​​From ministering to shopkeepers to hearing Paul’s brave and dangerous journey to share the gospel, Christ Community Church’s Vacation Bible School had an immense impact on the children and leaders alike. While VBS does exist to provide a fun and wholesome experience for children, the greater purpose is to ignite a genuine love and desire for Jesus in the hearts of all who participate.  
 
Check out a few points of impact from this summer’s VBS:
 
“This was such an incredible VBS to be a part of. I loved how engaged the group leaders were, pastoring kids so well. … My favorite part was how so many of the kids are really getting the Gospel message and aren’t afraid to share it!
Even more so—I saw kids living out the gospel as they were helping one another and being kind to each other.”
– Anja Staten
 
“I’m amazed and blessed to say that I am a part of this VBS group. One of the children in my group told me that ‘
This is the best VBS ever. My favorite part is getting to meet Paul and see what new things he’ll tell us about each day.’”
– Valerie Faircloth
 
“Being onstage gave me the wonderful chance to hear the kiddos sing. All of their voices came together, and it is so awesome hearing them sing and pray.” – Anna Webb
 
“A beautiful moment that was captured was when one of my children while petting the animals outside got to teach the farm keeper how to pray.” – Gabe Feder
 
“One night I actually had a young girl walk me through the ‘sinner’s prayer.’ She was about 6 or 7-years-old, and she told me how easy it was to ask Jesus into my heart.” – Christal Gavin
 
“The kids in my group shared so openly and passionately with each other! A memorable moment was at the closing Oikos time when we were holding hands to end our time with prayer and one of the kids volunteered to pray!”
​– Kristin Roberts
 
“There was a little girl in my group who was significantly younger than most of the others. The older kids really made sure that they looked out for the little ones, and it was amazing to see how they showed each other how to care for others as God cares for us. The little girl was mesmerized by worship one night. I asked her if she needed to stand on a chair to see, and she looked up with big, glossy eyes, amazed by the Holy Spirit moving during worship. When her dad came to pick her up, he asked her what her favorite part was, and she said that she was so excited about the music and dancing.” – Gabe Feder
 
“The kids in our group were absolutely amazing. They loved to share about God and what He has done for them. I am so blessed to be a part of their lives!” – Marie Wright
 
“The kids in my group were absolutely incredible, and they actively shared the Gospel and reference scripture. They remembered that ‘God is slow to anger,’ and they told a shopkeeper (who was pretending to worship Zeus) that she should worship Jesus. I can tell that the Gospel is really making sense to these kids, and now they’re sharing their faith with others!” – Meghan Gross

Share your VBS experience with us in the comments, and check out some fun photos from VBS week here! 

Were you spotted at our 2019 spring picnic? Check out the photos below! 

Briefly describe your journey to becoming missionaries in Washington.
​Our journey to Washington began last summer when we went to visit our son, Samuel, at Trinity Aviation Academy. We fell in love with the school, its purpose, and the people there. It was odd, but we felt at home. At first, we did not understand that feeling.  As we talked with the director and his wife, we learned that he was doing the jobs of several people and was overwhelmed. Near the end of our visit, he asked me (Dan) if I would consider taking over as the administrator of the school so that he could focus on his job as mechanic instructor. I wanted to say “yes,” but I knew that I needed to take time to listen to God to be sure it was His will.  After fasting and prayer, I talked to Jeanie and the kids. We were all in. We decided to sell everything and go!    
 
In what ways will you obtain funding for your outreach?
All of the positions at Trinity are non-paying. We will rely on my retirement pay as well as gifts and/or monthly support from others.
 
Describe your work with Trinity Aviation School in Eatonville, Washington. 
We will be in charge of all the administrative aspects of the school.  Our responsibilities will include supervising the students and staff, maintaining FAA records and submitting reports, bookkeeping, grounds and general maintenance.  We’ll also maintain the school website, social media outlets, and be responsible for all correspondence.  
 
What is currently your biggest challenge?
Selling our property and our petting farm business is our biggest challenge.
 
How do you see God at work through the aviation school?    
God is raising up Godly men and women who will not only take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, but also provide much needed humanitarian aid as well.  The students will not only be trained to fly, but also equipped to repair their planes since finding aviation mechanics in many places is almost impossible.  
 
What is a fun fact about your work in Washington?
We get to live at the airport!  Our house faces the hangar and runway.  How cool is that?!
 
How can we specifically pray for you? 

• We ask for wisdom to lead the school according to God’s purpose. 
• We would ask for God’s favor in acclimating to a new culture and climate. 

 

Karla has been a member of Christ Community Church since its early days in 2001. Known for her enthusiastic love for the Lord and her evangelistic gifts, when Karla was asked to teach a Yoga class in 2017, she knew that she could use it as an evangelism and discipling tool. 

How long have you been enjoying Yoga? Since 2015.
 
