Join us for Easter at Mariners Church Irvine!
Saturday, April 19
4 & 6p
Sunday, April 20
8:30, 10 & 11:30a
7p (in the Community Center)
Read stories of how God has brought new life out of brokenness to people who are part of the Mariners community.
Click here for Good Friday service times.
Join us for Easter at Mariners Church Mission Viejo!
Saturday, April 19
5p, followed by Peep Roast
Sunday, April 20
9 & 11a
Read stories of how God has brought new life out of brokenness to people who are part of the Mariners community.
Click here for Good Friday Service Info.
Join us for Easter at Mariners Church Huntington Beach!
Sunday, April 20
8:30, 10 & 11:30a
Read stories of how God has brought new life out of brokenness to people who are part of the Mariners community.
What a great weekend it was as so many of you took part in our Be Fearless campaign. As a church it was so fun to see lines of people as they stepped forward to be generous to our community. Please join us this weekend as we celebrate your generosity to the various organizations in our neighborhood that are making a difference.
Also, if you have the desire or know of someone who is interested in be baptized, this is the week for you. We will be talking about baptism this weekend – Is it really necessary? Does it matter if I’ve been baptized or not? Then, we will tell you what you need to do to be baptized in two weeks.
There is a lot going on, and it’s fun doing ministry with you, seeing all of the amazing things God is doing at Mariners Ocean Hills. You have “been fearless,” way to go!
Jeff
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
With the close of the Sochi Olympic Games, we too are bringing our series, A Beautiful Mess, to a close this weekend. We promise, no ring-fails or drawn out historical tributes. Just good people, great music, and a message that will make you think all week. You don’t want to miss this.
In our commitment to promoting healthy relationships we’ve made several special opportunities available:
Fight Night: A perfect date — learning, laughs, and childcare. Learn more and sign up here.
Ballroom Dancing: There are still a few spots available for ballroom dancing (hosted at the YMCA in HB), but you have to sign up on the patio, or email Kevin White.
Marriage Mentoring: Get paired up with a couple who cares. Sign up on the patio or email Eric and Lori Johnson.
See you Sunday.
caleb
Listen to and pass along recent here
Give to Mariners HB here
As I look out the window of my office, it is fun to see a parking lot full of cars with two women’s groups meeting on the campus today – Christine DiGiacomo, who is leading Women of Passion in the Chapel, and also a MOPS program led by Angi Soderin and Melissa Potwora. Last weekend was special as we listened to Melissa share her heart for MOPS. I love that she was able to draw from the story of Gideon; as two weeks ago God gave her a name, Courageous Leader. It’s fun to see how she is stepping out heroically in her leadership with MOPS.
This past Sunday we learned once again what being heroic can look like, and how being heroic in the Bible can look vastly different than what the world defines as heroism. We learned that being heroic can mean being honest, open and vulnerable with others and with God, ie: the story of the powerful General named Naaman, who had leprosy.
This week we’ll be looking at a wonderful passage focusing on Elijah. We’ll also be taking communion. It’s the perfect time to come and learn what it means to live heroically. We’ll also be focusing on the most heroic moment of all time – Jesus dying on the cross for all mankind.
Looking forward to seeing you Sunday.
Jeff
As we continue in the series Heroes, last week was great as we talked about the idea of seeing ourselves like God sees us, and not how we are seen by others, or how we see ourselves. I felt like last week was a powerful moment for us as a church. It was inspiring to see people heroically stand up and share the new name that God had given them. Many people either did not have the opportunity to share, or did not feel like God had given them a name at that very moment. So, if that’s you – we want to give you the opportunity to share your name. Please feel free to reply to this email and share the name that God has given you, and why you feel God has called you to that name. Or, you can email it to us.
We’ll continue to learn this week about what it means for us to live a heroic lifestyle. We look forward to seeing you.
Take care,
Jeff
The USA medal count in Sochi is modest, but YOU can still be a hero. Pick up a gift for your loved one for Valentine’s Day. It’s Friday. You’re welcome.
Also, sign yourself up for FIGHT NIGHT. It will be an awesome date night filled with humor and insight about how to fight fair and develop great communication. Details are below.
And then I’ll see you on Sunday for an important message. I’m titling it “How to Get a Divorce.”
Invite somebody. It could be a game-changer for present or future relationships. (If you want to read ahead, look at 1 Corinthians 13.)
See you soon…
caleb
Listen and pass along recent messages here.
Give to Mariners HB here.
It is one of my great hopes — passions really — that we would be a church of people who are committed to reading the Bible. So many people have their image of God shaped by everything except the Bible. Yes, the Bible is occasionally confusing. Yes, God appears to do things that don’t make sense. And, yes, without context some of it can be a bit tedious. But, the broadly sweeping story of God is one in which He longs to rescue people out of captivity (whatever that might be) leading them into wholeness, becoming the people He intended them to become. We miss that story when we only read the Bible in excerpted form.
We may hear about God’s goodness from something quoted to us. We may hear about Jesus’ life during a Sunday sermon. We may get wise insight on how to live from a devotional website. But, generally, we aren’t forced to wrestle with the difficult stuff of the Bible when we encounter it in tiny chunks. Our faith grows when it is stretched. We need to ask big questions and wrestle with weighty doubts. I want us to be a church where people can own their faith — not with arrogance but with humble confidence — with a persistent heart for people who don’t yet know the full story of God’s great love. Let’s read together. Pick up a Daily Message at the bookstore or download the mobile app.
Last week, I mentioned something in my note about the “mobile-app” version of the Daily Message (Mariners’ daily Bible reading plan). A number of people either stopped me and asked about it on Sunday or called the church to ask about the mobile app. So, let me walk you through the process of downloading the mobile plan for reading your Bible on an Apple device. I know many of you do not have an Apple (iOS) device. But, the process should be virtually the same for those of you with Android and Windows smartphones as well.
See you Sunday,
Jeff