60 Kids for Linda's 60th Birthday

Linda’s Birthday Blessing

Those who know me know that I usually love parties and celebrations, but not so much this year. In fact, this year I’ve been dreading the approach of my 60th birthday, coming up on December 30. This “BIG” birthday has intimated me into thinking that I’m too old to do certain things, that I don’t have as much to offer, that I’m less relevant or useful, or that others will think less of me in some way. In fact, I’ve just been planning to let my birthday slide by and hope no one notices.

But God has been speaking to me about this, and in recent weeks I’ve done a complete turnaround. I’ve begun to embrace this birthday, and consider it a chance to celebrate 60 years of being blessed by God. What’s more, I feel led to celebrate my 60 years of being blessed by seeking to bless others. Which led me to a big idea for blessing an entire community…

How You Can Be Part of Linda’s Birthday Blessing

So, instead of a birthday party or cards or gifts, I’d like to invite you to join me in celebrating my 60th birthday by helping me raise funds for our church in West Roseville (Pleasant Grove Community Church, aka PGCC) to launch its first ever summer day camp for kids. Our church has a vision to reach the rapidly growing community around our church – and offering a one-week, high quality kids day camp is one of the many ways we hope to do that.

Why This Project, and Why Now?

Our church was first started about 25 years ago to serve senior adults in the nearby Sun City. However, in the past few years, thousands of families have moved into the rapidly growing neighborhoods being built around PGCC. Almost every month entirely new neighborhoods are being built, and by the time it is all said and done, the region will be home to more than 50,000 people. God is bringing the world to our doorstep, and there are very few churches in the area to serve them.

We’ve been praying for God to help us reach out to them with his love in a variety of ways, including launching a Sunday morning kids’ program that is beginning to attract a number of families. Also, two months ago we held our first-ever Fall Fest at the church, which provided a fun day for families to come and enjoy old-fashioned carnival games, pumpkin painting, food trucks, inflatables, and much more. The event was entirely free, and we welcomed more than 500 people from the community. Great fun was had by all, and it allowed our church to begin demonstrating to the community that we are a church for all ages.

We want to keep the momentum going by launching our first-ever day camp, where kids can learn about God’s love through crafts, drama, music, and other large-group and small-group activities.

I hope that we would not only be able to offer a tremendous program for kids whose families may not have a church home, but that it would also allow us to continue the legacy of those who first planted our church 25 years ago to share the love of Christ with the community.

Why 60 Kids for Linda’s 60th?

To be honest, I thought it might catch your attention. But the truth is, we have to start somewhere, and 60 kids seemed like as good of a number as any. However, if God wants us to serve more than 60 kids at our first Day Camp, the more the merrier!

How much money will it take to launch this first Day Camp?

That’s a great question! We will likely have to charge a fee for kids to register for the Day Camp, but there will still be costs that don’t get covered.

Some of the things we will likely need to raise money for include:

How Much Should I give?

No matter how big or small your contribution, it will all help. If you feel led to help me celebrate my 60th in this way, here are some fun ways to consider. A dollar for every year ($60), a quarter for every year ($15), $10 for every year (you get the idea). But, whether you give $6 or $600, it will all make a big impact – and together we can bless an entire community. Simply click on the “donate” button at the top right of this page

If you’d like your gift to be tax deductible, you can send a check to the church, and include a note with the check, indicating that you’d like it to go towards Linda’s 60th birthday blessing for a summer day camp.

Make your check out to: Pleasant Grove Community Church.

Mail it to: Pleasant Grove Community Church, 1730 Pleasant Grove Blvd., Roseville, CA, 95747

Can I Help with planning or serving at the Day Camp?

The short answer is: YES!

There are still lots of details to be planned for the Day Camp, but initial plans are already in the works. Some of those who will be involved with helping plan and lead the Day Camp include my husband, Phil (Senior Pastor at PGCC), Nathan Holland (Assoc. Pastor), Brandon Young (Dir. Of Children’s Ministry & Worship), and myself. If you are potentially interested in serving in any way to help plan for or lead at the Day Camp, please reach out and let us know. We’ll be in touch and let you know how you can help.