Church Blog

We are Stewards of the World

God entrusted our first parents wth the entire creation in the Garden. How did that trust go? Read Genesis 3. But this failure to work and protect the Garden opened up the promise of the Gospel: God would send a Savior, not Just for mankind, but for all of creation! Jesus is that promised Savior. As we have been baptized into Christ, we also have been entrusted with a new perspective on steward-ship of creation. We steward the world in a way that reflects God’s love for it. If Jesus was willing to come to redeem creation, of which we are a part, then we have also been redeemed by Jesus to care for creation in a manner that reflects the love that God has for it. This means that we care for creation not out of fear that if we don’t, we will all die, but out of faith in Jesus Christ. He loved the world enough to die for it. We steward creation in such a way that it points others to Jesus!

God Bless you all!

Thank you for supporting Redeemer by The Sea
Noreen Wenstone
Stewardship Chairperson

Next week’s article: Fourth and Fifth thoughts: We are stewards of Life and Death.



Head Elder – May 2020

The Elders continue to make Care Calls with the help of many volunteers from the congregation. We all are enjoying the moments of sharing the love of RBTS with one another.
The Benevolent Fund stands ready to help any of our members who need the help during these trying times.
Elders have been discussing what will need to happen to Re-Open the church for services when circumstances will allow.
The Elders thank all who have helped with the On-Line worship services. We all agree they have been a blessing.
Respectfully submitted, Joel Rabe


Vice President – May 2020

While my work with the Call Committee has been put on hold for the moment, I am confident we will be ready to roll again as soon as we have a little more clarity around the timelines of Covid-19. In the meantime, I have continued my participation with the executive committee and the full council.
 
As we currently have a vacancy for the Christian Education committee chair, I have been the liaison with regards to Miss Rhonda’s work with the youth for Sunday School and for Vacation Bible School. Sadly, we have accepted that it will simply not be viable to hold our traditional Vacation Bible School we had originally scheduled for the end of June. The current priority is to plan for Covid-19 protocols as applicable to our Sunday School, so we are ready to roll safely when the time comes. Once we are clear on understanding the best way to keep our children and youth workers safe, we can start planning again with the goal of joyful, memorable Christian education events for our little ones and our youth.
 
One of the responsibilities of the Vice-President is to assist with filling vacancies for the Council. While we are not formally in that time frame yet, I am interested in speaking with anyone who has a heart for serving in one of the leadership roles of our church. I can share with you that it is rewarding and achievable. If you even just have questions, please reach out to me as I would love to visit with you.
 
The great thing about leadership is that you can be a leader every day without ever having been elected or appointed to a single thing. Certainly our Lord, Jesus Christ, displayed the greatest leadership ever recorded on this earth simply by being obedient and in intimate relationship with the Father. This is the journey I know we all aspire to, and I encourage each of you as you are leaders in your own lives. With our circumstances so far outside of our comfort zones, this is especially important right now. I pray for all of us as we walk together in the community of the Church.
 
Respectfully submitted,
Kim Glassman


President – May 2020

I’m very happy to report that our leadership teams have made significant steps to mitigate the effects of government mandated social distancing protocols. Our Preschool-Kindergarten suspended in-person classes in late March, but have continued to provide full instruction and activities via online offerings. The PSK board chose to suspend all tuition payments for families since the end of March. With the loss of revenue, the leadership team immediately began preparation and applied for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan as part of the Federal government’s CARES act. In early April we received approval and received approximately $197,200 from this program. Although initially offered as a low percentage rate loan, we anticipate these funds to be converted to a grant as we show evidence that the funds were utilized to maintain our staffing levels during the government mandated shutdown. We forecast being able to maintain a full, paid teaching staff at the PSK through June. Planning is now in work to determine the type of instruction and the staffing level for the upcoming summer sessions. Clearly many variables out of the leadership control will effect the final decisions, but rest assured that Director Lindsey Malloy and PSK board Chairman Dan Bitner will continue to provide outstanding guidance as we continue to navigate the ever changing situation with COVID-19.
 
We are anxiously anticipating a limited return to “normal” operations as government restrictions in San Diego county are reduced. Pastor Augie and the lExecutive Team, working with our Board of Elders have been busy in crafting a return to worship plan, to not only define conditions in which we will “green light” worship services at our sanctuary again, but also what new safety protocols we will implement during the services.
 
