You Are Invited Women s Tea - Come One, Come All!!

Transcription

1

2 You Are Invited Women s Tea - Come One, Come All!! New Opportunity for Spiritual Growth B eginning on Monday, May 5, Fr. Jose will begin a daily devotional through the Book of Galatians using the Journey Maker program. Each morning he will write a meditation where he will share his heart as he reads through this letter of the Apostle Paul. Those of you that would like to take this Journey with him can sign up starting on May 5 to receive his daily meditations by going to (please note, link will not be active until May 5). Through this link you will be able to subscribe to Fr. Jose s meditations and receive one each day of the week. We pray that each day you will be inspired as you read with him through Paul s Letter to the Galatians. Let us journey together through God s inspired and holy Word. It s all about YOU! Your Journey & Getting to Know Your St. David s Sisters Date: Saturday, May 3rd Time: 11:00am Where: Maly Poch s home 7643 Bluebell Ave. North Hollywood RSVP: Laurie Leney What to bring: Bring your favorite tea cup and (strictly voluntary) a treat to share. What to expect: W e w ill have a great time just enjoying each other s company, catching up and sharing our journeys. We have two women, Jaclyn Ganjeh and Ashley Trim who are going to share part of their journey with us and then it will be a free for all. Oh and with great tea and some treats!! You don't want to miss this! Hats and gloves optional. 2

3 D ue to the Anglican Men s Weekend event on May 2-4, we will not have a breakfast meeting during the month of May but we do have a special event planned in June. Please mark your calendars for the evening of Saturday, June 7. W e are having our 3 rd annual Men s BBQ at Fr. Jose s house from 5:30-9:00. We have all had a fantastic time the last several years and we expect this year to be even better. You won t want to miss it. We will take care of the refreshments and side dishes. You just need to bring what you want to BBQ. Hope to see you there. If you have any questions, please contact Tom Leney at or leneythomas@yahoo.com. by Tom Leney Love Notes Marriage Ministry of St. David s Church by Luisa Johnson Parenting Our Adult Children Workshop May 31, 2014 S pring is in the air! Wedding season is upon us. We recently attended one. Our daughter, Dayna wed Greg Chisari on April 5. It is an occasion that gives us married couples a time to reflect on our own special day and to remember those vows we spoke so lovingly to one another a while ago. How are we doing? Are we faithful to those covenant promises? Have you told your spouse lately that you would choose them and marry them all over again? The next opportunity to build and strengthen our marriages is coming up in May. On Saturday, May 31, from 10:30am to 1:30pm w e w ill gather together for a half-day workshop at the home of Fr. Jose and Maly Poch at 7643 Bluebell Avenue in North Hollywood. The focus of the workshop will be on Parenting Our Adult Children. This is open to others we know outside the church family, so invite your friends and family. We will have sign-ups early in order to plan and adequately prepare for everyone. Space is limited to the first 25 people who sign-up. The topic is timely, and those whose kids are still young should come and be prepared for the future. Prevention of problems is always the best path to take. Tim Johnson, MA/MFT and Luisa Johnson, PhD will be talking about proper boundaries and limits within a loving Parent-Child relationship no matter how old your baby is. Please sign up ASAP! If you have questions, ask Luisa or segato1951@aol.com. 3

