Brother Jim Garrido

Brother Jim Garrido of the Gideons, who has been in most of your churches and has been a friend to pastors in our area went home to be with Jesus at about 3:00 A.M. Friday morning. Pray for his wife Carol and his family, for the Gideons, and for his home church, Grace Church of the Nazarene.

Jim was a one of a kind. His trunk was always full of Bibles. He was ready to take them anywhere at a moment's notice. Often single-handedly he kept hotels and institutions supplied. He was a prolific story-teller who never ran out of fresh tales. He was a reader and lover of people and a deeply devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

On Thursday mornings in my office and on Saturday mornings with the Gideons, Brother Jim would always be found praying for you, the pastors of this city. Without you ever knowing it, you had no more faithful prayer warrior than Jim Garrido.

Jim was active in ministry up until last Friday when he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage.

All of us who knew him will miss him.

- Tom Sims

News from Mid-Valley Southern Baptist Association

Mid-Valley Southern Baptist Association News and Notes June 26, 2008 Pastor's Fellowship Breakfast Tuesday mornings, 8:00 - 9:30 am, Country Waffles, Dakota/Blackstone. Promise Keepers - Manhood '08 Woodward Park Baptist Church has extra tickets for $65 each. Call the church office at 298-7087. Church News... Are you planning to purchase fireworks to celebrate July 4th? If so please visit one of the following locations hosted by Mid-Valley churches: Crosspoint Church Booth location:2518 N. Cedar Ave (across from McLane High School) Dates: June 28th - July 2 (1 pm - 10 pm) July 4 (10 am - 12 midnight w/free snow cones!) July 5 (1 pm - 5 pm) Benefits: Students attending 2008 Tsunami State Youth Conference First So. Baptist Church Sanger Booth location: Jensen & Academy in Sanger Dates: June 28-July 4 Benefits: FSBC Sanger Youth Group Woodward Park Baptist Church Booth location: Herndon & Blythe on Spaatz (near Northpointe Church) Dates: June 29 - July 4 Benefits: WPBC Youth Ministry Fellowship of Christian Atheletes Booth location: NE corner of Chestnut & Butler (Vallarta Market shopping center across from Seminary @ Fresno Pacific) Dates: June 29 - July 4 Benefits: Fellowship of Christian Atheletes Cornelia Avenue Southern Baptist Booth location: on church property at SW corner of Cornelia and Clinton Aves Benefits: Youth Group and AWANA Ministries Copper Springs Church Clovis Booth location: on church property at 1363 Fifth St, Clovis (Fifth/Sunnyside) Church News..... Vacation Bible School.......Several Mid-Valley churches have been busy this past week with VBS: FSB Selma, FSB Hanford, Copper Springs, NewLife, Trinity SB. We will try to get pictires posted next week. Woodward Park Baptist Church is conducting Rock Your World, a week long ministry to children and their families. They started out with 250 children. Look here for pictures. News from Pastor Moises Cabrera of Iglesia Bautista Central: Nueva Iglesia en Corcarán Estamos orando para iniciar una nueva iglesia bautista hispana en Corcoran, estamos haciendo todos los ajustes y planes para iniciar el día primero de julio, 2008. Se ha llamado al hno. Jorge Cortez como pastor de la nueva congregación. El hno. Cortez es ciudadano Salvadoreño, residente en los Estados Unidos desde hace 8 años. Hoy vive en Arizona, donde pastorea. Hermanos sigamos orando para que todo marche bien y pronto llegue a California a plantar la nueva congregación. Pastor Marvin Davis of Grace Community Baptist Church Fresno has posted over 30 sermons on YouTube. You can check out the latest sermon here. Upcoming Events ESL Training: Grace Community Church in Madera will be hosting Evangelistic ESL Ministry training September 4-6. The training is open to anyone interested in starting an ESL ministry at their local church. Monta Jo Erickson, California Literacy Missions Coordinator, will be training us using TELL the Good News (Teach English Language Learners). For more information please contact Mark Lacaze at 674-1172. Dates/times: Thrusday, Sept 4, 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm Friday, Sept 5, 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm Saturday, Sept 6, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm Mid-Valley Association Golf Tournament September 6, 2008, 8:00 am Fresno West Golf Course (7 miles west of Kerman on Hwy 180) Create your own foursome $40/person includes cart, 18 holes of golf, pre-golf menudo, lunch, prizes Register your foursome by August 25. Send a check to MVSBA along with the names of the players. Mail to Mid-Valley Association, 825 W. Ashlan Avenue, Ste 101, Clovis 93612. Tournament Director: Alan Hix, 441-3690. Disaster Relief help needed The Disaster Relief assessment team has been to the Santa Cruz area checking on properties destroyed by recent fires. They currently have 7 requests for clean-up and are expecting more requests. The need trained disaster relief workers as well as un-trained volunteers. Please contact Renee McKinley at c-r.mckinley@sbcglobal.net and let her know if and when you can help and if you are trained or untrained in disaster relief. Un-trained volunteers will be provided on-site training. This is a good opportunity for us to show our Christian love by helping people in the Central Coast Association. Clovis World Changers 275 students from across America are in Clovis this week to communicate the love of Christ by refurbishing 27 homes. Mid-Valley churches and other sister evangelical churches have adopted work crews and are providing lunches for them daily. The California Baptist Foundation has also adopted two work crews. Dave MacNiell of Clovis Hills is directing this largest-ever effort. Terry Maldonado, also of Clovis Hills, and Bill Jones of FSBC Sanger, are the Mid-Valley Association coordinators. All are invited to the closing celebration tomorrow night at 7:30 pm which will be held at Clovis North High School. Pictures here.

