What a year it’s been serving in the SE Neighborhood…God is definitely moving!!!

Some highlights:

• Gilbert & Donovan led out on Saturdays for some sports, games & crafts for the kids. The goal was to offer it every Saturday during the school year at Sequoia and start at Calwa. We were not able to start at Calwa due to not enough volunteers but our hope is to start in Fall with a rotation with Sequoia.
• Julie led the after school tutoring effort that ended up moving locations – to El Encino! There were many students wanting to participate in the tutoring however; volunteers were few and not enough to help all of them. This is a great opportunity…won’t you pray about being a part of this next year?
• Mission of Love during the last weekend of February was “off the charts”! Over 700 people served throughout the weekend: set-up, take-down; painting; landscaping; yard work; block party; prayer walking; sorting food & clothes just to name a few!
• Spring break offered an opportunity to do a sports camp. It was successful with many of the regulars bringing their friends out. The kids have received us well and I trust that God is working in their hearts…showing them the hope that is found in Jesus!
• Mini Sports & Crafts Camp held last month was incredibly successful. Over 40 kids participated and a few new volunteers joined us for some water slides activity, sports, crafts, face painting and some great BBQ! Check out this blog post & video for a glimpse.
• This Summer Gilbert has his first student going overseas as a missionary…we can all praise God for what he is doing in this young lady. Continue to pray for Gilbert as he may have to go part-time in the Fall. God is using him in great ways in the SE Neighborhood.

Lives are changing…ONE person at a time. Let me share with you what one 9 year old regular Saturday Sports participant said during the Mission of Love:

• “Oh, you guys are that church that gives away the shoes & socks for school!”

He connected the dots with Faithful Feet. WE are ALL making a difference friends!!!

If only ONE child decides to accept Jesus and break the cycle of living a life filled with drugs, alcohol & gang participation – will it not be worth it?

Join me for a time of reflection & commitment to the vision of the SE Neighborhood Mission. There are opportunities to lead by:

facilitating sports ONE Saturday a month

crafts & games ONE Saturday a month

after school tutoring ONE 2 hour afternoon block of time during the week

These are just a few of the options; come hear about others on Sunday, July 18th at 10:30 am in room 211.

Yeah, haven’t posted in a while…trying to get better at that. And if there is anyone out there who would love to help me with this…let me know! I welcome the assistance

Anyway, just this past week I joined our SE Neighborhood team and got a glimpse of some life changing things happening and not just the kids but us adults too. Check out this Saturday Sports video clip to get “taste” of what happens during Saturday Sports. Also, one of our volunteers posted his perspective on this blog: Volunteering: Just Show Up - I encourage you to read it. Then consider joining us this coming Saturday, June 26th for our last Saturday Sports for the season. Just taking a summer break; we’ll resume in the fall so stay tuned!

This post is written by the Missions Assistant, Thilani Grubel.

We hear a lot of statistics thrown out nowadays.  We like numbers; they make complex subjects like the economy or unemployment quantifiable. Fresno’s unemployment rate is 16.8%. Toyota has recalled over 2,000,000 cars over the last couple of months. The Lakers are 50-18 with a 4-game winning streak - yes I’m a Lakers fan, don’t judge me.

We use them in ministry as well and they can be either helpful or detrimental. Last year over 80 people made a first time commitment to Christ and over 40 were baptized at Clovis Hills. The thing we need to remember is that behind every number is a name. A person who’s life was changed. This article is taken from the North American Mission Board newsletter:

Missionary Luis Rodriguez remembers the challenges he faced after being sent by the Raham First Baptist Church of Santa Isabel to plant a new church in Coamo, Puerto Rico. “When we first arrived at Raham-Coamo, we notice the believers there didn’t have a commitment to come to the services,” says Luis. “When we were on our way to a prayer service, they started calling to excuse themselves from coming to the service. In that moment I turned and looked at my wife and wondered if our efforts were really worth it. We began doubting if God was really involved.”

When Luis and his wife, Lourdes, arrived at the small church for the prayer service, only one other couple had come to intercede for God’s work there - but a couple with a very special need. They found Carlos and Andrea Santiago kneeling in prayer. Andrea’s hair had fallen out due to chemotherapy she was undergoing to fight cancer. “I looked at my wife, she looked at me, and the Lord spoke to my heart, saying, ‘For the love of this solitary life I’m sending you to Coamo. It’s one life, one soul. Don’t worry about the ones who made excuses and didn’t come.’”

Because of Andrea’s commitment, Luis and Lourdes were motivated to press on with God’s challenge of planting a church in Coamo. The church is now thriving and they’ve started a school for local children.

If one person learns of God’s love for them. If one life is changed. If one soul is saved. Then it was worth all the effort.

This post is written by the Missions Assistant, Thilani Grubel.

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, you’re welcome). 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.

This post is written by the Missions Assistant, Thilani Grubel.

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

This post is written by the Missions Assistant, Thilani Grubel.

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 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!