Keeper of the Shores
Posted on April 27th, 2007 by Reformed Pope into the City Boobie Church categoryI like to think of this blog as a lighthouse, shining bright for all to see; steering wayward Christians away from the Rocks of Damazio. Many times, a sermon gets cloudy, like a fog rolling in, and that's when Catalyst and I run up to the top of the tower and light a way to shine through the darkness. Ahh…the life of a lighthouse keeper.
Look now, a storm is approaching from "The Domes" as we speak…
From CBC's April 21-22, 2007 bulletin
Today's ThoughtIn the last two weekends we have had over sixty people respond to Christ and many prodigals return to Christ. We took in 120 new members on Super Sunday Night, baptized another twelve new converts and prayed over 37 new small group leaders who are starting new groups. Thank you, CBC, for reaching and loving people.
I also presented in video our history thus far in "Taking Church to the People." You will see this video in the services again this weekend. Our new Vancouver Campus will open Sunday night, June 3, with a 5:00 and a 6:30 pm service and a huge party. To help cover the final set-up cost for the building and the additional overhead until the new campus can grow into this new location, I'm asking everyone to help us raise $350,000.
We are one congregation meeting in multiple locations. Vancouver, like 217, is your campus, an expression of your faith and vision to take church to the people. This new venture will take all of us stepping up, giving, praying, and serving. We will all inherit the eternal fruit of souls, lives changed, marriages saved and young people equipped to face this generation.
Please take the pledge card and let me know what you can do between now and June 10, our first Sunday service. This is an eight week window of giving. Put the card in the envelope along with whatever you are giving today. Our God is our provider and He will open windows of provision for each and every person. Thank you! You are an awesome church!
-Pastor Frank Damazio
Catalyst, quick…light the lamp.
To help cover the final set-up cost for the building and the additional overhead until the new campus can grow into this new location, I'm asking everyone to help us raise $350,000.
Final set-up cost and additional overhead?????? That costs $350,000…what were the initial costs? And "additional overhead" maybe instead they should cut back instead of just spending the money.
Vancouver, like 217, is your campus, an expression of your faith and vision to take church to the people.
"An expression of your vision"…who's vision…certainly not the congregations? Frank, did you take a poll before you decided to expand your business to Vancouver? Was there a vote that I am unaware of? No…that's because it is your vision, Frank…not your church's.
And just like that, the light beams out to the darkness.
You may be thinking, $350,000…that's not all that much, right? Well wait a minute…let me do my job here (lighthouse and all)… How many campuses does CBC plan to have…9…how many do they currently have? 2…and Vancouver makes 3…
This isn't going to stop. Besides your annual November through December "Faith Harvest", you are going to be continually hit up for money to pay for new campuses. All so Frank can self-fulfill a prophecy over him saying he would one day "Pastor 10,000"…I guess if he can fulfill his own prophecy he might actually earn his "self proclaimed ‘apostle of the city' title.
Watch out for those rocks…if you have any concerns with the future of CBC stick with us here at City Business Church…
We'll be your candle on the water.
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April 27th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Maybe the $350,000 is to sharpen the blades? Buy new skates?
Why not just fire more staff and lower salaries…..
But differently this time…..
Start at the top of the pyramid…. at least in reducing salaries
April 27th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
Can you imagine Apostle Peter telling the 120:
“We’re in desperate need here, guys. We just had 3000 come to know Jesus this last weekend, and managed to baptize them all. And now we will be taking church to the people by — of course! — building a fancy place for them to come. With all these people, it’s got to be bigger than the temple court … bigger than the acropolis.
We’ll be putting in a retractable cover for the rain, torch holders for the night-time services. Dorcas is a great seamstress; she’ll be making cushions for the rich to sit on (she can take some time off sewing for the orphans). This is how we take church to the people!
The Jordan is so muddy, so we plan to build a pool right in the middle of the structure so that baptism can be a pleasant and private affair. We also managed to find some musicians and lovely ladies to lead singing for our new place. I’m so glad we will finally have a place to take church to the people!
James and John and I will be devoting ourselves to this building plan, so we are counting on you all to support us with the TITHE. We really can’t use your goats or olives, just gold. If all you have is the simple labor of your hands, sell it. We need cash. We expect 10% of your entire yearly wages just for starters.
This new building for the people will require more even beyond that 10%. We will be using your gold, silver or even Widow Miriam’s tiny copper coins. In fact, God is watching to see how well you obey our interpretation of this one law so that we can complete our plan. This will determine the extent to which God will bless you and protect you.
And when those 3000 begin giving their 10%, we’ll be hiring our own scribes, our own servants to keep the place clean, we’ll get some full-time teachers. We’ll be serving latkes before the meetings and the best wine afterwards. This is the greatest plan ever to bring church to the people!”
sigh ….
And what would those witnesses of the crucifixion and the resurrection of the Maker of the Universe say to Peter in response to this insane idea? “Yes, we’ll give you money!!” ??
