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A WORD FROM OUR PASTOR...
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"Spring has
sprung!"
I drive a little,
blue, Toyota pickup that is 25 years old with over 200,000 miles on it. People tease me about it occasionally,
and I love dishing it right back. I accuse them of being jealous because deep down inside I know they are
coveting my little truck. It is in
pretty good shape, from my biased perspective, but every spring there is an
added benefit. In our driveway
where I park, there is a large tree which bears these little, pink flowers. They are so pretty, until the breeze
begins to take those little flowers. Like a winter snowstorm, it covers my
truck. It wouldn't be so bad if it
never rained and driving away blew the flowers off, but add a little rain and
suddenly I find myself driving an instant 'parade float'.
When I was young,
I remember hearing and learning a little ditty about spring: "Spring has sprung, the grass is 'ris', I
wonder where the flowers is." Isn't it funny how you can remember such trivial things from so long
ago? But the proof is all around
us, 'spring has sprung' and with it those dreaded, little flowers pasted
all over my truck.
As I think about
my bluish-pink truck and how it is that spring temporarily transforms it, I
think about the verse in the Psalm 30:11, You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off
my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness. Isn't this what we experience in the springtime? The Lord, every year,
like clockwork, takes the dreariness of cloudy, rain-filled months and turns them
into sunny, glorious displays of His creation that we have come to know and love as spring. People are smiling and
downright more cheerful this time of year.
I too love spring but even more so, I love the wonderful fact that in the same way that God turns a
dreary winter into spring, He transformed my dreary life from the cold darkness
of sin into the warmth of His marvelous light. Truly, He turned my mourning into dancing...and clothed me with
gladness. Now, not to put
a damper on things, but the cold cloudiness of winter rain will return (sooner
than many of us would like) but the glorious news is that we never have to
return to the cold, dark life of sin we once lived. Never again do we have to experience the heartache that came
with our own foolish choices. Thanks be to God!
And so, as I
drive my bluish-pink truck around town and people mistakenly think I am headed to some
parade, I will be smiling because it serves as a reminder of what Jesus did for
me. In fact, I may go so far as to
find a way to permanently glue those little flowers on...'just kidding'!
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MAY UPCOMING EVENTS
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For a complete list of what's coming up at South Hill Calvary Chapel, please visit our website.
South Hill Calvary Chapel events page
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EVENT HIGHLIGHT: REJOICE IN THE LORD CONCERT TOUR
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 "He knows your name...a Father to
the fatherless, a Healer of the brokenness. You make beauty from the
ashes. A Helper to the helpless, a Fighter for the hopeless. You
love those who are alone." (Esterlyn)
It was evident from the start that the Rejoice in the Lord Tour was going
to be a blessing to South Hill Calvary Chapel. With much thought,
preparation, and prayer, three bands: The Ember Days, Brandon Bee, and
Esterlyn set out to worship the Lord with people from many different churches
along the west coast. SHCC happened to be one of those churches. Though everyone was prepared for a wonderful night of music and worship, the concert touched
the lives of many in ways that only the Lord could have planned.
 The heart of The Ember Days is found in this, "We are five people that
passionately love God, we love people, we want to speak the truth and see the
body of Christ united. We play songs that reflect that, and we try to bring the
presence of God to anyone who listens." And though The Ember Days
said that, it was the heart behind every member of the band playing. Several
people had spent time, in preparation for the show, going around the community
distributing flyers and posters to promote the concert. The sanctuary was
filled with both old and new faces, and it was encouraging for the leaders and
others involved to see both the old and new rejoicing in the Lord and worshiping as one body.
 Luke Caldwell, lead singer of Esterlyn, spoke on faith in action. Sharing
one of his songs called Esther (quoted above), he touched many by his
own conviction on pleasing the Lord and showing his love for Him by not being a
hearer of the Word only but by obeying its commands, as well, out of affection
for Jesus. His song Esther was inspired by his adopted niece who
had been abandoned by her birth parents. Luke Caldwell was encouraged and
convicted by his sibling's adoption of her...because he saw the heart of God and
faith in action. He also told the audience about a ministry his father
started called Eye on the Sparrow, which is a wonderful sponsorship
program for children growing up in the slums of India.
It was a night not easily forgotten: a night that the Lord used in a powerful
way to reach the lost and encourage believers to go deeper in their walks with
the Lord and to truly live an authentic Christian life.
By Whitney Martin
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EVENT HIGHLIGHT: CHILDREN'S MINISTRY "ONE DAY CONFERENCE"
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 The CM One Day Conference is a yearly time of refreshing the
CM servants with vision, passion, and practical skills for the purpose of
shaping the hearts of children into serious followers of Jesus Christ. The day began with a time of worship
and an opening session by Charles Gillaspie. Charles taught from John 10, exhorting us to analyze
ourselves and to ask whether we have been hirelings or good shepherds regarding
our work in the Children's Ministry. It was truly a great time for the Lord to prepare our hearts for the day
to receive from Him what He would speak to each person.
