by Dayle Keefer, CCCC Area Representative for Western New York and Pennsylvania

In 1998 Grace Parkridge Church of Buffalo called Jack and Tricia Littler to pastor this inner city church which was under the United Church of Christ denomination. The intention of the church body was to seek covering under a new denomination, and the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference became their choice. Unable to minister to their neighborhood, the church prayerfully decided to sell their church building and relocate. About three city miles away, a building became available and a new church plant under the mentoring of Dr. Ron Hamilton began. With 20 enthusiastic believers a new work began, having first met for one month in the living room of Jack and Tricia’s home. The new location, however, was immediately met with resistance from a local building inspector, and after 17 months of legal wrangling a permit was granted and the congregation was officially in gear.

The church adopted the name Abiding Grace Church and the mission statement “Loving God, Loving Others, and As You Go, Make Disciples.” Pastor Jack says, “Outreach into our community is our greatest challenge. Our small church body still struggles with that; yet our goal in time is to become more accessible to our community.” Jack presently works full time in his own home repair business, but longs for the day when he can devote more time to this new ministry.

On the agenda of the regional fellowship of the Western New York and Pennsylvania Conservative Congregational Community churches is how to bring our regional body together to aid in outreach to North Buffalo, New York.

by Ron Hamilton, CCCC Conference Minister

Jesus challenged his disciples,

“Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35)

Jesus wanted his disciples to look at the people around them and the culture in which they live and envision the opportunity of a great harvest. Such a harvest would see many people becoming followers of Jesus and experiencing a life transformation based on forgiveness and hope.

In a similar way, God’s Word challenges us to be people who look at the harvest field opportunities around us. Challenges become opportunities when we do this. Statistics tell us that a majority of people don’t attend church. Rather than despair over the lost, we prayerfully trust the Lord for opportunities to engage these people with the Gospel of salvation.

Churches and ministries that don’t look at the harvest become ingrown and self-centered. Ministry becomes focused on meeting the needs of those inside the walls of the church and fails to seize the opportunity to share Jesus with the needy and lost. An expectation arises that people who explore Christ need to become like church members rather than come to know Jesus in a personal way that changes their life.

A careful look at the harvest field in our generation exposes the challenges that we face as a Conference. For nearly 65 years of ministry, our membership has been primarily from the northern sections of the United States, almost exclusively Caucasian and is certainly aging. The harvest field of souls in America today is not like that. The major growing areas in our country are in the south and west. The minority groups of people of color are growing so that they are a majority of the population in certain parts of our nation. And the average age of a person in America is now 35 years old.

We do not want to run and hide from these changes. We should not grieve the Holy Spirit by turning inward and becoming self-centered. We want to open the doors of our ministry to reach the people around us. We believe that it would honor the Lord if our membership was reflective of the harvest field’s diversity.

The CCCC has made a concerted effort to plant churches in major urban areas in America in recent years. Through this we have developed young multi-ethnic congregations that are effectively reaching their communities with the Gospel. Our church development efforts have helped refocus the mission of many established churches to look outward and welcome people who are very different from the current membership.

We envision a day when the membership of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference will look much different than it does today. This will not happen because we have focused on a quota system of inclusion. Rather, it will happen naturally when we live in obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ who says, “Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

    by Terry H. Shanahan, Northeast Regional Minister

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (1 Corinthians 10:12)

The inaugural CCCC Church Planters Conference that took place in Los Angeles in January has already been reported in this publication. However, I would like to emphasize one aspect which spoke volumes to me and is critical to our Conference as we concentrate on the guiding value of developing healthy pastors.

One of the presenters was Terry Wallings, a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary. A portion of his presentation was etched in my mind as he spoke of seven barriers that keep pastors from finishing well and five enhancements that could help pastors along the way. Based on his years of ministry involvement and observation of what goes on in the life of a pastor, Wallings proposed that the following seven present themselves as barriers to a pastor’s successfully finishing his ministry.

