T
he interior of Stonebriar
Community Church was
transformed into a rain
forest of tangled vines, exotic
flowers, waterfalls, and
tropical fauna the last week
of June when Vacation
Bible School children participated in an "Expedition With the
One True God."
It took six days and dozens of
volunteers using more than 50,000
square feet of colored paper, 24,000
inches of tape, bamboo stalks,
plants, stuffed animals and an
immeasurable amount of elbow
grease to create a world of
wonder for the more than 500
children who came to VBS.
When the week ended,
many of the decorations
were passed on to area
churches that also planned
VBS programs with the
Amazon theme.
Throughout the
week,
special
guests, including ventriloquist
Nancy Burks, KZ Rod of KCBI
Christian radio, illusionist Ward
Matthews, and evangelist Larry
Moyer, amplified the message of
God as Creator, Provider, Healer,
Savior, and Lord of All.
As a mission project, the children
learned about India Gospel Club,
which takes VBS programs to
remote villages. Through their offerings, the children provided funds
for 14 new VBS programs in India.☺
Editor's note: Inspired by the vibrant
color and exubrant life filling our church
during the week of Vacation Bible
School, this month's edition
of the Connection is our
first in full color.
Enjoy!
Mark and Colleen
Dane, instrumental
in the formation of
Stonebriar
Community Church,
now undertake a
new ministry in
California.
I
n 1998, Mark Dane had a history
as a successful church planter.
Chuck Swindoll, president of
Dallas Theological Seminary, was
longing to be back in the pulpit. To
say "the rest is history" would gloss
over one of the hardest, most
exhausting periods in the lives of
both Mark and Chuck. It would
miss the depth of intimate friendships formed at that time. And it
could never explain the exultation
that comes when witnessing a work
that only God could bring about.
"When I got here, we had 300
unsolicited calls from people who
were interested in a church. We had
land available in Frisco. That's it,"
Mark says. "I had a cell phone, a
laptop, and a Honda. For three
months, that was my office, twentyfour/seven." That time is just a blur
now for Mark. "We had to prepare
for the possibility of a thousand
people and their kids showing up at
our first service, and we had no
money. I was charging stuff left and
right."
When Stonebriar Community
Church held its first Sunday
morning service at the Preston
Ridge campus of Collin County
Community College, Mark and his
Mark Dane assumes new
pastorate in California
To the elders, staff, and members of
Stonebriar Community Church:
team of volunteers showed up at 6
a.m. to set up the facility. "We were
running around like mad dogs to get
everything ready before the service,"
Mark recalls. Nine hundred people
came to that first worship service,
and classes were ready for their
children, from nursery through high
school. Colleen, Mark's wife, took a
leadership role in establishing the
children's ministries.
"There are a lot of 'firsts' with
Mark," says Senior Executive Pastor
David Chavanne. Mark was instruSee “New Pastorate” on page 6
Mark Dane, shown here with Will
Hardin, supervised the logistics of the
church’s first meetings, including the
purchase of 1,000 white plastic chairs.
2
In August of 1998, the Dane family moved
from serving a church we had planted in
Solvang, California, to Frisco, Texas, to be
involved in the birthing of another church,
Stonebriar Community Church.
This August marks our fourth year of
service to our Lord through this church. It's
been an honor to see God take many different
people, ideas and convictions and mold these
into a vibrant congregation.
Stonebriar Community Church now
stands as a visible center for the worship of
God in our community. It is well established
and remarkably led and staffed by men and
women who uniquely desire to see the glory
of God reflected. The Lord has brought forth
another congregation for His purposes.
The most important foundations of our
church, or any church, are spiritual, not
material. This being said, the move into our
new facilities made a tangible impression and
brought a deep sense of our church being
securely established. This was several months
ago, and since that time the Lord began to
providentially move in our family's life,
preparing our hearts for His next assignment.