Email Marketing by Mid-Valley Southern Baptist Association 825 W. Ashlan Avenue, Ste. 101 Clovis CA 93612

Update from Ron Prentice of Protect Marriage

Starting Monday at 5:01 pm, several California counties began issuing same-sex “marriage” certificates. This follows the order of the four Supreme Court judges striking down Proposition 22, which the voters overwhelming approved just a few years ago to reaffirm marriage as only between a man and a woman.

Yet, this debate is not over. Thankfully, the Protection of Marriage Amendment will appear on this November’s ballot. The campaign of the next few months will be our opportunity to remind Californians why the unique role of traditional marriage in society is worth protecting.

The major media would love to see us engage in fierce protests and hostile demonstrations of outrage against the licensing of same-sex “marriages”. Of course they will take any opportunity they can find to portray us as unreasonable. We must not fall into this trap.

So let us keep in mind: Our battle is not against the same-sex couples who are pursuing the opportunity to “marry” granted them by the activist judges on the California Supreme Court. Our battle is against the flawed reasoning of the court’s decision; our purpose is to reaffirm the traditional definition of marriage. Marriage is at the core of family security and is an essential element in our society. The Supreme Court has effectively rendered marriage meaningless at a time when we should be taking steps to strengthen families.

Fortunately, the Protection of Marriage Amendment will give voters the final say in this debate. We are confident that voters will reaffirm the traditional definition of marriage, just as they overwhelmingly did in 2000, and overturn the court’s flawed decision.

To succeed, however, we must raise the funds needed to launch an organized grassroots campaign and purchase statewide TV and radio advertisements urging a “yes” vote on the Marriage Amendment. Please mail a check or donate online today to support our campaign for marriage.

Thank you,

Ron Prentice, Chairman
ProtectMarriage.com

P.S. Please help us reach even more supporters like you… please forward this email to at least 5 friends or family members who can join this important battle to save traditional marriage. Thank you.