4 Kids of the King Children s Ministry by Mara Martinez, Children s Ministry Director A Look at Stewardship Pledge Income as of April 30, 2014 Income Pledged $98,313 Pledge Income Received $98,189 Total Pledges in Arrears <$124> A s many of you can clearly see, the Children s Ministry has gone through a growth spurt in the last month. Each Sunday we are teaching between 8 and 12 children. Likewise, many of our children have also gone through a growth spurt. Many have outgrown the small table and chairs we currently use in the Children s Ministry room. As my husband would say, this is a quality problem. A big thank you to the parents that have entrusted St. David s with the Christian education of their children Sunday after Sunday. For this GLORIOUS r eason, The children are asking for your help St. David's! W e have purchased two foldable tables (from Costco) and 15 foldable chairs (also from Costco) to better accommodate the growing children as well as the growing ministry. We are grateful to several generous individuals who have already donated $ toward these items. We only need an additional $54.00 to complete the purchase. Your donation would be greatly appreciated! We are also in need of a couple of teachers so that we can divide the class into two more appropriate age groups (4-6 and 7-11 years old). Please help us. We desperately need the help. Our children are worth our sacrifices. Please contact me at qbanqt15@yahoo.com or the church office as soon as possible with your donation or to volunteer as a teacher. Thank You! T ithing via pledge commitments supports those who serve in God s house. Our pledges help to improve the ministries of the church, supports the pastor, workers, their families and provides for emergencies. It is important to remember that attitude matters as much as the act. Don t make a pledge payment out of obligation. Remember, Abraham tithed out of free will, long before God even commanded tithing. Don t tithe to meet a need, but to obey. As of April 2014 St. David s has received 88% of the monthly pledge commitments and 99% of total pledge commitments (w hich includes those that pledge on an annual basis). Please continue to support your church, its people and ministries by keeping as current with your pledge commitment as the Lord allows. 4

5 Mother s Day Sunday, May 11 Don t forget to mark your calendars! Sunday, May 11 is Mother s Day. W e w ill have a very special worship service on this day celebrating all mothers, those still with us and who must be celebrated and honored in line with the 5 th Commandment of our God, Honor your father and your mother... and those who are no longer with us. As we do every year we will have a set of Bible questions for all mothers and very special gifts for those who answer correctly. We will have lots of fun and celebration. Join us! Mother If I could give you diamonds For each tear you cried for me, If I could give you sapphires For each truth you ve helped me see, If I could give you rubies For the heartache that you ve known, If I could give you pearls For the wisdom that you ve shown, Then you ll have a treasure, mother, That would mount up to the skies That would almost match The sparkle in your kind and loving eyes. But I have no pearls, no diamonds, As I m sure you re well aware So I ll give you gifts more precious My devotion, love and care. - Author Unknown May 2014 Fri.-Sun., May 2-4 Anglican Men s Weekend Saturday, May 3 Women of Light Tea Friday, May 9 Bishop Bill s Celebration, Seal Beach Saturday, May 10 Election of Diocesan Bishop, Newport Beach Sunday, May 11 Mother s Day; SAGES Meeting Sunday, May 18 Newcomers Lunch; Emergency Preparedness Sunday Saturday, May 31 Parenting Event June 2014 Sunday, June 1 St. David s Cursillo Ultreya Saturday, June 7 Lay Leaders Class; 17:17 Men s Ministry BBQ Sunday, June 8 Pentecost; SAGES Meeting Saturday, June 14 Baptism Class Sunday, June 15 Trinity Sunday; Father s Day; Baptisms Saturday, June 21 - W om en of Light; Family Movie Night Sunday, June 22 Come With Your Fire July 2014 Sunday, July 6 Come With Your Fire Sunday, July 13 SAGES Meeting Tuesday, July 15 Vacation Bible School Thursday, July 17 Vacation Bible School Saturday, July 19 Men s Breakfast; Vacation Bible School Sunday, July 20 Vacation Bible School; Come With Your Fire Saturday, July 26 Women of Light 5

