There are some wonderful opportunities for ministry this week and in the coming weeks.
Please take advantage of these opportunities.

Our Prayer Ministry Team is planning a very special prayer meeting this Friday night March 27th. It will be an “all-night” meeting beginning at 7:30 and continuing until midnight. Make your plans to come and pray some time during the evening. Of course you are invited to pray with them every Sunday morning at 9:00.

This Sunday during the service we will have a special time of prayer over our Panama Missions Team. We will gather around them and pray for them. They leave for Panama next Thursday.

Men, your next Men’s Ministry meeting will be this Sunday right after the service. For more information, check out the Men’s Ministry blog. You can link to it from our website venicechurch.com.

Easter is just a couple of weeks away. Please begin making your plans to celebrate with us. We have three services planned. There will be a Good Friday Service on April 10th @ 7:00 PM. We will have two services on Easter Sunday at 9:00 & 10:45 AM. And…it is a great time to invite somebody to come to church with you. It just might change their life now and for eternity.


Upcoming Events:
Every Sunday @ 9:15: Take One for Rockstars
March 27th – “All-Night” Prayer Meeting
March 29th – Men’s Ministry after the morning service.
April 2nd – April 12th – Panama Missions Trip
April 10th – Good Friday Service @ 7:00 PM.
April 12th – Easter: Two Services @ 9:00 & 10:45 AM.
April 25th – Women’s Ministry Potluck

God is good!

God is so good! You all did good too! Because of the faithfulness and goodness of God and because of your faithfulness to God we were able to raise $3,333.00 for our Panama team this past Sunday. I want all of the credit to go where it is due. You are to be commended for your generosity. Good people of Venice Church, thank you for caring for the lost and needy of Panama. All praise to God for His wonderful blessings. Without the blessings and generosity of God you would not have had an offering to give. God is so good! We praise Him wonderful name.

And now…a few quick reminders.

Our Prayer Ministry Team is planning a very special prayer meeting for Friday night March 27th. It will be an “all-night” meeting beginning at 7:00 and continuing until midnight. Make your plans to come and pray some time during the evening. Of course you are invited to pray with them every Sunday morning at 9:00.

Men, your next Men’s Ministry meeting will be Sunday March 29th right after the service. For more information, check out the Men’s Ministry blog. You can link to it from our website venicechurch.com.

Easter is less than one month away. Please begin making your plans to celebrate with us. We have three services planned. There will be a Good Friday Service on April 10th @ 7:00 PM. We will have two services on Easter Sunday at 9:00 & 10:45 AM. And…it is a great time to invite somebody to come to church with you. It just might change their life now and for eternity.


Upcoming Events:
Every Sunday @ 9:15: Take One for Rockstars
March 27th – “All-Night” Prayer Meeting
March 29th – Men’s Ministry after the morning service.
April 2nd – April 12th – Panama Missions Trip
April 10th – Good Friday Service @ 7:00 PM.
April 12th – Easter: Two Services @ 9:00 & 10:45 AM.

Make Your Plans

Please continue to pray and make plans to participate in our Panama Missions Offering. The offering will be received this Sunday March 15th. We need to raise $3,000.00 for construction supplies, Vacation Bible School supplies, and other supplies. We are excited about our team going to the mission field. You can have a part in what God will do in Panama by giving to this offering.

Our Prayer Ministry Team is planning a very special prayer meeting for Friday night March 27th. It will be an “all-night” meeting beginning at 7:00 and continuing until midnight. Make your plans to come and pray some time during the evening. Of course you are invited to pray with them every Sunday morning at 9:00.

Easter is about one month away. Please begin making your plans to celebrate with us. We have three services planned. There will be a Good Friday Service on April 10th @ 7:00 PM. We will have two services on Easter Sunday at 9:00 & 10:45 AM. And…it is a great time to invite somebody to come to church with you. It just might change their life now and for eternity.


Upcoming Events:
Every Sunday @ 9:15: Take One for Rockstars
March 15th – Panama Missions Project Offering
March 29th – “All-Night” Prayer Meeting
April 2nd – April 12th – Panama Missions Trip
April 10th – Good Friday Service @ 7:00 PM.
April 12th – Easter: Two Services @ 9:00 & 10:45 AM.

Spring Forward

Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday. Don’t forget to set your clock forward one hour before you go to bed Saturday night. I don’t want you to be late for church on Sunday!