Once we are able to return to somewhat normal operations, the leadership team have a strategic set of priorities:
  • Continue the Associate Pastor Call Committee
  • Implement a Goal Alignment Review process
  • Research and implement an enhanced church governance model
In March, our Call was not accepted, and we began to gather additional candidates to review and interview. We have a list of very well qualified candidates to review, but have suspended this activity until the Covid-19 protocols are eased. We will plan to begin regular Call Committee meetings once we open up some of the activities at our church building.
 
The Executive Team began development of an independent review process that will monitor and report on progress towards ministry goals. Our Council Vice President (Kim Glassman) will lead this activity. This will be implemented with the oncoming Associate Pastor to ensure our efforts remain on plan with the expansion of our ministry efforts that the second Pastor will support.
 
Our leadership team have been very effective during this past several months of challenges. However, these challenges are made much more difficult due to an obsolete church governance document. We are currently operating under a church council model that was popular several decades ago, but presents us with inefficiencies and blockers to progress in implementing innovative programs. One symptom of our outdated model is that our Senior Pastor Augie is spending an inordinate amount of his attention and working hours to operational issues, such as facilities updates, staff management, and multi-media production. The goal of our research and recommended governance update will be to assign these operational duties to lay team members, allowing Pastor Augie (and soon our new Associate Pastor) to concentrate most of their effort on worship, teaching, lay leader training, in-home and shut-in ministry care and specific ministry execution.
 
– Daryl Martis, Council President


We are Stewards of People

Second thought: We are stewards of people.

As the Lord entrusts us with all things, we are to use the trusts for the benefit of our neighbor. Earlier in 1 Corinthians, Paul lamented the factionalism in Corinth. But, Paul, Apollos and Cephas were indeed used by God to steward people into the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who created factions viewed the work of these men wrongly. God allowed these men, and you and me, to be stewards of people for the sake of the Gospel. We have been entrusted with wisdom from God, with talents from God, and with time to be present with those around us for Jesus’ sake. The trust we have received from God was never intended to be hoarded by us. This trust is granted so that we might employ these resources for the sake of those around us. It starts in our families. But then this trust radiates out into our congregation. It permeates the way we live out the Gospel in our workplace and neighborhood, our community activities ad relationships. We use what God has entrusted to us in ways that show those around us Jesus.

God Bless you all!

Next week’s article: Third thought: We are stewards of the world.

Thank you for supporting Redeemer by The Sea
Noreen Wenstone
Stewardship Chairperson



All Things are Yours

In Corinthians 3:20-22, the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, uses the word “stewardship,” He is talking about much more than our wallets and purses.

“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.’ So, let one boast in men. For all things are yours – all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s”

First thought: All things are yours.

The danger in these words is that we might see the things we have in life as ours. That is not the case in stewardship. God does not give us ownership of the things we have in life. More accurately, He entrusts us with the things that we need to support our body and life and the body and life of our neighbor. God entrusts us with all we need to steward our life and the lives of those around us so that we might be faithful stewards of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

During this Pandemic, it is a good time for us to watch out for our neighbors. Especially, those who are home alone and can’t get out to get the bare necessities to exist during this time.

God Bless you all!

Next week’s article: Second thought: We are stewards of people.

Thank you for supporting Redeemer by The Sea

Noreen Wenstone
Stewardship Chairperson



Easter Photo Challenge Recap

During Easter Week Redeemer asked the congregation to share photos of their Easter week celebrations and we would donate $5 per photo shared. We had 23 photos shared and will up the donation to $250 to the San Diego Foundation COVID-19 Community Response Fund. Thank you to the members who shared their photos (VIEW HERE).


Stewardship Minute

Whether you worship in-person or online, you can make your offerings via:

1. Online giving (credit card or bank)
2. One time or recurring electronicdeposit from your bank (contact the office)
3. One time or recurring credit card donation (contact the office
4. US Postal Mail (6600 Black Rail Rd, Carlsbad, CA 92011)

Our expenses continue even during the Coronavirus shutdown and restart. We thank you for your faithful and continued generosity.

Please email Rachelle if you have questions about any of our giving options or would like to setup recurring giving.



