April News from Pacific Church Network

April 2016

T he Best Part of Easter

After all the Easter services, after our Easter meals with 18 of us, after the 8 grandkids were finally sleeping, our kids and spouses (minus one couple) gathered around the outside gas fire pit with a cup of coffee and a blanket around the shoulders and just talked. The whole weekend was exciting, but this was my favorite way to end the day. We talked about everyone's Easter services, Good Friday services, communion, foot washing, school, conditions at work, more kids possibilities, dreams, prayer requests, funny stories and memories. I talked and listened. Seeing my kids with husbands, kids of their own, responsibilities and a faith that has taken root and grown to a point I learn from them at times, I smile. It was a great night, a taste of heaven, perhaps.

Easter is a reminder that our family, spiritual family, will someday be together forever. Never having to say goodbye to loved ones, enjoying the company of all around us. Heaven is beyond what I can imagine. Paul couldn't even express what it was like and said, "... I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell. That experience is worth boasting about, but I'm not going to do it." (2 Cor. 12:3-4) It truly is something to look forward to experiencing.

Sincerely,

Jim Smith

Pacific Church Network

	Trip to the Holy Land in December 2016

	Join Pacific Church Network December 1-10 for a unforgettable trip to Israel We are excited to announce that Pacific Church Network is taking a tour group to the Holy Land this December 2016 and you are invited to attend! It has been said that this is a lifetime adventure that adds depth and interest to every page of Scripture. Join Dr. Jim Smith and Dr. Rick Koole as they lead us in Bible studies along the way. This will be Dr. Koole's ninth trip to Israel, and his experience in the area and knowledge of the Word of God will enhance our understanding of the Bible. Join us as we drive to Tiberias and stay at the Leonardo Hotel for three nights, overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. We will experience the Jezreel Valley, Central Coast, Golan, Northern Boundary and Galilee. We will take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and have lunch. After our days in Galilee, we'll travel down the Jordan Valley-the same route as biblical characters-and arrive in Jerusalem, where we'll stay at the Yehuda Hotel for the remainder of the tour. Our experience includes tours of Jerusalem, including the Old City, the Western Wall tunnel, the Dead Sea region, Nazareth Village, the City of David, Jericho and Bethlehem. We'll return home December 10 with a rich storehouse of memories, increased knowledge of the Bible and pictures to share with our families and friends. The cost for this trip is less than most - $3,598, which includes almost everything except your souvenirs! It includes the airfare from LAX, hotels, breakfast and supper each day, three lunches including the St. Peter's Fish Lunch by the Sea of Galilee, entrance fees to all basic sites, an English-speaking Israeli tour guide, a personal headset system, post departure travel protection plan and all other tour-related expenses, including tips and taxes! You don't have to worry about tipping the guide, bus driver, servers, or hotel employees. More information and registration.

	Free Sticky Church Workshop

	Monday, April 11 San Clemente, CA Pacific Church Network is sponsoring this free workshop for all their member churches and church leaders. Carpool a pile of people to this workshop. Come hear Pastor Larry Osborne share what has helped North Coast Church close their back door and keep people coming to their church. Since 1980, he has served as one of the senior pastors at North Coast Church in Vista, CA. During that time, North Coast has grown from a fledgling group of 128 meeting in a rented high school cafeteria to a multi-site church ministering to over 11,000 in weekend attendance. Larry is a husband, father, pastor, author and leadership consultant. He has a passion for helping Christian leaders in both the secular and church world succeed and bring glory to God. It all starts at 10:00 am at Pacific Coast Church in San Clemente, CA. The church is located at 2651 Calle Frontera (92673), just off the 5 freeway. This event is free for staff and leaders from PCN, Transformation Ministries and ACTS 29 member churches and includes lunch. $25 for non-members. Lunch is included, but you have to register here.