Many of you, very dear to our hearts, have
been aware of this season of searching and
have lifted our family to the Lord in your
prayers. Thank you so much. With the
greatest certainty I have experienced in
Christian service, I can say that those prayers
have been answered and our next assignment
given. On Sunday, June 30, 2002, Chino
Valley Community Church of Chino Hills,
California, extended a call to serve their
congregation as senior pastor. It is with great
excitement that we have accepted this
call to His next assignment, effective
August 1, 2002.
It has been an honor to serve the Lord
through Stonebriar Community Church and
also to serve with you. Our relationships and
roots run deep here, and we know we have
formed many lifelong relationships. For this
great gift we are grateful to the Lord and to
you.
It will be our prayer that the Lord continues to use Stonebriar Community Church to
reflect His glory and our joy to watch this
unfold in the coming years.
In Christ,
Mark Dane
Gary Siefers named Pastor of Children’s Ministries
G
ary Siefers, Stonebriar's new
Pastor of Children's Ministries, is still getting
acquainted with his new position,
new church, new home, and new
city, after only a handful of days on
the job. But Gary is eager to do what
Gary Siefers
comes to
Stonebriar
with 23 years
of service in
Children's
Ministries
he loves best: to see children trust
Christ and to lay a foundation for
their future spiritual maturity. "I
pray regularly that our kids would
know Christ, love Him, and want to
fulfill His will for their lives," Gary
says.
Gary comes to Stonebriar with a
lifetime of education and experience
focused on children. He received a
diploma from Oak Hills Bible
Institute in Bemidji, Minn., a
bachelor of arts from Bryan College
in Dayton, Tenn., and master's
degrees from Dallas Theological
Seminary and Grace Theological
Seminary in Winona Lake, Ind. He
has served as principal of several
Christian schools, including nine
years at the American Christian
International Academy in Lisbon,
Portugal.
Since 1994, Gary has been
principal of Casas Christian
School in Tucson, Ariz. For the
past five years he has also
served as Children's Ministry
Team Leader at Casas Church,
overseeing a staff of 17 ministers and ministry assistants.
He implemented an interactive
approach that draws children
to biblical principles through a
variety of methods, such as cooking,
music, drama, puppetry, computers,
games, multimedia, and science.
Gary looks forward to helping
children at Stonebriar develop their
gifts and talents, and then using
those gifts in ministry, especially to
other kids. "We're looking forward to
meeting the needs of our growing
children's attendance in new,
exciting ways under Gary's direction,"
says
Debbie
Burwell,
Stonebriar's Director of Children's
Ministries.
Gary and his wife, Cheryl, and
their daughter, Adrienne, are in the
midst of selling their house in Tucson
and relocating to the Frisco area.
Included in the move is their white
Pekingese, sometimes called Bubby,
who appears to rule the family most
of the time. Remaining in Tucson, at
least for the time being, are their son,
Andrew, who works in the telecom
industry, and their daughter, Anna,
who is completing her master of arts
in elementary education.
Along with spending time with
his family, Gary enjoys fishing,
traveling, and cooking in his leisure
hours.
Stonebriar’s Music Ministries gearing up for fall
by Bruce Stevenson, Pastor of
Worship and Music
I
t won't be long now until the
calendar changes over from
August to September, and that
means another year of opportunities
in music ministry is right around the
corner. And it just may be that 20022003 will be the year for you and
your family to be members-in-goodstanding of a choir or ensemble at
Stonebriar Community Church.
Read further and see where God
might be calling you to sing His
song.
Adult Choir: The adult choir
meets Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m.,
and the first rehearsal of the new
season will take place on August 29.
A great year is planned, along with
an always-enjoyable choir retreat,
which is scheduled for September 20
and 21.
Orchestra: The church orchestra
(and other instrumental ensembles)
meets every other Saturday morning
from 9 to 11 a.m. We welcome all
orchestral instrumentalists, beginning on September 28.
Handbells: We have opportunities
for handbell players from beginner
to advanced, and in-between, too.
The bell choirs meet on Tuesdays at
6:30 p.m., starting September 17.
