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Volume 28 • Number 9 October 2014
A s you can see by the cover of
this month’s Newsletter, the
month of October will be for
all of us at St. David’s,
Stewardship Month. This is the month in
which all of us prepare to make our
financial commitment in support of the
ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ
through St. David’s for the following
year, 2015. During this month I and oth-
ers will teach our congregation about the
Christian responsibility of Stewardship
and call all our members, those who
worship with us regularly, and many
other friends outside St. David’s, to help
us support the ministry the Lord has
entrusted to us. We, you and I, are the
stewards of God’s ministry on earth until
Jesus Christ returns. We are the stew-
ards of the Gospel until everyone on
earth has heard it and the responsibility
for Jesus’ Church and the effectiveness
of its ministry has been placed in our
hands and on our shoulders.
During the month of October we will all
receive an individualized Pledge Card.
We will be asked to prayerfully fill it out
making a financial commitment for the
year 2015 and bringing it to church with
you on Sunday, October 26, when we
will all celebrate this year’s Covenant
Sunday. The cards will be brought by
you to the altar and placed there as an
act of Worship to God, our Treasurer will
collect them and it is from your commit-
ment that we will create the ministry
Budget for 2015.
However, as St. Paul tells the Corinthi-
ans in his Second Letter 9:7, the attitude
of giving is as important or perhaps
more important than the actual amount
given. The actual amount given blesses
the local church and this is very im-
portant but the heart and the attitude of
the giver is of great importance to God
Himself. St. Paul had been involved in a
collection of money from all of the
churches in the west to aid the famine
stricken church in Jerusalem. He tells
them, “But this I say: He who sows spar-
ingly will also reap sparingly, and he
who sows bountifully will also reap
bountifully. So let each one give as he
purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or
of necessity; for God loves a cheerful
giver.”
So let us all prepare to Worship our Lord
and God who has not given to us spar-
ingly but rather abundantly by giving to
His ministry with a cheerful and grateful
heart.
by The Rev. Jose Poch
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Volume 28 • Number 9 October 2014
T his month, our SAGES will NOT meet. Instead, we will
gather at the Church Stay Picnic on October 19 for Bin-
go!! Come and have fun. For all our active SAGES, we
are asking if you would bring a small gift prize for Bin-
go—no more than a $5 item! Make it fun, make it fabulous and
come and join in after our Service on the lawn!
What are SAGES about? SAGES are all about:
Spiritual Enrichment—What is God telling us or asking of
us as SAGES?
Learning Opportunities—Special websites for new
Knowledge; Field Trips
Socialization—Get to know your fellow SAGES!
Service Opportunities—Where can we bring Christ to oth-
ers.
Providing SAGES Needed Services—from prayer to help-
ing each other when they need us.
Are you a SAGE yet? If not, don’t worry, your time will come! All are invited to join in, anyone reaching 60 is already a mem-
ber! We know who YOU are! We are a growing ministry at St. David’s, now numbering 22 brothers and sisters. Our next meet-
ing is Sunday, November 9 when our guest expert Laurie Leney will be talking and answering your questions on Medicare
Advantage while enrollment is going on!
For more information on how to join the SAGES for all of the above, see Spencer Johnson or email at spenjohn@yahoo.com
Happy First Month of FALL from the SAGES!
by Spencer Johnson
From Fr. Jose on Finances
L ast month I felt the emergency
and the necessity to write to all
of our members, worshippers at
St. David’s, and friends outside of St.
David’s about a financial situation we
were experiencing which threatened
our ministry. I rejoice in the Lord
greatly that you have all responded
in such an amazing fashion that the
threat has indeed been averted.
Our actual Pledge deficit at the end
of September is now $4,290. This is
a great improvement from the
$32,791 at the end of August. We
were able to return to savings all of
the moneys we had been forced to
withdraw.
With all of my heart I want to thank
all of you who came to our rescue
and brought their Pledges current. I
also want to thank all of you who
have always kept your Pledge current
throughout the year as well as those
who gave a little extra. I also know
that those of our St. David’s family
who have recently lost their jobs will
once again find employment and will
return to faithful giving that the work
of the Lord continue uninterrupted.
