Dear Members and Ministry Partners at Englewood:

Here is the inside scoop on what is happening at our Englewood Base Camp.

Thank You To All Canyon Cafe Volunteers:
If you are one of our marvelous Sunday volunteers at the Canyon Café, please receive my deepest gratitude for the service you provide to our members and visitors. You are wonderful!

Colorado Healthy Marriage Project:
30 couples registered for Workshop this week
I am truly looking forward to the blessing this workshop will be to all the couples attending this weekend. One of our own members, Laurem Reistsema will be facilitating the Seminar. We are hoping to offer another workshop sometime in October in English but also in Spanish.

Maundy Thursday: 7pm. @ Englewood
This year’s service will be at Englewood.

Easter Services: 9:00, 10:30 and 11:30 Bilingual
Notice the service times for this year’s Easter Services.

Staff & Deacons Making Progress on Strategic Plan:
Our Strategic Plan for Englewood is a work in progress. We have concluded our SWOT Analysis and we are beginning to translate the information and feedback into ministry priorities.

Revitalizing Spiritual Growth of Youth:
In order to encourage a deeper spiritual growth in our youth and middle schoolers, our youth staff and volunteer leaders are gathering the students into small groups for discussion, prayer, sharing and the formation of deeper relationships. Small groups are proven spiritual glue that overtime will help our students grow in deeper walk with Christ.

Easter Basket Donations:
Please stop by the table of the Easter Basket Outreach in order to find out what kind of food donations are needed and how you can get involved in helping out. I want to extend a special thanks to all of you who have brought donations.
good experience with meeting some of the young children. Read my story at the end.

Community Sunday:
Every Second Sunday of the month we will be celebrating Community Sunday. On March 14th we will have a book and CD exchange. If you have a book, music CD or DVDs that you would like to give away, you can leave it on one of the tables on your way in. Following the service, we will be inviting people to go around the tables and take home a “new” book or CD. If you are going to exchange movie DVDs please make sure that they are PG 13 or under. Thanks!

Family Sunday – May 2nd:
When does the whole family get the worship God together at once? On May 2nd, we are having our adults, youth and children, along with our Bilingual service, join for one service of celebration and communion. Please mark your calendars so we can experience God together.


Middle School Parent Forum:
Attention all middle school parents! On April 18th from 11:30 – 12:30, there will be a gathering of all parents to connect with each other and support each other in your journey of parenting your children and encouraging them in their personal and spiritual growth. The meeting will take place in the Youth room – downstairs.

Meet & Greet For 5th & 6th Graders:
On April 25th at 11:30am to 12:30pm, we are hosting a “Meet and Greet” for all 5th-6th graders of Englewood and Bi-Lingual Services. Elsie will be doing “The Branding” in the month of May, and we’ll match them up with their youth “mentors” on Sunday, May 30th after church.

Testimonies of Transformation:
Congratulations to teenager Emily Paredes from our Bilingual Ministry who was baptized this past Sunday.

Pastor Hugo

Dear Members and Ministry Partners at Englewood:

Here is the inside scoop on what is happening at our Englewood Base Camp.

Easter Basket Donations:
Please stop by the table of the Easter Basket Outreach in order to find out what kind of food donations are needed and how you can get involved in helping out. I want to extend a special thanks to all of you who have brought donations.

Connect Wednesdays - New Classes Coming Soon:
In order to better serve you, our Staff Team is working on adding a few more classes to our Wednesday CONNECT programs. We will be having a Pre-Engagement class coming on March 24th, a Grief Share group and possibly a class on “How to Interpret the Bible: Learning the art and science of principles that govern Biblical Interpretation.”

This past Wednesday we had a total of 79 adult and children who ate dinner in the Summit Hall. This is more than a 100% from our early January attendance. Please join us sometime. I really enjoy meeting people and had a good experience with meeting some of the young children. Read my story at the end.

Community Sunday:
Every second Sunday of the month we will be celebrating Community Sunday. On March 14th we will have a book and CD exchange. If you have a book, music CD or DVD that you would like to give away, you can leave it on one of the tables on your way in. Following the service, we will be inviting people to go around the tables and take home a “new” book, CD or DVD. If you are going to exchange movie DVDs, please make sure that they are PG-13 or under. Thanks!

