Seven members of our congregation attended this year's district conference in Dallas on July 24-26. While it was great to see old friends, it was also an opportunity to spend more time with one another as well. The main presentations focused on Trinitarian Theology as it's lived out in our lives, how we show God's love and concern for others.

Pastor Mark presented a workshop on depression that was extremely well received. As a licensed counselor, he pointed out the causes, how to recognize it, and how to deal with it. Pastor Mark also will have an article in a future issue of Odyssey Magazine on this topic as well.

A surprise moment occurred when Joe Tkach addressed the entire group concerning the recent name change to Grace Communion Int'l. He pointed out that he had received cards from so many congregations that they were able to determine they had 85% of the members in support of the change. However, he stated that his very favorite card was the one he received from the Houston congregation that showed the Nike logo and said "Just do it"! Yeah Houston!!! So, thanks to everyone for signing the card and letting your voice be heard!!

If you would like to listen to any of the conference presentations, they will be available on the Dallas congregation website shortly. See the link below.

Our August 9 bible study will begin at 1230 PM. The topic is "The Heresies of the Pharisees". Who were the Pharisees? Why were they so opposed to Jesus? What is the lesson for us today? This study will be presented by Karen Quinn.

Hello once again from Community Christian Fellowship, A few months back, our local Church Council decided to publish some financial information in the bulletin every week. One figure was to inform the members how much was needed each week to meet our yearly budgetary goals, and the other was what was actually given by the membership. Since this information has been made public, some have asked why we chose to do so. Let me take a minute to explain why this decision was made.

In the past, Grace Communion International did not operate from a local administrative model. All of the offerings were mailed directly to our denominational headquarters, and funds were allocated from there to the local congregations. This model has since changed. We are now responsible for collecting, counting, depositing and accounting for all of the offerings given locally. Our denomination then takes a percentage every month to cover their expenses and my salary, and leaves the rest for us. The obvious positive side to this is that we can create a local vision and mission for our congregation and budget accordingly. So, we are now given the freedom to recognize our individual gifts and talents, but more importantly, we can pray for the wisdom to see where Jesus is already working in our communities and get involved. With this in mind, the council thought it would be helpful to let the congregation know what has been budgeted to meet our local needs and to support the ministries that we have. The reasoning behind it was to do away with the "secretive", "behind closed doors" feelings that have existed in some congregations in the past. Now, every member knows what is budgeted and can keep track of and hopefully pray for the local needs of our local church. This in turn, will allow us to become involved in ministries.

Let me be clear, making this information public was not intended to make one feel guilty. It was intended to be a weekly source of information that could be prayed about and supported as needed. If it makes one feel guilty, that is not our intention. We believe that it is biblical to give from one's heart in a cheerful manner after much thought and prayer, not out of guilt.

So, with this in mind, we will continue to let you know how we are doing financially. Again the motive is to help you feel involved and to allow you the opportunity to pray for God's will to be done through us, according to the funds that are available. We hope that you will all continue to pray for opportunities to serve where God wants us to serve, not just where we think we ought to be. And as always, thank you all for the sacrifice of your time, your finances, and your hearts for the people of Community Christian Fellowship. This is not "our church". It is the church of Jesus Christ, and our prayer is to serve in a manner that is according to His will, not ours. Until next time, Pastor Mark