Giving campaigns don’t have to be just about money. In fact, a God-honoring giving campaign can be so much more. We have four fundamental goals for our campaign.
Goal #1 is “To build a life of faith”.
One of our life goals should be to grow in faith and works. The Word of God says, “…for we walk by faith, not by sight” 2 Corinthians 5:7. It, therefore, stands to reason that if we are to walk in a manner worthy of Christ, we need to grow in faith.
A giving campaign can help us grow in our faith if we sacrificially give by revelation and not by reason. When we give beyond what we can afford, our faith will grow as we see God providing for our needs.
One of our members shared with me that they wanted to give a certain amount of money to the Lord. They just interviewed for a new position of employment and the raise they would receive matched the number they wanted to give. Praise the Lord! Their faith grew.
Goal #2 is “To build relationships”.
There are a variety of ways to build relationships with one another. The campaign is designed to bring people together. We have had and will continue to have small group meetings. We will share testimonies with one another. We will have opportunities to pray with one another (remember 7-7-07 from 7 to 7). Families will be getting together to consult and pray about their giving to the campaign. We will be taking tours and prayer walks together.
The eventual move to the new site will also afford ample opportunities to come together. We will have work projects on site. Teams of people will be getting together to work on special projects. New ministries will be formed, which will bring new people together shoulder to shoulder. Hebrews 10:24 says, “…and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” This is happening even as this column is being written.
Goal #3 is “To build a heart of thanksgiving”.
Psalm 135:1-3 says, Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord; Praise Him, O servants of the Lord, you who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God! Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.”
This Psalm represents the picture I see as we gather to worship the Lord in our new site. We will be standing before the Lord giving Him praise, honor and glory.
I am humbled by the amount of thanksgiving I have heard and felt among our people. I have been in contact with numerous people who are not even a part of our church family who were extremely excited for us and thankful to God for what He has done.
The natural outpouring of a heart that is thankful is giving and our giving campaign will reflect it.
Goal #4 is “To occupy the land”.
Take time to read the opening chapters of Joshua. We are poised to occupy the land. I trust that the Lord will give us the resources and the good sense necessary to occupy the land wisely.
Our First Fruits Offering will be the sacrifice we make to occupy the land. I fully believe that we are ready and that the offering will be more than sufficient.
If we meet these four fundamental goals of our campaign, it will be successful in ways far beyond dollars and cents. May the Lord bless us.
Blessings,
Pastor Cory, d.v.
d.v., deo volente: God willing

The past two weeks have been an incredible blessing for our church family. A time filled with excitement and thanksgiving to God. I suppose the people of Israel felt the same way as they approached their Promised Land.
The Book of Joshua contains the story of how Israel conquered the land given to them by God. In the first chapter, we learn one of the keys to their success.
Joshua 1:8 says, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”
What would be the key to their success? The Lord said to them that if they obeyed His Word and lived accordingly, they would experience success.
Things are no different today. If we continue to abide in His Word, doing all that He commands us, we will experience the kind of success that only comes from God.
For example, a successful Giving Campaign for the property must be predicated on obeying the Word of God concerning giving. If everyone gives biblically, there will be more than enough funds to pay for the property. Obeying the Bible always leads to good and great things.
It is my belief that the most important area of obedience for us at this point in time has to do with “Sowing Seeds”. I believe it is God’s will for us to be “Seed Sowers”, to share our faith will others. The Bible is replete with directives to share the gospel of life.
Just a reminder to concentrate on sowing seeds rather than reaping a harvest. The harvest will take care of itself via the Holy Spirit. Don’t worry about it. Just sow seeds.
As I shared this past Sunday during the worship service message, I believe that we are in a time of anointing. I sense that the Lord is blessing us with His presence. In other words, as we sow seeds of faith, the Holy Spirit is coming along side of us with His work of conviction and convincing (see John 16:8-11).
As we continue with our “Faithful Living, Generous Giving 2: Occupying the Land” Giving Campaign, let’s remember to keep first things first. We must love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul and with all our mind. We must also love our neighbor as ourselves. And, we must continue to sow seeds of faith, which is our calling from the Lord.
I am looking forward to Commitment Sunday (August 12, 2007) with eager anticipation.
May the Lord continue to bless our efforts.
Blessings,
Pastor Cory, d.v.
d.v., deo volente: God willing
Please remember to save Sunday, July 8, 2007. We will be having a worship service on site at 2:00 PM. There will be no morning services or church school at Rio Hondo CC on that day.

“Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the Lord, or can show forth all His praise?” Psalm 106:1-2
On Tuesday, May 22, 2007 at approximately 3 PM, escrow closed on the property formerly known as Victory Outreach. The land is ours! (More correctly, the land is the Lord’s and we have been given the responsibility to steward the property.)
The site is located at 323 Workman Mill Road, La Puente, CA 91746 (for those of you who would like to access it on the Internet).
Although we own the land, we will not occupy until sometime later this year. Victory Outreach will remain on the land for ninety days. SO PLEASE DO NOT VISIT OUR NEW PROPERTY WITHOUT FIRST CONTACTING OUR OFFICES IN SOUTH EL MONTE.
Here is some general information about the property:
The parcel is approximately 17 acres.
The sanctuary seats approximately 3000 worshippers.
There is a large bridal room.
There are over twenty spaces for classrooms (depending on future configuration).
There is a kitchen and 125 seat café.
There are over fourteen offices for administration.
There are approximately 700 parking spaces.
There is a four bedroom house.
The cost is $20 million.
It is a gift from God.
I shared on Sunday that when I first heard that escrow had closed, my response was subdued, just as it was when we first learned that we had a deal for the property. Members of PAAT (Property Acquisition and Architectural Team) noticed my lack of enthusiasm and joy and mentioned it to me. My response was just as subdued.
On Sunday, as I preached on being thankful to God, I realized that I had yet to fully understand what God had done for us because I was concerned about and focused on all the things that now had to be done. As I heard Dale Hata’s testimony on God’s faithfulness to us…as he recounted the things that the Lord had done…as he shared our journey in looking for land…I began to cry within my heart over God’s goodness to us.
Then, as we sang, “You Have Been Good” by Twila Paris, the Lord captured my heart. I could only dwell upon the providential goodness of God. I was overwhelmed by His love and care for us as His church family.
Instantly, my worries and stress disappeared as I worshipped the Lord, our God.
God gave us this land. He will guide and lead us from this moment forth. We will raise the funds necessary to pay off the land. We will have a Christ-centered, God-honoring ministry there.
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.
Blessings with Gratitude,
Pastor Cory, d.v.

In the middle of April, we were inspecting the land that we believed the Lord was going to have us possess as our future home site for ministry. Our PAAT (Property Acquisition and Architectural Team) continued diligent negotiations with all parties involved and we entered into escrow last week.

Yes, we are in escrow. Lord willing, escrow should close on Monday, May 21, 2007. It will be a momentous day in the life of Evergreen SGV. We have been “wandering” for a decade and are now poised to possess a land for the Lord.

As soon as escrow closes (it’s not over ‘til it’s over), we will begin an informal giving campaign. This campaign is informal only in the fact that there will be no paper pledges, no home groups, no campaign dinner and all the other trappings of a formal campaign (our formal campaign, which is required by our lending institution will begin in August of this year).

The theme of the campaign is “Faithful Living, Generous Giving 2: Occupying the Land”. It is a sequel to our first giving campaign held in 2000, which raised approximately $4.6 million.

Recently, at the box office, sequels have been all the rage. From Spider-Man 3 to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Hollywood has discovered the success of sequels. Our first campaign, “Faithful Living, Generous Giving” was an incredible blessing for all of us who participated. We were able to see, first hand, the goodness and generosity of God.

As your pastor, I was able to witness the incredible faithfulness and commitment of our church family. I was overwhelmingly blessed by everyone’s faithful living and generous giving. Our “First Fruits Giving” (a one-time, up front monetary gift to the Lord) netted approximately $1.4 million.

I am confident that this sequel will also be a tremendous blessing for all of us as we sacrificially give to the Lord’s work.

Again, “FLGG 2: Occupying the Land” is informal in name only. It is critical and crucial to what is happening in the life of our church. There are two numbers we need to reach.

We need to raise at least $1 million up front in order to have the minimum capital necessary to move into the property. After we do an assessment of the land (we haven’t had permission to do so yet), we will have a more concrete number to give you.

We also need to have monthly commitments totaling approximately $83,000 in order to meet our monthly mortgage payments.

The challenges are great, but as the Lord told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous…” and as they trusted God, they were able to possess the land of milk and honey.

During this season in our corporate lives, we need to be strong and courageous…we need to continue to live faithfully and give generously…and we will possess the land.

Starting this Sunday, I will begin sharing the series leading up to “Commitment Sunday”. This Sunday, May 20th (during the celebration of my 30th year in ministry at Evergreen), I will be sharing my family’s financial commitment for the next three years as an encouragement to you (based on 1 Chronicles 29).