The first barrier was money. Not only the inappropriate use of money, or outright thievery, but also an obsession with money that tended to drive all the decisions that were being made in ministry.

A second barrier was family and the deterioration of relationships. Problems in marriage are prevalent in the pastorate as often the pastor seems to be more married to his ministry than to his spouse.

The third barrier is pride. A pastor falling to the sin of pride doesn’t have a sense of who he is or what is driving him. Wallings said a pastor who is prideful has a lack of self-awareness. We might say the pastor doesn’t have his identity rooted in Christ.

The fourth barrier mentioned was sexual sin. He said those who fall to this sin are most apt to be using sex as a “medication” to mitigate the stress, pressures and tension in ministry.

The fifth barrier he addressed was power. The inappropriate use of authority and the abuse of power has brought many pastors to ruin and has hurt many churches.

His sixth point involved the loss of the Word. He proposed that those who are not in the Word, no longer have the bread that leads to life. They simply use God’s word as a tool. They may mechanically repeat Scripture, but they do not live it out.

Seventh and lastly, Wallings points out that being plateaued can be a barrier to finishing well. Pastors who plateau have a case of “arrested development,” and may be guilty of just “phoning it in.” They have stopped growing and learning and changing.

What I appreciated about Wallings’ presentation is that he did not leave us to just ponder the negatives. He left us with five enhancements to finishing well that pastors can embrace and apply to their lives. I will share about these five enhancements next month.

by John Kimball, CCCC Director of Conference Care & Church Development

One of the CCCC’s Seven Guiding Values is the building of a “Culture of Biblical Peacemaking and Reconciliation” throughout our Conference. As one of our Guiding Values, it is a priority for both the national body and also each of our local congregations. This is so important because Christians are called to be Christ’s ambassadors with a ministry and message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17–20). The gospel itself is the message of peace and reconciliation, ushering true forgiveness in Christ into the life of the believer. Peace, reconciliation and forgiveness are at the very heart of the Christian Faith. So there are few things that compromise our gospel (the message of peace) more than two Christians refusing to pursue forgiveness in their relationship with each other.

To make this Guiding Value a reality, we are now holding special training events all over the country to train and equip our Area Representatives, CCCC Volunteers, pastors, and local congregations the basics of Biblical Peacemaking. Using the material from our partners at Peacemaker Ministries, we are offering an intensive two-day training that, for those who qualify, can lead to certification as a CCCC Peacemaker.

Training events have already been held in Chicago and Denver, and more are scheduled for Spokane, Boston, Central Ohio and the Twin Cities in the coming months. The peacemaking principles we teach will bless you at work, school, in your family and with your neighbors, too! For more information, see our website at www.ccccusa.com, or call our offices at (651) 739-1474. Even if you are not interested in CCCC certification, we’d love for you to join us!

CCCC Peacemaker Certification Training Event in North Aurora (Chicago), Illinois

Sam Harrell served as the Director of Student Ministries at the Carlsbad Community Church in Carlsbad, California for about three years after being actively involved in the church for many years. His wife, Chris, had deep roots in the church and was active in the church’s music ministry. Their children loved the church and were an active part of many of the church programs. Any thought of leaving the church was far from their mind and seemed like it would never happen.

The Harrell Family

This all changed in the last two years as Sam was exposed to the church multiplication ministry of the CCCC. He attended a one-day training session called, “Organic Church Planting,” because he had a heart for outreach. He got to know some of the church planters in the Conference and was intrigued by the way that God was using their ministries to reach people with the Gospel. He did a lot of reading and personal study of church planting. It soon became apparent that God was calling him and his family to lead a church plant in the northern part of San Diego County.

He discussed this call with Alvin Helms, the new pastor of the Carlsbad Community Church, as well as with other members of the staff and of the Missions Committee of the church. In 2011, the church enthusiastically endorsed Sam as a church planter and began to lay the foundation of support for a church planting ministry called The Greenhouse Project.

