Pantano Christian Church

Half of our Christmas Eve offering and 1% of our weekly offering goes to help those in need locally.  Here’s how we’ve used that blessing over the last year through our benevolence ministry.  125 families received almost $59,000 to help them with their rent, mortgage, utilities or transportation.   We provide financial counseling and other help to get them out of the negative cycles that rob them of blessing.

Here’s an amazing story from one of our members.  Her husband was laid off.  They burned through their savings as he looked for work.  It was during this time that the wife became very good at juggling the money that they had to stretch as far as it could go.

There were a few occasions when no more stretching could be done.  During those times she turned to the church and the benevolence team provided help.  After her first interview with benevolence, she realized that this was her ministry passion and she has served on the benevolence team since 2008.

In July of 2009 the husband found full time employment and kept a part time job and the family began the process of rebuilding.  In December of 2009 they were almost over the peak, but needed to extend their Southwest Gas bill which was 5 days past the due date.  The wife called asking for an extension to avoid disconnection of the service.

The gentleman representing SW Gas informed her that he would not be able to grant her extension.  It was December 26^th and she just needed to get to the 31^st!  She asked when her “drop dead” date was and he told her if she didn’t have her payment in by the 29^th, they would be out to disconnect on the 30^th.  She explained that due to the Christmas holidays she had no one to ask for assistance, including her church.

The gentleman asked her where she went to church and she told him Pantano Christian Church.  Then she asked the man if he was looking for a church and he replied; “Oh no, I live in Des Moines.”  She said to him “May I ask why you wanted to know?”

The man said that there were more than 500 churches in Tucson and Pantano Christian Church is the only church we know of still helping the people in our community.  They keep a list!  He went on to say thank you for the way that our church is helping people. Then he said something surprising.  He said; “It means a lot to us too.  People don’t realize it, but it does.”  He granted her an extension until Jan. 10^th!

We are blessed to be a blessing.  Our benevolence team works hard and very rarely do we know how their work impacts those that we try to help.  We not only help families in need, but we impact the utility companies, apartment complexes, and other service providers.  I’m very grateful for a church that cares about others and is making a difference in many ways.  And thanks to our wonderful benevolence team for all they do on our behalf to serve so many.

Together to make a difference;

Glen

Sorry this is late in going out – I simply forgot to post it!

Paul in Galatians 6:9 encourages us “not to become weary in doing good.”  I asked us to memorize Eph. 2:8-10.  Remember vs. 10?  “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works…”  In Romans 12:21 we are encouraged to “overcome evil with good.”  Goodness is one of the results or fruit of God’s influence in our lives (Galatians 5:22).  Following Jesus means doing good – doing what is good for others.  It is not about self effort alone, nor is it to earn God’s favor.  Doing good flows out of a changed life.

Our Christmas Eve offering was devoted to providing clean water and benevolence.  Your goodness shown in giving is making a difference.  Take a quick look…

WATER

India. We just sent 4 water purification units to India for them to test out.  These systems remove all the impurities and germs.  If the tests go well (they like them and want to use them), we’ll send many more.
Ghana. We are purchasing 25 Sawyer units for a village called Klokope that our Sierra Vista campus has adopted.  We have another 10 villages where our partners have begun to work and once we do the initial community development training, we will surely be providing the water filter systems.

Unite 4 Africa. One rainwater collection tank is in progress in N. Ghana in the village of Nakpanzoo. They will build two more in N. Ghana. Then in Kenya, $5,900 will go towards drilling a well.  This is a big project that another church and another ministry are partnering with U4A to do.  This area needs a large (hence expensive) well that will serve a large population.

We have provided clean water to over 12,000 people through the water collection systems we’ve helped villages build.

BENEVOLENCE

In the last 12 months we served 125 families.  32 attend PCC, 93 are from our community.  That means we average helping about just over 10 families a month and the average amount of help is just over $471.  We’ve provided almost $56,000 of assistance.  The top 3 types of assistance have been for rent or mortgage (79 families), utilities (54 families) and transportation (18 families).  See my blog next week about a cool story regarding our benevolence ministry.

CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS

In May we took a special offering to help scholarship students who need help going to camp.  You gave over $10,000!  Wow!  We sent around 111 middle schoolers (plus youth leaders) to camp last week in 3 full size buses.  30 accepted Christ and 15 were baptized this week!  Praise God!  Thank you Pantano!

