April 2010
C3 Report: Volume 3 Issue IV (April 2010)
Contents:
- April C3 Lunch Meetings
- Activities or Actions Worth Pursuing (Selected)
- “How Committed Are We?” Good News Etc. Article for April
- Ministry Tip for April
- General Interest: Book Read In March
- Information – Assistance Offer
- Contact information
April C3 Lunch Meetings:
- 27th of April (Tuesday) - Escondido: Marie Callenders; 615 West 13th Avenue - Lunch from 11:30 to 1:00 (Library Room)
- 29th of April (Thursday) - San Diego: Marie Callenders; 6950 Alvarado Road - Lunch from 11:30 to 1:00 (Library Room)
Activities or Actions Worth Pursuing (Selected)
“CPEDG” Invite. I’ve been conducting a small “Cultural and Political Engagement Discussion Group” at Grace Bible Church since February. It typically consists of a short lesson (with handouts), guided discussion on related topics from a Biblical Worldview perspective, and challenges to take action. It meets the 1st & 3rd Saturdays at 0900 am, and the 2nd & 4th Sundays at 12:15 pm. If you’d like to attend, contact me (frankkacer@hotmail.com) for info
Mr. Tatsuo Akamine Street Evangelism: Tatsuo conducts open air street preaching/evangelism every Wednesday at the Escondido DMV at 8:30 a.m. If you have a heart to watch, learn, participate or pray with Tatsuo, contact him at 310.738.5970
Local Tea Parties: For East County Tea Party time and place, go to http://www.eastcountyteaparty.org. For Ramona Tea’d time, place and topics go to http://www.ramonatead.com/
14 April: Tax Freedom Day for Californians. How long Californians must work to earn enough money to pay this year’s tax obligations at the federal, state and local levels (National TFD is 9 April). For specifics go to http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxfreedomday
15 April: “Day of Truth” at School. Alliance Defense Fund and Exodus International provide materials to affirm every student’s constitutional right to free speech and to provide an opportunity to have an honest conversation about sexuality – in particular homosexuality. For info: http://dayoftruth.org/
20-21 April; 20-21 July; 21-22 September. WallBuilders Congressional Pastors’ Briefings in Washington D.C. For information go to: http://wallbuilders.com/PBOverview.asp
24 April: Alternatives Womens Center (Escondido Pregnancy Resource Center
April and Following: San Diego “Season of Service” & “CityFest” with Luis Palau. Projects assisting local communities with homelessness, hunger, schools, military, and youth. Festival Sept 11-12. For info go to: www.sandiegocityfest.com.
6 May: National Day of Prayer. For events in the San Diego
14-15 May: California Eagle Forum Convention (San Diego Town and Country Hotel Convention Center). Featuring Phyllis Schlafly and U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann, as well as many other prominent names. Go to http://www.caeagleforumconvention.eventbrite.com to register or contact “Woody” Woodrum (woodyfor53@yahoo.com) for information.
Now: Register to Vote. Last day to register to vote in the 8 June Primary is 15 days prior to the election. Register if you moved, changed names, or changed political party affiliation. For info go to: http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/voters/Eng/
Now: “Perry v. Schwarzenegger” trial challenging Prop 8. Continue to pray for a just ruling, and consider donating to support the Prop 8 legal defense team by going to: www.protectmarriage.com
Now: California
My Recent Good News Etc. Article (April):
“How Committed Are We?”
Over the years I’ve called many to task for not being engaged in the cultural battles, and in particular the political realm that’s failed us at virtually every level of government. I’ve shown a particular concern over pastoral leadership more concerned about church growth and not offending than openly proclaiming righteousness and equipping their flocks to influence our society – whether our neighborhood, cities, state, nation, or beyond. In some sense, the opposite has occurred. Instead of us being the salty antiseptic and preservative we’re called to be for the common good – the rotting culture has invaded our personal lives, families, and even our worship. Instead of being thoroughly equipped to share God’s truths and light, in many ways we’ve settled for a designer faith suited to our individual, compromised tastes. Instead of fulfilling our mandate to love our neighbor, the government and a myriad number of secular organizations have co-opted our role, seeing our Christian witness as irrelevant to the decay around us. Are there exceptions – of course there are. But far too few compared to the number that claim the name of Christ. In some sense, the culture is a reflection of us. As our community of faith has become compromised (drug abuse, divorce, abortion, immorality, etc.) the society has just taken it further with no accountability.
