Blog (Page 4)

Dear FPCSA Family & Friends,How are you all holding up?  Hopefully you are surviving the stay at home orders.  If you are struggling to put food on the table, please let me know.  Simply reply to this email.We’ve mentioned on several occasions that we are in uncharted waters, living in unprecedented times.  This is highlighted this week by the fact that we have a seminary intern from Princeton starting on Monday, May 18th.  Let me introduce you to Carlos Acosta……

Dear FPCSA family & friends, This Sunday is. . . . . MOTHER’S DAY!For the past few years, we have taken time in the worship service to invite people to speak about their moms, give tribute, or share memories.  This Sunday will be a little different.  But here is the solution.  Write a tribute to your mom, copy it, and when the service starts, paste it into the comments.  I will read it during our worship time together.  If you have…

Dear FPCSA Family & Friends,Two things I ask of you this Sunday, May 3rd.  First, it’s a family first Sunday, so before you join the live-stream service on the FPCSantaAna Facebook page, be sure to have Bread & Cup ready; we will be celebrating the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper together.  Second, if you have a Birthday or Anniversary in the month of May, please let us know in the comments section of the live-stream, so we can celebrate you!As many churches are doing in our…

Dear FPCSA Family & Friends,Yesterday I received my USA stimulus financial payment.  This morning I sent the full amount to FPCSA.I’m not telling you this so you’ll think I’m some great philanthropist.  Quite the contrary.  Because I am still employed, I do not feel comfortable profiting from the economic crisis in which we find ourselves.  Churches across the country are feeling the domino effect of this crisis.  Since most church budgets are based on the faithful giving of members and friends,…

Dear FPCSA Family & Friends, We started a month ago into uncharted waters.  And now we are in Holy Week in uncharted waters.  I was scheduled to be in Moloka’i this week.  That trip was initially postponed and now has been cancelled.  Sofia had planned to fly from Colombia to here on Monday, April 4th.  That trip has been postponed indefinitely.  Life has certainly changed! And if someone had told me a month ago we would be doing a Zoom Maundy Thursday service, I would…

Dear FPCSA Family & Friends, The vision of our church family is to see people connect with Jesus Christ and with one another.  That vision is being put to the test in our current situation.  Suddenly connecting with each other is much different.  It’s not necessarily harder or easier.  It’s just different.  Please, if you are feeling disconnected at all, please contact me by replying to this email or texting me: 714) 788-1920. Your church staff is doing the best they can…

Dear FPCSA Family & Friends, What’s the old saying?  “I have some good news and I have some bad news.”  While that is often times the beginning of a joke, today it is a little more serious. Let me begin with the good news.  Our dear sister and friend, Norma Galeana, has finally received her residency. Norma Galeana She is now here in the United States as a legal resident.  As most of you know, Norma fell into the DACA generation,…

Dear FPCSA Family & Friends, I hope and pray this finds you all well.  We’re all hunkering down in our separate homes.  It all seems very much like a Twilight Zone episode.  But the phrase from The Heidelberg Catechism continually comes to my mind: “In life and in death, we belong to God.”  We belong to God.  We belong.  Jesus said, “I know My own, and My own know Me.” (John 10:14)  He will not leave us or foresake us.  He…

Dear Church Family, After much prayer and listening, we’ve decided to suspend in person church gatherings until April 1st, 2020.  While we recognize the value and importance of gathering together as a church family, we want to be wise.  The World Health Organization has called the Corona Virus Disease a Global Pandemic.  The President of the United States has declared a National Emergency.  The Governor of California has issued a State of Emergency.  The CDC warns that if left unchecked, Corona Virus cases double…

Dear FPCSA Family & Friends, We’re in an interesting time.  Seems like the news is dominated by the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).  I turned the news on Tuesday night to hear the election results in other states, and all they were talking about was COVID-19. At First Presbyterian Church, we take the health and safety of our church family very seriously.  Because we are a smaller church, we will continue to meet on Sundays.  We’ll have regular worship this coming Sunday,…

We are now in the season of Lent.  Did you give something up or commit yourself to doing something specific during this season?  If so, would you be willing to share with me what is is?  Simply reply to this email. I’ve received some great feedback from my keynote address at Presbytery this past Saturday.  If you are interested to hear it, follow the link: https://losranchos.org/gathering-keynote-speaker/

Dear FPCSA Family & Friends, Last autumn I received a phone call inviting me to be the keynote speaker at a gathering of the Presbytery of Los Ranchos.  I laughed and then I said, “Wait. What??”  It is a great honor to be invited to speak to a Presbytery gathering.  In fact, in my recollection, I can’t remember a time when a pastor of the Presbytery spoke.  It’s usuallyreserved for seminary professors, published authors, theologians, or well-known speakers like Father Greg…