Thursday’s Thoughts
Fairview Community Church
Worshiping God and Welcoming All Every Sunday at 10am
Rain! Rain! Rain!
Well, we haven’t floated away yet, but we have had quite the water adventure here at Fairview Community Church ! While I was snug and cozy watching a movie on Monday afternoon, I received a phone call from our moderator, John Schuster, who shared with me news that our church was underwater! Thank goodness Jack Morrison thought to come and check on the church because due to Martin Luther King day no one was here and the rain took advantage of our absence! Luckily, Jack and John responded quickly and between the two of them they managed to get sandbags (though they had to go to three different stores to do it!) Unfortunately, the rain had already formed a river that snaked through the back preschool door into the preschool rooms and made its way through the small hallway that leads into the sanctuary. Indeed, a river runs through it! Jack and John managed to wet vac most of it out, and now fans are continuously blowing at high speed to try and dry it out. We should be all set for Sunday’s service so keep your fingers crossed.
This week we’ll be sticking with the water theme because (if all goes as planned) we’ll be remembering Jesus’ baptism and witnessing Jennifer Francisco be baptized! Baptism is one of two sacraments within our faith. The sacrament of communion, which we participate in each time we partake of the Lord’s Supper (for us that is about once a month) can be received any time. Baptism, however, is pretty much a once in a lifetime experience. It is a physical ritual that symbolizes what has already spiritually taken place. It is a commitment that a Christian can make as a visual and physical act that demonstrates her commitment to following the Christian path. I invite you to witness this powerful experience and remember your own baptism as we, as a community, participate in Jennifer’s commitment of faith. Also we’ll be accepting new members officially into our family! Hope you’ll be here to welcome them and thank them for choosing our church to share in their spiritual journey!
I know that many of you have donated to Haiti relief, and I can only imagine how great an impact your gift will make. You will be proud to know that both of our denominations have responded with generosity to the crisis in Haiti . The American Baptist Churches, USA have contributed $65,000 to Haiti relief, and the United Church of Christ has had record breaking contributions of over $250,000, from online giving alone, far exceeding any collection thus far. You can give online by clicking here through the UCC website or here through our ABC website. Either way your gift will help us respond to the continual needs of those so desperate. Please read below to see a note from our missionaries.
Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday! Please be safe during the rain!
*********
The Wide, Wide World of Theology!
A letter to our conference minister, Dr. Jane Fisler Hoffman regarding Haiti and support:
Thank you so much for encouraging your church members to support UCC emergency appeal for Haiti , and thank you also for lifting up Church World Service.
It was exactly two years ago this month that I was in Port au Prince (and elsewhere in Haiti and the Dominican Republic) with a small group of Church World Service staff, visiting CWS-supported partners and programs.
It was heart-wrenching then to witness the poverty and hardship in the City and elsewhere in Haiti , and it is just unimaginable to think of what that community is suffering today after this horrible natural disaster. One thing that remained with me from my visit to Haiti and my time spent with our partners there is the tremendous amount of resilience and hope that comes from our Haitian partners and their unwavering commitment to improve the lives of the most vulnerable in their community. I'm sure that, along with speedy and significant support from the international community, will get them through.
.... In addition to financial support directly to CWS or through the denominations, we are also asking congregations to assemble CWS Kits. (I know you and the Conference are familiar with those!) My understanding is that CWS Hygiene Kits are most needed at this time. You can check out the details on the Kits at www.churchworldservice.org/kits
Thanks again,
Julie Brumana
Forwarded on from our Regional Minister, Dr. Marcia Patton, regarding Haiti
IM missionary Dr. Steve James and IM’s Christian partners, including the Haitian Baptist Convention and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, are collaborating to provide medical care and relief supplies at Christianville, the quake epicenter approximately 20 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince. Nancy James, a registered nurse, is in Haut Limbe in the north of Haiti, maintaining the critical communication link with her husband Steve and the outside world.
Kristy Engel, a pediatric nurse practitioner serving in the Dominican Republic (a country that boarders Haiti ), has taken a 75-person team, including 30 medical personnel, into Haiti . The group, which includes Ketly and Vital Pierre, IM missionaries to Nicaragua, traveled into Haiti on January 16 to provide emergency care at three clinics and to distribute six truckloads of food and medical supplies.
In the meantime, IM missionary Madeline Flores-Lopez and Dominican Republic partners are providing medical care, shelter and relief supplies to quake victims arriving at the Contreras Hospital in Santo Domingo . Madeline is also coordinating relief effort teams entering Haiti from the Dominican Republic . One such team from First Baptist Church , Greensburg , Indiana has just arrived.
Jose Norat-Rodriguez, IM area director of Iberoamerica and the Caribbean, states: “We are witnessing a monumental effort that is marked by a historic collaboration between IM global partners and missionaries from a variety of countries.”
