Short Story: Answering a Call for Help

Christ's Church of the Valley (CCV) likes to run short, 250-word stories in each weekend's bulletin to tie in with the sermon or events happening within the church. Here is the short story I wrote about the effectiveness of the Neighborhood Ministry and how neighbors reached out to care for each other in times of need. The approximate bulletin count is 6,000 every weekend.

Answering a Call for Help
Matt Cortes was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease at age 17 and was given only 3 years to live. Surprisingly, he lived a much longer life and died at age 44. The extra years he had with his family and friends were a blessing. But at the time of his recent death, Matt left behind a hurting family that would now have to pick up the pieces and move on.

Nancy Cortes, Matt’s mother, is a CCV member and knew the church would be there to help her and her family walk the road of recovery. But they were blown away by the outpouring of support from the Paseo Highlands neighborhood groups. Neighborhood leader Joe Cavaretta quickly mobilized fellow neighbors connected through the CCV neighborhood groups to take action.

Not only did the neighborhood groups send flowers and cards, they fulfilled tangible acts of kindness by providing daily meals to the family and took care of all the details regarding the memorial service, including greeting and ushering, as well as taking care of the memorial reception.

Nancy and her family don’t know what they would have done without the help from the neighborhood groups who collectively provided for their every need. “We knew Matt’s death was imminent and our son would be leaving us.... The day Matt died we lost our son, but we also gained a new extended family.”

Press Release: Stop Child Rape For Profit

PLANS TO MOBILIZE LOCAL CHURCHES SETS FORTH INITIATIVE TO END THE RAPING OF CHILDREN FOR PROFIT IN PHOENIX

Peoria, AZ – Stop Child Rape for Profit, Inc., today announced the formation of a non-profit corporation, the “StreetLight” project, to stop the prostitution of children in the Phoenix valley This new organization was formed with strong support from Christ’s Church of the Valley (CCV).

On January 27, 2009 the group will launch StreetLight, a program to rescue children who have been forced into prostitution. The group will acquire 40 acres in Maricopa County to build transition housing for children being rescued from exploitation. The homes will provide a secure environment for the children to heal.

By working as partners with national and local authorities, the group plans to disrupt the cycle of victimization of children involved in prostitution. When removed from the streets, these kids will have a chance to rebuild their future through physical, social, emotional, and spiritual healing.

Teenagers and children are being recruited from shopping malls, the Internet, and other social and public gatherings. The Phoenix valley is a hotbed for child prostitution while the demand for underage sex for hire is growing. A common trend in the prostitution of children involves taking the child far from home to avoid immediate detection and decreases the chance of the child returning home.

Child prostitution is the most overlooked form of child exploitation in the United States. Warm-weather states like Arizona are experiencing an alarming rate of child prostitutes. Arizona’s mild climate attracts pimps, madams, and others seeking to exploit children for their own gain. The average age of entry into child prostitution is 14 years old while some victims are as young as 9 years old.

Larrie Fraley, associate pastor at CCV and supporter of Stop Child Rape for Profit, said, “Acting together, churches have the resources to end one of the darkest social and moral issues in our society. It is time for our churches to lead the fight against this plague!”

“We are confident that many churches, temples and synagogues will join the fight to end sex trafficking of children –one of the most violent and unconscionable crimes committed in this country,” Fraley said.

Child Rape For Profit Inc. is headquartered at 7007 W. Happy Valley Road in Peoria, AZ. Contact us if you have any questions at 623.298.2894 or visit us online at www.JoinStreetLight.com.

Short Story: Playing to Win

Christ's Church of the Valley (CCV) likes to run short, 250-word stories in each weekend's bulletin to tie in with the sermon or events happening within the church. Here is the short story I wrote about the effectiveness of utilizing the Sports Ministry to attract men to church. The approximate bulletin count is 6,000 every weekend.

Playing to Win
What’s better than beating the opposing team in a good old-fashion game of flag football? Getting the player off the field and into church where the real game of life takes place. The CCV Sports Ministry is all about reaching out to men, women and children. But more importantly, it’s all about winning souls.

CCV member Kirk Borg, a volunteer flag football coordinator, continually sees the fruit of un-churched men playing their hearts out on the field and realizing there is more to life than the beloved game. Kirk said that almost 75% of the men on the flag football teams are players who feel comfortable on the field, but not necessarily on the pews. On Kirk’s last team, 6 of the men were Christians, and 6 were not.

One player in particular tugged at Kirk’s heart. The player was Ryan, a man who was in the middle of a messy divorce and hitting rock bottom. Ryan had come to church several times when he was in high school since Kevin, Kirk’s little brother, and Ryan were best friends. Yet through the years, Ryan had fallen away from the church.

“The seed Kevin planted years ago started to grow, and I was there to water it. The football ministry definitely helped groom his life,” Kirk said. Now Ryan brings his young children with him to church almost every weekend. The ripple effect that started years ago is a great reminder that we all have a significant part to play in the game of life.