Share & Care. June 2016 A Newsletter of the Escondido United Reformed Church

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1 Share & Care June 2016 A Newsletter of the Escondido United Reformed Church

2 Thanks to the 12th grade Catechism class for a great year and we wish you the Lord's blessing in the future. - Pastor Gordon and Dan (Not pictured, Sam and Gabriel) This is a letter of thanks for all those who participated in hosting in some way the Trinity Christian College Choir group that sang in our church on the evening of May 1. We were their first stop on a California Tour.

3 ABOUNDING BLESSINGS The Fourth Annual Abounding Grace Radio Dinner was held on Saturday evening, March 19, at the Meadowbrook Windmill Commons. The AGR dinner committee and Meadowbrook staff did a wonderful job of arranging the beautiful setting for approximately 100 friends and supporters. After the serving of delicious appetizers, AGR Board member Jason Vander Horst opened with devotions from Psalm 24, followed by a wonderful meal of roasted filet mignon, sausage-stuffed chicken breast and a variety of sides, with fresh berries garnishing New York cheesecake for dessert. The dinner portion concluded with the singing of I Love to Tell the Story before moving to the Meadowbrook Chapel for the Abounding Grace Radio Variety Show. The talented in-house entertainment began with humorous monologue followed by a delightfully clever number from EURC s own Sweet Violets singing I m Going Fishing Without Dropping a Line. Amusement continued during a sportive skit arousing plenty of laughter, while having some loving fun at the expense of the radio host and board members! Abounding Grace Radio board president, Jim Jansma, Sr., gave a review of AGR s endeavors in 2015 and what is proposed for this year. Highlights in the past year included the commencing of AGR broadcasting on WFUR FM in Grand Rapids, Michigan, CJFW AM in Terrace, B.C., and to North/Central and South America carried by KVOH shortwave Voice of Hope Radio. After some delay, broadcasting began on May 2, 2016 from Lusaka, Zambia to nearly all of the African continent, also on KVOH shortwave Voice of Hope Radio. Lord willing, broadcasting will be added very soon in 2016 from Regina, Saskatchewan and Prince George, B.C. Thanks be

4 to God for so marvelously opening doors! Pastor Gordon, the voice of Abounding G r a c e R a d i o, continued the evening by speaking of the enduring faithfulness of our Lord and His promise to be a Lord to all nations. Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord, Psalm 117. One of the primary reasons for airing AGR is to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ from all of Scripture as witness to those who do not believe and to strengthen believers in the truth of God s Word, the Bible. The Sweet Violets fittingly closed the evening with An Old Irish Blessing. The board would like to thank the twenty-plus supporters of Abounding Grace Radio who contributed to this great evening by lending their talents in a wide variety of ways. They would also like to express sincere appreciation to all supporters and friends of this radio ministry for their prayers and financial contributions. Thanks be to God that approximately $18,000 was raised for the on-going support of Abounding Grace Radio. To the Lord be all the glory!

5 Unplug and unwind with lawn games, a bounce house, board games, dinner (taco, nacho, & salad bar), ice cream, and more! Please R.S.V.P. by signing up at the info booth or on-line at ministries/summer-nights 5:00 pm Grounds open 6:00 pm Devotions & dinner Basketball (open until 6:00 pm) Lawn games Dutch shuffleboard Board & card games Bounce house Build-your-own tacos/nachos/salad Ice cream sundae

6 June 15 Church Family Game Night July 20 Trivia Night August 17 Guest Speaker Night The Outreach and Fellowship Committees have again teamed up to bring back Summer Nights, three events to promote church fellowship and provide opportunities for outreach. Unplug and unwind with lawn games, a bounce house, board games, dinner (taco, nacho, & salad bar), ice cream, and more! Trivia Night Jul. 20 Enjoy a pizza potluck and compete as a team in a series of fun trivia questions in order to get the highly-sought-after EURC Trivia Night trophy (kiddos will have their own fun & games too!) Done Family Ties Style, this night will include dinner, singing, a guest speaker for the adults, and a Bible lesson, games, and crafts for the kids. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details in upcoming editions of the Share & Care and in the weekly bulletins!