 The day progressed with a series of workshops in which each
participant could be involved. The
workshops covered topics beneficial to workers in every age range from nursery
to 5th grade. "Teaching
Children to Pray," "The Engaging Lesson," "Getting Back to the Heart of
Worship," and "Ministering to Children in the Nursery" were just a few. It was great to hear, throughout the
day, all the discussions revolving around what each servant gleaned from the
workshops and how they could not wait to put them into practice. I was extremely blessed by the whole
day...the worship, the exhortation, the workshops, and the fellowship.
 We closed with a time of worship, sharing, and
communion...remembering the reason we do what we do: JESUS. Weeks of prayer and preparation had
gone into the conference, and the fruit testified to it...praise the Lord. I
can't wait until next year!!
By Pastor Alan Chappell
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MISSIONARY UPDATE: LA ESPERANZA SEWING UPDATE
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 Over the past several years, our church has had the privilege
of coming alongside Calvary Chapel Bachiniva Mexico as they reach out to their
small community for Jesus.
Pastor Luis Vargas and his wife Kim, along with their family,
lead Calvary Chapel Bachiniva Mexico "Capilla Calvario de Bachiniva".
The Lord has blessed the growth of
the church, provided for the building of a new church facility, and opened
many opportunities to minister to the people. The one goal and focus of Capilla
Calvario de Bachiniva is to make the Lord Jesus known to the people and to disciple
them through the Word of God.
Almost 2 years ago, Kim Vargas had a desire to start a Women's
Discipleship/Sewing Ministry, "La Esperanza" which means HOPE! Many of the women of Bachiniva need to
provide for their children. Their
home life can consist of many family members living in a one room house with
little support from the father or, in many cases, no father to provide. The vision
for this ministry was to disciple women through the Word of God and to provide a
way for them to financially help their family.
Currently, La Esperanza has earned enough money from
selling the handbags they make to employ three women three days a week. Their
hope is to grow the ministry so that they can fill up the sewing room with
women to help them provide for their family while being discipled in the Word
of God. The women recently
designed a new handbag and are very excited about it! They shared that it has become a
favorite amongst the women in Mexico.
They described their new design as a round hand bag that is very shiny
and colorful! Kim has expressed
how grateful she is that God has allowed them to stay busy over the past 2
years.
Prayer Requests
If you would
like more information about La Esperanza, please contact the church office.
May God Bless You!
Written by Shelley Barkhurst
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MEET THE LEADERSHIP: MYRON SORGENFREY
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 Name: Myron Sorgenfrey
Family Info: My wife Elisabeth (goes by
Lis), Jackie 24 (my step-daughter), Cody 16, and Curtis 13. I was the middle child
in a family of 7. I have one older brother and 5 sisters. My wife
has 2 brothers and 7 sisters. I was raised on a dairy farm in Iowa, and Lis grew
up on a small horse ranch in southern California.
Occupation: I'm a plant manager for
Milgard Windows at an assembly plant. My job is to manage all the operational
managers for our fiberglass window division. I started out as a window
installer 22 years ago and worked my way up though the plant to the position
I'm in today.
Favorite Dessert: I love chocolate, just
chocolate, no peppermint or anything that will water down its delicious goodness
(unless it's peanuts). I also like carrot cake, a lot!
Brief Testimony:
I accepted the Lord in a Baptist Church in southern CA in
1987. I was on fire, going door to door witnessing with the pastor of our
church. My life went into a tail spin within a few months. My first marriage
ended in a divorce; during that time I was in a backslidden state, and I was
miserable. Nothing was going right, I was lonely, and I had a God-shaped void
in my life. After about a year and a half, I started dating Lis and going to her
church - Calvary Chapel, Murrieta, CA. A year later, we were married and moved to
Hemet, CA and attended a Calvary Chapel there. We lived in Hemet for 10 years
and served in the children's ministry at the church. The Lord moved us to
Chandler, AZ in November 2000. We attended Calvary Chapel Chandler the first
five years that we lived there. Things were not right there, and I was checked out. I
ended up developing some sinful habits that lead me into deep sin. I tried to
make it right on my own. We moved to another church, Calvary Chapel Queen Creek,
where the church family loved us up. I was harboring sin in my life, and it was
about to be revealed. The Lord moved me up here to Washington in March of 2008,
and my family moved up after our boys were out of school in June. We came to South Hill Calvary Chapel
and, in a short time, the Lord brought me face to face with my sin and Pastor
Ron. Lis and I received godly counseling from Pastor Ron, and God has done a
miracle in my life. I am growing closer and closer to Him daily now, and I thank
God for my loving wife whom I put through the mill and Pastor Ron for standing
with us through these hard times. Three big things I've learned through
all this: #1 God will seek us out and save us from our sin no matter how
impossible it seems to us. #2 you cannot hide sin; it will not go away without
being dealt with. #3 God and my wife love me more than I ever could imagine.
Favorite Verse & Why:
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6
This verse reminds
me to trust God in everything and acknowledge His omnipotent, awesome handiwork
in everything. It gives me the right perspective on my life in relation to God
(I am nothing).
I also get excited about 2 Chronicles 16:9, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him..." God can use me as long as I'm in step with Him.
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