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A Note from the Pastor . . . . . . 1

Prayer in the Chapel . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Inside LVCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

A Personal Note. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

World Service & Missions. . . . . 5

Safety & Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

I N T H I S I S S U EI N T H I S I S S U E

T H E C O M M U N I T Y C H U R C H M A NT H E C O M M U N I T Y C H U R C H M A N

JOIN US ONLINEJOIN US ONLINE

A N OT E F RO M T H E PA S TO RA N OT E F RO M T H E PA S TO RA N OT E F RO M T H E PA S TO R

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I am hoping this finds you and yours well, safe and not too crazy from quarantine!

Certainly, if we are wise and intentional, this is a great time to think, meditate, study, re-evaluate, re-calibrate, re-connect, help others, and even get caught up on things we have not had time for.

It has been very interesting continuing to “be the church” at a time like this, finding ways to be in touch, encourage, and be of assistance in many different ways, and even much more than normal. Thanks to Norma Ellis, working with our Deacons in social concerns and our phone tree have helped us communicate and stay together.

I am very grateful for our staff and lay leadership at our church who put together the technology for the Facebook live streaming for our services. Mario and Steve K. especially have put in countless hours, under a lot of stress and “playing every instrument in the band” to pull it off. I don’t know where we would have been without them.

If you are having any difficulty connecting with us online or seeing our worship services, please call me and I will help you with it.

Spiritually, it was a great blessing during Holy Week to come to the climax of our “Preparing for Jesus” series on His “I Am” statements with “I Am the Resurrection and the Life” and the powerful question Jesus posed to Martha, “Do you believe this?” Certainly our personal faith in Jesus is what makes life work for us every day, and especially pulls us through times like these. Talk about what’s essential!!!

Upcoming for the six Sundays of Eastertide, we will take a closer look at the experiences of the people who witnessed the resurrection of Jesus, entitled, “Life with Jesus.”

We will see Mary Magdalene’s deep love for Jesus, the Two on the Road to Emmaus’ new understanding, Doubting Thomas’ faith, the Women being respected and honored by Jesus, Peter’s repentance, being reconciled and restored, and the Disciples being commissioned to share the good news with the whole world!

We are praying the projections are accurate and we can be back together again by mid-May. Mother’s Day is on the 10th, so we may miss the actual day, but we will be sure to celebrate at church at the earliest possible time. In the Blessings of New Life in Jesus, Pastor Steve (805) 610-4489

Pastor Steve

Cell (805) 610-4489

Email - pastorsteve@thelvcc.org

Facebook - Steve Boggan

M A Y M A Y

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SUNDAY SERVICES SUNDAY SERVICES

ONLINEONLINE

8:30 a.m. | Traditional Worship

w w w. t h e l v c c . o r g OR

Facebook Live:

Lakewood Village Community Church

10 a.m. | Contemporary Worship Facebook Live: Upper r oomlb

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PRAYER IN THE CHAPELPRAYER IN THE CHAPEL

It seems like this past month my emotions have been on a never-ending roller coaster ride, so many ups and downs. Without fail, each morning I give God thanks for letting me wake up. Then I give myself a pep talk, reassuring myself that God will be with me and guide me. My eyes go to the affirmation or promise I have written on a piece of paper and taped to the front door. It reads, “No evil shall befall me and my family, nor shall any plague come near our dwelling.” Psalm 91:10. I have this taped on my front and back door so as I go in and out when necessary, I can remind myself that I am protected. Affirmations and visualizations are a very important part of my day, keeping me focused. Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. The promises He made to His children long ago are the same for us today as we pray and claim the promises of the Bible.

