Two Questions for the Summer

Here's a copy of the email I sent to the family of Grace this afternoon. If you didn't get it one, it means one of two things:

1. It went to the "junk" or "spam" folder. Go find it.

OR

2. We don't have your email address. We'd love to get it. Email it to me at tim@graceslo.org and we'll add you to the list.

Beloved Family of Grace,

Summer is in full swing now and I hope you are enjoying it! I know we are. I am constantly amazed at the changing seasons of God's magnificent creation! And I'm so glad that Jesus is the same--yesterday, today and forever!

I'm communicating with you today to ask you two questions. . . .

1. Have you registered yet for our 2006 Family Conference coming very soon on July 23, 24 & 25?

In these wild days when the traditional family is under such attack, I am more convinced then ever of the need to invest in, support and build up the families in our church and community. That's why our annual Family Conference exists. That's what our annual Family Conference is all about!

This year's Conference Speaker will be my friend and mentor, Greg Sidders. Greg was my college pastor back in the day and now serves as the Pastor/Teacher at Sunridge Community Church in Temecula, CA. I ran into Greg last summer at Hume Lake and we quickly and naturally reconnected. I immediately thought of Greg for our 2006 Family Conference. I love Greg's heart and passion for the Word. I'm convinced we'll be challenged together by his ministry among us as he helps us Survive the SLO Life!

On the kid's side, we are so pleased to have Terry Kohlenberg with us again for the third year in a row. He is back by popular demand. He'll not only lead our times of family worship, but also be engaging our kids as he makes God's Word relevant to their young lives.

And then there's the elective seminars, everything from Wood Working to Modge Podging. (I'm not sure what Modge Podging is, but it sounds fun!) These elective seminars are just a great way to do some hands-on activity with your kids. Trust me, your kids will love it if you do them together.

Once again this important week has snuck up on us all. Many of us have been coming and going all summer long. (Mostly going, I think!) I wanted to remind you that this Sunday is really the last day to sign up for the entire conference which includes the fun elective seminars. In order to effectively plan and organize we've got to know who's coming by this Sunday. We cannot take sign-ups for the elective seminars after Sunday! Did you get that? If you're not interested in elective seminars, and do not have children, then you can sign up for the conference up until the start of the conference on Sunday, July 23.

What if you don't have kids at home? Is the Family Conference something for you? I believe that the family ought to be of great concern to the whole church. I think Greg's messages on suffering, contentment and challenging relationships, will be relevant to all. . . . college students, singles, young couples without children, and even our faithful senior saints. I want to urge you to come and be apart of this important all-church event and show your commitment to the families of Grace.

This is also an excellent event to invite friends and neighborhood families to. I've attached a PDF of the Family Conference Brochure for your review and/or to send to a friend.

If you want to register, but won't be here on Sunday, you can register NOW by contacting Dori by phone (543-2358) or email (<mailto:dori@graceslo.org>) or Karen (&ltmailto:kmorton@charter.net>).

2. Have you yet Accessed & Updated Your Personal Information on our new Online Congregational Database?

We're trying to utilize the latest technology to facilitate better congregational connection, communication and care. It takes just a minute to log-on and check your information. There you'll see ABF's and Growth Groups you're involved in, events you've attended and other information about your involvement. Learning to use the online database is easy and will enable you access to the latest and most to date directory online and any time. We are already beginning to use this new system for online registration for upcoming events and have a vision for implementing other functions down the road. One of our immediate goals is to create and publish an updated directory. We need your help. We're asking you to do these three things:

1. Register and log in.
2. Update the personal information for you and your family.
3. Upload your family picture.

Thank you to the many of you who have jumped into the fun with us. We've received so many updates and have had the opportunity to correct many errors in our information. It would be a great help to our staff, if others would take the plunge as well.

So why don't you give it a try right now? Just go to the home page of our website at , click the rolodex icon in the right column and follow the simple instructions. I've attached a simple and short manual that provides an introduction and overview of the system.

It was such a joy to be back with you this last Sunday. Getting out and seeing other ministry settings makes me so thankful for what God is doing in our setting. I give thanks, too, for you. Let's enjoy the summer as we live by faith together. See you Sunday!

Because of and for the Gospel. . . Pastor Tim