Zipline
The Quickest Way to Stay Informed
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Do the People on Your Bus Go Up and Down?
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(if you live in California, do NOT read this paragraph)
As a result of increasingly strict emission controls in California, vehicles with older diesel engines can no longer be registered. First Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton has a 50 passenger, 1988 Thomas Transit School Bus (diesel) with 134,642 miles. Six new tires were installed 1500 miles ago. FEFC will consider gifting this bus to a qualified ministry outside the California area. Contact
John Schaefer
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If 70% of taught or learned leadership skills are transferable to multiple contexts, this has numerous implications for those looking for leaders, those training leaders, or leaders seeking opportunities to serve.
Eric Geiger
is the new pastor at Mariners Church in Irvine, CA, and shares some thought-provoking ideas about this dynamic.
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Yet More Info On Generation Whatchamacallit....
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Just when you thought it was challenging enough that a millennial’s attention span is only 12 seconds, we now learn that a Gen ‘Z’er’s focus has dropped to 8 seconds. But the same studies on those who are roughly ages 10-25 reveal some very encouraging insights which should have us doubling down on our efforts to reach and influence the emerging leaders of tomorrow. Put your thinking hat on and read.
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I Actually Don't Trust You (and here is why)...
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Dan Reiland
discusses the importance of trust and how to earn it (or lose it). He says “
As a leader, trust is usually extended to you upfront. It’s 'on loan,' so to speak, until proven untrustworthy. However, it’s not uncommon for good leaders to be caught by surprise when they are not trusted quite as fully as they thought they were.”
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A Timely Tidbit From Tim
(Jacobs, EFCA West Director of Church Planting)...
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I'll never forget driving down the 101 freeway in Thousand Oaks, CA, when my wife called and uttered those two life-changing words, "I'm pregnant." Well I just about lost control of my Ford Ranger. Sure, I was excited, but my first thought was,
"We're not ready for this!"
But everyone who has a baby knows that you're
never ready
, you just get pregnant and then you get ready. The same is true with church planting. If you wait until you're ready to plant a church, it's likely that you never will! But if you say, "Hey, let's do it!" (plant a church, that is), you're much more likely to take the steps that need to be taken to not only have a healthy "birth" but a healthy "mother" as well. Interested? We can help! You can reach out to our EFCA West church planting team by contacting
efcawest@efca.org
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Something to Talk About: First World Problems
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In his column this month, Bob Osborne reflects on problems, comparing First and Second world realities, and the temptation to focus on challenges rather than blessings. He says:
“Those of us experiencing first world problems usually have no idea how silly our problems sound to others because they are so real to us. I got to thinking, are there leadership implications for this?”
Read more of his musings here..
First World Problems
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GlobalFingerprints: Child Sponsorship with a Powerful Twist
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Sponsoring underprivileged children around the world flows naturally from a heart touched by the grace of God. And there are many respectable agencies which make this possible. But it’s not everyday that a child sponsorship program serves children in poverty in close partnership with a solid denominational family (like the EFCA) and a global church planting network of missionaries. If you are not familiar with
EFCA’s Global Fingerprints
, you owe it to yourself and your congregation to learn more.
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Save the Date...EFCA West Biennial District Conference
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By June of next Summer, we hope the new EFCA West District Superintendent will be settling into the role of leading us into a fresh season of ministry to and with our churches. While it is not possible to say it’s in ink, we can say that heavy #2 lead pencil has marked
Thursday & Friday, June 18-19, 2020
at the Vista Campus of North Coast Church in Vista, CA as the next official gathering of our district family of churches. For those whose lives are booked a year out, we apologize, but hope you can make changes to join us. We’ll keep you posted.
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Another "Sticky" Date to Consider...(When Sticky is a good thing)
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If you don’t want to wait until next summer to make a trek to San Diego, consider attending the “Thriving in Babylon” Sticky Teams conference at North Coast Church,
October 15 & 16
. In recent years, this has become a very popular time of fellowship and encouragement for many in our EFCA West family. Some come alone to “get away” and others bring their entire leadership team to learn some new vocabulary for planning the years ahead.
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History is a Vast Early-Warning System...
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..so said Norman Cousins, well-known journalist… But the wisdom in that is obvious. And when the eternal implications of sound theology and doctrine are brought into the equation, it is imperative that we be well informed. While the
EFCA History & Polity Seminar
is mandatory for anyone seeking an EFCA ministry credential (Ordination, Certificate of Christian Ministry, and either vocational or non-vocational Ministry License), it is time and effort well-spent by anyone seeking to be a modern-day son or daughter of Issachar, understanding the times with knowledge of what God’s children should do. While it is still available on the West Coast, take advantage of the opportunity
November 1 & 2
at Talbot Seminary/Biola University in SoCal.
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Something to Think About...
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“Our struggle to put first things first can be characterized by the contrast of two powerful tools that direct us: the clock and the compass. The clock represents our commitments, appointments, schedules, goals, activities… how we manage our time. The compass represents our vision, values, principles, mission, conscience, direction — what we feel is important and how we lead our lives. The struggle comes when we sense a gap between the clock and the compass — when what we do doesn’t contribute to what is most important in our lives.” —
Stephen Covey
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