We hope to see you there to celebrate the birth and miracle of Jesus!
We hope to see you there to celebrate the birth and miracle of Jesus!
We hope to see you there to celebrate the birth and miracle of Jesus!
Greetings from your senior pastor. I wanted to give you a brief update on a few things happening here at the church.
In the meantime, there are some big-time prayer requests in the bulletin. I hope you will take the time to read those each week and set aside time to pray for the named needs within our congregation. God willing, I will be back in the pulpit on Sunday. Thanks for reading all of this. I just felt like, as family, we need to be real with one another.
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13
Peace,
Elder Updates from June 8, 2021 Meeting
Grace and peace from our monthly Session meeting. The session is the name of the gathering of our current elder board. It’s the meeting once a month where the leadership of the church discerns the direction and vision for the church. Over the past 14 months, the elders have spent quite a bit of time and energy navigating the uncertainties connected with the pandemic. I am proud of the work we have done to try and figure out what is best for the congregation in unchartered waters.
Now, as the effects of the pandemic play a significantly smaller role in the day-to-day workings of the church, I am excited to move towards a time where we can spend a greater percentage of our time and energy talking about the ways in which God is calling MPC to be salt and light in the community of Moorpark. Never has there been a greater need for the hope and power of the resurrection of Jesus for a world filled with anxiety, stress and grief.
To that end, we have taken some time to move some of the roles of our elders around. Here are the ways our new class of elders will be serving.
Adult Discipleship – Vera Rhimes
Children’s and Youth Discipleship – Sara Judd
Facilities – Scott Campbell
Communications – Roy Smith
Personnel – Marty Rouse
Finance – Jim Petersen
Digital Worship – Chris Birkelo
Congregational Worship Engagement – Michael Hughes
Stewardship – Mark Van Dam
Missions – Debbie Lee
Women’s Ministry – Amy Krueger
Fellowship – Jan Jue
I am excited to see where God leads us in the coming months. Many thanks to our elders who are rotating off the elder board – Kim Yancey (Children’s Discipleship) and Janet Fredrickson (Adult Discipleship). Their commitment and vigorous work ethic have been a blessing during this last season of the session. I am excited to see where God will lead them to serve next in the church. Pray for Jan Jue and Sara Judd as they transition onto the session and learn about the many ways their gifts will be used for the Kingdom.
And as the summer begins, and we are back in the sanctuary, I hope you’ll come join us for in-person worship at 9:00am. It is so good to be back together and be the church. If you find yourself travelling this summer, I hope you’ll keep up with all the happenings of the church by joining us on Sundays through our livestreamed service.
Finally, with the world getting back to a sense of “normal,” we also wanted to let you know that our church office will be opening back up on Monday, June 14 with new hours of operation. The office will be open Monday through Thursday with hours open from 9:00am – 1:00pm. Our staff will continue to work the same hours as they always have, but our time with the doors “open” has been slightly adjusted. If for some reason you are unable to conduct your church business during those hours, please feel free to reach out and schedule an appointment as we want to meet the needs of the congregation.
Blessings as you travel and adjust to all the new “normals.”
All God’s Best,
Keenan Barber, Senior Pastor, (805) 529-8422 x101
How Fast Are You Going?
One of the things that happened during the pandemic was that everything slowed down. And in this slowed down state I became hyper-aware of the fact that the world moves really fast. And as more people get vaccinated and the world inches just a little bit closer to being back to normal, I am realizing that everything is starting to speed up. And I’m not sure I am ready for that.
Kids sports are back in full effect. More people are commuting to work and so the freeways are getting busier. In an attempt to get caught up – back to normal – we are having to do lots of things to make that happen. People haven’t been on vacation in a while, so they are quickly booking all of those adventures they’ve been missing for the last year.
