Pastor’s Update

THIS SUNDAY MORNING, we continue our message series, “The Gospel According to Joseph,” by looking at Genesis 40. You may want to read it in preparation. We will learn some things from Joseph about dealing with disappointment. Joseph’s discouragement was largely due to the long time he was waiting for God to deliver him from his situation. Centuries later, one of Joseph’s relatives, David, of whom it is said was a man after God’s own heart, also grew tired with waiting and cried out to God, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?”  (Psalms 13:1) In fact, a total of forty-three times in the Old Testament alone, we are commanded to “Wait on the LORD.” What’s God’s plan for us when we find ourselves in his “waiting room”? We’re going to talk about that on Sunday. Don’t wait to invite others to join you!

WELCOME TO GOLD COAST, BRAULIO AND CHRISTINA! MEET OUR NEW TEAM MEMBERS: We introduced Braulio Terrazas and Christina Brower this past Sunday morning at both services and prayed for them. Braulio is our new Youth Pastor and Christina is our new Children’s Ministry Director.

Braulio shares the following: “I was born in Mexico City in 1992 and at that time I only lived with my mom, and two brothers. I was the middle child growing up in Mexico, while my dad was working in the U.S since 1985. In 2001, I immigrated to the United States with my family reuniting with my father. We lived in Lompoc, California for five months and then we moved south to Ventura. I have been living in Ventura for the past 18 years. 

I have a Catholic background but I never felt connected to church or God. I simply didn’t know Him. I went to Ventura High School for four years. During this time, I made it my goal to be in law enforcement. After high school, I went to California State University Northridge while I was working security and pursuing a career in law enforcement. Yet, God was the last thing on my mind because by my early 20’s I was a self-proclaimed atheist.

RESCUE MISSION OUTREACH IS TOMORROW, SATURDAY, MAY 4: The outreach is from 4:15-6:15 pm. To sign up, go online to our website under the Get Connected tab. Contact Stuart Baker at stuartbaker45@aol.com or 805.427.5528, if you have any questions.

TOMORROW IS BUDDY TRAINING: Families in our community who have children with special needs need our support! Buddy Training provides info on how to help by being a Buddy at Buddy Break, a free respite program where kids have fun and parents get a break from their ongoing child care responsibilities. Buddy Training is from 9:00-11:00 am. Snacks will be provided. Adults go through a free back-ground check and children can serve as Buddy Helpers. Contact Tana Seufert at 805.824.5794 or tana@goldcoastchurch.org with any questions.

THIS SUNDAY MORNING, we have a couple of special individuals who we’ll be introducing at both of our morning gathering times, 9:15 and 10:45. You’ll want to be sure to attend and meet them!

We’ll also be continuing our message series, “The Gospel According to Joseph,” bydigging into Genesis 39. We’ll discover how Joseph handled some ongoing temptation that came his way. It’s kind of a racy passage. Read it sometime before heading to church on Sunday in preparation. You’re going to be encouraged as we learn some powerful principles that we can apply to our lives today. Sunday would be a great day to invite a friend to join you at Gold Coast!

PRAYER FOR MISSIONS THIS SUNDAY: On the first Sunday of each month, you’re invited to gather in the Worship Center after the 2nd service to pray for the missions and missionaries that Gold Coast supports. For more information, contact Mike or Lynne Yeaman at yeaman7@hotmail.com or 805.331.3899.

NEW START DATE FOR FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY, MONDAY, JUNE 3: Take control of your money with Financial Peace University (FPU)! This 10-lesson course will start at 7:00 pm and is taught by Dave Ramsey, Chris Hogan and Rachel Cruze helps you work a plan to tackle a budget, pay off debt, and free yourself from money worries! You’ll join a small group for discussions and lessons—all rooted in biblical wisdom and common sense. FPU includes your member workbook and a free year of Financial Peace Membership, with online tools created to support your journey. Register at https://fpu.com/1089848. Contact Gary or Julie Myers at (805) 377-4530 or juliemyers593@verizon.net, if you have any questions.

TOMORROW, SUNDAY, APRIL 28, we’ll be starting a new series on the life of Joseph. Did you know that Joseph’s story takes up more space in the book of Genesis than the story of Abraham? We’ll be digging into Genesis 37. I encourage you to read it sometime before heading to church tomorrow. 

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER, THIS THURSDAY, MAY 2, 6 TO 7 PM: We will gather with other local churches to pray together as the body of Christ at the Oxnard Beach Park, 1601 S. Harbor Blvd., Oxnard. Mark your calendars now! (Paid parking is $1 per hour.) 

