Letting others know LFC is a place they could call HOME.

LFC and 2008
I wanted to write this week from my heart and with openness to any who would take the time to read it. LFC is at a great place and positioned for many new and exciting things. 2008 will be a year of completed facilities both in our expansion and our multi-purpose facility. We still need additional funds to be released in order to move forward with the multi-purpose facility. About 130,000 dollars (not including the funds needed to furnish the kitchen and the LFC cafe). and we need heavy doses of prayer, as God is calling us forward. I am excited and thinking ahead to opportunities to love others heart-first.
In a few weeks, Febraury 9th from 11:30 am - 1:00 PM on our multi-use / parking corner lot we are inviting the kids of LFC to join with as many kids from Lompoc to come and hear about the Heart of God and have their hearts touched by God's love. We invite you to come and serve with us and to invite children to the day. Why do this?

This Sunday marks our first Team LFC meeting of 2008 and if you currently serve on any team at LFC, I encourage you to attend. We will also be showing a short film edited by Kat Moore – Glimpses of LFC in 2007.
Before I share a piece form George Barna on Parenting I wanted to share some thoughts with you.
With so many new faces in and out at LFC each week, we really need each of you who call LFC your home church , to reach out. We want you to be saying, from your heart - "welcome to your new church home." Now, we would never say that to a first-time guest. But we can speak it by our actions and smile and gestures. Sure, the greeters and parking team, do a great job, our children’s check-in team as well. But without each of you making connections with new people we are lost! I encourage you to go out of your way and to make effort to help others feel connected here.

Don’t rely on the welcome tent either – very few people make their way there on their first time visit to LFC. Don’t assume people will call the office or that I will be able to know who is newer to our church and have time to connect with them between services. I do attempt to connect but I am one person. Here is what I suggest:

• During greeting time, be on the lookout for people you have never met and greet them.
  As service ends, take five minutes to look for those you meet during greeting and connect with them. Be bold, maybe someone you met would want to go to coffee, or join you for breakfast or lunch. Ask God to show you who to connect with – make the effort.
  


• We will be dividing up our sanctuary into at least four invisible segments. We will have zone greeters in each section. You could volunteer and simply be placed on our schedule to greet in the section you sit in anyways. How simple is that. No badge – no name tag, just you living with a heart towards helping others feel welcomed.
  

I don't want anyone to visit our church without at least five people greeting them in addition to those who work at the doors. This can't be left to chance.
Also, It will be essential for us all to consider how we can live Heart-first in 2008. Not simply sitting back and watching, or giving a token, but living and giving with all our hearts. I invite you to:

• Explore one of the many teams we have at LFC. From our office volunteers to our camera team, to our worship team, parking lot greeters, to our cleaning team, our welcome tent team (soon to be welcome room) and much more. Go for it and explore.
  Join a Life Transformation Group. Iron sharpens iron and your life will benefit greatly from being with others for prayer, accountability and sharing the nuggets you get from daily bible reading.
  


• Commit to daily bible reading and journaling. You can use our easy link to connect with daily reading or our web to learn how to journal.
  Realize that this is your church (if you attend here) and that what happens here happens because of God and people like you willing to step out and up.
  

Without God - we cannot. Without you - God will not.

Consider how God will use you in 2008 to live heart-first and to be a vital part of this vital church family. Consider who you can invite to come to church with you and hopefully have them feel welcomed in such a way that they will make LFC their church home - welcome them to your home.
I wanted to share something with you on parenting that I found and it may prove to be helpful.
Interesting facts: The 5 Ps of Parenting Most parents want to do a great job of raising their children. However, Barna studies conducted throughout the year among parents of children under 18 revealed that few parents have a strategy or plan for how they will accomplish that goal. There are, however, five primary outcomes that most parents have focused upon and serve as a de facto strategy. George Barna, author of the book Revolutionary Parenting, about parenting strategies, called them the "five P’s of parental hope."

1. Preparation. Millions of parents enroll their youngsters in numerous and varied activities in order to prepare their children for success. Most parents do not see themselves as the key to grooming a well-rounded child; they believe their role is to place their child in developmental environments and under the tutelage of those who can take their prodigies to the next level of proficiency.

2. Performing well. Parents look for measures of productivity that indicate how their child is doing on the path to success. Good grades in school, scoring in sports, and performing well in artistic endeavors are among the measures parents rely upon, as well as feedback from other parents, teachers, coaches, pastors and other experts.

3. Pressure management. Amidst significant parental expectations, stiff academic standards and peer pressure, many kids struggle to stay healthy and balanced. Parents who are cognizant of these mounting pressures attempt to help their offspring learn how to manage stress, competition and disappointments.

4. Protection. The age-old problem of bullies - still considered by kids, parents and teachers to be a significant issue - can be added to such parental fears as kidnapping, drugs, and sexualization, making the security of children one of the top priorities of parents.

5. Public perception. In a society where image is reality, and parents are as anxious about their image as a parent as they are about their child’s image in their peer group, influencing public perceptions is a major concern among parents. Like politicians, many parents hone their skills in spin control and positioning in order to place them and their children in the best possible light. Barna’s surveys point out that most parents underestimate the influence they can exert on their children. Consequently, they often focus on the 5 Ps but neglect emphasis upon activities that would strengthen their relational bond with the children. Many parents, even those who are born again Christians, also overlook the need to foster deeper a connection between their children and God, or to enhance the child’s worldview as a critical component of their decision-making skills.

I love being your pastor,

Pastor Bernie

Serving is the Heart behind Living and Loving Out Loud.