Family Sunday – May 2nd:
When does the whole family get to worship God together at once? On May 2nd, we are having our adults, youth and children, along with our Bilingual service, join for one service of celebration and communion. Please mark your calendars so we can experience God together.

Spanish Class Attendance Report:
The Conversational Spanish class we are offering at Englewood every other Tuesday started with great success this week. There were 28 people in attendance.

Middle School Parent Forum:
Attention all middle school parents! On April 18th from 11:30 – 12:30, there will be a gathering all parents to connect with each other and support each other in your journey of parenting your children and encouraging them in their personal and spiritual growth. The meeting will take place in the Youth room – downstairs.

Meet & Greet For 5th & 6th Graders:
On April 25th at 11:30 - 12:30, we are hosting a “Meet and Greet” for all 5th-6th graders of Englewood and Bilingual services. Elsie will be doing “The Branding” in the month of May, and we’ll match them up with their youth “mentors” on Sunday, May 30th after church.

Incredible Things by Incredible Women:
This Sunday during our Worship Service, we will be hearing from a few incredible women from our Base Camp doing some remarkable things in Africa. You don’t want to miss it.

Thank You to All Children’s Ministry Volunteers:
I want to extend my deep appreciation to all our volunteers who serve our children on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. May God bless your lives richly for welcoming the little ones.

Welcoming Our New Members:
This Sunday we are welcoming those who are becoming members and joining our mission at Englewood.

Englewood SWOT Analysis:
This past week our Staff and Deacons have spent time doing an evaluation of our Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and the possible Threats our church is facing. I would love to get your input on what you would consider to be our church’s strengths and weaknesses. Please give me your feedback via email hvenegas@coloradocommunity.org or through the Community Chronicle.

Your Giving During Snow Days:
Thank you so much for your faithfulness in giving financially to the Lord and to the work of the Kingdom here at Base Camp Englewood. I especially want to thank those of you who give during our Snow Days on Sunday.

Funny 6 Year Old At Englewood:
This week I had dinner at the church on Wednesday evening. There was a mother with her six-year-old daughter and four-year-old son eating at my table. The six-year-old asked me if I were a president. I answered, “No. I am not Obama.” She kept looking at me and then said, “You look like Tiger Woods.” I replied, “He is in the dog house.” She gave me a confused look and asked, “What does that mean?” I laughingly replied, “It is like when you do something bad at home and your mom puts you in a time out.” She asked, “Is he playing golf?” I responded, “No, he’s taking some time off.” Then her little brother started peppering me with many questions about why was Tiger Woods in the doghouse. I felt uncomfortable. I motioned to Susan Stone, who was sitting next to me, that I needed to change the conversation in fear that these kids would go home and start asking their father questions on why Pastor said that Tiger Woods was in the doghouse. As I made my move to change the subject, the spunky six-year-old girl blurted out of her mouth, “I watched his speech!”

Testimonies of Transformation:
Last Sunday it was a great joy for me to baptize one of the teenagers of our church. This Sunday we have another one of our teenage girls getting baptized during our Bilingual service. If you know of someone who wants to get baptized, please have them call us at the office.

Pastor Hugo

Dear Members and Ministry Partners at Englewood:

Here is the inside scoop on what is happening at our Base Camp.

Easter Basket Donations:
Please stop by the table of the Easter Basket Outreach in order to find out what kind of food donations are needed and how you can get involved in helping out.

Connect Wednesdays: A Time For Community and Learning:
This past Wednesday we had 80 people who showed up to eat and we ran out of food. Thanks to all of you who attended and if you have not had the opportunity to join us for our midweek meal, please get it on your calendar for next week.

Community Sunday:
Every Second Sunday of the month we will be celebrating Community Sunday. On March 14th we will have a book and CD exchange. If you have a book or music CD that you would like to give away, you can leave it on one of the tables on your way in. Following the service, we will be inviting people to go around the tables and take home a “new” book or CD.

Family Sunday – May 2nd:
When does the whole family get the worship God together at once? On May 2nd, we are having our adults, youth and children, along with our Bilingual service, join for one service of celebration and communion. Please mark your calendars so we can experience God together.