To those who have not yet brought
their Pledges current I would ask
that you join the rest of us and try
your very best. As St. Paul says when
he writes to the Corinthians: “And in
this I give advice: It is to your ad-
vantage not only to be doing what
you began and were desiring to do a
year ago; but now you also must
complete the doing of it; that as there
was a readiness to desire it, so there
also may be a completion out of what
you have.” (2 Cor 8:10-12).
Thank you so much everyone!
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Volume 28 • Number 9 October 2014
M ark Your Calendars! On Sunday,
October 26 at 10:30 a.m. (only one ser-
vice this day) we will be celebrating our
Covenant Sunday. It has been a couple of years since
we last celebrated this annual event at St. David’s. On
Covenant Sunday we recommit ourselves to the Lord as
individuals and as a church. We demonstrate that re-
commitment by making a financial pledge in support of
the Lord’s ministry among us for the following year and
we take our annual family picture as a memorial of all
those who have supported our ministry.
Please make plans to be with us on October 26. May
the Lord bless us all as His Church!
M ARK YOUR CALENDARS! Sunday,
October 19 after Church Services, instead
of going to a park for our annual church
picnic, we are going to have our picnic on
church grounds.
We are planning a great celebration with a chili cook-off and
lots of games for all ages, including a bounce house, piñata,
freeze dance, water balloon, egg run, bingo and charades. We
also ask everyone who purchased a St. David’s t-shirt to wear
it to the picnic – we want to take a group picture that day. To
help us in our preparations, if you’ll be participating in the
chili cook-off or bringing a side dish, please be sure to sign-
up on Sunday.
Plan on joining us for this Family Party. Invite others! Come
and celebrate!
A s we continue our teachings on the Person
and Works of the Holy Spirit each first and
third Sunday of the month after services
(1:00 – 2:30 p.m.), we are excited by what we
have all been learning. We seek to equip all our mem-
bers in the knowledge and works of the Spirit of the Liv-
ing God.
During the month of October our focus will be as fol-
lows:
October 5
“Physical Healing”
October 26
“Inner Healing”
All are welcome to attend.
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Volume 28 • Number 9 October 2014
I t is with great pleasure and excitement that we
welcome among us Chris Garcia-Morett as
our new leading Worship Leader. Chris was
hired effective September 16 and his first Sunday as
our Worship Leader was on September 21. Please
take time to get to know Chris and welcome him
among us. Also be patient with Chris as he learns
our ways of doing things.
It is also a great blessing for us to announce that our
ever-faithful sister Cindy Drennan will continue
to serve at St. David’s as the Assistant Worship
Leader. She will be joining Chris twice a month.
Please rejoice with us over Chris and Cindy!
October 2014 Saturday, Oct. 4 – Lay Leaders Class
Sunday, Oct. 5 – “Come With Your Fire”
Saturday, Oct. 11 – Women of Light
Saturday, Oct. 18 – Men’s Breakfast
Sunday, Oct. 19 – Parish “Stay” Picnic
Friday, Oct. 24 & Sat., October 25 –
Marriage Seminar
Sunday, Oct. 26 – Covenant Sunday;
“Come With Your Fire”
November 2014
Saturday, Nov. 1 – Lay Leaders Class;
Baptism Class
Sunday, Nov. 2 – “Come With Your
Fire”; Holy Baptism
Sunday, Nov. 9 – SAGES Meeting
Saturday, Nov. 15 – Men’s Breakfast;
Women of Light
Sunday, Nov. 16 – “Come With Your
Fire”
Thursday, Nov. 27 – Thanksgiving Ser-
vice
December 2014
Saturday, Dec. 6 – Lay Leaders Class;
Marriage Ministry Event
Sunday, Dec. 7 – “Come With Your Fire”
Sunday, Dec. 14 – SAGES Meeting;
St. David’s Cursillo Ultreya
Saturday, Dec. 20 – Men’s Breakfast;
Women of Light
Sunday, Dec. 21 – “Come With Your
Fire”
Wednesday, Dec. 24 – Christmas Eve
Service
O n Sunday,
November
2 at the
10:30 a.m. service
we will be celebrating
the Sacrament of Ho-
ly Baptism. There will
be a baptism class on
Saturday, Novem-
ber 1 from 9:00
a.m. to Noon. The
class will be held at
our offices in Sher-
man Oaks located at
15335 Morrison St.,
Suite 202. Parents and Godparents of small children and any adults wanting to be
baptized are asked to attend this essential meeting.
