Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) who work to further the mission of youth and family ministries of the church will gather for the ninth annual “Extravaganza” Feb. 4-7. The conference, which will draw more than 800 paid and volunteer youth leaders from across the country, will take place at the Hyatt Hotel Orange County, Anaheim, Calif.
Extravaganza 2005 is sponsored by the ELCA Youth Ministry Network (more …)
Beginning with the First Sunday in Lent, Pastor Frank and Pastor Janet will be addressing the theme of “Living the Six Marks of Discipleship.†They will be developing a theme outlined by Pastor Michael Foss of Brunsville, Minnesota, but adding their own thoughts and encouragement to the themes.
We will look at “Practicing the God in daily life, through daily prayer.†Also, the habit of “weekly worship,†“hearing God’s voice,†“the call to Christ-like living,†“the call to relationship with the Holy Spirit†and how “generosity is a reflection of God’s heart in our lives.â€
These themes will be developed each week during our Sunday worship. Make worship part of your Lenten Discipline.
Through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) International Disaster Response, members of the ELCA have contributed more than $1 million to support relief efforts in southern Asia, after a tsunami claimed thousands of lives in several coastal countries of the Indian Ocean last month. More …
The ELCA Churchwide Assembly has mandated a study on homosexuality and a study on sexuality. The first is to deal with the blessing of same-gender unions and the rostering of persons in committed gay or lesbian relationships. The second is to lead to the development of a social statement on sexuality.
The report and recommendations of the Task Force for the ELCA Studies on Sexuality is available here: http://www.elca.org/faithfuljourney/tfreport.html
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) International Disaster Response released $150,000 to assist immediate relief efforts in several coastal nations of the Indian Ocean, after a massive underwater earthquake Dec. 26 created huge waves that claimed more than 77,000 lives in 12 countries.
The Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida more …
The Purpose Driven Life Bible Study starts Monday, January 9 at 7 PM in the Library. Pastor Frank is leading this new Bible Study series. Come and learn why this book has been a best seller.
The Manna Basket is located in the Narthex. This month the item is shampoo, but any non-perishable food items are always welcome.
The Turning Point Foundation, in conjunction with Catholic Charities and others, are constructing a Tent City at Emma Wood State Beach. The “City†will provide temporary housing for 30 homeless individuals and families over the next 4 months. Donations needed: Tents, tarps, sleeping bags, propane, Coleman fuel, rope and general camping supplies. Please contact Turning Point at (805) 652-2151.
First of all, our sincere and heartfelt thanks to all who assisted the Committee to accomplish our many events last year. It’s obvious that we can’t make all these great events happen without lots of “hands” to get them done, and we had many folks, both adult and youth, lend theirs when it was needed.
Congregational Life Schedule for 2005
So … pencil in the CL (that’s Congregational Life, but I’m too lazy to type all those letters) events on your calendar, and if you’d like to give us a hand with any event, we’d be ecstatic to have you and can sure use the help.
As we Irish like to say: “God Bless All Here†and have a happy and blessed New Year! — Randall & Dona Pugh
The title of our study on Tuesday morning, beginning January 4th is “If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boatâ€. The author of the study guide is Pastor John Ortberg, pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, Menlo Park, California. The class meets at 10:00 AM in the Fireside Room. All are welcome. Pastor Frank is the teacher.
We have had a wonderful holiday season beginning with Salute to our Veterans in November. We want to thank everyone who participated. The Name That Veteran game was a great success and everyone enjoyed our own “Andrew Sisters†singing some of our favorite songs.
There was an excellent turnout for the Men’s Club Breakfast, our potluck luncheon with Mary Hekhuis, and the Honey Tree Luncheon and the Children’s Christmas Program. Thank you to everyone who helped make these events an enjoyable successful.
We begin our new year activities on Thursday, January 20th, with a trip to the Channel Islands Maritime Museum led by Bill Hurley. We will carpool from the north parking lot at about 9:30 or 10:00AM. Exact departure time and luncheon options will be announced in the Sunday bulletin.
Mark your calendar and also plan to attend our meeting on February 17th at 1:30 PM in the Fireside Room. Jim Esmay will speak on his experiences with Habitat for Humanity. Light refreshments to be provided.
Ascension Lutheran Church Leisure Age group is planning a bus trip to Santa Barbara City College Gourmet Cooking School for a luncheon on January 19th. Happy Timers are invited to participate in this activity. If you are interested call Susanne Hopkins or Pastor Larry at (805) 495-0406 for time and cost The date is subject to change according to availability.
We look forward to many more interesting and enjoyable activities in the spring and hope to see you there.