New Members Class:
Our New Members Class is this Sunday at 4pm at the Upper Room – Aurora Campus. If the Lord is leading you to become a member or you want to find out more about CCC, please join us there!
Deacon’s Offering:
This Sunday following the service, our ushers will be standing at the entrances of the Sanctuary to give you an opportunity to present your Deacon’s Fund Offering. These gifts are used to help our own members who are in need of financial assistance.

Englewood SWOT Analysis:
This past week our Staff and Deacons have spent time doing an evaluation of our Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and the possible Threats our church is facing. I would love to get your input on what you would consider to be our church’s strengths and weaknesses. Please give me your feedback via email (hvenegas@coloradocommunity.org ) or through the Community Chronicle.
Your Giving:
Thank you so much for your faithfulness in giving financially to the Lord and to the work of the Kingdom here at Base Camp Englewood. Your support is deeply appreciated.
Thank you for your continued prayers for and support of Base Camp Englewood.

Pastor Hugo

Dear Members and Ministry Partners at Englewood:

Here is the inside scoop on what is happening at our Base Camp.

Women’s Ministry Easter Basket Outreach Begins This Sunday:
The women’s ministry team is gearing up for preparations for our church wide Easter Basket Outreach. This Sunday, you will receive instructions on how to donate goods and volunteer for the distribution of the baskets to families in our neighboring communities.

Connect Wednesdays: A Time For Community and Learning:
It is been pure joy for me to meet several families and individuals at our Connect Dinners. Let me encourage you to join us sometime for a meal and time of sharing.

Costa Rica Relief Work Update:
I had a very productive trip to Costa Rica last week. We are in the process of purchasing property for the Women’s Association in the village to relocate their development project away from the river. The health clinic is almost done and preparations for our Summer Mission trip were initiated. I would love to have some of you join our CCC Team going next July 2-10.

Dalyce Young Going Corporate:
Our Executive Assistant Dalyce Young is going back to corporate America and will be leaving our Englewood Staff team. After much prayer and consideration, she has accepted a job working with KeyBank in downtown Denver. Her last day at the office will be Thursday, February 18th.

She will remain a part of our mission – as an active member and volunteer with CCC Bilingual as well as Costa Rica Missions.

Please keep me in your prayers as I quickly seek a replacement. I am looking for someone who can fit well with the Englewood Staff Team I am building to best serve our base camp and community.

Spanish Bible Study Coming Soon:
On February 17th, we will be having on Wednesday evenings from 6:30pm to 8:pm a Spanish Bible Study in the Chapel at Englewood. Please let your Spanish-speaking friends know about this ministry opportunity as well as inviting them to our Bilingual service on Sundays at 11:30am in the Summit Hall West.

Deacons Meeting:
Our next meeting scheduled is for Wed. Feb. 17th from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. At this meeting, each Deacon will be bringing a list of ministry dreams that they discern is what God could be placing on our hearts as part of our campus DNA. We will then pray through the suggestions to try to discern what God wants for us to become and do as a congregation.

Facilities Update - Window Shopping So Far:
There are several churches that have shown interest in purchasing or leasing the facilities. We constantly have people coming through to window shop and see the building, but there is NO SERIOUS OFFER on the table. I will keep you posted when new developments arise.

Thank you for your continued prayers for and support of Base Camp Englewood.

Pastor Hugo


PS. I heard it might snow on Sunday, but it would sure be good to see some of you die hards who won’t let snow keep you away from Church. 

Dear Members and Ministry Partners at Englewood:

Here is the inside scoop on what is happening at our Base Camp.

Women’s Ministry Easter Basket Outreach:
The women’s ministry team is gearing up for preparations for our church-wide Easter Basket Outreach. On February 14th, we will receive the details on all the food donations needed in order to put these baskets together. They will then be distributed to families in our surrounding communities the Saturday prior to Easter.

Connect Wednesdays: A Time For Community and Learning:
Even in the atmosphere of a tough economy we want to do everything possible to serve our families at CCC-Englewood. There is a great all-you-can-eat dinner starting at 5:00pm. We have reduced the prices of our Connect Dinners to $3 per adult and $2 per kid in order to help our families get a respite from cooking at home. Breaking bread together is a wonderful way to get to know other members of the church. I had the marvelous opportunity to get to meet some of the kids at church, along with their parents, during this meal. We want to encourage you to come be a part of our Connect Wednesdays.
At 6:30pm we have AWANA and Youth Ministry programs for kids, and Adult Bible study. Pastor Gary Brown is leading a study of the book of James. This past Wednesday, I also had the opportunity to meet a wonderful couple that has been attending Englewood since Cherry Hills sold us the building. I am available twice a month to meet with anyone in the congregation to hear your thoughts, ideas, hopes, and aspirations for the ministry here at Englewood. Please contact Dalyce Young (dyoung@coloradocommunity.org ) to sign up to be a part of one of these groups.