This newsletter is merely an introduction to what is to come.

Please pray that the Lord will bountifully bless our effort on behalf of the kingdom of God.

Blessings,
Pastor Cory, d.v.

The Christian life is a road marked with great difficulties and sharing our faith is one such challenge for everyone. Just mentioning evangelism or witnessing makes us nervous and uneasy. It is something we cannot identify with or even imagine doing because of overwhelming fears of rejection, inadequacy, or embarrassment. Yet we are all called to glorify Christ through sharing our faith with others. I want to give you hope that you can be excited to know that God will begin to use you to sow seeds of the gospel!
First of all it is critical we have the right perspective on evangelism; it is completely God’s work, not ours. Too often I am far too focused on Kyle. I need to get my eyes off Kyle by seeing less of myself and more of God. I need to realize God is so much bigger than my inadequacies. He will change my heart. He will give me courage. He will speak through me. After listening to Moses’ excuses the Lord said, “Who made man’s mouth? Is it not I, the Lord? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to say.” God does not need great intellect, talent, or personality. He uses the foolish to shame the wise. All God needs is a willing spirit. He will work and multiply your gifts even as He did with the few loaves and two fish. Think less of yourself and more highly of God.
Secondly, take practical steps as you share the gospel. Begin by praying daily for God to change your heart: “Lord give me a burden for the lost.” Next remember Rome was not built in a day. We are not asking you to start off preaching at a crusade or street witnessing. Begin with what you can handle and allow God to build you up from there, whether it be praying for someone’s salvation, asking a person to church, or just handing them a gospel tract. If you do not see much fruit at first do not be discouraged. God has only called you to sow gospel seeds, not to make converts. In His time He will bring the harvest.
Lastly, minister out of the power and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses.” God has given you the Holy Spirit to empower you for ministry. Grow in sensitivity and discernment of the Holy Spirit and you will begin to see through people’s expressions how the Spirit is working in them.
Be patient and don’t be too hard on yourself. There have been many times I have wanted to share with someone but ended up walking right past them out of fear. Keep an open heart and soon you will lead your first person to Christ!
His grace alone,
Pastor Kyle

As I write this column, we are very close to completing a deal to purchase property. Is it a done deal? No. Could it go south? Yes. Could it happen? Absolutely.

I have been privileged to be a part of everything that has happened thus far and I can say without the least bit of hesitation that the Lord has been in it from the very beginning. Regardless of outcome, it is faith-building to see how the Lord can orchestrate things to happen that would not normally come to pass.

I wish I could share more with you at this time, but a confidentiality agreement we signed prevents me from doing so. Of course, by the time we meet and vote on the issue, we will be able to disclose everything we know up to the moment of the congregational meeting.

It seems somewhat surreal to be standing at the precipice of property acquisition after almost ten years of being at Rio Hondo Community College. It has been a wonderful decade and the people at RHCC have been fantastic. On the one hand, we may be gone before the year is over or we may be around a bit longer. Only the Lord knows for sure.

However, I thought it would be prudent for me to inform you that there is a distinct possibility that we will enter into escrow by the end of month. Assuming that the deal stays together, we will be having a Congregational Meeting on Sunday, April 29, 2007 in Campus Inn right after the end of the 11:00 AM Worship Service.

As we look into the potential future, I am reminded of the words of the Lord to Joshua as they were about to enter the Promise Land. Three times in the first chapter of Joshua, God says “Be strong and courageous…”

The first time, God focuses Joshua on His promise of providing land. The second time, God exhorts His people to stand true to His Word for no victory can come apart from obedience to the Word of God. And finally, God says “Be strong and courageous…” knowing that the Lord God is with them.

Regardless of what transpires in the days to come, we can remain “strong and courageous” because God has a property plan for us. Our responsibility is to remains faithful to His Word and live as though God is with us.

How disappointed will I be if this venture falls through and we cannot possess the land? Let me answer in this way. I know that the Lord has a plan for us. As long as we abide in Him and His Word, He is faithful and I trust Him for whatever He has in store for us.

If you get this newsletter before this weekend, there will be a tour of the facilities on Saturday at 10:30 AM and on Sunday, at 2:00 PM (the times have changed slightly from what was announced on this past Sunday). We will also have informational meetings this Sunday, April 22 after both Worship Services.

Again, everything is contingent on the negotiations being completed to the satisfaction of all parties involved.