Please continue to pray and make plans to participate in our Panama Missions Offering. The offering will be received on Sunday March 15th. We need to raise $3,000.00 for construction supplies, Vacation Bible School supplies, and other supplies. We are excited about our team going to the mission field. You can have a part in what God will do in Panama by giving to this offering.

Easter is just a little over one month away. Please begin making your plans to celebrate with us. We have three services planned. There will be a Good Friday Service on April 10th @ 7:00 PM. We will have two services on Easter Sunday at 9:00 & 10:45 AM. And…it is a great time to invite somebody to come to church with you. It just might change their life now and for eternity.

Upcoming Events:
Every Sunday @ 9:15: Take One for Rockstars
March 7th – Men’s Ministry Service Project
March 15th – Panama Missions Project Offering
April 10th – Good Friday Service @ 7:00 PM.
April 12th – Easter: Two Services @ 9:00 & 10:45 AM.

Panama

In just about one month a team of volunteers from Venice Church will head to Panama to minister to and serve the good people there. With your help they have raised the funds necessary to get them to the field. Now they need us to help them with the supplies that they will need on their missions trip.

On Sunday March 15th we will receive a special missions offering for those supplies. Our team will be helping two churches with construction projects. They will also be hosting a Vacation Bible School for which they will need supplies. The bottom line is that we need to raise $3,000.00 dollars with this offering. Please begin praying about the part that you can play in giving to this offering. Then come prepared to give, over and above your regular tithes and offerings, to this special offering. You may not be going to Panama, but you can have a part in the lives that will be changed!

Upcoming Events:
Every Sunday @ 9:15: Take One for Rockstars
March 1st – Communion
March 7th – Men’s Ministry Service Project
March 15th – Panama Missions Project Offering
April 10th – Good Friday Service @ 7:00 PM.
April 12th – Easter: Two Services @ 9:00 & 10:45 AM.

New Stuff

I want to remind you and encourage you to attend one of our prayer meetings. There is a prayer meeting every Sunday morning at 9:00 AM in the library/conference room. There is a prayer meeting this Friday night at 7:30 on the Worship Center. The prayer meetings are very informal and all are welcome. If you have questions please contact Richard Guerrero at justprayvbc@gmail.com.

There is a new ministry opportunity with our Rockstars Childrens Ministry. It is called Take One and it meets every Sunday morning at 9:15 upstairs in the studio area. Take One is an opportunity for your child to hang out with other kids and play together before the service begins. So come early and let your child have fun while you enjoy a cup of something warm in the coffee bar. For more information contact Jennifer at vjennifer@hotmail.com.

And ladies, don’t forget your potluck on Saturday at noon. You are going to be celebrating all that God has done during Ladies Ministry service month. I know that you will have a great time.

Upcoming Events:
February 24th – Music Auditions
March 1st – Communion
March 7th – Men’s Ministry Service Project

Free Babysitting

Just in case you haven’t noticed, with all of the jewelry, candy, and card ads, it is Valentine’s week. The wonderful women of Venice would love to serve the couples of Venice by offering free babysitting on Valentine’s Day. The sitting service will be provided from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the church.

We will check in your child in the chapel beginning at 5:00 PM.

Men, if you need help planning a date with your Valentine ask her to help you! Tell her that you have the kids taken care of.

Amy

Upcoming Events:
February 21st – Women’s Ministry Potluck
February 24th – Music Auditions
March 1st – Communion
March 7th – Men’s Ministry Service Project

This Is It

I hope that you are doing your life work this week. Don’t forget to make a list of things that you would do if you only had one month to live. Remember, you are going to have to narrow it down. Get your list down to what really matters most. You will learn a lot about how you are and what you are really all about.

I have to tell you that I was both startled and somewhat embarrassed by my first few attempts. Be diligent and really focus on what is really important to you. The good news is…it is between you and God. You don’t have to share your list with anybody.

I look forward to seeing you Sunday when we continue with the series This Is It. Message Two is Deepening Relationships. Have a great week and plan to be involved in some of the upcoming events. You will not be sorry.


Upcoming Events:

February 8th – Men’s Ministry

February 21st – Women’s Ministry

February 24th – Music Auditions

March 1st – Communion

March 7th – Men’s Ministry Service Project

What Matters Most?

