FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
8th & D Streets … PO Box 248
Ramona, CA 92065

POPULAR CULTURE AND THE GOSPELS:
    I’m having fun this year with the subjects for my Lenten sermons.  There are some basic themes that we review every year as we journey with Jesus toward the cross:  temptation, law and gospel, suffering for faith, sacrifice.  And these themes are reflected in the Bible stories chosen for each week.
     I wanted to give them a fresh spin this year, so I’m pairing the traditional themes with ideas from some popular movies of recent years.  In each of these movies, there’s at least one scene or character that highlights a spiritual dilemma.
     If you’ve been in church the past couple Sundays, you’ve already heard about “Star Wars and the Gospel” or “Harry Potter and the Gospel.”  There’s more ahead, including TV’s “The Simpsons”!
     I don’t think Lent needs to be a gloomy, depressing time.  But even more, I’m confident we can find lessons of faith and strength for our spirits in all aspects of God’s Creation – even at the movies.  Join me each Sunday in Lent, and let’s prepare together for the joy of Easter!
In hope,
Rev. Steve Swope

It's Okay to be Human
An important theme of the Lenten season is the humanity of Christ. In Jesus, God became human and fully experienced the wide range of emotions we all encounter in life. Jesus experienced times of loneliness, sadness, hurt, anger, disappointment, grief, and abandonment.  That is part of being human.  Another part of being human is needing help from each other.  God never intended us to be completely self-sufficient.  Part of God's plan is for each of us to turn to others for help when we need it. So when you are experiencing difficult times, don't struggle alone. Our Stephen Ministers will walk with you, listen to you, encourage you, pray with you, and provide confidential one-to-one care to help you through tough times. To learn more about Stephen Ministry, talk to one of our Stephen Leaders or call the church office.  Our Stephen Ministers are ready to care for you!

AN INVITATION TO MEMBERSHIP If you’re presently worshipping with us and would like to take a deeper walk with God and the people of this church,  we invite you into  the joy  of church membership.  We would like to welcome new members towards the end of this month.  If  you  would like to be a part of this group, we would love to welcome you.  If you have any questions, please call Pastor Steve or the church office.

SEARCH COMMITTEE UPDATE With the prospect of Pastor Steve moving on later this year, the Pastor Search Committee wishes him rich blessings in whatever his future may bring.  At the same time, we are thankful in advance for our Lord’s perfect plan, which will no doubt reveal our settled Pastor with perfect timing for the transition time that lies ahead.  We continue to review many candidate profiles including those received from the UCC, from a Church Staffing internet advertisement, and from an advertisement in the Christian Century magazine.  We have moved forward in the process with a number of candidates and are cautiously optimistic that God will reveal our new Pastor to us very soon.  We continue to ask for your prayers that we would be patient and discern clearly God’s will for our church.  Thank you and God bless! ~ Hal

CHILDREN’S CENTER FUNDRAISER! 
This month the Congregational Children’s Center will be working on their spring fundraiser - a Butter Braid Sale!  These delicious, take and bake pastries will be on sale after both worship services on March 7  and again on March 14. Try the new Bavarian Crème flavor! If you miss the sales on these two Sundays, call Patty Mussen during the week at 789-3329.  They will be delivered to the Church before Easter. The proceeds will go to purchasing needed equipment and supplies in the Children’s Center.

BROWN BAG BOOK CLUB MEETING: March 7  The book club will meet again on Sunday March 7 in Pilgrim Hall to discuss The Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus.  We’ll see how loans to the poor can turn around families and communities.  Bring your brown bag lunch and join us for a lively discussion.

WIDOW’S FRIENDSHIP GROUP The Widow’s Friendship Group will be gathering next on March 9 at 12:00 p.m.. They will meet at The Sizzler to sink their teeth into steak, seafood or salad for lunch!  Please call Margaret Griffith-Jones if you plan to attend.

MONTHLY MEN’S FELLOWSHIP PRAYER BREAKFAST- March 20
All the men in our church family are invited to gather for our monthly breakfast on Saturday, March 20 at 7:00 a.m. in Pilgrim Hall.  Please join us for breakfast and devotions and afterwards we can join in the All Church Work Party!