April 28th, 2007 at 12:35 am
“In the last two weekends we have had over sixty people respond to Christ and many prodigals return to Christ. We took in 120 new members on Super Sunday Night, baptized another twelve new converts and prayed over 37 new small group leaders who are starting new groups. Thank you, CBC, for reaching and loving people.
I also presented in video our history thus far in “Taking Church to the People.” You will see this video in the services again this weekend. Our new Vancouver Campus will open Sunday night, June 3, with a 5:00 and a 6:30 pm service and a huge party. To help cover the final set-up cost for the building and the additional overhead until the new campus can grow into this new location, I’m asking everyone to help us raise $350,000.”
I have NEVER seen the church so blatantly used as a business in my entire life. This is disgusting.
April 28th, 2007 at 5:49 am
You’re the candle, PF is the methane. Be careful what you illuminate, boys!
April 28th, 2007 at 7:23 am
This is a perfect example taken straight out of ” TBN Praise-a-Thon Fund Raising 101″. Somebody took some great notes during that last TBN Fraud and Greed Show.
Thank You For Your Time
April 28th, 2007 at 8:00 am
I don’t understand how anyone has any money left. It seems that they are always in the middle of a giving campaign when they launch a new one.
April 28th, 2007 at 8:14 am
“I don’t understand how anyone has any money left. It seems that they are always in the middle of a giving campaign when they launch a new one.”
Maybe it’s just me but it seems like this is only a problem in the big churches. In the small church my mom goes to now this isnt a problem at all. They have a building fund but they don’t shove it down your throat oh and they preach about salvation, and morality, and stuff like that, and they actually try to go out and help the community. The youth actually go out and help the community which is good because these kids need to learn to be selfless. I thought my self-serving generation was bad (I’m in my early 20’s.) These brats coming up behind me are bad man. I almost got beat up by a 12 year old a few years back LOL!
April 28th, 2007 at 8:39 am
You can tell how much you can increase your budget by how many new members come in and agree to paying their taxes(oh! I mean their tithes).
April 28th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Money-raising for ego buildings only stops when the Pastor with the ego leaves.
April 28th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Can anyone answer this question?
I thought that Bob MaCgregor was one of the favored sons of the Dick Iverson and a partner with city bible, could be wrong on the partnership with CB. If any of this is true why are they not helping Bob build up the ministry that already exists in Vancouver? Why open another church, start another ministry when you already have a team and church already there?
Just curious.
April 28th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Why do they need a starbucks on every corner? A true business thrives on increasing their business and taking the profits higher and putting other like businesses out of business and that’s CBC’s business when truly they should be in the people business, unless that’s not really their business and they’re in the profit business but they would say that’s none of my business and so I’ll stick to my business and they’ll stick to theirs.
April 28th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
“Why do they need a starbucks on every corner? A true business thrives on increasing their business and taking the profits higher and putting other like businesses out of business and that’s CBC’s business when truly they should be in the people business, unless that’s not really their business and they’re in the profit business but they would say that’s none of my business and so I’ll stick to my business and they’ll stick to theirs.”
You said business 10 times LOL!
April 28th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Honestly, I could never be a part of a church that needed that much money on a regular basis.
April 28th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
It kind of makes me wonder you know….
Far as I know, Jesus never wanted to raise money to build more and more Temples.
Maybe I’m wrong…
April 28th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
I got out of hand, sorry. lol
April 29th, 2007 at 8:35 am
Joel Hjerdstedt started a wonderful church in Clackamas and Bob Isabell started one in Vancouver, too. These men, along with Bob McGregor were all elders of CBC. It is very strange that these churches, that were supposedly “supported” by PF and CBC are having new CBC campuses built very close to them. It’s truly amazing that Frank feels like he needs to be in so much control. To me, it sounds like “wards” are being created just as the mormon church has. What’s also interesting is that people that my family has known for years that currently attend CBC think that opening more campuses is a brilliant idea. It’s so crazy that they continue go along with this and continue to shell out money for more campuses. They seem brainwashed. And to think, I grew up there and was a part of that place for so long. Thank God I’m outta there!
April 29th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Bob Isabell was NEVER an outreach of CBC.. he left against their plan
April 29th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
Lol, this is one of the many things that makes me happy I stopped going to church. (CBC or otherwise)
April 30th, 2007 at 5:28 am
Of the years that CBC has been under the “iron fist with a velvet glove”, how many new members have they added to the church every year? Aren’t they at 10,000 yet? Of all the reported conversions and rededications from the numerous Eternity plays, you’d think they would have reached 10,000 a long time ago. My point is if they retained all the converts and new members over the last 10+ years, the church should be well over 10,000. But it’s not. I can’t help but wonder if for every new member, there’s an old member who has finally said, “Enough!”
So why did they rip out seats in the back of the sanctuary, and move the stage forward so it feels less empty on Sundays?
Of all the thousands of people who live near Rocky Butte in neighborhoods like Parkrose, Mt. Tabor, Montavilla (where BT started!), and the rest of NE Portland, you’d think there would be enough Christians there to fill the church several times over.
