Clovis, here we come!

Clovis Leaders! Owners! What's up!  

The Clovis Staff is ecstatic about running with you every week. And I'm not talking about the kind of running your hairy P.E. teacher made you do in middle school, I'm referring to the awesome effort each of you are putting in to advancing the kingdom of God. Keep doin' what your doin'! It's working! We may not see every bit of sacrifice and hard work you put in, but God certainly does. The Bible says that God will not be mocked, whatever a man sows, that is what he will reap. We are excited to see an awesome harvest reaped in your life :).

Below are a few updates to keep you informed and pumped about what's going on- Bon Appetite!

Beautiful September is almost complete, but the party isn't quite over yet! Here are a few events to participate in:

• Rummage Sale
• New Fresno Campus
• Saturday, September 24th, 7am-12pm 
• Come out and buy people's..........stuff, to help raise money for our new building!

• Invite Challenge
• Clovis Campus 
• Thursday, September 29th, 6:30pm
• Let's see our city saved! So many just in our neighborhood are lost and hurting- you can be the one to change that...

• FSU vs. BSU Game/Tailgate
• Fresno State Stadium 
• Friday, October 7th, 5pm (ok, technically not in September) 
• $25 per person (food and ticket) 
• This is an event for the whole family! Come support our Fresno State Bulldogs and hangout with the coolest people in town! (Celebration folks of course) 

Wednesday Nights have about as much ZING and POW as the old school Batman series, so if you've been missing the action don't worry, you can still tune in. We've got three more sessions left of our Workshops that you can join in on and I don't know if I'm supposed to say anything, but rumor has it that our next Men's workshop will be one of our best ones yet- and that's saying a lot! Here's a picture below of us mighty men stuffing our faces with chili dogs and frito boats, yum...

There are just some things in life you don't miss. Like your child being born, or a job interview, or how about your first high school date with Toddy the Hotty??? Well this coming Friday night prayer service with Damon Thompson (September 30th) is a service you don't miss. It's that simple. Your bowl of cereal and T.V. will be waiting for you when you get home I promise, but it's imperative that you don't miss your moment! Pastor always says that life is made of moments and this is a weekend that we are crossing a finish line. We are stepping into a new season and we want you there for it. Even if you are scheduled to serve don't let that keep you from releasing faith- these promises are for you, just as much as they are for the rest of the congregation. Let's have some BIG faith for this BIG, BIG weekend! 

Join the fun of our Invite Challenge. Nothing on earth is more satisfying than seeing people come to Jesus Christ and you can be apart of the army of people saturating our city with invitations. Gas stations, restaurants, soccer practice, the office- all places that you can slip an invite card into the hand of an unsuspecting bystander or friend. Not so that they can experience a church, but so that they can experience a real, tangible relationship with the God that created them...that's what it's all about.

Besides that last sentence sounding like the Hokey Pokey we are so glad you took the time to read this blog and stay updated with your Clovis Campus. However, there is one last step we would like you to take. When you have a chunk of time (30-40 min.) please do yourself a favor and listen to Matthew Barnett's message called, "Finding the Cause Within You." This powerful message will fuel an empty soul and cause the dreams you have to come to life. Our staff was rocked the day we listened to this and we want to share it with you. So here's the link- Bon Appetite!

                                        Finding the Cause Within You (number 10)

With love, 

Clovis Staff                                                               

Sweet September!

Oh Clovis! My Hero!

 CLOVIS VOLUNTEERS! MY HEROES!

Superman's got nothing on you!

It has been an honor to participate in life with you. That's what we are doing. We're not just attending a local community church so that we feel better about ourselves but we are living life together and helping others build theirs. We hope that you walked away from last weekend, stirred up like a smoothie, to dream again. That message from God wasn't just for the person whose life has been torn to pieces but for you- the mom, the dad, the business manager, the employee, the single person, the faithful volunteer. God has put inside each one of us a divine plan and dream that no person or situation can deter. Don't be afraid to dream! Remember those crazy thoughts you used to have about shaking the world for God? Dream those dreams again and defend the promises that God has already given you as a child of God. When the going gets tough and you don't know where that money is coming from- STAND! When some crazy sickness tries to attack your children- STAND! When you've got the devil on your shoulder telling you that you won't amount to anything- STAND! Stand and watch God deliver. He's on your side so stand up for Him and He'll stand up for you- I promise :).

Now I don't mean to make anyone feel bad that wasn't able to make it yesterday to our Wednesday Night but it was FLIPPIN' AMAZING! Everyone and their mom showed up- literally! Thank you to all of you that came out and participated and helped build community at our Clovis Campus. Let's keep the momentum going and see that building packed out with hurting and lost people. Invite your co-workers and friends, they've been waiting to come to a church that's not boring! 

