Scratching Where People Itch

I've been thinking something over a bunch lately. I guess maybe it's more dreaming than anything. I just can't get my mind off of it.

If you want to reach the unconvinced - those who haven't made a commitment to follow Christ - then you need to attract them. So, how do you attract them? This is a challenge especially when people don't know God and aren't convinced their lives are all that bad without Him.

I think the only way to attract them is to offer them something they need. You get their attention by identifying an itch they have and scratching it.

I know how this sounds. I can hear 2 Timothy 4:3 being quoted right now: "For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear."

Let me explain. I'm not talking about watering down the gospel. But if people don't want to come around, you can't teach them the truth. So, we must be about identifying people's needs and letting them know we have some answers they should consider. If we can speak their language, the odds increase significantly that they'll hear the gospel and respond.

So what do pre-Christians need? What will get their attention? Here's a short list: They need help with their marriages. They don't know how to raise their kids. They want their lives to count. They want to live within their means. They've messed up and need forgiveness.

These are just a few of the issues people face. Does the Bible have anything to say about these topics? Can Jesus Christ give people strength and wisdom to deal with their marriages? their kids? their money? Absolutely! If Vail Christian Church can offer help in dealing with these aspects of life, we can really make a difference! We can be a part of life transformation and truly see people become Christ followers. But we have to become a resource church.a church with something genuinely valuable that people really need.




ben pitney
lead pastor

Men's Breakfast: Men, join us on October 20 at 8:30 a.m. for breakfast with BILD executive Doug Shiplett. Rounds of golf will be available to play at 10:30 a.m. For more information, contact Scott Cliburn at 520-668-3167 or scliburn@hotmail.com, or Patrick Heater at 520-235-2649 or dheat_1@msn.com.

Winter Camp - Save the date: February 21 - 24! Middle School and High School students are heading to California for amusement parks, camping and more! You don't want to miss this! There will be more information to come, but contact Julie Biagi at julie@vailchristian.com if you have any questions.

November 4 - Bring Your Parent to Church - On this Sunday, our elementary children (K-5) are encouraged to invite their parents to come to their classes with them. This is a great opportunity for parents to find out what happens in CrossTown on Sunday mornings...come check it out! For more information, contact Julie Biagi at julie@vailchristian.com.

Kid's Night Out: Parents enjoy a date night out together or get your Christmas shopping done while our children's staff plays games, does crafts and eats pizza with your children. The event will be on Friday, December 7 from 5 - 10 p.m. at Empire High School in the gym. Ages 3-11 are welcome! Contact Julie at julie@vailchristian.com for more information.

30 Hour Famine Update: During the month of August our students engaged in a study about the AIDS pandemic. In response to that study and in alignment with our church's partnership in Africa, our students made supply kits for World Vision caregivers and engaged in a 30 Hour Famine. Participants were challenged to fast for 30 hours, to pray and to give financially. We had 79 people participate in the famine and $1,213 was raised to feed starving children in Africa! That will feed about 41 starving children for a full month! It was a great experience of prayer, humility and relying on God to provide for our needs as well as the needs of those in Africa.

So far we as a community have sponsored over 70 children in the Limpopo Area Development Project. This amounts to more than $36,000 per year that VCC has committed to its partnership with World Vision! It has been very exciting to witness how God has been leading our body to give sacrificially to care for His children. If you already sponsor a child, please remember to communicate with him through letters. Your sponsorship shows your child that he is loved and cared for by God, and God's love gives all children great worth. Your letters are an important way to reinforce that message of hope. If you do not sponsor a child and would like to do so, or if you would like more information on VCC's partnership with World Vision in Limpopo, contact meghan@vailchristian.com.

If you are interested in starting or joining a Community Group, or if you just want some more information, contact Tim Sheaffer at tim@vailchristian.com or Trent Schlecht at tanks@cox.net. You can also visit the Community Group page on our website at www.vailchristian.com.

Make A Difference Day - October 27: Make a Difference Day is an opportunity for us to reach out to the Vail community and serve our schools. We will be serving several schools by fulfilling their specific needs, such as painting fences and planting trees. This year the focus of Make a Difference Day is on sharing your faith – therefore you are encouraged to invite a friend or neighbor to come and work alongside you.  Also, as you are working, you are challenged to practice sharing your faith with someone with whom you have a relationship.  As Christians it is our heart to reach out to those who are lost. Make a Difference Day is an opportunity to reach out to people on many levels. Please join your family with ours on October 27 to make a difference in our schools. To join a team or get involved, please contact one of our team leaders.