Our Annual Business Meeting was well attended on Sunday night. God was extremely good to us in 08 and we are looking forward to a great 09. If you were unable to attend, you may pick up the financial reports at the information center on Sunday.

Let me encourage you again to get involved in our Prayer Ministry. There is a prayer meeting every Sunday morning at 9:00 AM. Beginning on Friday February 6th there will be a prayer meeting on the first and last Friday night of each month at 7:30. If you have any questions about the Prayer Ministry or the prayer meetings you may contact Richard Guerrero at justprayvbc@gmail.com.

God has blessed our church with wonderful musical talent. We are always looking for other people who are musically talented and want to use that talent for God. So…we are holding open auditions for singers and musicians on Tuesday night February 24th @ 8:30 PM. If you would like to audition please make your plans to be with us. If you have any questions, please direct them to me.

This Sunday I am going to begin a new series of messages called This Is It. For the next four Sundays we are going to focus our attention on this question. What if you had just one month to live? What would change? What would take priority? I believe that it will be a thought provoking and life changing series. I will see you on Sunday for Message One: What Matters Most.


Upcoming Events:
February 5th – CLASS 101
February 8th – Men’s Ministry
February 21st – Women’s Ministry
February 24th – Music Auditions

A New Day

Sunday night is our Annual Business Meeting. I hope that all of you will plan to attend. We will look back and see how good God was to us in 2008. We will look forward to 2009. If you are not familiar with these meetings here is the gist of what happens. We will review financial statements from 2008. We will approve a budget and ministry teams for 2009. That is pretty much it. The meeting should not be long. Plan to join us Sunday night at 6:00 in the Worship Center.

One of the new ministries that sprang forth in 2008 was a Prayer Ministry. The ministry consists of a prayer meeting every Sunday morning at 9:00. Beginning in February, in addition to the Sunday prayer meeting, there will be a prayer meeting every first and last Friday in the Worship Center at 7:30 PM. If you have any questions about the Prayer Ministry or the prayer meetings you may contact Richard Guerrero at justprayvbc@gmail.com.

And finally I must say that it is an exciting day in these United States of America. I am praying for our new President. I am praying for wisdom, clarity, and guidance from the Scriptures for him. And I am praying for his safety and the safety of his family. I am praying for our country. I am praying for the unity that is necessary for us to accomplish all that is necessary in these trying and difficult times. I am praying that we would be a nation that is pleasing to God, a nation that honors God, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Upcoming Events:
January 25th – Annual Business Meeting
February 5th – CLASS 101
February 8th – Men’s Ministry
February 21st – Women’s Ministry

Faith to Change

I am praying for your week. Please pray for Amy and me. We are on a little cruise to Ensenada this week. It is an annual conference with other pastors and their wives. We will be out of the office this week.

We are talking about Venice Values on Sunday mornings. This Sunday we are going to talk about The Faith to Change. You may want to read Hebrews chapter 11 in advance of our study.

As I mentioned last week, the Missions Trip to Panama is coming up very quickly. This Sunday we are going to be receiving an offering to raise money for those who are going on the trip. Please pray this week about what God would have you give and then come prepared on Sunday to participate in this special offering. I know that you want to have a part in sending some of our folks to “the ends of the earth”. Any and all questions about the Missions Trip can be directed to Daniel & Kristen Nehrig @ jenkrist@yahoo.com.


Upcoming Events:
January 25th – Annual Business Meeting
February 5th – CLASS 101
February 8th – Men’s Ministry
February 21st – Women’s Ministry

Resolve

I hope that your New Year is off to a good start with all of your resolutions in place. My resolution this year was “no resolutions”. Don’t get me wrong. I am working on me and God is really working on me, but I didn’t want to deal with failed resolutions.

My desire for each one of us and for our church is pretty much the same every year. I want us to love God and people more. Jesus teaches us that if we love God with all that we have and love our neighbor as ourselves everything else will fall into place. Let’s attack that with some resolve in 2009. As always we will do our best to encourage you to live this way through our teaching and through our small groups and through our ministries.

We are talking about Venice Values on Sunday mornings. One of the things that we value is staying power. We will talk about staying with God’s plan for the long haul this Sunday. I hope to see you then.


Upcoming Events:
January 10th – Men’s Ministry Meeting
January 25th – Annual Business Meeting
February 8th – Men’s Ministry
February 21st – Women’s Ministry

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Be safe out there tonight.
I am looking forward to beginning the New Year with you on Sunday. We begin with a series called Venice Values. Message One will be God’s Game Plan. Enjoy the rest of your week and I will see you then.