How did the idea of having Yoga classes at CCC come about?   
Someone from the 6:30 a.m. prayer gathering asked me if I would teach her some yoga in 2017.  We started practicing together after the prayer meetings. People saw us and joined, and it slowly grew from there. Last fall, Anja asked if I would do it for LifeSchool. Now we have a nice little core of regulars.
 
Has the participation exceeded your expectations?   
Yes.  In December and January over the holiday break, we regularly had about 20 people.  There were college students, youth group kids, and men and women of all ages. It was a really fun cross-section of our church. 
Today, it is about 6-12 people.
 
What do you enjoy about serving in this capacity?
I love to see people start to notice that they are stronger. I really enjoy watching someone grow in confidence, and I love to see friendships start to develop among people who come regularly. We have some people who come mostly for the fellowship.
 
I also love the chance to pray and share scriptures.  I take a long walk and pray before each class. He always gives me something to share!
 
What are some of your favorite moments from serving in Yoga? 
I love when we laugh together. Someone complains about a certain stretch or pose... a little groaning and complaining is kind of funny. But everyone has learned that it only encourages me to make it a little harder!  I love to see people get strong!
 
I love when non-Christians come for the free yoga.  Angie Hollis is quite a natural evangelist, and people from her gym are always showing up saying Angie sent them! There are several who have expressed an interest in Jesus just from their time at Yoga. 
 
We banded together to give rides to one woman and her children.  Last week, we all rejoiced when she got her driver’s license. We will rejoice together again when she gets the job she needs and for which she hopes! 
 
There is a woman from another church who comes a half hour early to be around the worship music and other believers.
 
But my very favorite thing is when we all spontaneously begin to worship and sing quietly as we move or stretch.   
​It is sweetly worshipful.
 
 
What would you tell someone who is wondering if they should get involved as a volunteer at CCC?
If there is something that you love doing or that has helped you; somewhere that you feel the Lord meets you-- consider sharing it!  I think of the scene in Chariots of Fire when the runner said, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure!” We can share those things with other people.  I am not really that good at yoga. It certainly isn’t classic traditional yoga. It’s good enough to help people move, though. And people start to feel the pleasure that I have in Jesus as I move and encourage them. 

I don’t need to be more than just a willing person who loves Jesus. That’s enough. That’s plenty! We can share that if we have it.

At Christ Community Church, we are family!

Every fifth Sunday, Christ Community Church celebrates Family Sunday, a time where children are invited to join the church body in corporate worship. CCC believes that our children need to understand that they worship the same God as the adults and that their relationship with Him is just as important.

​Additionally, we like to incorporate fun ways to get the kids engaged with worship and the message, so we celebrated with a photo booth, video, keepsakes and more. Plus, Pursuit students led worship, and Pastor Derrick led us in an interactive lesson on "The Most Important Rule." 

​Take a look to see if your family was spotted! 

Christ Community Church kicked off the Christmas season with food, fun and fellowship last night after the Kingdom Kids' Christmas Musical, The Bethlehem Project. (Footage from the musical can be found here.) 

"When you wear your pajamas, you're usually with your family," one pastor said. "We are family here." 

The Christ Community Church family certainly had a great time together. 
Check out the photos below to see if you and your family were spotted at Pancakes & Pajamas! 

Over the weekend, Christ Community Church celebrated its longtime founding pastor, Keith Cowart. Keith and Pam Cowart began Christ Community Church inside of their home in Columbus twenty years ago, taking it from a five-person gathering, to a church with over one thousand members. Keith and Pam have exemplified what it means to be planters of the harvest, sowing seeds of God’s fruit in the hearts of the Chattahoochee Valley. In recent months, Keith has been elected to serve as the superintendent of the Southeastern Region of the Free Methodist Church, and Pastor Derrick Shields will be transitioning into the Lead Pastor position here at Christ Community at the end of the month.
 
On Sunday evening, we gathered for Family Fun Night to celebrate what God has done in and through Keith and Pam over the last two decades with food, games, fun and fellowship! Earlier in the day, CCC enjoyed a special Sunday morning worship service in the Cowarts’ honor, with Keith and Pam both sharing their gratitude and love for the congregation with a special joint message.
 
Check out these photos from Sunday and see if you were spotted at Family Fun Night, and remember to join us on Sunday, October 28th as Derrick Shields is officially installed as the lead pastor of Christ Community Church.

​Over the weekend, Pastor Keith and Pam Cowart led a large group of married couples into “The Land of Us” during the 2018 Marriage Retreat. As they imparted godly wisdom, counsel, prayer and their own personal testimonies, the Lord moved, and many marriages were restored, transformed and even healed. It was truly a weekend of restoration and grace.
 
In addition to leading the group into “The Land of Us,” there was one final destination on the map into one of the greatest decades of all time, the 1980’s.
 
As they stepped back in time, leisure suits, big hair, leg warmers and yes, mullets galore, began walking in from all directions to enjoy a 1980’s-themed prom. Check out the photos from this weekend here!