The mission of The Greenhouse Project is stated in these words, “The greenhouse project exists to fill all things in every way with the praise of God’s grace through the making of disciples who make disciples.” The new ministry is centered on these values.

gospel — Every aspect of our lives is all about Jesus. The truth and implications of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus are central and applicable to every aspect of our lives.

community — God is in community within himself. Because we are made in God’s image, he intends for believers to put his character, as seen in the gospel, on display through community.

mission — God’s mission in sending his son was to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. As followers of a God who is on a mission, we live as a family of missionary servants, sent by God to restore all things to Himself.

We encourage you to join the leaders of the CCCC church multiplication movement in praying for the Harrells. Any support for Sam and Chris Harrell can be sent to The Greenhouse Project, c/o 161 Foussat Rd, Oceanside CA 92054 .

(This comes from CCCC missionary Tuvya Zaretsky, who serves in California with Jews for Jesus. He oversees training for all the missionary staff internationally and has an ongoing intermarriage ministry.)

Shalom and blessings to you and the Lord’s Family with you!

I just completed the craziest schedule during the Passover/Easter season. It was a huge blessing with lots of opportunities to minister the Gospel to Jewish people. I was in a lot of places around the USA — all within three weeks! I’ll say more about the best part in a moment. I first want to thank you for your prayers and, when possible, your generous support of our cause making Jesus known among our Jewish people.

Tuvya and Ellen Zaretsky

My Jews for Jesus Passover tour: I was preparing to give a “Christ in the Passover” presentation at a Lutheran Church during Holy Week when Kathy came up to my table and proudly announced, “I’m becoming a Jew-theran!” That was a new one for me. I’ve heard of Jew-Bu’s [Jewish Buddhists], Hin-Jews [Jewish Hindus], Cash-ews [Catholic Jews] and even Jew-Lus for Jewish Lutherans. She meant that she is a Jewish seeker who has been hearing the Word of God at that church and was being deeply affected by it.

Kathy told me that after she had suffered a series of life setbacks she relocated to be near her childhood girlfriend. Although Jewish, Kathy has been attending church and reading the Bible. She was excited about Passover and the possibility of seeing a connection to Jesus. After the program, she was obviously elated. “I learned so many new things about Jesus tonight,” she beamed! I gave her a copy of my story, “Here am I, God, but Where are You?” It seems pretty clear that Kathy is on her way to becoming a Messianic Jew.

Kathy is just one of about eight open Jewish people that I encountered this year in the days leading up to Resurrection Sunday. Please pray for these Jewish contacts who are spiritually “in process.” Robert came to a presentation with a Christian woman who he has been dating. Never married and traditionally Jewish, Robert was forced to think about Jesus as a result of his desire to marry a Christian woman. Please pray that he will learn about and believe in Jesus as he studies the Hebrew prophets. Pray too that his girlfriend will be a better witness.

Recently I mentioned Howard, a former anti-missionary with Jews for Judaism who tried to thwart my ministry in the 1990s — until he ran afoul of the law. Well, this past Monday, he called me with more questions about Jesus! He asked “who or what” changed my mind so that I turned from traditional Judaism to faith in Jesus. I told him there were two prime influences. First, Jesus’ statement, “I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6) Second, I told him that no one was able to break through my resistance to the Christian message except the Holy Spirit. It was the Lord’s Spirit who was able to work in my mind and my emotions. I explained to Howard that only the Spirit of God (Ruach HaKodesh) could turn someone’s heart. I urged him to ask the Lord to do that for him.

There’s a lot more to tell, but I hope that this much encourages you. Ellen and I are grateful for your hearts with ours in the cause of reaching Jews for Jesus.
I would be grateful for your prayers:

• Salvation for some of the Jewish contacts on my caseload.
• My training seminars in Jewish-Gentile couples ministry.
• Teaching Jewish evangelism for pastors in Hong Kong from May 19–22

May our Lord bless you. You are a blessing! Please let me know how we can uphold you in prayer too. By the way, my family kidnapped me and took me on a six-mile hike to celebrate my birthday recently. It was a glorious day to enjoy the Lord’s goodness and grace in the Santa Monica Mountains.