Upcoming Events:
January 10th – Men’s Ministry Meeting
January 25th – Annual Business Meeting
February 8th – Men’s Ministry
February 21st – Women’s Ministry

Home

Amy and I had a wonderful time in El Paso. Pastor Rod Smith and the people of Cielo Vista Church were wonderful hosts. They have a great church, but we missed our church. We are glad to be home.

This Sunday will be an enjoyable Christmas service. Our Rockstars children will be singing in the service right at 10:00 AM so be sure to be on time. We will wrap up our series Christmas Behind the Scenes when we talk about More Than Power.

Make your plans to be with us for our Christmas Eve Service. The service will begin at 6:00 PM. It is a great time to invite your seeking or unchurched friend.

And…take advantage of the Christmas card exchange at the information center. You deliver your cards and pick up your cards in the boxes you find there.
Have a great week.

Upcoming Events:
December 14th – Guest Speaker: Rev. Bob Henson
December 24th – Christmas Eve Service
January 10th – Men’s Ministry Meeting
January 25th – Annual Business Meeting

Announcements

I pray that your holiday season is going well so far.

I have exciting news for you. Beginning this Saturday our floor in the chapel will be completely repaired and refinished. Steve Hochstrasser and his crew are doing this for us. It is truly a blessing. If you could, please keep any and all ministry activity out of the chapel area until Saturday December 20th. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Please pray for Amy and me as we travel to El Paso, Texas this weekend. We live Saturday morning and return Monday afternoon. Please pray for safe travel and that God will use us to minister to the good people of Cielo Vista Church.
I hope that you will all be here on Sunday to meet my mom and dad and to hear my dad preach. It will be a blessing to have him fill in for me.

Make your plans to be with us for our Christmas Eve Service. The service will begin at 6:00 PM. It is a great time to invite your seeking or unchurched friend.

And…take advantage of the Christmas card exchange at the information center. You deliver your cards and pick up your cards in the boxes you find there.

Upcoming Events:
December 14th – Guest Speaker: Rev. Bob Henson
December 24th – Christmas Eve Service
January 10th – Men’s Ministry Meeting
January 25th – Annual Business Meeting

Fun Stuff To Do

We are in full blown holiday mode and so I will take this opportunity to update you on upcoming ministry opportunities.

Ladies, don’t forget your Mad Hatter Tea Party on Saturday. The festivities get under way at 3:00 PM in the chapel. Don’t forget your hat and tea cup. I know that you are going to have a great time. By the way, I heard several men lamenting the fact that they could not attend. Okay, I made that part up! I know you ladies will have a great time.

Guys, our December Men’s Ministry Meeting is Sunday right after the morning service. We will meet in the chapel as well and lunch will be served. Read chapter 12 before you arrive on Sunday.

In conjunction with our ladies meeting on Saturday and our men’s meeting on Sunday are two opportunities for you to give during the Christmas season. The ladies are receiving monetary donations. They are going to be sending the money to our missionaries to bless them at Christmas time. For more information, please contact Denise Jensen (bjensen623@verizon.net) or Isis McKelvey (ISISMCK@aol.com).

The Men’s Ministry is cooperating with two of our small groups to collect clothing and toiletry items and monetary gifts for Emmanuel Baptist Rescue Mission. You can bring your clothing and toiletry items and place them in the boxes in the lobby. To give money to this project, please place your gift in an offering envelope and write Emmanuel Mission on it. Monetary donations will be used to purchase Costco Gift Cards for the Mission to use to buy food and other needed items. Donations will be received through Sunday. For more information please contact Brad Jensen (bradjensen7@sbcglobal.net).

Please make your plans to be with us for our Christmas Eve Service. The service will begin at 6:00 PM. It is a great time to invite your seeking or unchurched friend.


Upcoming Events:
December 14th – Guest Speaker: Rev. Bob Henson
December 24th – Christmas Eve Service
January 10th – Men’s Ministry Meeting
January 25th – Annual Business Meeting

Happy Thanksgiving

The holidays are here and I am looking forward to them.
There are many opportunities for community and service during the holidays and I pray that we will take advantage of those opportunities.
The holidays are also a chance to give.

