Author Archives: Julie Stromwall

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This Week at Community Church

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Dear Community Church,
Easter was really great. It was nice to have so many friends and neighbors come and join us for our services.  I had a lot of positive feedback about our Good Friday speaker, Josh Sofaer, also. I hope to have Josh back sometime in the future. This week we are jumping back into our Digging Deeper series, with a message on the Trinity called “Three in One”. That God is Triune in nature and is a central theology for Christians. However, we don’t find the word trinity in the scriptures. We will dig into this somewhat mysterious issue on Sunday. If you want to study in advance look at Genesis 1:1-2, Genesis 1:26, John 1:1-3, John 16:5-15, Romans 1:1-6, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Matthew 3:16-17, Deuteronomy 6:4. (I will give you and Easter Egg if you actually read all of these before church)!
Spaghetti Dinner Friday Night
Our Youth Fundraiser Spaghetti Dinner is this Friday night at 6 pm in the Chapel. Tickets are $10. There will be a dessert auction and some other fun and games. I promise it will be fun, and the dinner will be great. Bob Pool is cooking the sauce and I’m cooking the pasta and we are highly committed to making it just right!
Community Church Wednesday Night
This week is the last week for our Alpha program. I want to thank Sherry Metcalfe and her team for all of their hard work to bring this program to our church. I hope many of you feel inspired to help when we roll this out again for people in our community in the Summertime. Next week, we will start new men’s and women’s studies. The women are doing a series called Seemless that give a six week overview of the Bible as one united story. Books are available from Pam Barnes. The TuesdayMorning Women’s Study will be meeting at 9 am and doing the same series. The men will be doing something equally awesome!
The Big Six-Oh
This Sunday is my 60th birthday. You are all invited to have a piece of cake with me after church in the Mary Johnson Center after the second service. We are also serving my favorite beer. A&W (diet and regular). Please don’t bring any presents!
Standing Firm,
Pastor Mike
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This Week at Community Church

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Dear Community Church,

It’s Easter Week and we are all excited to bring the timeless message of the resurrection of Christ to our church and to our town. Please remember to invite friends and neighbors!
Good Friday Service time is 6:00 pm
Easter Sunday service times are 8:45 and 10:30.
Community Church Wednesday Night
All of our Wednesday night programs are up and running again this week. The men and women are finishing up the Alpha program over the next two weeks. We will be starting a new men’s and women’s studies on April 26th.
Dominican Republic Outreach
We are sending a team to serve in the Dominican Republic May 13-20. You might know that baseball is really popular there. Our partners, Rick and Tammi Romano, have asked us to bring baseball and softball gloves and balls. Gloves in good used condition are fine. If you have a glove that you would like to send with our team, please drop off at the church.
Spaghetti Dinner – Youth Camp Fundraiser
We are having a Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser on the evening of April 21st. We are going to have an awesome dinner and lots of other fun. Tickets are only $10 and you will be helping a youth go to camp. Tickets are available at the church office. Don’t miss it. It’s gonna be some tasty fun!
He is Risen!
Pastor Mike

 

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This week at Community Church

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Dear Community Church,

This week we jump back into the book of Genesis. We will covering chapter 6, 7, and 8 which is the story of Noah and the great flood. Read ahead and be ready to hear from God on Sunday.
Community Church – Wednesday Night
We start our Wednesday program back up this Wednesday night. Things kick off with dinner at 6 pm in the Chapel. See you there!
Counseling and Wellness
The Heart of Joy – Group Session is postponed one week.  It is now starting on January 26th. The Group meets in the Conference Room (above the church office) from 10 until noon. This excellent group therapy session is free.
Hospitality Team Thank You Dinner
We are having a dinner to thank our hospitality team. If you have been serving as a greeter, an usher, or a parking lot greeter, this is for you. We also want all of the new members of our team to attend also. If you would be willing to help once a month in one of the above listed jobs or if you would be willing to help with food, coffee, cookie baking, or clean-up, please call the office 909-866-7523, and make plans to join us on Friday evening, January 27th @ 6 p.m.
Lining Dancing
We are going to be hosting line dancing nights once a month in the Historic Chapel. This ministry is being started as a way for people to connect and make friends and also to draw in newcomers and non-church going friends. Should be a lot of fun! The first Line Dancing night will be on Thursday January 26 at 6 pm. This is for those 13 and over. Sorry, no child care is provided.
Standing Firm,
Pastor Mike

 

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This Week at Community Church

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Dear Community Church,

Merry White Christmas to all of you and Happy New Year. We will be having services at the normal times on Sunday, 8:45 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. . Our “Invite-a-Friend” Sunday is moving to January 8th this month.
We are blessed to be sending a check to relieve the suffering of Syrian refugees in Syria in the amount of $9791! Thank you to all of you that gave specifically to this special offering. It’s nice to know that we can respond and make a difference when we see this kind of suffering.
We are starting a series on people of Genesis this week. Read chapters one and two in preparation for this weeks message.
Standing Firm,
Pastor Mike

 

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This Week at Community Church