Prayer Summit:
Our prayer summit is this weekend at CCC. We will be praying for our city and beyond as well as taking sometime to pray for those needing healing during our service on January 31st. Our staff and deacons will be available to pray for anyone who is desirous of seeking God’s healing power to touch their lives.

Haiti Relief Work Update:
Please keep praying for Scott and Laura Powell as they continue to provide hands-on leadership in the efforts to help the people of Haiti. Scott is still in Haiti working with a team of engineers to determine which buildings are safe and which ones pose a danger to the people. He is also coordinating efforts to provide people with clean water and food. Scott just sent this update from Haiti. I will see if we can also post in on the website for others to read….
Hello everyone,

Just a quick text-only update from Haiti, since we have a (very slow)
internet connection now. It's hard to fathom the magnitude of this
event. Driving around the disaster zone every day, one can get
overwhelmed by all the need everywhere. Whereas in the past, EMI has
only sent one small team to such disasters, we are now mobilizing our
third and planning for a fourth(!)response team to Haiti.

I am writing from Petit Goave, a medium-sized town on the southern
peninsula. We've been feeling aftershocks about four times a day
here. People are sleeping underneath sheets strung over mattresses
lying right in the streets because they are afraid to spend the night
under any amount of concrete that could potentially crush them.
Unfortunately, they are still in danger from traffic in the streets
and their damaged houses on the verge of collapse (which they hesitate
to leave because of widespread fear of looting). Camps for internally
displaced people (IDPs) have shrunk in Port au Prince as people move
back to live with their families in the rural areas. IDP camps here
in the hinterlands have been steadily growing. UN and military
presence is required at every food and shelter distribution because
mob mentalities take over when the remaining supplies dwindle and
people fear they'll get left out.

Today, I talked with a doctor at a clinic outside one of the IDP camps
we're working at in Leogan, one of the worst-hit areas. He says their
flow of trauma cases has finally started to slow, but they're seeing
increasing cases of diarrhea, scabies, and tuberculosis. Many fear a
"second wave of death" from such diseases that stem from cramped
living conditions with poor water, sanitation, and hygiene. At this
particular camp, we're working with Samaritan's Purse and Tearfund to
install a water purification system, build latrines, and promote
hygiene education. Our structural assessment team has focused on
"reopening" clinics and hospitals throughout the disaster zone to
increase the availability of treatment space for medical teams working
hard to stem the tide of sickness and death.

In addition to activities like these, our teams have master-planned
camps for displaced peoples, bound up wounds, trained non-engineers
how to assess the safety of their own structures, prayed with
Haitians, plumbed bladders and chlorinators, and shared our
testimonies. Our two EMI teams and eight volunteers have been salt
and light serving the Haitian people throughout the disaster zone in
partnership with Samaritan's Purse, Food for the Hungry, Haiti for
Christ, Tearfund, Compassion International, Haiti Arise, Lifeline
Christian Ministries, Mission to Haiti, Acted, World Concern, Project
Concern, the US Marines, Blue Ridge Ministries, and many others.

We are generally healthy, but pray for our teams' health. Waterborne
diseases may be giving way to airborne diseases, and we need strong
immune systems to keep going.

We are generally unified, but pray for unity. Stressful conditions
lend themselves to frustration and dissent.

We are generally seeking God, but pray that we seek... and even thirst
after Him even more. Our strength and wisdom are in God alone.

I am blessed every time Laura tells me how much you all are praying
for us and how much you've taken care of her in my absence. We may
not get around to individually thanking each of you immediately, but
please know that you have our unending thanks. God is good.

For His Glory,
-Scott, from Petit Goave, Haiti
Joaquin Vargas is heading back to Haiti this weekend to work with local ministry partners in the rebuilding efforts. Both of our 5 + 5 missionary are extremely grateful for your prayers and financial support of their efforts to help alleviate the suffering and devastation in this country.