I know that many of you are involved in service projects with your small groups.
That is fantastic.
I want you to be aware of this opportunity to give.
Two of our small groups are partnering to give to the Emmanuel Baptist Rescue Mission downtown.
I have attached a list of items that are needed.
There will be a box in the lobby on Sunday where you can drop off your items.

If you have any questions, please contact Denise Jensen. bjensen623@verizon.net

Thanks for your faithfulness and service.
I am proud to be your pastor and I know that God is pleased with your generosity.

Have a wonderful, safe, and happy Thanksgiving.

Tea Party and Other Stuff

Dear Venice Family,

Christmas will be here in 36 days! Nobody panic! With that said I need your help. Come one, come all on Sunday November 30th at 2:00 PM to decorate the church for Christmas. It is always a fun and entertaining time of fellowship. Who knows? You might meet somebody new or get to know somebody better and…you can work off some of that turkey and pie. By the way, this is not just for women and girls but this is…

Ladies, do not forget about the Mad Hatter Tea Party on Saturday December 6th @ 3:00 PM. Please mark you card on Sunday if you are planning to attend. The Tea Team needs to plan for food. Yes, you must wear a hat and yes you need to bring your own teacup. Remember, we are receiving a Christmas offering for our missionaries so come prepared to participate. There is also a gift exchange. The gift should be in the $10.00 - $15.00 range.

Thanks So Much,
Amy


Upcoming Events:
December 6th – Women’s Ministry Mad Hatter Tea Party
December 7th – Men’s Ministry following the morning service.
December 14th – Guest Speaker: Rev. Bob Henson
December 24th – Christmas Eve Service
January 25th – Annual Business Meeting

Hang In There

Hang in there! There is nothing easy about these 40 Days of Community lessons. Rick is not pulling any punches. He is hitting us right where we live. But remember…there is nothing like the church when it is working right. For it to work right there must be real, heart to heart, soul to soul love. There must be real conversations about what is really going in us.

So hang in there. Keep reading. Keep learning. Keep sharing. Keep building. Keep growing.

Stay connected. Remain in service. Know and be known. Love and be loved. Encourage and be encouraged.

Hebrews 10:24-25 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25) And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Thank you to all of you who expressed your condolences over the loss of our dog. We are doing better and we really have appreciated your love, prayers, and support. You were a wonderful encouragement to us.


Upcoming Events:

November 14th – EPIC Youth Ministry All Nighter

November 15th – CLASS 201: Discovering Maturity

November 16th – Memorial Service for Mr. Trubey – 2:30 PM.

December 6th – Women’s Ministry Mad Hatter Tea Party

December 14th – Guest Speaker: Rev. Bob Henson

December 24th – Christmas Eve Service

Goodbye Friend

In 1 Timothy 6:17 the Apostle Paul tells us that “God gives us what we need for our enjoyment.” In Genesis chapter 1 when God creates man He states that we will be masters of and have dominion over all the other animals.

Amy and I are firm believers that God has given us dogs for our enjoyment. I know that some of you would argue that cats are given for enjoyment as well, but I would tend to disagree with you. Cats don’t do anything for me. Now dogs, I like dogs. It has been our pleasure to have a wonderful Golden Retriever named Novacek as our family pet for the last 12 years. The boys grew up with him. He was Amy’s 34^th birthday present. Amy would say that he was the “best birthday present ever!”

Sadly, on Monday we had to put him down. He had numerous ailments that were mounting up on him and it was time. It was time, but that did not make it any easier. We really miss him. When we stopped to think about it we realized that there were only a few months that we lived in this house without him. Every time that I walk into the house or into the yard I expect to see him. I catch myself turning to speak to him and he is not there.

I know that on some levels it seems kind of trivial, but we loved that dog. He was a part of our family. Pray for us. It hurts. Pray for Amy. Apparently, apart from me he was Amy’s best friend. Almost every day of his 12 years they walked together in the morning. Novacek doing what dogs do and Amy praying. Amy lost a friend and a prayer partner.

So, we say goodbye to our friend Novacek. God was good to us. He was our gift given by God for our enjoyment. We really enjoyed our time with him.

Upcoming Events:

November 14^th – EPIC Youth Ministry All Nighter

November 15^th – CLASS 201: Discovering Maturity

December 6^th – Women’s Ministry Mad Hatter Tea Party

December 14^th – Guest Speaker: Rev. Bob Henson

December 24^th – Christmas Eve Service