JULY & AUGUST 2019

NOTE FROM PASTOR MARK
As lead pastor, Pastor Mark leads the church within the boundaries set by the BOG.
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To say the last few weeks have brought the unexpected is an understatement. After coming back from a great vacation and leadership conference, it was a shock to get a phone call late Tuesday night, August 13th, that my Dad, who was very healthy, had died suddenly of a massive heart attack. The next day my family headed back to Wisconsin to grieve, celebrate and be with family. Now three weeks later, it is still surreal and hard to wrap my mind around. I have a confident hope that my father is fully alive in the presence of God because of his belief in Jesus…but oh how I miss him! I am thankful for the church and your prayers and support for my family and me during this time!  

PRAYER
We want to pray eagerly as prayer is first about a relationship with God and second transforming our world.

Several people gathered together to pray for our global and local mission connections during Global Encounters week in early August. Participants also wrote letters of encouragement for individuals and groups that DAC partners with. Six envelopes stuffed with cards were mailed across the world.
 
From September 8-October 18, we are praying 40 Days for Spiritual Breakthru in our lives and church. Please join us in praying for breakthru.
 
Every Sunday, the prayer room next to the sanctuary is open during both services for anyone who would like to pray specifically over the services as they happen. Praises and prayer requests are sent out weekly from the Connect cards collected at each service, and if you would like a request to be sent out during the week, you can submit a prayer or praise on the church website from the prayer page under the connect tab.
 
Joella Liddle – [email protected]
Eric Liddle - [email protected]
 
 
WORSHIP
We want to worship in all we do as we are designed to worship God as a way of life.

The worship and A/V team do a great job with providing an environment for this local body of believers to worship together. We are excited to be adding new members to the worship and A/V team like Kari and Ellie Wong along with Trent Unger.  The worship team is more and more reflecting our multi-generational church! If you would like to be a part of helping others worship Jesus, contact Hector Ayerdiz or Matthew Sutton.
 
Hector Ayerdiz, Worship Director – [email protected]
Matthew Sutton, A/V Team Leader – [email protected]
 
 
MISSIONS TEAM
The Missions Team helps launch us on mission.

Luz Ragland led the team that served a hot meal at the men's emergency shelter on July 7.  The men and staff continue to be displaced because of the issues at the property on Gude Drive; please pray for a good and timely solution. 
 
Jen Ashby and Luz & Xzyavier Ragland joined Gigi Goin at the County Council meeting on July 30 for a special proclamation in honor of Farmers Market Week.  Check out the proclamation posted on the slat wall outside the kitchen.  The Derwood Farmers Market continues to thrive, thanks to our amazing volunteers!  We do have several volunteer shifts to fill before the season ends, and the greatest needs are on August 31, September 14, and October 5.  If you are willing to serve on one of these days or another Saturday between now and the end of October, please contact Luke Wong.
 
August 4-11 saw our second "Global Encounters" missions emphasis week of 2019.  This included the Feast of Nations with Dan & Lisa Lawrence (serving in Paris) on August 3, a video update from Bruce Persons (reaching the Deaf and Hard of Hearing people group) on August 4, a Prayer for Missions event on August 7, and Joe Botano (representing Cuba) and a video update from Envision El Salvador on August 11.  We announced our next mission trip, which is to Paris, France in April 2020.  For more information, contact Jen Ashby at [email protected].  The missions team met on August 26.
 
We have reached the 2/3 mark of the 2019 Derwood Farmers Market season because you have made it possible!  In September we will begin to evaluate whether we will pursue a third season.
 
Jen Ashby – [email protected]  
 

EXPLORERS CHILDREN'S MINISTRY
A place for children to explore God’s world and Word and to make friends.

Explorers have been spending June and July learning about the Fruits of the Spirit, one per week. We hope that your families have seen some good fruits in your children’s' lives lately!
 
In August, our elementary age children in Explorers 1 & 2 took a break from our regular curriculum to enjoy "What's in the Bible?".  We combined these two classes, which reduced our teacher needs for the month.  The fall Explorers team lunch and meeting took place on August 18 to prepare our volunteers for another impactful school year of ministry.  Elementary age children in Explorers 1 & 2 joined adults and teens in the worship gatherings for Together Sunday on August 25, at which time we also recognized some of the children moving up to the next age group, including Vision Youth.  We've been busy getting ready for September 1, when many of our children will be in new groups!
 
We also have a big exciting goal met: Explorers have been generously bringing their offerings for the past several months, and have now raised $200 to send to Compassion International! The money your children have given will purchase a goat, some chickens, seeds, and whatever else might be needed for a village in need somewhere in the world. I am so proud of how giving these children have been. Soon we will choose a new mission to raise money for, so keep your ears open!
 
