CCW Leadership Community

Another thing to pray about - Third Service

2012-02-09T17:15:00.002-08:00

Hello group! Something I want you to all pray with me about (in addition to the land!)

I believe I received a revelation this morning. For several years I have been watching our church grow to the 2nd service being full, then slide back, then fill up – a cycle that has repeated itself over the past few years. I knew that one day we might go to a third service, but because first service never filled up I always hesitated to start it up. Fact is, first service may NEVER fill up – some people like getting up early, a LOT don't. That's why people have not moved over in the past when we asked them to.

Going to a third service has been on my mind more and more lately. And today I was meeting with other pastors here in town, and I felt a got a word. It is a statistical fact that when a church gets 70-80% full, parking, seating, children's ministry, that the growth in attendance stops. The more we talked about it, and what they have experienced, the more I began to see it.

I have been praying about why we keep hitting a full 2nd service, then we go back. I believe this is a contributing factor – perhaps the biggest factor. We have a great church, great worship, great people, great teaching (sorry), and there is no reason why we keep hitting this ceiling, other than I am not PLANNING for the growth by opening up space for people to come.

So I feel we need to begin planning to go to a third service. It will not be easy. It will stretch us. It will require more servants, more teachers, and more sacrifice. But I have found that whenever we begin to step out in faith, GOD MEETS US.

Don't worry – I'm not going to go into this haphazardly. I would like to approach this in the following manner:

All of us begin to pray for leading, guidance, and discernment
Each of you begin to pray about what your ministry may need to do to accommodate a third service.

Youth
Children
Worship
Sound
Ushers / greeters
Prayer teams
INFO desk
Etc etc (If I forgot your ministry please forgive!)
** IDENTIFY the people and resources that you will need – write them down!

I would like to hold a leadership meeting on Wed night, Feb 22 – PLEASE REPLY and let me know if you are not available. We will talk though the entire process.
Once we have met, prayed, discussed, we'll put start asking for volunteers to help us hit this next milestone.
We will set a date together that works for everyone.

So for now PRAY! It's an honor working with you all!

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Pray with me!

2012-02-09T17:15:00.001-08:00

2821 Carolina Beach Road Property for sale

Hi everyone, this past week God put something on my heart I wanted to share with you – and ask you to join me in prayer.

The 7 acre track behind us has always been something that interested me, and many times I have commented "wouldn't it be cool if God gave us that land". But the Lord convicted me, "Have you asked me for it?". I had to answer - "no, not REALLY." perhaps in passing, but not praying and believing.

So I am going to start doing what God told me to do – PRAY and ASK. I can't say that I have heard from the Lord that He IS going to give it to us, but I have heard "ask me for it."

Will you join me?

The words "expand our borders" seem to be coming up in my prayers a lot. I never jumped on the Prayer of Jabez bandwagon, but the prayer is scriptural, and does come to my mind in this case:

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” (1 Chron 4:10)

Attached is the flyer for the land. Print it out. Pray over it. They are asking $850K. Whether God wants to move the heart of the owner to donate it, raise up a person or group to buy it and donate it, or us to raise it – I do not know. But I DO KNOW that we serve a BIG GOD and nothing is outside the reach of His hand.

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11:24)

Some Changes at CCW

2012-02-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

Dear leadership team, I am really excited about what God is doing at Calvary! Sometimes I feel like I just need to put my set-belt on and hang on!

Some of you may have heard that there are some changes brewing at CCW! Change can be good, but it can mean 're-adjusting'. So lets pray everyone has their 'readjustment hat' on!

Personel changes: We are making some adjustments to how our staff works. Starting this month the office staffing will change:

Annette will begin working Mon, Tues, and Fri.
Brenda will be only coming on on Wednesdays
Wes will begin covering the office on Thursdays
Pastor Mel will be coming in on Wednesdays only.

We are also excited to announce a new member of our leadership team: Cece Fairley!

Cece has been faithful in the Children's ministry for quite some time, and now will be taking an expanded role in the Children's ministry, leading this important ministry to the next level! Please welcome Cece to the team, and be praying for her as she transitions into this greater role!

Pastor Mel will be redirecting his focus in the area of missions and pastoral care. We are excited about our upcoming missions outreach this summer, partnering with Warner Temple AME church on the Port City Project. You'll be hearing more about this soon!