In our Messiah,

Tuvya

by Dan Schauer, pastor of New Heights Community Church, Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota

Once there was this young couple in their early thirties. They had two children, good careers, had just bought a home and were settling into middle class American life. Soon they began to think about investing for their future so they would have money set aside for college for their kids and for their retirement. As they researched investments, it came down to two choices: one offered a quick and big return on investment but a sketchy long-term return, and the second offered a modest initial return but a huge guaranteed return after retirement. What will this young couple do? Which option will they choose? Which one would you choose if you were this couple?

This investment scenario can be looked at as a parable for our lives on this earth. Our lives can be viewed as an investment strategy. How we choose to live shows which investment strategy we have taken. Like in the story, we also have two basic choices on how to invest our lives. The first investment strategy belongs to the world. The world dangles tantalizing and tempting returns if we go for its quick payoff. It tempts us with things like materialism, success, pride, knowledge, sex, fun, popularity, etc. We invest in the world’s strategy by giving in to its values and spending our gifts and talents pursuing its returns. The problem with the world’s investment strategy is that it is a Ponzi scheme! It promises a big payoff, but you end up bankrupt and losing everything, including your eternal destiny. Jesus said in Luke 9:24–25 Any of you who try to save the life you have will lose it. But you who give up your life for me will save it. It is worth nothing for you to have the whole world if you yourself are destroyed or lost. (ERV)

However if we choose the second investment strategy, the outcome is entirely different. The second strategy is God’s. He invites us to give up the things of this world and the temporary payoff they offer and invest our time, talents and treasure in the Kingdom of God. At first glance, giving up the quick payoff of the world seems too much to ask for many people. But even this is a deception. Yes, the Christian life is full of hardships. We have to take stands against the evil of this world that can bring ridicule and persecution. We make difficult choices like going to church and Bible studies, giving our tithes, and using our gifts and talents to glorify God — choices the world simply doesn’t understand. But God offers us an inner peace and joy in this life that the world can’t offer. So in reality, the payoff in this life for the Christian is better than what the world offers. And then there is the big payoff at retirement time (when we leave this life) with God’s investment strategy — eternal life in God’s presence with the curse of sin and all the evil that comes with it removed forever! It will be so much more incredible than any of us can imagine. Jesus said in Matthew 6:19–21 Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. (NLT)

Which investment strategy are you currently enrolled in? Maybe you are in the “in-between strategy” where you are trying to get the best results from both investments. Bad news — this never works. You will end up with the benefits of neither and the consequences of the world’s strategy — eternal destiny in hell! If you need help with your spiritual investment decisions you can always call your spiritual brokers at the investment firm of New Heights. Their names are Pastor Dan and Pastor Sherry. We are always willing to give wise spiritual investment advice. May today be the day you become a wise investor with your life.

    by Alwyn York, Conference Historian
(This article is the final installment of a series commemorating the bicentennial of the sending of the first American foreign missionaries by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions in February, 1812.)

Adoniram Judson sailed out of the harbor in Salem, Massachusetts on February 19, 1812 as part of the first group of foreign missionaries from America. He went out as a Congregationalist, sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, a predominantly Congregational organization. During the voyage to India his convictions changed, and he became a Baptist. He would become a towering figure in Baptist history, being remembered as the father of American Baptist missions. As we remember the commissioning and departure of the first American foreign missionaries two hundred years ago, it is fitting that this publication should note the Congregational roots of this great Baptist.