3
Children’s Choirs: Children's
choirs will be meeting on
Wednesday afternoons from 4:15 to
5:30 p.m. when they start up on
September 18. The children's choir
program encompasses kindergarten
through fifth grade.
Youth Choirs: Plans are being formulated for a junior high choir, and
we will have details for you soon.
With all of these ministry groups,
some registration or interview
process is required.
For more
information, please call Melissa
Kuykendall in the Worship and
Music
Ministries
Office
at
469-252-5207.
Romania 2002 . . . an adventure in evangelism
By Jennie Killion
S
tonebriar's one for One singles
spent 10 days in June spreading
the Gospel in Romania. This is
the third year the one for One fellowship has gone on a summer mission
trip with Global Missions Fellowship
(GMF), and each year brings more
excitement and new believers in
Christ.
One of the more demanding
aspects of the Romania trip was the
physical exhaustion from 24 hours of
travel to Galati, Romania. After a
four-hour, non-air-conditioned bus
ride from the airport in Bucharest to
Galati, we were immediately introduced to Romanian food at its
finest . . . McDonald's! By the end of
the week we would actually come to
appreciate such fine dining after
eating traditional Romanian staples
such as plain eggs, cheese, bread,
chicken and potatoes each day for
our meals.
We partnered with a Baptist church
in Galati to participate in door-todoor evangelism for a week. GMF
put us into teams, assigning one
Romanian translator to each of us to
assist with the language barrier.
These people were just beautiful and
so accommodating, making us feel
like a part of their family the entire
time we were there.
Each morning we walked through
the city up to the
church to meet
our translators.
Children from
a Romanian
church plant
interact
with their
American
visitors.
Members of the one for One Romanian mission team are, left to right, front:
Ashley Hultstrand, Michelle Morgan, Jennie Killion, and Jennifer Hicks; back:
Michael Patton, Jason Pettett, Nathan Lengacher, Russ Aikman, and Greg Hudnall.
We set out in teams of eight for rather
long bus rides to surrounding
farming villages or smaller cities.
Upon arrival at these places, we
would split into pairs . . . one
Romanian, one American. We would
spend the rest of our day going door
to door or field to field, talking with
the people and introducing them to a
personal relationship with our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Most, if not all, of the people we
talked with knew all about Jesus, but
didn't understand grace or anything
about a personal relationship with
Him. For the most part, they have all
been raised under the Romanian
Orthodox Church, which really holds
a tight grip on their
beliefs as well as
their lives. The
Romanian Orthodox
faith relies heavily
on works to get
into heaven
and believes
that there is
4
Michael Patton (right) and Romanian
translator Irina Munteanu visit with a
Romanian resident.
no way they can reach God, no
matter what. Our biggest challenge
was to overcome the Orthodox tradition and point to what the Bible says
about faith and grace.
Many of the people we visited with
responded to our message and are
excited in the new hope the message
of the Gospel brings to them. They
now have an understanding of grace,
an essential in the Christian faith.
The GMF team, which also brought
people from California, Missouri and
New Jersey on the campaign, left
Romania 260-plus new believers
strong! What a blessing it was to take
part in this ministry. The one for One
group looks forward to the possibility of returning to Galati next
summer. Traveling on “Heroes Highway” at Mt. Hermon
By David Chavanne, Senior
Executive Pastor
W
endy and I, along with
some of the Stonebriar
staff, recently enjoyed a
relaxing week away from the distractions and pressures of ministry at
Mount Hermon, a family conference
center, 35 miles southwest of San
Jose, California. It is hard not to relax
among the giant redwoods, gentle
streams, and the cool breezes of the
Pacific Ocean! For the last 19 years
Insight for Living has hosted this
Christ-centered week of fun, tears,
laughter, new and renewed friendships, meaningful worship, and
practical Bible-teaching.
This year's theme was "Traveling
on Heroes Highway." Our Senior
Pastor, Chuck Swindoll, and our
own Rick Fowler both taught us
about true heroism. Also, Bruce
Stevenson added his own unique
style in leading worship and Steve
Amerson's tenor voice stirred our
souls with songs of inspiration.
