Five Stages of Renewal

Five Stages of Renewal
Every time a new reformation has come, five renewals have preceded it. The awakening and reformation of the global church will begin with local churches and with the same five renewals preceding this movement, says Rick Warren, senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. [christianpost.com]
Personal Renewal: It starts with the heart. You might call it rededicating your life, being filled with the Spirit, or the "deeper life." The bottom line is to fall in love with Jesus again and, all of a sudden, it's not about religion and rituals; it's about a relationship with Jesus.
Relational Renewal: After you get right with God, you've got to get right with others. When you have relational renewal in your church, the gossip goes down and the joy goes up. People hang around longer after the service when a church has been through relational renewal because they want to spend time together.
Missional Renewal: This is when a church discovers what God wants it to do and happens when we focus our churches on the God-given purposes of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism.
Cultural Renewal: In this stage, God renews the culture of the church. Many pastors have tried to change the culture of the church without going through the other three renewals. There's a word for that, says Pastor Warren: martyrdom. Only God can change the culture of the church.
Structural Renewal: After a church has been through the first four renewals, it's going to outgrow the current structure. The structure that works for a church of 100 won't work for a church of 250 and so on.

Bible Principle - TRUTH

Tonights bible study will continue the series on Biblical Principles. We deal with the topic of TRUTH. The book of Titus gives us a great overview of what God wants for His church. In his opening remarks of the letter, Paul speaks of the importance of making a firm stand for the truth. Paul's first words to Titus urge a solid commitment to the knowledge of the truth that comes from God, who cannot lie. The church's task is to sow the seeds of the Gospel, water it and rejoice in the harvest increase that God gives. The greatest temptation we face is to avoid watering down the message of truth to accommodate our surrounding culture. Jesus proclaimed, "God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

Talented Artist at CCC

VBS Planning meeting

There will be a VBS planning meeting next Sunday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. We need as many adults as possible to help us with the operation of our school. Please take time to sacrifice and commit yourself to make this a successful VBS.

Thank You For Your Prayers

I would like to thank everyone who interceded to God on my behalf during my recent illness. The Lord was merciful and heard each prayer. I feel 100% better, and I believe that God is doing something wonderful for me and for the local church. CCC is the greatest church in America, bar none! We have a tremendous group of loving, Spirit-filled people. It is my pleasure to be a servant to the church and to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor Ron

Study Continues

The study on Biblical Principles will continue tonight at CCC with the topic of MERCY as our study subject. We have dealt with GRACE & FAITH the last two weeks. The Biblical principle of mercy is interwoven throughout the Scriptures. It is most commonly displayed in the lives of Christians everyday as we both, receive, and dispense mercy freely.

In the first century Roman culture, mercy was not seen as a virtue, but was seen as a sign of weakness. One Roman philosopher called mercy “a disease of the soul”. To them mercy was a sign that you did not have what it takes to be a real man and especially a real Roman. They glorified courage, justice, discipline, and absolute power. They looked down on mercy because they saw it as weakness, and weakness was despised above all other human limitations. So mercy was hard to find in that day and age. [Daniel Brown, SC]

However, Jesus was full of mercy and kindness and freely gave it to countless numbers of people to whom He ministered. He showed mercy to people who were poor, sick, blind, crippled, discouraged, rejected, and abused. Now while some people in turn treated Him well, the hope of receiving the same treatment was not what motivated Jesus to let His mercy flow out to others.

The words of a familiar Christian song states, "Mercy there was great and grace was free . . . AT CALVARY!

Father's Day at CCC!

Father's Day at CCC was a wonderful celebration. The fathers pictured above are the core of one of the greatest churches in America. You won't find anymore devout, Christian men in the world. We appreciate their commitment to Christ and to the Church.

Ms. Pamela's Flower Garden

Pictured above is artist Terry Ikner & Dr. Leroy Curry. The picture of The Suffering Saviour was drawn by Terry & donated to CCC several months ago. The picutre hangs in the entry of the church and is an inspiration to everyone.

Sketch Art Class

Artist Terry Ikner (member of CCC) conducted the first Art Class for the Creative Arts Program at CCC. 17 students registered for the class, which, will be conducted in 4 sessions. Terry did a tremendous job in the first class as he taught some of the principles of sketch art. He is an extremely talented artist.

Creative Arts Class at CCC

A Mighty Prayer for Our Youth

Youth Yard Sale

Welcome to the world, Zander!

Brandi Moore is the proud parent of a new born baby boy named, Zander. Proud grandparents include Vicki & Tommy Dilg. We welcome Zander into the CCC family. He's a sweetheart!

Yard/Bake Sale & Breakfast

The Youth Department is sponsoring a Yard/Bake Sale & Breakfast this Saturday, June 7th beginning at 7:00 a.m. The proceeds will go towarding helping our teenagers attend the Fordward '08 Conference in Atlanta, GA. The conference is sponsored by the Free Chapel Church with Pastor Jentzen Franklin serving as the host pastor. This is the 3rd year in a row that the youth of CCC have attended this conference. It is a tremendous blessing. Come out and support our youth this Saturday.

Security System Installed

A special thanks to AlarmOne for the installation of our new security system. I would recommend them very highly to anyone who is looking for a system to help protect the contents of your church or home. It is sad to think that we live in a day when churches are not safe from the destruction of theives and criminals. We feel that we have made a great choice in being protective stewards of the gifts and blessings God has provided us with.