Launching this month, MRM will offer a wide variety of both Christian Recovery Groups and traditional Anonymous meetings. Redemption of the Cross and power of the 12-step model can create transformations in every area of life, ultimately leading to wholeness and well being. Contact Katie, kballou@marinerschurch.org for info.
Begins Mon, Jun 29, 6p, Chapel
We’re looking for awesome volunteers who enjoy good coffee and serving others. If you’re interested, please contact Kim, kalexander@marinerschurch.org for more information.
3am: Roosters
In any other early pre-dawn circumstance, roosters making such an announcement of a new day would be met with fatigued, angry curses. But, I’m awake anyway. Wide awake. I’m awake in a timezone ten hours away. It’s late afternoon back home. But, despite all appearances to the contrary: monkeys roaming the trees like squirrels, impala and zebra grazing in the open green spaces, it’s really not a different world.
This is my second visit to the FEARLESS conference in Nairobi, Kenya. There are speakers and leaders from all over the world. I’m finding that the global church is in full bloom and God is at work in places and in ways I had never expected. And, I’m discovering something within me that may have been unknowingly destructive — something hidden in the subtlety of my language and thinking — that Africa is truly a different world. If Africa, like so many other places that are unfamiliar, or unknown, or even unwelcome, is a different world, it can be neatly categorized in a box labeled “not me.” The joys, triumphs, struggles, and dreams of people that live in the “not me” box don’t concern me.
Slowly, that kind of thinking — that particular kind of thinking that tends to grow and fester over time is eroded by the most familiar, often messiest, and most abundant resource available: relationships. To identify a personally known individual in any place (no matter how far away that place is), makes that place matter. Winter storms in Michigan or tornadoes in Oklahoma take on a different meaning when your relatives and friends live there. So, Kevin and Anthony, Agnes, and Muriithi, Winston, Miriam, Towella, and others I’ve come to know, make Kenya, no matter how distant, a place that isn’t a different world. It’s the place where my friends live…
…the roosters, too.
I’m excited for all that God is doing while I’m here in Africa. I can’t wait to see how it impacts what we’re doing at home in Southern California.
See you very soon,
Jeff
This weekend, the men of Ocean Hills heading up to the Men’s Retreat. Please be praying for them – that God will speak to each of them uniquely and that quality relationships will be made. Oftentimes, camp can have a profound impact on our lives, and we pray that is what happens to the men of Ocean Hills this weekend, as they find community and hear God’s voice.
Speaking of hearing God’s voice, we are moving into our new series LISTEN starting this weekend. We live in a world of overload, bombarded on all sides, from the phones that we carry, to the music we hear, to the TV we watch. The idea of finding quiet sounds like a nice concept, but in reality, it’s hard to do. The idea of hearing God’s voice amidst the chaos of life seems even more challenging. But isn’t that we want – to be able to hear from God, to recognize His voice and follow? That is what our new series is about: it’s learning to listen and hear from God. Join us this Sunday as we open up this new compelling series designed to draw us closer to God.
Blessings,
Jeff
Did you know that you can hear from God with your eyes? That’s what we’ll talk about Sunday, 8:30, 10, 11:30a and 6p. Be there…and bring someone with you who needs a fresh perspective on God.
Our LISTEN series is off to a great start and people are “experimenting” with tuning out distractions to better tune in to what God might be saying. If you missed last week, catch up here.
We have 50 men from our church going on the Mariners Network Men’s Retreat this weekend! For perspective, two years ago we had two men. Last year we had 12. Our church is growing rapidly and people are connecting in community.
If you’re not connected, why not? There are tons of ways. Look below in the highlights of this email. Find someone on the patio this Sunday. But most importantly, be open. Be open to trying new things, meeting new people, serving someone else, and taking risks. We care about you, and we want you to feel at home here.
See you Sunday!
caleb
P.S.: To join us in our Step In Campaign (moving us into the Regency Movie Theater), or to give toward our weekly budget, please click here.
Every Tuesday morning, we gather as a staff to tell stories of where we see God at work in our church. This week was overwhelming as we reflected on the ways Jesus is so clearly leading us as a church. Last weekend was a beautiful picture of how God is moving in our Student Ministries. Being taught by a few of our High School pastors was yet another reminder that our future is bright. It was also fun to see our new Worship Choir lead us in worship, further displaying our commitment to never settle in worship.
We know this is a year of jubilee, where we will experience new levels of freedom and celebration. Next Tuesday, we have the unique opportunity to pursue that freedom together. Mike Pilavachi is an Anglican Pastor that has been used by God in powerful ways to impact the local church throughout England. Mike is brilliant at making the supernatural become natural and accessible for everyone. He will be with us on Tuesday, June 9, at 7p for a night focused on prayer for healing and learning to hear God’s voice. We will spend time in worship, looking at God’s Word, and praying for those who need physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. It is opportunities like this that are shaping our church, so you don’t want to miss this.
God is leading us into new and fresh places. Our hope is to always seek the Father’s will, through Jesus, empowered by the Spirit. Don’t miss what God is doing; we are in this together!
Never settle,
Caleb Clements
The ministry of Jesus is the ministry of freedom. What would it look like for us to encounter Him today, to be healed and to experience the freedom only He can give? Join us for a very special all-campus gathering where Anglican Pastor, international speaker, author and founder of Soul Survivor Ministries, Mike Pilavachi, will lead us through God’s Word and a powerful time of prayer ministry, specifically for those seeking emotional, spiritual and physical healing. For more info, click here.
Tue, Jun 9, 7p, Irvine Campus Worship Center
Join women from Mariners MV for dessert, conversation and to hear an encouraging message from guest speaker, Sheri Rose Shepherd. A New York Times best-selling author, humorist, and Bible life coach, Sheri Rose Shepherd has been in ministry for over 22 years and spoken at over 1000 women’s events, including Women of Joy and Extraordinary Women. For more info and to register, click here.
Sunday, June 7
7p, in the lobby at MCMV, $10
Everyone of us struggles with fear but what does God say about it? Join us this summer for an interactive look into “What Women Fear: Walking in Faith that Transforms” by Angie Smith. For more info, click here, or contact Nicki, nicki@funkybrew.com
Mondays, Jun 22-Aug 24, 7-9p, HB Church Offices (2124 Main St, Ste 260)
VBS is a 5-day summer camp for kids entering kindergarten through 5th grade in the fall. With over 2,000 kids, the campus will be transformed into a candy wonderland as kids come and experience the SWEET LIFE.
Last call for VBS registration! Registration closes this Sunday, June 7 at midnight. You can register here. (This the last weekend to sign up!)
June 22-26, 8:45a-12:30p, Irvine Campus, $60