Bethany Clemmons - [email protected]
 

VISION YOUTH MINISTRY
A place to meet Jesus, continue to know Jesus & be encouraged to share Jesus.

July was an exciting month for Vision! Thirteen students and three leaders flew to Orlando, Florida for the LIFE2019 Conference, and it was a great week. Many of the students shared how they heard God speak to them through the various speakers and seminars. Those who can go again in 2022, are already talking about the next trip! Thank you again for your prayers, support and financial gifts towards this trip!  With how God used this conference, two of our students even said “yes” to Jesus for the first time! Light boxes in the foyer were lit to celebrate these two “yes’s”!
 
July also wrapped up our summer series of answering tough questions.  Sometimes we're nervous to #sharejesus with others because we're afraid we might not know the answers to their questions. Or sometimes we have questions and doubts ourselves! Vision students wrote down these questions and each week, the group discussed a few at a time.  A great resource used were YouTube videos from Zacharias Trust’s Reboot conferences.
 
For the month of August, Vision was on break.  While the students did not meet, the leaders got together to plan ahead and pray for the new school year.
 
Tim Allen – [email protected]
 

SMALL GROUPS
Our primary venue for making friends, inviting God's transformation through Scripture and prayer, and living on mission together. 

Our summer small group on "The New Testament I Never Knew" wrapped up on July 31.  Our fall small group registration opened on August 16, and we're excited to have all seven of these groups focused on the Sunday morning series, "Welcome: Opening our lives to God and others."  Five of our leaders or co-leaders are stepping into these roles for the first time!  Groups begin the week of September 8, and if you haven't signed up, click here!  Small group leaders and hosts gathered for a dinner and training on August 25. 
 
The women's crafting group continues to meet twice a month on Saturday afternoons, and is attended primarily by ladies from our community who found the group through MeetUp.  It's a tremendous opportunity to both #showjesus and #sharejesus.  Click the link above to find out more.
 
Jen Ashby – [email protected]
 

CONNECTIONS TEAM
We desire authentic community and want to create space for transparency and real relationships.

Whether you’re a regular attender or new to the church, we want you to feel connected! And knowing you are welcomed is the first step towards cultivating authentic community. If you enjoy inviting friends to your own home and meeting new people, consider joining this great team by contacting Wendy Geraci.
 
Wendy Geraci – [email protected]
 

BUILDINGS & GROUNDS
God has given us a great location and property. We strive to be good stewards of these gifts.

Behind the scenes over this past month, Mark Neely and a group of individuals have been getting the building up to code as we recently had an inspection by the Fire Marshal.  Thank you to everyone for pitching in!
 
If you have interest in handy work and would like to be a part of this vital team, contact Mark Neely.
 
Mark Neely - [email protected]
 

PARENT DEDICATION
On July 28, we dedicated Eric and Joella Liddle as foster parents, and celebrated with a reception in their honor.  Pray for the Liddles as they begin to open their lives and home to little ones in this vital capacity.
 
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CHURCH NAME CHANGE
The Board is meeting this month and as part of the meeting we will continue the discussion about the name change to Neighborhood Church. Please continue to pray for the unity of Spirit and the bond of peace. The hope is for the name change to help us better embrace living out the mission of Jesus in our neighborhood and to the nations.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
We continue to pursue apprenticing people in all areas of ministry. We desire to be a multiplying church, and to do this we must have a multiplying mindset of training and releasing more people into ministry. If you are not currently serving, we would love to help you discover your giftedness and where God would like to place you. Check out this page on our website.
 

STAFF
The staff manages ministry teams and meets weekly.

The staff continues to meet on a regular basis for prayer and planning. We attended the Global Leadership Summit in August and are now reading the book, “Beginners Pluck,” from Liz Forkin Bohannon. We are also are in the process of setting goals for 2020 and believing God for greater things. Please pray alongside us that God will work in supernatural ways through DAC.
 

ELDERS
The Elders shepherd and give spiritual oversight to DAC and meet on a monthly basis.  

There is a great group of Elders who are serving and praying for you faithfully. If you ever would like prayer for any reason, we would love to pray for you.
 
Mark Trinkl – [email protected]
 

BOARD OF GOVERNANCE (BOG)
The Board of Governance (BOG) sets boundaries for the Pastor and meets minimum quarterly.

The Board met on July 15th for our quarterly meeting to talk through accountability and updating the Guiding Principles. We will meet on September 9th to continue discussions about monitoring performance, the name change, and other matters. Please pray for all in leadership as we continue to discern God’s heart for DAC and beyond.
 
Chairman Mark Trinkl – [email protected]
Vice-Chairman Evan Homan – [email protected]

40 Days of Prayer for Spiritual Breakthru – September 8-October 18
Intro to DAC – September 15
The Gathering – September 20
Explorers Hike – September 28
Baptism Sunday – October 6