Easter Celebrations

Happy Easter


San Antonio Heights Community, Upland


	Iglesia Bautista Belen Canoga Park

Many churches throughout the network experienced a wonderful Easter week of ministry. Services included M aundy Thursday and Good Friday services, outdoor services, sunrise services and regular services. New people, salvations , baptisms, banquets and more. We thank the Lord for all that happened. If you are a PCN member church, would you be so kind as to help us out and fill out our information card? Click here. Thanks!

	Plans to Retire

	Dr. Joe LoMusio will retire after 35 years at Temple Baptist in Fullerton, CA Joe LoMusio has informed the church of his plans to retire at his 67th birthday in June. Joe and Linda came to Fullerton from Phoenix in April of 1981, and have been blessed to serve these many years in one church. Joe has led the church through numerous phases, including a name change in 2000 to CrossRoad Church. They went back to their historic name of Temple Baptist Church in 2007. Joe is a published author, and has traveled extensively to the Middle East, having led a half-dozen tours to Israel and Egypt. He has traveled to China and to South Korea fourteen times, where he has preached in many churches and taught classes in two different graduate schools. He has also served as President of California Graduate School of Theology and has remained on their faculty, teaching Biblical Hebrew, among other courses. Dr. LoMusio has served on the Board of PCN and most recently was the director of PCN's Ordination Council. Joe and Linda plan on relocating to the Temecula/Murrieta area later this year. Joe will continue teaching one day a week at Cal Grad in Garden Grove. Another retirement goal will be to get a few book manuscripts published. Please pray for Temple Baptist as they begin the process of seeking the Lord's leading in calling a successor to Pastor Joe.

	Branches Church Launches on Palm Sunday

	New Pacific Church Network Church starts in La Habra, CA On Sunday, March 20, 62 people gathered at the Barnett Center in La Habra for the launch of Branches Church Orange County, Pacific Church Network's newest church plant. Pastor Israel Gomez has been involved in PCN for years, as master of ceremonies for our Men's Retreat and a Family Pastor at Calvary Baptist in Whittier. We are excited to be an active supporter of Branches Church and welcome them into the PCN family of churches.

	37th Biola University Hispanic Conference

	"A Biblical Worldview: How Christ Changes Everything." Pacific Church Network will host a display table at this year's Hispanic Conference at Biola coming up on Saturday, April 9, 2016 from 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM. The conference will feature workshops; Bible classes and recreation for children; and k eynote speaker, Dr. William Taylor, a tested and experienced missiologist and author born in Costa Rica. Dr. Taylor currently works with the Mission Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance and is the founder and President of TaylorGlobal Consult. Stop by our Pacific Church Network table, say hi, and find out about our upcoming activities. Find out more and register here.

	Women's Spring Retreat

	*April 8-10, 2016 / Day Passes are available* Our Pacific Church Network Women's Spring Retreat will be held on April 8-10 at the Murrieta Springs Conference Center near Temecula, CA. This weekend's speaker is Vicki Smith. The retreat is sold out already, but call our office to see if there are any openings (909-944-5900). You still may get a Weekend Day Pass (no overnight accommodations) for $129 per person, or a Saturday Only Day Pass (no overnight accommodations) for $89 per person. Registration.

	Standing Room Only in Norwalk

	Inglesia Bautista Carmenita growing at a rapid rate On Sunday, March 13, the parking lot was full and there were people standing in the lobby. Just last year, this church was averaging 10 people in their services. Now, they have 60 people at their 11:00 am service and about 60 people at a 4:00 pm service. Pastor Jose Hernandez is excited about the new growth and outreach in the community and praises God for bringing renewal to this church.

	Hispanic Women's Breakfast

	"Brunch de Mujeres" in beautiful Santa Barbara There's still time to register for this wonderful event on Saturday, April 16, 9am to 12 pm, featuring speaker Betty Meza. Cost is $10 per person. CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH 736 W Islay Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101-4006 Click here for the full brochure or click here for the registration form.

