Dare to live fully, right where you are! Join us as we explore Ann Voskamp’s study guide based on her New York Times best selling book, One-Thousand Gifts. Contact Sunny for more info.
Thursdays, April 24 – May 22, 9:30-11:30a
Upper Room, $15, Childcare available for nominal fee
“When you happen on someone who’s in trouble or needs help… don’t look the other way pretending you don’t see him. Don’t keep a tight grip on your purse. No. Look at him, open your purse, lend whatever and as much as he needs. Don’t count the cost. Don’t listen to that selfish voice…” — Deuteronomy 15:7-8 MSG
Generally, when I come across a portion of Scripture like this, I tend to feel a cold dose of shame. I wonder if I’ve really done all I can – I haven’t. We all are aware of the reality of our world – a broken world. Certainly, we have all felt the tinge of responsibility for our own moments of inaction. But this week, as I read this passage in the “Daily Message,” I saw it in a far different light. I saw the passage through the lens of the work our church has been championing in the surrounding neighborhoods and communities.
I can’t help but be encouraged by the people of Mariners MV and the intentional steps being taken to put an end to our feigned blindness at the plight of the poor. Despite all of what I know the Bible says about the incomprehensible joy in gratitude and generosity, I continue to be amazed by how much fun these past few weeks have been. While we haven’t put an end to the systems and powers that cause poverty, we’re making a difference. Every courageous act and every heroic change that ever came about in society always began with small steps of radical revolutionary hope and a vision for what ought to be. I’m honored to be a part of what God is doing in Mission Viejo and the surrounding communities through Mariners MV. For more information about the work being done among the poor or to find out how you can get more involved, visit www.howtobefearless.org.
See you Sunday as we continue in our series: HOW TO START A REVOLUTION.
Jeff
Last Sunday, we began our BE FEARLESS journey. We asked, “What does radical generosity (without strings attached) look like?”
Here’s what we saw: Mariners Church Mission Viejo is committed to the poor and marginalized. We raised money to help fund the efforts of great local organizations that are doing an outstanding job among the poor. Mariners people are committed to serving. Because we’re a community of people unwilling to see life pass us by as merely spectators, many of us signed up to serve, making people a priority in our lives.
Last night I participated in a serve-opportunity called “Soccer and Snacks” in Santa Ana at the Lighthouse community center. Apart from feeling my age and my rapidly diminishing soccer skills, I got a glimpse of the good that people can do when they invest their time. There were a number of committed volunteers who knew kids and families by name. There was a feel of genuine neighborliness in the midst of a community known more for its high crime rate than anything else. Serving together is one of the great joys we get to be a part of as a church community.
Below, are a number of opportunities in which the Mariners MV staff has committed to serve:
Jordan Maslyn: Father Serra Food Pantry, March 29th (9am)
Kim Alexander: Vintage Senior Center, April 6th (3pm)
Hilary McCullough: Families Forward, May 3rd (11am)
Jeff Maguire: Soccer and Snacks, March 20th (4pm)
Catherine Bair: Uganda Child Sponsorship Celebration, May 18th (12:45pm)
Mike Kenyon: Vintage Senior Center, April 10th (6pm)
Bailey May: Safe Families, April 13th (12:45pm)
Ethan Hulse: Chili Van, April 8th (4:15pm)
Serve with us. Go here to find your serve opportunity. Be Fearless.
See you Sunday,
Jeff
Are you talented with a camera? Can you write a gripping story? If this is you, or you know someone with these gifts and talents, we would love for you to consider joining the Storytellers Team here at Mariners MV. We are looking for scribes of all sorts to help tell the amazing stories about what God is doing through Outreach here at Mariners Church! Contact Maher.
Our next baptism is coming up! If you are interested, be sure to attend the Baptism Class on Sun, Apr 13 at 12:45p in the Upper Room. Ages 8 and up are welcome to be baptized. Register online.
Sun, Apr 27, 9 & 11a service, Worship Center
We have many Easter volunteer opportunities. Check ’em out and then sign up!
Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up. Expect God to get here soon. Psalm 31:24
This weekend, across all Mariners’ campuses, we’ll familiarize ourselves with a phrase that has become one of our rally cries: BE FEARLESS.
That idea is somewhat unconventional in a world governed by fearfulness. Corporations spend exorbitant amounts of money to artificially create fears that can be (for a small price) alleviated by the purchase of the goods they sell. The statistics on the use of anti-anxiety medication are quite telling – up 30% from a decade ago. People generally resign themselves to a life that is, at least somewhat, centered on coping with fear. Foremost of the anxiety creating factors in peoples’ lives: money. People talk often about how money-issues create a kind of captivity that feels virtually inescapable. School loans, car loans, mortgages, saving for the future, keeping a roof over our heads, and an occasional Starbucks all add up. We find ourselves fearful that we’ll never be able to get out from underneath it all.
While the issue of money is a broad conversation, with a multitude of implications, one of the most compelling remedies for the grip money (or, the stuff we’ve accumulated with it) has on our lives, is learning to release our control over it by taking courageous steps toward generosity. This Sunday, we’ll take those steps together. We’ll look into the face of the needs surrounding our church community – big needs like: feeding and clothing at-risk families and children, education programs for the underprivileged, extending basic medical care here and abroad, job training and literacy classes, homeless shelter renovations, and improving the living conditions of kids in foster care among others.
Perhaps you’ve heard us use the phrase: “The beauty of our church is always best expressed outside the walls of the worship center.” We believe in it wholeheartedly. This weekend, we’ll put that idea into practice. We’ll raise money and keep NONE of it for our interior church needs. The church never looks more beautiful than when it’s generous. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we bravely live out generosity
See you Sunday,
Jeff
Pick up your copy at the Welcome Center or on the patio this weekend. You can download a PDF of the church verse and desktop wallpapers here.
Orange County Christian Outreach Week kicks off Friday, March 14th! Click here for more info and to register for events.
We believe God created each of us with a purpose to influence culture and change our world. We have all asked the questions, “What am I here for? What is my purpose? How can God use me?” We will hear from guest speaker Pete Richardson and our senior pastor Kenton Beshore on discovering and pursuing God’s purpose for our lives. For more info and to register click here.
Thursday, April 10, 6:30-8:30p, free
Mariners Church Community Center, Irvine Campus
