First B Update
May 27, 2010

Note from Wade

As we move closer to selecting a new name for our church, the pastors and deacons want to be sure we keep everyone up to date with the process.

We are on track with our original goal of presenting a new name to the church family at the end of June. We have received many great suggestions! You are a creative bunch! Several of the suggestions won’t be possible to use because of other churches in our town that have the same or very similar names. Some of those names, like New Hope, New Life, Rock Church, Christ Community, and others are already taken. However, there are still many other great possibilities!

In the next few weeks the pastors and deacons will finalize a name, so please keep us in your prayers. Please remember that the core motivating purpose behind the name change is to remove a clear, persistent obstacle to non-churched people, whom our members are inviting to church services and activities.

There is one predominant question that is being asked, “How much is this going to cost?” So far, we’ve spent very little. We see expenses being spread over the next twelve months or so. The major expenses will be updating the church signage and printing. In one sense, we would like to update everything as soon as we adopt our new name. But due to the current financial challenges, we will incrementally update signage and printed materials as dollars are available.

We are committed to expending the fewest dollars possible. For example, we plan to use up existing printed materials (i.e. letterhead, envelopes, brochures, etc.) and then update each piece as we re-print. The creative work in updating brochures and flyers is done by church personnel, so there is no additional cost. By following this strategy, we won’t be spending any more dollars than if we kept our current name.

As to signage, we will likely have a few temporary signs until the funds are available for more permanent versions.

We will be able to update one of our most important areas right away, our electronic communications such as website, weekly e-newsletter and e-mails. The cost to do this is very minimal since we do the regular updating ourselves.

We appreciate your questions and are happy to answer! Thank you for your input, and feel free to check for informational updates at fbcmodesto.com.

Wade

We're Having Dessert Together!

Don’t forget to reserve your spot at one of the Building on Purpose desserts. Get the latest news either Sunday or Monday night, June 6 or 7. Both nights begin at 7 pm in the Pavilion Concourse.

Childcare is available for newborns through kids entering 6th grade this fall. Reserve childcare by June 2.

RSVP online at fbcmodesto.com or by phone at 521-0181.

Making Memories in the Mountains

There’s no reason not to believe your teens when they say they really like something. Yes, we certainly can name things they really like: electronic gadgets, cool cars, loafing and the last day of school for instance. Younger kids would weigh in with really liking action figures, kittens and animated movies. Regardless of age, kids can easily point to favorite things or memories that stand out as really likable to them.

So with that understanding, I asked my two teens what they really liked best about their childhood summers. They chimed in with many aspects about those days, such as long warm evenings, swimming, fresh fruit smoothies, visiting cousins and mellow daily regimes without schoolbooks.

But what they said they really liked best about their past summers was being at Camp Chinquapin. It was a dependable adventure, they said. It was a place that perfectly combined chillaxin’ and spontaneity. A place where dirt, sticks and pine cones were useful for imagining a medieval story line, and goliath trees beckoned you to wander into the forest. Large boulders became castles. They said that even if there were other kids you didn’t really know, you soon did. It was one place where moms just hung out chatting over coffee or cocoa because they didn’t have to invent any meals, or race off on errands. They said they loved seeing all the minivans parked around camp with rafts and giant floaties tied to their roofs, awaiting the next opportunity to hit the lake. And, at the lake, the incessantly playful project on the beach, accommodating tons of kids at once.

They remembered building sandy troughs and with glee pouring buckets of water into them and watching gravity pull the water back into the lake! Racing to the snack shack for a late afternoon swirl cone was another highlight in their minds. One of their most favorite sounds in camp was the blast of the dinner horn, and knowing they could then run down to the dining hall with unwashed hands and see mounds of food arrive through the swinging kitchen doors. What a great life those days were, they said.

What I heard was: they really like their memories of Camp Chinquapin. When I look back and see that all these things they really liked were wholesome, safe, and creative, I know that God’s hand was in it to bless their young lives. And to think that, as a family vacation, it was really quite simple.

It's Dad's Turn

Our Mother’s Day photos were a big hit, and we’d like to honor dads the same way. Do you have a great photo of you and your dad, or you and your children, or maybe even the dads in your family?
       
E-mail us one photo and tell us who is pictured. As room allows, we’ll run the photos as part of our Father’s Day tribute! Simply e-mail your photo to lsexton@fbcmodesto.com or turn it in to the church office by June 7.