april 2018 volume 22, no. 04 “pastor’s pen” · the apostle paul went to great lengths to help...

April 2018

Pastor’s Pen Pastor’s Pen Pastor’s Pen ................................................... 111

Pulpit Preview Pulpit Preview Pulpit Preview ............................................. 333

Mitchell Celebration Mitchell Celebration Mitchell Celebration ........................ 444

Executive Board News Executive Board News Executive Board News .................. 555

Lamplighters Lamplighters Lamplighters ................................................... 666

Women Ministries Women Ministries Women Ministries ................................. 777

Men’s Ministries Men’s Ministries Men’s Ministries ....................................... 888

Youth News Youth News Youth News ...................................................... 999

Food Pantry Food Pantry Food Pantry ................................................... 101010

Bulletin Board Bulletin Board Bulletin Board .......................................... 111111

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Volume 22, No. 04

““Pastor’s Pen” Pastor’s Pen” Pastor’s Pen” by Pastor Jef f Mitchellby Pastor Jef f Mitchellby Pastor Jef f Mitchell ARE WE WEAK ENOUGH TO BE STRONG?ARE WE WEAK ENOUGH TO BE STRONG? As much as we may not like to admit it weakness, humility and

personal need are God’s direct “doorway” to strong vital robust

spiritual faith. Often we seek God’s “backdoor”: “Oh God, give me the power, resources,

feelings or health to do it myself.” Sadly, at times we are only weak enough to stay weak as

we shrink in self absorption and pity.

The Apostle Paul went to great lengths to

help us understand true strength through

weakness. Not only did Paul teach this

principle, he shared from his own life how it

worked. In II Corinthians 12 Paul is writing

concerning a “thorn in his flesh” God has

allowed in Paul’s life to keep him from being

conceited:

Three times I pleaded with the Lord

to take it away from me. But he said

to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in

weakness.” Therefore I will boast all

the more gladly about my

weaknesses, so that Christ’s power

may rest on me. That is why, for

Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses,

in insults, in hardships, in

persecutions, in difficulties. For when

I am weak, then I am strong.

(Continued on page 3)

The Good Sam Gazette

Published monthly by

Debbie Ghiselli, Editor,

Good Samaritan

Community Covenant

Church

4684 Baldwin Street

Valley Springs, CA 95252

Tel. 209.772.9548

Fax 209.772.0451

Web Site: http://gsccc.net

E-mail: [email protected]

Office Hours:

Monday -Thursday

9:00 am - 3:00 pm Closed on Friday

Lead Pastor:

Jeff Mitchell

Youth Pastor:

Office Administrator:

Carol Wyllie

KidzChurch Coord.:

Deb Justice

Preschool Coord.:

Kayla Mullen

Church Treasurer:

Sandy Jump

Financial Secretary:

Julia Gomes

Choir Director & 1st

Service Worship Leader:

Duane Rettig

2nd Svc. Worship Leader:

Aaron & Crystal Dailey

Music Coordinator

Debby Brown

Church Custodian:

Paula Youngblood

Deadline for APR Gazette Monday, APR 16

Email: [email protected]

Sunday Service Schedule

9:00 am Traditional

10:30 am Contemporary

AWANA Kids’ Bible Club

Wed. 5:30 pm (Aug.-Apr.)

JHO Jr. High Youth Group

Wednesday 5:30-7:30 pm (FOLLOWS CUSD SCHEDULE)

RPM High School Youth

Thursday 7:00-8:30 pm (FOLLOWS CUSD SCHEDULE)

PAGE 2 THE GOOD SAM G AZETTE APRIL 2018

2018 Executive Board

Church Chair ............................. Dick Brown

Vice-Chair ............................. Bev Brayshaw

Lead Pastor ............................. Jeff Mitchell

Youth Pastor ........................... Zach Pennell

Executive Board Secretary ........ Michele Ladley

Deacon Chair ............................ Greg Sattler

Trustee Chair ............................ Loren Eiler

Christian Life Board Chair ............. Jack Jolliff

Church Treasurer ....................... Sandy Jump

Advisor .............................. Darrell Williams

Pastoral Care Team

Claireed Allen, Mary Jean Anderson, Bob Brayshaw, Kurt Cosgrove, Nadja Gomes, Dennis Gregory,

Catherine Lamanna, Karen Stubblefield

Offering Counter/Lock-up (Trustees) 4/01 Ron Parker / Laurel Jolliff 4/08 Bob Trapp / Dick Brown 4/15 Mike Rusk / Scott Harker 4/22 Sandy Jump / Phil Schroeder 4/29 Loren Eiler / Bobby Brenner

Good Sam Media Team

Claire Long, Dave Pattee, Candi Pattee, Hannah Olson, Rodney Goodin, Kurt Williams

The Inn

Mary Jean Anderson, Coordinator

Financial Report General Fund

Financials unavailable at time of publishing.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Thank you.

THE GOOD SAM G AZETTE APRIL 2018 PAGE 3

PULP IT PREV IEW People of Strength and Courage

continues.

