Southview Connect

August Update...

My friends, the summer is hot, the ministry is happening, and God is moving! We’ve been hearing a ton of “God stories” through this season of ministry, and I believe the best is still yet to come! Here’s an update on what’s happening at SCC this month…

• Our Kids Day Camp in July was just amazing! 116 kids came onsite during the week and were told about the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we saw two accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior – that never gets old! What a blessing to be a part of the spiritual journey of so many kids! Thanks to ALL of you who were a part in some way – whether you were a guide, worked registration, served snacks, led worship, taught Bible stories, helped with crafts or recreation, or prayed for the kids, you had a part in what God did that week – thank you for being a church focused on reaching out to these kids and their families!

• Our youth have been busy as well; from re:Charge youth camp to WorldChangers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, from helping with the Kids Day Camp to serving families in need with construction and repair projects, they have been actively engaged. Thank you to all who led our group to camp and to the WorldChangers project in TN – God’s work is being done in and through these students, and I can’t wait to see what He’s going to do next!

• On Sunday mornings in August, I’ll continue the series of messages on “The Greatest Sermon Ever,” Jesus’ teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount. We’re going verse by verse through this well known sermon that Jesus gave and learn about the life that He calls us to lead. Jesus was the master teacher, and we’ve learned so much about the Kingdom life that He calls us to live here and now. What has God been teaching you? What have been your greatest takeaways from this series? I’d love to hear from you – you can email feedback@southview.org and let me know what God has been doing in your life.

• Our search for a Worship and Arts Pastor is continuing. Since we restarted the search in June, we’ve received 75 resumes from some great candidates. Since February, we have received over 150 resumes, and the personnel team and I have been working hard doing phone and video interviews. Our prayer continues to be that God will lead us in His timing to the person He has for us – please join us in that prayer. We’re hoping to have some news for you soon as we continue narrowing down candidates for consideration.

• Lynn Carr has served with great distinction on our administrative office staff for 12 years, and she has grown far beyond her current role as a Ministry Assistant. In consultation with the Personnel Team and the Elders, we are “re-organizing” the staff a bit and promoting her to Church Administrator as of August 1. Lynn will oversee not only office administrative operations, including HR and financial matters in the church, but she will be the point of coordination for church business, contractors, and other operational matters, working closely with our Properties Team and other teams in the church. As Lynn moves into this role, we will be hiring two part time receptionists who will be at the glass doors downstairs handling office walk in traffic, mail, telephone support, and other duties. Lynn will oversee these positions and will ensure that our church operations function with a degree of efficiency that she has modeled in her current role for the last 12 years.

• On Wednesday, August 24, SCC members will go to Coates Elementary for our first off site Back to School Boutique – we will have the opportunity to minister during the course of the day to 80-100 kids and their families who are in need. By providing school supplies, clothing, a meal, and the love of Christ, we will have the opportunity to share one-on-one with them the reason for “why we do what we do” – Jesus in us. If you haven’t yet signed up to be a part of this, there’s still room for you to serve – you can find more info on that at our website (southview.org) or by contacting Diane Atkison.

Summer is a time when many take time away to recharge, refresh, and renew ourselves, and that’s an awesome privilege. Don’t let summer activities keep you from connecting to and serving those around you with your church family. Opportunities are everywhere – we just have to follow God’s leading and take advantage of them.

Finally, let me thank you for being faithful to your church’s work in your giving – the tithes and offerings we receive allow us to do the ministry that we pray and plan for. The great missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, once said, “God’s work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.” It is through the faithfulness of His people that God funds the ministry at SCC – and I believe there is so much more to do. Through our giving, we get to participate in all that God is doing at SCC and beyond.

God has done great things at SCC in recent years – we have seen lives changed for all eternity; we have had the privilege of introducing so many to Jesus – and we’re not done yet. Project 57 continues as we move into a fall that is packed with opportunities to serve. September 11 we’ll kick off a new series called “Faith in Action,” and we’ll end that series with a major day of community service on October 1. Be praying NOW that God would use our efforts to connect with those in our community who are far from Him; be praying that He would give us the privilege of serving them in His name; and be praying that we would have the opportunity of sharing about the love that God has for them.