Solutions for Change Collection

Thank you to everyone who donated items for the Solutions for Change drive! There were lots of Sheets, Pillows, Diapers and Baby Wipes.  Contact Kerry with questions.

 



Prayers

We are a church that believes in praying. Click HERE to send a prayer request to our prayer team. 



Stewardship Minute 2/16/2020

Stewardship

“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The laborer deserves his wages.’” (1Tim. 5:17 -18)

“We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and, are over you in the Lord and admonish you, to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.” (1 Thess. 5:12-13)

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” (Heb. 13:17)

We can see that the Lord commands hearers to support the work of the ministry with the gifts God endowed them – their time, their presence, their prayers, and their possessions. This is the means by which God blesses His people with His gifts: the ministry with the support of those whom they serve, and the hearers with the work of the ministry.

St. Paul expounds upon this further in his letters to the church at Corinth. He instructs them to give regularly (1 Cor. 16:1-2), proportionally (1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 8:12), and generously Cor. 8:20) of our first-fruits (1 Cor. 16:2) with a spirit of eagerness (2 Cor. 9:2), earnestness (2 Cor. 8:7), cheerfulness (2 Cor. 9:7), and love (2 Cor. 8:23).

All of this teaching is set forth squarely within the context of stations to which God calls us. This is always appropriate for the church to speak because it instructs God’s people in how they are to live out their faith as His stewards under those who are created, redeemed, and sanctified by Him.

Thank you for supporting Redeemer by The Sea with your Time and Talent.

Noreen

Stewardship Chairperson



Stewardship Minute 2/2/20

Stewardship

Stewardship shouldn’t be the kind of teaching that comes up only when there is a financial crunch. It should be part and parcel of the ongoing instruction of Christians as they live out their faith in their vocations – members of their family, their society, and their church. This teaching touches upon every facet of our lives; it stakes a claim upon our time, our presence, our prayers, and our possessions.

Stewardship begins with the acknowledgment that we are stewards. A steward is a manager of someone else’s possessions. In Christian stewardship, we recognize, according to the Apostles’ Creed, that God is the owner of all things as the Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifies. And in His fatherly divine goodness and mercy, He gives us what is His to manage here below.

The principal virtue for stewards is faithfulness. As St Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth:

“Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” (Cor 4:2)

Stewards must manage that which belongs to the owner according to the owner’s wishes. That is what it means to be faithful in stewardship.

Mark your calendar for February 9th – Volunteer Appreciation Day. Thank you for supporting Redeemer by The Sea with your Time and Talent.

Noreen
Stewardship Chairperson



Stewardship Minute 1/21/2020

Wallflower
. . . . a person who feels shy, or awkward, or excluded at a party.

Did you ever go to a party where you didn’t know anyone except the person who invited you; but you couldn’t spend the evening with them because they were ‘mingling!’

When you are a wallflower at church, you go to your same seats and don’t talk to anyone other than those directly around you. After service, you might say ‘Hello’ to a few friends and then dash to your cars. What happened to ‘mingling’ getting to know your fellow members?

Wouldn’t you like to come out of your shell and join the ‘party?’ You may have things in common with other members of the congregation.

A good way to meet members is to ‘serve Christ’ as a volunteer for Redeemer By the Sea. Once you join a team, you are no longer a ‘Wallflower’, you are a participant in your journey with Christ.

As a member of various teams, and once a ‘wallflower’, I found I made many friends who call me by name.
It’s a good feeling! This is something a family can do together.

Mark your calendar for February 9th –Volunteer Appreciation Day. We will have tables set up outside the church for you to meet the leaders of the various groups. Please stop by and get some information on the groups that might interest you.

Thank you for supporting Redeemer by The Sea with your Time and Talent.
Noreen
Stewardship Chairperson



Stewardship Minute 1/13/2020

Time and Talent
 
Every week I have been writing about the importance of serving Christ. The need is great.  You get a wonderful feeling when you know that you are serving to help Christ’s family.
 
Serving is not just for adults!  It’s a family affair.  Just look at it this way.  You come to church on Sunday and mom and the children can be greeters and dad could be an usher, or mom can be an usher (yes, women can be ushers) and dad a greeter.  The point is, the whole family can serve in one day.
 
