I hope you heard the title of this post way I said it in my head. I said it like this (about 4 seconds in). The Mission of Love was a huge success! Clovis Hills people stepped up in new ways and lives were changed!

We took love on the road to Sequoia Middle school and it’s neighbors. Saturday started out a little wet but God stopped the rain just long enough for us to get our work done! Calwa Elementary got 300 new plants, the doors at El Encino were sanded, painted and primed and 10 community service teams went out into the neighborhood surrounding Sequoia Middle School.

Setup for the Block Party on Sunday started bright and early. It was evident from the start that God was there and was working in the lives of everyone present. We had concessions, bounce houses, raffles, a cake walk and 13 social service agencies were represented on Sunday. The second prize that was raffled off was won by a little girl who couldn’t have been more than 3 years old. She was so excited to win! She came racing up to the front from her place in the crowd. She didn’t care what she won; all that mattered was that she won.

Later on that day, Andrew from Every Neighborhood Partnership was speaking with a group of young guys from the neighborhood. Some of the guys shared that they were a part of a gang. At that point, Andrew asked if it was okay that we were in his neighborhood; one of them responded, “It is now.”

And those are just a couple of stories of how God was at work this weekend! He is working in this neighborhood and He wants you to come alongside him. If you or your growth group wants to get involved, there are always service projects available - even during the week. You can also check out Saturday Sports, become a classroom volunteer or sign up for after-school tutoring.

To see pictures from the event, go here. Thanks to Alicia at Alicia Alejo Photography for donating her sweet photography skills! On a side note, Terry is on a vision trip in India with Compassion International. Pray for safe travels for her while she is out of country, and that connections made on this trip would impact India for the Kingdom.

Heads up…all church serve next weekend! As we end our current series “40 Days of Love” we will celebrate by sharing love to those who live in a SE Neighborhood. In partnership with El Encino Baptist church and Every Neighborhood Partnership we will serve with our growth groups, families and ministry teams. There are a variety of ways to join - just email us at serve@clovishills.com - it’s that easy! Look forward to seeing you there!

Well, not exactly…Pastor Kimberly actually did. Yup, I think she’s trying to make a fashion statement and start a new fad…let’s see if it takes off!

It’s been 2 weeks since we were in the Philippines and it was an amazing experience. The team had a meeting today to debrief the trip and it brought back a lot of memories…great stuff! We also had an opportunity to share some pictures and stories with folks who wanted to hear about the trip. God is definitely working in the Philippines and what a difference a year makes. It was amazing to see our friends again and to witness the difference God has made in just a year. Pastor Florante is doing an incredible job with the Filipino Pastor’s Network. There is a sense that unity is growing with the group to the glory of God. Also, we noticed that there was a considerable expression of joy in their faces and many of the children of the Mamatid church appeared healthy and well nourished. Thanks to the many gifts from the people of Clovis Hills through the efforts of Authentic Compassion last summer. We will continue to partner with the Mamatid church as well as the new church plant in Santa Rosa. And as the network expands there will be more opportunities for other churches from the U.S. to join in the work that God is doing…stay tuned!

If you would like to receive updates on what’s happening in the Philippines - join the “Friends of the Philippines” group by emailing us at serve@clovishills.com to let us know.

Can you believe these guys have been their 8 days now? They’ve had their ups and downs but God has definitely been working in their midst. So far they have:

• had adult medical clinic and saw over 175 people
• traveled to Mindoro and completed the mission of gifting a well
• found out that Mike Brown and Big Mike (Thompson) are karaoke kings (who knew?)
• they were even homeless - but don’t worry their view was amazing (check it out!)

Here’s how you can pray for the team this week:

• Prison Ministry this Friday
• Food giveaway this Saturday

Our team left for the Philippines on January 25. The group this year is, from left to right: (top row) Mike Brown, Mike Thompson, Kimberly MacNeill, Mike Epps & Lisa Epps, (bottom row) Stefanie McDowell & Terry Maldonado.

First order of business was a Pastors Conference to equip leaders - over 150 were in attendance to hear Pastor Kimberly teach on 360 Degree Leadership! They also put on a dental clinic that day and Kimberly says, “You ought to see Stefani pull out teeth! We all agree she is a dental rock star! We are happy to say that Big Mike (Thompson) and “Pastor” Mike (Epps) as they like to call him here, worked with Florante and some locals to have the roof in Mamatid repaired for the money allotted for the task. Praise the Lord!”

And that’s just the first day! To sign up to receive updates from the team, send me an email here. God Bless!

This post is written by the Clovis Hills Missions Assistant, Thilani Rodrigo.

Weren’t around for Missions weekend and missed the message? I highly encourage you to listen to the message here. Last month we talked about Missions: what Clovis Hills is doing to make a difference in our community and the world. And how you can get involved. During the Authentic Compassion series, Pastor Kimberly told us how areas of Fresno are being called the Appalachia of the West.