The theme verse for the week was
Hebrews 11:2: "Because of faith the
heroes of the past received
the
a p p ro v a l
of God,"
(Barclay).
Since the
tragic events
of September 11,
we have been mindful of
the importance of having
heroes in our lives. President Teddy
Roosevelt once said, "A leader
invariably lives his life as a sincere
imitator of the best attributes of
others." Heroes always have heroes.
All week long we recalled heroes
in our lives like Sgt. Alvin York,
Tom Landry, Winston Churchill,
Corrie Ten Boom, Billy Graham,
parents, pastors, teachers, coaches,
and many others.
As Chuck said, "A true hero is
someone who faces life's daily challenges with courage, acting in faith
and obedience. In a word, you are a
hero when you remain faithful.
Faithful to God. Faithful to live out
His Word
in the trenches."
Using the Apostle
Paul as an example,
Chuck reminded us that true heroes
submit willingly, value others, stay
positive, possess a courageous heart,
and are faithful to the end.
Wendy and I left Mount Hermon
and returned to Frisco with our
bodies, souls, and spirits refreshed
and a new appreciation of the heroes
who have impacted our lives. Small groups study God's take on finances
D
Members of SCC’s Crown leadership team
at are, front, left to right: Raquey Sprangel
and Brenda Yu; Back: Sam Mathai, Bill
Knight, Dick Sprangel,Chuck Bentley, Jim
Mask, and Jim Gunn. Not pictured, Taylor
Gardner and Mark Schupbach.
ick and Raquey Sprangel,
coordinators
for
Crown
Financial
Ministries
at
Stonebriar Community Church, are
looking forward to the fall launch of
small group studies on financial
principles from God's Word.
For information and to register for
a group, visit the Crown table on the
second floor of the church this
month. The studies will begin the
week of September 8.
Each group is limited to 12 participants and meets weekly for twelve
weeks, either at the church, where
childcare is provided, or in area
homes. Approximately two hours of
preparation are required outside of
class each week. Students will use a
5
study manual, an application
workbook, and a copy of the book,
Your Money Counts. The materials fee
is $45 per person or $55 for couples.
The Crown leadership team at
Stonebriar comprises Jim Gunn, SCC
elder liaison; Taylor Gardner,
pastoral overseer; Mark Schupbach,
advisor; Jim Mask, prayer ministry;
Brenda Yu, administrator; Bill
Knight, quality support; and Sam
Mathai, budget counseling team.
Stonebriar member Chuck Bentley is
the regional director for Crown
Financial Ministries.
For more information about
Crown Financial Ministries at
Stonebriar, contact the Sprangels at
972-612-1462. ❑
Women connect with God and one another at SCC
By Nancy Hardin,
Director of Women’s Ministries
S
tonebriar’s Women's Ministries
focuses on connecting women
to God and to one another. Pat
McClain, Counselor to Women, says
that relationships form for a reason,
for a season, or for a lifetime.
Stonebriar offers opportunities for
women to cultivate each of these
kinds of friendships while nurturing
intimacy with God.
The Fall Bible Study, With My
Whole Heart: A Study in Psalms, kicks
off on Wednesday, September 11.
The morning study meets from 9:3011:15 and the evening from 7:00-8:30.
For women interested in a small
group topical or book study, we are
in the process of choosing topics for
Growth Groups to meet concurrently with the Bible study on
Wednesday evenings. Look for registration and more detailed information in late August.
This year Books & Bagels is
planning quarterly events in
October, January, March, and June
arranged around the theme, God's
Design for Women. Anyone who has
attended will tell you that these
Saturday gatherings waft like a fresh
breeze through the clutter of a hectic
life. Dates and book titles will be
announced next month.
