Across The Nation
600 Children Attend Life Church Summerfest!
When we moved from Colorado to California, it did not take long for us to notice the difference in the two communities. We would soon discover that the ministries and programs that worked in Colorado would not necessarily be effective in our new city.
After launching our church plant, Life Church in Concord, we were ready to see how the Lord would lead us to reach out and serve the families in our new community.
We had many months of discussion on how we could offer a Vacation Bible School. Most models of VBS are structured for half days, usually from 9:00 a.m. to noon or for a few hours in the evening from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. We knew that neither of those models would meet the need in our community. Concord is a bedroom community in the Bay Area of Oakland and San Francisco. The most common scenario here is both parents working in order to afford the high cost of living, and for many their commute is at least two hours a day. We could not offer three hours of VBS in the morning because the parents could not pick up their children at noon. It would also be too frustrating to get children to the church by 6:00 p.m. after a long day; plus, that would take away from precious family time. Initially we found ourselves doing the only thing we could do . . . nothing.
This dilemma was always at the back of my mind as I contemplated a solution. One day as I was driving home from running countless errands, I approached another church on a corner. From a distance I could see a banner that read “Day Camp, Free for All.” At that moment I exclaimed to the Lord, “What a brilliant idea!” and was silently bummed that He had not revealed it to me first! But as I got closer to the banner, I found that my aging eyes had misread the sign. It actually read “Day Camp, Fun for All.” As I continued my way home the Lord opened my eyes and unfolded a plan for an outreach to bless the families in our area. We would host an all-day camp – for free!
In our area, full-time child care for a week during the summer can be quite expensive. If a family has more than one child, the costs really add up. So we knew the camp had to be all day and free to really make a difference for families. For this reason, we decided to run an all-day camp, which we would call Summerfest, for a full week from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Summerfest started out small but has expanded every year. Each day includes a chapel time with great speakers who weave in the gospel message in captivating and compelling ways. The kids also get to choose from a variety of fun and exciting electives in which to be involved. The electives give them the opportunity to customize their experience in a way they will love and won’t want to miss. We have 25 elective classes ranging from things such as cake boss (based on the television show), painting, sports, Hot Wheels, Boy Scouts, wacky science, and dance. The list goes on and on. Feature guests include community servants such as police officers and firemen, animal acts, jugglers, and local theater groups who perform for us. These make for a full, fun day! We call it VBS on steroids!
The passage the Lord challenged us with is John 21:5-6:
[Jesus] called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”
“No,” they replied.
Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
We are so thankful we followed the Lord and threw our net on the “other side of the boat.” This past summer our net was full of children, and the Lord helped us haul them in. We had 600 first through sixth graders and more than 150 volunteers with well over 100 decisions for Christ. We follow up by inviting families to the following Sunday service, and see God do a work in parents’ lives as well. It is powerful.
People often ask how we do this. I would say, “Don’t be afraid to try something new, something that has never been done before. Cast your nets on the other side of the boat and see God bring the increase!”
By Julie Nortune
Julie Nortune serves alongside her husband, Michael, lead pastor of Life Church in Concord, California, a church the couple planted in 2007. Julie also oversees Open Bible’s Pacific Region Women’s Network. The Nortunes have six children (including a set of quadruplets) and two sons-in-law. The Nortune “party of ten” is scattered throughout the States in Alabama, Oklahoma, Arizona, and California. Julie’s biggest joy is to see others become who God has created them to be.
Life “happened” to me when my first husband died. After walking through my own grief, the Lord allowed me to walk alongside many others who were also grieving. Doors continued to open in this area, and when the opportunity arose to serve with Marketplace Chaplains, I felt a confirmation from God that this was where He wanted me. I started as a chaplain shortly after applying, and two years later I was offered the job as Director of Operations for a new team formed in South Florida.
Marketplace Chaplains is a ministry that stands out from others due to how it was formed and its core reason for existing. It was formed by a former military chaplain, Lee Strickland, in 1984. After his experience of being served by chaplains in the military, Lee desired to provide a similar service for his community through this unique ministry. Marketplace Chaplains has teams made up of male and female chaplains who each assist in the care of the employees within companies throughout the United States and Canada. Relationships within these companies are built through routine chaplain visits that happen weekly, bimonthly, or monthly. These regular visits help the employees become comfortable with the chaplains so that when a crisis happens, they are more likely to call for help. Chaplains are available to the employees 24/7, assisting with bereavement, funerals, suicide prevention/support, and family crises.
Marketplace Chaplains has teams made up of male and female chaplains who each assist in the care of the employees within companies throughout the United States and Canada.
A few years back, a leader of one of the companies I serve called in a panic when one of his employees was sobbing, having discovered that her healthy, 40-year-old husband had died suddenly in his sleep. The leader asked me, “What do I do?” He had offered her condolences and covered her flight home to begin arrangements, but despite this, he shared that such a tragic situation made him feel helpless and weak. I reminded him that when we feel weak, the Lord promises to be our strength. I also let him know that in times of tragedy it is often not what we say but simply our presence that God uses. As I spoke, I realized that all I had walked through in my own grief had helped me support this leader through this huge trial.