It’s going to be great!

Loving, growing, and serving Him with you,

--Pastor William

Letter from our LDP Student, Niyongabire Benoit

Please stop by the Compassion Corridor in July and pick up a new picture bookmark of Benoit. Remember to pray for him and also consider writing him a letter this month. Compassion letterhead can be found on the Compassion Corridor wall. Below is the most recent letter from Benoit:

 

NIYONGABIRE Benoit

RW 980-0052

Southview Community Church

US 1241069

5th May 2011

 

Dear Southview Community Church Members,

I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ and thank you so much for your letter of 24th March 2011.

I’m proud again for this occasion to write this letter, this time I take it very important as I told you because it is through letters that we can interchange information. I like the way you are progressing at your church and that is what our Lord wants us to do as long as we’re still alive.

Very important thing is to hear that next year, you are going to visit Rwanda. That’s grateful, you are welcome to the country of one thousand hills. I promise to give a recent photo in my next letter and it will be good if you also send yours to me.

I’m happy to hear that members of your church keep increasing and I think it’s a fruit of preaching the gospel and many strategies you have set in order to make people informed about God’s words. It’s also very wonderful to hear that you receive visitors at the church; it means that they saw something important from you and can learn from you what their life need is.

You are good friends and a gift I have been given, ooh Lord!! I don’t have the way I can express how much I’m happy because of you. Everything changes at the church you tell me, something important happens you tell me, may God bless you for your commitment and love.

Thanks so much for Judy’s personal information, it’s so good and from them I can learn many things. It’s good to hear about her son’s performance at school, that makes me work harder in class and I promise to do my best in order to get good marks. Judy is a good parent, the time she has been enjoying her son’s success, I came in her mind and pray for me. I’m sure that is the case to all of you. You love me a lot.

We’re about the beginning of final exams of the first semester, today we’re Thursday and I have first exam on Saturday. We’re revisiting our lessons for good preparation, I know you pray for me and me also I pray for you every day.

May God continue to be on your side in Jesus Christ our Lord!

 

Yours in Christ,

NIYONGABIRE Benoit.

May Update

The mercury is rising! Summer’s coming, and I’m glad to see it on the horizon. I want to say a special word of thanks to Steve Kane who preached while I was on vacation last month – he did an outstanding job and we are so blessed to have him as a part of our staff team. Thanks also to Wes Husted for conducting a memorial service while I was away – what a blessing to have so many gifted teachers and Elders who minister so effectively to God’s people.

In May, I’m beginning a series of messages on “The Greatest Sermon Ever,” Jesus’ teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount. Over the next few months, we’ll be going verse by verse through this well known sermon that Jesus gave and learn about the life that He calls us to lead. This is very practical, very applicable teaching, whether you’re a new believer or a seasoned veteran of the faith. I’m looking forward to going through it with you and seeing what God will teach us.

Our small groups continue to meet in homes, and I’m encouraged to hear stories about Southviewers reaching out to their neighbors, their co-workers, and their friends and inviting them to come to their home group. What a blessing to have another opportunity to reach out to those we know who are living far from God.

We have finalized our selections for the first year of the Chrysalis program for ministry interns and ministry residents, and elsewhere in this newsletter you can see their pictures and read short bios on each of them. Southview's Chrysalis program is designed to provide a safe environment where leaders can grow, experiment, and develop their passion for ministry. Thank you to those of you who offered your homes to host this year’s interns! All interns have been provided for thanks to your generosity and hospitality. I am looking for transportation for one of our interns, so if you have a car that one of them could use during the 7 weeks they’ll be with us (July 3-Aug 23), please let me know.

Our search for a Worship and Arts Pastor is moving right along – we’ve received over 80 resumes for this position as I type this, and our personnel team and I have been very busy with phone and video interviews. Our prayer is that God will lead us to the man or woman He has for us – please join us in praying for that.