BUDDY TRAINING, NEXT SATURDAY, MAY 4: Families in our community who have children with special needs need our support! Buddy Training provides info on how to help by being a Buddy at Buddy Break, a free respite program where kids have fun and parents get a break from their on-going child care responsibilities. Buddy Training is from 9:00-11:00 am. Snacks will be provided. Adults go through a free back-ground check and children can serve as Buddy Helpers. Sign up at the table in the lobby this Sunday or write “Buddy” on your Connection Card. Contact Tana Seufert at 805.824.5794 or tana@goldcoastchurch.org with any questions. 

RESCUE MISSION OUTREACH, SATURDAY, MAY 4: Oxnard outreach is from 4:15-6:15 pm. To sign up, write “Rescue Mission” on your Connection Card this Sunday or go online to our website under the Get Connected tab. Contact Stuart Baker at stuartbaker45@aol.com or 805.427.5528, if you have any questions. 

PRAYER FOR MISSIONS, SUNDAY, MAY 5: On the first Sunday of each month, please gather in the Worship Center after the 2nd service to pray for the missions and missionaries that Gold Coast supports. For more information, contact Mike or Lynne Yeaman at yeaman7@hotmail.com or 805.331.3899. 

MEN’S BREAKFAST, SATURDAY, MAY 18: Men, join us at 7:30 am for our first breakfast of the year. Plan on good food and good conversation as we discuss the most important attributes men need to survive in today’s modern world. (Note the new time). Scrambled eggs & tortillas, $5 donation, first time guests are free. Sign up at the table in the lobby on Sunday.

Below is a link for meals for the Leeds family for the next couple of weeks.  Mike and Lindsay are leaving to Phoenix tomorrow and will be gone for over a week for her surgery and recovery. Friends from Beacon Hill Academy are organizing meals for their kids while they’re gone and then for the whole family when they get back. I am hoping Gold Coast can show up in force to take good care of their family.https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904094eaaad28ab9-support

Thanks,
Scott

TONIGHT IS OUR GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE AT 7:00 PM: This hour-long service will focus on the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. There’s still time to invite others to join you using the digital postcard. To do so, just click on the following link: goldcoastchurch.org/goodfridayinvite. Text it, with a personal note, to those in your contacts!

THIS SUNDAY IS EASTER! We’re going to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the difference He makes in our lives! Text our digital postcard to family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors in your contacts to attend as well as post it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat: goldcoastchurch.org/easterinvite. You may want to attend the 9:15 am service as the 10:45 am service is usually fuller. Coffee and donuts will be available.

ELEMENTARY CLASS OFFEREED AT BOTH SERVICES THIS SUNDAY: For Easter, we’ll be offering the elementary class at both the 9:15 and the 10:45 service times. The kids will take part in the beginning part of the worship service and then be dismissed after the worship time, as usual.

LIFE GROUPS START NEXT WEEK: The purpose of LIFE Groups is joining with other believers and doing life together in community. It’s where we connect and assist one another in our faith journey. If you would like to attend a LIFE Group and/or wish to change to a different LIFE Group, go to the Welcome Desk in the lobby on Sunday for a current list of available groups or for more information. If you have questions, contact Darrell Foote at darrell@goldcoastchurch.org or 805.660.3061. 

HIGHER GROUND HIKE, SATURDAY, APRIL 27: Higher Ground is hosting our first Spring hike at the Mt. McCoy trail in Simi Valley. Spring is here and the hills are alive again! This trail offers panoramic views in all directions, including the views of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the Channel Islands, Wood Ranch, and Old Boney Mountain. On the trail you’ll see multiple plant life, wildflowers, animal life and birds. A must see for nature lovers and kids!

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate | Distance: 5 miles | Dogs allowed on leashes

Meet at Starbucks in Camarillo at the Las Posas Shopping Center at 8:30 am and will leave as a group by 8:45 am. Good hiking shoes, sunscreen, water, and a camera for pictures are recommended. Invite a friend or bring family members to share the experience. A complimentary continental breakfast will be served after the hike. Contact Margie Cantu at 805.660.1187 or mcantu830@verizon.net with any questions. 

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 6 TO 7 PM: We will gather with other local churches to pray together as the body of Christ at the Oxnard Beach Park, 1601 S. Harbor Blvd., Oxnard. Mark your calendars now! (Paid parking is $1 per hour.)

THIS SUNDAY is Palm Sunday and we’ll wrap up our series, The Gospel According to Jacob. We’ll look at Genesis 38, which is all about Jacob’s son, Judah, through whom passes the messianic line, leading all the way to Jesus. Like his dad, Judah is a mess in many ways. Because he’s a mess, he’s someone to whom all of us can relate!

One thing we’ll see is he has a tremendous blind spot. Blind spots are nothing new. We all have them.

