| Additional Study Quick Links |
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Attention all Albertsons Shoppers |
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The Free Methodist Church is able to earn funding through the Albertsons Community Partners Program at no cost to you. If you have a Preferred Savings Card you are able to link it to the Santa Barbara Free Methodist Church ID# 49000113903. Even if you have done so in the past in order for us to continue earning funds please link or re-link you card to the above ID# for our church. If you do not have a Preferred Savings Card you can get one at Albertsons or on-line and it will save you money on advertised grocery items as well as helping the church raise funds at no charge. The church can earn up to 4% of your shopping dollars. For those of you whom already have a card please go on-line to www.albertsonscp.com
You must relink or link you card to the church ID# prior to February 28, 2009 in order to keep earning funds for the church. All you need to do is enter your preferred savings card number which is on the back of your card and follow the very few prompts. If you cannot find your card call 877-932-7948. Thank you so much for participating. |
| Coming Soon |
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Al-Anon Group Beginning early January 2009, Al-Anon will be meeting in the upper room on Friday mornings from 8:30-9:30am. Al-Anon is a 12 step program for anyone who has been affected by someone else's addiction. Members give and receive comfort and understanding through a mutual exchange of experiences, strength and hope. Look for more information in up coming weekly newsletters or contact Martha Becker at 966-4458.
PRISM classes will start again with an Introductory class on Thursday January 8th at 7pm. Meeting in the Upper room. The next 6 week session will begin on Thursday January 15th with the other classes on the 22nd, 29th, Feb. 5th, Feb. 12th and 19th. Classes start at 7pm sharp and end at 8:30pm. Call Mary Ellen Brown at 895-8743 or email at browninsb@cox.net There is a cost for the program.
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| Unclaimed Dishes |
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Did you bring a dish to the Thanksgiving Feast and go home without it? We have several dishes in the church office.
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A TFal Pot with lid
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A large glass bowl
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A large wooden bowl
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Several casserole dishes
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A few glass platters
If you would like to claim any of these items, please contact the church office at 965-1338 or stop by. Items left unclaimed at the end of the year will be donated to the goodwill.
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| Winter Camp |
Attention all 4th-6th Graders! Winter Camp at Oak Glen is coming January 23-25th. Be challenged to experience God. Be challenged to make friends and have a blast in a mountain setting. Tons of stuff to do....Hiking...A Climbing
Wall....Basketball....Great Food....Challenging Speakers. Cost is $125 if registered before December 31st and $140 if registered after December 31st. Completed registration forms must be postmarked or received online either on or before the discount date for the discount to apply and must include at least a $25 deposit. For more information contact Nelda Nutter at 965-1338x226
Attention all 6th-12th Graders! BIG BEAR CAMP for 6th - 12th graders, February 13-16, 2009. It is not too early to put this on your calendar and not too early to save. Cost: $200(appr.). Save a little each week and you're there!!! More details coming soon. Questions? Contact Doug Ranck, 965-1228 x224 or dranck@fmcsb.org |
| Perspectives |
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.
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Memory Verse of the Week
Our verses for this week:
15John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' " 16From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,who is at the Father's side, has made him known.John 1:15-18
Our verses for this Christmas Season so far:
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,[d] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' " 16From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,who is at the Father's side, has made him known.
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Memorizing Scriptures
Helpful Hints
Are you convinced about the value of memorizing Scripture, but wondering how to memorize? Here are some helpful hints and techniques that can help you develop the skill of memorizing.
The best single advice for memorizing anything is to study in a way that appeals to as many senses as you can. By seeing, hearing, feeling, and even smelling your material, you reinforce it in your brain.
There are several ways to reinforce information through your senses. Your best bet is to combine three of these techniques. You'll find that some techniques are appropriate for your specific assignment and others are not.
Memorizing With Sight
Visual prompts act as a great tool for reinforcing information and committing them to memory.
1. Use flash cards. Put all your prompts on one side and your lines on the other.
2. Draw a series of pictures that represent your speech or your lines. Remember picture stories from preschool? Be very creative and think of a picture story to go along with your lines. After you've created your picture story, go back and say your lines as you look at the pictures.
3. Say your lines in front of a mirror and move your face or your arms a special way to emphasize specific words or passages.
4. If your lines come in the form of a script, cover over other actors' lines with strips of sticky note. This makes your own lines stand out on the page. Read them over several times.
5. Visualize other actors' faces saying your cues.
Memorizing With Feeling
Feelings can be internal (emotional) or external (tactile). Either type of experience will reinforce your information.
1. Write out your lines. The act of writing the words provides very strong reinforcement.
2. Carry your script or speech with you at all times and read the full text when you get a chance to get a strong emotional "feel" for it.
3. Get to know your character. Understand why you say and do what you do.
4. Act out your lines as you say them, even if this is an unemotional speech. You can exaggerate your words with dramatic gestures. Of course, you don't want to do this during your actual speech, but you will be thinking about it.
5. Try memorizing backward, from end to start. This separates the emotion from the words. Then read the text from start to finish, with feeling. This technique reinforces the emotional aspect.