Adoniram and Ann Judson

Adoniram Judson, Jr. was the son of a minister. His father, Adoniram Judson, Senior, served successive pastorates of Congregational churches in Malden, Wenham and Plymouth, Massachusetts. Adoniram Senior was a man of strongly evangelical beliefs and strict views on church membership, and found himself in tension with the churches he served on account of his uncompromising nature. The younger Adoniram showed great intellectual ability at a young age. His family sent him to Brown University because of concerns about the liberal direction of Harvard. He was a brilliant student, graduating as valedictorian of his class.

His family’s pride in his achievements was tempered by the fact that while in college he turned away from the religious upbringing his parents had given him. Under the influence of a skeptical friend named Jacob Eames, Adoniram adopted Deistic views, acknowledging a Creator God but denying His active involvement in the world. Following his graduation from college, he returned home to Plymouth, where he opened a school and wrote an English grammar and a mathematics textbook for girls. Feeling restless, he moved to New York City to pursue a career in theater. This proved to be a disillusioning experience. Becoming disgusted with a marginal existence as part of a group of traveling actors, he left New York, unsure of his future course in life.

While Judson was struggling to find his way, his spiritual indifference was shaken by an extraordinary providential intervention in his life. While staying at an inn, his sleep was disturbed by the groaning and cries of a man in the next room who was obviously deathly ill. Asking about the man the next morning, Adoniram was told that he had died. The innkeeper told him that the deceased was a young man who had been a student at Brown. To Adoniram’s horror, he found out that the man who died in agony in the room next to him had been Jacob Eames, the one who led him into skepticism. He returned to stay with his parents in a state of shock and confusion.

While Adoniram was at his parents’ home in Plymouth, they were visited by two Congregational leaders who were active in the organization of the new seminary at Andover. As Adoniram conversed with these two men, Dr. Moses Stuart and Dr. Edward Dorr Griffin, he was impressed by their thoughtful answers to his questions. He enrolled at Andover seminary as a special student, not a ministerial candidate, since he had made no profession of faith. While studying at Andover, his doubts were resolved and on December 2, 1808 he made a solemn dedication of himself to God.

In 1810 Judson joined a group of mission-minded students at Andover called “the Brethren.” It was Judson himself who drafted the student petition that, when presented to the Congregational General Association in Bradford, Massachusetts in June, 1810 led to the creation of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.

Since it was unclear when the American Board might be sufficiently organized and have enough resources to send missionaries, Judson decided to travel to England to see if it might be possible to receive support from the London Missionary Society. Travel by sea was hazardous because England was at war with Napoleon. His voyage to England was interrupted when the ship he was aboard was captured by a French privateer. He was imprisoned under harsh conditions in France, and finally escaped concealed under the cloak of a friend who had come to visit. (A bribe made the French jailers look the other way.) He was received cordially in England, but the officials of the London Society did not feel that a joint venture with an American missionary organization would be practical.

He returned to America and continued his preparation for missionary service. He had fallen in love with Ann Hasseltine, a devout Christian young woman whose father was a deacon of the church in Bradford, where the meeting which established the American Board had been held. He had met her during a dinner at her parents’ home. She came to share his commitment to foreign missionary service. They were married on February 5, 1812, and he was ordained the next day at the Tabernacle Church in Salem.

On their voyage to India, Adoniram had leisure for reading. He anticipated working in India alongside the British missionaries who were already established there. This was a Baptist mission, under the leadership of William Carey. He thought he should study Baptist theology in order to be able to answer their views. Instead of becoming prepared to dispute with the Baptists, he found himself being convinced by their arguments. On September 6, 1812 he and his wife were baptized by immersion in Calcutta by William Ward, one of the missionary associates of Carey.

The Baptists of America now had a missionary on the field, but no organization to support him. Judson’s friend Luther Rice, who was also part of the first group of American missionaries, had also come to Baptist views. He was having health problems, and it looked like he would not survive if he stayed in India. Rice returned to America and spent his life as an organizer and promoter of Baptist foreign missions.

