That is where our ministry and CCJ began. We also host a weekly Kids Club in this neighborhood on Saturday mornings.

Every December we do a special Christmas event for these kids. This year we had 125 kids show up.

We had clowns come to sing Christian songs with the kids and to play games with them. As you can imagine the kids had a blast!

We also make a point to share a clear gospel message to both the kids and the parents. We want them to know that Jesus is the true gift of Christmas.

Then we hand out snacks and finally we hand out the gifts. It is always fun to see the joy on the kids faces as they eagerly wait in line to receive their gift. For many of these kids, this is the only Christmas gift they will receive.

Our hope is that through events like this, and our weekly event to them, we will see a new generation of people raised up in Jaco, a generation of people that are sold out for Christ. We are seeing some very special things happen already. Some of the parents have begun to attend church and bring their kids with them. This is a direct result of the time we have spent investing in their lives through events like this. God is good, to Him be all the glory!

This is a message about the Love of God.

This message is a bilingual recording.

This message was taught by Pastor Greiner Diaz

Sermon Date: October 9th, 2011.

Text: 1 John 4:9

This is a message about the ministry of reconciliation.

This message is a bilingual recording.

This message was taught by Gabriel Fernandez.

Sermon Date: September 25th, 2011.

Text: 1 Corinthians 5.

As I think back upon the last six years, I think of all the things we have been through as a church. For a small fellowship, in a small town, we have surely seen our share of trials and successes! It has been an adventurous ride to say the least. It has also been a learning experience. While there have been many things that we have learned, there are still many more lessons to be learned for sure. Of course, there are also the lessons that we must re-learn from time to time as well. But as I reflect, I think of three major lessons that have brought us to this point. I shared these with the church and I would like to share them here as well. You see, not only have these three things been critical in regards to making it this far, but I believe that they will also be critical moving forward. So, without further delay, here they are:

The Work Requires Focus, Therefore, We Must Continue To Stay The Course
There has not been a shortage of people that believe they know Gods will for my life or this ministry. But the Lord has continued to press two things upon my heart.
- Be who God created you to be
When He created us, He did so knowing how we would turn out. He created us and gifted us in such a way as to use us for His purposes. While we should always be growing in the Lord, we shouldn’t try to become someone else. We must be who He created us to be as a person and as a church, collectively.

- Do what God called you to do
God calls us with a specific purpose in mind. He is a specific God. We must know what His will and calling is, then we must do it. I like to call this “plowing the row in front of you”. We can’t get caught up with what other people or churches are doing. If we become envious or jealous of the work others are doing, we will get off track and fail to fulfill our ministry. So, we must stay focused. In Colossians 4:17, Paul says to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” This is critical for all believers if we are going to finish well. We must fulfill OUR ministry, not that of others.

The Battle is Fierce, Therefore, We Must Continue To Stand Strong
As a person or a ministry grows, they become more effective for Christ. Satan takes notice of these things and does everything he can to stop it. He loves to destroy a work before it can really get started. He also tries to discourage us so that we simply give up and quit. Paul warns us of this in Ephesians 6. He tells us that we wrestle against the spiritual hosts of wickedness and therefore we must STAND!

The Lord is Faithful, Therefore, We Must Continue To Trust in Him
The greatest thing we have seen these past 6 years is that God is faithful! He has guided the church, He has provided for the church, and He has protected the church. There is no doubt in my mind that this is His church. So we must continue to wait upon Him, walk with Him, and trust in Him every step of the way. He is the rock that we must be founded upon and build upon. Hopefully, He will always be the one getting all the glory as well!

While it is always exciting to look back at what the Lord has done, it is even more exciting to look ahead. I believe that the best years are in front of us! In many ways, this ministry is just getting started. The foundation is just being laid. The vision is yet to come to pass. So let’s continue to seek the Lord whole-heartedly, let’s seek to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, and let’s shine our light for Jesus Christ!

This is a message celebrating our 6 year anniversary.

This message is a bilingual recording.

This message was taught by Pastor Mike Lawrence

Sermon Date: September 18th, 2011.
Text: Zephaniah 2, Colossians 4, Ephesians 6.

This year we hosted two mission teams. Both teams were very large and came back to back. It was a very busy time for us, but it was also a very exciting time! The first team we hosted this year was from BWO (Believers World Outreach). We work with them every summer and it has truly been a blessing to partner with them.

This year they brought 70 people down and spread out all over Jaco for ten days. They came prepared to reach just about everybody in town! For the kids we had a soccer clinic, surf lessons, and VBS. We also did drama presentations around town and set up a free medical clinic for the poorest of the poor. They saw about 180 people come to the clinic! The Lord opened the door for an OB/GYN to come on the trip this year and it turned out to be a huge need. She was able to give 84 women free cancer screenings. We found out that most of these women had not seen a doctor in years. It was awesome to watch God meet the needs of these women. One of the things that makes this team so effective is their openness to trying new ways to reach people, such as their cosmetology outreaches. I’m always amazed at how the Lord uses this team. There are a lot of hurting women in Jaco and the cosmetology outreach is a great way to minister to their hearts. They get a free haircut and they hear the gospel of Jesus Christ in the process. Of course the guys get in on the free haircuts as well. This year they wanted to do something BIG before their trip was over. The week was caped off by doing a community wide children’s carnival with games, a bounce house, drama skits and food. We saw over 250 kids come to the carnival. The kids had a blast and they all got to hear the gospel! Overall, the BWO team lead dozens of people to Christ and we look forward to seeing the fruit that will come from it.

This is a message about the carnality in the church of Corinth.

This message is a bilingual recording.

This message was taught by Pastor Mike Lawrence

Sermon Date: September 11th, 2011.

Text: 1 Corinthians 3, Hebrews 5, Acts 20.

This is a message about God’s plan for your life, part 2.

This message is a bilingual recording.

This message was taught by Pastor Mike Lawrence

Sermon Date: September 4th, 2011.

Text: 1 Corinthians 2:9, Acts 7.

This is a message about God’s plan for your life.

This message is a bilingual recording.

This message was taught by Pastor Mike Lawrence.

Sermon Date: August 28th, 2011.

Text: 1 Corinthians 2:9, Proverbs 16:26, Ecclesiastes 2.

Light Bright is a sermon series through the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians. In these books, the Apostle Paul challenges believers to be who they are! He challenges them not to be so influenced by the culture around them, but rather, to be an influence on the culture for the sake of Christ. These two books challenge all believers to be a bright light in the midst of their dark city.

“Light Bright”