CCW Facilities / Event Request Form

On a minor note, as we are working to streamline some of our processes here in the office, one of the things that will be affected is how you submit a request to book a ministry event. Starting this month, I am asking all ministry leaders to use our new online "CCW Facilities / Event Request Form." Its pretty much what you were used to doing before, only ONLINE. You can get to the form by clicking on the link below:

https://calvarychapelwilmington.wufoo.com/forms/ccw-facilities-event-request-form/

** I SUGGEST you BOOKMARK the form so you can get to it next time you need it! :)

The form will also be available on our CCW LEADERSHIP SITE:

http://ccwleadership.blogspot.com/

Here you can find the latest leadership updates (including this one), as well as the CCW calendar, the CCW facilities Calendar, and the Servant form (if someone wants to serve – send them the link)

Well, that's all for the moment – I want to let you all know how much I appreciate all that you do do, but even more I love the HEART of this leadership team – you love GOD and you LOVE HIS PEOPLE. It's an incredible honor and privilege to serve with you.

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

And then some…

2011-09-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

(original post, Pastor Steven Furtick, Elevation church)

Drive and motivation is the secret to success and doing anything worthwhile and significant in life. Skill and natural aptitude only takes you so far. At the end of the day, it’s your heart and the drive to go above and beyond that is going to set you apart from the masses that live in the muck of mediocrity.

From my experience, I’ve found that there are three types of people when it comes to their heart and motivation. Each person puts forth a certain kind of effort, and each person receives a corresponding reward.

The first person has a bare minimum mentality. They’re D- people. Doing enough to pass, but nothing more. They spend the bare minimum time with their spouses that it takes to appease them. They turn in work that meets the bare minimum requirements. And then they wonder why their marriage is not good, they never get a promotion, and they can never find fulfillment in life. It’s because a bare minimum mentality reaps bare minimum rewards.

The second person runs by the mantra of good enough. They’re B, maybe B+ people. They turn in good work that shows effort. They do the routine daily and weekly duties that sets you up for a good marriage. But they leave it at that. They get the ball 80 yards down the field, but because they aren’t willing to put in extra effort, they usually settle for a field goal, which is good. But they could have gotten a touchdown, which would have been great.

And then there are people with world-class drive. They’re A+ people. Good enough isn’t good enough for them when they know they have greatness in them. As a result, they generally have great jobs, great marriages, and greater fulfillment.

What sets these people apart really comes down to three simple words. And they’re words all of us can adopt as our own. These three words will make you stand out from the crowd. They’ll set you up for success in every area of your life and take you a long way.

In your marriage.
Your job.
Your relationships.
Your church.
Everywhere.

Three words:
And then some.

People with world-class drive who reap world-class rewards do what they’re supposed to do…AND THEN SOME.

They don’t just get flowers for their spouse on their anniversary. They also do it on random Wednesdays for no reason at all. They don’t just do what they’re asked at work. They find ways to go above and beyond.

Choose to live life with an “and then some” mentality. Reject mediocrity. Don’t let good enough be good enough for you when you have God in you.

Living with an “and then some” mentality is deeply connected to honor. If you value your job, your spouse, your church, etc., you’ll go above and beyond for them

Encouragement - Col 3:23

2011-09-08T11:32:00.001-07:00

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men…
-- Col 3:23

Sunday this was one of the verses I shared in the message, and as I was praying this morning the Lord opened that up a little more and He hit me with three questions that I felt I was supposed to share with you all…

#1 What am I doing to better myself?
>> bottom line, if I am not growing and learning, I am going backwards. We should always be seeking to learn and grow; spiritually with the Lord, practically in our calling, and growing in our role as a leader in the ministry.

#2 What am I doing to better the ministry God has entrusted me with?
>> Being a leader in the ministry is akin to the parable of the talents (Matt 25), where we are given stewardship over the ministry and the people that serve in it. Are we doing the best we can with what God has given us? Do we have eyes that watch for things that could be improved? We must always be open to things that will improve the ministry God has called us to.

#3 What am I doing to better others in the ministry God has entrusted me with?
>> Are we investing in the people that God has placed into our ministry? Are we building relationships? Are we teaching and training people? God is growing CCW right now – yet if we are not developing others to serve alongside us, that growth will be hindered because WE CANNOT DO IT ALL OURSELVES. Be generous and share the blessing of ministry, invite others to be a part of what God is doing!