Costa Rica Relief Work Update:

About a year ago, I was in Costa Rica with a team of Engineers from EMI and contractors from CCC in order to help in the relief and rebuilding efforts of the Village of Yorkin that was devastated by a flood. I am headed down this week to meet with leaders of the village in order to discuss the completion of the health clinic as well as coordinate the relocation efforts of the village buildings away from the riverbank. Please pray that myself and our team of volunteers from Costa Rica will be safe and productive in our efforts.

Extreme Makeover – Summer Service Opportunities:
Our staff is exploring and praying into the possibility of seeing how our Englewood campus can focus this summer on serving people in our community by helping them with home repairs or assisting organizations with repair needs. We are dreaming about doing three projects, at the end of June, July, and August, where we would encourage our church members to get out on a Friday and Saturday to help serve in the community. On that Sunday we would have a Transformation Service that would allow participants to share their testimonies and celebrate God’s goodness. I will be sharing more about this with the congregation and praying for God’s lead for this summer. If you are interested in helping out with this please let me know.

Spanish Bible Study Coming Soon:
On February 17th, we will be having a Spanish Bible Study on Wednesday evenings from 6:30pm to 8:00pm in the Chapel at Englewood. Please let your Spanish-speaking friends know about this ministry opportunity, and invite them to our Bilingual service on Sundays at 11:30am in the Summit Hall West.
Spanish Conversational Class:
We will have a Spanish Conversational Class offered to help anyone who desires to learn Spanish to enhance his or her impact or customer service goals in the market place. The details will be printed in the bulletin.

Deacons Meeting:
Our next meeting scheduled is for Wed. Feb. 17th from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. At this meeting, each Deacon will be bringing a list of ministry dreams that they discern is what God could be placing on our hearts as part of our campus DNA. We will then pray through the suggestions to try to discern what God wants for us to become and do as a congregation.
Facilities Update:

At this time there is not a serious offer on the table for leasing or purchasing the facilities. Although there have been several ministries interested in both, we do not have an offer at this time. I will keep you posted when new developments arise.
Thank you for your continued prayers for and support of Base Camp Englewood.

Pastor Hugo

Wiki Wiki Update January 14, 2010

Dear Members and Ministry Partners at Englewood:

I hope you are enjoying your journey into this New Year. As a church, we will be looking into four keys to the meaningful life based on Psalm 90 for the first quarter of the year. This month we are looking at how “service” helps us to experience purpose in our lives as believers. We will also look at how love, joy, and compassion contribute to adding meaning to our journeys on earth.

Since I missed the Wiki Wiki last week, there are a lot of updates to pass on to you....

Middle School Parent Meeting:

This Sunday, our staff will be meeting with Middle School parents in order to hear from you what are your dreams and desires for how we can provide ministries that can help your children grow in their relationships with God. The meeting will be held at 11:45 downstairs in the 456 classroom. Lunch will be provided so please RSVP with Dalyce Young, my executive assistant dyoung@coloradocommunity.org.

Families Seeking Other Churches:

Three families have contacted me informing me that they are leaving CCC-Englewood and will be seeking another church. I want you to know how much I appreciated their honesty and courtesy in informing me about their decision. Though I am sad to see them go, I want you to know that I am very supportive of them and want to send them off with my prayers, love and appreciation for all their years of service at our campus.

If you are at a place that you feel within yourselves that this is a decision that you are struggling with, please let me know how I can be of assistance to you and your family. I firmly believe that what is important is to seek the confirmation of the Lord in key decisions like this. Furthermore, I believe as your pastor that it is crucial to welcome the new people God is bringing into our church with open arms as well as saying goodbyes to those who are leaving with love and blessing. There are seasons in our lives where God moves us to other local churches so that His work can continue in our lives. I also believe that at times, even when we have good reasons to leave a congregation, God has deeper reasons – that though unseen – leads us to remain. May God lead us all to the churches He has called us to call our faith communities.

