Wait a minute!! Isn't Advent all about getting ready for Christ's birth? True, but these days our culture and schedules drive us to a state of being that can sometimes feel more like "surviving" than preparing. When we are trying to maintain an unreasonable pace in life the more important things get shoved to the side. 
 

Join us this Sunday as we come together on the first Sunday of Advent. This time of the year is designed to be a time where we prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of Jesus who came to live among us. To help us get ready to get ready I will be focusing our study on what it means to slow down and hear the quiet voice of God. Come and find out what God taught me in the clouds this summer.
 
Pastor Colleen will introduce our Giving Tree this weekend as well. It really will be tree . . . one that multiplies!
 
In keeping with tradition we will begin lighting the candles of Advent, bring out the brass, sing Christmas carols and celebrate communion together.
 
It's great to belong and we love being together. I can't wait to see you this weekend!
 
Pastor Doug
 

Christmas is a time of giving!  Each year, our congregation chooses a church or an organization to help in the name of Jesus.  This year we have decided to give to an important endeavor that our Free Methodist Superintendent Steve Fitch has started in order to help save lives all over the world.
 
Due to deforestation-for fuel and to make room for farming and building-many areas of the earth are devastated.  In the places where trees should be, there is now not a natural barrier for tsunamis, a protection for coral reefs and the land has become unsustainable for growing food.  As a result, many communities have been destroyed and people are starving.  The Eden Projects was started to connect local people with their environment.  Their approach includes conservation education, creating jobs, finding incentives to decrease cutting down new forests and planting species that naturally occur in the local areas, which ensures compatibility with local wildlife and native plants.  They minister in Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia and Madagascar.
 
Because of God's call on Steve's heart to help heal land and lives, they have planted millions of seedlings and have seen encouraging signs of new life.  As Christians, we believe that God has commanded us to be stewards of all He has graciously given to us.  We feel this is a much-needed ministry to people whose communities are literally dying and in danger.  Our church has a personal connection with this ministry through our efforts in Ethiopia and also through the Shattenbergs, who are helping this work in Madagascar.
 
In place of the traditional pine this year is a living olive tree, a symbol of peace, bounty and anointing in the Christian faith.  On it you will find stars with various dollar amounts on them.  Please take a star, write on it which country you want to give to and place it in the offering plate with your check made out to Eden Projects.  Each seedling costs ten cents! So, your gift will go a long way.  When you give, you may take home a seedling (with instructions from our plant expert, Dick Johnson) so you can plant your own tree.  Let's help the children all over the world to have a future that is full of life and hope!    
 
Everything Lives Where Trees Live

 **A Special Thank You to San Marcos Growers who donated this year's giving tree and seedlings!

 

 

Who is Eden Projects?

 

We are a people...
who come from a variety of faiths, cultures, nationalities and political persuasions. Despite our diversity, we all share a love for the splendor of the creation and care deeply for the well being of humankind.
We have come to understand...
that environmental destruction, through radical deforestation, is a major cause of extreme poverty in third world nations and a likely cause behind the climate change crisis.
We seek to bridge...
the relational and philosophical divides that often keep various individuals and groups from cooperating effectively. Therefore, we pursue solutions to the problems behind environmental destruction that are major contributing causes to extreme poverty in third-world nations.
We are a people...
who are committed to acting on conviction - not just talking about it. For this reason, we endeavor to work out multi-layered (holistic) solutions so that we may see both lives and lands healed.
We greatly value...
approaches that comprehensively address the complex nature of many problems. Spiritual lives, medical care, educational needs, and "other" solutions must be included in the equation. Our primary contribution to a holistic answer stems from our work in reforestation and agroforestation.

 

 

Thank you so much for all the amazing volunteers we had for the All-Church Thanksgiving Dinner! It was a great afternoon of laughter, eating, sharing life and giving God thanks.  We appreciate all those who helped set up the tent, help park cars, set up tables and decorated them, did all kinds of busy work, made good food, cut pies, cut meat, monitored the buffet/drink tables, helped to clean up and take down the tent.  It is an enormous effort that takes all of us.  It is our prayer that everyone from our congregation, as well as their invited friends and family had a blessed time.  A special thanks to Don and Cathy Matter who oversaw all the volunteers and details.  A special thanks to Mark and Margaret Huston for cooking so many good dishes.  Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!
 
Pastor Colleen  
 

You are warmly invited to join our Christmas Choir. This choir will perform a song or two for all three morning worship services on Sunday, December 21. Rehearsals are on Monday nights beginning November 24 from 6:30-7:30pm in the sanctuary. No experience necessary but we are looking for a minimum 3 or 4 people for soprano, alto, tenor and bass parts. Sign up at the church on Sunday, November 23rd. For more questions contact Pastor Doug, 965-1338 x224 or dranck@fmcsb.org

Blessings to all the Free Methodist church families:
 
We're the newest addition to the Free Methodist Church Family in the city of El Cajon California.  Even though the church is in its infant stages, it has experienced the miracles of God in people's lives including ours. We as the church are seeing first hand how souls are coming to Jesus Christ and accepting God as their Savior.
 
If you have some of the items below that we are needing we will appreciate much either your donation or cheap sale.
 
A van
Sound system equipment (power, mixer, microphones, cables, etc).
Guitars
Keyboards
Bass
Chairs
Copier Machine
Computers/Laptop
Video projector
 
Thanks so much,
 
Guillermo Flores
Hispanic Regional Superintendent
Pastor Joel Olvera (El Cajon's Church Planter)
 
e-mail olveranazarene@sbcglobal.net
Ph (619) 273-6685
115 EL CAJON VIEW DR
EL CAJON CA 92020
 

Beginning Tuesday, January 13, 2009, "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement" will be hosted at Reality Carpinteria Church. This is a 15-week long course that studies the power and furtherance of the Gospel from its Biblical basis, through the history of the church, through cultures around the world and through strategic ministry partnerships today. We have several people from our church who have completed this course and loved it.
 
The course will go from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm on successive Tuesday nights. On Sunday, December 7th, Amber Smith, coordinator for these classes, will be with us to answer questions and give further information. They are offering an early registration discount of $50 off when one registers before December 14. For more information about Perspectives you can go to www.perspectives.org.