Adoniram Judson ended up spending his missionary career not in India, but in Burma. During his thirty-seven years of service there, he persevered through seventeen months of brutal imprisonment, several bouts of life-threatening illness, and the death of two wives and six children. He succeeded in translating the Bible into Burmese and compiling an English-Burmese dictionary. He waited six years for his first Burmese convert, but by the time of his death in 1850, there were a hundred Burmese churches and over 8,000 Burmese Christians. A very readable biography, To the Golden Shore by Courtney Anderson, recounts the epic story of his remarkable life.

    by Betty Mitchell RN BSN
    Parish Nurse, Emmanuel Bethel Church, Royal Oak Michigan

Subtle changes occur in our eyes over time. Two of the most common changes are cataract formation and loss of near vision.

The eye also becomes less responsive to low light, making it important to have enough light when you read.

Eyes will take longer to adjust when going out into bright sunlight. Using sunglasses will help with this and protect the eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

Fewer tears are produced as we age, which can cause burning, stinging or other eye discomfort. Artificial tears or a prescription medication from your eye doctor may be necessary to obtain relief.

The size of your visual field decreases over time making it important that you turn your head more as you approach intersections to be sure you are seeing the entire area.

Color vision diminishes as cells in the retina become less sensitive. Colors appear less bright and contrast between colors is less noticeable.

Floaters may appear in your field of vision as the gel inside the eye pulls away from the retina.

To help protect your valuable eyesight, it is important to have a comprehensive eye exam regularly. Eating right and maintaining a healthy weight can help maintain healthy eyes. Wear protective glasses or goggles when you play sports or other activities that put your eyes at risk. When working on a computer, be sure to give your eyes a rest about every 20 minutes by looking away from the screen for at least 20 seconds.

Smoking is not good for general health and it can increase your risk for cataracts and other eye problems.

Source: www.nei.nih.gov/healthyeyes, www.allaboutvision.com

The CCCC 64th Annual Family Conference will be held in Colorado Springs July 16–19 at the DoubleTree Hotel and Conference Center. To register online Click Here.

US Air Force Academy Chapel, Colorado Springs

The theme is taken from John 8:31–32, If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. We are called to make disciples (Matthew 28:18–20), people who follow the teachings, example and attitudes of Christ.

Speaker at the Monday evening session will be our Conference Minister, Dr. Ron Hamilton, who will challenge us from the conference theme.

Tuesday evening we will hear from Rev. Todd Venman, CCCC Vice President and chairman of the Church Development Committee. The concept of church development is for enabling all of our local CCCC congregations to become healthy, disciple-making churches is one of our Seven Guiding Values. This is the primary purpose of our Church Development ministry.

On Wednesday evening, our speaker will be Pastor Ajay Thomas, Church Planter in Philadelphia at the Seven Mile Road Church. Our emphasis on church planting has come to fruition in many places. Seven Mile Road Church in Philadelphia has a unique story of its own, one that will bless and challenge us.

Dr. Greg Waybright, senior pastor at Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena, California, will speak each day at the Morning Bible Hour. And the annual communion service on Thursday will be led by Rev. Paul McPheeters, our Conference President.

Women’s Luncheon speaker will be Sandra P. Aldrich, president and CEO of Bold Words, Inc., in Colorado Springs. Sandra is an international speaker, award winning author or co-author of 19 books, and contributing writer to an additional dozen.

Men’s Luncheon speaker will be Jim Weidmann, Executive Director for Heritage Builders. HB exists to train and resource parents to become intentional in passing their faith to their children, and, to come alongside the church and help them educate, equip and encourage parents in the process.

The youth program will be led by Darrin Geier. Darrin is the Youth Pastor at Woodbury Community Church in Woodbury, Minnesota. He began his ministry there in October of 2011, after serving for six years in two other Twin Cities area churches. A graduate of Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

There will also be a program for young adults, ages 18–30, along with separate workshops in addition to the regular adult workshops.

Quality child care will be provided for our nursery, pre-school and elementary age children. The program will take place during all general sessions and seminar times.

For more information, or to register, please click here to go to our Annual Meeting Website