• Jim Kaufman (jtkaufman@aol.com)
• Randy Buck (rvbuck91@msn.com)
• Noel Howard (noelhtucson@aim.com)
• Carl Grigel (cgrigel@yahoo.com)
• Gary Edgar (gedgar1@cox.net)

Doug Shiplett
Executive Vice President and Director of International Partnerships For BILD

Doug will speak at the VCC men's breakfast on October 20th and Sunday morning October 21st. Doug joined the team at BILD international in June of 2000, after serving as the senior pastor of Crossroads Bible Church in San Jose, California, for nine years. His ministry context has been characterized by significant leadership training, leading to a relationship with BILD International in 1991, first as a project participant, then as a member of the USA churches steering committee and board member. Prior to that, he earned degrees in Biblical Studies and Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary, while he also served at Fellowship Bible Church with Dr. Gene Getz. His connection to Dallas Seminary continued with a short teaching assistant position and then later an adjunct professorship at Western Seminary. International work and partnerships have been at the center of Doug's work. He has traveled in twenty countries to facilitate training and ministry. Doug has been married to Marilyn for 30 years, and they have three children and three grandchildren.

Classes Starting in November:

The BILD First Principles Series systematically teaches core principles, leading participants in firmly establishing their faith and on to deeper commitment. Classes start November 4th during the 9:00AM service. Cost is $7.

Enjoying Your Relationship - This class examines God's design for the marriage relationship, exploring the roles and responsibilities of husbands and wives and the relational and familial benefits of establishing a marriage framework grounded in Christ.

Belonging to a Family of Families - This class looks at the local church and explores God's design for His disciples - to become a part of a family of believers - a local church body.

Sign-up sheets for classes are located at the information table in the back of the auditorium.  For more information, please contact Tim Sheaffer at tim@vailchristian.com.

Celebration of Rose Canyon

The Rose Canyon Picnic was a great time of forming new relationships and strengthening old ones.



More than 300 people from the VCC community gathered on the mountaintop to enjoy good food and cool weather in the company of friends and family.

Blood Drive: On Sunday, October 14, VCC will be partnering with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive at Empire High School. To sign up, contact Gary Edgar at gedgar1@cox.net.

Parenting Conference: October 25, Empire High School 5:30-8:30 p.m. Every fall, the Vail School District hosts a parenting conference as a resource to the many families in the Vail community. This year's keynote speaker is Guy Doud. Guy Doud was selected 1986 National Teacher of the Year and honored at a White House ceremony. He has since spoken to thousands of groups delivering a message of life, love, family, relationships, success and dreaming dreams. Following the keynote speaker, there will be breakout sessions with various classes offered.

Trailhead...Begin the Journey October 28 during the 10:45 service (BBQ November 4). Trailhead is where the VCC adventure begins. This class will walk you through our core values, our vision, our mission, and perhaps most importantly: opportunities for you to join the journey. Visit the kiosk in the courtyard or email tim@vailchristian.com for more information.

Rocky Point Mission Trip - November 8 - 11: We will be gathering our families and heading to Rocky Point, Mexico over Veteran's Day weekend to build some houses with Amor Ministries. We will be camping out and serving families in need of shelter by building them a house from the ground up. Amor Ministries typically builds an 11'x22', two-room home with a slab floor, stucco-finished exterior, two windows, and a door. An Amor house is a simple design, built according to the standards of the community so that a group without skilled labor or power tools can still complete the project. Register online or email ron.andler@gmail.com for more information.

Strategic Service Teams: SST’s are volunteers gathered together to serve within and outside the church. Volunteers are vital to Vail Christian and we look to them to facilitate environments and potentially lead people in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Contact tim@vailchristian.com or ben@vailchristian.com for more information. You can also visit the Strategic Service Team page on our website at www.vailchristian.com.

Project 168 is a challenge for the VCC community to pray. There are one hundred and sixty eight hours in every week – Project 168 calls the members of the VCC community to pray during one of those one hundred and sixty eight hours every week.

• Ask the Lord to help you align your worldview with His. Ask Him to reveal to you what you really believe about ultimate issues of reality.


• Pray that you would truly believe in the power of the gospel. Do you truly believe that Gods message and plan can really change people?


• Pray that God would open doors for you today. Read Colossians 4:3-4


• Pray for the Holy Spirit to direct everything you do and say. Ask Him to remind you of the power you carry with your words.
  Be reminded that your words carry meaning. Big meaning.
  


• Pray that God would silence the voice of doubt that seeks to dishearten, dismantle, and destroy.


• Pray that God would keep your intentions focused on other people, not seeking to fulfill something in you but rather to fulfill the greatest something in them - their need for God.