The Spring of ’68 by William Stephenson, Ph.D

It was the Spring of 1968 and I was finishing my Masters in Psychology in Washington, D.C. But I was absorbed in the Civil Rights movement and the anti-war movement. I was working for an organization committed to integrating housing. I was involved in every civil rights and anti-war demonstration that occurred in D.C. I went to Atlanta at Morehouse College to learn how to be a leader in demonstrations that model non-violence. I became one of “The Twelve” for the New Mobilization Committee and we were asked to lead in marches and model how to commit civil disobedience and be arrested non-violently.

21 Days of Hope is an invitation to you from First UMC of San Diego to turn to God to restore our brokenness that is bound up with the injustice of our nation as a result of racism. It is an invitation to book studies, covenant groups, daily devotions, and worship services with guest preachers.

21 Days of Hope is our commitment to study racism within the shadows of our minds and in the structures of our society. It is our willingness to bring our faith in God - the Creator of us all, the Redeemer of our lives, the Sustainer of our hopes - to bear on this reality that hurts, oppresses and too often have killed our brothers and sisters.

Guest Preacher: Rev. Dr. John Fanestil

Rev. Dr. John Fanestil is the Executive Director of Via International, a nonprofit organization promoting sustainable community development in the San Diego/Tijuana region and beyond.  John convenes the Friends of Friendship Park, a coalition advocating for public access to the historic meeting place overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the U.S.-Mexico border. He also leads The Border Church, a weekly celebration of communion at Friendship Park.  An ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church, John is a graduate of Dartmouth College, Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, the Claremont School of Theology, and the University of Southern California, where he earned his Ph.D. in History. John is the author of Mrs. Hunter’s Happy Death, (Doubleday in 2006), and One Life to Give (Fortress Press, forthcoming in August 2021) - for more see: www.johnfanestil.com.  

21 Days of Hope, as a devotion, is a journey through scripture, prayer, and resources that can move those of us who are white toward a closer understanding of racism in our country and the experience of our black and brown brothers and sisters. Click button below to subscribe.

21 Days of Hope, does the same through two different book studies hosted by Sheilah Cameron of the New Life Counseling Center and William Stephenson Ph.D. Explore the books here below:

Thank you all for your support for the food ministry at First Church. With your generosity, we raised $8690 plus abundant showers of the listed items during our Thanksgiving Food Drive. We were able to provide a Thanksgiving meal, including chicken and fresh produce, for over 400 families. During the Advent Food Drive, we also raised $2090 and a couple truckloads of donations.

If you’d like to volunteer for our food ministry during the pandemic, we have a list of chores for which you can volunteer.  The chores are mainly individual activities without much connection to other volunteers. However, when your chores are put together, we can provide “daily bread” for over 1300 people and their families each week.

First Church Mission Outreach Thrift Store is doing well even during the pandemic, and we currently welcome more donated merchandise. We are in need of good quality donations such as: jewelry, purses, clean gently used sheet sets, warm blankets and towel sets. Toasters, can openers and silverware. Baking dishes, pots and pans. Table cloths, cloth napkins, placemats, DVDs, small furniture and desks.

Please email Store Manager Brenda Blake or call 619-528-0026 for more information.

We are located on 3186 Adams Avenue (Antique Row in Normal Heights) San Diego.

Pastor's Bible Study: The Church and Racism

Wednesdays through Feb. 10 | 10:30 AM | RSVP

This study began with a look at the theology of baptism and its role in racism. If you missed it, look for a podcast of it on any of the listed podcast platforms listed below under the FUMCSD Pastor's Bible Study. This week we welcome Rev. Dr. Hannah Ka to share her experiences as a Korean woman in the church and the scripture that lifts her up in times of difficulty.

NEW! "FUMCSD Pastor's Bible Study" Podcast

For those of you who like to listen to podcasts, you are now able to subscribe to the "FUMCSD Pastor's Bible Study" on all podcast platforms listed below. The recorded studies are uploaded to the podcast and will appear every friday after the live study in Zoom takes place. Our Bible Study Archive will still be available on our website (see button below).

Go to our Live Stream page - check out the buttons on this page beforehand to:

For more information contact the Dir. of Discipleship for Children & Youth Kenton Reaves Hundley, 619-297-4366 x118

"A Time with Children" video archive

Kids First Sunday Monthly Winter Schedule

Students 1st Zoom Sunday Evening Meet-ups:

Email Kenton Reaves Hundley to receive link for our weekly virtual gathering.

Sunday, Feb. 7 | 7:30 PM | Live-stream

This Fourth Service of Remembrance is a time for us to gather virtually to turn our hearts toward the divine to rest in God's presence, to feel God's comfort and to listen for God's hope. Join us on February 7, 2021 at 7:30 PM If you would like to have the name of your beloved read aloud during the service, please follow this link and fill out the form. God bless us as we remember.

Our Stephen Ministers are ready to listen, care, encourage, and provide emotional and spiritual support. A Stephen Minister will meet with you privately—by phone, by video chat, or, if safely possible, in person—to offer care and support. It’s free and completely confidential. For more information, email Pastor Tamara.

Deaths: Check our website for weekly updates regarding deaths, memorial services and funerals.

Our leadership and special tech support teams are currently hard at work to get our Sanctuary ready for streaming from OB. And, beginning Sunday, January 31, we will broadcast our worship from Water's Edge own YouTube Channel.

To subscribe, log in to your Gmail account, go to "Water's Edge OB Faith Community" YouTube channel, click the subscribe button. You can choose to be notified when we live-stream. Please note that streaming from this channel will start on January 31, at 10 AM.

(Pledges, record of giving, unrestricted gifts, interest earnings, and contributions from the Children's Growing Center, Ocean Beach and our leased properties at both locations.)

Thank you as we work to keep everyone safe meet the church's ongoing expenses. Contact Jason Tucker with your questions about giving and tithing to First Church.

Thanks to some new technological capabilities in the Finance Office, we are no longer using individual envelope numbers for families at First Church. To reduce paper waste and expenses, we will use the surplus envelopes from last year. If you would like a box of envelopes for 2021, you can pick them up a box outside the church office on weekdays from 9 AM – 4 PM, or at the Communion Distribution on January 31, 2-3 PM.

You will receive a box of envelopes with a random number, and the only time you’ll need to write any personal information on the envelope will be if you give in cash. As long as your names are on the checks you send it, we will be able to link your gifts to your account in our database.

If you are not able to pick up your envelopes and you still would like them, please contact Jason Tucker (619) 297-4366, x145 or jtucker@fumcsd.org to make arrangements for receiving your offering envelopes.

1/10 Sunday live-streamed services, real-time viewers:1450

To subscribe, log in to your Gmail account, go to First Church YouTube channel, click the subscribe button. You can choose to be notified when we live-stream.