The most scarce resource we have is TIME – we only get 24 hours each day… are we making the most of it? Take time each day to ask yourself these three questions, and prioritize time each day to these areas.

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Leadership Meeting June 5, 2011

2011-06-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

For those that missed the leadership meeting today, here is the recording.

CLICK HERE

2011 Men's conference planner

2011-05-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

Hi guys, so I have confirmed the date of our 2011 mens conference, Oct 28-29 2011, and we will be having it here at the church. (just as an FYI, I have am reserving Ft Caswell for the last week in Aug 2012 so we will for sure have it next year!).

As I noted in the Men’s Leadership Forum on Tues, that team of guys will be helping to plan and carry out the conference this year. This is not to the EXCLUSION of our current deacons and elders, but in addition to. Together we can put together a great conference!

We will be utilizing the monthly meeting slot that we have been using for the leadership forum – second Tuesday of the month at 7 pm. The next meeting will be Tues June 14 at 7 pm at Holy Grounds. Please mark your calendars.

Attached is the preliminary conference planner (PDF and word format), along with a list of roles that will need to be assigned. Some I have pre-filled with the obvious people (I.E. Geoff will have sound, etc). Please take a look at the planner, and come on June 14 prepared to plan, commit, and start the process! I think we will have a great conference this year, and I have a great team of guys that will help put it together!

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Book for this month..

2011-02-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!!! Great meeting this week – thanks for all your participation! A few things for next month...

our reading challenge this month is “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan ( http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-God-Reversing-Tragic-Neglect/dp/1434767957/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1297963850&sr=8-6) REMEMBER – you only need to read through HALF the book – I say we ready THROUGH CHAPTER 4. That will give us plenty of discussion
Continue your one year bible reading
Lets all lift up Chris Smith and his niece and nephew – he will be in pittburg to attend the funeral this weekend.
remember if you want to know WHAT WE ARE DOING – GO TO THE BLOG - http://ccwleadership.blogspot.com/ ALL of our past emails and notices etc are listed there. BOOKMARK IT!
Our NEXT MEETING is Tuesday March 15th.

Lastly – I want to stress that we are not in a race, and I am not trying to stress you out with reading, etc. My main goal is to spend time with you guys, invest in you, and help you grow as men and leaders. If you cant finish the reading assignment, I’m not going to kick you to the curb. That being said, this is not a license to be slack! I want to encourage each of you to become expedient managers of your time and resources. That means setting aside some time each week on your PERSONAL SPIRITUAL AND PRACTICAL DEVELOPMENT. Read, study the word, pray, look at areas that you are weak and work on those areas.

Also – I found a SUMMARY of the DTLWY book – it’s a good spark note for the book.

Love you guys – look forward to our next meeting, and hearing your thoughts and how the next read impacts your life!

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Great Meeting last night!

2011-01-19T05:41:00.000-08:00

Hi gents, wow last night was a great meeting! I felt that you all came prepared to share and learn, and that we did!

Here is a reminder of our next assignments, etc...

Next Meeting: Tuesday Feb 15th, 7 pm @ Holy Grounds
Assignment for next Meeting:

continue reading in One Year Bible
Read “On Being a Servant of God” by Warren Wiersbe (link to the book below)
Read and work though chapters 7-9 of “Developing the Leader Within You”
.... Bring ONE THING you have implemented as a result of your growth this month!

* we missed a few of you last night – two guys called in and could not make it, a few others just didn’t show. Remember this is a leadership development group – I am going to hold you accountable! :)

Also, a few things to consider:

Al is going back up to Duke for another treatment for his prostrate cancer
Tom is still waiting for the doctors to determine the right course of action for his cancer
....– lift up your brothers in prayer!

Here is a link to the Weirsbe book on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Being-Servant-God-Warren-Wiersbe/dp/0801068193/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295443819&sr=8-1

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

2011

2010-12-31T05:44:00.000-08:00

To the leadership forum group – today was our last day of the year for our one year bible reading – an awesome set of passages! I really liked Mal 4:2 - But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. What a word of encouragement!

Tomorrow we get to start over – Genesis! I pray your time in the word is refreshing.