About the only thing that is sold by convincing people that it is slow are slow cooked meats. When meat is cooked slowly it captures more flavor and holds in more flavor. When it’s cooked really quickly it doesn’t hold in the flavor in the same way and doesn’t have the same end user experience. Almost every other part of life emphasizes things going fast. Fast Food. Overnight shipping. Fast lane on the freeway. Fast line at the grocery store. Fast. Fast. Fast.
Some people look at the ministry of Jesus and think he could have done ministry more efficiently. The stories that are told are many times about him and one or two other people. And their experience of the savior of the world is so impactful that they typically walk away changed and transformed after they’ve had their interaction with Jesus. It doesn’t seem like Jesus has placed a high value on doing things fast or efficiently. Rather, he places value on impactful and intimate interactions with those he comes in touch with. Shouldn’t we mirror the same values?
How fast are you going right now? Is part of the rhythm of your life such that there are periods of time when you slow down intentionally? What happens when you slow down? What happens when you don’t slow down? Even in the rhythm of creation there is this 7th day where even God himself rested. That seems to be a pretty direct correlation to our lives in that we should be intentional about taking time to slow down and be unproductive so that the savior of the world can replenish us, rejuvenate us, recreate us, and resurrect the parts of us that need to be resurrected.
Slow down. That’s what the sign says. That’s what the savior says. What are you gonna do? Wait until you crash and realize that the sign was there for your benefit? Slow Down.
Keenan Barber, Senior Pastor, (805) 529-8422 x101
We have 3 areas of Community Engagement to highlight this week:
2. CPC Diaper Drive results and thank you to MPC. Click HERE to learn more about CPC.
3. Girl Scout Troop 60821 presented their Silver Project to MPC. The large cross was made of tiles decorated by MPC children, youth, and staff.
Elder Updates from April 13, 2021 Meeting
As I wrote about a month ago, I will try and keep you the congregation informed about where the elders of church are leading in.
COVID-19 updates
The elders have spent time praying and discerning the many ways the pandemic effects the life of the church. As the color of the county has moved from the alarming rates of infection in Winter to where we are now – there are changes in the way we shape our Sunday morning worship experience. We continue to meet in person. Up until now, we have had a maximum number of people in the sanctuary set as around 100 people (25% of the full capacity of 100). As of now, the color of our county has changed to Orange and as such, we are able to accommodate 200 worshippers (50% capacity). We are still in a place where we are discouraging singing when are meeting indoors, but are hopeful that will shift soon as well.
Programs Moving Forward
Many of the programs that we hosted pre-pandemic are slowly making their way back on to our campus. We are hopeful to bring our Sunday School program back on to campus beginning in June. VBS will look a little bit different this summer with MPC hosting 7 Tuesdays rather than the traditional week-long VBS experience. And keep an eye out for some fun all-church gatherings happening about once a month this summer.
Congregational Meeting: Sunday, May 16 in-person and livestream
We will making a few changes to our by-laws as well as voting on new elders and deacons. The Nominating Committee has done a great job to identify four elders and deacons to serve starting on July 1, 2021. I hope you can join us for our Meeting so that you can be the first to pray for our incoming church officers.
One Last Thing
Did I mention that we are meeting in person – in the sanctuary – on Sunday mornings?!? I am hopeful that we will begin to see many of you return to in-person worship real soon so that we can begin to reconnect with each other and connect with Jesus all in the same physical space together. Worried that there will be too many people? Thus far, the most number of people we have had present is about 75 which means there is plenty of room to come and have plenty of distance between you and the people around you. Time for the church to gather. Look forward to seeing you there soon.
Keenan Barber, Senior Pastor, (805) 529-8422 x101
In Numbers 13, the spies go and check out the promised land. They report back that the land is flowing with milk and honey. They even bring back delicious fruit they discovered.
But, there were also obstacles to overcome – namely – There were giants in the land.
Before we enter the promised land, we have to grapple with the giants that are in front of us. Anger. Fear. Worry. Insecurities. Addictions. Comfort.
