PASTOR'S MESSAGE

Rooted Deep Retreat:
​PENETRATING Thought, Determined Action

The participants in last month’s Digging Deeper Retreat wrapped up Session Three on Sunday afternoon with a firm commitment to stay engaged with our changing culture. It was awesome! 

First, thanks to everyone who gave up all or part of their weekend to be engaged in the battle of church and culture the Church at large is facing. 
I’m excited about the number of people who were there. I’m excited about the great discussions that took place. 

I’m excited about the fact that people were open and honest about their concerns and the future of Peace Lutheran Church. 

I’m excited about the commitment to stay true to our beliefs and doctrine as Missouri-Synod Lutherans and I’m especially excited about the insights and ideas that were shared from your own experiences, abilities and willingness to get involved as part of the solution.

​Special thanks is due to the people who worked so hard, often behind the scenes, to simply make the weekend work. To Phil Hamilton, who took on the technology challenges. To our Fellowship Committee, who provided Saturday’s lunch. To the Youth Board, who cooked up a special breakfast Saturday morning. To all of you who helped with the set up and tear down. To Dr. Ted Baehr, whose expertise and insight on the entertainment industry and its effects on culture is always appreciated. To Marsha, who provided folders and notepads for everyone so they take notes and make sure this doesn’t get away from us. For too many others to name. Thank you all. 
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One of the most exciting things to come out of our time together was a Community Outreach Committee. These folks will take the lead on investigating the whole list of ideas that follows as to their feasibility and our ability to prioritize them according to what can be done right away and what will take more time and planning. Please pray for God’s guidance as we move through that list of great ideas. And pray that those ideas keep coming.
 
If you have any thoughts to share with them, you can call me or contact them directly. Like we remind ourselves each week at Lifetree Café—We’re all in this together. 

Here’s a list of the ideas generated that the committee will be looking at. This isn’t a complete or final list, we simply just ran out of time and ran out of room on the board! How great is that? 

Here’s a thought to get your started. The general consensus was that if we’re going to survive in a culture that increasingly doesn’t even have church attendance on its radar, we’ll need to be the church out in the culture. That means getting a foothold and building relationships off campus during the week. Relationships with the unchurched, those who rarely or never attend church except for a wedding or funeral. Relationships with the dechurched, folks who may have some church background, but for a whole variety of reasons either drifted away or felt like they were driven away by a church that just doesn’t seem relevant to them anymore. ​

t’s a huge task, but retreat participants came up with some huge ideas that, with the help of the Holy Spirit and God’s guidance, will definitely go a long way toward making that happen. Here you go:
1.Work more closely with InterVarsity campus ministry: 
a)  Dinners, rides, laundry, etc. 
b)  Encourage them to continue holding meetings here at Peace.
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2.Create opportunities for self-discovery and Saturday, December 5th creative expression 
a)  Programs for kids in the community as well as our own members 
b)  Art

3.Community outreach including: 
a) Assists with appointments
b) Host events
c) Family nights
d) Move-in assistance (get current lists) e) Door-to-door outreach
d) ESL class

4. Social praise evenings 
a) praise band
b) maybe even karaoke

5. Mentoring programs-adult mentors for youth in our congregation or community

6. Lifetree Café
a) Add additional times and locations 
b) Try unique, unexpected locations,
including restaurants or lounges
7. Job Fair on campus

8. Increased Preschool collaboration a) Family appreciation evening

9. Group of 6 + 2
a) use our group of eight rotating dinner idea
as we have in the past, but adapt to a group of six members plus 2 hungry college students

10.Identify community needs through contact with Police Department, school principals, etc.

11.Monday Night Football
a) Food and Lutheran beverages

12.Offer a Parents’ Night Out

13.High School Hangouts 
a) Movie Nights
b) other activities

14.Catalina Heights ( Camarillo Base Housing) 
a) Host an appreciation dinner/ BBQ
b) Maybe use their recreation area the first
time
Great stuff! And this is only the beginning of great ideas. This kind of outreach will take the whole congregation’s participation, especially prayer for each event’s success. We’d like to be known in Camarillo as much more than just the “Avocado Church.” 

With God’s blessing we can be known as a church that is actually being the church off campus and doing the kinds of things people disconnected from church expect the church to be doing. The kinds of things Christ expects the church to be doing. It all boils down to making a difference. 

Listed below are the Community Outreach Committee members. My apologies if I missed anyone: 

Ashley Medina, Beky Medina, Lori Schultze, John Capodice, Vera Alamillo, Diana Wanke, Diana Townsend, Aija Rebensal and Rich Medina. 

Help us get involved by getting involved. Church is not just a spectator sport! It never really was. As these ideas become activities, you will be asked to help out. When that opportunity comes along, please say yes. I think we’ll all discover that it’s way more fun being the church than it is just going to church. 

God has blessed us in so many ways, please help us respond by being a blessing to others! 

​Pastor Rob