Francis Spufford writes about the problem of blind spots: A study by a couple of researchers at the University of Toronto and at James Madison University in Virginia proved something that we may already know. The study, provocatively called “Cognitive Sophistication Does Not Attenuate the Bias Blind Spot,” concluded that we cut ourselves more slack than we give to others. No surprise there, right. But writing about this study in the New Yorker, Jonah Lehrer explains why we do this. He claims that we all have “bias blind spots” because there’s a mismatch between how we evaluate others and how we evaluate ourselves.  

Lehrer writes: When considering the irrational choices of a stranger, for instance, we are forced to rely on [how they behave]; we see their biases from the outside, which allows us to glimpse their [errors]. However, when assessing our own bad choices, we tend to engage in elaborate introspection. We [study] our motivations and search for relevant reasons; we lament our mistakes to therapists and ruminate on the beliefs that led us astray. 

As an example, if we drive crazy through traffic it’s because we have an important meeting or we don’t do it that often, and so forth. But if someone else cuts us off in traffic there’s one simple, observable explanation: he’s a jerk. Lehrer concludes “[our bias blind spots] are largely unconscious, which means they remain invisible to self-analysis and [resistant] to intelligence.” In other words, being smarter won’t help you see your own junk. As a matter of fact, more intelligence may add to the problem.

Sunday’s going to be a great day to be together for worship, learning, growing in our faith and love for Jesus and others. I look forward to seeing you! 

GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE, APRIL 19, 7:00 PM: This hour-long service will focus on the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. Invite others with our digital postcard. To do so, just click on the following link: goldcoastchurch.org/goodfridayinvite. Text it, with a personal note, to those in your contacts as well as post it on your social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 9:15 & 10:45 AM: We’re going to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the difference He makes in our lives! Text our digital postcard to family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors in your contacts to attend as well as post it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat: goldcoastchurch.org/easterinvite. (You may want to attend the 9:15 am service as the 10:45 am service is usually fuller.) Coffee and donuts will be available between the two services.

THIS SUNDAY we continue The Gospel According to Jacobseries by looking at Genesis 32. The message is entitled “Going to the Mat with God.” God goes toe-to-toe in an all-night wrestling match with Jacob and we’ll see 4 “moves” the Lord uses on Jacob and discover how he works in our lives today in those same ways. Invite a friend to join you!

RESCUE MISSION OUTREACH, SATURDAY, APRIL 6: Oxnard outreach is from 4:15-6:15 pm. To sign up, write “Rescue Mission” on your Connection Card this Sunday or go online to our website under the Get Connected tab. Contact Stuart Baker at 805.427.5528 or stuartbaker45@aol.com, if you have any questions.

PRAYER FOR MISSIONS, SUNDAY, APRIL 7: We gather in the Worship Center the first Sunday of each month after the 2nd service to pray for the missions and missionaries that Gold Coast supports. For more information, contact Mike or Lynne Yeaman at yeaman7@hotmail.com or 805.331.3899.

HIGHER GROUND HIKE, SATURDAY, APRIL 27: Higher Ground is hosting our first Spring hike at the Mt. McCoy trail in Simi Valley. Spring is here and the hills are alive again! This trail offers panoramic views in all directions, including the views of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the Channel Islands, Wood Ranch, and Old Boney Mountain. On the trail you’ll see multiple plant life, wildflowers, animal life and birds. A must see for nature lovers and kids! Difficulty: Easy to Moderate | Distance: 5 miles | Dogs allowed on leashes Meet at Starbucks in Camarillo at the Las Posas Shopping Center at 8:30 am and will leave as a group by 8:45 am. Good hiking shoes, sunscreen, water, and a camera for pictures are recommended. Invite a friend or bring family members to share the experience. A complimentary continental breakfast will be served after the hike. Contact Margie Cantu at 805.660.1187 or mcantu830@verizon.net with any questions.

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 6 TO 7 PM: We will gather with other local churches to pray for our nation at the Oxnard Beach Park.

THIS SUNDAY we continue the series, The Gospel According to Jacob. We’ll be looking at Genesis 29 and seeing how it shows, in the words of The Boss, that everybody’s got a hungry heart. We’ll see how the hunger manifests itself as well as the way God satisfies it. It’s an interesting passage, one in which Jacob meets his match in his uncle Laban. This would be a great Sunday to invite a friend!

UNSINKABLE, 2019 LADIES LUNCHEON: DEADLINE IS THIS SUNDAY TO REGISTER AND PAY. It takes place Saturday, March 30th, 10 am to 2 pm, Sterling Hills Country Club: Life is filled with all kinds of adventures. Rough waters, glassy seas, dark skies and dazzling sunrises. But even in the darkest moments– when it feels like we are drowning and might not survive–we can still find the HOPE that is an anchor for our souls. This is a hope that goes beyond circumstance, feeling, behavior, or strength; and one that carries us through any storm, making us truly unsinkable.