6. Learn to think like your character (get a feel for him or her). This can save you if you forget your lines on stage. Simply think like the character and say what he would say as close to the real lines as possible.
Memorizing With Sound
Sound is a very effective tool for memorization. There are a few different ways to incorporate sound into your memorization skills.
1. Read the script and record the lines of the other performers and leave the microphone off as you read your own lines. This leaves blank air space for your lines. Go back and practice saying your own lines at the appropriate times.
2. Record your lines with exaggerated vocal expressions. You may even want to yell your words. Exaggerations leave big imprints in your brain.
3. Record the entire play or performance during a rehearsal.
4. Carry your recorder with you and listen to it as often as you can
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ABF - Adult Bible Fellowship
No ABF December 28th
Classes resume January 4th
"Statistics in the Christian Church"
Presented by Mark Bates
4 Sundays in January
9:30 am in the SHIFCO Recreation Room
This class will explore the many uses of statistics in research and media as they pertain to the Christian church and will examine some ground-breaking surveys and studies.
January 4-"What Do We Believe?"
We will begin this series by discussing how statistics is used in modern culture and examine a number of findings regarding the landscape of American beliefs today. We will also discuss the concept of "faith segments," the meaning of "evangelical," and the variety of belief trends among gender, income level, and location.
January 11-"How Do We Grow?"
In this class, we will examine how to measure church data, and discuss what it means for a church to "grow." We will examine some of the barriers to effective data collection, and debate to what extent numbers can truly tell the story of the health of a church, conference, or denomination.
January 18-"What Do We Tolerate?"
This third class will look at some surveys that focus on a Christian's tolerance of a number of moral issues. We will discuss how those numbers have changed over time, as well as what makes "Christian belief" different from the world's.
January 25-Conclusion
Our last week will be spent discussing issues that have not been addressed and to answer questions upon which statistics has shed light.
Mark Bates is a mathematics professor at Oxnard College where he has taught for the past 10 years. During his last three years of teaching, he has specialized in the field of statistics. He and wife, Colleen Hurley-Bates, have attended our church for 20 years and are the parents of Olivia. Mark has served as a delegate for the Free Methodist General Conference.
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Did You Know?
Direct Contributions From Your IRA
The IRS has recently extended for 2008 and 2009 last year's provision which permits IRA owners who are 70 ½ or older to make contributions directly from their IRA account to one or more charities. Such contributions, count toward your Required Minimum Distribution, are not counted as income and, therefore, are not taxable. However, they cannot be used as a charitable deduction item if you itemize on your tax return. As you would expect, there are some requirements - the gift(s) can not exceed $100,000 per year in total, they must be made to a public 501 (c) (3) charity, they must be made directly from either a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA to the charity (or charities) and the transfer must occur by December 31st. of the year in question. To take advantage of this provision, contact your IRA custodian and ask for an IRA Charity Rollover form.
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Get Your Master of Arts Degree in Theological Formation
Azusa Pacific University
 DO YOU WANT TO BE...More authentically Christian in how you live your life? Are you ready to take the next step in serving the Lord? God is looking for leaders who are willing to tackle challenges. He is calling men and women-in the church and in the workplace-to learn to handle Scripture accurately. If the Spirit of God is nudging you to prepare yourself for something.
WHY THE M.A.T.F.?
The M.A.T.F. is designed for people who do ministry, even if they have another job. It's different from other degree plans in that it focuses on fostering spiritual growth. The goal of the M.A.T.F. is to help you become a genuine disciple-maker, a more discerning leader, and a thinker who can make a significant difference.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
Anyone with a regionally accredited B.A. or B.S. (or equivalent) in any subject is eligible.
WHAT COURSES WILL I TAKE?
· Discovering Holy Priorities: Theology and Everyday Life
· Interpreting Scripture: The Message of the Old Testament
· The Life of Jesus: The Message of the New Testament
· Church History and Leadership
· Spiritual Formation and Decision-Making
· Christianity and Culture
· Repentance and Restoration (a weekend intensive)
· Global Ministry (a weekend intensive)
M.A.T.F. SUMMARYThe program takes two years, attending class just one night a week. It's a 48-unit accredited degree that entails three weekend intensives a year. Students journey together in a cohort model. Classes are held at APU's Orange County Regional Center.
HOW DO I LEARN MORE?
(626) 815-5439
www.apu.edu/theology/graduate/theologicalformation
agilbert@apu.edu
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Read Through the Bible in a Year
One of the best ways to learn more about God, His character and His ways is to read His word, The Bible! We encourage you to take a life-transforming one year journey through the Bible. You can pick up booklets at the church that will take you through this one year journey or you can visit online resources. If you would like an online resource that will send you daily email reminders click HERE or if you would like an more interactive resource that gives you the opportunity to check off readings as you go along click HERE. Below are the URL's you can type into your browser to reach these sites as well.
http://www.bibleinayear.org/Index.asp
http://bible.christianity.com/readingplan/
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