Christian Community In Action

Answered Prayers

March to April, 2008

God answers prayer. He is faithful. But all too often, we don’t look for the ways God is working in our lives. We abandon our prayers, stop anticipating answers, and forget to thank him for how he does answer. But David kept track of what he prayed for and how God had answered him. The long list of answered prayers in David's life inspired him to thank the Lord with all his being. He sang his thanks to God, bowed before God in reverence, and offered an animal sacrifice as a thank offering. His thanksgiving included gestures, symbols, incense, and music.

So, what are some prayers God has answered for Christian Community In Action recently? Wow, there are just too many to count! I shall name just a few major ones. First of all, in January 2008, God provided us with another opportunity to consider the purchase of Cary Plaza property. Secondly, staff members, Executive Committee members and Relocation Committee members worked together on the preparation of the special membership meeting that was held on February 19, 2008 at the Fellowship Hall of the Cary First United Methodist Church. Thirdly, God provided us with an outstanding legal counsel to review and modify the P&S contract. Fourthly, God made it possible for all the members of the Panel of Experts to be available and present at the called special Membership Meeting to provide an overview as well as answer questions concerning the procurement of Cary Plaza property. Fifthly, there were so many of you (at least 75 people) who took time off from your busy lives and attended our special membership meeting held on February 19, 2008. Of the four years that I have volunteered at Christian Community In Action, I have never seen so many active participants at this very important membership meeting to decide whether we should proceed with the purchase of the Cary Plaza property so that we can continue the Biblical mission expressed in Matthew 25:31-45 on which CCA is based, by reaching out to more people in our service area. Finally, I was touched by the Holy Spirit when I prayed just before the members cast their votes. Then, the votes were counted, 74 in favor and 1 against (plus an additional 28 absentee ballots in favor). I definitely can see that our Almighty God had a hand in the results.

Please continue to pray for God's guidance while we are in the due diligence process and developing strategy for approaching sellers of Cary Plaza property with cure solutions to any noted problems observed during the inspections. When we receive answers to our prayer, may we, like David, never take that miracle for granted!

In Christ,
Eleanor Sun
President of the Board
Christian Community In Action

Previous Messages

Desert Living

July to September, 2007

“Wow! Is it hot!” “Have you ever seen it so dry?” I’m sure you’ve heard many comments along this line recently. Maybe even to “It’s like a desert!” Desert living doesn’t mean just dealing with the heat and dry land, it can mean any living in uncomfortable conditions or under hardship.

We read about desert living in many places in the Bible, for example, in the 8th chapter of Deuteronomy: “Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.”

What does this have to do with us? Well, from comments I hear from time to time, we might consider that working in the crowded conditions of our present CCA facility constitutes a bit of “desert living” for our cadre of volunteers. We need to remember how God has been faithful to us over nearly forty years and how he has provided for us. How many of you remember our first thrift shop on Chatham Street? In a series of God-enabled moves, CCA been able to expand and grow in grace and service.

Do we congratulate ourselves on our success? If so we need to read further in Deuteronomy 8: “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.” Our Facilities Committee has been working diligently with our real estate agents to find a better location, and I am confident that with prayer and faithfulness we will ultimately be successful. In the meantime, let us fan and drink water and go about our work in confidence.

In Christ,
Bill Easter
President of the Board
Christian Community In Action

How Many Strikes?

April to June, 2007

I think we’ve finally arrived at “the good old summertime.” The trees, flowers, grass--and mosquitoes-- are all in full swing. And speaking of swinging, the solid crack of the bat (or clink, as it is with aluminum) can be readily heard everywhere from Yankee Stadium to sandlots.

In baseball, “three strikes and you’re out.” Is that all we get? Well, in basketball it takes five fouls to send you packing, but in ice hockey only one will put you out (even if for only a time). I think of this as I tell you that we have missed out yet again (second strike) in our quest to secure a new and larger facility for our operations.