One little note, I am holding a leadership fellowship and vision meeting this coming Monday night, those of you who are currently serving in leadership are aware, but I also felt led this morning to extend the invitation to all of you in our leadership training. Spouses are welcome, we’ll have some light snacks out at 6 pm, fellowship till 7, then I’ll share some things for the coming year. Please RSVP if you can come so I make sure to have enough food.

Remember our next meeting is Tues Jan 18th!

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Leadership Forum Update

2010-12-16T10:58:00.001-08:00

Hi men – great meeting last night! I could not have asked for a better discussion and time together!

This update is an encouragement on what we discussed last night, and a reminder of next months meeting.

Last night we looked at the first three chapters of Developing the Leader Within You, and there are three things I would have you consider:

Influence

consider who has influenced you in a positive way – what did they do? Is this something that you could model?
consider who you may have influence with – what are you doing with that relationship?
Consider taking some specific steps to be a positive influence in their life.

Priorities

I warn you – DO NOT READ THAT CHAPTER AND THEN JUST MOVE ON! (ha ha - a friendly warning!)
One of the most important things you can do in your life – work, family, spiritual – is to establish your priorities and then allocate your time in accordance with those “important things”.
so... Take some time this week to determine what your priorities are – short term and long term – and then see your time as a “limited resource” that you use towards those priorities.

Integrity

Integrity is hard to earn, and easy to lose.
Take some time to examine you life – is there any area where you are cutting corners? What are you going to do about it?
Examine your relationships – are you being totally honest with people? IF not, are you willing to right it?

We also talked a lot about being led by the Holy Spirit, seeking Him for direction and calling in our lives. I would encourage you to spend some of your prayer time this month asking the Lord “what place do you have for me in Your Kingdom?” Come ready to share what God speaks to you! Next Month For next month we’ll be going over chapters 4-6 in “Developing the Leader Within You” - read, take notes, think about how the information pertains to you personally. We’ll also be reviewing “The Man God Uses” - this is a short book so you’re getting a little break over the holidays! Here is the Amazon link if you need it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1931713480/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1292524460&sr=8-1&condition=used Our next meeting is Tuesday, January 18th, 7 pm. See you there! PC ...till the whole world hears, Pastor Clay

Reminder - next Wed is our next meeting!

2010-12-09T13:48:00.000-08:00

Hi gents!

This is a friendly reminder that our next leadership forum is coming up next week – Wed Dec 15th – 7 pm.

We will be discussing the book “The Calvary Distinctives”, and also the first three chapters of “Developing the Leader Within You”.

And remember that I am not going to be teaching a lesson, I am expecting that you all will come with deep and insightful commentary and what you have learned! :)

And we will discuss the ONE WAY that you have implemented something you learned in your life.

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Leadership Forum update...

2010-11-30T09:05:00.001-08:00

Hi gents – just a friendly weekly reminder to stay in your One Year Bible reading (man – going through Ezekiel – then hitting Daniel this week has been awesome!)

Remember that starting this month, I am not going to be giving a lecture – but we will be meeting to DISCUSS TOGETHER what you have learned and implemented from our assignments.

See you guys then – remember our assignment for this month:

Assignment:
·      Daily bible reading - One Year Bible
·      Read “The Calvary Distinctives”
·      Read chapters 1-3 of “Developing the Leader within you”
·      *** Be ready to share one thing you implemented!
·      Have this book for the Dec – Jan reading assignment “The Man God Uses”, by Chuck Smith

You can get it used on Amazon for $1.99

  http://www.amazon.com/Man-God-Uses-Characteristics-Godly/dp/1931713480/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291136616&sr=8-1

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Leadership Update

2010-11-24T06:25:00.000-08:00

Hope you guys are enjoying the read through Ezekiel! It’s pretty far out stuff – the Lord is giving Ezekiel a vision of the temple and city of Jerusalem in the Millennial kingdom – how cool is that! But I think my favorite description of the city is found in the last verse of chapter 48:

“And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.” (Ez 48:35)

Have a great thanksgiving guys – see you Sunday!

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Leadership Meeting - Dec 15

2010-11-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

Hi gents – so it looks like Wed Dec 15 will work for most people – so our Leadership Forum is officially moved from Tues Dec 14 to Wed Dec 15!