All  Church Work Party - March 20
Spring is coming soon! To celebrate the first day of Spring and to spruce up the Church and grounds for Easter, the Trustees have planned a cleanup morning on Saturday, March 20th from 8:00 to 12:00 noon. We will have jobs for you to choose from including indoor cleaning and outdoor gardening and landscaping. Round up your gardening gloves or a rag and bucket depending on your choice of jobs. Please join us to keep our House of Worship a beautiful and welcoming place.

CORAZON HOME BUILDING DAY – April 24 READY… SET… BUILD!  Prepare to change lives!  Join us on April 24  as we trek down to the Colonias in Tijuana to build a brand new home for a deserving family!  We will leave from the church parking lot at  5:00 a.m.  and return in the early evening after having built an entire home in one day.  Sign up in the Narthex and bring a sack lunch and any building tools you have handy.  No special construction skills or expertise are necessary.  You’ll be so amazed at the changes we can bring by sharing God’s love and ourselves with our neighbors in need. If you are unable to go on the build but want to help, take a look in the Narthex at the “Make A House A Home” list and sign up for what you are able to provide.  We want to make this build a real success!  Thank you.

 ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING FOR HAITI:
The final total is in! As a church family we were able to raise $4,752.00 to send to Church World Service through our early One Great Hour of Sharing collection and designate those gifts for Haiti Relief. Thank you all so much for your great generosity in Christian love.

“Cast Your Bread upon the Waters” – a Mission Moment
Interfaith Community Services (listed in our annual mission budget as North County Crisis Center) was started in 1979 by a group of faith communities to address the needs of low income, homeless, and other needy persons.  Its support now comes from more than 400 congregations in north San Diego County.  Over the years, Interfaith’s services have grown from basic charity to include temporary and transitional housing, counseling, employment services, and drug/alcohol rehabilitation.  Last year, Interfaith served over 33,700 unique individuals, including a significant number of veterans.  Based in Escondido and a satellite office in Oceanside, Interfaith has seen a 47% increase in requests for basic services, compared to two years ago.  Thanks to funding from the government’s Economic Stimulus Program, Interfaith has developed the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) to combat homelessness caused by the current economic crisis. Your pledges and weekly contributions to our church support mission programs like Interfaith Community Services, making a difference in the lives of needy individuals and families in our area.  Thank you!

AN INVITATION FOR YOU! The family of Don Owen invites you to celebrate Don’s 90 birthday on Saturday March 20, 2010 from 2 – 5 p.m. in the San Vicente Room, at the San Vicente Resort and Gold Club, 24157 San Vicente Road.  RSVP by March 12 to Dolores Ciuzak.

Junior High Youth 
We will have regular meetings at 6:30p.m. on March 4, 11, 18, 25. PLUS>>>

Mar. 6: A trip to Boomers in El Cajon – we will meet at the church parking lot at 1 pm (eat lunch first).  We will leave Boomers at 6 pm, eat dinner on the way home, and be back at the church at 7:30 pm.

ALL YOUTH!!! It has begun.  Join youth from area churches at Grace Community Church on Tuesdays from 3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. for some rousing rounds of Dodge Ball.  Call Wes if you’d like to attend!

Senior High Youth
Mar.  7, 14, 28: Regular Meetings at 7 p.m. (No meeting March 21.)

Mar. 12: Movie Night at the Church Youth Building from 6-9pm. We’ll eat dinner, watch a movie, and maybe talk about Youth Sunday (which is on April 11)

CONFIRMATION 2010  Our Confirmation Class has gathered twice for meetings.  We look forward to getting together monthly throughout the spring.  Our March meeting will be a 3 day trip to Confirmation Camp at Pilgrim Pines accompanied by Wes Ellis and Amanda Bidwell. Please keep the twelve confirmands as well as Wes and Amanda in your prayers for a growing experience.

EASTER EGG HUNT:  Please plan to join us on Sunday March 28 for our annual Easter Egg Hunt.  We will have an extended coffee hour in Pilgrim Hall after the 2 worship service and enjoy an egg hunt for the children. The Christian Education Board will provide extra snacks for everyone. Please plan to join us for this very fun family gathering.

Looking Ahead
April  1: Maundy Thursday
April  2: Good Friday
April  4: Easter Sunday
April 11: Youth Sunday
April 24: Corazon Home Build
April 26: Fourth Monday Meal

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Church E-mail Address:
Church Office= office@fccramona.org
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Sunday Schedule
9:00 A.M. Worship Service
10:15 A.M. Worship Service
10:15 A.M. Sunday School

…Child care is provided
…a fellowship time follows the morning services

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