AprilAprilApril

Apr 1 EASTER RESURRECTION SUNDAY

Apr 8 WHAT’S NEXT? LIFE AFTER RESURRECTION Jess Bonds, Guest Preacher

Apr 15 CONFIRMATION SUNDAY ONE SERVICE 10AM COMMUNION Pastor Jeff Mitchell

Apr 22 URBAN PLUNGE SUNDAY

Pastor Jeff Mitchell

Apr 29 CHURCH AT THE CROSSROADS ONE SERVICE 10AM Jeremiah 6:16

Pastor Jeff Mitchell

Wow! Just think of it—the power of our

weakness before God is far greater than

anything we can do on our own. It’s true! It

is our hope! We don’t need to “do more” or

“try harder” with a little help from God.

When we surrender before God in our

weakness to let go of our control and let

God shine through us, then we are strong

and courageous and God’s power flows

through us. You see, the life we seek in

Christ is hidden in our weakness, fear,

failure and problems. When we accept the

life God has given to us, we receive

whatever power is necessary to live that life

no matter what is or where it takes us. I

leave these true, encouraging and powerful

words with you to guide and enable your

weakness becoming strength:

But you are a chosen people, a royal

priesthood, a holy nation, a people

belonging to God, that you may

declare the praises of him who

called you out of darkness into his

wonderful light. Once you were not a

people, but now you are the people

of God; once you had not received

mercy, but now you have received

mercy.

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens

and strangers in the world, to

abstain from sinful desires, which

war against your soul. Live such

good lives among the pagans that,

though they accuse you of doing

wrong, they may see your good

deeds and glorify God on the day he

visits us..—I Peter 2:9-12

(Continued from page 1)

THE GOOD SAM G AZETTE APRIL 2018

By Dick Brown, Chair

As we begin the month of April, we will do

so with a new pastor of student ministries. At

our congregational meeting on March 18 we

voted to extend the call to Zach Pennell. He

is currently serving at our camp and

conference center at Mission Springs in

Scotts Valley. He is scheduled to being his

duties here at Good Sam on June 1.

We have also begun a new chapter with the

addition of Carol Wyllie as the new office

administrator. She is currently working and training along side Laura

Woodson and will take on her responsibilities later this month. Laura will be

soon beginning her new role as a newlywed. We wish her well and will

miss her smiling face and helpful nature. Please take the time to make Carol

feel welcome in her new role and to assist with the transition.

Even though we have filled 2 positions, we will soon be faced with filling

the position of senior pastor with the retirement of Pastor Jeff. This is not

going to happen overnight and we will now, more than ever, need to be in

prayer as we ask our Lord to show us who He has in mind. He has someone

already picked out to lead us with the ministry here at Good Sam, but we

need to continue to pray for our leadership teams and for our conference

folks who are working with us. There will undoubtedly be many

opportunities to help with the continuing ministry here, so please consider

saying “yes” if you are asked to fill any open positions that will come up.

Again, keep your eyes focused on the Lord and He will be lifted up.

PAGE 5 THE GOOD SAM G AZETTE APRIL 2018

2018 Executive Board Members:2018 Executive Board Members:2018 Executive Board Members: Dick Brown, Bev Brayshaw, Darrell Williams, Greg Sattler, Loren McKelroy, Jack Jolliff, Michele Ladley, Sandy Jump and Jeff Mitchell.


Seniors Serving God By Jan Hubbart

W hen sitting down to write this article, I cannot believe it will be read after Easter! HE AROSE AND LIVES IN OUR

HEARTS TODAY! In Genesis, we have been reading over and over again how God’s people continued to build idols to worship and needed to be rescued and forgiven over and over

by God—and He so graciously forgave them and took care of them as he does us today.

Dear God, I am just asking you, Lord, to bless each and everyone of the last days we will have with Pastor Jeff and Gael. Give them great peace and joy and bless the hands that will be planning and carrying out all the activities and tasks to be completed before their departure. We know that without your blessing non of it could be possible.

The Lamplighters will miss our weekly encouragement prayer times with Pastor Jeff. May God continue to bless your walk with Him!


Women Ministries Council:

Bev Brayshaw - Women of the Word (A.M.) Coordinator 772-2304 Debbie Ghiselli - Women of the Word (P.M.) Coordinator 772-7152 Sharon Gregory - Woman to Woman 772-3105 Tina Harker - Holiday Boutique 743-4060

Here is Pastor Jeff serving his last

parishioner at MAN CAMP Sunday

Communion.

19 men attended, and Jake and “Miner” the dog!


Men’s Ministries Contact:

Gilbert Mackoul ........................................................................... 679-3453

Hi Good Samaritan!

The beginning of March was an exciting time for us. We started

the month off going to MAN CAMP. What made this MAN CAMP so

exciting was that it would be our new adventure send off for

Pastor Jeff as our lead pastor. It was a spiritually uplifting and

recharging camp for all of us.

Well, now it’s April and time for a new video series. We will be

joining North Coast Church for their video series on the gospel

of James. Come join us Tuesday nights in the Kid Zone 6:30-8:00

p.m.

Blessings!

The Men’s Ministry


On Sunday, March 18, at a special congregational meeting, the motion to approve candidate Zachary Pennell as our Pastor of Student Ministries was passed unanimously!