Moms with young children can
find encouragement at the monthly
Nurturing Moms beginning Friday,
September 6, with Rebecca Barlow
Jordan on Courage for Chicken-Hearted
Moms. On the first Friday of each
month from 9:15-11:45 a.m., moms
gather for refreshment of heart, soul,
and body in the forms of an inspira-
Stonebriar Community Church Financial Report
Month Ending 6/31/02 – Fiscal Year Beginning 10/01/01
June
Actual
June
Budget
YTD
Actual
YTD
Budget
Var. Actual
to YTD
Budget
Income – Gen. Fd.
$490,710
$398,300
$4,087,554
$3,704,600
$382,954
Expense – Gen. Fd.
$388,117
$379,166
$3,705,875
$3,741,610
-$35,735
Totals
$102,593
$19.134
$381,679
-$37,010
June 2002 average attendance – 2,888 adults in worship
June 2002 Building Fund Contribution – $42,681
* In January, a $200,000 payment to an Operating Reserve account was made that
was included as an expense item.
6
tional message, fellowship and
brunch. Consider finding nurture for
yourself from a band of friends
in the same season of life. Detailed
information is available at the
Women's Ministries table on the
second floor.
Moms who homeschool can find
support
in
the
bi-monthly
Homeschool Fellowship. The fall
meetings begin Tuesday, September
10, from 7 to 9 p.m. with Lynn Wilson
presenting words of wisdom from a
mom who's "been there and done
that" with her three boys now grown.
For more information, contact
Tammy Hilyer at 972-398-2454.
Information on any of these ministries and events for the women of
Stonebriar is available by contacting
Nancy Hardin or Lynn Wilson at
469-252-5336. New Pastorate
Continued from page 2.
mental in formulating the vision of
the church, organizing the steering
committee, setting up the membership classes, starting the adult fellowships,
establishing
the
Wednesday night Bible study and
facilities planning meetings, and
launching the first small groups,
among many other activities.
Mark now moves to a new role
and a new ministry at Chino Valley
Community Church in Chino Hills,
Calif. "I'm thrilled about his new
responsibilities and I know God will
use him in a wonderful way in
California," David says. "I will miss
him, not only as a dear friend but
also as a gifted servant-leader."
On the last Sunday in July, the
Stonebriar family asked God's
blessing on Mark, Colleen, and their
children, Ashley, 9, Austin, 8, and
Jonathan, 5, at the conclusion of
their service here. As they journey
on, they take with them the loving
prayers of their friends and a ton of
memories created in a few exciting
years together. August Calendar
7:45–8:30 a.m. Prayer time in Room
246. Come and go as you need and
join in prayer for the ministries of
Stonebriar Community Church.
9 and 10:45 a.m. Worship services.
Special Needs classes during both
services; interpretation for the deaf
at the 9 a.m. service; real-time
captioning at the 10:45 a.m. service.
10 p.m. Corporate Prayer Time in
the Prayer Room.
7 p.m. one for One singles fellowship in Room 245.
6 p.m. Career Transition Ministry
for anyone who is unemployed or
considering a job change. Room 249.
7 p.m. Bones, college-age fellowship, in Room 245.
7 p.m. Overcoming Overload, a
five-week Bible study for men and
women, led by Steve Farrar in the
Worship Center. (Call 469-252-5200
to reserve childcare.)
Friday, August 2– 8 p.m. High
School Ministry’s Living Out
LOUD (through Love, Oneness,
Understanding, and Direction). An
all-nighter for guys in one place
and gals in another.
Sunday, August 4–
9 & 10:45 a.m. Communion
5 p.m. Baptism service
Wednesday, August 7– 7 p.m.
NOW (Night of Worship). High
school students meet at the
Stevenson home, 9905 Mallory
Drive in Frisco.
Saturday, August 10–
6-10 p.m. FUNZONE, a program
for special needs children and their
siblings, staffed by medical professionals. For details, call Sue
Lindahl at 469-252-5240.
7–10 p.m. Eighth grade banquet.
Tuesday, August 20–
6:30 p.m. SoulCare orientation
meeting. Room 241-242.
7 p.m. Writers Group. Rm. 205.
Men’s Fall Retreat
set for October 4-6
by Les Fleetwood
Pastor of Men’s Ministries
9:30 a.m. Women’s Bible study on
the book of Ruth. (Concludes on
August 8.) Room 243.
