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A monthly publication that
informs, educates and inspires.
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Our Great Future is a three year campaign to complete the Great Room, pay off the campus improvement loan, and begin a master plan for the future of Olive Drive Church. We are two years and four months into the campaign and to date have raised $758,090.21 of the 1.2 million dollars pledged at the initial banquet. After the initial kickoff, the average giving was $22,000.00 per month; it remained steady for the first two years. Currently, however, the giving has declined to an average of $12,000.00 per month. In any campaign there will inevitably
be changes to the pledged
commitments of some of the people.
There have been several families that
have moved or for various reasons
needed to adjust their commitment
to the campaign. And, we understand
the overall affect of the I want to thank all of you who have given and continue to give to this campaign. It continues to be a very important part of our future as we have begun to grow through our three worship communities. We are now moving into goal two of the campaign which is to pay off the campus improvement loan used to update and remodel the campus in recent years. At our current rate of giving, we may not be able to pay off the entire loan in the next eight months but we will continue to reduce it. Repaying a debt is not as attractive as remodeling buildings, but it is a necessary and fiscally sound practice to pay off our loan. Let me remind all of us we
give not because of specific needs
or the budget but because God has
called us to live in personal relationship
with Him. As you look to
God for direction and leading, your
giving will be a reflection of that
relationship and therefore not only
a blessing to the church but a
blessing to you as well. Giving is
an act of worship and a response
to God’s good gifts in our lives.
Remember, He is not impressed In the upcoming message series “Wide Open,” we will focus on the Vision of ODC: ENJOY God, GROW in community, LOVE others. We will also talk about what it means to manage all that God has given us in time, talents and treasure. When we see life through our relationship with God, we will indeed have a Great Future. Blessings, All summer, we have been training
leaders to start up Life Groups this
fall. Life Groups are small groups of
people sharing life together with the aim
of growing spiritually through authentic
relationships. We don’t feel like
these groups will be just another program
in the church. We feel like these Bill Magsig High School ministry is going great this summer. Both the Wednesday youth group and our Student Leadership Program have been running strong in the summer months. Additionally, students seem to be having a great time studying the word during our Sunday morning Bible study. On Wednesday nights, the band has been rocking, we have been playing some pretty crazy games, and we have been discussing our new High School Ministry name “The Revolution.” We have also been running some fun events for students and their friends. Make sure to put our Fall Kickoff Youth Fall Kickoff Nights We will be kicking off our school year with some awesome/ crazy games and competitions. If you know a student, invite them. If you are a student, then come with your friends. The Fall Kickoff is something you won’t want to miss! Mike Gleim This summer has been a great time in the Jr. High Ministry of ODC. In June we took our students to Pismo Beach for our yearly Beach Camp. We took 30 students for four days to hang out and learn about Christ’s love. The theme of our camp was Revolution. We taught the students that as Christians our lives should revolve around Jesus. We encouraged them to not only become followers of Christ, but to join the revolution that Christ started 2000 years ago. Besides learning about God’s amazing love, we spent our time swimming in the ocean and sharing many laughs while playing games. We were blessed to see a family of dolphins swimming in the ocean and we learned that Jr. Highers enjoy launching water balloons at their leaders. Our ministry is full of people who love the Lord and who are dedicated to teaching students how to take that love and share it with the World. David Popovich
One of the greatest albums of all time is U2’s “Joshua Tree” released in March of 1987! A signature song from the album, “I still haven’t found what I am looking for,” is still today a very popular song. It is fun for me to look back to the late 80’s and remember what a big impact that album had on my life and the culture around me. I can’t help but feel like the emergence of the Great Room Community, as a result of our Gen 2 Gen strategy, is already having the same kind of impact on our younger (often hard to reach) culture. Great Room is only 3 months old and the phrase I keep hearing from the 100 or so people that have found their way to us is, “I have found what I’ve been looking for.” Here is a quote from just one of many recent emails I have received in the last few weeks. “What’s up bro! We are really impressed with things so far with Great Room and looking forward to seeing things just blow up there with people finding something new and fulfilling their need for God’s love. I feel that this is the place for us and I am excited to find out more about the church. We are truly happy to see people who love the worship style and getting pumped up about it. I have been wanting something like this for so long that I am still in awe that I have found it here in Bakersfield. I am so thankful to all of you and your vision for this type of service to reach out and minister to the people that might be a little afraid of traditional style of things. I feel that this is something that I would love to be apart of and excited to bring people too. Looking forward to getting to know you and your family better.” - James & Kristen H. Glory to God for the doors he is opening so that many will receive his gift of love and mercy and learn to enjoy Him and live a life that is for his Glory. The seeds are being planted and we are definitely on our way. Pray that we, as a church, do not settle for shallow growth but reach for deep lasting growth instead. This means that investing into peoples lives is going to be a longer road but a worth while one as we duplicate ourselves into others so that they may also become fully devoted Followers of Jesus! Keep Praying and keep passing the word as there are many more who“Still haven’t found what they are looking for.” Matthew 5:14-16 14You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. 15Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. 16In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Joshua Kirstine Shortly after I became a Christian and was still learning the “code words” that are used sometimes to explain concepts in Christ-like living and service, my pastor’s sermon title one Sunday was “Tent Making.” It seemed a strange subject to occupy a Sunday morning for a Baptist congregation, even in my short experience at this church business. I soon learned that he wasn’t really interested in teaching us all how to go camping, or even how to start a home industry making tents, but rather was teaching about Paul being a missionary and earning his living by making tents in order to have the privilege of being Christ’s messenger and disciple maker. A letter this week from Jeff and May Stone in Zaragoza, Spain is about “tent making.” We at Olive Drive have been one of their supporting churches for almost 10 years. Jeff’s father was a judge in Bakersfield for years and was well known to many of you in the congregation. We have been pleased to be a part of the Stone’s support system while they worked for Leaders Shaping Leaders. Jeff worked as a youth pastor, met and courted May, a young Spanish woman, opened the El Faro coffee Bar and organized a discipleship program for young men in the business community. He also organized an effort named “Expresarte” that offered Christian artists an outlet and witness for their art expressions. He writes, “All of these things have been challenging, frustrating, enlightening and most of all, done in obedience to my calling.” Their family has grown to include two beautiful young daughters, but Jeff’s family here at home is dwindling with his father and grandparents passing last year, and his mother battling brain cancer this year. He writes to us: “Today I am continuing to work for TravelClick as a Director of Ecommerce. This job has been fantastic as it allows me to work with and minister to non-believers in the business world, continue to live in Zaragoza, and support the family. I have had many unbelievable experiences to stand in the marketplace for Christ over the last 5 years, but more than anything, it is the daily testimony of a Christian in the workplace that makes the difference. The rewarding thing is that my colleagues tell me that.” “Please keep praying for us,’ writes Jeff, and writing e-notes of encouragement, but we would love for you to be able to dedicate the funds the church has been so generous with over these years to another area where God is at work, and calling you to support as a Body. Many thanks for all that you have done to keep us going. Please stay in touch with us as we value your interest and partnership.” More tent makers have been born…..Jeff and May are earning their own livelihood and following their hearts to being able to be full partners with Christ in the world. Are you spending your time earning a living for your family – or Making Tents??? Drop a word of encouragement to Jeff and May at Jeffrey.stone@yahoo.es Gloria Marshall,
Finances Jan - Jun 2008
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August 2008
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>>Life Groups<< >>The Revolution<< >>Finance Report<< >>OGF Report<< |
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