Staffing Update:

Dr. Isidro Aybar is our new Worship Arts Coordinator. This is a part time – 12-hour position that includes mostly the preparation and conducting of our Worship Services on Sundays. As the Lord blesses, we will add more to Isidro’s job description in order to have a well-rounded Worship Arts Department at our Campus. If you are interested in volunteering for the Worship Arts Department, feel free to contact Isidro or you can also notify me. In addition, we will have Julie McClusky serving as our vocal coordinator.

Facilities:

Our staff and Board of Directors are continuously working on options to deal with the issue of our facilities. The main reason for exploring sale options or leasing options is to deal with the sad reality that for the past couple of years we have been unable as a congregation to afford the mortgage and operating costs of the building on our own. Thus, we need to prayerfully look into the best options that will allow us to eliminate our debt and give us something that is affordable. It is my intention in conjunction with our Executive Pastor, Doug Carlsen, to have a town hall meeting within the next six weeks or so in order to give you specific updates and give you an opportunity to dialogue with us around this matter. So far, we have not had any formal offers to purchase the property, but there are a couple of interested prospects for both leasing and purchasing. I will keep you posted.

Structure:

I have had a couple of meetings with a few of our members who remain concerned about the governing structure of CCC. I have also received emails from some of you expressing your concerns about this issue to me. I have passed on your concerns to the Board, our Excecutive Pastor and our Mission Leadership Team. I have been prayerfully seeking the Lord on this issue since I still have many questions myself that I need to understand regarding the issue. I will let you know when I will give my pastoral and theological position on the matter when the time is appropriate and when I get my own questions answered. But I want to assure you that this matter is on my mind and will be addressed by Easter. I like taking the time to process and think through issues before I give a response.

Connect Wednesdays:

I want to encourage you to be a part of our Connect Wednesdays. There is a great all-you-can-eat dinner starting at 5:00pm. Breaking bread together is a wonderful way to get to know other members of the church. At 6:30pm we have AWANA and Youth Ministry programs for kids, and Adult Bible study. Pastor Gary Brown is leading a study of the book of James. In addition, I am going to be hosting small group discussions, 2x a month starting January 27, to hear your thoughts, ideas, hopes, and aspirations for the ministry here at Englewood. Please contact Dalyce Young (dyoung@coloradocommunity.org ) to sign up to be a part of one of these groups.

Service Station:

Carol Cole, one of our deacons, is heading up a pilot program called “The Service Station” to connect people who want to serve with areas of need in ministries within our church and around the city. Stay tuned for more info.

Haiti & Costa Rica:

Please be in prayer for the people in Haiti who were affected by the earthquake. Specifically, I ask for your prayers on behalf of Joaquin Vargas, one of our 5+5 missionaries, and his ministry partners there. Joaquin will be making his way to Haiti today to check in on the pastors and churches there. On Sunday we will have a second offering taken to help in the relief efforts in Haiti that will be managed by our own missionary.

This news reminds me of the disaster that happened in the Costa Rican village of Yorkin after a great flood in November of 2008. The people of CCC responded in a great way and have played a huge role in re-building that community. In the coming weeks I will be making a trip to Costa Rica to meet with the leaders of the village and to discuss how to continue to serve them and help meet their needs.

Finances:

We want you to know that though we are still behind on our budget, we have made significant reductions and with generous gifts during the moth of December we were able to come within $85,000 of our original budget. Though we are still not out of the woods, I want to thank you for the progress we have made lately. Please see the bulletin update for the exact numbers on our budget.

My First Deacons Meeting:
I had a wonderful meeting with our Englewood Deacons last night (Wed. Jan. 13th ). Though they expressed continuous frustration over issues of communication, trust and structure, they were very energized about beginning the process of trying to identify the ministries that God will want Englewood to champion for Him.

We have a Dream Discernment meeting scheduled for Wed. Feb. 17th from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. At this meeting, each Deacon will be bringing a list of ministry dreams that they discern is what God could be placing on our hearts as part of our campus DNA. We will then pray through the suggestions to try to discern what God wants for us to become and do as a congregation. The key issue of prayer is for God’s will to be revealed to the whole congregation so there is ownership. If you as a congregational member, have ideas on what you feel God my want to do at our campus, please sign up to attend one our connect diners with me so you can personally share what is on your heart for this congregation. The information on how to sign up is in the bulletin.

Thank you for your continued prayers for and support of this mission, and especially the ministry here at Englewood. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Pastor Hugo