Mid-Valley Update 6/12

Mid-Valley Southern Baptist Association News and Notes June 12, 2008 Pastor's Fellowship Breakfast Tuesday mornings, 8:00 - 9:30 am, Country Waffles, Dakota/Blackstone. Church News... Iglesia Bautista Central de Riverdale celebrated their first anniversary last Sunday with a celebration service and concert by Rabito. Alci Rengifo is pastor of Iglesia Bautista. Pastor Ernie Sanchez of Annadale Baptist Church Sanger is celebrating 12 years of ministry at Annadale plus 52 years of marriage this month. Congratulations! Ashley Duke, daughter of Pastor Mike & Sandy Duke, FBC Firebaugh, was able to come home from the hospital last Sunday. She was to have more tests this week to determine diagnosis and possible treatment. Thank you for your continued prayers. There was a joyous celebration Saturday, April 19, at the opening of the new Slavic Baptist Church of Open Doors in Fresno as they begin their ministry in a new location, Sierra Heights Baptist Church. The first church service was held in September 2007 at CBF office but the congregation quickly outgrew the space. Salvic Baptist Church was started with the joint efforts of CSBC and Pacific Slavic Baptist Assoc. Ivan Mileyev is pastor of Salvic Baptist Church of Open Doors. Is your church hosting a fireworks stand? Is so, please give us your church name, stand location, dates, and what group will benefit from the proceeds. We will be glad to "get the word out" for you. Mid-Valley Children's Summer Camp "The best way to see five kids get baptized is to scholarship five kids to camp." Pastor Tom Sims Date: Monday, July 7, 4pm - Friday, July 11, 10am Cost: $180/camper Track I: 3rd, 4th, 5th graders Track II: 6th, 7th, 8th graders Please turn in all registration & signed camp forms to the Mid-Valley office by Thrusday, June 19! Look here for registration forms. Call 297-5550 if you have any questions. Missions Feeding Those Who Feed Us Four Mid-Valley churches came together to conduct a VBS at the Parlier Migrant Center. Frank Sanchez coordinated this mission effort. See pictures here. Our Summer Missionaries, Andrew and Hannah, have spent their first week working with Frank Sanchez, Oscar Sanchez and FSB Reedley at the Parlier Migrant Center. Annadale Baptist Church of Sanger is one of the many MV churches using Vacation Bible School to effectively share Jesus Christ with children and families this summer. Ernie Sanchez is the pastor. World Changers, the short-term-mission arm of the North American Mission Board is returning to Clovis June 22-27. Nearly 300 high school aged boys and girls from five western states will present Christ to twenty-seven homeowners by rolling up their sleeves and providing cost-free labor for some major home repairs. We need local churches to come alongside this ministry by providing on-site lunches to one or more work crews for that week. If you can help, please contact or Bill Jones at kd7s@verizon.net Leadership Resource Clovis Hills Community Church is hosting the Leadership Summit this year. In addition to the On Target conference in February, this is one of the top leadership development events for church leaders in California. August 7-8, 2008 - Thursday-Friday. Pastors and church leaders will benefit from the messages, leadership ideas, and connecting with hundreds of other leaders from throughout the area. Promise Keepers - Manhood '08 The goal of this Promise Keepers is to "equip men to get a handle on their life and mission, amidst a shifting culture that is sometimes outright hostile." June 27-28, 2008 at the Savemart Center in Fresno. This event can help men's groups get started or jump started. Men Needed: Ron Climer is coordinating an effort to take 68 incarcerated youth to PK. His goal is that each youth would have a mentor to connect with at PK. Call Carol at 292-5449 if you or your men's group can help.

Email Marketing by Mid-Valley Southern Baptist Association 825 W. Ashlan Avenue, Ste. 101 Clovis CA 93612

New Pastor's Website, PK, and Pray Fresno Clovis

There is a new community web site for pastors in our area: ( http://fresnoclovispastors.com ). We can receive news and post news there. It will be the main vehicle for dissemination of vital information to cluster leaders and then to their cluster members.

The recent Pray Fresno Clovis event was such a blessings. Thanks to all who participated.

I (Tom Sims) have a site up for my, and Feeding Those Who Feed Us cluster group (http://feedthevalley.com ) . Pray for Frank Sanchez and me as we lead the work in this area.


Don't forget the Promise Keeper's Pastor's conference at Cornerstone on Tuesday. Take a lay leader, pay the $10 registration for each of you, and receive two tickets to the main Promise Keeper's event June 27-28. Go to http://www.promisekeepers.org/conferences/pastor-conference to register for the pastor's conference.