Where has this slide into a weak, unengaged Christendom brought us? The recent battle over passage of Health Care legislation shows how unrestrained and out of touch our government has become. We share responsibility for this through a long term pattern of apathy and inward, not outward focus. This fiasco has shown the incredible power and arrogance of politicians unmoved by any understanding of the need for limited government, the baseness of man’s nature, and the destructiveness of fiscal irresponsibility. The impact of total government control of health on the sanctify of life, and the treatment of the elderly and the frail will be devastating as it takes over life and death decisions from conception to death, and removes any allowance for conscience by health practitioners and distributors. The cascade of legislation we can now expect will be dizzying: amnesty of illegal aliens, overturning of the federal DOMA; silencing of conservative talk radio; direct confrontation of Biblical preaching as hate speech; and on and on.
If the “Christian” community doesn’t wake up, if it thinks government will leave it alone; if it just wants to be comfortable while virtually all major media, entertainment and government power is being arrayed against it – then the time will come, rather quickly, that it will be forced to face persecution unseen in our nation’s history. As this begins to happen, how committed will you be? How much have you weighed the cost, thought through whether you’ll hide or take up your cross each day and fight for righteousness and the glory of God. Like it or not, recognize it or not, we are in a war for life itself. Our generation has seen the tipping point and it will only get worse if we ignore the warning signs. Bear in mind, the rest of this year is crucial in many ways. Christians as well as non-Christians are finally upset with the failure of government to show any restraint. Primaries and mid-term elections in the fall can send a powerful message that enough is enough. I’ll ask again, how committed are we? Are we willing to do everything we can to elect those that represent our values? Are we willing to remove from government those with an ideological blindness trying to create an environment corrosive to the gospel and our fulfilling our cultural mandate? Are we willing to research candidates, encourage good ones, walk precincts, fund campaigns, call friends and neighbors and encourage them to become actively involved? Are we willing to tithe our time, talents, treasures and prayers to turn the tide in removing elitists and replacing them with men and women that respect and support our values, our freedoms and our faith? If the last year has not brought you to the point of doing something, what will? If not this year, when?
Ministry Tip for April:
Try to Fit in. Quite often church leadership has difficulty allowing a Christian Citizenship (or Salt & Light) table to be set up every Sunday if the practice has not been to highlight ministries on a routine basis. If this is your situation, start out by working with your leadership to place a table just for voter registration several times before each election (Primaries in June, and General elections in November). Another approach is to encourage your leadership to place (or rotate) current ministries in prominent places on Sunday for them to gain visibility, then ask that a citizenship ministry be added to the rotation. Be sure, however, that whatever is placed out for members to see has your pastor’s approval first.
General Interest - Book Read In March:
“101 Frequently Asked Questions About Homosexuality”: by Mike Haley (2004) (206 pages). Great introductory book on issues surrounding the causes and approaches to helping those trapped in homosexuality. Haley (formerly gay) also provides excellent perspectives on many related issues, as well as good reference material and organizations one can turn to. Although homosexuality was never condoned, and was always addressed as sin, I found much more stress on understanding the causes and influences than the ways to help one be brought to saving faith through acknowledgement and conviction of one’s own sin and desperate need for a Savior.
Information – Assistance Offer:
Do you have a pastor or ministry leader that’s receptive to establishing a Christian Citizenship (or Salt & Light) Ministry in a legal, Christ-honoring, Biblically balanced way? I’d love to take them to lunch to discuss how to go about it in a reasonable way.
Contact Information:
Frank Kacer
Executive Director of the Christian Citizenship Council (C3) of San Diego
C3 is a 501(c)3 organization, serving the Christian community since 2004
As always, if you wish to be taken off the distribution list, just let me know.
C3 Vision Statement
“The Christian Citizenship Council of San Diego
(Matt 5:13-16; 16:18; 22:39; Jer 29:7)
“When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan”
(Prov 29:2)
posted by Frank @ April 13, 2010
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