As I told you in previous writings, I tend to be a worrier, playing out a lot of “what if” scenes in my head, trying to make sure I am prepared. Somewhere I read that there are 365 verses in the Bible that use the phrase fear not. Especially in our lives today there are so many things out of our control. Many times I have sung that beautiful song in my head that says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” Music can be a great source of strength and calmness when our minds are troubled. I think about Paul when he was in prison and instead of being worried, he and Silas chose to pray and sing praises to God. In Philippians 4: 6-7 he encourages us by saying, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Our house is rarely silent, and on any given day you will hear many types of music. “Come by the Hills”, sung by Celtic Thunder, is one of my favorite songs I listen to quite often. It paints a picture of a beautiful peaceful land. But my favorite line is at the end of each verse, which says, “And the cares of tomorrow must wait till this day is done.” In His great wisdom, our Heavenly Father has given each of us one day at a time. A friend reminded me this morning that worrying about tomorrow does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It just takes away today’s peace.

We are facing uncertain times like we have never seen before. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know Who holds tomorrow. As with any crisis, we can let it define us, destroy us, or strengthen us. Many of us in our church are joining together as a family of faith at 11:00 every day to pray for our world, our leaders, medical workers, first responders, and those who are affected by the virus. Please join us if you are not already praying. With God’s help, we will come through this stronger than ever before.

Sandy SaldanoSandy SaldanoSandy Saldano Prayer in the Chapel

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CON T R I BU T I ON CON T R I BU T I ON U P DA T E U P DA T E

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D o n a t i o n s R e c e i v e d : D o n a t i o n s R e c e i v e d : $ 1 8 , 2 6 5$ 1 8 , 2 6 5 B u d g e t e d : $ 2 8 , 2 5 2B u d g e t e d : $ 2 8 , 2 5 2

INSIDE LVCCINSIDE LVCC

A Personal NoteA Personal NoteA Personal Note

I so appreciate the work put in to produce the LVCC church services. I can’t wait to see all my wonderful friends and finally give each a hug!

Norma F.

Miss ions May 2020 Miss ions May 2020 Miss ions May 2020

Lakewood Village Community Church has continued Missions support of our community during the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Current support and future opportunities are listed. Ongoing support during Stay-at-Home Order Ray Fletcher Outreach – Continuing to distribute the shed donations to those in need. As of today, the shed is FULL. People are still GIVING in this pandemic!

Lilly's Legacy is a non-profit organization that provides help and love for the homeless in Southern California -

food, clothing, toiletries and resources! In 1976, Lilly and her husband Paul founded a shelter for women and children in Los Angeles. Their great-grandchildren started Lilly’s Legacy in 2015 to honor their legacy and continue their vision to bless the homeless and show the love of God shining through in a tangible way.

Meals for people experiencing Amenity bags (toiletries) Providing food and clothing

homelessness to those in need

Future Suppor t Oppor tunit ies Future Suppor t Oppor tunit ies Future Suppor t Oppor tunit ies

July 4th – Support Veterans at Long Beach Veterans Administration Medical Center and/or Century Village at Cabrillo.

August – Backpack/School Supplies for students at local schools.

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Strawberries, Strawberries Everywhere!Strawberries, Strawberries Everywhere!Strawberries, Strawberries Everywhere!

I wanted to share a very easy recipe you can do with your chil-dren. As this is the season for strawberries, and everywhere you look you will see these vitamin C packed berries available, especial-ly in California!

Most of you are familiar with having tasted this fruit tort in the Garden Room and it seems to be a favorite and I wanted to share the easy recipe with all of you. If you like instead, of making it in a square pan, be wild and make it on a pizza pan and call it your straw-berry pizza!

Check directions on cookie dough mix and set your oven to preheat to the recommended temperature.

Ingredients:Ingredients:Ingredients:

● 1 package or already made Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough ( you can

buy the refrigerated ready-made, or the dry) (1 package is a small in dry dough

and the larger is 1lb) for the size I usually take to church, I buy the 1 lb.

● 2 lbs. washed and cut strawberries, then put in a bowl in glaze (I buy

the ready-made “Marie’s Glaze for Strawberries” )

● 2- 14oz Marie’s Glaze for Strawberries.

