Living It Out

Is WIN Always an Event?

Mike has a story to share, and as we each become intentional about walking across the street and getting involved in the lives of our neighbors, this is a story we all need to hear and consider: 

About six months ago a friend of mine shared that he was looking to get a divorce.  After listening to his issues, I was hopeful he and his wife would be able to figure it out and keep their family together.  He agreed to meet for lunch and I shared with him how going to church had helped my family through some tough times. 

I could tell he was not very interested in pursuing God and they recently did get a divorce. Personally, I felt like I tried and failed.  This was my first attempt to really try to WIN someone to church and share my testimony and it BOMBED.

A few weeks ago, out of the blue, he called me.  He wanted to join my family and I at church.  Naturally, we welcomed him and showed him around campus.  Immediately he could see that this would be a good environment for his kids as well as himself.  He has been attending regularly since that day.  If this helps him heal and his kids get closer to Christ then "Mission Accomplished".

You may never know when you are making a difference, so keep trying and stay positive.  Winning is not always an event - it is an ongoing process of letting your actions and words exemplify who you are and what you believe. 

-Mike

1 Corinthians 3:7 tells us that we can plant and we can water, but only God can make those seeds Grow.  Each time we are obedient, we do our part.  Each time we make an effort to serve, to share our faith, or even just get to know someone far from God, it is never in vain.  Each act is a deposit, each act brings potential for new life to grow.  Mike is exactly right.  WIN isn't always an event.  WIN sometimes happens a little at a time, as we continue to be intentional about REACHING OUT to those around us.  Great Job, Mike!

A Group Leader’s Open Eyes and Ears

A while back Kevin, a group facilitator, HEARD that One Mission (a mission CCV supports in Rocky Point, Mexico) was in need of a vehicle and thought it would be awesome if he could find some way to meet their need through donations or a gift.  He had been down to Rocky Point as part of a house building trip for a family and even keeps in touch with that family personally to this day! 

He didn't give the car thought the attention it deserved and it slipped off his plate quickly.  A couple of months later he SAW a minivan for sale and it immediately struck him that this might be a good vehicle for One Mission.  Through a series of communications, he was able to contact One Mission and get a feel for their need and with the help of three of four other families in the neighborhood, they were able to track down the right car and help offset the cost for One Mission to have a new vehicle.

This is a great example of someone having their EYES and EARS open to recognizing needs around him, getting involved, being bold, and meeting the need.  His ears were open to hear of the need, knew he could do something about it, then had his eyes open for a possible solution.  It’s not difficult, he just had to be willing to respond with boldness when he saw something that needed done.  Great job!

At a park in Westgate . . .

Out in Westgate there is a park.  In the park most days you will find lots of kids, most of them without their parents, according to Sabrina.  And Sabrina is pretty sure most of them don't know Jesus.  She's had these kids on her mind a lot lately, so when the conversation in her Neighborhood Group turned to Halloween, Sabrina knew just what she wanted to propose.  As the group talked, a plan began to form. 

Out in a Westgate park this coming Halloween, three area neighborhood groups will come together to turn that park into a "mini-carnival" filled with games, candy and food.  Sabrina and her neighbors will pass out fliers and pray for all of those kids to fill the park again.  These groups are hoping to meet some of the parents of the kids who frequent the park - but they are not stopping there.  Plans are also forming for a follow-up event.  Something less formal that will bring the families back out to the park once again.  It might be as simple as kickball or throwing the football around. 

Sabrina and the Neighborhood groups in Westgate are making their park a focus . . . and as they do, they hope to make sure that Jesus is never again absent - that the kids who frequent their park, and their parents, will have ample opportunity see HIM in them.  Sounds like a great start!

Has something about your neighborhood been tugging at you lately?  How can you work with your group to meet the needs you see when you look more closely at your neighborhood?  Way to speak up Sabrina - we will be praying for your park this Halloween!

International Outreach Right In Phoenix

Did you know you can learn about other cultures and share the love of Jesus with international families and never even leave Phoenix?  Through the Lutheran Social Services Refugee Resettlement Program, a couple CCV Neighborhood Groups have gotten involved in welcoming refugee families from all over the world to their new homes here in America. 

A young family from Burma and an Iraqi family with three children are beginning their lives in Phoenix with the kindness of Neighborhood Groups that have help furnish apartments, filled their pantries, met them at the airport, provided transportation, taken them shopping, and worked on learning English!