Thanks to the incredibly generous gift Southview received at the end of last year, we’re are in the process of replacing the HVAC system in the elementary and youth areas and adding central HVAC to our preschool rooms, restrooms, hallways, and children’s entrance area. Contractor delays have pushed the completion date back to May 13. You’ll also see that we were able to replace a lot of the concrete sidewalks and curbs on the property. We thank God for the generosity of His people in providing for Southview’s needs!

Our big Second Saturday Workday will be on Saturday, May 14, and it’s an “all hands on deck” event – if you’re able to come out and help spread mulch, weed flower beds, trim trees and bushes, replace light bulbs, etc., we’d love to have your help. We’ll be publicizing projects that we’re hoping to tackle that day in advance so you can bring your tools and help us be the best stewards we can be of our building and grounds!

Our AWANA ministry and our Homeschool Co-op will be completing their first year of ministry in May, and each will have a celebration event to close out the year. I’d like to thank Steve Kane and all the AWANA leaders for their hard work and dedication this year, as well as Nancy Kantsios and Lori Mazur for their hard work and leadership in the Homeschool Co-op. What a blessing to see these new ministries arise and give us new opportunities to minister to children and their families in Jesus’ name!

Continue to pray with me that we will be fully obedient to ALL that God shows us and teaches us. I believe that the best is yet to come – and I’m ready to see God do a new work at Southview, in our community, and in our world!

Loving, growing, and serving Him with you,

--Pastor William

Compassion Trip to Rwanda!

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ…”
~2 Corinthians 2:14

  TRIP TO RWANDA – AUGUST 4-14, 2012

I am so blessed to share with you, Southview, that Compassion International has approved our request to travel and serve in Rwanda from August 4-14, 2012! Beginning in January 2012, the Compassion International Mission Trip Planning Team will work with us in planning and preparing for our travel to Rwanda. They will arrange for our airfare and provide us with ways that we can serve the local church in Meshero, Rwanda. Meshero is the location of the Child Survival Pilot Program that Southview recently supported.

This trip will have a mission/service focus. We will be waiting to hear from the local church in Meshero about how we can serve them. Some possible ways that we could bless them would be to offer a VBS, provide a sports camp, and/or support a building/work related project. We can be assured that the Lord will guide our steps as we seek to serve Him.

While in Rwanda, we will visit our Child Survival moms and children. We will also tour the Child Sponsorship Projects and hopefully even have a chance to meet Nyongabire Benoit, our Leadership Development Student.

This trip is open to everyone and we will need 15-20 people to make the trip. A Visa will be required. The trip will cost approximately $3,000, with airfare being the bulk of the expense. You may want to prayerfully begin to consider raising support for your trip.

I will begin compiling an email distribution list for those who would like information as our travel plans unfold. Contact me at atkisond@gmail.com if you would like to be added to the list. There will be no firm details or plans made until January 2012. Church, we have several months to be in prayer as we wait upon the Lord for His plans for us and our family and friends in Rwanda to unfold. May we give our “Yes” to Him for whatever He would require of us.

Thanking Him in advance for how He will be glorified as we serve Him in Jesus’ name.
Yours in Christ,
Diane Atkison

It's almost Easter!

It’s almost Easter, one of my favorite times of the year. This month we will be celebrating that HE IS RISEN INDEED!

We’re in a teaching series on Sunday mornings called “Hope Lives,” learning what God’s Word has to say to us about the power of hope, compassion, and love in our community and our world. This is one of two series I have planned for this year that focus on the ‘serving’ part of our strategy (Loving-Growing-Serving). Our home based small groups are using material that goes along with what we’re doing on Sunday mornings in worship, and as we learn and grow together, my prayer is that this will help us to get God’s Word deep within us.