7 p.m. Choir practice resumes
on August 29 in the Choir Room.
10 a.m. English as a Second
Language. Open to all who do not
speak English as their native
tongue. Room 202. For information, contact Sheila Neumann at
972-668-5535.
G
entlemen, mark your calendars! The Men’s Ministries
Fall Retreat will be held
October 4-6 at beautiful Sky Ranch
Retreat Center in East Texas. You
don’t want to miss out on this great
weekend of fun, fellowship, and
ministry.
This year’s special guest is Jeff
Farrar, a former pastor, a nationally
known men’s speaker, and a sports
chaplain for teams that include the
San Francisco Giants. You may also
know his older brother, one of our
own pastors, Dr. Steve Farrar.
Registration will begin at the
church this month. 7
Ney Bailey will speak at the retreat
Fall Women’s Retreat
gives time to reflect
By Nancy Hardin
Director of Women’s Ministries
T
he Women’s Fall Retreat can
be the perfect starting point
in seeking out other women
and testing the soil for kindred
hearts and minds. Ney Bailey, a
popular speaker on university
campuses and at conferences
worldwide, will cast seeds for
growing faith. This weekend of
reflection and relaxation also
affords time to foster friendships.
Save September 27-29 to join the
fun at the Marriott Solana in
Westlake near DFW Airport.
Register for the retreat on Sunday
mornings at the Women's Ministries table on the second floor. Bible courses begin
in September at SCC
R
egistration for The Center for
Biblical Studies at SCC takes
place every Sunday this
month, on the second floor of the
church. The fee for each course is $50.
Three classes will be taught
weekly for 10 weeks, beginning the
second
week
of
September.
Introduction to Theology will meet on
Mondays; Bible Study Methods and
Hermaneutics, taught in Spanish, and
Christian Spirituality will meet on
Tuesdays. All classes meet from
7:35 to 8:45 p.m. 4801 Legendary Drive Frisco, TX 75034
Non-profit
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Dallas, Texas
Scriptural command to pray deserves attention
By Barbara Williams
Prayer Ministry Coordinator
“More things are wrought by prayer
than this world dreams of.“
–Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892)
W
hen I received the summer
issue of Kindred Spirit
from Dallas Theological
Seminary, I was thrilled with the
articles. I read it cover to cover; each
article was on prayer. What an
encouragement! I will have it in the
Prayer Room for those interested in
reading it.
There has never been a time that
we need to pray for one another and
for our nation more than today! Our
hearts were saddened when we
heard there are those that want to
take "under God" out of the Pledge
of Allegiance. Our country was built
on faith in God and His blessings
have been bountiful! Let us encourage one another to pray for our
families, our church and its ministries, and for our nation.
The Scriptures are full of
prayers . . . prayers for healing,
for wisdom, for salvation, inner
spiritual strength, and to yield not to
temptation. No mandate in the
Bible is more pressing than the
commandment to pray.
So let's pray . . . each Tuesday
morning from 10 until 11 we will
have corporate prayer in the Prayer
Room. This time will be devoted to
praying for our church and the
needs of our members and friends.
We do not plan to have a devotion or
a study, but to concentrate on
praying. Childcare will be provided;
please call the church office at 469252-5200 to reserve space for your
children.
We also want to remind you that
we have pre-service prayer each
Sunday morning at 7:45 until 8:30 in
Room 246. We will welcome you
anytime your schedule allows. "My house shall be called a house of
prayer." Isaiah 56:7
a publication of
STONEBRIAR COMMUNITY CHURCH
4801 LEGENDARY DRIVE,
FRISCO, TX 75034 469-252-5200
The Connection is designed to provide
information and encouragement to the
members and friends of Stonebriar Community
Church. Comments and suggestions are
welcome and may be given to the Director of
Communications, Mary Stark, at 469-252-5202.
Graphic design by Kenny Courtenay.
© 2002 Stonebriar Community Church
www.stonebriar.org