On April 23, 2023 we celebrated seven baptisms. Each of them shared their stories in written form, download and read below. Video recap coming soon. Celebrate their decision to show us what God has done and is doing in their lives, and their confession of faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ!
The eFamily team sits down with Michael and shares their need for more people to serve in our children’s and youth ministries. Justine, Angela, Laurie, Christie, Kevin and Jenna share needs with their respective areas and the process. All sorts of people are needed. Find out more by emailing Jenna (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) to explore possibilities or begin the process.
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April 8th/9th Easter Services Sunday April 9th, 2023 Saturday Eve Service – April 8th, 2023 at 6p |
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April 7th, 6p Good Friday Join us as we worship, reflect, and give thanks for the sacrifice made on the cross by our Savior. Good Friday is the day that commemorates Christ's sacrifice on the cross. It is a prelude to Easter and a way to remember Jesus' suffering and the resurrection power that will be given to followers of Christ to enable us to truly love one another. Childcare will be available for ages birth-Kindergarten only. |
In this long form bonus episode, Aaron and Michael interview Kevin, our new hire for High School and post graduation ministries. This get-to-know you episode is for you to hear Kevin’s journey getting here and his heart for ministry.
Watch our info meeting from the team that went to Thailand last year...
Here is more information about our Scholarship Program:
We have a series-wide reading plan and discussions to help focus your time of Bible reading and follow along with the series. The reading plan can be adjust in any way. This could be beneficial to individuals, families, friends coming together or community groups looking to go deeper.
Download the Galatians Reading Plan and Discussion Questions Here.
We wish you a very Merry Christmas 2022!
-Element
We hope to see you there!
- Element
Watch Highlights from this year's Pumpkin Killing! Thank you to all who helped make it such a success!
Watch News Report of Pumpkin Killing
Last Sunday we had four baptisms and a great celebration! Below you can read our baptism stories of those who got baptized, and watch a quick video recap below.
Last Sunday we had two baptisms and a great celebration! Below you can read our baptism stories of those who got baptized!
We wish you a very Merry Christmas 2021!
-Element
October 30th, 1:30-4:00pm, at Orcutt Hill Picnic Grounds!
As the neighbor of Delta High School, we at Element Christian Church try to bless Delta as much as possible. The staff have asked us to host a Holiday Store for a week in December. Many of the students come from difficult circumstances and have very little means to buy Christmas gifts. In previous years, Delta has offered a free store where kids can go to “shop” for themselves and/or shop for a gift for someone else. We love this idea! The Delta staff has said that letting students get a Christmas gift for someone else, helps change their perspective on the Holidays! The school hasn't been able to provide the store in the past couple of years due to a lack of resources in collecting items and hosting, so Element is happy to provide a space for the store and to help collect items!
A couple quick stories the Delta Staff has shared with:
The Store will be held at Element Church December 7-10th, 2021 during school hours. We are looking for donations of NEW or very slightly USED items that are in clean and working order. Some items Delta has received in previous years that have been a success:
High Priority:
Other Items:
We would appreciate any sort of donation you can make. All donations will receive a tax donation slip. We need all donations delivered/picked up by Sunday, December 4, 2022. If you wish to donate financially, you can do so here, and select "Delta Kids"
For questions and comments, or to contact us about donation delivery, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 805-310-4229. Thank you very much!
Recently we had baptisms, it was a great celebration. Below you can read our baptism stories of those who got baptized, and watch our baptism recap video!
Beginning Sunday, September 12th, we will be changing our service times to 9:00 and 10:45am. We will continue live streaming both of those services, as well as have full Children's classes at both.
Join us on page 89 of our Lent Journey Guides as we read through the curated verses together. Feel free to pause as needed and take communion with elements you have at home.
- For Lent/Job Information and Journey Guides (www.ourelement.org/lent) - DOWNLOAD PDF Lent Journey Guide (https://www.ourelement.org/downloads/2021/2021_lent_life_job.pdf)
Questions Discussed:
- Job…Blameless and upright?
- I know there are many times throughout the Bible when we clearly see God's wrath like in Sodom and Gomorrah or on the whole Earth when He flooded the earth. In those instances, the Bible says there were no righteous people. It was just. But, most of the time, it seems like God plays more of a passive role in our lives meaning that He allows bad things to happen in our lives rather than making or causing these things to happen. With Job, it feels like bad things were happening and God actively plays a part in Satan's actions against Job. "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" God even acknowledges to Satan that Job was a "blameless and upright man". How is this just? Are we possibly missing a piece of the story that would offer more context or is it simply a cultural difference?