Someone in the family can also be a reader, prepare communion, arrange flowers or be an acolyte. It’s good to show the children how to serve Christ as a family.
 
There are also other ways.  We have people In our congregation who can’t attend church but would love to have people visit them.  Church is their family, and when they can’t come they don’t get to visit with their family. They get very lonely.  We need people to help in this area.  Ralph and I visit members and we enjoy meeting with them.  Companionship is very important to one’s emotional, physical and spiritual health.
 
I give thanks to my God always for you . . . Because of the Grace of God that was Given you in Christ Jesus.  1 Cor. 4-5
 
Mark your calendar for February 9th – Volunteer Appreciation Day and Volunteer Fair.   We will have tables set up outside the church for you to meet the leaders of the various groups. Please stop by and get some information on the groups that might interest you. 
 
Thank you for supporting Redeemer by The Sea with your Time and Talent.

Noreen
Stewardship Chairperson



Stewardship Minute 1/9/2020

Epiphany

From Sunday’s Bulletin written by Pastor Augie:             

     “Have you ever felt like some-thing’s missing? Are you longing for a

     clearer sense of purpose in your life?  You were created for significance…”

     Are you using your gifts (Time and Talent) to their full potential?”

Have you had an epiphany – your ah-ha Moment?  When you realized that being a ‘servant’ of Christ gives you peace and the feeling of being needed.  How you grow in your faith and you become an active member of our Redeemer By the Sea family.
 
I was asked to read the Psalms on Sunday because they had nobody to read! We need Readers!  I was nervous to do this but, I was asked, and I knew I would be serving Christ.  We need to put our  fears aside.  Our fears are self-imposed! We think we can’t do something so, we don’t do it.  When forced, we realize, oh, that wasn’t so bad! 
 
Of course, I’m not going to force anyone, but would you please think about offering your ‘Time and Talent” and “serve” at Redeemer by the Sea.

We need people in many areas.

Mark your calendar for February 9th – Volunteer Appreciation Day. We will have tables set up outside the church for you to meet the leaders of the various groups.  Please stop by and get some information on the groups that might interest you. 

Thank you for supporting Redeemer by The Sea with your Time and Talent.

Noreen
Stewardship Chairperson


Stewardship Minute 12/31/2019

Happy New Year!

Have you made your New Year’s Resolutions?

We all make them:

  1. I am going to eat healthier
  2. I am going to exercise more

Do you ever make a resolution that you are going to serve Christ? Why not make 2020 the year you serve!

There are many groups that you can join.  Please check www.redeemerbythesea.org website and see all the groups that are available.  You can serve as little or as much as you want.  Your help is needed.  Once you join, you will see how many friends you have made.  Redeemer by the Sea is your church family and your family needs your Time and Talent.

Mark your calendar for February 9th – Volunteer Appreciation Day. We will have tables set up outside the church for you to meet the leaders of the various groups.  Please stop by and get some information on the groups that might interest you.

Thank you for supporting Redeemer by The Sea with your Time and Talent. 

Stewardship Team



Stewardship Minute 12/23/19

NUCLEAR FAMILY OR CHURCH FAMILY
What is a family? A group of people united by the ties of marriage, blood, or adoption, constituting a single household and interacting with each other in their respective social positions, usually those of spouses, parent, children and siblings.
 
Family means having someone to love you unconditionally (Christ) in spite of you and your short comings. Family is loving and supporting one another even when it’s not easy to do so. What does family mean to you? Respect and appreciation of others. Family extends to community, sisterhood and brotherhood. Family is your foundation. Includes all the people in our lives who commit to love and support us unconditionally.
 
Who’s your Family?
Some people argue we should see our church as our “first family.” Jesus certainly refocused membership in God’s family: Now anyone can join the family not by bloodline, but by faith in him through the spread of the gospel. Accordingly, belonging to the “household of God” means more than just spending quality time together. It means people of all generations working shoulder to shoulder in the family business: sharing the love of Jesus in both word and deed.
 
Church Family
In most cases, the church won’t replace our family. Instead we must let the gospel reorient our family relationships – and in turn, these new priorities will strengthen the church.
You’re part of the whole family of God. “The one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family” (Heb 2:11) This is no dysfunctional family, with family members estranged from one another. It’s a fellowship. When God “called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor 1:9), he also called you into ‘fellowship” with the whole family (1 Cor 5:2). As Paul said to the Corinthians, “The eye cannot say to the hand ‘I don’t need you! And the head cannot say to the feet, I don’t need you.” (1 Cor, 12:21)
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.
 