Join us (starting this Sunday, April 18) as we explore what it means for followers of Christ to face our Giants – the giants that keep us from experiencing all that God wants us to experience.
Click HERE to pre-register for the 9:00am indoor worship service.
If worshiping from home, click HERE on Sunday for the livestream.
Keenan Barber, Senior Pastor, 805-529-8422, x101
I think this sign is a great representation of the last year. If someone would have come to me a year and a half ago and told me all that was going to take place in 2020 and 2021 I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have believed them. At times it has been completely bonkers – upside down – tumultuous – like I’m living my life out of a washing machine.
The crazy part is that The Church in its long history – especially with the adaptation of seasons like Lent – really sought to get people to feel the way this sign feels. As you gave things up for Lent, as you sought to live out the reality of the crucifixion, as you attempted to align your life with that of this Jesus – in some ways you felt exactly as this sign indicates.
Jesus invites us to live out the upside-down life. Jesus invites us to walk a different walk than the people of this world are walking. Jesus invites us to take the road less traveled. Jesus invites us to walk the narrow path through the narrow gate. He invites us to live out the adventurous life of one who follows after the Shepherd who knows his name.
And as we follow – as we love people unconditionally – and as we forgive people who don’t deserve to be forgiven – and as we go through the painful times of our lives – and as we continue to live out a life of a long obedience of faith in the same direction, even in the upside down times, Jesus accompanies us. Jesus accompanies you. Jesus accompanies me. So even when it feels like I’m the guy on the sign, I can take solace in knowing that Jesus is right there with- me.
–Pastor Keenan Barber, 805-529-8422 x101
The State of the Church – A peak into our weekly Elder Meetings…
I wanted to spend a minute or two to give you an update about some of the things that are happening in the life of the church. As many of you know, we are a Presbyterian Church. Our church is led by a group of people who are the spiritual leaders of the church – elders. These elders are collectively called the Session. Our session at MPC meets regularly once a month on the second Tuesday of the month and when there are urgent time-sensitive issues to address. When we gather, we discern the vision of the church, pray for people who are in need of prayer, evaluate programs, steward the finances, discuss service opportunities, and share all things related to the leading a healthy church.
Over the last year, we have spent quite a bit of time together discerning how to lead through the ever-changing environment from the COVID-19 pandemic. When the expectations for church’s change or when the guidelines from the county or state are updated, we have attempted to let you know what that means for MPC and how our approach to the current environment shifts or adjusts.
These shifts in guidelines from the state and county have allowed for us to meet these last few weeks in the sanctuary each Sunday while still holding to some essential safety protocols – masks, social distancing, and 25% of the capacity of the room. It has also has led to rethinking the way in which we take communion, the manner in which we take the offering and any number of other small practices that have had to change to accommodate a more safe environment.
In last night’s meeting, we shared how elders were experiencing the Lenten season, creative and new approaches to the finances of the church, Easter service times (9:00am in the sanctuary and 11:00 outside), as well as prayed together for the Church. Additionally, we specifically addressed one part of our worship that has not returned to normal quite yet – singing.
Based on the recommendations from the CDC as well as the WHO, the practice of singing is not viewed as a safe practice… at this time. As such, after much discussion, prayer and discernment, the session voted to continue the practice of not singing in corporate worship – inside or outside. This is not a permanent decision as the guidelines and recommendations are being updated and changed all the time. As we are given new information that warrants further discussion as to singing in our church, we will not hesitate to have a specially-called session meeting to reconsider our position.
Our strong desire is to continue to lead the church in a way that keeps our congregation safe as well as attempting to allow for people to worship. If you have any questions about things that are happening in the life of the church, please feel free to reach out and discuss with me or with any of the 12 elders currently serving on session.
Peace.
13950 Peach Hill Road
Moorpark, CA 93021
805-529-8422
© 2020 Moorpark Presbyterian Church.