twenty years of community (continued) by ericson frank, executive director

God has grown his peoples' heart for Gainesville and this community in a special way over the last twenty years. His heart, like Jesus while on Earth, is moved to compassion for those who are in crisis: the orphan, the widow, and those (like the man who was left for dead in Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan) that are being neglected by friends, family, neighbors, and soberly enough, even the religious people and leaders. Jesus' message is that people get a chance to share God's compassion, be moved with concern, and to express the love of God by helping people. Christians Concerned for the Community has become a community of God's people who are carrying out the mission of the Good Samaritan (working alongside 'innkeepers' of the world).
Lynn and Suzanne Groce started carrying out this mission in 1987 by being examples themselves, by encouraging others to do the same, and then equipping the Church to help effectively. For fifteen years the Groce family worked hard addressing needs of our community, and then finding out the assets available to meet those needs (especially within the Church). Some people laid the foundation; others started working alongside them; and, today, many churches and volunteers partner with CCC in this work.
I started working with Lynn Groce in 2003 and was mentored to continue God's work through CCC as Executive Director. I feel that the blossom that was showing after fifteen years of the Groce's tilling, weeding, planting, watering, and fertilizing, has fully unfurled and is a beautiful expression of God's love today in our community. Glory belongs to God for the great things we have seen!
CCC's board of directors is the most active, involved, and diverse representation of the Church that I've seen. From a staff of one and a half, CCC now has two full-time staff and seven interns! CCC went from a couple handfuls of committed volunteers and an occasional group, to hundreds of volunteers and 45 groups last year alone (many groups serving regularly)! Church support continues to strengthen and grow, adding fifteen new churches in the last five years. We now have the beginnings of a church connection network that allows CCC's volunteers to serve, to provide emotional or spiritual support, and to connect those who are interested to a local faith community. As we continue to develop, we are spearheading efforts to link churches and nonprofits together to impact the community beyond the scope of CCC alone. It's our vision to see this community united!
CCC is effectively meeting physical needs of our neighbors, and we want to continue to do as many good deeds as possible! We want to help many people as responsibly as we can, so that people are dignified and empowered through our exchange and time together. CCC's volunteers from churches are able to share their faith however they feel lead, and we believe the Good News that "God loves us" never returns void. Not only is CCC able to do a good deed while sharing God's love, we're also able to introduce interested people to faith communities where the whole person's needs can be met. CCC is attempting to 'wholistically' help people with physical, spiritual, & human development needs. We don't claim to have it 'all figured out', but we're participating with the Christian Community Development Association & our local community to see our neighbors' lives transform.


the happenings what's new with ccc…

CCC's Newly RE-Designed Website! Check out www.cccgainesville.org and say hi! (New—online giving via credit card).
We Have Seven Interns at CCC! CCC has three new summer interns to add to our roster of four year-long interns. Welcome Adam Guerrero, project manager, Hannah Walker, office / home visits, & Claire Sipple, office / home visits
CCC's Office has been Totally Paid-Off! With the support of many of you, CCC has totally finished out our payment agreement with Ridgeview Baptist Church and we now own our office and property, the Gloria Dei Center. Thanks!
Tailgate with CCC and the Gators…!!! We have plans to put on a tailgate party for one of our gator home games to benefit CCC. We have word from some of the '96 Championship Team Gators, that they'll be there and share a word!


what is it that I do anyway? by dustin pence, assistant executive director

I get up. I drink coffee. I take my daughter with me. I drive the same drive. I'm on time. I turn off the porch light. I greet the rest. I return the messages. I enter in your checks and record completed jobs. I wait. I tell someone no. I hear of someone interested in doing a service project. I connect them with someone who needs the help. I eat lunch. I wait. I think ahead. I get confused. I pray. I wonder if all this works. I keep the office tidy. I update the website. I fulfill my job description. I go home. Yeah, that sounds about right. Just another 9-5 that means nothing outside of some greater meaning.

My title, "Ministry Worker," often implies a seniority or uniqueness. The fact that I work at a non-profit also suggests some greater sacrifice in response to a "higher calling." Oh, how I wish it were this easy. I could call it quits at 5pm and even get paid for the ministry I did accomplish. Alas, my job title is no swap for real-life application. Ministry workers are not the chosen few, nor are they the scapegoat of someone else's disregard. We were all called to The Great Commission, and we all have this responsibility whether at work, home, or play.

At CCC, I'm just another person trying to do their job right and make the boss happy. Yes, I enjoy it. Yes, I deeply love it; however, my ministry began when I met Jesus. So, let's raise our cup of coffee every early AM and pray that each of us strive to be our very best, whoever we are, for His sake.


unglamorous stories about our lovely neighbors by ericson frank

I met a lady today. My job form said her name, address, and that she was elderly and needed grab bars installed in the shower. When I showed up at her home, she greeted me in the driveway in her motorized wheelchair and welcomed me inside. After switching to the cane that her grandson handed her (due to a 6" step into the kitchen which is impassable for her wheelchair) she went slow, but determined, to the bathroom. We planed together to install three bars. One, with the assistance of her cane, helps getting into her shower. The second bar assists her when sitting down onto the shower bench. The third bar helps her on the way out!
After the installation, she told me how she grew up in Fairbanks, FL (on the way to Waldo from Gainesville) with her mom, dad, and fourteen siblings! Her family farmed until moving to Gainesville when the children were old enough to go to Lincoln High School (the segregated black school at the time). She went on to say that Jesus is who has gotten her through life and the 'hell' she's experiencing now due to an illness linked back to her childhood (which is preventable today). She said she couldn't describe the love she has experienced in her family and how good God has been to all of them. In her words she said, "Remember the old black lady you met today in your prayers. Thanks for listening!"


ccc is developing a church-wide database

If you're not sure this is exciting, it is! The Christian Pastors' Association (CPA) of Alachua County is working with us and sponsoring the effort to expand and re-design our database we use to be able to host it online. This means volunteers and churches we work with can access information online (that we allow to be releasable) to get the exact info for serving neighbors, either through one-time service projects, or to maintain records of an ongoing relationship between CCC, a church, and a neighbor. This is exciting because it will link CCC, the volunteer groups, and the churches that partner with us in an intentional way to allow us to better cooperate and to better help people. Working on things that better help people is development our community can use! This is a tool we can use, Expressing the love of God by equipping the Church to help people!


april — june 2008
neighbors 105
needs 123
volunteers 125
volunteer hours 701

service projects
accessibility 27
ramps 11
yard work 8
repairs 8

neighbor needs
furniture 35
appliances 12
transportation 8
miscellaneous 6