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A Note From Pastor Dan & Beth
Beth and I were at a park near our house the other day with our boys (keeping at least six feet away from everyone else, of course!), and we noticed some of our favorite trees had sprouted their leaves. Why are they our favorite trees, you ask? Well, because they are buckeye trees, and the boys and I love buckeyes! Even though I'm still getting over the final loss of last season, I know I'll be watching as many games as I can when they start playing again. Beth, on the other hand, does her best to put up with it, but she likes when her three men get excited about collecting buckeyes from those trees in the fall.
While we were looking at those sprouting leaves, we were reminded that renewal will eventually come. It won't always be winter. As one season fades into another, so these dark days will pass away into something brighter.
In some ways, we are similar to Noah's family on the ark. They were sequestered, unable to interact with the outside world that was falling apart around them. No doubt, they had cabin fever and longed for the day when everything would return to normal. Maybe they wondered if the flood waters would ever recede as God promised. Maybe tensions ran high in their family as they tried to educate their children in cramped quarters.
But eventually came the day when Noah released a dove and it came back to him with a freshly picked olive leaf in its beak (Genesis 8:11). The waters were receding. The trees had sprouted leaves. Their "winter" was over.
What about us? When will we get to walk out of our arks onto dry ground again? When will our lives return to something that resembles normal? None of us know for sure. But just as certain as our buckeye leaves were going to sprout in the park and just as certain as Noah's dove was going to return with an olive leaf in its beak, God will renew our world from this present trouble.
Waiting, struggling, hoping, and trusting with all of you,
Dan & Beth Stockum
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IF MY PEOPLE...Will Humble Themselves and Pray
As a faith community, one of the best things we can do in times of trouble is pray.
We have been invited to join a unique weekly opportunity. IF MY PEOPLE is a movement of churches in the Bay Area uniting together
to pray and fast on Wednesdays during this global crisis.
Will you join us as we focus throughout the day on praying for God's life-changing work in our cities, state, country, and world? Will you also join us in fasting from food and
by
pressing pause -- from the media stream of information and your social media feeds -- until dinner?
Why include fasting? Because fasting is "a physical exclamation point, declaring our desperation & dependence on God. It declares our need for Him is greater than our need for food, water, TV or even other relationships. We set aside something [food, drink, media] to focus intensely on God." (Ryan Ingram)
In addition to praying on your own, you are invited to join others on Wednesdays at noon (Pacific Time) for a Zoom Video Prayer Gathering led by one of the pastors from BCC. Click HERE to join the group, or for more information contact evelyn.sigg@connectbcc.org . Our collective prayers could make all the difference in the world.
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In place of our regular on-campus worship services, on Sunday mornings simply click on this
LINK
and it will lead you to a time of worship and teaching. You will find the current message from one of our pastors, a link to a time of worship through song, and other resources for you and your family. This past Sunday we completed our 40-day Biblical Hospitality series (daily devotions and discussion videos are still available
HERE), and are now moving toward Easter
. As always, we encourage you to connect with some others online to discuss what you're learning!
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Online K-5 Sunday School!
Children's Director Alba Kellejian will be making weekly videos and lessons for remote Sunday School for our Kindergarten through grade 5 kids, as well as family devotions and more. You can find them
HERE!
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How We're Staying Connected
In this strange time of minimal social interaction, how can you stay connected to one another? Some BCC Life Groups are now meeting regularly
by Zoom, an online video conferencing tool. Whether you use Zoom, Apple FaceTime, Google Hangouts, or make a 3-way conference call on your landline, there are lots of ways to keep in touch with one another and continue our great discussions that are usually held at church on Sunday mornings. For links to these tools, check out
connectbcc.org/stayconnected.
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Some of our BCC Life Groups and ministries are using Zoom, an online video conferencing tool. Here are the groups meeting regularly (so far!):
We thank God that Zoom is already giving us a way to keep our groups connected, and we want to help your group do that as well! If you'd like to be in one of our Zoom Life Groups, please contact the leader listed above. If you want help setting up a Zoom connections group of any kind, email jason.garvey@connectbcc.org.
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Connect on Facebook or Our BCC eNewsletters
Are you following the BCC groups you're a part of on Facebook? Especially now, this is oftentimes the best way to stay connected to your group and get the most up-to-date information from them. Here are a few:
There are also a variety of eNewsletters sent out by different BCC ministries, so check out the list on our sign up form
HERE to make sure you're receiving all of the ones you want.
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If you have a prayer request that you would like our staff to pray over, please email it to:
prayer@connectbcc.org.
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Good Friday Time of Worship
For Good Friday (April 10), we will post a link on our website to a video that will lead you through a time of worship. It will include Scripture readings, times of prayer, a time for taking communion, and times to listen to, and sing along with, several worship songs. You will not see or hear anyone talking to you, but you will be led through readings on the screen. You can read them silently, or if you have older children with you, you may want to have someone read them aloud. In preparation for your time of worship, we encourage you to light some candles and set out the elements (bread and wine/juice) for taking communion. Let's plan now to be ready for this time of worship on Good Friday as we remember all that Christ did for us on the cross.
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How can we help you? We want anyone who needs help to get it -- picking up groceries, setting up tech tools or equipment, running errands, etc. We have a team of people who are ready and willing to help. Just let us know your need, and we will make sure you're taken care of. Please click HERE to let us know what you need.
If you're able and willing to help others during this time, especially those who cannot leave their homes, please click HERE.
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Elder Nominating Committee
The Elder Nominating Committee is one of the few committees specifically identified in BCC's constitution, and is tasked with screening and recommending candidates for the BCC Elder Board. Elders must be BCC members, possess the qualities laid out in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, and be approved by the Elder Board and the congregation before the Annual Celebration business meeting in September. Elders serve three terms and are limited to two consecutive terms. If you would like to recommend a candidate for this year's board or just better understand the process, please talk to one of this year's committee members: Sarah Aubuchon, Marjie Fischer, Anna Lee, Sujana Panthulu, Michael Rivers, or Stan Egger.
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Use YouVersion Live This Sunday
"YouVersion Bible" is a free app available on most smart phones and mobile devices. Each week, we upload our sermon notes and Scriptures to YouVersion for you to use to connect more deeply with the day's Bible verses and message. You can download the app from the App Store or wherever applications for your device are available.
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Did You Miss Last Sunday's Sermon?
Did you miss this past Sunday's sermon? Click to watch March 29: "When Even a Little is a Lot" by Pastor Dave Gudgel. All past Sunday sermons are available on our BCC website's Sermons page.
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As of this past Sunday, 3/29/2020, these are our current year-to-date giving figures: Actual is $1,036,775*; budgeted is $1,044,932; shortfall is $8,157*.
*These numbers currently reflect online giving only. Paper checks are being held for future processing.
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Palm Sunday
Speaker:
Pastor Dan Stockum
Message
Title: Coronation of the King
Scripture Focus: Luke 18:31-34, 19:35-42
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