Baptism is “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace,” an act
of obedience, a public statement of faith. At St. David’s the sacrament is offered to
anyone interested in making this commitment to the Lord. Parents and godpar-
ents make this pledge for small children.
If you or someone you know wants to be baptized, please speak to Fr. Jose by call-
ing the church office at 818.789.8633.
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Volume 28 • Number 9 October 2014
by The Rev. Jose Poch
A t the end of this month of October, on October 31, to be pre-cise, our streets will
be filled with children knocking on doors asking for treats or offering tricks. Some of us do not appreci-ate the door knocking and would prefer to be left alone to our favor-ite television shows. We may even go to the extent of turning all the lights of our houses off to appear that we are not home. On the other hand, those of us with children or grandchildren may be pressured into Halloween celebrations, pic-ture taking and even accompany-ing them from door to door. The Church has always had difficulty with this secular celebration. Some churches see it as completely evil while others may see it as an op-portunity to share the Gospel with children and may conduct parties or so called Trunk or Treat cele-brations at church. The attempt of course is twofold, to share the Gospel and to keep the children safe. Here is some information about Halloween that may be useful for all parents to consider (from the website http://www.allaboutgod.com/history-of-halloween-christian-perspective-faq.htm):
What is the History of Halloween: A Christian Perspective
When we consider the history of Halloween, it may seem as if the modern holiday has gotten out of hand. After all, doesn’t Halloween glorify evil? Is it right to send our children out as devils and vampires? Should we emphasize the saints, whose nearly forgotten feast day is the reason for Halloween? Hal-low is the same word for “holy” that we find in the Lord’s Prayer, and e’en is a contraction of “evening.” The word Hal-loween itself is a shortened form of “All Hallows Eve,” the day before All Saints’ Day (November 1). This holiday, properly understood and celebrated with all of its fun trappings, can be a way for us to deepen our understanding of faith.
Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic tribes of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany. On October 31, the tribes would celebrate the festival of Samhain. During this festival, Celts believed the souls of the dead -- including ghosts, gob-lins, and witches -- returned to mingle with the living. In or-der to scare away the evil spirits, people would wear masks and light bonfires.
When the Romans conquered the Celts, they added their own touches to the Samhain festival, such as making centerpieces out of apples and nuts for Pomona, the Roman goddess of the orchards. The Romans also bobbed for apples and drank cider -- traditions which may sound familiar to you. But where does the Christian aspect of the holiday come into play? In 835, Pope Gregory IV moved the celebration for all the martyrs (later all saints) from May 13 to November 1. The night before became known as All Hallow’s Even or “holy evening.” Even-tually the name was shortened to the current Halloween.
The purpose of these feasts is to remember those who have died, whether they are officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as saints or not. It is a celebration of the “communion of saints,” which reminds us that the church is not bound by space or time.
History of Halloween – The Customs
Many of the customs we now associate with Halloween are also derived from ancient celebrations. For example, the cur-rent custom of going door-to-door to collect treats actually started in Ireland hundreds of years ago. Groups of farmers would go door-to-door collecting food and materials for a vil-lage feast and bonfire. Those who gave were promised pros-perity; those who did not received threats of bad luck. When an influx of Irish Catholic immigrants came to the United States in the 1800s, the custom of trick-or-treating came with them.
by The Rev. Jose Poch
Please see Halloween on page 7
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Volume 28 • Number 9 October 2014
by Luisa S. Johnson
O ur Youth ministry has been very ably lead for
several years by Esther Dharmaraj and we re-
joice with the ministry that she has had among
us and the blessings that she and Brainerd
brought to our youth. With Esther now focusing her atten-
tion on other areas of her life, we are in need of seeking a
new Youth Leader to continue serving, equipping and
growing our youth as well as those about to join the group.
This is a volunteer position at this time and we are seeking
someone committed to the ministry of Jesus Christ among
our youth, a member of St. David’s with a youthful disposi-
tion and the ability to teach and equip, someone committed
to this ministry and someone who can relate to young peo-
ple.
If this is a ministry to which you feel called, please speak to
Fr. Jose at your earliest convenience, we want to get started
with this new season of ministry to and with our youth as
soon as possible.
Does your family carve a pumpkin to place on your porch for Halloween? If so, then you can once again thank the Irish for the tradition. Actually, the custom began with a turnip. People would hollow out the turnips and place lighted candles inside to scare off the evil spirits. When the Irish came to America, they discovered the pumpkin as a larger substitute for the turnip. And so, we now carve pumpkins instead of turnips for Halloween.