On that note, INVITE, INVITE, INVITE! This post sure does have a lot of exclamation points and all-caps but that is only because we are hyped up on coffee and excited about reaching a city! Our Clovis Softball team (who by the way is amazing) has a particular saying, "Beat em' and invite em'!" Paul says to the believers that he took advantage of every opportunity and became all things to all people so that some would be saved. How desperate are you for souls? God's heart is after the lost and broken- soothe God's heart by talking to your neighbor about going to church with you. Tell them you'll even take them to lunch after! God positioned you at that job, in that neighborhood, at that school so that you could show them the way out of darkness. Don't let that pressure you, rather see it as one of the greatest responsibilities you could participate in, to rescue someone from eternal separation from God.

-So Here's Your Chance-

This weekend Pastor Randy will be launching a new series entitled, "Faith Is" which you, nor anybody else on planet Earth will want to miss. Here is a clever, quick, easy way to invite your friends and loved ones to these services:

1. Go to our church's website (www.celebrationchurch.cc)
2. Click on the "Faith Is" slide on the home page
3. Follow the simple instructions to send an E-Vite to someone! (for you seasoned individuals, this is an invitation you send by e-mail)

It's so easy and effective! Here is a preview of that invitation:

Click to enlarge

By just the click of a button you have the chance to change someone's eternity- amazing! Post this image on Facebook and Twitter also to help spread the news. 

ONE MORE THING!

A food vendor will be joining us this weekend so make sure to bring a stuffed wallet full of cash to stuff your belly full of food! A portion of the proceeds will be going towards our Paid and Full campaign so come hungry and support what's going on! 

We can't express how much we love you all so we'll save you some reading time and end this post :) Can't wait to hang out with you this weekend and the people you are bringing!

Clovis Campus Staff

Are You Ready?!

Clovis is the place to be- don't you agree???

Hats off to you Clovis volunteers. You have all done a tremendous job at loving and caring for people that have been coming through our doors. Whether you are setting up a classroom or offering a hot cup of coffee, remember that the hundreds of lives that we are seeing saved and changed is because of YOU. You may not be preachin' up a storm every weekend but by adding your piece to the puzzle we are witnessing God save a city. Thank you!


The bus is moving so make sure you don't get left behind! Here are some events and dates to mark down:


Let's be honest, everyone needs a little "pick me up" in the middle of the week. You may have resorted to Starbucks to fill this need by overindulging yourself with 8 pumps of espresso but how about giving our Men's and Women's ministries a shot! On Wednesday nights, From 7pm to 8:30pm at the Clovis Campus, we will be cramming your little belly so full of spiritual espresso that you won't need to waste $10 on a cup of coffee! These workshops (Men's and Wordworks) will be kicking off on September 7th along with our Jr. High workshops. Don't worry about finding a babysitter either, we have the best children's classes around so that you can focus on building a better you. Help us get the word out, it's going to be awesome!


Cannon Ball!!! Celebration has been known to throw down some mean pool parties and you are officially invited to our next one! Ok, it's not a real pool party but at least at this one you won't have to see your great Uncle Bob's hairy belly.... you're welcome. The pool parties that we have at Celebration involve baptizing tons of people and watching God instantly transform their lives! Come support those who are being baptized next Wednesday night and I can bet you a shiny penny that God will change your life too as you take part in one of the most powerful services Celebration has to offer. 


Unless you are planning to give birth between the hours of 6pm to 8:30pm on Sunday, September 4th you are REQUIRED to be apart of our Sunday night service. Well I can't force you to come but word on the street is Glen Bertou will be bringing the heat so if your ready for an awesome service make sure to get your booty there! 


Inviting people to church is a good thing to do, would you say so yourself? You might not get a trophy at the end of your life acknowledging the fact that you told people about God and pointed them to Christ but when your bones are in the dirt and your spirit is in Heaven, brother that's all that's gonna matter! We want eternity to go well for you so we've got the perfect chance for you to get involved. Next Thursday night, at 6:30pm, we will be meeting at Clovis to pass out Invite Cards to the surrounding area. Coming together as a team we can accomplish great things and advance the Kingdom of God in the City of Clovis, so if you think you've got what it takes we'll see you Thursday on the Battlefield! (aka Clovis Campus) 


Lastly, lets go into this weekend with a focus and a determination that we've never had before. Let's allow our faith in God to go through the roof as we believe for our building to be full of lost souls, hurting people, and nationalities of every kind. We've got a assignment to reach a city and it's not just Pastor Randy's job to get them to Christ, YOU have been chosen and appointed by God to be at the job your at and in the neighborhood you're in to further His cause. Don't quit now, we've just begun to see our best days yet! 


