Party on! A great way to share the Christmas story

Posted by Christine Hall

Most of us have a desire to share the Gospel, but we don’t know how. A very easy way to do that is by hosting an evangelistic Christmas Gathering—a holiday party featuring seasonal treats, sharing of Christmas traditions and a brief, non-threatening gospel message.

When I began my walk with Christ I attended a Bible study that came out of a Christmas Gathering. I had never studied the Bible before and the materials were very easy to use. I have since hosted Christmas Gatherings for co-workers, neighbors and mothers at my children’s school. This year my husband and I are hosting one for an apartment complex in our city. I am convinced that hosting a Christmas Gathering is one of the easiest and most effective ways to share my faith.

I will say that I don’t know if sharing my faith is ever comfortable for me. But it is worth it. I’m glad someone took the risk to tell me about Christ. I was very afraid to share Christ with the people I knew. But I had to be willing to risk what other people thought of me if I really cared about them and where they’re spending eternity. Are you willing to risk your reputation for the sake of the gospel?

We provide training, which will be held from 6:15-8:30p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9th at Sonshine Center in Menasha. You will see a demonstration of what actually happens during a Gathering and discuss everything from spiritual preparation to follow up. The cost is $12 and includes a detailed instruction manual.

A trained speaker will be provided for your Gathering (or you can choose your own speaker and have them attend training the same night). Speakers are given a clear presentation of the gospel which they personalize and share at your Gathering.

To register, please call Doris Steinberg at 751-3855 or pick up a brochure at the information station in the CTR lobby.

Can you make your career a calling?

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?

A community opportunity: Octoberfest!

When Appleton throws a party, the downtown is packed with thousands of people.

Hungry people.

Since 1981, Octoberfest has been bringing people to downtown Appleton in the spirit of community pride and celebration, and CTR has been a part of it with a strong presence for the past several years.  Octoberfest is fund raising venue that gives ministries like Crossing (our young adult ministry), and Gardens In The Desert a chance to touch others with a message of hope at this community party.

Amid the loud rock music and polkas, the tasty food and often shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, Octoberfest is fun with a purpose!

Thanks to all of you who volunteered or came out and said hello to those working the booths.

Where’s Danen?

Danen Kane has become a familiar face and voice for our weekend visitors.  This passionate musician from Little Chute is not only an inspirational worship leader on weekends here, but also in the missions field where he ministers to people locally and globally who are hungry for a message of healing and hope.

This weekend Danen will be at Cup O’ Joy in Green Bay for a concert to release is new music on CD titled “Awakening”. You can catch him Saturday, August 1 at 7:30 p.m. for two shows (6:30pm an 8:45pm).  Click here to find out more, or visit Danen’s MySpace page.

Danen is back with us leading worship the following weekend, Augusts 8-9.

Destination Unknown becomes a powerful lesson in redemption

Last week’s Destination Unknown trip for our junior high students was an incredible adventure into reaching out to those in the community.  Unbeknown to the 29 students, their destination was Wausau, our neighbors to the west.  (Hence the name of the annual “Destination Unknown” retreat.) Lead by AMPED youth pastor Bee Vang, the group worked incredibly hard in ways that were physically and spiritually challenging!

Bee’s own story about his road to redemption as a youth is interwoven with tales of how our AMPED students spent their week. Check it out:
(Reprinted with permission from the Wausau Daily Herald)
July 25, 2009

Former gang member brings youth group to Wausau for good works

A former gang member’s road to redemption brought him through Wausau this week, where he has led dozens of acts of good work.

Bee Vang and 29 AMPED junior high students from CTR wrap up their Destination Unknown mission trip.

Bee Vang, 22, of Appleton brought 29 junior-high-age teens and nine adult volunteers from the Fox Valley on a church mission trip that started July 18 and ended today. The group stayed at Rib Mountain State Park and worked on a variety of goodwill projects throughout the area. Projects the youths from Christ the Rock Community Church worked on included sorting, moving and organizing goods at The Neighbors’ Place in Wausau; helping clean and maintain trails and other areas on Rib Mountain; sprucing up the area around the Phou Bia Oriental Market on Sherman Street in Wausau; organizing items for the New Day Christian Church’s garage sale; and helping a homeowner the group met do some household chores.

