I can’t believe that we are already through the holidays; it goes by so quickly. I hope that you had a great Christmas season. If you are like me, you probably made some sort of New Year’s resolution, and statistically speaking, by now you have blown it. But remember, we live under an umbrella of grace, so jump back in and keep it going.

I want to start the new year by saying thank you. As we stated all through December, it is a critical month in the life of the church. Approximately 25% of the church budget comes in during the month of December. This is not just our church, but churches in general.  So we talk about our financial needs and help communicate how important it is to our church and you responded in such an amazing way. You gave 30% over the amount budgeted for the month of December. You have no idea how remarkable that is. Thank you for your incredible generosity. Let me say that again – thank you for responding to all that God is doing and being so incredibly generous. I hope that you can feel the sense of momentum and excitement in our church. God is doing great things and using you in amazing ways. God is good.

A couple things to be reminded of: Rooted sign ups kick off this weekend. It’s a great time for you to jump into community and grow closer to God and to others. Also, our yearly read is called Streams in the Desert, if you haven’t done so already, pick one up in the bookstore this weekend. It’s a great way to look at God’s Word every day. And like I stated last week, I am sad to say that our worship leader, Allison, will be leaving us. Please join us this weekend as we honor her and say goodbye.

Blessings to you all. I pray that you are having a great start to this new year. See you Sunday.

Jeff

ROOTED LAUNCH
Rooted provokes questions and conversations to offer a beyond-what-is-comfortable group experiences designed to give you a glimpse of your story in God’s story. Contact Cole, cbeshore@marinerschurch.org

Wed, Jan 20 • 6:30p • Ocean Hills Campus

On behalf of the whole Mariners Ocean Hills staff, we wish you a joy-filled Christmas. It’s been so fun celebrating with you as we’ve made our way to Christmas. We are all so excited for what 2015 will bring and look forward to walking through life and leaning on God with all of you. Merry Christmas!

Blessings,
Jeff

Christmas Eve Services
Wednesday, December 24: 3:30 & 5:30p
Childcare available for infant through age 5.

You don’t have to look far to see that we are right in the middle of the Christmas season. Around our house, Christmas is obvious, with the kids off from school and wrapping paper lying around the living room. Accompany that with lights up on the house (sounds impressive, but I only did one strand in front of the garage), and the Christmas tree lit and decorated – we are in full swing with the holiday.

This weekend Crystal Lewis will be leading worship and I made her promise that she would sing Oh Holy Night, so needless to say, it will be a fun Sunday to experience and a great opportunity to invite someone. My message will be focused around the idea that Christmas is Love and God’s great way of showing us how much He loves us came in the form of a baby. Amazing.

You won’t want to miss our Christmas Eve services at 3:30 and 5:30p. It will be a great way to continue pointing your heart toward what Christmas is all about. I love the Christmas Eve service – there is nothing better than closing with a candlelight moment and singing silent night together. It will be a wonderful celebration. Please remember if you can, we need volunteers, especially for the 5:30p service.

What an amazing season we are in at Mariners Ocean Hills! We encouraged you to Celebrate Differently this holiday season and you did by providing over 200 Christmas gifts for children who might not get one. Also, you gave just over 6 tons of food to stock the cupboards of families in need. This is who we are – a church that celebrates joyfully and gives generously. God is at work. When we reflect on the past year it is powerful to see how His gracious love worked through all of you.

As always I remind you that this is an important month for the life of our church financially. As you consider giving and receiving this month, we encourage you to ask God to reveal places where you can join Him in His work. We give back to His Kingdom in response to the greatest gift: Jesus Christ. There are great things ahead and we hope you will join us as we share God’s hope with the world this season.

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” Acts 20:35

Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do at Mariners Ocean Hills.  You are fun and you are incredibly generous, I love doing life and ministry with you.

Blessings,

Jeff

Come celebrate the Christmas Season at A Christmas Together Concert! Artists include: Jadon Lavik, Micah Keita Bournes, PawnShop kings, Tim Timmons, and Sarah MacIntosh. It will be a wonderful night filled with Christmas music and great community. Buy tickets online. Visit our website for more info.

Friday, December 19, 7p, Worship Center

This is such a great season and while it can feel a tad crazy, it is always my favorite time of year. I hope you enjoyed our Tree Lighting last Sunday night. I saw so many of you who brought friends and it looked like the kids had a lot of fun playing in the snow. The twelve days of Christmas was a big hit, as well as our “north star fly-over.” Of course, we have to thank the three wise men who played their part to perfection. And remember, we have many more great events planned to celebrate the Christmas season.

This Saturday morning is the Women’s Christmas Brunch. It will be a wonderful event for the women in our community as they celebrate the Good News and have an incredible morning together. If you are looking for a festive Christmas concert, every year we host A Christmas Together. It’s such a fun way to hear the songs of Christmas as they are performed by talented artists and musicians. We will pack out our auditorium with this festive event (yes, I said festive event). And of course our Christmas Eve services will take place on December 24 at 3:30 and 5:30p. It will be a special service to attend with friends and family.

Finally, Crystal Lewis will be leading worship on Sunday, December 21 and singing so many of the songs we love this time of year. As you can tell, there is a lot going on. The wonderful part of this year is not only that it’s a time for us to enjoy all of the things that are a part of Christmas, but it’s a time to give back. Thank you all for the generosity you provided with so many meals and gifts to people in our community who need it most. You continue to be such a generous church and you give back in amazing ways. Also, thank you for your gifts for Tree Lighting. Because of your donations and money, the event was free, and fully paid for. Once again, thank you.

Continued Blessings,
Jeff

We are so proud to be a church that truly Celebrates Differently! We want to take this moment to THANK YOU for all that you have done this holiday season. During a busy time competes for your time and resources, you chose generosity! Because of your radical love, lives across Orange County are being changed. Together we have been able to give hundreds of gifts and over 6 tons of food to at-risk youth and families. As a church, we have reached out to hundreds of homeless folks with “you matter bags” and challenged ourselves to love without limits. Words cannot express the excitement for what God continues to do in and through us and I’m so grateful to be surrounded by such loving people who are working together to usher in God’s kingdom.

Jon Ramsay – Outreach Ministries