September 01st, 2019

Fall is a busy season!  We invite you to participate in activities at the Evangelical Free Church of Yucca Valley where we encourage a multi-generational community of followers of Jesus Christ. There is something for everyone.

From the Pastor’s Desk
What constitutes a healthy church? I wrote a little bit about this last month as we looked at the importance of humility. Humility contributes to strong relationships and strong relationships promote church health. But when we think of a healthy church, subconsciously we start playing the numbers game: how many attended the weekend service, are the finances strong, is the church offering a broad range of ministries, and so forth?
 
But I came across an article recently that immediately caught my attention, its title, 28 Non-Numerical Signs Of A Healthy Church, by Karl Vaters. In talking about the 28 “signs”, Vaters makes this observation, “While all of them are good, and many are essential, you’d be hard-pressed to find even a great, healthy church that’s doing all of them well.” He goes on to say use the list as an encouragement, not a source of intimidation.
 
Three of them at the end of the list stood out to me. First, #26, people pray – a lot. If we want God’s blessing, God’s power, God’s direction in our ministry, we must ask Him – sincerely and regularly. And that doesn’t just mean the ‘faithful few’, that means everyone is going before the throne of grace as a regular part of their life and ministry. The most obvious common denominator of the many Spirit-led revivals throughout church history is that God’s people prayed earnestly and often. I believe God wants to do a mighty work through His church here. But He loves to work in answer to prayer. In that way, He gets the glory instead of us.
 
Second, #27, failure isn’t fatal. We’re not perfect. And apparently healthy churches recognize that. So, when a ministry fails to ‘succeed’, the elder board doesn’t put on sack cloth and ashes and call for a moratorium on all future ministry activity. I am reminded of the Apostle Peter here. He messed up after he got out of the boat (Mt 14:28-32); he tried to correct Jesus (Mt 16:21-23); he denied his Lord three times (Lk 22:31-34). And yet God used him mightily to build His Church! Failure is not fatal, but quitting can be. When we fail it is for us to press on and keep trusting the Lord (Gal 6:9). So, don’t beat yourself up and most assuredly don’t beat up others for ministry setbacks. Remember, failure isn’t fatal!
 
Third, #28, people are more excited about the future than the past. So much for the good old days. Jesus called us to abide in Him and when we do, He will bear much fruit through us. While that was true in the past, it is true right here and right now. The Holy Spirit is at work in our midst and I want us to stay on board with what He is doing right now, not what He did earlier. This is not a repudiation of what He has done here previously; it is an affirmation that His work is continuing. And He desires people to come to know Him today every bit as much as when He led them to Jesus fifty-nine years ago when this church began. So yes, the world’s a mess. But a big part of the Good News, He hasn’t called us to fix it, He’s called us to rescue the lost.
 
We exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ. And when we’re doing that, our congregation will look like the community around us, a multigenerational community of Jesus followers. Let’s look to the health of our church as we roll into another school year.
Yours for making disciples of every nation,
Pastor Bill
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 ​We invite you to  worship with us at the Evangelical Free Church of Yucca Valley where we encourage a multi-generational community of followers of Jesus Christ. There is something for everyone!

SUNDAY
9 am             
Adult Sunday School  
10 am           
Join us for fellowship, coffee and snacks !
10:30 am    
Worship Service 10:30 am
TUESDAY
​6-7:15 (starting September 17th) Ladies' Bible Study
WEDNESDAY
6:30 pm
Adult Sermon Discussion and Bible Study 
6:30 - 8 pm
Kids Quest and 
Youth Group  
SECOND SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH
Men's Breakfast and Bible Study 7:30 am
Ladies Fellowship Brunch 10 am-noon

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See weekly bulletin
 
For additional information call the church office:
​Mon-Thurs, 10 am - 2 pm -  760 228-1747