Is this
this
all there Is ? I’ve secured my spot in heaven, but what am I supposed to do on earth?
Every follower of Christ was made for a purpose; our most important task is to discern what that purpose is. — Richard Stearns
problem theproblem
problem Many people today exist with no purpose, meaning or mission in their life – including people in the church. Because of this, people too often never reach that place where their abilities, passions and experiences converge to create something significant, extraordinary and uplifting to others. We have more at our disposal today than at any other time in history. Yet it seems it’s never enough. Our thirst is never quenched. Our hunger is never satisfied. Our pursuit for more never ends. Just what is it we are pursuing? Happiness? Wealth? Balance? What does the picture of having arrived look like? What do we do with that nagging feeling in the back of our minds, that although our lives are busy and full, we think we might actually be a little bored. A little dissatisfied. Maybe even a little hollow.
We think we might actually be a little bored. A little dissatisfied. Maybe even a little hollow. At Valley Christian Center, we believe each person is designed by God with a specific purpose and is inherently equipped with all they need to fully live out that purpose. Rather than trying to adapt or modify your life in ways that [you think] please others, we want to celebrate the you that God had in mind from the beginning – the you that will please Him.
Our solution
Solution
To awaken God’s Story in You!
It’s really not your story, but God’s story through you. Wherever you find yourself on your personal faith journey, God has a story He wants to awaken through you. A new chapter, a new assignment, a new work where His story in your story helps create a new story with real purpose and meaning. It’s a story with a personal calling. Your life has purpose and meaning because God planned it with purpose and meaning. From the dawn of time, God began your story and He is anxious to write the best chapters – if you are willing. It’s a story about understanding your design. The pieces of your life (your experiences, abilities, personality and passions) don’t make sense until you see how God assembles them to fulfill a specific task.
It’s a story with a critical mission. God wants to change the world through you. He created you for such a purpose. He fashioned you for a specific work. He has placed within you troubling desires to reject the world as it currently stands, and to fight for a brighter tomorrow, beginning today. It’s a story about reward. Many human stories are lived for temporary pleasure or satisfaction. This story has dividends that never stop repaying. This story captures that core cry in all of us for lasting significance and contribution to God and fellow mankind. You were made for His pleasure and His purpose, and you will never be fully satisfied in this life until you pursue God’s Story in you.
“The place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” — Fredrick Buechner
The Call is God’s desire to reach the city through the local church. The Call shapes us and keeps us focused on an emphasis that is directed not only to the spiritual growth of our congregation, but to reaching beyond ourselves to the communities that surround us.
Our
mission
Mission All throughout the Bible, God reaches out to both individuals and cities. Abram intercedes for Sodom in Genesis 18:16-33. Jonah is sent to Nineveh (Jonah 4:11). Jesus warns the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, Tyre, Sidon and Capernaum of impending judgment (Matthew 11:20-24) and in Luke 19:41, He weeps for Jerusalem. The gospel is meant to penetrate all aspects of culture, turning selfish institutions into instruments of God’s righteousness. The Call is God’s plan to reach cities through the local church. Jesus is coming back not just for local churches, but also for cities that exalt and glorify His name.
Jesus’
standing
orders to
the Church is to
go and
reach cities
(Acts 1:8).
answering the call
People are the only means by which God will fulfill The Call. People are His tool to reach this broken and battered world. Not angels, aliens or antelopes can carry God’s story...only people. There is no Plan B.
– Steve Little
Our
strategy
strategy BRING God’s Story to them DISCOVER God’s Story in them EXERCISE God’s Story with them The focus is always God
working through His people to reach the city.
People... God uses ordinary people to fulfill The Call. BRING | He uses people who are willing to take risks to ensure that the cause of Christ advances. DISCOVER | He uses their backgrounds, experiences, abilities, limitations, giftings, personalities and passions to accomplish His will on planet Earth. EXERCISE | He uses people whose confidence and calling has been cultivated by a seasoned coach. Ordinary people have always been God’s method, His answer for this broken and battered world.
