Pastor's Message:
 Property Discussion Outcome and This Sunday’s Stewardship Appreciation Luncheon
First of all, I want to thank all of you who stayed after church this past week for our meeting to discuss the property for sale next to our church. I also want to thank those of you who couldn’t attend, but shared your perspectives, prayers, and support to the conversations we had. It is at times like these that I am glad for our Methodist system, where we have a chance to remember how the ministry and work of the Church is not something relegated to a single person, but to a Body of Christ that brings with it experiences, memories, and knowledge that help the whole community come together to make decisions. I am positive that no matter what decision is reached, when it is made with intention and prayer, we will know that God was involved with it. It is with that in mind that I share the outcome of our discussion, which was that this is simply not the right time to move forward with purchasing new property. Certainly, the unexpected nature of the proposal, and the need for a quick decision didn’t help, as it didn’t give us much time to plan out a vision for what ministry the property might help us start or expand. Had we been able to cast a more tangible goal, it could have made for a more enticing offer. Of course, as someone said, we should never approach these sorts of issues with black and white thinking, and should be open to the possibility that we may have a chance to revisit it in the future, but that right now, we should focus on other aspects of the ministry we do here.
With that in mind, and with yesterday having been Ash Wednesday (it was good to see all of you who came out), I remind us that we have now officially entered Lent. This time of reflection and reconnection to God is one that we go through every year, and which gives us a chance to refocus on what is truly important. While I hope you are doing that individually, I also pray that we begin a process as a church to redefine and rediscover our purpose as a congregation. One thing that is clear is that, given the difficult past few years, it can be easy to have lost who we are, and what our job is. Therefore, I hope that we can use Lent this year to think through what is most important to us, and begin to consider how we are living into that purpose (and we already are in so many deep and meaningful ways), but how we might reconnect to it again. I know for myself, I keep coming back to Jesus’ Greatest Commandment: that we Love God by Loving Others. I pray that I will focus myself on how I am working to live out that commandment in my life and how we are living it together in community.
Finally, I also remind you that the Stewardship Committee is hosting a celebration lunch this Sunday after church! In a desire to recognize that stewardship is more than just seeing how our members can support the church, but how the church can support our members, we have decided that we need to have a time of appreciation for the people who make this place so special (ie you!). Whether you have been here for most of your life, or if this week is going to be the first time you visit us, we want to appreciate you with a time of good food, live music, and great fellowship. If you would like to come, but haven’t yet signed up, I encourage you to reach out to Rob Ridge at robertjohnridge@gmail.com so that we can make sure we order enough food. See you on Sunday!
Blessings,
Pastor Jaime
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Worship with Us!
This Week: Three Easy Ways to Grow Your Church: A Lenten Series
Week 1: Introduction [Matthew 4:1-11]
Join us for worship Sunday mornings at 9:30am in-person, or on Facebook Live.
If you missed last week's worship, you can watch the service on YouTube HERE.
Worship videos are available weekly at 8 am on Wednesdays.
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Upcoming Events:
Sunday, February 26: Stewardship Thank You Luncheon
This event is sponsored by our Stewardship Committee as a thank you to the congregation for their financial giving and many hours of volunteering. Join us after service on Sunday, Feb. 26. Food will be catered by Filippi's. If you have not yet RSVP'd, please contact Rob Ridge at (720) 505-6033.
Monday, February 27th: Adult Bible Study 6:30pm
The Monday night adult bible study invites you to our last study on Psalms this coming Monday, 2/27, at 6:30pm in Sunshine hall. We will be summarizing the chapters of Psalms we reviewed during this series.
Our bible study group meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month from 6:30pm - 7:30pm in Sunshine hall. We will start our next study of the book of Hebrews beginning Monday, March 14th.
All are welcome to join this study group. Studying God's word is part of growing in your Christian faith. A bible study group provides a way to study and learn together as well as a way to connect to our church members. Please contact Janet Totten, Malcolm Graham or Michael Van Vugt if you have any questions.
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Missions Moment: Mama Ntombi's Community Projects
This past Sunday during our Missions Moment, we heard from Pat Leslie about a project supported by one of Malcolm's former colleagues in South Africa, Mama Ntombi's. Among other things, they provide a daily breakfast to children who would otherwise go to school on empty stomachs. The missions and pancake breakfast team felt called to help in "sharing breakfast" with them, and are making a donation to support Mama Ntombi's.
To learn more about Mama Ntombi's Community Projects, click HERE.
