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Santa Cruz 'Church of the Year' Honored
SANTA CRUZ, CA (January 4, 2006) - The Community Covenant Church of Santa Cruz
(formerly Scotts Valley) has been named "Church of the Year" for 2005 by
Valley Churches United Missions, a local organization serving the needy
in the San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley regions of Santa Cruz County.
The award was presented at the VCUM annual banquet to Pam Ambris, who
heads the congregation's ministry to the homeless through the Interfaith
Satellite Shelter Program. In addition to a plaque honoring the
congregation for outstanding community service, the church also received
citations from Santa Cruz County Supervisor Mark Stone, California
Assemblyman John Laird, and U.S. Rep. Anita Eshoo honoring the
congregation for its years of commitment to community service.
VCUM was formed in 1982 to aid disaster victims and has since expanded
its work to help the hungry, the homeless, and people in crisis. Its
emergency food program provides food for more than 1,100 individuals
each month.
Pastor Mike Fitzgerald informed the congregation of the award during the
morning worship service on December 11. His sermon that morning
encouraged the congregation's work in serving those in need and focused
on the first sermon Jesus gave, which came from Isaiah 61:1-4 (TNIV):
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has
anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up
the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from
darkness the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the
day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for
those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead
of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called mighty oaks, a
planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild
the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will
renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
For more information on Community Covenant's service or other ministries
of the church, please contact Fitzgerald in the church office at
831-438-4276.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