***Check out this blog post by Matthew Barnett- it'll rock your world! 

I Think I’m Going To Quit

Posted on July 19, 2011 by PastorMatthewBarnett

People ask me the question all the time, have you ever thought of quitting? I can answer that question in 0.2 seconds with a YES! The first five years of being a pastor, I wanted to quit every morning, afternoon, and evening. In fact, several times, I did get in my car at 10 pm at night and head back home to my mega church in Phoenix down the 10 freeway from Los Angeles. In the midst of this confession, I have found that the desire to quit is confirmation of the calling. Look at the Bible, ever story that we rejoice over is usually the story of someone who faced an unbearable desire to want to quit. The attacks were sometimes armies that were so big it discouraged a prophet. Other times, it was something so simple like a threat from Jezebel that sent Elijah under the broom tree. Life is funny, sometimes we don’t understand the factors that set us off but if we are honest, we will all say that more than once we’ve wanted to quit.

But hold on! Wanting to quit is not a bad thing! Wanting to quit is actually a sign of success because it means that you have something to quit. The fact that you want to quit means that you have something of value that is worthy of being attacked. One thing I’ve learned, EVERY TIME YOU OVERCOME THE DESIRE TO QUIT YOU WALK IN A GREAT LEVEL OF GOD’S ANOINTING. In other words, the greater the desire to quit, usually the greater reward on the other side. I have found that most of the time they go hand in hand. That’s why we have to learn to rejoice when faced with the desire to quit. Are you kidding me? Rejoice? When I want to quit? Absolutely! The Bible is full of the most explosive miracles that came right after someone was faced with a tremendous desire to throw in the towel. Our God is so great that even when we do throw in the towel he always hands us another one.

There are some victories and miracles that only come by crashing through these quitting points. Most miracles are not a product of ONE BIG THING that happened to us but a lot of twenty-four hour victories of just holding on long enough to see the blessing. I encourage you that the next time quitting becomes an option, and it will, think about the reward on the other side of blasting through that feeling and trusting in the long term blessings of being faithful. When it’s all said and done, our Lord will say to us, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” The faithful servant looks quit in the eye, sees the blessing on the other side, and just keeps going.

Baggage Buddies, what?!

Hello Clovis Owners! I hope all of you had a great Monday. This staff is believing that lions are getting slaughtered this week in your life...those issues and things that have been roaring at you, trying to instill fear are getting KILLED THIS WEEK! If you missed our services this weekend because you were out of town (many of you were) YOU MUST download the message on podcast or get the CD! It will definitely encourage you!

I came across this yesterday on Perry Noble's Leadership Blog and I thought it would be very helpful for all of us. Check it out:



                                           Two False Assumptions We Cannot Make!


#1 – That People Know They Can Come To Church

In my personal conversations with unchurched people there are SO MANY of them who think they cannot come to church…they think their lives are so messed up that the church would reject them (and…some of them actually have stories of that happening.)
They don’t know!!! We have GOT to stop assuming that unchurched people know about our church and they will feel welcomed the minute they walk in…going to a church for the first time is HIGHLY uncomfortable…and so rather than work through that many simply choose to not go. It doesn’t mean they are bad people…it just means they just don’t think they can go to church.
So…we’ve GOT to embrace this and purposefully invite people…personally…eye to eye!!!


#2 – That People Know That Jesus Died For Their Sins

So many people (ESP on the west coast) have NEVER heard the Gospel! We cannot assume that people know the message…even if they grew up in church. We’ve GOT to be intentional about not making assumptions…Matthew 7:21-23 tells us about people who were “good people” but never embraced Christ! (AND…before you get mad…those are the very words of Jesus!)
So NewSpring…it begins today (if it hasn’t began already)…let’s do EVERYTHING we can to get people to church this weekend!


Clovis Leaders, let's rise to the challenge of inviting people and make Jesus famous in this city! Our number one responsibility as believers is to "seek and save those who are lost!" Let's be bold. If we all do our part in the "Invite Challenge" we launched 2 wks ago then we have almost 500 invitations go out every week! That is powerful, BUT it's only powerful if WE ALL DO OUR PART. So let's all do our part. We want to hear your stories of inviting people, so post them on Celebrations Facebook or on Twitter @Celebration_C and let's be an unstoppable force of soul winners in this valley!

We Love You All!
Lance & Clovis Staff