As we learned in our last series, the goal of small groups is not to add something else to your busy schedule; the goal of small groups is to foster community and spiritual growth in our lives. Community is God’s gift to us, but we have to reach out and take it! Spiritual growth does not happen in isolation; it happens best in community, and that’s where small groups come in. If you haven’t joined a small group yet, I encourage you to find a group that fits your schedule and make it happen! It’ll be an investment in your spiritual life that you will never regret.

Looking forward a little to May, I’m going to start a new small group focused on leadership. For those who have been given the gift of leadership, our goal is to get better and better as leaders, as well as develop those within the church with the gift, so that we can lead with all diligence (Romans 12:8). It’s going to be an intense group – a lot of reading and a lot of discussion – but I think very rewarding for those who want to be involved. If you’re interested in being a part of the initial group, let me know.

The Chrysalis program for ministry interns and ministry residents is progressing well, and I’m doing a lot of interviews with potential candidates for our first “class.” Southview's Chrysalis program is designed to provide a safe environment where leaders can grow, experiment, and develop their passion for ministry. We're looking for some families who have some extra space in their home and are willing to serve as a host family. It could be for a short term intern (6-12 weeks) or for a longer term ministry resident (1-2 years). If you'd be willing to host one of these young men or women, email me at william.attaway@southview.org and let me know if you can host a male or female and for how long of a term. After I get your info, we'll add you to the list of open homes and will let you know when we have an intern for you to host!

Our Financial Peace University classes will conclude in April, and I’ve heard a lot of great stories about how God has used this class to help individuals and families learn what His Word says about money and how to best use it (and not abuse it). We’ll be offering this class option again in the fall, so if you missed it this time, you’ll have another option to plug in and learn how best to utilize the resources God has entrusted to you.

Our search for a Worship and Arts Pastor is progressing as well – we’ve received 61 resumes for this position as I type this, and that’s after only a month of the position being advertised! We believe that God will lead us to the person He has for us – even now He is preparing them for the ministry here at SCC. Please join us in praying for God’s man or woman that He has in mind for this position.

Thanks to the incredibly generous gift Southview received at the end of last year, we’re going to be replacing the HVAC system in the elementary and youth areas and add central HVAC to our preschool rooms, restrooms, hallways, and children’s entrance area. We’re also repairing a lot of the concrete sidewalks and curbs on the property. Our goal is to have both projects complete by Easter.

Our Good Friday service will be on April 22 at 7 p.m. It’ll be a service of reflection on what the sacrifice of Jesus was all about and how God’s love for us is beyond what we can fathom. We’ll gather at the Lord’s Table and remember the sacrifice of the cross and the cost of our salvation. The next day, on Saturday, April 23, we’ll host our annual community-wide Easter Egg Hunt at 10:30 a.m. followed by a lunch onsite. This is a great opportunity to invite your co-workers, neighbors, friends, and family to come, have fun, enjoy lunch, and hear the message of the gospel – the real reason for Easter! We’ll come back together on Easter Sunday morning at 11 for worship together as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and what it means for each of us. I can’t wait!

God has opened a door for us with Coates Elementary School to minister to the students, families, faculty, and staff there, and we are praising God for it! This year we’re planning to host our Back to School Boutique at Coates on Wednesday, August 24, serving 80-100 kids in need. It’s a tremendous expansion of what we’ve been doing for more than a decade, and we’re looking forward to seeing what other doors God opens for us in the days ahead. A number of us will also be participating in Coates’ mentorship program, where we have lunch with a student once a week for 30 minutes and build one-on-one relationships, investing in others in Jesus’ name. This is only the beginning, but what a blessing to see God moving in front of us and preparing the way as we seek to engage more and more with our community, putting our faith into action!

Continue to pray with me that we will be fully obedient to ALL that God shows us and teaches us. I believe that the best is yet to come – and I’m ready to see God do a new work at Southview, in our community, and in our world!

