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Church Growth/Evangelism

  • Ken Miller
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A Big Move Not Very Far Away
A Big Move Not Very Far Away 2048 1350 Ken Miller

February 4- Nate Furness was installed as head pastor of the Pacific Union College Church, a short drive from his previous position at Napa Community Church.

Garrison Chaffee, Napa youth and associate pastor, said, “It was truly a pleasure to work with Nate; he is one of the most inclusive pastors I have ever worked with. He genuinely cares about each person and will be a great minister to his new church and community.”

Furness stated, “My family and I are excited to join the PUC Church family. I believe God has called us to be part of the life-changing work happening on campus and in the community. We are so impressed with the talent and dedication of the faculty, staff, and students here.”

Jim Lorenz, ministerial director, stated, “Nate has an uncommon pastoral sense that is perfect for the PUC Church community and students.”

Furness shares his life with Jennie, his wife of 17 years, and sons Alex, 14, and Anders, 11.

Featured in Northern Lights, February 23, 2023

  • Ken Miller
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Missional Church Planting
Missional Church Planting 2000 1125 Ken Miller

For several weeks, groups have been meeting in churches to strategize and train.

The attendees are volunteers, each called by the Holy Spirit to step out in faith. Their ages range from young to old, appearances grizzled to refined, and personalities subdued to outgoing. Their quest will be to plant missional church groups in their neighborhoods.

Kevin Robert, evangelism director, said, “Several groups will be creating micro-churches in their communities. These groups will engage neighborhoods with a New-Testament style work where every day is an outreach and Sabbath is to celebrate the weekly work, a day of mercy and blessing.”

Robert continued, “This missional and incarnational living is modeled after the church of Acts and was heavily encouraged by Mrs. White. Instead of fitting church into their lives, workers will focus on serving every day within their community; it will be their life and lifestyle.”

One of the goals of these micro-churches is to reach parts of communities that traditional services cannot.

Featured in Northern Lights, February 23, 2023

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Prayer Ministry Retreat
Prayer Ministry Retreat 1912 999 Ken Miller

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Religious Liberty Weekend
Religious Liberty Weekend 850 425 Ken Miller

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25 Countries In A Single Church
25 Countries In A Single Church 2000 1125 Ken Miller

Capitol City church did two community-relevant events in the span of two weeks:

First, they provided a cooling center for the community amidst a heatwave. Then on September 10, the church held its annual international day church service and potluck.

Members and guests representing twenty-five nations were dressed in colorful attire from their respective countries. The potluck dinner was akin to an international bizarre with ethnic foods from the Caribbean, Eastern and Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

According to one attendee, “I was blown away by the friendliness of the staff and all the diverse clothing of their home countries. The food was phenomenal, and I can’t wait for next year.”

Carol Herbert, mission council leader said, “This year’s international day was one of our best celebrations. We received so many compliments on how great everything was, from the program and the set-up to the food. Praise God!”

Featured in Northern Lights November 17, 2022

  • Ken Miller
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Oakland Ministries Gain New Building
Oakland Ministries Gain New Building 1911 993 Ken Miller

November 12- The C.O.R.E. (Community, Outreach, Resources, and Education) celebrated its grand opening at the Market Street church in Oakland.

The purpose of this facility is for ministry and service to the surrounding community.

At the opening ceremony Vanessa Russell, founder and executive director of Love Never Fails said, “I am looking forward to a continued partnership with the church through The C.O.R.E.” Adriana Preciado of Western Service Workers Association said, “I am excited about building more unity and solidarity amongst the people of Oakland.”

Other notable attendees included church members; Virgil Childs, Pacific Union Conference vice president for black ministries; and leaders of the Oakland community.

According to Theresa Patterson, director of The C.O.R.E at Market Street, “We are looking forward to working with our neighbors and agency partners to spread the love of Jesus Christ!”

Featured in Northern Lights November 17, 2022

Andriy Mykhaylovskyy Ordained
Andriy Mykhaylovskyy Ordained 1200 620 nccsadmin

Andriy Mykhaylovskyy pastor of the Sacramento Ukrainian church was ordained on October 22.

He joined Northern in 2018 as a youth pastor at the Sacramento Slavic church. While there, the congregation grew and planted the Ukrainian group, which became a church in 2021.