	Honoring a Saint

	Sam Williams is honored at Community Baptist in Rancho Cucamonga On Sunday, March 13, people packed into a room following the morning services at Community Baptist Church in Rancho Cucamonga to honor Sam Williams, who was retiring from their staff after 25 years. Sam's ministry at the church began after he concluded decades of work as an executive for Target. Master of Ceremonies, Lead Pastor Rob Acker, publicly expressed his appreciation for Sam and had a humorous P owerPoint of some of Sam's many trips to Central America, activities around the church and his heart for ministry. CBC also surprised Sam and his wife, Dorothy, by flying in one of their daughters from Ohio to be at the celebration. Jim Smith was also there to express Pacific Church Network's appreciation of Sam's service, and to express our gratitude to Sam for his continued involvement as an active member of our PCN board.

	New Church in Los Angeles

	Iglesia Evangelica Centro Biblico K'anjobal joins Pacific Church Network We welcome our newest member of Pacific Church Network, Evangelica Centro Biblico K'anjobal in South Los Angeles. This church has been actively attending some of our events, and while attending our Spanish-language workshop in Norwalk, Pastor Jacobo Jeronimo asked Emilio Núñez how his church could join. They like what PCN is doing with church planting and instructional workshops, and want to be more involved. Welcome to the network!

	Make it Out Alive

	What is it like serving in a country that does not welcome Christianity? WorldVenture missionary shares her story: " Jen's* bags were packed for home assignment. It was the middle of the night and she had called a taxi to take her to the airport, ready to leave under less-than-ideal circumstances the Muslim country where she had been serving for eight and a half years. While sharing her faith with the taxi driver , a car pulled up beside Jen's taxi, and she saw the driver signaling the taxi to stop. The taxi driver did not stop. He told Jen to cover her face as he picked up speed and tried to lose the vehicle. "There are two cars following us," said the taxi driver. Jen lowered herself across the backseat and started praying, "Lord, if it's your will, please protect us." read the whole story

	Believer Killed in Bangladesh

	Former Muslim believer was killed for his faith Our CBGlobal partner organization in Bangladesh recently reported that a 68 -year-old man who converted to Christianity from Islam in 1999 was stabbed to death by three attackers while he was having his morning walk on Tuesday. "They left the scene exploding crude bombs to create panic." He was not a preacher, but an active member of an evangelical church. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the death in Bangladesh as a "lesson to others," an online group that monitors extremist activity said, the latest killing declared by the militant group in the Muslim-majority nation. The South Asian country has seen a surge in Islamist violence in which liberal activists, members of minority Muslim sects and other religious groups have been targeted. read more

	Philippine Connection

	*Cross-Cultural Director from CBAP visits Southern California* In the center of the picture is Ronald Macam, Cross-Cultural Director with the Conservative Baptist Association of the Philippines (CBAP), with Pol Pili (right), Pastor of Fil-Am Christian Fellowship in Long Beach and Jim Smith (left), President of Pacific Church Network. CBAP is our sister organization in the Philippines and has an aggressive church planting plan. In 2015 they planted 136 churches, with a goal of having 2,025 by the year 2025. They currently have about 800 churches. Ronald ministers to those who start following Jesus the Messiah (Isa Al Masih) and holds Bible studies. He works with the 'people of the Gospel,' an assembly which has their own identity. They are cultural insiders, but theological outsiders.

	Free Baby Grand Piano

	*Baby Grand Piano needs a new home* This picture is the actual piano. Out of tune, but not bad. Montebello Christian Fellowship has one more piano than they need, and they would like to see it get a new home. This baby grand sits in a classroom on the second floor and needs some tuning, but if you are looking for a free baby grand, it's yours. You will need to arrange to remove the piano. Please call the church office at 323.728.1247. Montebello Christian Fellowship is located at 136 S 7th Street, Montebello, CA 90640.