If you didn’t attend one of the previous meetings and aren’t aware of the site, please contact the office or another member of the church family.

Until then, continue to pray for the Lord’s mercy and goodness on this matter.

Blessings,
Pastor Cory, d.v.

Sometimes, a little boy or little girl has a dream that when they grow up they are going to change the world. Often times, it’s as a brave superhero or brilliant scientist. Although it very seldom happens, it’s a great little dream in the minds and hearts of great little dreamers.

According to a study in 2004, there were over one hundred books in print whose title included the phrase “That Changed the World.” The most recent was “Gunpowder: The History of the Explosive That Changed the World.”

Whereas gunpowder did influence world events, balance of power and how we kill one another, its lasting impact and depth of influence probably doesn’t deserve the title “That Changed the World”.

Some of the other titles that used the catch phrase are:
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
El Nino: The Weather Phenomenon That Changed the World
Model T Ford: The Car That Changed the World
The Pill: A Biography of the Drug That Changed the World
The Twist: The Story of the Song and Dance That Changed the World
Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World

Although I fully understand what they are trying to say in a hyperbolic way, fish, weather phenomena, cars, contraceptives, dance moves and colors probably do not justly deserve the description “That Changed the Word”.

There was one book on the list that did deserve the catch phrase – “The Weekend That Changed the World: The Mystery of Jerusalem’s Empty Tomb”. The book describes one of the two greatest events in the history of humanity…the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead (the other is the birth of Jesus).

We, as Christians, have the privilege of celebrating this event “That Changed the World” as part of our faith. In fact, the focal point of our hope and faith hinges on the validity of Easter. Paul wrote: “…and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is vain.” 1 Cor. 15:14

I believe that because of the importance of the Resurrection, the Lord has made enough evidence available to reach a logical verdict for the reality of the Resurrection.
Lee Strobel was formerly a legal editor for the Chicago Tribune. After extensive investigation of the resurrection of Jesus, Strobel wrote the following on November 8, 1981:
“I’ll admit it: I was ambushed by the amount and quality of the evidence that Jesus is the unique Son of God. As I sat at my desk that Sunday afternoon, I shook my head in amazement. I had seen defendants carted off to the death chamber on much less convincing proof! The cumulative facts and data pointed unmistakably toward a conclusion that I wasn’t entirely comfortable in reaching.”

On that Sunday afternoon, Lee Strobel moved from atheism to a follower of Christ.
Allow me to recommend three books to you on the subject – A Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell and Who Moved the Stone? by Frank Morison.

I hope you decide to read one or all three of them. Next Easter, I will be preaching my cyclic message on the subject.

Easter Blessings,
Pastor Cory, d.v.
d.v., deo volente: God willing

Over the past two Sundays, we have looked at the portion of the Sermon on the Mount, which deals with worry and anxiety.
Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
I shared that we should attempt to live one day at a time. We can plan ahead, we can prepare for the future, we can pray about tomorrow, but still live one day at a time.
One of my favorite verses is Lamentations 3:22-23, which says, “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness.”
I have always believed that the Lord gives us the grace and mercy necessary to live each day to its fullest. We cannot and should not try to solve tomorrow’s problems with today’s resources.
In other words, God apportions to us a measure of mercy for each day. It is sufficient for that day’s troubles and challenges. Often times, we use today’s mercies, which are new every morning, worrying about tomorrow’s challenges. Our fuel gauge hovers on empty and there’s still half of the day left to live. God can refuel us any time He wishes, but I believe that He wants us to grow in our use of His mercies for each day.
Also, when we worry about tomorrow’s problems, we tend to miss today’s blessings. Whenever we are distracted by problems, we miss the things that are going on around us.
The other day, I was enjoying Disneyland with one of my grandkids. A problem arose with her stroller. At that instant, a person from our church came up to us to say hello. I exchanged pleasantries, but missed an opportunity for added blessings of fellowship because I was distracted by (or worried about) the stroller problem.
One of my prayers for our church family is that we can reduce the level of worry and anxiety in our lives. That being the case, we can enjoy the life God has given to us better and we can serve Him with unabated joy and energy.
One more thing, when we realize His mercies each day, thus reducing our anxiety, we more fully realize His great faithfulness.
As one of the great hymns of the church echoes, “’Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!’ Morning by morning new mercies I see; all that I have needed Thy hand hath provided, ‘Great is Thy faithfulness,’ Lord, unto me!”