7 Joel & Rachel She said YES! Rachel and Joel were engaged on April 29, 2016 after Joel led Rachel on a scavenger hunt to different locations they visited as a couple, including the gym on Trinity Christian College s campus where they met at a basketball game. Joel had the help of both their sisters, leaving clues which eventually led Rachel to the Lake Katherine Nature Preserve where Joel was waiting. What Joel wasn t planning on was over 200 high school students taking prom pictures in the exact spot where he planned to propose! Fortunately, Joel had a backup location at the preserve just in case. We are thankful Joel planned the proposal when everyone from both families would be in town to help celebrate. They will be married, Lord willing, on July 21, Jessica and I are doing well since moving in December. We are currently living in Cedar Rapids, IA with Jessica's parents while we heal up from the accident and look for jobs for the two of us. Jessica is looking into different Christian schools and publishing companies for a job while I have been looking for churches that are in need of an intern until I can get through my candidacy exam. We have been able to travel around the Midwest to fill a few URC pulpits: Wellsburg URC, Littleton URC, and the Cincinnati URC church plant. After the accident, Jessica dealt with a deep bruise on her lower left leg and had stitches for a few weeks in her upper left leg. I had surgery to put a plate on my collarbone to fix the first break, and the break in my upper arm was set as best as could be and was placed in a cast for a month before I was told to keep it as immobile as possible for a few months. Currently, Jessica and I have a few scars left over from the accident, and I am still gaining strength and flexibility back in my arm, but we are otherwise doing well. When we aren't out doing pulpit supply we are attending a PCA in Iowa City, but we miss our church family back in Escondido a great deal. We continually thank God for the wonderful and challenging time that we had while attending seminary and Escondido URC, and we thank all of you for your prayers as we continue to heal and search for jobs. Thank you all, Isaac and Jessica

8 Ad Page Update on the Dutch Festival: Calvin Christian Service Group with the help of the whole Calvin Christian community, made a net profit of $77, Thank you to everyone who supported the Dutch Festival in so many different ways to make this a successful day. It was a special day not only for families and the kids, but many alumni came to participate and catch up with old friends. Thank you for your continued support to Calvin Christian School Dear Friends, This 2016 Walk for Life was my 25 year anniversary and these Walks have been rewarding for Alternatives Women's Center. Thanks to many of our EURC members who have been supporting me with their donations and some for the full 25 years! My average support for a year is $5,000 to $7,000. Thanks again and again for all the support from our church members who pledge 75% of the total pledged every year. This fundraiser becomes more of a blessing with your generosity. Yours truly, John

9 Cadet Campout On Friday May 6 th the cadets set out on their annual campout to Joshua Tree National Park, which is located north of Palm Springs, about 3 hours from Escondido. A total of about 20 cadets, and 14 fathers/counselors attended this year s outing. We arrived at the group site called Sheep Pass about 7:15 pm on Friday and began setting up tents and getting ready for our hearty dinner. We feasted on chili cheese dogs and nachos, prepared by the 7 th grade boys, which gave us energy for the coming night hike. Josh led the boys on an hour long hike up a trail, the night was so quiet and peaceful being we were so far out from civilization. We enjoyed a raging camp fire, and the boys partook of the s more roast and hot chocolate feast which is always a fun and tasty thing to do. Several adults stayed up sitting around the fire till about 2:00 am to make sure the boys were quiet and staying in bed. After a far too short night of sleep on the hard ground we enjoyed a meal of breakfast burritos. The boys enjoyed a few games of capture the flag, I believe one or two ran into some cactus while chasing each other. After the games and some clean up Josh Van Ee led a large group of boys in a bouldering adventure up to the summit of a nearby peak. Most of the group headed back after some sandwiches for lunch, but several of us made a side trip to a lookout area where the entire Palm Springs area and nearby mountains could be seen, we also made a several mile hike toward an old mine for 2 hours. I hope the boys were nice and tired for the parents Saturday night, I know I slept very well myself for the next few nights.

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11 JUNE OFFERING SCHEDULE DATE MORNING SERVICES EVENING SERVICE June 5 General Fund/CCS Tuition Aid Fund Young People RYS Convention Fund June 12 General Fund/Building Fund Kauai URC June 19 General Fund/CCS Tuition Aid Fund Rev. Juan Arjona-MNA June 26 General Fund/Benevolent Fund Westside Reformed Church (Ohio) The General Fund offering not only support the ongoing expenses of our local congregation, but also other ministries such as: CLIR-Rev. Bill Green, NKST Sponsorship Program, and OURC (Oceanside). The deacons ask that everyone support the General Fund with 5% of their income and other causes with an additional 5% of their income. The June 12th evening offering is for the Kauai URC (church plant). Although they have closed they still have financial obligations that must be met, however due to the closure they do not have any of their own offerings to contribute towards these obligations. If you would like more information on this, you can speak with a Deacon. REV. JUAN ARJONA (MNA) is a church planting work of the Presbyterian Church in America to reach the Hispanic community in Escondido, CA. Also known as Mission Vida Nueva. MNA stands for Mission to North America. CALVIN CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS TUITION AID This offering is used for tuition assistance for families from our church who are unable to pay full tuition at Calvin Christian Schools. The Deacons think that it is necessary to maintain at least two tuition aid offerings per month. Keep in mind that our commitment for tuition aid amounts to $58, for the school year. BUILDING FUND is used to maintain the facilities and for any new building projects or improvements on the church properties. BENEVOLENT FUND This fund is administered by the deacons to those with financial needs in our congregation and in our community. WESTSIDE REFORMED CHURCH is a URC church plant located in Cincinnati, Ohio.