Church Finances

 

In this time of financial struggle, please remember your church family:

Offerings Needed YTD:  $98,800.00
Offerings Receive YTD:  $84,487.83  (85.51%)
Still Needed YTD:        $14,312.17 

In Preparation for Sunday

 

Andrew Holmes, in his book Wisdom in Small Doses observes:  "It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others."  How we get along with all those "others" is the central lesson in life.  Usually a constellation of words we often speak of:  Love, Compassion, Patience, Humility, Loyalty, Gentleness and Grace. 

 

This week we come to the moment in John the Baptizer's own ministry where his disciples are leaving him to follow Jesus.  This brings up the all-too-common reality of "competition" for some of John's disciples.  But John makes the statement that we will be focusing on this Sunday.  In speaking of Jesus he says, "He must become greater;  I must become less."

 

In preparation for our study, consider how that principle informs our relationship with God and others.

Denny

Missions Sunday, March 8th

 
As we have been discovering this past month God wants everyone to see His face, and therefore, into His heart. This truth is at the core of Free Methodist World Missions' 2009 theme - "Unveiled Faces." As we discover more and more of God's heart, the apostle Paul tells us that it is possible for our unveiled faces to reflect His glory to others. Billions around this world are waiting to know Christ, and God is waiting to pour out His Spirit on those who receive the good news. We have travelled to Argentina, gone to Rwanda and heard from our missionaries to Asia, Keith and Julie Winslow.
 
On Sunday, March 8 we invite you to bring back the bank you took home to collect money for Free Methodist World Missions. This money is for helping our missionaries and missions ministries to reflect God's glory to the people and bring the love of Christ. 

New Memory Verse

John 3:16

16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

 

Keep Working On...

John 1:1-18
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.  

Attention Parents

 

Weather you're already a parent of a teenager or teen years are just around the corner, this event may be of interest to you! "Understanding Your Teenager" is coming to Santa Barbara Saturday, February 28th from 9am-12pm.This seminar is for parents and grandparents of teens and pre-teens.You will Learn what to expect from your children during the teen years and how to parent them with greater confidence, love and understanding. Six "principles for effective parenting" will give you the road map you need to successfully guide your teens through the rough waters of adolescence. 

 

Date: February 28th

Time: 9am-12pm

Location: Goleta Community Covenant Church 5070 Cathedral Oaks Rd.

Cost: $15/person or $25/couple

For More Information or to Register: CLICK HERE

Women and Heart Disease Presentation

 

Women's Ministries and Parish Health are teaming up to offer a unique opportunity for all women this month:
 
A national speaker on "Women's Heart Health and How to Prevent Heart Disease" will be with us for a women's breakfast on Sat. Feb. 28 for 9-11am in the upper room.  Evan McCabe is a national spokesperson for WomenHeart: A National Coalition of Women with Heart Disease.  She is a Cardiovascular Nurse Clinical Specialist and Nursing Faculty at SB City College - and a good friend of our own Janie Guillermo, Parish Health Nurse Coordinator.  Join us for a very informative morning - and use this as an opportunity to invite a friend or family member who might be interested in this important topic for all women.  Bring a breakfast dish to share (eggs, fruit, etc.) and join us for this special morning!
 
(Note:  We are rescheduling Cheryl Wayman's talk on "Balancing Life Stress with God's Peace" until later in the year.  Watch for more information to come on our upcoming women's ministries events - and SAVE APRIL 25th FOR OUR WOMEN'S RETREAT DAY!!)

ABF - Adult Bible Fellowship

"Knowing Scripture"
Presented by Larry Gilbertson
February1-March 1, 2009 (Five Sundays)
9:30 am in the SHIFCO Recreation Room
 
This series on "Knowing Scripture" is designed to equip us to better understand God's Word, help us mine the depths and wisdom of Scripture, and to grow us in both Truth and Spirit.  These classes are based on the DVD series "Knowing Scripture" by R. C. Sproul, who is a noted theologian and Bible scholar. Please join us and learn valuable techniques of Biblical interpretation that will allow us to better know the Word and ultimately to better know God. 
 
March 1
Guidelines for interpreting implicit passages and explicit passages will be the subject of this class. We will see how the implied is to be interpreted in light of the explicit, and we will cover problems that arise when we try to draw inferences from implicit passages that violate explicit teaching elsewhere in Scripture.  
 
Coming March 8th...

"The Passion Music of J.S. Bach and Others"
Presented by Dr. Warren Rogers
March 8, 15, 22, 29
9:30 am in the SHIFCO Recreation Room
 
Prepare your heart for Easter, Christendom's highest celebration of the year, by joining us for a four-week series about music that celebrates Christ's passion.  These classes will explore the compositions of J.S. Bach as well as Palestrina, Maurice Durufle, Olivier Messaien and Arvo Part.  The two main centerpieces of the study will be Bach's "Passion According to St. John" and his "Passion According to St. Matthew."  
 
Beginning with a brief history of the passion genre, the first and second classes will examine the St. John Passion with samplings from other composers.  In weeks three and four, the focus will be on the St. Matthew Passion as well as Bach's "Mass in B Minor." 
 
Throughout these four weeks you will not only learn how the passion of Christ is depicted in profound and moving ways through the art of music, but also appreciate the vision of these deeply committed Christian musicians in preserving the gospel message for generations to come. 
 
Warren Rogers is the interim academic dean at Westmont College.  He began teaching in the physics department in 1994 and is the department chairperson.  Warren enjoys playing the piano and has taught a previous class on sacred music.