	Macaroni Conversion

	*Muslim follower finds Jesus through Macaroni miracle* Christianity Today had an interview with a Muslim follower of Isa. His conversion was memorable: "One night the only food my wife and I had was a small portion of macaroni. My wife prepared it very nicely. Then one of her friends knocked on the door. I told myself, The macaroni is not sufficient for even the two of us, so how will it be enough for three of us? But because we have no other custom, we opened the door, and she came in to eat with us. While we were eating, the macaroni started to multiply; it became full in the bowl. I suspected that something was wrong with my eyes, so I started rubbing them. I thought maybe my wife hid some macaroni under the small table, so I checked, but there was nothing. My wife and I looked at each other, but because the guest was there we said nothing. Afterward I lay down on the bed, and as I slept, Isa came to me and asked me, "Do you know who multiplied the m acaroni?" I said, "I don't know." He said, "I am Isa al Masih. If you follow me, not only the macaroni but your life will be multiplied." He didn't tell me that he was God; he didn't tell me that he died on behalf of me; he didn't say, "I am the Son of God." He didn't talk to me about any complicated theological issues. He only told me that if I followed him, he would multiply my life. At that time, I was very happy if he only multiplied the macaroni like he did that day. I didn't understand what he meant when he said that my life would be multiplied. Now I understand what that means. But at that time, I accepted him simply as the "lord of macaroni." The article was called, "Worshiping Jesus in the Mosque What it's like to follow Christ embedded in Muslim culture."

	Gary Smalley Dies

	*Author and Speaker graduates to Heaven* Gary Smalley, who wrote more than 60 books on relationships and worked closely with Focus on the Family, died on Sunday, March 13, 2016. He was 75. "It is with heavy hearts that we announce Dr. Gary Smalley, at age 75, graduated to heaven last night," stated his Facebook page. "The family gathered and surrounded him, his loving wife Norma kissed his forehead gently and sang to him. This beautiful transition came to an end as these words were spoke over him 'The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you (Numbers 6:24-25).'" The prolific author and speaker appeared on Focus on the Family's broadcasts more than 50 times. Smalley began his career in 1979, traveling through Texas and explaining the 10 better ways to love your spouse, according to his Smalley Institute, which focuses on "saving marriages and relationships one couple at a time." Those talks sparked two bestselling books: For Better or Best and If He Only Knew. Smalley went on to sell more than 5 million copies of more than 60 books, including Making Love Last Forever, and appeared on Oprah, the Today show, and Larry King Live. He won Gold Medallion awards from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association for three of his books: Two Sides of Love, The Blessing, and The Treasure Tree. read more

	Harvest Crusade in Texas

	6,300 people made professions of faith in Christ in the AT&T stadium On Sunday, March 6, 2016, Greg Laurie held a Harvest America event with 82,000 packed into AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. More than 180,000 attendees participated in one of the Harvest America remote venues in all 50 states. While 6,300 made a faith commitment at the venue, another 18,000 responded simultaneously in the host locations. Harvest America was deemed the largest one-day live Evangelistic Event ever for U.S. audiences. Nearly 90,000 viewed the webcast at harvestamerica.com , with more than 1,000 of those indicating they also made a faith commitment. This brings the cumulative participation for Harvest America to over 350,000, and total faith commitments to Christ at more than 25,000. "We only celebrate these statistics because they represent the personal lives changed by the transformative Gospel message," Laurie said. The Annual Harvest Crusade at Angel Stadium this year is scheduled for August 26-28, 2016. A free pastors' lunch is scheduled for April 19th with more information, but it may be filled up. read more

	About Us

	Pacific Church Network 2520 N. Euclid Avenue Upland, California 91784 Pacific Church Network 909-944-5900 pacificchurchnetwork.com

Save 100%

No coupon needed to attend the free workshop in April, since it is free. The lunch is also free, so you don't need a coupon for the lunch either. So, this coupon is really not valid for anything, but it kinda looks fun. We thought maybe, if you actually cut this out and brought it to the April 11 event and presented it at the registration table, you will receive a free dark chocolate candy bar just because you read the fine print. So, cut this out and bring it, and the candy bar will be yours....all 100% of it.

Offer Expires: April 11, 2016 at 10:00 am