- When you said God is in complete control and Satan can only do what God permits Satan to do… how are we to reconcile that statement of God’s control/sovereignty with God not being the source or author or cause of evil (which James 1:13-14 and 1 John 1:5 are clear to present)? This seems tough to reconcile given our lesson in Job where God’s decision to permit Satan to touch Job’s possessions and family resulted in the death of servants and Job’s children (and presumably friends at the party, etc)…
“It still doesn’t answer why God allowed Satan to have his way with Job’s kids and life, but no harm will be done with him.”
- Why, since God had the ability to create us and allow us to live in heaven, did he instead create us and allow us to live on earth, knowing there would be pain and suffering and hurt and heartache? All of that could have been avoided if this step was skipped.
- Is there more scripture on God allowing Satan having his way like he does with Job?
Early in the pandemic and initial shutdown, I heard a story on NPR about a teacher that ran a marathon in his backyard for charity. It was fun and inspirational enough to remind me of the resilience of human beings, the incredible stamina of the human spirit. I read Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl (a Nazi concentration camp survivor) shortly after and felt a renewed hope in the ability to cope and overcome adversity. While the pandemic introduced new stressors, there was a novelty in learning to adapt that was, I daresay, exciting. It was enough to propel me forward on exhausting, challenging days, as I looked forward to the return of normalcy.
Now, a year later, I couldn’t feel farther from that mindset. The fatigue from this prolonged season of adaptation feels all too much.
During this season, I’ve struggled to recognize what is left of my faith since much of the trappings have been stripped away. While I’ve always been taught that faith in Jesus is larger than Sunday morning gatherings, a beloved church building, or any other act in itself, I’ve come to realize just how much these rituals meant to me. Scripture encourages us to gather, sing, confess, and pray together for a reason—these corporate acts cannot save us, but they certainly bolster our walk with God. The redeemed life is not without its ongoing challenges.
I have been blessed in that I have not had to go through this Covid-19 journey alone. There is still community, for sure, and there is still access to Scripture, worship songs, and other resources for encouragement—all reasons to be thankful. However, the loss of nearness is a tangible loss I have continued to process.
I am grieving.
I imagine you might be, too.
I find myself less interested, these days, in triumphant stories about mere humans overcoming the struggles of living in a pandemic. I’m less interested in cute anecdotes when I’m ready to scream from overstimulation in my own home, where the walls feel as if they’re closing in on me each day. In addition to the pandemic, we’ve witnessed bitter division that has left me reeling with grief over the state of the American Church.
I sat on a beach with my husband one recent Sunday morning and these thoughts, and accompanying tears, came pouring out of me. We were enjoying a brief respite from the usual, crazed pace of our lives, and the stillness was enough to allow these uncomfortable thoughts to surface. I felt such pain and embarrassment as I confessed that these days, I sometimes question whether Jesus is as real as I had thought, whether the Gospel truly offers a hope that can sustain me, if I even have faith at all.
It is hard to share these things in print (on the internet, of all places), until I remember that at its core, the Church is a family—broken and dysfunctional, but at its best, loving, accepting, and honest. In the midst of such upheaval, we need to create the space for such hard truths to be expressed. I am here to remind you (and myself) that these feelings do not disqualify you from experiencing relationship with Jesus.
On the beach that morning, after I was out of tears and all I could admit was, “I am trying to trust that Jesus has me,” I was reminded of a story that felt especially compelling.
There is one verse in Genesis 3 that, in my experience, is often overlooked. It follows Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God and the resulting curses He delivers to Adam, Eve, and the serpent. Before they are cast out of the garden forever, Scripture tells us, “And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21, ESV).
As this verse interrupted my grief that morning, I reflected on how Adam and Eve must have felt immediately after the fall. For them, any notion of nearness was gone in an instant; in one singular act, they had done away with the most intimate, harmonious relationship they had ever known, and not even for just themselves—for all of mankind. I thought of how broken they must have felt, how alone and ashamed…left reeling from the trauma of death and separation from their God, and the newfound distance within their own marriage.
And then…God clothes them—not with leaves or synthetic fabric, but with the skins of a slain animal, a beloved creation named by Adam himself. In a beautiful place that had not known death, a place now tainted by the disobedience of humans, God got His hands dirty for the sake of the very people that wronged Him. He knew they couldn’t bear their own shame, so He embraced the ugliness of death to ensure they would be clothed.
I can’t express how much relief the reminder of that provision brought me in that moment. I was reminded of how God moves toward the brokenhearted, how these feelings of distance have been present since the very first humans rejected God, and how the story of God has persisted in spite of Adam and Eve feeling so very far from Him. When my faith felt so small and so faltering, God met me with the compelling beauty of who He is—who He has always been.
