Motherhood isn’t always easy. Every day, moms are challenged to find the balance between love, strength, grace and courage. This Mother’s Day, we want to honor all moms and all they do to make the world a better place through the Art of Being a Mom.

MOTHER’S DAY
Sunday, May 8, during services and on the patio

What a great week we had last Sunday. Thank you all for stepping up and jumping in with our Be Fearless campaign. We gave away over 300 bags of food to feed the homeless in our community. There is a bin out front of the church so you can drop bags off any time before May 15.  We had over 35 people say they will participate in sending care packages to Nykiea, who is being deployed to Japan with the Marines. Your enthusiasm for our Medical and Dental Clinic, as well as our serve project to fix up San Juan Elementary School, was incredibly encouraging. We are a church that values making a difference in the lives of others, and you embrace that vision and always participate. Thank you.

Community Nights was once again a big hit as we had a great evening listening to Jared Kirkwood talk about learning to find your story and help others find theirs. Next week, Kathleen Chapman will join us. She will be talking about different personality types as we learn how to navigate life with our own personalities. She will also be discussing how to get along with the other “personalities” in our life.

Finally, I had a great meeting this week about the launch of our new preschool. We are a church that desires to reach the young families in our community. This will be a great opportunity to build relationships and help parents shape the hearts of their children.  The preschool opens in September, so if you can, get the word out.
Always great doing life and ministry with you all.

Blessings,

Jeff

There are a few components to ministry that are foundational to our church and this week we have the opportunity to experience them.  Last night was our Community Nights kick off. Community is a major part of the life of our church. Our desire is that everyone has a place to meet and connect with other people in a smaller setting. It was a great night of community with over one hundred people in attendance.  We laughed and learned, sat with old friends and met new people.  As I sat there, I thought, “this is what church is all about.” Next week we have another great night planned, Jared Kirkwood is going to talk to us about finding our story.  As we look at our life, one thing we may or may not realize is the idea that each of us has a story. Jared is going to help us find that story in our life, and we will begin to see what that means. Our story is a huge part of who we are. Don’t you want to know what your story is? On a practical side of the evening, after experiencing the pleasure of listening to the “money taker,” I had a revelation. It bothered me that some families had to pay over thirty dollars to attend! So we are changing the pricing. It will now be $5/adult and $5/child and then if you have three or four kids, they are free. So the most the night will cost you is $20, no matter how many kids you have. Thank you to two great families in the church who are willing to underwrite this price difference. It is such a fun night and we never want finances to be an obstacle.

Like I said, this week we are experiencing two foundational components to the life of our church, the first is community and this Sunday we will be celebrating Outreach. We are a church that is committed to reaching out and helping others. This Sunday we will learn about some great ministry opportunities that we will be going after as a church. Outreach is such a big part of who we are, you will not want to miss it. So come and celebrate the privilege we have of being people who get to make a difference in the life of others in our community.

Finally, our youth will be going into inner city LA this weekend to serve and evangelize. I know this is short notice, but they are collecting jackets and sweaters to give to people on the streets in need. So, if you have any jackets or sweaters that are sitting in your closet, my guess is there is someone who would love to wear it.  Please drop off at the church (Thursday or Friday); the bin will be located at the entrance doors of the church. Thank you for participating in this if you can.  A lot of good stuff is happening. It’s great doing life and ministry with you.

Blessings,

Jeff

We have a saying around here, “life change happens in circles not rows.” What this means is that as great as it is to come to church on Sunday morning, worship, open God’s Word, learn and hopefully be challenged or encouraged, the next level of life change occurs when you start unpacking life with other people in community.

I say this because Community Nights are a great first step to engage in this process. It is an excellent opportunity to jump into relationships and connect with others. At the same time, there is a casualness to the evening that makes this first step easy and safe. So be sure to join us for dinner, great speakers and a meaningful time of community and fellowship. If you haven’t signed up, I highly encourage you to, here is the link.

We are in the third week of our series, Things I Wish Jesus Never Said.  This week we will look at a great encounter with Jesus. Although it may seem confusing and awkward, in the end you will find it comforting and encouraging. As always, there are people in your life who would love to come to church, all it takes is an invitation. This is a great week to invite them because this is a message that reminds us why we follow Jesus. I look forward to seeing you.

Blessings,

Jeff

April must be here, because yes, it has brought rain and showers. And that means we have made it past the Easter season, and now we have started our new series, “Things I Wish Jesus Never Said.” Jesus always said things that are in our best interest, the problem is, they are often difficult to hear. This week I will be talking about a topic that affects all of us and I believe what we’ll find is while it maybe challenging to hear, it will also be freeing. I look forward to seeing you this week.

Here are a couple things to consider. We will have information available for you this Sunday about our upcoming trip to Israel. Also, we have hired our new Children’s Pastor! Maranda and her family are amazing and I will be introducing them on April 17. Many of you asked what we are going to do with the painting from Good Friday. Well, we have given it some serious thought and we are going to put it up for sale. All proceeds from the sale of the painting will go into our Outreach Ministries budget. It’s an amazing painting, and I’m sure someone would love to have it in his or her home. So please let us know if you are interested.

Finally, Community Nights are starting up Wednesday, Apr 20. This is a great time to get together and discover genuine community. It is an event for all ages ranging from kids, youth, and of course, adults. Come hear Dr. Buddy Mendez as he will be kicking off our first night. I can’t wait to see you there!

Blessings to you,

Jeff

What a great Easter week we had together! Good Friday was an amazing service to experience, remembering the weight of the cross and the sacrifice that took place for each of us. And Easter Sunday was powerful together as we celebrated the hope we have because of the resurrection. It was such a blessing to have people share their stories with us through cardboard testimonies. I know it impacted me and many others, so thank you to all of you who participated in that last weekend.

I hope everyone is getting some rest and enjoying the spring weather this week. One thing to keep on your radar… Community Nights start in a couple weeks. For those of you who were able to attend in the fall, you know these are nights you want to be a part of. Not only are they fun and entertaining but they also allow you to find community within this church as you get to know the people sitting next to you each and every weekend. So please sign up online or on the patio this weekend. They are going to be great and something I am really looking forward to this month.

Love doing church with you. Excited for this Sunday!

Blessings,

Jeff

Get involved at Mariners Ocean Hills by volunteering and help make our church a welcoming and wonderful experience for everyone. There are lots of places for you to get involved.

If you’re interested, contact Jaclyn,  jrisser@marinerschurch.org

If ever there was a week to celebrate, this is the week! If ever you question whether God loves you, this is the week to remind you that He does! Good Friday service is a powerful reminder to reflect on what Jesus did for us on the cross. It’s also a great experiential opportunity to go to the cross in response to His sacrifice for us. And Easter is going to be an amazing celebration! It is the defining moment of our faith, where Jesus proved that He is God and overcame death. Don’t forget, it is the perfect opportunity to invite family and friends. You won’t want to miss this Sunday.

Just a reminder, Good Friday service is tomorrow at 5:30p and Easter is at our regular service times. I look forward to celebrating with you. He has risen!!

Blessings,
Jeff

Celebrate how Jesus conquered death and made it possible for us to have a future and a new life. More info here or search “Easter” on our website.

Sunday, Mar 27, 9 & 11a

A time to consider the weight of our sin and the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.

Friday, Mar 25, 5:30p