UPDATED: Pat also lifted up the opportunity for us as a congregation to support Malcolm's friend and former colleague, Sandra, by emailing her messages of encouragement for her work throughout the Lenten season. You can email Sandra at: sandra@mncp.co.za
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Children of SUMC
Hello to my wonderful church family,
This past week in Sunday School we talked about change. The Lenten season is a season of change! Whether you change something in your routine, something in your lifestyle or both. Anything that helps you grow closer to God. We decided to do something in Sunday School each Sunday for the season of lent. The Kids decided to either pick something to do around the campus or do something for the neighborhood/ community. Whatever the task is, it needs to be for someone else. I will keep you all updated throughout the season. We did not have KICK yesterday as we encouraged families to go to the Ash Wednesday service. I know that it is only February but July is approaching quickly. July means VBS!! Stellar VBS will be July 10th-14th, we are still hoping to have our usual 100 kids. This means we NEED YOU! Registration will open for our congregation April 2nd and for the community Easter. Registration will close June 11th, this means registration will be open for 3 months. Please let me know if you would like to volunteer for anything involving the children, I would love to help you get started. As always, if you have any questions feel free to reach out!
Kaydence Ketterer
619-995-1504
kaydence@santeeumc.org
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Youth - Celebrated Mardi Gras and Learned About Lent
This past Sunday, the Santee and San Carlos UMC Youth gathered together to celebrate "Fat Tuesday" and for a special lesson on Lent! They enjoyed delicious pancakes and other typical breakfast "Fat Tuesday" fare! Why pancakes?? Well, traditionally, folks would abstain from eating unhealthy foods, such as unhealthy fats, sugars, and such throughout Lent... and pancakes tend to encompass all of those items! Fat Tuesday is a time to gather together in celebration and "use up" all of these items that might be in the pantry and would otherwise spoil in the 40 days (plus Sundays!) leading up to Easter.
Our Youth also had the opportunity to create the ashes for the "Imposition of the Ashes". They spent a moment in reflection... thinking about the things that might be distracting them from their relationships with God and with one another... thinking about unhealthy habits that they might try to break during Lent OR about healthy practices they might TAKE ON... before laying their palms in the fire and reducing them to ash.
The burning of the palms is a fantastic way to introduce our young people to the powerful season of Lent!
DEADLINE TO RESERVE YOUR STUDENT'S SPACE IN OUR UPCOMING ALASKA MISSION TRIP APPROACHING ON 3/01!!
"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40
Loving our neighbors and helping those in need are central to what we do and who we are as Christ followers. This coming summer, from 7/22-7/28, our Youth will have the opportunity to help some of our neighbors facing great need by visiting Anchorage, Alaska along with adult leaders.
If you have a student in 6th through 12th grade who might be interested in participating in this incredible opportunity, contact SUMC Youth Director, Jennifer Scott, at jennifer@santeeumc.org.
Please click HERE for ALL of the details for our July Alaska trip!!
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Administrative Notes:
Printable Calendar of Events: FEBRUARY
Church Office is open: Monday-Thursday 9:00am-1:00pm
Maintenance Issues on Campus?
Our Trustees diligently see to the maintenance of our campus, but of course, are not here all the time. To help get issues addressed more promptly, we invite you to fill out an online Repair Request if you see something in need on the church campus. Responses are sent to the Trustees, Pastor, and church office so the appropriate folks can get it handled in a timely manner. Thank you for your care about our beloved church!
Altar Flowers
If you’d like to sign up to bring flowers on one or more Sundays this year, please take a moment to add your name to the appropriate date on the large Flower Chart in the Narthex on Sunday, or email Carol in the office at santeeumc@santeeumc.org
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Prayer Requests
Please direct all prayer requests to: santeeumc@santeeumc.org. If marked as confidential, our Office Manager will pass them along only to the Pastor, but otherwise, prayer requests will be sent to our Prayer Chain.
If you haven't been receiving our prayer list weekly this is the perfect time to sign-up for our distribution list. Please send your request to the above e-mail address and you will be added to the Prayer Chain.
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Financial Giving
 We thank all of those who have been able to prioritize your giving to the church. Santee UMC cannot continue to offer the programs and ministries that help our young people and our community without your continued support. As you are able, please help the church continue to provide ministry by doing any of the following:
- Consider making a formal pledge (a promise of giving for the coming or current year), even if you know you plan to give and even if you recognize that circumstances and pledges might change the amount. Without your pledges, it is difficult to reliably create a budget and plan our ministries from year to year. Contact our Finance Secretary, Sarah Leslie, for more information.
- Move your giving to Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) to ensure your regular giving continues, even if you forget. Sarah Leslie will be able to help you with this as well.
- Give online through our secure website giving page (reminder: there is a 3% charge to the church for each transaction. If you are donating regularly we encourage the EFT option).
- You can always give by dropping off your offering in the church mailbox or mailing a check to 8964 N. Magnolia Ave., Santee CA 92071.
Make the Most of Your Giving . . .
Did you know your donations to the Church are tax deductible? Any donation you don't receive direct products or services for can be deducted from your taxes. Whether you're giving toward your pledge, to a specific ministry, or making a general plate contribution make sure to fill out a giving envelope so all your donations appear on your year-end giving statement. Questions? Contact Finance Secretary, Sarah Leslie.
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