Sheepfold provides shelter, safe refuge and a new beginning for women and children. Join us as we work alongside the residents and tend to their garden. For more information, click here or search “Sheepfold.”
SHEEPFOLD GARDEN DAY
Sat, Aug 20, 9a-12p
Note: This is a family friendly serve event.
Help people experience Jesus in profound ways as a Rooted Facilitator. If you are a Rooted graduate, please prayerfully consider taking the courageous step to lead a group this fall. Email Ashley for info, aarmendariz@marinerschurch.org
Join us at our annual Catalina retreat where we will kayak around the island, camp, and enjoy God’s creation. Get ready for a great adventure as we get away from the fast pace of life. Invite a friend and register right away! Search “Catalina” or click here to register.
CATALINA KAYAK RETREAT
Fri, Sep 16 – Sun, Sep 18
Space is limited
This weekend is going to be a Sunday you don’t want to miss. It is our Sunday Together, where we come together for one service at 10:00 AM, a great way to all be together. Community is such a big part of our church, and I love the community our Sunday Together gatherings bring. Plan on hanging around after the service. We will have a band, fun things for the kids and a barbecue. It should be a beautiful day together!
Great news about our preschool, we hired our new director Liz Graham. I look forward to introducing her to the congregation in the next couple weeks. I can’t believe it, our preschool opens in September. It is going to be a great part of our church and a blessing to the community. Don’t forget to spread the word and let people know. If anyone has questions, they can call 949-769-8500.
A quick reminder, if you are looking for a fun, but low maintenance camp out, this Friday is the perfect opportunity. Make sure you come hungry, I will be firing up the barbecue for us all.
I love our church, and as you can see, there’s a lot going on. It’s a great place to be and also find connection. I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday.
Blessings,
Jeff
Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went to an isolated place to pray.
– Mark 1:35
Do you ever feel like things are getting away from you? Just when you think you have everything under control, you realize that in reality you have nothing under control. Nothing. None of the things. When we get to that breaking point, the end of our rope, we start to think of Jesus. (Why does it always have to get there first?) Doesn’t Jesus have something to say about this? Doesn’t His transformational power have something to offer to our chaos? Please?
Jesus always blows me away with the simplicity of His actions. We often make Him out to be a complicated man, someone who changes or creates complex systems. We often subscribe to the notion that we could never model His life because it was just “too much.” Certainly if we followed Jesus and His teachings more closely, we would become overwhelmed. Few things scare us more than setting ourselves up to become overwhelmed. Especially in the days of kids, jobs, hobbies, school, responsibilities, and their balance.
As we approach Junior High Ministry’s Summer Camp season (and, if I’m being honest, as a pregnant person whose brain doesn’t work so well these days), feeling overwhelmed is the story of my life. I get so confident in my own abilities to balance life. I prepare things in advance, I bring people in the journey with me, I ascribe duties based on people’s passions and interests – and yet – I let myself down on a regular basis. Things come up that can’t be planned for. A conflict arises. Numbers don’t add up. There are few times in my life more humbling than the weeks leading up to camp.
And yet.
Considering Jesus and His life, I notice a practice he had. He would “get up and go to an isolated place to pray” before things he would have to do. His life required balance just like mine does, but he started off with prayer. Simple. Uncomplicated. Prayer.
As things move toward camp (we leave Monday!), would you join me in this charge to prayer? Before we go about our camp days, would you model Jesus with me and pray FIRST?
• Pray for our leaders’ health, families, and connection to their students
• Students’ health, families, and connection to their leaders
• Camp logistics – smooth running schedules and relationships between camp staff and church staff
• God’s transformational power to move the hearts of our students toward a deeper relationship with Him and a next step in faith
Please also keep our HSM students and leaders in prayer, who will be heading to camp next week as well, at Lost Canyon in Arizona!
Can’t wait to share stories with you when we come back.
Hilary
Happy August! I hope you are enjoying the warm, long days of summer and finding time to connect with family and friends in the beautiful outdoors! I love the slower pace of summer and the carefree opportunities we have to take more time to invest in others and our walk with Jesus.
One of the key times for our students to invest in their faith happens next week at summer camp. We are sending off over 500 of our junior high and high school students and 120 leaders to camp at Forest Home and Lost Canyon. This is an incredibly powerful week where students will experience being away from home (some for the very first time), given unconditional love and community through cabin talks and time with their leaders, and hear from God in new ways.
Would you join me in praying for our students to encounter Jesus in a powerful way next week at camp? Also let’s pray that God would use the leaders who are going to influence and love our students in significant ways. I know that many students make bold faith decisions through what they experience at camp and I can’t wait to hear the stories of life change from our students when they return!
Before heading to camp to speak to our high school students, Doug Fields will be kicking off our new series this weekend in the Worship Center, called REFUEL. In today’s fast-paced world it is easy to find ourselves running on empty. Join us as we learn practical and sustainable ways of putting God first, so we can experience the fullness of life that He has for us. Invite a friend to come with you and take time to refuel. It’s a great way to spend the last weeks of summer together!
Hope to see you there!
Trisha Graves
We are on our way home from Study Break, one van, one family, road tripping home from Washington. It has been a great time away and I am excited to share what God has revealed to us. I am looking forward to being home and have missed being with you!
This week we have the honor of having a very special guest with us. Hank Fortener is a gifted speaker and because of his story he has a huge heart for adoption. As an added bonus, his 6p message will be different than his morning message, so take advantage of this special Sunday (8:30, 10, 11:30a & 6pm)!
I look forward to being back with you next Sunday!
caleb
P.S.: Visit our StepInHB.com website and give toward our church’s future!
P.P.S.: Listen to recent messages here.
Upcoming…
SUMMER CAMP OUT
Fri, Aug 5, 6p–Sat, Aug 6, 10a
Come get the camping experience here on our very own campus! Bring your tents, sleeping bags, and your hungry stomachs for a night of food, games, s’mores, a movie, and the beautiful outdoors! It was a blast last year so don’t miss out! More info here.
SUMMER SUNDAY TOGETHER
(New date!) Sun, Aug 7, 10a–1p, Worship Center and patio
Join us as we gather for one service to celebrate and spend time in community! For one Sunday only, we’ll meet at 10a and then head out to the patio after the service for a BBQ! More info here.
Grab your grass skirt and join us for a hula lesson set to praise music! Bring your daughters, friends and neighbors—women of all ages! Food, fun, iced coffee, photo booth and a time of encouragement! Don’t miss this special event! Search “Coffee Connect” or click here to register.
WOMEN’S COFFEE CONNECT: HULA IN THE HARBOR
Sat, Aug 6, 9-11a
Location in confirmation email
Hang out, eat and play games on the beach with other jr high and high school students of Mariners HB at our summer beach bonfire! Contact Julie with questions, jdenouden@marinerschurch.org or search “bonfire” on our website.
JHM & HSM BEACH BONFIRE
Fri, Aug 5, 6:30-9p