One group member said it all. "Several members of our group took the family to an Iraqi restaurant, where they were able to learn more about this family.  That was a touching and fun experience, for sure! Although this was an unknown territory our group jumped in on, we feel each individual walked away with knowing they truly showed the love of Jesus to this family. In this day where cultures are so integrated, but not always embraced, it was a growing experience for our group to go through, and we are thankful we had this time. We were all touched in different ways that we will never forget! We pray that God will bless the future refugee families with sponsors, such as we were able to be."

Don't stop looking for ways your group can make an impact right here in the Valley!

What are your Halloween plans?

Have you noticed?  The Halloween costumes are starting to hit the shelves of Wal-Mart, Target and of course Party CIty.  Kids are beginning to contemplate the identity they will take on Sunday night, October 31st.  Halloween is already right around the corner!  This is good news because we are all looking forward to the promise of cooler weather (yes!), but more importantly we look forward to our neighbors being willing to come outside so we can connect with them.  It's time for CCV Neighborhoods to start planning for Halloween!  There is no better time to start creating community than Halloween. This is the one time of the year that our neighbors will come to us.  How do we take this opportunity to get to know them?  Here are a few things to ask yourself as you plan:

What can we do that will allow time to talk with neighbors and get to know them a bit?  Here are some ideas from previous years:

• Have a pre trick-or-treat BBQ for your street - get flyers out 1 week prior.
• Have a treat instead of giving candy - what about making s'mores or cotton candy - this will allow for a few minutes to talk while they wait for their treat.
• Block off an area for bouncy houses or interactive games for the kids to play and the parents to hang out together - this will work well if you live near a cul-de-sac.
• Put together a pre or post trick-or-treat movie on your garage door - get flyers out 1 week prior.
• Hand out flyers with your candy to advertise a BBQ the week following Halloween.

How can we keep in contact with our neighbors after Halloween?  What is our follow-up plan?

• Invite a few of the people you met on Halloween night over for a small BBQ at your place.
• Set up a Monday Night Football or UFC viewing night or a monthly movie or game night.  Doing these as a potluck or BBQ is a great idea.
• What did you learn about them?  What do they like to do?  Make a plan to do it with them!

So let's hear from all of you . . . what are your plans for Halloween? 

Please take a moment to send your ideas via the comments section below.  We want to hear what you are planning and post your great ideas for the rest of our CCV Neighborhoods.   Let's get planning!

Reaching Out Is What It's All About



It's great to get together as a Neighborhood Group to talk about God's Word and how it applies to our lives, but alongside that, we are reaching our arms out to those around us.

Reaching to pick fruit for example. Our group went to a Sun City neighborhood to pick fruit off trees one Saturday afternoon. During the process, we were able to connect with people we would have never met and tell them, "We're glad to help out”. We filled A LOT of boxes and took the fruit to St. Mary's Food Bank where we’ve already been helping out. The first visit we bagged frozen shredded carrots (yep, our hands were numb). The second time we bagged apples.

Then, there was the day we reached our arms painting. A single gal in our group needed some repair work and painting done. Again, it was good to serve a neighbor in the name of Christ.

We are not done reaching. We will never get to a point where we say "Okay, we've reached enough". We just need to stay in tune with how the Lord is guiding our group, be still and listen, and reach out with the arms He has given us!

Bottom line is reaching out takes the focus off of us and onto others. That's what it's all about! There is "Good" on both sides of serving. "Good" to reach out to our community and "Good" because our group got to know each other outside of our weekly meeting.

Groups Recognize Local Heroes

Looking for a way to get your group into the HEROES spirit?  Check out this idea from Gabe’s group in Surprise!

“I wanted to pass along an idea that my group will be doing for our 'Heroes' in Surprise. Next week before our neighborhood group begins, we will be visiting the fire department at Greenway/Parkway and bringing dinner/dessert and some DVD’s from CCV's Heroes services. This is our small way of saying thanks to our local heroes and letting them know that CCV cares about them. This might be a fun idea and a great way for your groups to connect if your groups find a local fire house or police station.”

What a great way for all of us to show support for our local fire-fighters and police officers!  If this sounds interesting to your group, please note the following:

• Heroes’ invitations for Law Enforcement, Firefighters and Military are available for pick-up at the information table on the weekend.  Stop by and grab some of each.
• If you are going to bring food to a Law Enforcement office, it is best to bring it to the front desk and let them know it is for everyone.  Police officers are not allowed to accept gifts, so we want to be sensitive to this policy. 
• If you don't want to bring food, what about a giant thank you card?  Have the kids draw some pictures or write a short note of appreciation.  Be creative!

 And as always, please share with us what your group is doing – we want to pass on your ideas and experiences.  Great idea Gabe!