Theologian Alastair Roberts describes family this way:
The language of “family” for church very much depends on the church  being made up of natural families. What gives the church Its backbone of community is often the families that are opened up to the kingdom of God. That’s what gives the church so much of its capacity to function as an extended family.
 
Family helps family. If your “blood family” calls and says: “I need your help,” you run to their side. No questions! You are there for them. Your church family is reaching out and calling for your help.
 
Review the redeemerbythesea.org website and see all the groups that you can join. Be a part of the family. Don’t be on the outside looking in!
 


Stewardship Minute 11/10/19

We are embarking on a new Campaign, Time and Talent.
 
For most people the word volunteer implies that serving is optional: As people created, equipped, and called by our Lord to serve, we can’t opt out of the work He has given us. (Ephesians 2:10) the Bible doesn’t use the word “volunteer”, instead God’s word calls us “servants”.
 
Every congregation needs the Vital Few. Pareto, an Italian economist observed that a minority of people (about 20%) have the majority (80%) of influence and control.
 
As the body of Christ in a given context, each congregation is a body made up of many members which, though different in function, are of equal importance to the body. (1 Cor. 12:12-27)
 
Instead of trying to get more people to become part of the vital few, I encourage you to be one of the “helpful many.” The helpful many can make smaller yet significant contributions to the congregation’s work as members of the body of Christ.
 
The Gospel, not the Law (guilt) motivates us to do good work. Trust the Holy Spirit to use the Gospel to move you to do the work that He is calling our congregation to do. Stewardship Steering Team


Stewardship Minute 11/3/19

Thank you all for your generosity with our ‘Grow In to Our Future’ campaign. It was very successful. You showed how you believe in our church and want to make it a wonderful place to worship.
 
We are embarking on a new non-financial campaign. This campaign is For your Time and Talent.
 
Through your Baptism and God’s Gospel, you are asked to participate in the growth of God’s church. When God asks you to tithe 10% of your Firstfruits, he also asks that you give 10% of your time. He wants your whole self to contribute to the church. God gives us: time, talents and treasures.
 
There are many positions within the church that need to be filled and, many groups that need assistance. You can go to the Redeemerbythesea.org website and see the list of service groups and growth groups available.
 
The church runs on servants (volunteers). We are all servants of God. We need your help. There is an old expression, “Many hands make light work.”
 
You can sign up to be an Usher, a Greeter, a member of the Alter Group and prepare communion, you can arrange Alter Flowers or help the group that serves coffee and cake. Since you are at church on Sunday, why not help these groups. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Many friends are made when you join a group. Stewardship Steering Team


Stewardship Minute 10/27/19

Whole-Life Stewardship
 
Another way to approach the concept of whole-life stewardship is to pick up the thread of Baptism and vocation that run together through the Scriptures.
 
The first principle was formulated in these words:
 
God’s stewards are stewards by virtue of their creation and their recreation in Holy Baptism. Therefore, they belong To the Lord.
 
This statement was attempting to build the giftedness of each individual at birth and the dynamic that the Holy Spirit adds at Baptism. The Creator entrusts gifts so that the people of God are able to accomplish His purposes. Paul’s language in Romans 12 about giving our bodies as a living sacrifice, or response to God, connects everyday life to worship and service. This is what we are called to be and do. As such, it encompasses all of life. It knows no limitation to only certain aspects of daily living.
 
Stewardship is but a synonym for the life of a Christian who is living rightly with all of his relationships: before God as well as before his fellow creatures. Stewardship is the Christian life and Christian life is stewardship.
 
In Our Calling, a classic essay on the relationship of the Christian faith and Christian living. Einar Billing writes:
 
My call is the form my life takes according as God Himself organizes for me through His forgiving grace. Life organized around the forgiveness of sins, that is Luther’s idea of the call (vocation).
 
Our calling is the sum of all those tasks that God daily gives us along with the forgiveness of sins until the end of life.
 
So often we equate vocation as employment, a job . . . This language has a way of undermining our common baptismal vocation to be the people of God.