3-4 large or equivalent peeled and cut kiwi

1 pint of washed blackberries or blueberries (you can also use cut

up pineapple or mandarin orange slices)

Cream cheese or cream cheese frosting, (I use the real cream

cheese and sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt and sugar over it)

Follow the directions for mixing the dough, which I believe is 1 stick butter and 1 egg, if you are making the dry Pillsbury Sugar Dough. Once you have the cookie batter made, use Pam Spray to butter the baking sheet/dish and spread the sugar cookie dough out, as you would a pizza or across the baking dish. If you opted for the ready-made dough set out to room temperature from the fridge for about 15min. (to make it easier to spread on the baking dish). Once it is spread on the baking dish, stick it in the oven. Once it is cooked, if it is a little doughy looking in the center it will harden once it cools, take it out and wait for it to cool. (I use a cooling rack, so it takes about 20 minutes before I can move to the next step to frost it.

Once it cools, I spread the whipped cream cheese all over the top of the dough. Then I sprinkle a pinch of salt and sugar over the cream cheese, if you use the cream cheese frosting you can just frost it. Then arrange the fruit, starting with the strawberries first, then the berries and last the kiwi. Keep refrigerated until time to serve and enjoy!

If you opt to make it like a pizza, let the kids decorate it. They will enjoy having a hand in making their dessert.

---Caro, Caro, Caro, Fel lowship & Recreat ionFel lowship & Recreat ionFel lowship & Recreat ion

LVCC COVIDLVCC COVIDLVCC COVID---19 19 19 VolunteersVolunteersVolunteers

What a crazy 2 months of uncertainty, brought on by CoVid19, it has been!! It sure has changed the way we wor-ship and share our love for Je-sus and each other. I think that

this also had a major impact on Holy Week ending with East-er Sunday and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. I have to admit that not attending services at church and being away from my church family made me feel disconnected from my Lord. I'm sure you all experienced this same feeling.

My focus these last 2 months has been to call members of the congregation just to make sure they are ok and ask them if they need anything from the store or in prayer. It makes my heart sing with joy to know that those I called are so far doing well with staying at home and them having family and neigh-bors helping with food and material needs. I was honored when I was taken up on my offer to do some shopping.

This year we have a great group of Deacons who too are making calls. I think between all of us we manage to call every-one weekly. We are in this together and together we will come out as victors in defeating this virus.

How about our Worship Team streaming services over the internet? Aren't they doing a great job? We are so blessed by having such talented people in our church? I know they had just days to figure out the streaming process. Awesome job. If you are having problems streaming online please call the church office for help. Both Sunday services are streamed live and are available online so you can watch past services.

I, in my spare time, have been researching different resources for our seniors and shut-ins. I called my Long Beach Council-woman, Stacy Mongo's office and she shared with me 2 emails where we can get help to ease the burden of meals and shop-ping. Because of limited space I cannot include all the info in this newsletter but it is available on the City of Long Beach website.

I pray by the time the next Churchman comes out that we are all back in church sharing our experiences of worship at home. Feel free to call me at 562.230.6364 if you need anything that I can help you with including just hearing a friendly voice. Remem-ber that we do have Stephen Ministers who you can talk with and are trained to walk with you when needed.

May our Lord hold you close in His love and keep you safe and healthy. May He give you peace and comfort until we are together again.

-Joe ForgacsJoe ForgacsJoe Forgacs, , , Safety & SecuritySafety & SecuritySafety & Security

INSIDE LVCCINSIDE LVCC

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LVCC Nursery School

562-421-4486

T H ET H E

C O M M U N I T Y C O M M U N I T Y

C H U R C H M A NC H U R C H M A N

SENIOR PASTOR:

Steve Boggan

ASSOCIATE PASTOR:

Phillip Davis

MAIN OFFICE HOURS:

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

SUNDAY SERVICES ONLINE:

8:30 AM T R A D I T I O N A L W O R S H I P

ONLINE @ WWW.THELVCC.ORG

10 :00 AM Contemporary Worship

ONLINE @ WWW.UPPERROOMLB.COM

J o i n u s o n l i n e J o i n u s o n l i n e J o i n u s o n l i n e

f o r w o r s h i p s e r v i c e !f o r w o r s h i p s e r v i c e !f o r w o r s h i p s e r v i c e !