One of those areas is a neighborhood in SE Fresno that we are serving. Gilbert Salcedo, a youth pastor at El Encino Baptist Church was invited to share his story and how we can make an impact in SE Fresno. The most incredible part of this service for me was Gilbert’s testimony. How God used one woman to demonstrate that following Jesus would change Gilbert’s life for eternity. Can I get an amen? That definitely deserves an amen! Gilbert also shared how his hours had recently been cut back at the church and how it was affecting his family. Now prepare yourself for this, are you sitting down? I hope you’re sitting down…

After hearing his testimony, members of the our church felt led to help the Salcedo family financially. Altogether, the difference in his salary is paid through December! What an awesome way to serve our family in Christ!

After service the Courtyard was turned into Serve Central - each and every one of our ongoing missions partners were represented. Everyone took Pastor Kimberly’s advice and checked out the tables and signed up where they felt led -  over 250 people signed up to become a friend of a mission! Can’t wait to see how God uses the connections made here to change lives for the Kingdom!

This post is written by the Clovis Hills Missions Assistant, Thilani Rodrigo.

Terry is still gone (that little slacker! just kidding Terry!) but I wanted to talk about this past message series, Authentic Compassion. Pastor Kimberly, Pastor Jon and Pastor Paul delved into what it means to see the less fortunate as God does.

We asked quite a lot of our church this past month. We wanted you to help feed our community, bring some nourishment to our friends in the Philippines - we even asked you to give up the shoes off your feet! With each opportunity the Church stepped up in big ways! Here are some stats:

• Over 2400 pounds of food were donated to the Community Food Bank
• 5 full boxes of powdered drinks sent to the Philippines (the boxes are 24×24x36 - you could potentially put a body in there - or a bunch of powdered drinks!)
• 1000 pairs of shoes donated to the Fresno Rescue Mission & The Craycroft Center

Way to go Clovis Hills! Let’s keep showing our community and the world the love of our Savior through service. If you want to get involved, head to the Serve area in the Courtyard on weekends.

Subscribe to the RSS feed to receive automatic blog updates, next up: Missions Weekend recap and the return of our fearless leader! God Bless!

In case you haven’t noticed…I’ve not been around Clovis Hills for a couple of weeks now. I’m 2 weeks into my extended leave of absence which started July 4th and will last up until I return on September 2nd. The purpose of this time is for rest, relaxation and renewal of my body, mind and spirit. The past 2-3 years have been very tough and the most recent year has been especially trying for me and my family. Allow me to update you on the happenings in my world.

This past May marked 9 years in ministry at Clovis Hills. Wow, time moves along quickly! Also, on May 17th I graduated from Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary earning a Master of Arts degree in Intercultural Mission. It only took me 6 years to complete…didn’t want to rush anything! Also during the last 3 years both my parents started to decline in health. My father had Alzheimer’s disease and we had to put him in a nursing home about 2 years ago. Then on December 11th, 2008 he went to be with Jesus as a result of complications from surgery. My mother had Pulmonary Fibrosis which was worsening over the last couple of years. She lived with me, my sister and niece and just last month on June 16th she went home to rest with Jesus. So, we lost both our parents within a 6 month period of time. Yes, it’s been an adjustment and there are times that we miss them terribly yet we know they are at peace now in heaven. It’s also been during this time that a verse has been re-affirmed for me as one that I hold very dear:

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.  Romans 8:28 NLT

As you can see, I’m in need of some time to recover and recharge so that I may minister effectively and diligently. During this time the ministry and missions efforts are in capable hands of faithful servants. I am excited about the current series called Authentic Compassion which I believe will be powerful for Clovis Hills. In fact, the last couple of weeks have been intense and Spirit led at least that’s what I’ve heard!

Got questions? Email serve@clovishills.com for any SERVE related information.

In the age of twitter and facebook…I’m wondering about the value of a blog. Case in point: I have not posted here in almost 6 months. However, if you were one of my twitter friends then you would have read up-to-date tweets by me. And if you are a facebook addict then you would not know what’s happening with me since I don’t have a facebook. That’s right, no fb for me…at least not yet. Let’s test this “blog value” theory of mine…wanna play along?!? I will join facebook if I get 50 comments on this post by Saturday, June 6th. The comments have to be posted on my blog. Game on!

Next week on January 12th Clovis Hills has the priviledge of hosting Perspectives. 

Perspectives on the World Christian Movement is a dynamic course where you’ll discover what God is doing around the world and consider your part in His purposes.

Imagine the difference it would make in your life if God Himself would reveal to you the world as He sees it from His perspective. You would witness once again God’s great compassion for the lost. He would proclaim how well His servants are doing to reach each one. You would see first hand the importance prayer has in releasing His power. You would be moved by the testimonies of peoples from the world’s unreached locations. God would reveal to you the areas of the world where the need is greatest. You might even grasp the vision of how God will use you and your talents to share in the task of taking the Gospel to the lost. In short, God would show you His heart. How could you ever be the same again?

Hope you can visit a class to get a glimpse of what this class is all about! The first class is FREE!