6 St. David s Has a Ring for Sale O n July 13, 2012, the St. David s family had one of its long-time members, Jane Mees, go to be with the Lord. In her estate she left St. David s a diamond ring which has been valued/appraised by the Gemological Laboratory Services at $3, It is a 14k yellow and white gold ladies ring (2.0 grams), containing a 0.68 carats diamond, Round, old-cut measuring x 3.54 mm. Clarity Grade S12 and Color Grace H. See accompanying picture of the ring. The Vestry has decided to sell the ring and use the funds for our ministry needs. With the help of one of our members we are going to be putting the ring for sale on ebay. However, if anyone at St. David s would have any interest in purchasing this ring, the price can be negotiated. Please speak with Fr. Jose at your earliest convenience. S o far, for one reason or another, we have not been able to start our new Lay Leader s Class. Perhaps it is because we are waiting for you! So we will try again but we cannot wait any longer! Beginning on Saturday, June 7 and co ntinuing on the first Saturday of every month from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Church Office in Sherman Oaks, a new class will be started for those interested in more advanced and intensive studies and Lay Leaders Class to grow as leaders at our church. The study will be connected to Ligonier Ministries and Dr. R. C. Sproul and this first study will be on Systematic Theology. The study will be through the internet in the office. There is no cost for anyone interested in this and no additional materials will need to be purchased. All you will need is your Bible, writing materials and an open heart to learn. The study will be led by Fr. Jose. Vacation Bible School 2014 A VBS (Vacation Bible School) is being planned for the middle of July at the church just a couple of weeks after the Family Movie and Fun Night in June. The missional purpose of this VBS is to bring the children of the community where we have been planted and their parents into our churches (both St. David s and the Burbank SDA church) and to share the love of Jesus with the children. We need volunteers for this event. Otmara Martinez, Jaclyn Ganjeh and Ashley Trim cannot handle the planning and execution of a great VBS by themselves. We need parents and others with a love to see children come to the Lord to join this effort. Please speak to Otmara (qbanqt15@yahoo.com), Jaclyn (gem4242@aol.com) or Ashley (ashley.trim@gmail.com) and volunteer, much needs to be planned for this event. We can use all kinds of help. Please, join this effort, we will appreciate it. 6

7 Average Sunday by Fr. Jose O ne of the four legs or portions of our Vision Statement for St. David s is that St David s is a Christian Church with no less than 250 active members. In order for us to reach the 250 members mark in a period of five years, we have set ourselves the goal of growing by 4 new persons each month. This growth mark will be measured monthly by our Average Sunday Attendance and of course by the new people we see worshiping with us each Sunday. We as regular members of St. David s and Founders of this new future that we are moving toward, have a great responsibility in accomplishing this goal: (1) we must invite others to join us each week for worship (2) we must do all we can to keep those who join us by showing them Jesus presence among us (3) we must ourselves be faithful in our attendance each Sunday (this of course is part of our ASA Average Sunday Attendance). Let me share with you where we are in reaching this goal. In December 2013 our ASA was 81, January 2014 was 90, February was 90, and in March it went down to 88. In April our ASA, not counting Easter Sunday, was 92. According to our calculations, starting to measure from December 2013, we should have been in March at 93. We have welcomed several new persons who are now regular attenders and we know that many others will join us in the near future through our signs, advertising in the newspapers and the website and outreaches in the community around the church, Burbank, Glendale, etc. We need the support of the Founders with their regular attendance, their evangelistic fervor and their ministry each week to serve those who join us for worship. Consider your part in reaching this goal and join us in our efforts. 7

8 T-Shirts and Tote Bags Ready, Set, Go! S t. David s has launched an evangelistic effort that will involve sharing Jesus with others through the ministry of Presence, a message on a St. David s T-shirt and Tote Bags and all of us being able to answer others when they ask us what the signage and the slogan mean. The most important thing for all of us to keep in mind, as Fr. Jose preached to us in January, is that as people come and visit St. David s they need to be able to meet Jesus in us, among us and through us. The question for you here is: Does Jesus live at St. David s? The slogan says He does. How can you make Him visible at our church? The price of the t-shirts is $11.00 each and will be offered in your choice of black or white. The cost of the Tote bags will be $7.00 each. So far we have received pre-orders of 37 T-Shirts and 17 Tote Bags. Join the effort. Please see Deborah Chase, Tom or Laurie Leney to order your shirts and bags. Let s GO! 8 Sharing the Faith by Fr. Jose E ach month I try to give you something that would help you in sharing your faith. We all know or should know that sharing our faith is not optional for the believer and follower of Jesus Christ but rather it is a response of obedience to His Great Commission: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20) It is also something that would help your church in its growth toward the 250 active members mark. We have to grow by 4 new persons each month in order to reach that mark in 5 years. In last month s article I shared with you about Sharing the Faith by Serving (if you have forgotten that article or did not get to read it, please go to our website and read the April Newsletter). In this article I would like to offer you some more practical information. Continued on page 9