Growth demands a temporary surrender of security. – Gail Sheehy
BRING God’s Story to them SERVING | VCC is building a bridge from our church to the city by encouraging our people to volunteer their time and services to help those in need. The church does this by regularly serving numerous non-profits throughout the city. These services and related events take place through our on-going outreaches into Dublin and the surrounding communities and will hopefully facilitate partnerships of trust. TRAINING | Each person at VCC is being challenged to learn how to: (1) hear someone else’s story, (2) tell their own story, and (3) share God’s story in a manner that is loving, succinct and simple to understand. PRAYING | VCC members pray regularly for opportunities to demonstrate Christ’s love to families, friends and co-workers in the Tri-Valley and beyond. The marketplace (whether business, government, military, education, medical or non-profits) is seen as God-ordained assignments to fulfill the Great Commission locally. VCC prays against all spiritual strongholds that blind people to the knowledge of God and will continue to pray that Christ is exalted in the city.
We pray
that Christ is exalted
in the city.
LIFE script
God does not call the equipped; He equips the called. – anonymous
DISCOVER God’s Story in them To help people discover God’s Story in them, VCC leadership has created a road map called LifeScript. LifeScript is a series of “chapters” we walk you through, with each one building on the previous. You emerge at the end with a far greater knowledge of our church, your faith, how you were designed by God, your life mission and freedom from things in your past that might be stumbling blocks to becoming all God intended you to be. chap·ter 1 Church Family (who we are and what we believe) chap·ter 2 Faith Walk (how to put what you believe into practice) chap·ter 3 Life Design (discover what makes you unique) chap·ter 4 Life Mission (learn how to tell your story, and listen to theirs) chap·ter 5 Cleansing Stream (steps to full freedom in Christ)
This is a story that’s worth reading.
It’s about you.
It’s about God. It’s about us.
And it’s about what
we can do when we do
it together.
Never try to be better than someone else. Learn from others, and try to be the best you can be. Success is the by-product of that preparation. — John Wooden
EXERCISE God’s Story with them Every church claims to be a Great Commission church. Or to say it another way, every church wants to believe that they are loyal and sacrificial partners of God’s global endeavor. If this conviction is true, then the next question to ask Great Commission churches is: What is your discipleship program?” According to Matthew, the centerpiece to Jesus’ standing orders to the Church is one single activity: discipleship (Matthew 28:18-20). At VCC, our synonym for discipleship is coaching. We understand that to really love a person, you must help them discern God’s best for each life account: family, faith, health, finances, friendship, priorities and service. As coaches walking alongside you, we want to help guide you from where you are to achieving the results you desire. Under the auspice of a personal life coach, VCC is helping people develop and mature in their particular area of calling. Ministries at VCC are a byproduct of God’s people walking in their particular passions and callings.
We want to
help you achieve
God’s best in the accounts that
make up your
life: family, faith, health, finances,
friendship, priorities and service.
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34
Our core
values
core values Ministry by Design | People’s design dictates their ministry, not our needs. Intergenerational in Scope | The communal gathering on Sunday reflects ALL those who God invites to His house. PresenceDriven for The Call | We seek God’s empowering presence to fulfill our part in His global endeavor to
rescue and restore humanity. City-Focused | The mission of the church is fulfilled through the city. People can be equipped, refreshed and inspired on this Hill, but the mission of this church CANNOT be fulfilled on the Hill. It can only be fulfilled in the city. Brains on Fire | The sacred Scriptures are excavated both for the ancient truths, as well as God’s emotion over those truths. Discipleship through Coaching | The centerpiece of the Great Commission – discipleship – is accomplished through personal and intentional relationships. Story in Approach | Stories are heard and shared. Freedom and Safety to Risk | Faith is risk. True failure is quitting. Everything else is learning. Since no spiritual gift is given in a mature state, we celebrate all attempts to honor God.
Our vision
Vision
Imagine a church where...
People are free to fully be themselves Risks for God are both encouraged and celebrated One can discover their design and begin walking in it God’s pleasure is sought over personal comforts Outreach to the city is priority number one Your dreams become your destiny All the generations work and worship together There is anticipation and excitement in the air each time we gather The focus is not the pastor, but God’s Story in you You are safe to share your background and experiences Individuals are coached one-on-one God’s word is taught with authority and power God’s empowering presence is pursued, never presumed The cause of Christ advances even in a recession The work of the Spirit is fully welcome Jesus is exalted without shame or excuse The Father’s love flows freely to His own People take seriously their placement and calling in the city
...God raises up 500 people who walk confidently in their callings That’s the vision we see God building at VCC. Perhaps you are seeing it, too. Perhaps you are there with us, building it. Perhaps this is just what you have always been looking for. Perhaps...
VALLEY CHRISTIAN CENTER Dr. Roger Valci, Senior Pastor 7500 Inspiration Drive | Dublin, CA 94568 925.560.6202 | www.dublinvcc.org