Together, making a difference;

Glen

A couple of months ago we finished looking at the “Prodigal Son” story in Luke 15.  I want to revisit it one more time.  In the story, it was clear that the father (representing our Father God) was pre-occupied with the “lost” son (representing those who are irreligious, immoral or irresponsible).  The older son (representing religious people) was pre-occupied with himself!  There’s a HUGE message and warning from Jesus here.  Church people must be more concerned about the lost (the ones who are not a part of the God’s church yet) than their own needs and wants.

Our elders have identified some key ends that we are to focus on.  One of them is this – Reaching people who are currently not connected to God or a church.  I often say it this way: we want to reach those no one is reaching.

I filter almost everything I do through this lens.  Every morning when I wake up and pray, I almost always pray about the 83% of the people in our community who don’t go to any church at anytime.  When I prepare a message for the weekend I think about both how to help those following Jesus to do so better, but I also think about how I can help those not following Jesus yet to find their way.

Our modest lobby renovation had one purpose in mind.  It was done to make a better experience for our visitors.  First impressions are significant and a warm helpful welcome is vital.

We received a grant to hire a phenomenal Christian design company called Visioneering to look at our East Tucson campus to help us figure out how we best accomplish our mission and vision.  I am committed to not re-locating, but we have to look at how to most effectively use our current and now aging facility.

Visioneering will be here later this month and give us a master plan, which we’ll approach in phased development.  Why do this?  Because we want to be effective in using all our resources to help people follow Jesus better and reach those we are not reaching (we are currently looking at our staff alignment and budget in the same light).  Most churches build and use buildings primarily for their own needs.  I am interested in having a facility that is the best place for those who are missing.  Like the father in the Prodigal Son story, we are looking for the lost sons and daughters to come home.

God has made it clear to me and our leadership that that we are to be a blessing to Southern Arizona.  To do that we will all need to grow in order to go.  We need to follow Jesus well and then go to those who are not connected to God or a church community.  My message this weekend is called “Unreached.”  We’ll look at how we can reach those no one has reached and help them find the Father who loves them and gives life at its best.

Together to reach the lost;

Glen

My preferred way to lead is by example.  I follow the financial principles I teach.  I’m glad to clean the restrooms and trim trees at the church building – no one is above such service.  I try really hard to model what I believe and what I value.  I want others to follow what I do and how I do it.  But I’ve had some doubts lately and questioned the “leading by example” model.  Maybe it is too “slow” of a way to lead.  Commanding and directing people is so much faster and efficient.  Jesus knew I was wrestling with this.  He speaks in so many ways.

My wife and I just saw the movie Invictus (PG-13, 2009).  It is based on the true story of Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman who looks amazingly like Mandela) who is trying to bring reconciliation to a racially divided South Africa.  I couldn’t help but see the key to his leadership.  He led by example.  He cut his own salary.  He refused to take revenge on those who had held him in prison for 27 years.  He insisted on having white staff remain or join him lead along with his black African National Congress.  He insisted in having white body guards join his faithful black guards.  He had deep values of forgiveness.  He modeled these things and expected others to follow him in overcoming evil with good.

Then I thought of childhood neighbor Bobby Brake.  He was one grade ahead of me.  He wasn’t a church guy at all.  But every time we played sports or a board game he was always honest.  Always!  I watched him all those years growing up and learned a great deal from him.

Then I thought about our faith – following Jesus.  Jesus led by teaching and example.  I become more like Jesus when I hang out with him.  The more I am with Jesus (in thought, reading, prayer, reflection); the more I act like him.   And it isn’t a once a week deal, it is years of hanging out together where I pick up on his heart, his thinking and his actions.   The more I daily focus on Jesus, the more I absorb who he is.

That’s what it means to be a disciple.  A disciple has a “Master” they follow, watch, listen to and just observe.   A disciple watches how the Master treats others.  He or she watches where Jesus puts his time and effort.  Disciples notice what the Master values.  Disciples learn huge lessons and pick up on subtle ways of living.  But in the end, it is a clear connection with Jesus, day after day, year after year.  That’s the core of the Christian life.  And what an amazing one it is.

I am reminded again of the power of being an example.  Jesus transforms me through his life and example.  May we all learn to love to hang out with Jesus.  May we hunger to know him, see him, feel him and obey him.  May we become more and more like him.  And may we lead by example.

Together to make a difference;

Glen