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July has been a month of defining direction for the Coates family.  Last month was a tough one with the surprise of my position being eliminated at the church I was ministering at full-time (because of church financial struggles).  This month, I’ve been working to launch Heartfelt Music Ministry full-time again.  This is a new direction from the last two years as I’ve been doing more discipling, teaching, and nurturing the people of Creekside Community Church spiritually and musically, staying more local.  Now, I will be traveling more and ministering to the church-at-large.  Brandon just graduated from High School and is going to San Jose State University in Animation/Illustration which is a new direction for him (though he has been anticipating it for years).  Austin is doing well, taller than everyone in our family, and will be going to a new school as a sophomore this fall.  Sherri also is doing well enjoying the community of friends at Mount Hermon.  Both of us miss the people at our old church and are feeling a sense of loss.  Through all the changes, we’re excited about the future and realize it’s all a part of God’s adventurous plan.  We trust Him fully and look forward to seeing how God is going to use us for His glory!

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Concert at Hillview Baptist Church

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Things are picking up for Heartfelt Music Ministry!  Had a wonderful time at the Hillview Baptist Church concert last week.  After a fantastic week teaching at the National Worship Leader Conference in New Mexico, they asked me to teach at their main one in Kansas mid-July.  I’ll be leading worship at Felton Bible Church a couple of times this month.  Also, tomorrow night I’ll be teaching a workshop at Guitar Showcase on Chords and Progressions for anyone interested.  I was in the studio recording an acoustic guitar part for a band called Cede (here the finished song Shades of Grey at http://www.reverbnation.com/cedewest) and next week we will be recording my song Getting Stronger with their band.

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Pray with me and my family as I explore how the Lord would have me minister now that I’m no longer with Creekside.  I will be teaching more private guitar lessons, leading worship in churches, holding more training workshops, and doing more concerts.  Let me know if you have any ideas (as some of you have been).  I am on Facebook and that is a good way to keep connected too.

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Join the fun

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• July 6 (Tuesday, 7:00pm-8:00pm) – Guitar Showcase [http://guitarshowcase.com/], Showcase Music Institute presents Reggie Coates Chords & Progressions workshop for students and guests, $20.00 for guests).
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• July 19-22 (Mon-Thu) – The National Worship Leader Conference, Church of the Resurrection, Kansas City, KS [http://www.nationalworshipleaderconference.com/home].  Reggie will be teaching both the Electric Guitar and Acoustic Guitar training workshops.

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I will be expanding what I do through Heartfelt Music Ministry:  Teaching more private guitar lessons; Leading worship in churches throughout the Bay Area and nationally; Developing training through multimedia (DVDs, CDs, and online); Doing more concerts and workshops across the country; and finding creative and effective ways to lead others toward intimacy with God.
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We would be grateful for any ministry leads.  Also, now is a good time to help propel Heartfelt Music Ministry through your financial contributions (tax-deductible – click here to read more about donations ).  Thank you for your consideration.
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Mark your calendars to pray for the following events and come if you can.  Thank you for your continued support and prayers for me and Heartfelt Music Ministry.  Here’s some of the events coming up:

• June 27 (Sun) – Hillview Baptist Church, Union City, CA  [Hillview Baptist location on Google maps].  I will be doing a concert for all ages at 6:00pm.
• June 27 (Sun) – Rolling Hills Community Church, Danville, CA  [http://www.rollhill.org/index.php].  I will be leading worship for their 10:30am service.

• July 11 & 25 (Sun) – Felton Bible Church, Felton, CA [http://www.feltonbiblechurch.org].  I will be leading worship for their 9:30am service.

• July 19-22 (Mon-Thu) – The National Worship Leader Conference, Church of the Resurrection, Kansas City, KS [http://www.nationalworshipleaderconference.com/home].  Reggie will be teaching both the Electric Guitar and Acoustic Guitar training workshops.

• August 1 (Sun) – Boy Scouts of America 100 Year National Jamboree, A.P. Hill, VA [http://www.bsajamboree.org/].  Reggie will be leading worship for the Protestant Sunday Service in the middle of their week-long conference.

• August 30-September 2 (Mon-Thu) – Christian Songwriters Conference, Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center, CA [http://mounthermon.org/adult/professionals/songwriters].  Reggie will be teaching songwriting workshops and judging for the songwriting competition at the conference.