Grateful for His faithfulness,
Pastor Cory, d.v

You’ve probably heard that Anna Nicole Smith passed away. It’s hard not to miss since the news shows and tabloid programs are having a field day reporting on the events surrounding her death, her son’s recent death, the question of her daughter’s real father, her roller coaster weight problem, and her apparent addiction to drugs. It seems that our society was and is fascinated with this pop icon – comparing her even to Marilyn Monroe. She was both an object of sexual desire as well as a trashy B-list actress. People loved to hate her and love her at the same time. But amidst all of these stories about her life – there’s an underlying tragedy about her short life.
Part of this tragedy has to do with the futility of her never-ending court battles with the son of her late husband J. Howard Marshall. Marshall’s son, E. Pierce Marshall, and Ms. Smith had been fighting for years over the large estate that her late husband left her. Initially, he protested the millions of dollars that was left to her by the elder Marshall and won a decision to reverse the award. She decided to fight back and won back the amount – and then some. He appealed and soon they went back and forth until their dispute reached the United States Supreme Court. The Court turned it back to a lower court which sided in favor of Ms. Smith. On and on the threats and allegations continued for more than 10 years until sometime last year when E. Pierce Marshall passed away from an “aggressive infection”. Since then, nothing has been resolved and Ms. Smith passed away before she ever saw a penny from the case.
The pursuit of mammon ends with sad stories such as this and the feud between Ms. Smith and E. Pierce Marshall ought to make us think about the real “cost” of serving mammon. Is it worth the seemingly endless days spent in court? Traveling to court and paying attorney’s fees? Waiting for verdicts and the accompanying emotions of worry, anxiety, stress, bitterness, anger and a spirit of revenge? I suspect that these emotional repercussions led directly to the downfall of Marshall’s health and influenced Ms. Smith’s addiction to pain killers and other drugs. And the end result? – No one lived to see or enjoy a penny of the senior Marshall’s inheritance. The fight for mammon ended up with the attorneys profiting the most
But the tragedy of Anna Nicole Smith isn’t isolated to her. You and I probably know of friends and relatives who’ve suffered through similar kinds of disputes over mammon – leading to broken relationships, years of bitterness, un-forgiveness and unresolved anger. Money seems to have this effect on people and in the end we must ask ourselves whether it’s worth it. Jesus says it isn’t worth it and calls us to a better way. The call to serve God (Matt. 6:24), then, is simultaneously a call away from the devastating fallout of trying to serve mammon.
Pastor Jan

“…for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” The words of Jesus as found in Matthew 6:21

This past Sunday, we initiated a reading program for our church family at my request. Recently, I was able to purchase some copies of the Christian bestseller, The Treasure Principle, by Randy Alcorn.

I really enjoyed the book when I read it and thought that it would be a blessing for our entire church family to read it. So this past Lord’s day, we began circulating sixty copies of the book.

This is a portion of the insert we included in the book:

“We would like to try a reading program with this book. Here’s how it will work.
Step One: Get a book from the information table or from a friend in the church.
Step Two: Read the book within one week through at least page 100 (Please do not highlight the book since it will influence the next reader).
Step Three: Sign the book and date when you finished reading it.
Step Four: Pass the book on to another person in our church family or return it to the information table.

We purchased sixty books so it may take a while to circulate. The goal is to have everyone read it within one year.

I have one comment about the book. On pages 71-73, he advocates not leaving an inheritance for your children. I believe that the Bible teaches that we should whenever possible. If we do a good job of teaching our kids financial stewardship and have a solid will and trust in place, it should not be a problem.

So, Get it – Read it – Sign it – Pass it on.”

I shared on Sunday that a hundred pages of this book read like thirty pages of a regular size book. It will take most people under two hours to finishing reading it.

If we are to lay up treasures in heaven and not treasures upon earth, we need to know how to do so. This book will help give us some perspective on it.

In the book, Alcorn shares six Treasure Principle Keys, which, when applied can greatly alter the way we deal with material possession. For instance, Treasure Principle Key #3 is “Heaven, not earth, is my home”. This principle is based on Hebrews 11:16.

If we embrace and adopt this particular principle, it can vastly change our perspective on how we handle our material possessions. Anything we give to the Lord and on His behalf is an investment in our future home. And who doesn’t want to invest in homes, especially a heavenly one.

I hope you participate in this reading venture. Stop by the table and pick up a book when it is available or wait for a friend to pass it on to you.

In any event, may the Lord bless this reading adventure.

Blessings,
Pastor Cory, d.v.