Sacramento Ukrainian church is the only one of its kind in the Pacific Union Conference. Recently, Pastor Mykhaylovskyy has been providing refugee assistance and resources for local Ukrainian families.

Jose Marin, executive secretary said, “Pastor Andriy is not only gifted in leading his church congregation but also at engaging the Ukrainian community abroad with his unique skills.”

Featured in Northern Lights • October 27, 2022

150th Anniversary For Woodland Church
150th Anniversary For Woodland Church 1200 675 nccsadmin

The Woodland church celebrated its 150th anniversary on October 22.

According to Daniel Garza, district pastor of the Woodland and Vacaville churches, “The sanctuary was absolutely packed, spilling into the foyer for the program. Cars filled the parking lot and ran down the street.”

Active since 1872, Woodland has a unique history tracing back to the beginning of Adventism in California. The first church building was built in 1873, and in 1913 the members built a small school offering kindergarten, academy, and a vocational school.

The Woodland church has a history of being community relevant. It started in 1959 by opening the Community Clothes Closet. Later, it partnered with the county court system to provide supervised visitation for non-custodial parents. During the pandemic, the church members developed an interactive online media ministry for homebound members.

Garza continued, “We were thrilled to have our guest speakers trace the history of the Woodland church and give inspirational messages. Our members were absolutely thrilled and honored by this anniversary and are motivated to continue serving their community.”

Featured in Northern Lights • October 27, 2022

  • Julie Lorenz
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Buena Tierra: Missional Church Plant
Buena Tierra: Missional Church Plant 720 540 Julie Lorenz
On Christmas afternoon, Buena Tierra—the latest NCC missional church plant—was officially inaugurated in Oakland. The new group of 39 members is the fourth congregation in a district led by Pastors Luis F. Manrique and Pedro Rosillo. Buena Tierra is a “daughter” group of the Oakland Spanish church.
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Nearly 200 members from the district attended the combined inauguration and Christmas program, held at the congregation’s rented church facility on 81st Avenue. Hispanic Ministries Coordinator Roman Leal challenged the new group to bring the gospel to the local area, which has the largest Hispanic population in the city.
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The service included an inspiring concert by singer Dani Ferras. Cesar Perdomo, an evangelist from Colombia, offered the prayer of dedication. Afterward, everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner, and children received gifts. A local family attended the service and expressed an interest in starting to study the Bible.
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Missional church plants are designed to multiply! “I look to the future and see Buena Tierra producing new fruits and planting new churches in and around Oakland until Christ comes,” said Manrique.
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  • Julie Lorenz
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Lodi Academy Schools in Parade of Lights
Lodi Academy Schools in Parade of Lights 720 480 Julie Lorenz
On Dec. 2, Lodi Academy Schools again participated in the annual Lodi “Parade of Lights,” joining nearly 80 floats moving through Lodi’s quaint Christmas-decked downtown. Spectators started lining up in the morning for the evening parade, during which more than 15,000 people waved at the participants and enjoyed the holiday event.
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Lodi Academy’s float was pulled by a bright-red 1947 truck decked out with a Christmas tree in the back! Covered in lights and shimmering tinsel, the younger students piled onto hay bales down the center of the float and waved bells while the onboard sound system played variations of “Joy to the World.”
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More than 150 Lodi SDA Elementary and Lodi Academy students, family members, and friends joined the contingent, waving and wishing spectators a “Merry Christmas” from Lodi Academy Schools.
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“Seeing that people enjoy seeing the truck and all the energy from the crowd makes this a really special event and worth the work,” said Kevin Haesche, Lodi Academy’s facilities manager. “Lodi Academy really gets to show people what we are all about in a very public way.”
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Local churches and schools share the float fun of spreading Christmas cheer through other events as the joy of Christmas month continues! Galt SDA Elementary used the academy’s float as part of a parade they joined in Galt, and Lodi’s English Oaks and Fairmont churches will use it for caroling in the surrounding neighborhoods during the holidays. Members can join caroling groups on Sunday, Dec. 19 with English Oaks, and Wednesday Dec. 22 with Fairmont.
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(Credit for first photo: Dave Marson Photography; Other photos: school supplied)

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