I am still becoming acquainted with this little faith of mine, disentangled from the things I must go without, that I miss dearly. I feel less sure-footed without the rituals that have been so encouraging to me over the years. In moments of doubt, however, God shines through my own insecurity and reveals He is the author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2).
In a similar season of doubt during my college years, a dear friend introduced me to R. S. Thomas, a Welsh poet that also happened to be an Anglican priest. To this day, he is one of my favorite writers due to his stark honesty; he demonstrates a faith that was rocky and yet beautifully anchored by a trust in Jesus, even when it felt grim.
I leave this poem with you today, hoping that wherever you are, even if you are feeling so far from God, you would know you are not alone. As we progress through Lent together, and make sense of what is left when so much is stripped away, I dare you to press in to Jesus with your discomfort and doubt, to let Him meet you in that very space.
The Absence by R. S. Thomas
It is this great absence
that is like a presence, that compels
me to address it without hope
of a reply. It is a room I enter
from which someone has just
gone, the vestibule for the arrival
of one who has not yet come.
I modernise the anachronis
of my language, but he is no more here
than before. Genes and molecules
have no more power to call
him up than the incense of the Hebrews
at their altars. My equations fail
as my words do. What resources have I
other than the emptiness without him of my whole
being, a vacuum he may not abhor?
I got off the phone with a friend today, burdened by the call. We discussed the impact and wreckage of 2020 in so many areas. If I take a step back, many circumstances and conversations in this past week have circulated around this topic: marriages struggling, businesses floundering, friendships changing, political division, racial tensions. It seems like this past year has been a bomb that exploded, exposing hurts, disappointments, and disillusionments. My husband and I have faced our own challenges in this past week in managing a conflict—one that would have been significantly easier without the barriers imposed by our COVID world.
It makes me think: how do we respond? As I prayed about how to respond to a particular situation, I was reminded of one thing: to focus on the Gospel. So this blog…is about the gospel, written as a reminder for myself; a reminder to seek Truth.
Our world is so complicated with frustrations heightened in this tense climate. People are using the name of God to justify certain actions. Political views are branded, labeled, and claimed in the name of God. If you do or don’t speak up/post on social media/attend a specific event, etc. you’re either for or against certain ideologies. In some cases we are told we are not even Christians if we do not make a statement on any given particular topic (or forward a Facebook post to all of our “friends.”). How do we, as Christians, engage in this type of environment? I believe the answer is to start with the Gospel and try to approach each situation with that as our foundation.
So I circle back to the Gospel:
To be fair, a true relationship with Jesus can and should propel us to act in certain ways, to live our lives reflecting God. But now, more than ever, I believe it is crucial to know, define, and understand what the gospel is. If we are not careful and discerning, we could easily get swept into something “in the name of Christianity” that is not the gospel at all. Even as someone who has been a Christian for much of my life, I have struggled to be able to define the gospel. In fact, for a while I was trying to find a passage of Scripture that explained the Gospel so I could tangibly wrap my mind around it. So again, as I write, it’s an effort to remind myself where to start.
What is the gospel? It is simple and beautiful. It is summarized in Acts 10: 38-43 “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
To put it more simply, the Gospel is the belief that Jesus is God. He was crucified to pay the cost of our sins, but God raised him to life, and everyone who believes in Him is forgiven of their sins and restored to relationship with God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 summarizes as well: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
It is so easy to get swept up in emotion and events or conflicts surrounding us, but as we try to navigate, it is important to first remember what the Gospel is (and is not). Then, when we look at each situation, we can pray for discernment and ask our fellow believers to keep us in check so we can be sure our focus is on the Gospel and not some other narrative. We should ask ourselves: are our actions or beliefs reflective of God’s good news, or is there a different agenda?
In past years, it’s been easy to be complacent about seeking biblical responses to issues (certainly true for me). I’ve so often relied on the sermon at church, a Bible study, etc., to inform my belief system or response to what’s going on around me. However, now that many of our normal ways to engage with other believers are taken away, we must know for ourselves what we believe and why.
My heart is no less burdened by all of the carnage around, but I do take hope in the fact Jesus has overcome sin and offers eternal hope. My hope is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not immediate reconciliation of issues around me. I pray we all first let the Gospel permeate our minds, hearts, and souls, and then use that as our frame of reference for engaging with the world around us.
OUR MISSION: To Glorify God by teaching and living out the Scriptures, transforming community into Gospel Community, and planting churches.