Although Halloween has become mostly a secular holiday, we need to remind our families of its Christian roots. Talk about ways that you can safely celebrate both the secular and Christian aspects of the holiday. One way might be through the costumes that your children choose. Talk about Halloween when you were a child. Did you have a favorite costume or enjoy a custom that your family celebrated.
Of course we must also be very aware that this originally Christian celebration, now almost entirely a secular celebration, has de-
teriorated in many ways, becoming an occasion for evil and occultic practices where animals are killed and many evil acts are
done some for fun but others as practices of the dark side. Be aware, instruct your children, keep them safe, and above all bring
them to the Lord Jesus Christ. Instruct them on the faith and on the meaning of holiness from where the word “saint” comes
from.
M ark your Calendars and Sign Up TODAY!
St. David’s will be offering a very special
Marriage Conference on Friday, October 24,
6:00 – 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 25,
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The Conference will be held at the
home of Fr. Jose and Maly Poch in North Hollywood.
Please be sure to register as soon as possible to make sure
we have room for everyone wanting to come in addition to
the resources we will need to order. You can register by
calling Fr. Jose at 818.789.8633, emailing him
rector@stdavidsanglican.org or signing up after church
services on Sunday.
The Conference will be focused on “communication.”
Most marriages and couples struggle greatly in this area
and poor communication skills lead to marital unhappiness,
conflict, depression and the feeling that our marriages are
not worth our efforts and sacrifices. Join us, invite others,
and let us grow together as Christian husbands and wives.
As Christian couples we are living witnesses to a lost and
selfish culture around us of the transformational work of
Jesus Christ in all who come to Him in faith. Halloween (continued from page 6)
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Volume 28 • Number 9 October 2014
O ur Lord, Jesus Christ loves us with an uncondi-
tional, everlasting love. Can we do less? He is
our “First Love” and His Spirit transforms us into
His likeness, step by step, day by day. Recently, I
was impressed by something Mark Haines wrote (2012) about
the abiding love we should have for our spouse. Recognizing
that Jesus is our example of the Bridegroom and we are His
Bride, it can be loving and life-giving to speak these words to
our marriage partner. Remember the vows we took on our
wedding day? Consider this excerpt:
“I Always Will”
(Today), “Tomorrow and every day God gives us, I will choose
you to be my spouse.
I will continue living with you according to God’s holy Word.
Every day we share by God’s grace, I promise to always love you,
to always comfort you,
to always honor and keep you.
As long as I have breath, I will stand by you
for better or worse,
in sickness and in health.
I will always renounce all others
and always give myself to only you, so long as we both shall live.”
These powerful words are not just meant to be spoken, they
are meant to be lived.
Please consider the importance of this kind of communication
and the power of words “made flesh”. In this vein, please
come join us for “Couple Talk – A Marriage Conference.”
Please find more details in the accompanying article found on
page 7.
By the way, our Couples’ Bowling Date Night was a great suc-
cess. Thanks to all those who participated. I hope you had as
much fun as we did. We also had a wonderful meal at the
Cheesecake Factory afterwards. It was very special to be able
to visit and get to know each other better.
One last thing! Remember to save the date of Saturday,
December 6 for another great opportunity to hear a nationally
renowned speaker inspire us to focus on building up our mar-
riages. More information to follow. Enrich and bless each
other today!
by Luisa S. Johnson
“Love one another, even as I have loved you.” - John 13:34
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Volume 28 • Number 9 October 2014
S eptember 11th changed the world.
Since then, Islam has made head-
lines every week. Muslim immigra-
tion is on the rise. Classmates, co-workers
and our neighbors are from Muslim back-
grounds. OASIS 2014 is designed to equip
you as a follower of Christ and provide
resources to help you respond to Muslims
in America. Gather with us to hear what
God is doing among Muslims. Join the
movement to respond biblically to Islam
in America at OASIS 2014 at Clairemont
Covenant Church in San Diego. Go to
crescentproject.org/oasis for more
information!
J oin us on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 –
9:00 p.m. at our Church Offices in Sherman
Oaks for our weekly Bible Study. In September
we began to study the New Testament Letter of Jude
(one chapter). This will be followed by a study of
St. Paul’s two Letters to the Thessalonians and when
these two letters are concluded we will begin a study of
the Gospel of Luke.