• September 3-6 (Fri-Mon) – Labor Day Family Camp Weekend, Sugarpine Christian Conference Center, CA [http://www.sugarpine.org/camps/FamilyCamp/FamilyCamp.shtml].  Reggie will be leading worship throughout the weekend.

• October 22-24 (Fri-Sun) – Fall Men’s Retreat, Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center, CA [http://mounthermon.org].  Reggie will be leading worship throughout the weekend.

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Due to financial difficulties at Creekside Community Church in Alamo, where I’ve been the Associate pastor, they announced to me on Wednesday, and the congregation today, that my position has been eliminated. I will be looking for a new ministry opportunity to begin in July. Any ideas? Appreciate your prayers for me and my family.

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Right in the middle of this month, a dear friend died of cancer.  Ron Miller’s example and testimony was such an example of God’s mercy and love.  He maintained such a sweet attitude throughout his life and even at the end in the last weeks.  He, and his wife Carol, were adult leaders while I was a Youth Pastor 20 years ago.  We’ve been at Creekside Community Church together for the last two years.  We will miss him greatly.
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My Heartfelt Music Ministry activities have mostly been teaching private music lessons this month, but beginning in June I’ll be doing a lot more workshops, concerts, and worship leading across the nation. Mark your calendars to pray for the following events and come if you can.  Thank you for your continued support and prayers for me and Heartfelt Music Ministry.  Here’s some of the events & workshops coming up:
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• May 31 – Jun 11 (Mon+) – Beginning Strumming and Finger-Picking, Music Dojo .com online courses  [https://www.musicdojo.com/main.asp].  Reggie will be teaching 5 beginning strumming patterns and 5 beginning finger-picking patterns over this two week course.  These are affordable lessons with email interaction with Reggie tailored to your schedule.
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• June 7 (Mon) – Joni and Friends’ Family Retreat, Mission Springs Christian Conference Center, Scotts Valley, CA [http://www.joniandfriends.org/fr_schedule.php].  Reggie will be doing a concert on their first night.

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• June 15-17 (Tue-Thu) – Regional Worship Leader Conference, Calvary Church, Albuquerque, NM [http://www.nationalworshipleaderconference.com/home].  Reggie will be teaching both the Electric Guitar and Acoustic Guitar training workshops.

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• August 1 (Sun) – Boy Scouts of America 100 Year National Jamboree, A.P. Hill, VA [http://www.bsajamboree.org/].  Reggie will be leading worship for the Protestant Sunday Service in the middle of their week-long conference.
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• August 30-September 2 (Mon-Thu) – Christian Songwriters Conference, Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center, CA [http://mounthermon.org/adult/professionals/songwriters].  Reggie will be teaching songwriting workshops and judging for the songwriting competition at the conference.
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• September 3-6 (Fri-Mon) – Labor Day Family Camp Weekend, Sugarpine Christian Conference Center, CA [http://www.sugarpine.org/camps/FamilyCamp/FamilyCamp.shtml].  Reggie will be leading worship throughout the weekend.

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Easter was a nice shot in the arm to remind me to live anew in the power of the resurrection of Christ.  Right after Easter I took a two week vacation which was a renewing time for me personally and also a wonderful time with family.
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I have to share with you an April miracle which encouraged our whole family.  My oldest son is going to college next year and I’ve been looking at getting him his own guitar to take with him.  Both of my sons have been playing a lot lately and making remarkable progress.  I found two really nice affordable guitars at Guitar Showcase, but the only way to buy them was to sell one of my guitars (My 1985 Ovation Collector’s Guitar, the first nice guitar I ever bought).  I put it on eBay for a few days.  No one bid on it, so I re-listed it for another few days.  A number of people were looking, but no bids.  After a couple of days, someone sent a message asking if I “wanted” to sell the guitar or if I “needed” to sell the guitar.  I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I answered honestly about how I really didn’t “want” to sell it.  I explained how the guitar had meaning to the whole family, but we “needed” to sell in order to buy the two guitars for my sons, so they could continue to develop their own ministry creativity.  Within an hour of my reply, the gentleman sent me another message saying, “I have just purchased the guitar through eBay.  Now I donate it back to your ministry.”  Praise God!!  You should have seen the excitement we all had…tears, dancing, laughter…and much thanks to this generous man and our loving God!  Now, my boys have their own guitars and have been playing like crazy while I continue to use the Ovation to God’s glory.