There are challenges with being a Christian chaplain in spaces that recognize all faith traditions. I remember a particular moment when I was in training at the hospital when the program’s director insisted that the name of Jesus could not be used to close a prayer without the patient’s consent. I wrestled with this concept, even wondering if this limitation was God telling me not to serve in this type of ministry. Later that day, I was making my rounds on my assigned floor in the paralysis unit, which serves patients with injuries impacting their ability to walk. I entered a male patient’s room, greeting him with a simple, “Hello, sir, how are you?” In an extremely loud and animated voice, the patient responded, “There you go!” Assuming I wasn’t welcome, I responded, “I’m sorry, sir, I’m not sure I understand you. Did you want me to come back a different time?” To which he responded, “How can you leave now? You just brought the Holy Spirit in here!”
I was shocked; I knew that a greeting was all that I had spoken. I hadn’t offered prayer or said anything about God. This man hadn’t even seen my badge of chaplaincy when he made this statement. In this moment I saw the power of God’s presence in my life. I was able to see that when I support and serve patients or employees in secular spaces, Jesus goes with me whether I mention His name or not. God can and will use me in this role as a chaplain, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve Him in the marketplace.
I realized that all I had walked through in my own grief had helped me support this leader through this huge trial.
For those who sense a calling to serve as a chaplain or who simply want to learn more, Marketplace Chaplains is often looking for men and women who sense the call of God to impact their community outside of their church. Visit this website to search for jobs and learn more about this amazing way to transform lives: www.mchapcares.com
About the Author
Kwabea Francis
Kwabea Francis serves as Executive Director of Operations with Marketplace Chaplains and is an ordained Open Bible minister. Her heart is to share the love and purpose of God with those she ministers to as a chaplain, preacher, and teacher of the Word of God. She attends Living Word Open Bible Church in Cooper City, Florida. Kwabea earned her Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary and is a graduate of the University of Florida. She and her husband have five sons and three grandchildren.
On September 19-21, pastors from around the country gathered for the 2024 Open Bible National Hispanic Conference, held in Antioch, California. Attendees of the conference numbered close to one hundred and represented nineteen different Open Bible churches. Templo Santo Community Church was the hosting church for the conference, and our theme was “CHANGED: Transformed to Transform.” We were blessed with the presence of powerful speakers: President Michael Nortune, Dr. Nicholas Venditti, and Pastors John Mendez, Michael Zakarian, and Caleb Plummer.
The Church as a whole, the Open Bible denomination, and Hispanic Ministries are needed for such a time as this.
The conference started with a welcome dinner where pastors and leaders were able to reconnect with old friends and connect with new friends who were first-time attenders. We had a powerful night of worship during which President Nortune spoke a prophetic word about entering a new season. God has opened a wide door for Open Bible, and new opportunities are on the horizon for our ministries.
Throughout the following days, we heard challenging messages on embracing our vision (Dr. Venditti), navigating culturing changes (Pastor Mendez), loving and embracing the next generation (Pastors Zakarian and Plummer), and depending on the presence of God (President Nortune). In addition to these incredible sessions, we had the opportunity to explore the beautiful city of San Francisco and the surrounding areas.
In our closing session, Pastor Mendez encouraged us that we were chosen for this time in history. The Church as a whole, the Open Bible denomination, and Hispanic Ministries are needed for such a time as this.
As we concluded with a time for more fellowship, here are a few of the things we heard people saying:
“This conference exceeded my expectations.”
“I felt the love and unity within the Hispanic Ministries.”
“The messages were relevant for our time.”
“Best conference ever!”
We look forward to what God has in store for Open Bible’s Hispanic Ministries. We believe that a door has been opened for our dream to come to life – having a Hispanic ministry in every state in this nation.
About the Author
Jorge Navarrete
Jorge Navarrete was appointed as the senior pastor of Templo Santo Community Church in May 2002. Prior to that, he served as youth pastor, Sunday school teacher, member of the Board of Elders, and as church administrator for Templo Santo. In May 2017, Jorge was appointed to serve in his current role as Director of the Hispanic Ministries for the West Sector. Pastor Navarrete also works for the Supreme Court of California as the Clerk/Executive Officer. He has served in this role since 2016.
There are over 10,000 homeless citizens in Lee County, Florida, but thanks to a creative nonprofit idea and a fully sponsored shower trailer, Open Bible Community Church (OBCC) has found a unique way to serve them.
Located in North Fort Myers, OBCC is pastored by Joe and Pat VanEst. When Hurricane Ian hit their county in 2022 and homelessness exploded, pastors Joe and Pat responded by founding “Hope Ambassadors,” a nonprofit designed to empower individuals through disaster relief and ongoing rehabilitative efforts.
Beginning by providing food and hygiene kits to homeless communities, the team soon realized there was a need for showering facilities. Through a string of miracles and one philanthropic donor, a shower trailer was purchased, and Hope Ambassadors now owns the only shower trailer in Southwest Florida. Housing two rooms and ten total shower units, the trailer visits two homeless communities twice a week and has already provided nearly 500 showers to families in need.
“This has totally changed the thinking of our church,” says Pastor Joe VanEst. “We are building relationships with these folks, and it’s only a matter of time until we can share Jesus with them.” Already, the church has seen growth from visitors who have come to church after using the shower trailer.
Hope Ambassadors is quickly building relationships with other local nonprofits that provide services like haircuts, food, and clothing. Future dreams include creating a commercial kitchen that would create nutritious, freeze-dried meals for hungry families. Hope Ambassadors’ mission statement is “To heal communities in the spirit of unity,” and thanks to God’s grace and provision, they are well on their way.
“This has totally changed the thinking of our church”
