For many of us, the daily work grind often feels like we’re striving to get our task lists checked off while breathing a prayer of thanks that we are employed (while many of our brothers and sisters are not).
But is it possible to make our jobs something more significant for God’s glory? (more…)
Did you know that CTR’s Food pantry started out the year serving about 16 families each month? The number of people in need of the Food Pantry’s resources is growing, according to staff ministry leader Tracy Komassa. “We have seen an increase in the number of families coming to CTR’s Food Pantry in the summer and now the fall months, and we’re getting many more voice mails requesting food,” she says.
Faces behind the forms
In order to meet people’s physical as well as the spiritual hunger, the Food Pantry team is taking a new approach to how people are served by consolidating the food pickup hours to just one day a week. The idea is to ensure that families and volunteers can meet face to face and begin to develop personal relationships with the families while helping them find community resources they may not know about.
Komassa says many of these families have never been inside our doors before.
“We want them to feel comfortable with us and know that we here to help. By getting to know them, our volunteers are also better able to meet additional practical needs as well as their spiritual needs. We are open to giving them tours of our church and hope they feel welcomed,” Komassa says.
The need
CTR’s Food Pantry Team has almost a dozen volunteers—not nearly enough to handle the influx of food and people in need. Komassa says it would be awesome if more volunteers could be available during the new Food Pantry Hours on Tuesdays from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. or 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
As for food, the pantry can always use donations to help meet the hunger need in the Valley. “Most of us think of canned goods, but what we always run short of is the grains like boxes of breakfast cereal, pastas and rice,” Komassa says.
If you can help, please call 730-8383 ext. 416.
Categories: Direction · Reaching Farther · Serving in our community
Posted by Linda Rue, CTR Writers & Storytellers Team
During any crises of world, country or home, I find great comfort in the fact that God is not surprised by any of it.
Let’s be even more personal by saying that he’s not surprised by the job you just lost, the husband or wife that has just left you, the teenage child that has suddenly rebelled and turned into a monster that you don’t know anymore or even the disconnect notice you just received that followed the overdraft notice from the bank.
Some of our personal crises come from sin, money mismanagement, procrastination, and even stuff that is not our fault at all. (more…)
Categories: Direction · Faith · Issues facing our day
Posted by Amy Spreeman
Our family suspected there might be something “different” about the way she dealt with stress. This beautiful, funny, smart little girl was the first grandchild–our little niece–who lit up our lives with laughter and joy.
But early on in her life a divorce and the painful rejection from her biological dad, and the way she tried to save the life of her dying grandfather–the man who’d raised her and loved her– well, that’s enough tragedy for any little girl to handle. Who wouldn’t be affected by these painful events? And yet there was something troubling. We couldn’t quite put our finger on it. (more…)
Categories: Direction · Issues facing our day · Support
Posted by Dawn Richmond, CTR Writers & Storytellers Team
This past weekend Pastor Bill began to lay the vision for 2009, Reaching Farther. I’ve been anticipating this since first reading about it on the CTR website and I was already very excited before even hearing the message.
I spent the Saturday beforehand pondering about what I’d blog about what we were going to do to help others as part of this vision and how this might really change us.
I started to lose my enthusiasm when I told my husband, because I sensed that I had failed to generate the same passion for this project in him. In disappointment and frustration, I conceded that we were not on the same page and gave up trying to go any further with it.
The next morning was very quiet between the two of us, even as we walked into church. (more…)
Categories: Direction · Marriage and Family · Reaching Farther
We’ve been seeing that in a lot of instances, people are seriously just longing for more connection with each other. Real, authentic, loving friendships – it’s kind of hard to find sometimes. However, it’s been totally beautiful watching week in and week out people spending time together. When TV, video games, surfin the web & lots of other distractions pull at us, it’s so rewarding to see others investing in one another. I’m sure pumpkin carving doesn’t sound like bundles of fun to everyone, but we sure had a good time friday!
Categories: Direction · cool stories
Jesus sought to understand the Father’s will. The Father placed His heart over the Son’s heart. The Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He does. Prayer should always brings us into oneness with the Father’s will.
Always a question in my mind…
However, many times I realize it’s the being, not the doing, that is the destination.
Categories: Direction
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