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Dear Community Church,
I just got back from the Christmas Party that our LIFT group hosted at the SNF unit.. It was a beautiful example of reaching out and sharing love in our own town. Good job to Suzzy, Penny, and the many helpers that made it happen.
This week Pastor Jeff Tunnell is coming to share a message with our church. This is going to be one you don’t want to miss, as Pastor Jeff shares and reflects on the miraculous events of this past year and the things he has learned about God, faith, and community in the context of this special time when we celebrate the birth of our Savior!
All Church Christmas Party this coming Sunday evening, December 18th. The party starts at 5 pm in the Chapel with a play by our children “Star of Wonder”. The church is providing the turkey and ham.  We’d like you all to  provide your favorite side-dish and/or dessert. We have lots of fun stuff planned. Come share the warm time with our church family. I promise you will be glad you did!
Watts Powerhouse Church is coming up for the day this Saturday. Weather permitting, we are planning to take 25-30 people sledding. We are looking for gloves, hats, scarfs that you might be able to donate for this activity. We anticipate a continuing relationship with this ministry. We are going to try and build up a stock of these things for when we have “city folks” visit. If you want to help with the event contact Raven at 909-866-7523.
Our Men’s Saturday Morning Bacon and Bible Study and Adult SundaySchool class are continuing at their regular times this week.
Standing Firm,
Pastor Mike

 

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An imPerfect Christmas

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Dear Community Church,

The Christmas season is upon us. I want to remind you all that we will not be having church on Sunday December 25th. We will be having two Christmas Eve services on Saturday evening December 24th at 5 pm and 7 pm. Be thinking about friends, neighbors, and relatives you might invite to church this year. Christmas is always an opportunity to get people to try our church that haven’t come yet. People generally appreciate this kind of invitation, so don’t be shy.

Pinterest Night for Women

Pinterest Night is this Friday evening in the Chapel. Tickets available at church.

Samaritan’s Purse – Shoeboxes

People are asking how many shoeboxes we sent. The total number was 200. Good job!

All-Church Christmas Party

The All-Church Christmas Party is going to be in the Historic Chapel on Sunday December 18th. We will start at 5 pm with a Christmas play by our children. Dinner will follow with the church providing all the ham and turkey. We are going to ask you to bring your favorite side dish or dessert. Lots of other fun planned including an ugly sweater contest!

Snowboarders & Skiers for Christ (SFC)

Sunday at 6 pm. Free dinner, free board wax, and fun, every Sunday thru the season.

I’m up and down the hill a lot this week, so that’s it for now!

Standing Firm,

Mike

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Waiting for Christmas

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Dear Community Church,

I hope you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. The town was full of people and our house was full of guests. It was a great time! I hope you had a warm time with people that you love! I want to say a word about Saturday evening/Sunday morning snow storms. Please make a careful evaluation of the your own safety before you venture out to church on Sunday morning, when there is fresh snow on the ground. We will miss you if you don’t come, but we want you to be safe so you can come the following week! I am happy to say that we have grown as a church and even though our attendance was down significantly, because of the storm, our November giving is very good! I also want to specially thank the growing number of people that have decided to schedule their regular giving online. That really helps the church during the winter months! Thank you!
This week we are starting our series of Christmas messages. You will notice that we are in full Christmas mode when you come in the Worship Center this Sunday. Thanks to the many devoted and talented volunteers that helped put up all the beautiful decorations yesterday!

Invite-a-Friend Sunday

This Sunday, December 4th, is Invite-a-Friend Sunday. We will have free breakfast available for everybody in the Chapel at 9:30. Bring a friend and let them feel the love! Our Wellness Ministry will also be doing blood pressure screenings in the Chapel.

Community Church – Wednesday Night

This Wednesday, November 30, will be the last Wednesday Night meeting until after New Years. Come enjoy the food and the fellowship tomorrow at 6 pm in the Chapel!

Pinterest Night

This Friday December 9th at 6 pm is the Women’s (LIFT) Pinterest Night. The cost is $10 and tickets are available in the office. All proceeds are going to Sole Hope, a ministry to provide shoes to the poor in Uganda. You will need to bring a pair of old jeans, a pair of good scissors, 2 dozen cookies for the cookie exchange, and the recipe to share. Don’t miss it!

Snowboarders & Skiers for Christ (SFC)

Snowboarders and Skiers for Christ are hosting a free dinner and hang time in the Mary Johnson Center every Sunday evening at 6 pm throughout the season. Please tell any “shredders” you might know to come on down!