We had set our sights on Cary Plaza, a shopping center which is very nice but which has seen better days in terms of economic viability. We would have occupied the three sections that are not currently leased, with plans ultimately to move into the former supermarket as it became available. Certainly, this facility with its spacious parking lot would have met our needs for any foreseeable future. We thought we had made an attractive offer to the owners, but after some consideration they turned it down.

Should we be discouraged? Not by a long shot! Read Acts 5:38b, 39. We persevere, knowing that God has promised to bless those endeavors which glorify him and which are in accordance with his will. The shopping center is not yet sold; maybe our offer will become more attractive as time moves on. Or, something even better may turn up. Our agents continue to seek.

In the meantime, let’s continue to have faith and pray. And maybe we can take in a Bulls game to remind us that teams still win, even in the face of players striking out!

In Christ,
Bill Easter
President of the Board
Christian Community In Action

The Gospel According to Groundhog

January to March, 2007

I know you have some questions, and I want to keep you fully informed.

What about the Dorcas Shop manager? Howard has done well in keeping the Shop running smoothly while beginning to take up the higher responsibilities of the ED position, but we are anxious to relieve him of the day-to-day responsibilities of the Shop so that he can move on in his new duties. The Board is in the final stages of defining the position of Shop manager, and soon we will move on with recruitment of a person to fill it. I want to reassure everyone that Howard is keenly sensitive to the special attributes needed in the person in that position and that he will proceed with understanding and care in the hiring process.

Another indication of our new direction is the work being done on revising our Bylaws under the capable leadership of Bill Albing. The preliminary draft of the changes was presented to the Board on February 9, and the Board will approve a final draft on April 13. The draft will then go to the Membership at our meeting on June 20, and the Members will vote on the proposal on September 19. It is a long, drawn-out procedure, but that’s to insure that it is done right.

Then there are facilities. It’s been a long, cold winter in our search for a new location. A few buildings have been brought to our attention, but nothing promising. Now, along with the emerging of the liriope tips, maybe something is stirring out of sight to offer new hope. Again, we rely on God’s promise to bless our pursuing of his will. Now is the time to pray, and I urge you to remember the needs of CCA in your prayers each day.

No, don’t ask if the groundhog is going to give us a sign!

Bill Easter
President of the Board
Christian Community In Action

What's in Your Hand?

October to December, 2006

In Psalms 19:1 we read, "The heavens declare the glory of God," but right now I'd like to modify that a little to "The earth declares the glory of God." Just look around you. Everywhere, there's color— bright yellows, rich reds, deep maroons and, yes, bright and deep greens. Then let's not overlook the deep blue sky. I thought this last week as I wondered over the beauty in the North Carolina mountains in the fall, God didn't have to put on this show for us. He didn't have to bury the reds and yellows under the green chlorophyll in the leaves to be revealed in autumn. He could have just let the green leaves wither and fall. But that's God – always giving in abundance.

While in the mountains I was privileged to hear a wonderful sermon with the title stated above. It was the dreaded stewardship sermon. But money was hardly mentioned, imagine that! Instead Pastor Rob Fuquay of Long's Chapel United Methodist Church at Lake Junaluska, NC read three passages of scripture, two from the Old Testament and one from the New. The first told the story of Moses when God spoke to him from the burning bush. When Moses protested that he didn't have what it would take to confront Pharoah, God asked him, "What is that in your hand?" Moses had only a simple staff, but he saw the power of God's will when he threw it to the ground and watched it turn into a serpent. We know that Moses went on to do great things.

The second told the story of the young boy, David, sent to fight the giant, Goliath. As David approached, Goliath, in effect, said, "What's in your hand; do you come at me with only a stick?" We know the end of that encounter. And the third was the story of Jesus' apostles' concern over how to feed the multitude who had come to hear Jesus' words. When a small boy came forward, they asked him, "What do you have in your hand?" He had only a couple of small fishes and some bread, but Jesus was able to take his meager meal, feed the 5000 and salvage many baskets of leftovers to take to others.