Loving, growing, and serving Him with you,

--Pastor William

New Zealand Earthquake Relief

In light of the recent earthquake in New Zealand, a number of Southviewers have asked how we can help. Churches in New Zealand are working hard to minister to the needs of so many. Rob Petrini, a former Southview staff member, is currently serving as pastor of a church in Christchurch, where the earthquake hit. In our recent communication with Rob, he said, "I am asking for financial help to get us through the next 4 to 6 weeks! We have a number of pastors who have lost their homes, but are still working 12 to 16 hours a day. We have social care workers and counselors who are doing their job for free simply because the demand is so high and people do not have the resources to pay them. Our own staff is working around the clock and we don't have the financial capability to support them. We are combining our resources with 5 other Baptist churches in the area. We are all pretty badly affected, but 2 have been completely destroyed (the one pastor, Chris Chamberlain from Oxford Terrace Baps has also lost his home and is currently being supported by a group of us). All schools have been shut and so places to meet have been severely limited. One of those 5 churches is imploding, with a number of the congregation refusing to come back to Christchurch at all. In comparison our church is doing ok. Even though a number of our people are out of town, we still have good support and communication happening. The big problem is everyone is in a bad state with their personal lives. Please stress to SCC that anything they give is above and beyond their tithe. I don't want their tithes, nor do I want people to give beyond their means."

Southview is going to collect funds to send to the Baptist Union of New Zealand to help with the relief efforts for Rob's church and others in his community. If God leads you to be a part of this, simply write 'New Zealand Earthquake' on your offering envelope so we know where to put it. We'll be collecting these funds throughout the month of March and into early April. And please keep Rob, his family, their church, and their community in your prayers in the days ahead.

Japan update from the Willow Creek Association

One of the organizations that our church partners with to accomplish our mission is the Willow Creek Association. Here's an update from the WCA regarding the situation in Japan:

"In response to the recent tragedies in Japan, we continue to pray for the pastors and churches affected. Only 1% of the Japanese population identify themselves as Christian, yet we believe the Church can have a disproportionate impact on the relief efforts, bringing hope to that part of the world.

We wanted to share a brief update from one of the pastors who serves on the organizing committee for our Global Leadership Summit site in Tokyo:

“Lack of gas food and heating are the major problems for people who are taking refuge in various buildings in hardest hit areas. But this time special prayers are needed for church and church members who have evacuated from areas within the radius of 20 km of Fukushima nuclear power plant. Churches in the area are empty right now. Its reactors are having major problems and our worst fear is their meltdown which will bring radiation exposure--another major disaster. If this happens this will be like hell. They are trying hard to cool down these reactors but the news we watch gets worse every day. Please keep praying for the safety of church members and people and that somehow, by God's special intervention, the Fukushima nuclear power plant will come under the control."

Please continue to pray for the churches and people affected by this terrible disaster. Tomorrow at Southview, we'll have an opportunity to contribute financially to the relief work going on in Japan.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." --Galatians 6:9

What's New at SCC...

Spring is almost here, and I’m ready for it! As nice as winter can be sometimes, there’s nothing like spring – the promise of new life all around us, the smell of newness and freshness – it reminds me of the promise of our God that He will make all things new!

Two months down in 2011 so far - how are you doing so far on your resolutions for the new year? Did you take my challenge to spend time in prayer daily, spend time reading Scripture daily, work on one area of discipline in your life, and find a place based on your gifts, talents, and passion to serve others in Jesus’ name? If you’ve fallen behind, don’t worry – just pick back up today and keep going. Every investment you make in your spiritual journey is one that you will never regret.

In March, I’m teaching a series called Connect on the power of small groups to help us in our spiritual journey, and at the conclusion of that series we will have an opportunity for you to join a new or existing small group. I believe that small groups can be an incredible catalyst for your spiritual life and health, and I hope you’ll be praying about this opportunity. It is in a small group that you can best be loving, growing, and serving as you do the Christian life in community with the brothers and sisters around you. This is what Jesus modeled for us, what the early church demonstrated, and I’m excited about this new opportunity to help all of our members and those who are not yet here to take the next step.

