Cypress Church Spends Sunday Serving In Local Cities

If you were planning on attending worship at Cypress Church on Sunday, February 24th and arrived at the church campus a few minutes late, you would have found the parking lot virtually vacant. You might have wondered: “Where did all the cars go?”  And the answer would have been: “East side, west side, all around the town…” for Gone Serving Sunday.

The Cypress Church congregation culminated their recent “Love Like Jesus” campaign with an entire weekend of community service. Teams of volunteers spread out to Los Alamitos, Stanton and all around the Cypress area. On Saturday the church staffed a water station at the annual “Race on the Base.”

Then, on Sunday, the congregation performed projects at the Cypress Boys and Girls Club, Arnold Cypress Park, Cedar Glen Park, Oak Knoll Park, Evergreen Park, the Tina-Pacific neighborhood and the Precious Life Shelter. "Today has created blessings that will make a difference for years to come,” stated Theresa Murphy from the Precious Life Shelter in Los Alamitos.

Church members partnered with volunteers and staff from city agencies and non-profits to paint park benches and bleachers, plant flowers, clean up trash in streets and alleys, distribute donations, wash windows, organize supplies and beautify local parks. They logged a total of 326 total service hours in just one weekend.

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, “Volunteering and civic engagement are the cornerstone of a strong nation.”  The EJournal USA states that: “Americans volunteer not because of coercion or profit, but because they recognize a need and are willing to take responsibility for meeting that need." Pastor Mike McKay of Cypress Church has hopes that these acts of kindness will help change people’s perception of God and His Church as community residents see Christians actually living their faith.

In 2013 Cypress Church will be celebrating their 35th year of ministry in the Orange County area. The church started as a home Bible study in 1978. Now hundreds of area residents call Cypress Church their “home.” In addition to Cypress, the church also serves the communities of Buena Park, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, La Palma, Lakewood, Anaheim, Long Beach, Stanton and the surrounding area.

Cypress Church community service teams provide volunteers to assist at the local Senior Center. They also help with the Independence Day celebration held on July 4th at the Joint Forces Training Base and the Cypress Community Festival to be held this year on July 27th at Oak Knoll Park. They also send teams of volunteers to serve the disadvantaged and needy all over the globe including Orange County, Los Angeles County, New Orleans, Mexico, India and Ecuador.

The Cypress Church main campus is located at 6143 Ball Road just east of Valley View. The public is welcome at Sunday services and Bible studies that are held at 9:00 am and 10:30 am as well as many other activities throughout each week. Good Friday services will be held on March 27 at 6:00 and 8:00 pm, Easter Sunday worship will be on March 31 at 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30 am. Information about the church is available at (714) 952-3001or online at www.cypresschurch.net.

Photo Caption #1 (top): Volunteers from Cypress Church worked together with staff from the Precious Life Shelter in Los Alamitos to plant flowers, sort clothing donations and many other activities. "Today has created blessings that will make a difference for years to come,” stated Executive Director Theresa Murphy.

Photo Caption #2: The Cypress Boys and Girls Club staff partnered with volunteers from Cypress Church and a local Boy Scout Troop to organize supplies, wash windows and clean up the grounds around the club.

Photo Caption #3: The Marino Family and many other volunteers from Cypress Church assisted the Cypress Recreations and Community Services Department with cleanup and painting at several area parks.

Photo Caption #4: During their “Gone Serving” weekend, members of the Cypress Church congregation staffed a water station at the annual “Race on the Base” in Los Alamitos.


Cypress Church - 6143 Ball Rd. - Cypress, CA 90630 - Phone: (714) 952-3001 - http://www.cypresschurch.net/

Cypress Church Volunteers Build Home for Needy Family

Early this summer a team of volunteers from Cypress Church travelled on a six day mission trip to serve disadvantaged residents in the Ensenada, Mexico area. There were ten Orange County residents in the group from three different families. The mission trip was led by Dan Punkay and Justin McElderry. Other participants included Lori, Andrew and Natalie Punkay; Suzanne, Eliana, Vivian and Cael McElderry; and Tom Frank. All age groups from elementary school to adults were represented.

This is the sixth year that volunteers from Cypress Church have partnered with YUGO Ministries to assist the community of Lomas Bonitas. This neighborhood is located in the mountains on the edge of Ensenada.

The community of Lomas Bonitas is unique in that the residents are immigrants from southern Mexico. There is no running water or natural gas service. The local wage is about $6.00 for a full day of labor. The roads are dirt and in very poor condition. While the parents are working, local pastors Juan and Karina Ambrocio provide programs for the children in town.

Most families do not own homes, but live in one room structures provided for them by the local church, “Centro Cristiano Jehova Jire,” and Yugo Ministries. This year the Cypress Church team partnered with a family of three who were in need, helping them build a small home, complete with a full roof. The family’s previous home was particle board with a tarp over the top. In addition to building, the volunteers also assisted with a neighborhood feeding center for children.

Andrew Punkay gave the Wednesday evening sermon in Spanish at “Centro Cristiano Jehova Jire.” When asked to describe the focus of this trip, Cypress Church Associate Pastor Takeshi Takazawa stated: “This ministry effort is specially designed for volunteers to work together as a family unit to serve people in need and develop relationships.”

Yugo Ministries has been taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Mexico since 1964. They train and host youth, adult and family teams from the U.S. and Canada to work in cross-cultural evangelistic, construction, and mercy ministry efforts.

Cypress Church partners with missions organizations around the globe to spread the Good News about Jesus Christ to the world with actions as well as words. This summer other teams from the Cypress area have traveled to Ecuador, India and New Orleans to assist needy individuals and families.

Information about global mission opportunities is available at (714) 952-3001 or email: info@cypresschurch.net. The Cypress Church campus is located at 6143 Ball Road just east of Valley View. Worship services are held on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Bible studies and activities for all ages are available. The church website is located at: http://www.cypresschurch.net/

Photo Caption: Families from Cypress Church working alongside their counterparts in Lomas Bonitas, Mexico to build a new home.

Photo Caption: Ten Orange County residents ranging from grade school age to adults assisted local residents and YUGO Ministries in Mexico this summer.

Photo Caption: A needy family in Mexico has moved from a living under a tarp to a new home as a result of volunteers from Cypress Church serving others in the Name of Jesus.

Cypress Church - 6143 Ball Rd. - Cypress, CA 90630 - Phone: (714) 952-3001 - http://www.cypresschurch.net