What does this all mean for us? We may think we don't have much to offer in face of the great need in our community and in our world, but God asks only, "What do YOU have in YOUR hand?" And, "Are YOU willing to give to God what YOU have for his use?" This is the "preacher preaching to the choir" as the saying goes. We see this every day at CCA as the many give what they can. But we need always to remind ourselves that God's work is never done and we must never grow weary to the tasks. Just remember God's abundant grace as you watch the glory of fall explode around you.

Bill Easter
President of the Board
Christian Community In Action

Are You in Love?

September, 2006

Taking a few liberties with the lyrics of a popular song familiar to most of us of the "senior" generation---"What a year this has been, what a great mood we're in, why, it's almost like …" Well, you know the rest. It has been a great year for Christian Community In Action. Dorcas Thrift Shop sales have exceeded last year's by double digits for most months. In April, the showers rained on our parade, and we actually went a bit negative. Then the summer doldrums dropped us back into single digits, but August brought us back up to give an overall score of 9% over last year as of this writing. Included in that is more than $15 thousand in alternate channel sales, of which eBay is becoming a significant part.

But generating income is not really what we're about. After all, we don't have any stockholders to keep on our case about "increasing profits," and we don't have gold-plated CEOs to support. No, we're really about giving away money---to those in our community who are in crisis. And with today's economy, there's no letup in need. On the contrary, we're seeing an increasing number of persons with increasing need. The Executive Board at our last meeting just reallocated funds to increase our budget for childcare scholarships by $7,000 and for Margaret Keller education scholarships by $1,000. We are thankful that God continues to bless our operation so that we can meet these important needs.

While all of this is going on, as a community we remain joyful and optimistic. We have an unprecedented level of commitment and cooperation among our volunteers and between volunteers and staff. "It's almost like being in love." No, it IS being in love—with Jesus, who is our inspiration, with one another and with our customers and clients.

As another song says, "One day our prince(ly building) will come," and we excitedly anticipate that day which will alleviate our pressing needs for space, parking and drop-off convenience. But until then, we persevere. As Paul says in Hebrews 12 (verses 1 and 2) ". . . let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith . . ."

Bill Easter
President of the Board
Christian Community In Action

Is it Time to Move?

June, 2006

You've been clamoring for it, and it's finally here -- Summer! Well, maybe not officially; I guess that won't happen until June 21. But when the temperature scorches and the humidity boils, as has happened on some recent days, we know that the time has come for summer. We may miss the beautiful, balmy days of spring, but really we're glad that time moves on and that we can still depend on the orderliness of the universe. There seems to be precious little that we can depend on anymore.

In Ecclesiastics Chapter 3:1, the preacher tells us, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven," and in 3:3, "a time to tear down and a time to build." When Jesus teaches, in Matthew 25:35, 36, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me," he doesn't give a cut-off time. Indeed, in Matthew.:26:11, he says, "The poor you will always have with you."

We, in CCA, have adopted these verses as our "marching orders," endeavoring to meet the needs of the poor in affluent Cary as fully as possible. Can we do more than we're doing? Of course we can. We have Howard Manning to thank for utilizing the facilities of the Dorcas Thrift Shop efficiently to generate funds which are then meted out to the needy by the Crisis Ministry Office under the stewardship of Jill Wissing. But as you know, we have about reached a limit on what our building and land will permit.

So, does "the preacher" say that there's a time to relocate? We look to God for the answer. Your Executive Board last year formed a Facilities Committee to look at the question. Under the leadership of Jim Davis, the committee decided to explore the availability of properties which might better meet our needs. After interviewing several real estate agencies, the committee chose to seek the help of Colliers Pinkard, (of Raleigh, but with Cary connections). Your current Board authorized the president to sign a letter of intent with the firm, stating that if they are successful in locating a property which we choose to purchase, we will then retain them to sell our current property. Timing (there's that word again) is critical; we certainly don't want to sell with nowhere to go! Of course, all actions would have to be approved by the general Membership of CCA.

We're still in the early stages of the search, so I have little more to report. But we'll keep you informed. When the Lord selects the time to act, we have to be ready.

Bill Easter
President of the Board
Christian Community In Action