Later this spring, I’m going to start a new small group focused on leadership. For those who have been given the gift of leadership, our goal is to get better and better as leaders, as well as develop those within the church with the gift, so that we can lead with all diligence (Romans 12:8). This is something we’ve seen a need for at SCC, and more so as we move forward with P57 and all that it entails. It’s going to be an intense group – a lot of reading and a lot of discussion – but I think very rewarding for those who want to be involved. If this becomes what I'm hoping and dreaming it could be, this may continue - my desire is that this becomes a place where future ministry leaders, deacons, elders, and even staff members are raised up within the body, taught Biblical leadership principles, and then freed to use those skills in the context of SCC's ministry, in the workplace, and beyond. If you’re interested in being a part of the initial group, let me know.

As I mentioned at our members meeting last month, one of the initiatives of Project 57 for 2011 involves re-visioning and expanding SCC's intern program. We've been working hard to get this ready to launch, and we're ready! We’re calling this the Chrysalis ministry. A chrysalis is a protective covering for insects during periods of growth and metamorphosis. Southview's Chrysalis program is designed to do a similar thing - provide a safe environment where leaders can grow, experiment, and develop their passion for ministry. We’re putting out feelers now to find some great interns for 2011! You can find out more information about the Chrysalis program at our website, southview.org/intern. We're looking for some families who have some extra space in their home and are willing to serve as a host family. It could be for a short term intern (8-12 weeks) or for a longer term ministry resident (1-2 years). If you'd be willing to host one of these young men or women, email me at william.attaway@southview.org and let me know if you can host a male or female and for how long of a term. After I get your info, we'll add you to the list of open homes and will let you know when we have an intern for you to host!

The Elders have been meeting, praying, and discussing our current staffing situation, and we’re now ready to begin actively searching for a Worship and Arts Pastor. We’ve been praying about what the next position should be, and we unanimously felt led that this is the direction to go. Dawn Curran has done an outstanding job of coordinating and leading the worship team in the interim time, and I simply cannot thank her enough for her help in bringing the worship team to a place of unity and health. She agreed to help out in the interim, but we know it’s time to look for a permanent team member. We’re looking for someone with a genuine heart for ministry in the local church, a clear call from God, musical giftedness, a passion for worship, and leadership skills to oversee and equip a vibrant worship ministry team. Strong organizational, communication, and time management skills are a must. We’re looking for someone who can build teams and equip others to accomplish the mission, not someone who tries to do it all themselves. The right person will help us to create environments in worship that challenge, encourage, and equip people to take their next steps toward Jesus or in their relationship with Him. They will lead the worship team to minister with excellence in all that they do, providing oversight for our worship team, our sound, lighting, and media teams, our drama team, and our First Impressions (greeter) teams. They will launch new teams and utilize creative elements as needed to help us accomplish our mission of doing whatever it takes to share the hope and love of Jesus Christ with our community and our world. Please keep this in prayer as the Personnel Team and I start sifting through the resumes that have already begun to pour in – there are a lot of people who want to be a part of what God’s doing at SCC these days! If you know of someone, please have them send a resume to me and we’ll be glad to consider them in our prayerful deliberations.

Thanks to the incredibly generous gift Southview received at the end of last year, we’re going to be replacing the HVAC system in the elementary and youth areas and add central HVAC to our preschool rooms, restrooms, hallways, and children’s entrance area. We’re hopeful that this work will be accomplished before the end of March. If you see work trucks around, now you know why! Five companies have bid on the job, and we’re evaluating their bids to choose the best solution for the best price. It’s going to be great!

I am more excited than I’ve ever been about what God’s doing at Southview – I believe God has been preparing us over the last few years for what He’s about to do, and if we are faithful, we will see God do something that’s going to amaze us all. Let’s get to it!

Loving, growing, and serving Him with you,

--Pastor William

EntreLeadership Seminar at SCC

 

AWANA

AWANA is a discipleship program for kids from age 3 through 6th grade at Southview - this year we've seen over 50 kids involved in memorizing God's Word weekly, learning how to be more and more like Jesus - and playing some really fun games!

Zechariah 8:5 - "And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls at play."