Of my experience there, I noticed that most “new” people at CBC were “transplants” from other churches. New converts becoming members was relatively rare. That might be different now, but it seemed that way back then.
April 30th, 2007 at 5:40 am
Sigh…..CBC is doing something vile….it must be Tuesday. Who’s REALLY surprised here? Don’t y’all remember this kind of crap from when you were there?
I think the really stunning thing about this post is RP’s quote from that tune from “Pete’s Dragon”…..which definitely makes me giggle.
April 30th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
FICM, for some reason your comments made me think of some verses from the Song of Solomon. People looking for Christ, going from one ‘church’ to another, hoping to find their ‘beloved’.
Song of Solomon 5:6-7,”I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned away and had gone! My heart went out to him as he spoke. I searched for him, but I did not find him; I called him but he did not answer me. The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me, they struck me and wounded me, the guardsmen of the walls took away my shawl from me.”
Wow, I’ve got tears in my eyes. Usually a sign of the Holy Spirit in my experience.
Why did the ‘beloved’ leave? Because of all the greed, manipulation, and the lack of ‘agape’ love?
May 1st, 2007 at 5:55 am
whatHEsaid,
What you wrote and SOS reminded me of a time when the Lord was bringing me into truth about where HE resides. At the time I was still looking for revival to come to church buildings, complete with exciting worship services. For a short while, I went from church to church looking for signs of Spirit life, but there was nothing of the sort of life I was looking for - just rote liturgical services.
One day while grieving the state of the Church locally, the Spirit gave me a vision. From somewhere overhead, I saw myself following a long and circuitous path up hills, through valleys and trees, looking for the Lord, who was nowhere to be found. Disappointment and fatigue set in, until finally I came to a place at the forefront of the vision where I fell against a large rock, completely exhausted and rested. Out from behind the rock, stepped Jesus and I wept at His sight.
That vision continues to speak to me even today, whenever I look for Him to be in vain works or religious institutions, for scripture says He does not abide in buildings (Acts 7:48 and Acts 17:24). Rather, He abides IN me, and you … (1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19). He is found in our rest.
There are a few scriptures that really speak to me about finding Him when we have become exhausted in our searching and finally coming to a place of rest - the scripture where the apostles witnessed Jesus transfiguration (Mark 9:2) only after climbing a mountain with Him and stopping to rest … and the apostles met up with the resurrected Jesus on a mountain (Matthew 28:16).
Even in the SOS passage you mentioned, the beloved is NOT found in the city (a public place), but in SOS chapter 6 the beloved is found in the garden, to feed and gather lilies.
…
As often as the scriptures paint the picture of an intimate, personal relationship with Christ, who we find at the end of ourselves, when we cease works of the flesh, in private, quiet and intimate places, WHY do we still try to find HIM among the cities of men, in boisterous religious services?
Personally, I think the only reason He shows up at religious services is to give people a taste of what awaits them when they leave and follow HIM out of the city, and into the garden. For surely scripture says HE does not abide in houses made by men, but HE abides in those who love HIM.
Sam
May 1st, 2007 at 7:56 am
They are firing people. And that’s all I got to say about that.
May 1st, 2007 at 9:32 am
Yeah.. i heard they just fired a lot of people in publishing (think that was where) due to lack of money.
I still say they need to start at the top and pare down some of those salaries… not necessarily fire them too.. (might not hurt though)… but at least cut the salaries and perks a bit
May 1st, 2007 at 9:38 am
They fire people all the time. It is a “business”, you know.
May 1st, 2007 at 2:16 pm
I think they should explore “Sacrificial pay cuts” for the top 10 salaries.
May 2nd, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Is this really necessary?
May 2nd, 2007 at 8:36 pm
(Shaking my head)
Unbelievable.
May 2nd, 2007 at 8:47 pm
OKAY, obviously you need some mental health care, but I have decided to stop enabling your juvenile need for attention.
Have a nice life, get help.
You need it.
May 3rd, 2007 at 6:00 am
Now that’s entertainment.
May 3rd, 2007 at 9:55 am
I have a friend who was just “laid off” from CBC among many others. I know from experience that if he had quit, PF would have everyone from CBC questioning my friend’s integrity. So how is it that PF can simultaneously fire people and ask for $350,000 and no one questions his integrity or motives? Just a thought. I’m also curious if anyone knows who all got “laid off” recently. I only know about two so far.
May 3rd, 2007 at 10:57 am
I heard Gareth Gilpen (sp?) got fired…all because his vision and Frank’s vision didn’t line up anymore.
Good job Gareth.
May 3rd, 2007 at 11:27 am
[…] It has come to our attention that several long serving members of City Bible have recently been fired or re-appointed by the Holy Spirit or whatever it is they call it. […]
May 3rd, 2007 at 11:51 am
Oh yeah, right up there with tap-dancing monkeys in spandex bikinis.
May 3rd, 2007 at 12:20 pm
What channel is that on, Heathen? The Blues Brothers just finished on AMC and I’m looking for something to watch …