Thousands of American Baptist congregations from the U.S. and Puerto Rico are responding through prayer and giving. Offerings are being received through One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS), which is a vital way for Christians to respond to people, regardless of faith tradition, in the grip of disaster. Lisa Rothenberger, ABC Relief Officerwho oversees the use of OGHS funds, recalls the Asian tsunami in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005: “American Baptists gave $6 million to those two relief efforts within the scope of just 12 months. That’s incredible! It’s my prayer that even in these economically challenging times for us here in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, the response to this earthquake will be equally generous.”
IM partners such as IMA World Health and Church World Service provide additional opportunities to get involved. For example, those wishing to donate medicines for Haiti relief may do so through IMA World Health. If your church is interested in donating hygiene and/or baby kits or blankets, you can visit Church World Service’s website, www.churchworldservice.org for instructions and guidelines.
Reid Trulson, IM Executive Director, states: "International Ministries will be working with our Haitian brothers and sisters both now and far into the future. American Baptists have been engaged in ministry in Haiti since 1823. In knowing and loving the people of Haiti , we are uniquely positioned to be used by God in helping them rebuild their lives.”
Volunteers who wish to be a part of the ministry efforts of Steve and Nancy James, Kristy Engel and Madeline Flores-Lopez may contact the IM Volunteer office to complete applications and be included on an availability list that is continually updated and sent to the missionaries. Go to the website: BIMvolunteers@abc-usa.org or send email to: BIMvolunteers@abc-usa.org
A three-year plan for recovery and rebuilding phases will be developed in early February. The planning team will be named soon.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with eight out of ten people living in extreme poverty, is about the size of Maryland, and is located on the western half of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. The Dominican Republic is on the eastern half. The northern portion of Haiti , where most of IM’s mission work has been located, is approximately 100 miles from the earthquake’s epicenter.
Emergency donations are desperately needed and can be made on the IM website. Go to www.internationalministries.org/items/80 or write a check made payable to “One Great Hour of Sharing – Haiti Earthquake Relief” and mail to: International Ministries, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482, or make a check out payable to your church and write “Haiti Earthquake Relief” in the memo section.
Please take a moment to read through the prayers of our community,
the prayers that matter to us, and lift them up in your hearts this moment.
If you have an a prayer request you would like to add to our list, please email or call the office714 545-4610.
PRAYER MATTERS
We are grateful for the well-being and many blessings among our church family. Yet keep in your prayers and heart . . .
Kyle Cathey, still experiencing excruciating health difficulties. Prayers for his improvement.
Prayers that Jennifer Larsen’s uncle Lou Cusimano will get well enough so they can bring him to California .
Flo Martin’s brother-in-law, Kevin, who’s clinging to life and for her sister, Nikki, who’s clinging to hope.
Jeanie Molinaro, wife of Wayne Rash’s former employer Paul Molinaro, who has been operated on for ovarian cancer and now faces chemotherapy.
Gina Notrica’s mother Alice Neibarger is doing much better and grateful for prayers.
Continue to hold Gina Notrica in your prayers as she works in Japan and suffers from homesickness.
Continue to hold Gina Notrica in your prayers as she works in Japan and suffers from homesickness.
Alex Olldenburg’s friend Rob Corratti who has been paralyzed from an auto accident for 13 years. Rob will soon take an adventure to Germany to undergo stem cell treatment. His friends and family look forward to seeing him walk by the end of the year.
Daniece Spotwell, whose oldest daughter Taniece in Atlanta stopped breathing on New Year’s Eve due to stress aggravating a chronic heart murmur but has been revived. Also prayers for all Daniece’s family .
Carol Thicksten’s nephew who is still recovering from his tragic car accident. Continued prayers for all involved.
Thomas, a family member of a work colleague of Wayne Rash, who is in the grip of alcohol dependency and resisting recovery.
The people of Haiti, all who have died, who are missing, and all who suffer following this week’s destructive earthquake.
Those seeking new employment, in this time of severe job losses and economic hardship.
Those suffering and recovering from deadly addictions and crippling obsession and those who help them.
Our Troops, as they perform their duties, wherever they are in the world
Announcements
Missed a Sunday? Catch up on your sermons by listening at home!
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Divine on the Vine
Wednesdays at 7pm here at Fairview Community Church
Adult Study Group – Come join in on the fun!
Family Outing! After church on January 31st Families are invited to go to the FROG BOUNCE HOUSE!
Lots of fun! If you’ve got kids or are just a big kid – let’s all get together and bounce!
Interested in Becoming a Member? Wonder what it means to Join the Church?
Being a member of the church is easy!
All you have to do is come to a membership class and learn more about the church.
if you’re interested please contact Marge Salmassy, Wayne Rashor hit reply.
Drenched,
Sarah
Reverend Sarah Halverson
Fairview Community Church
2525 Fairview Road
Costa Mesa , CA 92626
(714) 545-4610
No matter who you are or where you are on life ' s journey, you are welcome here!
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