Volume 6
CONVERGENCE
Church
Calicinto Ranch
Easter 2014
2014: A Year in Review
G2G
JANUARY 2015 CONTENTS We’re starting off the year with a recap of 2014. Read on to see what happened at Convergence and what there is to look forward to in 2015!
CALICINTO RANCH
PATIO CHURCH/ SWEET RESCUE
EL SALVADOR
EASTER 2014
G2G
CALI CINTO
All horses go to heaven‌ so says the Pope. You may agree, unless the horse you rode started going just a little too fast. The ranch is always a magical time for families. Watch the kids around the horses, or the petting zoo. It’s as if time stands still for just a moment. The concrete jungle we
live in is left behind. The cares, and worries too are forgotten, even if just for one day. A little dirt never hurt anyone. Just relax, ride, eat and enjoy the friendship. Miss the outing this year? Worry not. You’ll get your chance to breathe deep, relax and enjoy Calicinto Ranch next Fall.
PATIO CHURCH Since Convergence started, we have ventured out beyond our walls to host church on the patios of some of the restaurants at The District. Stories of how God intersects real life and real people have been the foundation for patio church. This year we heard from Tom White and Danielle Hogan… amazing stories that remind us of God’s grace and strength through difficult times. There are also untold stories
we don’t immediately see… the hosts at the restaurants we visit. “I’d never go to church, but I love patio church,” is a theme we’ve heard repeatedly. Like Jesus, we go where people are, reaching into the hearts of people who can best see Him on their own turf. Watch for patio church dates this summer… don’t pick those days to go on vacation. You might just miss the best of Convergence.
SWEET RESCUE Nearly 30 million people find themselves trapped in human slavery on any given day. Kids as young as 8 years old sold as sex slaves… no hope, no future. You can read the statistics, but only through the grace of the Holy Spirit can we begin to experience, in some measure, the pain and disparity of those caught in slavery. Unless caring people commit to do something to change the life of one person at a time, this issue will only continue to grow. Since its inception, Sweet Rescue has raised over $20,000 to abate the pain of those caught
in human trafficking, both abroad, and here in our own backyard. This year we raised $2000 for Forgotten Children Inc. We MUST do more, and not settle for “the event” in December. Take the opportunity to invest time, money and energy this year on one of the may organizations we support. You can find a list of them on our webpage at www.convergenceoc. com and in our December 2014 newsletter.
EL SALVADOR
What a memorable trip to El Salvador this past Spring; our team spent the better part of a week building Eco Stoves for community members our friends at Enlace are investing in. Sometimes the simple things in life-clean water and smoke free air, are some of the clearest ways to express the love of Jesus. Pictures are worth a 1000 words… that’s an understatement. Ask
the people who went on this amazing trip and they’ll tell you the experience was better than the pictures. “Life changing” “unforgettable” “humbling”… were just some of the responses from our team. Consider going to El Salvador this spring. Trip dates are between March 29 - April 10. Interested in more information? Contact us at info@convergenceoc.com
EASTER 2014 “He has risen… He has risen indeed.” Easter is why we gather, why we can call ourselves a community of faith. The story of the cross can’t be hidden like a light under a bushel, it must be told, lived and experienced. So Easter must be expressed through our lives every day to the world God asks us to touch. The weekend in our calendar year we call Easter, allows us to share our story with others in unique ways. This year, we had our first EGGstravaganza at Bill
Barber park in Irvine. Eggs and a free BBQ for the community is just one way Convergence pushes outside the walls into the lives of people in our own backyards. We must NOT become an institution, a place we visit Sundays. Rather, we must be God’s people in human skin, revealing His grace and love. Next Easter, be a part of the community event, not because it’s a Convergence Church event, but because it’s one way God can use YOU to bless someone else… who might just not yet know Him.
GIRL 2 GIRL This past summer the Girls (aka women) of Convergence and our many friends have enjoyed hangin’ out together. We ventured through a couple of studies in Kathy’s Kitchen on Monday and Tuesday evenings - an awful lot of laughing, talking and plenty of beautiful connecting moments. Also, one of the highlights of the year was our 1st Annual
(I hope ...) G2G Brunch in the summer. With amazing food (thanks Kristin), relaxing in a beautiful backyard (thanks again Kristin!), we spent a beautiful Saturday morning making new friends and reconnecting with old ones (hate that phrase “old friends” but it is what it is). I look forward to more adventures together in 2015. Stay tuned my friends ...
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! n e h t u o y e e S