We currently have about a dozen persons in this study
group, there is room for as many others as would like
to join us. Sign up as soon as possible by calling Fr.
Jose at 818.789.8633 or emailing him at rec-
tor@stdavidsanglican.org. Study God’s Word, this is a
mark of authentic Christian Discipleship.
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Volume 28 • Number 9 October 2014
St. David’s Cursillo Community
D uring the month of September this year’s Cursillo
weekends were held. Several of our members served
as part of the teams at both the Men’s and Women’s
weekends. We also rejoice with Colleen Disney who attended
Cursillo as a Candidate. The purpose of the Cursillo move-
ment is to encourage Christians to a deeper relationship with
God and to help them understand their individual calling to
be Christian leaders.
Cursillo is more than a retreat weekend; it is a life changing
and transforming Short Course in Christianity. Cursillo (a
Spanish word meaning “Short Course”) is a three-day em-
powering retreat (Thursday evening through Sunday after-
noon) for Christians who want and need encouragement to
live as followers of Jesus Christ in the environment in which
the Lord has placed them.
If you feel God is calling you to attend next year’s Cursillo
weekend or if you have questions, please contact Fr. Jose or
Jim Coburn. ULTREYA!
4th Day Reunion / Ultreya Saturday October 25, 2014
Re-ignite the Cursillo flame
All Cursillistas are invited
to attend our Community 4th Day
Reunion / Day of Deeper Understanding followed
by a
Potluck Lunch and Ultreya.
8:15am Coffee followed by Worship
8:45am - Noon Rollos, Table Discussion and
more Worship
Noon Potluck Lunch
(please bring something to share)
1:00pm Ultreya
ADDRESS: Presbyterian Church of The Master
26051 Marguerite Pkwy, Mission Viejo, CA 92692
http://www.mypcom.com/worship/
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Volume 28 • Number 9 October 2014
E arly in the ministry of Jesus Christ, and as
our Lord looked around Him, He recognized
the necessity of laborers to be sent to God’s
vineyard. This is how Matthew relates the
moment: “Then Jesus went about all the cities and vil-
lages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gos-
pel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and eve-
ry disease among the people. But when He saw the mul-
titudes, He was moved with compassion for them, be-
cause they were weary and scattered, like sheep having
no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest
truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore
pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into
His harvest.’”
We are told that Jesus “saw the multitude.” He was very much aware of those around Him and of their needs, “they were weary
and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” “Weary” speaks about their physical and emotional condition, tired, stressed,
worried, harassed, and frazzled. “Scattered” speaks about their sense of mental and physical lostness, without direction, focus or
hope, lonely and dispersed. He then gives us a mental picture, “like sheep having no shepherd.” The picture is of people in need
without anyone to help guide them or point the way to the One who can bring order out of their scatteredness and peace out of
their weariness.
How do you see the masses around you today, your immediate family, co-workers, friends, neighbors, and those whom you meet
in your daily life at shops or the supermarket? Are you aware of the needs of these people? Are their needs similar to those of the
people of Jesus’ time? Are these some of your own needs? Who is the harvest around you today? Do you realize that today also
“The harvest truly is plentiful,” and it is near you and around you? Do you realize that if the harvest is not reaped it will be lost
forever and you will have been responsible for that loss?
What made the difference between seeing and acting was compassion. Jesus was “moved with compassion.” He loved them pas-
sionately enough to not willingly lose any one of them. Do you truly and sacrificially love passionately those you see lost around
you? This may make the difference between someone coming to faith in Jesus Christ and someone being lost forever. Estimates
are that only 10% of Christians witness regularly and almost 50% of Christians have never introduced a soul to Jesus Christ. The
harvest is plentiful around us with people from all walks of life and nationalities and religions or lack thereof in our immediate
surroundings. “The laborers” are still few but it is you whom He calls to send to the harvest.
Please consider your part in the Lord’s harvest of souls and dare to share the Gospel with one other person this week and every
week after that. Make it your aim to be a faithful laborer for Christ and for His Kingdom. SHARE THE GOSPEL!
by The Rev. Jose Poch
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St. David’s Anglican Church PO Box 5599
Sherman Oaks, CA 91413
www.stdavidsanglican.org
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