. . . Calvary Baptist Church of Turlock is celebrating 100 years of God's work in their community? The big event is the weekend of April 5 and 6.

. . . Grace Bible Church in Hollister has purchased a larger facility for worship, right across the street from their present building-debt-free? Yeah God!!

. . . New Harvest Church in Clovis moved into their new campus in January?

. . . Douglas Estes, lead pastor at Berryessa Valley Church, San Jose, is also serving as an Adjunct Professor at Western Seminary-San Jose, teaching Greek exegesis? His first book is now under contract and due out Easter 2008--it is being published by Brill (a 300+ year old European publisher) and is entitled The Temporal Mechanics of the Fourth Gospel.

Douglas is currently writing his second book, a theological study on the implications of online churches, which will be published by Zondervan in fall of 2008.

Are you involved in a virtual church, or know someone who is planting/building/ designing virtual churches? Douglas is looking for anyone who attends or works with virtual churches to use as case studies. A 'virtual church' does not include websites or podcasts per se, but does include any internet-based environment where a person connects for the purpose of worship, fellowship, discipleship and/or ministry.

He is most interested in locating (a) regular people who attend a virtual church in lieu of a regular church and (b) pastors who use virtual churches to conduct worship services in other countries (especially Asia or South America). For any suggestions, thoughts, comments or questions, please email Douglas at goldribbon@gmail.com.

. . . Tom Carter and his son Tommy won the Father/Son Doubles Tournament in Novato last July? The web site for the Southern California district of the United States Tennis Association has their picture up -- to see the photo, visit www.scta.usta.com.

. . . David Yetter, Family Ministries Pastor at Golden Hills, Brentwood, was examined by an NCBC ordination council on September 25 and was ordained by his church the following Sunday?

. . . the BGC has notified us that the 2007 Minister's Tax Guide has been ordered? There will be a limited number available. The first copy for each church is free, after which there will be a charge of $4.00 for each additional copy needed for your church staff.

You may contact Jackie Shimmin at bgcretirement@baptistgeneral.org or 800-323-4215, ext. 3240, to place your order. The guides will be shipped the third week of January 2008.

. . . in August, Pfc Anthony Graves (medic and son of Nancy Graves, former Children's Pastor at First Baptist, Paso Robles) is part of a military unit in Iraq who helped an injured 4-year-old Iraqi girl get the medical attention she needed from an American military surgeon?

She would have been crippled for life or may even have not survived without the surgery. We praise God for Anthony and others like him who show compassion in a difficult place.

Re-Tool Kit for your Church

Through a process designed by the BGC, our parent organization, church leadership is led through a six-retreat experience to regain focus and momentum in ministry.

Interested? Call Don Reed at (209-830-6222) for more information and scheduling.