At night, the group worked on matters of spirituality, further developing relationships with God.

Ten years ago, Vang was on a vastly different path, participating in vastly different group activities.

“I was in my early teens, and I got into drugs, partying, stealing,” Vang said. “I was looking for love, looking for acceptance. I found them in gangs. They were my bros; they were my boys.”

Compassion Gardens have begun!

Posted by Patty Dempsey

Our Campus Garden planting team digs in.

What a great morning we had planting our brand new Campus Garden!  On Saturday, May 30th, fifteen people (some not shown in picture)  joined together to help plant our 30×50 foot Campus Garden. Our vision for the garden is to invite anyone in our church to help.  As food becomes ready to harvest, we openly invite you to take some of the food if you need it, take some to give to a family you know who could use it, or help bring the rest to a local food pantry.  If you don’t have your own garden or simply want to work together on a garden with other people, here’s your chance.

Planting takes planning!

Last Saturday on our planting day, even in the on and off drizzle we had a lot of fun.  It was especially exciting to hear people connect through their own garden stories and sharing of garden tips.

We had beginners working alongside experienced gardeners, and everyone got down and dirty in the mud!

Gardening is for the shoe-hardiest among us!

The Campus Garden is just one of the gardens in our new ministry called Compassion Gardens.  If you’ve seen the grounds of our church lately, you have noticed the transformation that has been taking place not only with the Campus Garden, but the Hmong Gardens as well. 

Coming May 12: “God’s Equation for Joy”

Posted by Susan Campbell, CTR Sisterhood

We have had four great CTR Sisterhood events and are praying that our fifth and final event before summer break is one that will encourage women to reach farther in their families and communities.  Our guest speaker fits that bill perfectly!

Margo Feiseler came to mind for two reasons:  1. She came highly recommended by many people.  2. She is very involved in her community and works diligently on behalf of the poor.

Then I spoke with her, and that sealed it.

Margo is very dynamic.  She is deeply passionate about life and especially about women and their walk with Christ.  She loves to laugh and bring the JOY of Christ into daily conversations.  It just flows out of her!

I sense that our entire Sisterhood  will immediately connect with Margo and her vast life experiences. Plus, she loves our Sisterhood theme and our outreach this ministry has to offer the women of Christ The Rock.

On May 12 she’ll share how she came to know the Lord in her early 30’s and has had to learn to be content in Jesus…and she’ll motivate us to do the same.   There is Joy in this Journey of womenhood and sometimes we need the encouragement and motivation to keep walking with faith.  Margo will give us some tools to journey on!

I hope you’ll come. And I think you’ll leave the event feeling blessed and feeling prepared to bless others. Register online at christtherock.org/sisterhood.

A Breakfast with impact

Last Saturday about 120 men came to Christ the Rock Church’s Reaching Farther Breakfast. The quarterly breakfast event is put on by HIScommunity, CTR’s new name for our growing men’s ministry. Kudos to the 20 leaders who put this event together!

Here’s what HIScommunity super-volunteer John Dwiggins reports:

MEN REACHING FARTHER

By John Dwiggins

After some great fellowship and worship time, guest speaker Greg Bourgond, founder of the Heart of a Warrior ministry, inspired us with a message on how to leave a lasting and pleasing legacy in the lives of people we are called to serve. Greg also urged us to have a laser-like focus in life, serving God and others with the gifts, calling and abilities that He has blessed us with

After Greg’s message, three men shared their testimonies of how God is helping them reach farther by mentoring younger men, leading men in a Heart of a Warrior bible study and by witnessing to others and praying for them in their work environment.

CTR’s new  Global Executive Director Norm Leatherwood shared how we can reach farther globally by meeting the physical needs of the hungry in the world, having compassion on others and by committing ourselves to have a real and sustained impact.

And Pastor John Slotten shared how in our local community, we can proclaim the gospel in our homes and neighborhoods, comfort others and meet physical needs through the OAKS ministry and the CTR food pantry.

Praise God for how He deeply impacted the men by all that happened at the breakfast! Eight men even signed up for a year-long commitment to learn how to become warriors after God’s own heart by completing the Heart of a Warrior training program.

We hope and pray that all that came will follow through on the “reaching farther” ideas the Lord gave them at the breakfast and that more men can be blessed by future HIScommunity activities in 2009.