9 Do you know the three necessary components or handles of a good personal testimony? They are very easy to memorize and to use: BC + AC (BC = Before Christ; = Christ; AC = After Christ). Here are some very important points to remember, (1) the more you rehearse sharing your testimony the easier it will become to share it when you need to. (2) Write it down in as few words as possible because you may not be given much time to share it. (3) Pray in preparation to sharing your testimony if possible and if not Pray after you have shared your testimony or both. The Holy Spirit will do in the heart of the person you share your testimony with things you can never do. He works on the inside drawing people unto Jesus. So here is how to use the above introduced handles: What was your life like (BC) Before Jesus Christ came into your life? Here share your struggles growing up, what kinds of things you got into (without glamorizing sin or giving too many details) and how did it make you feel or the consequences of a sinful life. Follow this up with + (the Cross). How did Jesus come into your life? What happened? Who introduced you to Jesus Christ and how did you give Him your heart and your life? And lastly, (AC), After Jesus Christ came into your life. What difference has Jesus Christ made in your life, your marriage, your relationships, etc.? How has your life changed? What is the hope and the peace that now reside in you? How are you a blessing today in this life? As I said earlier this is not very difficult to either memorize or to use. Go now and Share Your Faith, someone you know needs to hear your testimony. The State Of The Bible: 6 Trends For 2014 by Fr. Jose T he information I am sharing with you here is taken from an article that appeared on April 9 on the Barna Group website which I receive weekly. To read the entire article, which I highly recommend, please visit this page on their site or go to and look for the above title. The information should be of great interest to all of us who view the Bible as the Word of God. Bible skepticism is now tied with Bible engagement (19% in 2014 and rising). Tw o -thirds of the skeptics are 48 and younger, 68% are male and they are most likely self-identified as Catholics who have never made a decision for Christ. Despite the decline, most Americans continue to be pro-bible. This does not m eans that Americans read their Bibles regularly (only 37% do so weekly) Distraction and busyness continue to squeeze out the Bible The age of screens has come to stay in the Bible market (sm artphones to prim etim e TV) Increasingly, people come to the Bible for answers or comfort People are less likely to link moral decline with a lack of Bible reading. People b elieve th at th e decline in m o r- als in America is more due to movies, music and TV rather than a lack of Bible reading. Please read the entire article, it is very interesting. The question I have for you is where do you stand on these six trends? Are you a regular Bible reader? Are you part of a regular Bible study group? Are you leading your family to the Holy Scriptures? Are you part of the problem or part of the solution? What are you going to do about it? How can we/i help? 9

10 You Are Invited to a Celebration of The Right Reverend Bishop William A. Thompson on the Event of his Retirement Friday, May 9, :00 pm ) by The Rev. Jose Poch A s you should all know by now, because we have repeated it over and over again, the purpose for St. David s existence and ministry is To Make Disciples of Jesus Christ. To help believers in Jesus to be, behave, teach and act like Jesus acted. A Disciple looks and acts like his/her Master, in this case you looking and acting like Jesus Christ our Lord, in church, at home, at work and everywhere and all the time. I am sure you also want the same and it is our call to help you be and do that. In last month s Discipleship article I wrote to you about the Inner Life of the Disciple (if you have forgotten that article or did not get to read it, please go to our website and read the April Newsletter). This month I would like to share with you about how to be a STAR for the Kingdom of God and in all the places mentioned above. I don t remember exactly where I got this acronym from, but I will never forget its significance in the life of a Disciple. Being a STAR for Jesus should be something we all aspire to as it will bring Him glory and praise. Let me share with you what a STAR looks and is like: S = servant hearted T = teachable A = accountable R = repentant Do you have the qualities to be a STAR for Jesus and for His Kingdom? How is your heart in the servant quality? Do you look for places where you can serve the Lord and others or do you wait to be asked or perhaps prefer to be served by others? Old Ranch Country Club 3901 Lampson Ave Seal Beach, CA Enter at Basswood and come through the Event Entrance The Diocese of Western Anglicans invites you to celebrate with us as we honor Bp. Bill Thompson s long ministry to our Lord Jesus Christ. We will enjoy an evening of great music, delicious food and beverages, and wonderful companionship at Old Ranch Country Club. This light-hearted evening will be emceed by Todd Jones with music by Chuck Maggs and DECK-B. Guest speakers will include Bp. Bill Ilgenfritz of the Missionary Diocese of All Saints, Debbie Kollgaard, President of the Diocese of Western Anglicans, Fr. Jose Poch, and Claudia Thompson. Dress for the evening is business casual; clericals optional. Tickets are $40 each. Make checks payable to All Saints Church with the memo note WAT May 9 and mail to All Saints Church, 346 Termino Avenue, Long Beach CA 90814, specifying your choice of chicken or fish entree for each ticket purchased. Kindly assure we have your ticket order and payment before May 4th; tickets will be handed to you at the event. How teachable is your heart? Do you have a hunger and a thirst to learn 10 Continued on page 11

