UPCOMING CHURCH EVENTS/MEETINGS – updated 10 JULY 2015

7/12 – Sun – 10:30 a.m. – Worship – 7th Sunday After Pentecost
7/19 – Sun – 10:30 a.m. – Worship – Welcome New Members
7/20-8/11 – Pastor Nancy on Vacation
7/26 – Sun – 10:30 a.m. – Worship led by Christine Lollar, Director of Homelessness Resources in Kern County – SHOWER HER WITH SOAP!
8/7 – Fri – 5:00-8:00 p.m. – First Friday –California State Parks Presentation

INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT CHURCH MEMBERSHIP? We will be welcoming new members on Sunday, July 19th. Please contact Pastor Nancy if you would like to know more about our church and membership.

REMINDER … DON’T FORGET TO SIGN-UP FOR FRIENDSHIP HALL REFRESHMENTS – We are beginning a new way of providing refreshments in Friendship Hall after worship on Sundays. Just a reminder we are asking for sign-up volunteers to provide coffee setup, goodies to share, and clean up. These can be divided up into two or three jobs, or combined into one job … it’s up to you. A sign-up sheet is being circulated and we are asking everyone to take their turn at providing coffee and finger food suitable for eating from a napkin, clean-up duties—which could be as simple as emptying the coffee pot of grounds and putting away a table cloth, if we only use paper cups and napkins. Otherwise, coffee cups would have to be washed as well. We wish to keep the refreshments simple so that we all feel comfortable taking our turn providing hospitality to our fellow church friends.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING SEMINAR – Sunday, August 9TH – Phil Gazley, the Coordinator of Kern County’s Coalition Against Human Trafficking, will offer a seminar after worship, during coffee hour, providing specific details of how our church can support this effort. Please welcome him for this presentation!

SOAP FOR SUCCESS – How many times a day do you wash your hands? Have you ever thought of how often soap contacts your skin? What’s it like when the bathroom sink you’re at has no soap. When Jan and I were in Uganda, I saw only two people ask for money, but frequently villagers would ask if we had any soap. Homeless people in our country seek soap, too. Soap prevents disease and infection – keeping you from being ill, and extending your life. During the month of July, we will be doing a “Soap for Success” campaign, asking you to bring soap to church, any kind of soap: dish soap, bar soap, hand soap, scrubbing soap, laundry soap, pretty ladies’ soap, soap with deodorant, whatever kind that floats your boat. Please place your soap on the altar or in a tub beneath the altar. On July 26th, our guest speaker will be Christine Lollar, the Director of Homelessness Resources in Kern County; she will collect our soap. Together we hope to invite anyone from the community to join in our “Soap” collection. After Christine’s visit, I’m encouraging a “Jeans for Teens” community drive, so that we can give jeans to teens before school starts. If you see any good sale prices, know that we hope to collect “Jeans for Teens” in August. May you be blessed and a blessing, Pastor Nancy

COVENANT SMALL GROUPS – Our church is in the midst of creating Covenant Small Groups. These small groups will include up to 11 people, but seldom will all members be able to attend each meeting. The groups will plan to meet once a month at any time of day—either at a host home for a potluck at a restaurant for a Dutch treat meal, or any other fun venue—in order to build relationships and encourage some spiritual discussions. Our church family will be divided into about ten geographically selected groups. This is a great opportunity to get better acquainted with your fellow church friends and welcome new church members, while deepening your spirituality. We ask you to please attend once a month for the three months of summer.