{"id":1726,"date":"2013-03-08T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2013-03-08T08:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/?p=1726"},"modified":"2013-03-28T19:03:01","modified_gmt":"2013-03-28T19:03:01","slug":"hope-sunday-feature-church-gracia-y-paz-covenant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/hope-sunday-feature-church-gracia-y-paz-covenant\/","title":{"rendered":"Hope Sunday Feature Church: Gracia y Paz Covenant"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is an example of how Gracia y Paz Covenant Church<\/a> in Chula Vista,CA\u00a0presented their Hope Sunday event. We hope it will inspire your church as you consider hosting a Hope event. More feature church stories are coming so keep checking back here. If your church has a story to share, email us at covenantkidscongo@covchurch.org.<\/p>\n

Written by Jorge L. Garcia, pastor<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Promotion of CKC on church website.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Gracia y Paz Covenant Church had their Hope Sunday event on February 17th. Being a small church still in the process of planting, the response to this opportunity to bless a nation from a small church in Southern California was indeed a move of God.<\/p>\n

I first learned of Covenant Kids Congo during last year\u2019s Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) Annual Meeting<\/a> here in Irvine, California. Initially I struggled with the idea since our church was in such an early stage and our average attendance at that time was only 53 people for the entire month. However, stepping out in faith I signed on as interested in the project. Months later when the Covenant Kids Congo team contacted me to see if our church was willing to participate my answer was ‘yes’. The question for me after this response was ‘How?’<\/p>\n

God has called our church to be a blessing to our community and to the nations. We know that God\u00b4s plan for us will be fulfilled as we continue to walk in faith. I was led to ask for ten children to be sponsored thinking this was a big challenge for our church as this will mean an additional 10% of our current giving going towards sponsorship. Trusting God is not only the one who leads but also the one that provides, we asked to sponsor ten children. We know that God surprises us often, right?<\/p>\n

As Hope Sunday approached, we started promoting it with bulletin inserts, a couple of the videos available from the website, and by announcing to our congregation the opportunity we had to fulfill our calling so early in the life of our church. I placed the cards on the table before our congregation as we prayed over them. I then asked people to come forward and choose the child packet that moved them. As I sat and waited all the cards were taken and there were still two or three families left without a child to sponsor.<\/p>\n

Afterwards, I reflected on how my faith had not been big enough. Some of the people that accepted the invitation to sponsor a child are without full-time jobs yet they trusted God and stepped out in faith that He will provide.\u00a0As a pastor, I am very pleased with how our church responded. I thank God for the opportunity to participate in this project as well as how we are fulfilling our calling as a church who must obey Jesus\u2019 greatest commandment: \u201cGo and make disciples of all nations\u201d (Matthew 28:19).<\/p>\n

I am sure, we will continue to be surprised by how God moves in our church. I will pray that God continues to provide blessings to our people in many ways, and pretty soon, we as a church will not only be praying and supporting missions efforts but becoming an active sending church to those who are unreached and in need.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the efforts of the ECC and World Vision for allowing us to become part of this blessing!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

La Iglesia del Pacto Gracia y Paz<\/a> tuvo su \u201cDomingo de Esperanza\u201d el 17 de febrero.\u00a0 Al ser una iglesia que todav\u00eda se est\u00e1 plantando, la respuesta a esta oportunidad de bendecir a una naci\u00f3n, de parte de una iglesia en el sur de California era de hecho, algo que Dios prepar\u00f3.<\/p>\n

Me enter\u00e9 de \u201cCovenant Kids Congo\u201d (Ni\u00f1os del Pacto en Congo) el a\u00f1o pasado durante la Reuni\u00f3n Anual de la Iglesia del Pacto Evang\u00e9lico<\/a> cuando se llev\u00f3 acabo en Irvine, California. Al principio luch\u00e9 con la idea ya que nuestra iglesia se encontraba en una etapa tan temprana y nuestra asistencia en ese momento era s\u00f3lo de 53 personas durante todo el mes. Sin embargo, dando un paso de fe firm\u00e9 como uno de los interesados en el proyecto. Meses m\u00e1s tarde, cuando Covenant Kids Congo se puso en contacto conmigo para ver si nuestra iglesia estaba dispuesta a participar mi respuesta fue “s\u00ed”. \u00a0La pregunta para m\u00ed despu\u00e9s de esta respuesta fue \u00bfc\u00f3mo?’<\/p>\n

Dios ha llamado a nuestra iglesia a ser una bendici\u00f3n para nuestra comunidad y para las naciones. Sabemos que el plan de Dios para nosotros se cumplir\u00e1 a medida que continuamos caminando en la fe. Me llev\u00f3 a pedir los nombres de diez ni\u00f1os para ser patrocinados pensando que era un gran reto para nuestra iglesia, ya que esto significa un 10% adicional de nuestras ofrendas para el patrocinio. Confiando en Dios, no s\u00f3lo que \u00c9l nos dirige, sino tambi\u00e9n que \u00c9l provee, nuestra iglesia decidi\u00f3 patrocinar diez ni\u00f1os. Sabemos que Dios nos sorprende a menudo, \u00bfverdad?<\/p>\n

Como se iba acercando nuestro Domingo de Esperanza, empezamos a promocionarlo con anuncios en nuestro bolet\u00edn, usando un par de los videos disponibles en el sitio web, y anunciando a nuestra congregaci\u00f3n la oportunidad que ten\u00edamos de cumplir con nuestro llamado tan temprano en la vida de nuestra iglesia. Puse las tarjetas (con informaci\u00f3n acerca de los ni\u00f1os) en la mesa ante nuestra congregaci\u00f3n mientras or\u00e1bamos por ellos. Entonces invit\u00e9 a la congregaci\u00f3n a pasar a elegir un paquete que los conmoviera. Cuando me sent\u00e9 y esper\u00e9, \u00a0todas las tarjetas se eligieron, y \u00a0a\u00fan quedaban dos o tres familias sin un ni\u00f1o\/a a patrocinar.<\/p>\n

Despu\u00e9s, reflexion\u00e9 sobre c\u00f3mo mi \u00a0fe no hab\u00eda sido lo suficientemente grande. Algunas de las personas que aceptaron la invitaci\u00f3n para apadrinar a un ni\u00f1o no tienen trabajos de tiempo completo y sin embargo conf\u00edan en Dios y dieron un paso de fe creyendo que \u00c9l proveer\u00e1. Como pastor, estoy muy contento con la manera que nuestra iglesia respondi\u00f3.\u00a0 Doy gracias a Dios por la oportunidad de participar en este proyecto y que nuestra iglesia est\u00e1 cumpliendo con el llamado a obedecer el gran mandamiento de Jes\u00fas: “Id y haced disc\u00edpulos a todas las naciones” (Mateo 28:19).<\/p>\n

Estoy seguro de que vamos a seguir siendo sorprendidos al ver como Dios se mueve en nuestra iglesia. Voy a orar que Dios siga bendiciendo a nuestra gente de muchas maneras, y muy pronto, nosotros como iglesia no s\u00f3lo estaremos orando y apoyando los esfuerzos misioneros, pero tambi\u00e9n seremos una iglesia activa en enviar personas a aquellos que est\u00e1n marginados y necesitados.<\/p>\n

\u00a1Gracias al esfuerzo de la Iglesia del Pacto y Visi\u00f3n Mundial que nos permiten ser parte de esta bendici\u00f3n!<\/p>\n

Report This Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is an example of how Gracia y Paz Covenant Church in Chula Vista,CA\u00a0presented their Hope Sunday event. We hope it will inspire your church as you consider hosting a Hope event. More feature church stories are coming so keep checking back here. 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