11 the Word? Do you think you already know all you need to know to make you a good and faithful servant? Do you look for opportunities to increase your knowledge of God? Are you seriously involved in a Bible Study with others or on your own? How accountable are you? Do you accept the mentorship of your pastors or senior leaders in the Lord? Are you part of an accountability group where you could get and give guidance, where you share your struggles in order to be held accountable for your actions, behaviors and dreams? How repentant are you from your old life? Has your life in Christ superseded and replaced the old man or woman with its tendencies toward sin, self-centeredness, rebellion, angers, lusts, etc.? Does the new man/woman shine forth for all to see the difference Christ has made in your life? Are you a STAR Disciple? Are you working toward it? Think about it! The Election of A New Bishop T he election of our new Bishop will take place at the Diocesan House of Delegates (HOD) meeting on Saturday, May 10, 2014 at 9:30am at St. Andrew s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach. Due to space limitations, unfortunately, any visitors are limited to those who are accompanying their spouse from out of town (for the Bishop s Celebration Dinner, May 9) or lay alternate delegates. The remaining candidates are Fr. Keith Andrews, Living Faith, Tempe, AZ and Fr. Russell Martin, Christ the King, San Diego, CA. The Bishop s Nominating Committee will present their recommendations to the Diocesan HOD, and forward the nominee(s) to the Anglican Church in North America s College of Bishops. Please be in prayer that the Lord would have His way in giving us the person He has already chosen for this important position in His Church. Films Recommended and Why by Fr. Jose D uring the first half of this year so far we have already seen a number of films come out in the theaters, one after the other, with a Christian/spiritual theme, as well as an entire Bible series on television. This is somewhat of a major change for the movie industry in recent decades. I cannot recall a time in the past (unless you go back to the 1950s and early 1960s and the times of Cecil B. DeMille The Ten Commandments, the King of Kings), when this trend has been so prevalent. Perhaps this is as a result of the spectacular success of films such as The Passion of the Christ and C. S. Lewis The Chronicles of Narnia. Recently we have seen films being released such as Son of God, Noah, God Is Not Dead and this Easter, Heaven Is For Real. I have also heard that a film based on the Exodus is being produced and there may be others in the works. I know it is all about money and not for the sake of spirituality or faith. However, we need to thank God for these films and the opportunities they present us to get our Christian message across to those who will have questions. Like it or not, Noah soared past Box Office expectations and took in tens of millions more than the studio expected. According to the online Bible YouVersion: People opening the Noah story in Genesis 6 increased about 300% in the US and 245% globally since the movie released. I want to encourage all of us at St. David s to take the time to see these films, one because unless we support the effort they will not continue to be produced and the opportunity will be lost. Second, because unless we see them we will have no basis to comment on them when others ask us about them or certain aspects of them. Third, because they can be ready tools for evangelism and the sharing of our faith. Believers and unbelievers will watch these films and we need to be ready to point them to the Scriptures as the truth of the message of the Love of God. It is customary these days that people read the books on which the films are based before they actually see the films. We can point them to the Scriptures and then to the film and then we can lead them to understand the true message of our God. Consider going to the movies to see these films. 11

12 12 St. David s Anglican Church PO Box 5599 Sherman Oaks, CA