Saturday Morning Men’s Study and Adult Sunday School

Both of these programs are up and running at their regulars times again this weekend.
Standing Firm,
Pastor Mike

 

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Grateful

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Dear Community Church,
I’m sure you would all agree that it was great to have Neal Benson back with us in Big Bear. If you missed church this weekend you might want to CLICK HERE to catch his message. It was that good!
Of course, this is Thanksgiving week. I will be sharing a message titled, “Grateful”. Check out Luke 17:11-19 for the text. We are also going to be sharing communion this weekend, because the meaning of this sacrament is so closely tied to the idea of thankfulness. If you have something that you are particularly thankful for this Thanksgiving, please send me an email and share, mike@bigbearchurch.com. I might share some of these on Sunday.
Thanksgiving is a time when we sit around the table with people that we don’t necessarily see all that often. If your family is like mine, some of them are serving the Lord wholeheartedly and some are not. I also encourage those that follow Jesus to ask him for some special grace and ability to demonstrate real love, to be peacemakers, in situations where there is a need for more peace, to have a word of hope for those that are down. Ask God for discernment and follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Be gentle and respectful and remember where your hope comes from! Holidays like Thanksgiving are an opportunity to make a difference in a way that doesn’t happen everyday.
Christmas Decorations – Monday November 28th
Next Monday, November 28th is “Christmas Decoration Day”. We will meet in the Worship Center at 10 am. We need lots of helpers! It will be fun!
Snowboarder and Skiers for Christ (SFC)
SFC is going to be hosting free dinners and wax nights in the Mary Johnson Center at 6 pm on Sunday nights. The first one is this Sunday November 27th. If you meet any hungry shredders, send them on down!
Pinterest Night 2016
Our Women’s Ministry (LIFT) is hosting their first annual Pinterest Night on December 9th. There will be a variety of live demonstrations and ideas for the Holidays. All of the demos and presentations will be throughout the Historic Chapel. Tickets are $10 (available at church this week). All proceeds are going to “Sole Hope”, a ministry that provides shoes for children in Uganda. There is a really cool “hands on” aspect to this also. Fun!
FYI…Wednesday Night, Adult Sunday School, and Men’s Bacon & Bible will not meet this week.
Gratefully yours,
Pastor Mike

 

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No Ordinary Man – Neal Benson

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Community Church Family,

This coming Sunday, Big Bear’s own Neal Benson is coming to share a message with us. Neal grew up in Big Bear and began his journey with Christ here. He has had much success in ministry since leaving here as a young man. We are excited to have him share with us this week. Neal will be preaching from Mark 5:21-42. Read this passage during the week and be more prepared to hear from God on Sunday.
Get ‘Er Done Day – Parking Lot Edition
If you were in church last weekend you heard me announce that we have an opportunity to save the church $7000 on our parking lot by doing the prep work ourselves. So, this Saturday at 8 am we are going to show up with our leaf blowers and get the cracks in our lot ready to be filled. Bring you leaf blowers. Also bring a pick-axe if you have one, a broom, and safety googles or glasses too. In just a few hours we are going to free up a bunch of money for ministry!
All Church Christmas Party
On Sunday evening December 18th we are going to have an “All-Church Christmas Party”. The church is going to provide turkey and ham. We are going to ask you to bring your favorite holiday sides and desserts. We are going to enjoy a short Christmas play by our kids and have lots of other fun activities, including an ugly Christmas sweater contest and a decorating competition. Mark the date on your calendar. It’s going to be fun!
Scrip Gift Cards
We know that many people buy gift cards as Christmas presents these days. This is a reminder that the church can get many different kinds of  gift cards through our Scrip program. Scrip is an opportunity to provide a portion (2%-7%) of your purchase to the church. This Sunday there will be a complete list of the cards we can get on the Scrip table in the Worship Center. Donnaneeds to have gift card orders by December 12th to ensure that you have them before Christmas.
Love and blessings to you all,
Pastor Mike
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This Week at Community Church 11/13

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Dear Community Church,
    This week we are quickly shifting gears from 2000 years ago to right now!  One of the things that I hope we all picked up from our 6 month journey through the book of Acts is the underlying ethos that all people are loved by God and the incredible importance behind seeing that all people have a chance to hear and understand what God has done to reach them and save them.
     Almost three years ago, when Pam and I came here, some of you may have thought that our church was too small and isolated to have a role in reaching the nations for Christ. Others were desperate to see our church find its way back into this grand calling of reaching out into the world for the sake of the gospel. Wherever you fall on this spectrum, I assure you that you will be  blessed to hear about the doors that God is opening for us to make a difference for Jesus, both here and all around the world.
Samaritan’s Purse – Wednesday Night
All of our groups are meeting this Wednesday night as usual, starting with dinner at 6 pm. Following dinner we are going to wrap our Samaritan’s Purse gifts together. It should be a fun time as we get these packages together for kids all over the world!
Plans for the Chapel
The Elder Board and I are in agreement that it is time for us to replace the pews in the chapel with chairs. I have attached a full explanation to this weekly email. If you are interested in the details, please CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PLANS.
Saturday Morning Bacon and Bible Men’s Study
The Saturday study continues with bacon, Bible, and great fellowship. Every Saturday at 7 am, right next to the main kitchen.
Adult Sunday School
The Adult Sunday school class meets every week at 8:45 in the Mary Johnson Center. Feel free to visit and try it out. No need to call ahead. Just show up with a Bible and get ready to learn and make friends!
I hope that you are able to make the rest of the services in the month of November. They are each important and have implications for our future. See you at church!
Standing Firm,
Mike