Cost: $39 per person. Register at church lobby or at www.goldcoastchurch.orgunder Give for Womens Luncheon. Questions, contact Lynn Knuth at alynknuth@aol.com or 805-443-4471.

About the luncheon’s speaker, Melissa Maimone: Melissa teaches women that an authentic life in Christ can be messy and magnificent at the exact same time. Melissa provides down-to-earth lessons, practical applications, and life-changing perspectives to real women who are living real lives in the midst of real problems. With her unique blend of theology, humor, and lessons from her own battle with depression, Melissa provides down-to-earth lessons, practical application, and life-changing perspectives.

PRAYER TIME EVERY SUNDAY MORNING: You’re invited to Sunday morning Prayer Time from 8:30-9:00 am in the Youth Room every Sunday! Come for a couple of minutes or stay longer. This is open to everyone! Prayer cards with suggested topics will be available – you can pray aloud or silently. You can contact Anne Romero if you have any questions at anne2grace@gmail.

TIME CHANGE IS THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 10: Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 AM Sunday, March 10th. Mark your calendar to turn your clocks AHEAD one hour before going to bed on TOMORROW NIGHT, Saturday, March 9.

THIS SUNDAY we continue the series we began last Sunday, The Gospel According to Jacob. We’ll be looking at Genesis 28, in which Jacob has a dream and sees a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven. We’ll see, among a number of things that, contrary to Led Zeppelin’s song, it can’t be bought. God speaks and Jacob responds. There’s a lot in the passage. I encourage you to read it before we come together on Sunday.

UNSINKABLE, 2019 LADIES LUNCHEON, STERLING HILLS COUNTRY CLUB, SATURDAY, MARCH 30TH, 10 AM TO 2 PM: Life is filled with all kinds of adventures. Rough waters, glassy seas, dark skies and dazzling sunrises. But even in the darkest moments– when it feels like we are drowning and might not survive–we can still find the HOPE that is an anchor for our souls. This is a hope that goes beyond circumstance, feeling, behavior, or strength; and one that carries us through any storm, making us truly unsinkable.

Cost: $39 per person. Register at church lobby or at www.goldcoastchurch.org. Questions, contact Lynn Knuth at alynknuth@aol.com or 805-443-4471.

About the luncheon’s speaker, Melissa Maimone: Melissa teaches women that an authentic life in Christ can be messy and magnificent at the exact same time. Melissa provides down-to-earth lessons, practical applications, and life-changing perspectives to real women who are living real lives in the midst of real problems. With her unique blend of theology, humor, and lessons from her own battle with depression, Melissa provides down-to-earth lessons, practical application, and life-changing perspectives.

THIS SUNDAY we begin a new series of messages we’re calling The Gospel According to Jacob. Just like in the last series with Abraham, we’ll get glimpses of Jesus and the Father’s redemptive work that points to him in Jacob’s life and experience.  This Sunday we begin the series by looking at Genesis 25:19-34 as well as chapter 27, seeing how Jacob both bought the birthright from his older brother Esau and stole the blessing from Isaac, his dad. Many Christians live in spiritual poverty. They are entitled to the blessings of God, but they are not aware of their birthright. It reminds me of the following story that Dr. Bill Bright told of a famous oil field called Yates Pool:

“During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family (like many others) had to live on government subsidy.

Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills. Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract.

At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day.

And Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights. Yet, he’d been living on relief. A multimillionaire living in poverty. The problem? He didn’t know the oil was there even though he owned it.”

I’m looking forward to unpacking the passage with you, discovering what’s so blessed about the blessing of our birthright that we have in Jesus. This would be a great Sunday to invite a friend to join you at Gold Coast!

PRAYER FOR MISSIONS THIS SUNDAY: On the first Sunday of each month, please gather in the Worship Center after the 2nd service to pray for the missions and missionaries that Gold Coast supports. Contact Mike or Lynne Yeaman at yeaman7@hotmail.com or 805.331.3899 for more information.

EASTER WORSHIP CHOIR BEGINS THIS THURSDAY, MARCH 7: Every Thursday night from 6:30-7:30 pm during the months of March and April, the Worship Choir will be meeting in the Youth Room. We’ll be exploring worship through the use of our voices and challenging ourselves to bring worship into the lives we live every day while preparing to sing for our Easter services. All are welcome. NO TRY OUTS! Sign up in the lobby this Sunday. Contact Rachel Sutherland at 805.218.2809 (text or call) for more information.

IMPORTANT DISCOVERY COVE UPDATE:

We are excited about something new taking place here at Gold Coast Church that we have prayed about for quite some time.