During the Christmas season, we celebrate how God saw us when we were far off and sent us the greatest gift; His Son Jesus. This Gift of love compels us to love and care for the poor and marginalized among us. As a church we are committed to caring for the thousands of people in our community experiencing poverty and crisis this season.

Click here to find out how you can CELEBRATE DIFFERENTLY with us this year.

CHRISTMAS WISH LIST – take a gift tag from a Christmas tree on the patio
MEAL PACKING EVENT – Sun, Dec 11, after services

Join us for a morning of connection, enjoy man food and hear from Don Pries, Jeff’s dad and recipient of the MLB lifetime achievement award. More info here and register or search “breakfast” on our website.

MEN’S BREAKFAST
Sat, Dec 10, 8a, $10, on campus

Well December is finally here. I think I heard this somewhere, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”  And you know what? I actually believe it. You will have so much going on this month, and even though it will feel exhausting at times, most of what you do will be fun. I certainly hope you will have Mariners Ocean Hills on your mind as your December calendar fills up.

We have so many great things going on this month, starting with one of my favorite events – our Tree Lighting! The snow has been ordered, dinner is being prepped, the band is practicing and I even heard that the “Wisemen” are making their way to San Juan Capistrano (who needs swallows when you have Wisemen?). We will kick off our series on Christmas (9 & 11a) and then gather for Tree Lighting starting at 4:30p this Sunday. It’s a great opportunity to invite friends and new people – it’s absolutely free and a lot of fun. You won’t want to miss it!

Also, many of you have been asking about our Christmas Eve Services (Sat, Dec 24 @ 3p & 5p).  Each year, we work hard to make this a memorable experience for you, your family and friends. It’s a wonderful time together, and rest assured, you will get Christmas! From the songs, to the stories, the message and the candlelight ending, it will be amazing.

I know many of you are in different stages in your life, relationally.  So if you feel connected with family and friends, I encourage you to invite them into all we are doing. I also know Christmas can be a lonely time so if you don’t feel connected with others right now,  there is no better place to be than with your Church family.  Christmas is the time we should all be together.

The Christmas story is the story of God’s greatest gift to us. It is a season when we think about giving gifts to others. I want you to know that each of you is such an incredible gift to me. I love doing life and ministry with you.

Blessings to you,

Jeff

Sun, Dec 4, 4:30p, Ocean Hills Campus
Gather together to kick off the Christmas season with sledding in the snow, treats, Christmas caroling, and of course, our tree lighting!  To help us keep this a free event for the community, please donate supplies listed below. Contact Jaclyn with questions, jrisser@marinerschurch.org, or visit our website for info.

• Box of waffle cones (need 10)
• Tubs of green icing (need 30)
• Candy (ex: gum drops, red hots, M&Ms)
• Hot chocolate packets (need 100)
• Hot cider packets (need 100)
• Christmas sugar cookies (need 200)
• Give towards snow (already covered)

It was so fun to be back at church this past Sunday. We all had an amazing experience in Israel, yet at the same time, it was great coming home to our church family. I loved Cole’s message and have been writing down three things I’m thankful for each morning and three things each evening. I’m cultivating a spirit of gratitude. We all have so much to be thankful for, and it is always a great time of year to be reminded of that. Just so you know… every time I make my thankfulness list, you are on it. I am so thankful for you and our church. God has used you all in amazing ways, and I know He has great things in store for all of us.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. We are heading into my favorite season of the year, I’m glad I’m celebrating it with you.

Continued blessings to you,
Jeff

This has been such a great season in our church as so many of you have jumped in to Celebrate Differently, buying presents, providing meals and giving to those in need. If you haven’t been able to participate yet, there’s still time! Read below for more opportunities as we continue to celebrate or visit our website here.

This weekend we will be looking forward to Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. Our world seems to rush ahead in this busy time of year and it is easy to lose our footing. We will be finishing up the Book of Nehemiah and our Favor With Kings series this weekend. Join us as we look at the secret to making it through this next season. Plus, Jeff and the team are making their way home from Israel and will be back with us as well!

See you Sunday!

Cole Beshore

Come shop our handmade quilts and fabric decorative pieces to support our Ocean of Prayer Ministry. This ministry makes and gives prayer quilts to those who are sick in times of need. More info about Ocean of Prayer here.

OCEAN OF PRAYER
Sun, Nov 20, after services

Well, we have arrived safely in Israel and I am so excited, but I wanted to send a quick note thanking you for jumping in last Sunday for Outreach Weekend. Once again, your generosity not only proved to be an encouragement to our church but also a blessing to our community in exciting ways. I am looking forward to our upcoming projects and opportunities – serving people locally here in San Juan and also globally with our Mexico house build trip and food packing event! Be sure to check out the Celebrate Differently serve events below on ways we can be a light in our community!

See you guys soon!
Jeff Pries

I’m a man torn-  as amazing as the Harvest Carnival was, I continue to lick my wounds over the drubbing I received in the chili cook-off. At this very moment, I am scouring the Internet for a new and improved chili recipe. But fortunately, my pain from the chili cook-off is offset by the satisfaction that the church, with the help of incredible volunteers, pulled off an amazing Harvest Carnival. It continues to be one of my favorite things we do during the year, and if you were there, you can certainly see why.  It was a picture of our church being a family while at the same time reaching into the community and blessing our neighbors.

Speaking of reaching into the community, this weekend we will be celebrating all of the ways we made a difference in the lives of others through Outreach Ministries. Whether building houses in Mexico, feeding the homeless during Thanksgiving, painting a local school, or providing baby showers for single teenage moms, those are just some of the things we are going to celebrate and reflect upon this weekend. We are certainly a church whose vision is to be connected in community but at the same time, reach out into the community. It will be a great weekend, you won’t want to miss it.

Take care,
Jeff

Join us to learn about the Safe Families Ministry, which helps stand in the gap for families in crisis through temporary hosting of vulnerable children with local families. There are many ways to help support and encourage this ministry. All levels of interest welcome. Click here for more info or search “Safe” on our website.

SAFE FAMILIES INFORMATION MEETING
Sun, Nov 13, 10:15-11a
Room 221 (upstairs)