers! We believe to see a huge harvest of souls and breakthrough come into our city because of this; it’s not just about backpacks, it’s about expanding the kingdom of God! Thank you Clovis for getting involved :)

Here’s your shopping list!

Boy or Girl Backpack

​Ruler

Pencil Box

2 Spiral Ring Notebooks

Pack of Pencils

Pack of Erasers

Pack of Crayons

Pair of Children’s Scissors 

​Glue Sticks

Mini Calculator

Sharpener ​​​​

​2 Folders

3 Ring Binder

Pack of Wide Rule Paper

                                      VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK

                                                 CAROLINE LONG!

Caroline is one of the Starry Night KIC Room leads and she is amazing! She is always serving with a big smile and a great attitude. Caroline has a huge heart for the kids and is always willing to serve wherever she is needed. Thank you Caroline for all you do and for going above and beyond our volunteer expectations! You make our campus better! 

Thank you Clovis Leaders! Let's make a huge impact in our world together!