See you guys then – remember our assignment for that date:

Assignment:
·      Daily bible reading - One Year Bible
·      Read “The Calvary Distinctives”
·      Read chapters 1-3 of “Developing the Leader within you”
·      *** Be ready to share one thing you implemented!
·      Have this book for the Dec – Jan reading assignment “The Man God Uses”, by Chuck Smith

You can get it used on Amazon for $1.99

http://www.amazon.com/Man-God-Uses-Characteristics-Godly/dp/1931713480/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1290444722&sr=8-3

http://ccwleadership.blogspot.com/

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Leadership Forum - Update

2010-11-16T12:22:00.000-08:00

Next meeting: Tues Dec 14th

Assignment:

· Daily bible reading - One Year Bible

· Read “The Calvary Distinctives”

· Read chapters 1-3 of “Developing the Leader within you”

· *** Be ready to share one thing you implemented!

· Buy this book for next month: “The Man God Uses”, by Chuck Smith

Men's Leadership Forum

2010-10-27T11:43:00.001-07:00

Greetings! This email is going out to all of the men that have expressed a desire to participate in our upcoming Leadership Forum! I am excited to see what God is going to do through this time together!

Our first meeting will be Tuesday, November 16^th, at 7 pm. At this meeting I will introduce the outline of the forum, and I will also share on the importance of developing strong leadership in our churches and homes.

Here is the meeting schedule:

Tues Nov 16^th, 7 pm

Tues Dec 14^th, 7 pm

Tues Jan 18^th, 2011, 7 pm

Tues Feb 15^th, 2011, 7 pm

Tues Mar 15^th, 2011, 7 pm

Tues Apr 18^th, 2011, 7 pm

Tues May 17^th, 2011, 7 pm

Tues June 14^th,2011 7 pm

As noted, we will only be meeting once a month, and I want to be straight up with you guys: There will be an expectation that we all take time during the weeks we are not meeting to pray, read through the materials, and make notes and questions for our times of sharing.

Remember this is a “Leadership Forum”, we are seeking to become Godly leaders in our homes and our church. This will require a level of commitment and discipline over and above the average Joe!

Below is a list of the materials that I plan on using for first phase of our forum (Nov – June 2011):

The Bible / The One Year Bible

The Calvary Distinctives – Chuck Smith

Developing the Leader Within You – John Maxwell

The Man God Uses – Chuck Smith

On Being a Servant of God – Warren Wiersbe

Forgotten God – Francis Chan

Essentials in Ministry – Brian Broderson

Why Grace Changes Everything – Chuck Smith

At our meeting on Nov 16, I will assign your first reading assignments, which will be in three books:

The bible / One Year Bible

The Calvary Distinctives, by Chuck Smith

Developing the Leader Within You, by John Maxwell

You do not have to do any reading before the Nov 16^th meeting, but you can if you wish to get ahead. The reading assignments will be given out and reviewed at our Dec 14^th meeting.

*Note: I have contacted a used book seller to inquire about a large order of “Calvary Distinctives”, and I will advise you if that can be fulfilled. I will let you know by the end of the week if this can be done. The cost would be about $4 per book.

For the rest of the books I am going to ask that you purchase the books on your own. I could order them in one order but it is much cheaper to order them used through Amazon, usually a few dollars a book. This will be part of the ‘leadership training’, taking responsibility for ordering the materials that you will need for the forum.

On that note, please mark Tuesday Nov 16, 7 pm, on your calendar, and I look forward to seeing you then!

Clay

CCW Christmas Event

2010-09-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

Dear core team (I guess my name for those of you that are ‘all in’ with our church! I like it!) –

I wanted to let you know that we have set a tentative date for the CCW Christmas event – Friday Dec 17^th.

Here are some of the main points:

Ø We have decided to simplify this year, and NOT have a full meal. We’ll do coffee and people can bring deserts or something.

Ø We would like for each ministry to contribute something, a skit, music, etc. the kids, youth, worship band, etc. Individuals can contribute as well.

Ø We will need a coordinator, so if any of you would like to volunteer for this role, please contact me. We’ll also need:

o Media

o Sound

o Setup

o Cleanup

Let me know your thoughts, and I will send our additional info soon. Well have a planning meeting sometime in early Dec.

Till the whole world hears...

Pastor Clay