Zach comes with an impressive background. With a B.A. degree from Biola University in Communication Studies, and a minor in Biblical studies, his 10+ years of work and volunteer experiences have centered on the spiritual development of junior and senior high school groups. For example, at Frontier Ranch Zach was a Leader in Training, then moved up to Mission Springs as Operations/Program Intern. Currently he has been teaching/facilitating hands-on science and team building in Outdoor Education for 5th and 6th graders.

It is Zach’s hope to inspire the students at Good Sam to share and live out the Gospel as a witness of Christ.

Let’s all welcome Zach to Good Sam!

“...Therefore my beloved brethren be steadfast, immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

I Corinthians 15:58


By Mike & Nanci Mowrey

I am always wowed by God’s

timing and faithfulness

especially when it comes to

the Food Pantry ministry. I

would like to say that I wait

confidently on the Lord, never

worrying or stressing when things

aren't looking like they are

coming together as planned. Or,

that I have a child-like trust just

knowing that God has this thing!

Unfortunately, that isn't the case

and yet God still shows up in my

doubt and provides exactly what

was needed at the perfect time,

thus growing my faith.

The Food Pantry has recently

gone through a shaking up of

sorts. We have had several

volunteers develop serious health

problems and a number who

have upcoming surgeries and life

changes. All of these situations

mean less volunteers for our

Saturday distribution. It is

always a mystery who will show

up in the morning and we worry

if we can pull it all off. God uses

these times to show us that He is

forever faithful and is not limited

by our circumstances or doubt.

He shows up and shows off like

Pastor Jeff says when we just

trust and obey!

We would like to thank all our

wonderful volunteers who have

such BIG hearts for this ministry.

They pitch in wherever the

need may be and bless us with

their hard work. Thank you all!

Well done good and faithful servants.

Matthew 25:23

food of the month


Pastor Jeff will be offering the Centering Prayer

workshop at Trinity Episcopal Church in Sutter

Creek on Saturday, April 14 from 9am-1pm.

You will learn to be with God in a new and

powerful way “Being still and knowing

God—Psalm 46:10. Centering prayer is

key to living a life that let’s go and let’s

God. For questions or reservations,

please leave a message at 209.296.7842

or email [email protected].

THE REFORMATION AND THE REFORMERS

(10 sessions)

Starts April 8!

The Reformation began with

Wycliffe and Hus before Martin

Luther. Last fall was the 500th

anniversary of Luther’s declaration

of the need for reform. We will

learn about almost two centuries of

reform using the documentary

“This Changed Everything” and

explore the lives of the six main

reformers and the Anabaptist

movement. The Reformation not

only changed the religious world

and the political world in Europe

but also set the stage for the

founding of the United States of

America. Join us in learning about

this movement that still affects our

lives!

TRUSTEES, CLB, ART GUILD:

I personally wanted to extend my

gratitude for the generous gift of

your time, effort and pure heart in

helping us redesign our preschool

classroom. Our preschoolers are

excited and eager to personalize

their learning space. I have seen a

great amount of God’s love since

I’ve become the Preschool

Coordinator, and I am honored to

have a part in this church and

work with our new generation.

Thank you for the beautiful paint

job. Please come by often to view

the upcoming displays that our

kids create.

Kayla Mullen

4/01 ....... Shawn Webber

............... Harry Kious

4/02 ....... Connor Wright

4/03 ....... Jade Kesterson

4/07 ....... Margie Olsen

4/10 ....... Brandon Olson

............... Lucile Sostrom

4/11 ....... Dianne Harris

............... Lance Williams

............... Kurt Williams

4/13 ....... Jean Fox

4/16 ....... Emma Hohn

4/16 ....... Katie Harris

............... Paige Vanegas

4/17 ....... Andrew Barby

4/18 ....... Summer Barby

............... Crystal Dailey

4/19 ....... Delaney Moore

4/20 ....... Ian Allen

4/21 ....... Jarrett Ramirez

4/21 ....... Mark Stoller

4/24 ....... Mariah Justice

Deadline for the Deadline for the MAY MAY MAY Gazette: Monday, April 16 by 9:00 amGazette: Monday, April 16 by 9:00 am Email your article to [email protected] or drop it by the office between the hours of 9:00AMEmail your article to [email protected] or drop it by the office between the hours of 9:00AM --2:00PM2:00PM


4/04 ..... William & Janelle Knodel

4/05 ..... Robert & Carol Wyllie

4/07 ..... Jason & Kristal Kesterson

4/10 ..... Mark & Emily Stoller

4/17 ..... Dave & Betsy Standlee

4/19 ..... Gilbert & Jennifer Mackoul

4/20 ..... Wayne & Linda Brenner

4/22 ..... Chance & Jessica Tanner

4/23 ..... James & Myrna Ward

4/27 ....... Steven Schimp

4/28 ....... Scott Reiswig

............... Zelda Vanegas

4/29 ....... Mitch Kunzmann

4/30 ....... Alyssa Wyllie

............... Debbie Brown

april 2018 volume 22, no. 04 “pastor’s pen” · the apostle paul went to great lengths to help...

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