First Samoan Congregational Christian Church S. D.

"O Le Atua o le Agaga lava Ia; o e Tapuai' ia te Ia, e tatau ona Tapua'i atu ai i le Agaga ma le Fa'amaoni.....God is Spirit, and those who Worship Him must Worship in Spirit and Truth." (Ioane / John 4: 24) O LE TAPUA'IGA / WORSHIP: Sunday, 21 February 2021... Please join us this Morning for Worship Worship Begins at 10.00am **Facebook Live Stream begins at 9.50am as the Praise Team leads us in Pre-Worship Singing** Ia Manuia Le Sapati / Have a Blessed Sabbath O LE ASO SA MUAMUA O LE LENI

**O LE ASO LULU LEFULEFU** **ASH WEDNESDAY** F.S.C.C.C. - San Diego "Malamalama o Samoa" ... Ash Wednesday Communion Worship Wednesday, 17 February 2021 7.00pm (Lives Streaming on this Facebook Page beginning at 7.00pm) Please join us for the Beginning of Lent

E moni lava, e fa’alologo lo’u agaga i luma o Le Atua; mai ia te Ia lo’u fa’aolataga....Truly my soul finds rest in God; my Salvation comes from Him. (Salamo / Psalm 62: 1) The 16th day of the 2nd Month of 2021 draws to a close. Yes! Already! I pray that as you seek rest physically to gather your strength for the Tasks and Journey of tomorrow, your soul would find rest in our Almighty God. ... For it is in the Love and Grace of God, that our souls - often burdened and weary from the trials and tribulations of life - find renewal, restoration and rejoicing Rest your Soul in God tonight, and always O Le Alofa o Le Atua e mai Le Vavau e o’o i Le Fa’avavau / The Love of God is from Everlasting to Everlasting Faafouina.

"Amuia fa'anoanoa; au e fa'amafanafanaina i latou...Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Mataio / Matthew 5: 4) Quite apart from the catastrophic number of deaths nation wide and world wide due to the COVID 19 Virus, the number within our local Samoan who have passed away from various conditions in the last month has been deeply saddening. Many of our Families and Extended Families are dealing with their Grief in these Pandemic Times. Grief tho...ugh, is no respecter of Time and Place, Pandemic or otherwise. Grief is real. Grief has no timetable. Grief impacts all of us in different ways. Many of us grew up in a generation, where showing our Grief was a sign of weakness, that the sight of our tears was a poor reflection on our Faith, and that if we expressed all this sadness and devastation that resides in us at the Death of one precious to us, we weren't really "True Christians." Hear what The Psalmists says: "...e afe ane le tagi i le afiafi, a o le alaga fiafia i le taeao... Weeping may linger for the night, but Joy comes with the morning." (Salamo / Psalm 30: 5) Tears come to all of us, and will linger for the night of our Grief, but in God's Timing, in your heart and soul, Joy will come with the morning. Hear what Jesus, the Son of God, the Saviour of the World says when it comes to Grief and Mourning: "Amuia fa'anoanoa; au e fa'amafanafanaina i latou...Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Mataio / Matthew 5: 4) In the midst of our deepest Grief, in the pain of our truest Mourning, Jesus says that we are Blessed Sometimes it doesn't feel like any type of Blessing, I know that for a fact. But we are to see the Blessing not in our circumstance or the situation, but in The One who promises to be our Comfort in and through the circumstance and situation. For all of you who are dealing with the Passing of a Loved One recently and right now, I pray that you would trust your Grief, your Mourning, your Tears, your Sadness, your Questions, your Faith, your Hope to Jesus, so that His Comforting and Loving Spirit may begin to heal you In the Name of God The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit Faafouina.

"3 Au o Lou Alofa e sili ona lelei lea i le ola; ou te vivi'i atu lava ia te Oe i o‘u laugutu. 4 O lea ou te fa'aman atu ai ia te Oe a o o'u ola; ou te si'i o‘u lima i Lou Suafa.....7 Au na fai Oe ma fesoasoani ia te a'u; ou te olioli foi i le Paolo o Ou Apa'au......3 Because Your Steadfast Love is better than life, my lips will praise You. 4 So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your Name I will lift up my hands...7 for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your... Wings I will sing for joy." (Salamo / Psalm 63: 3-4 & 7) I Le Suafa o Le Atua Le Tama, Le Alo ma Le Agaga Paia / In The Name of God The Father, The Son and Holy Spirit..... I've heard many reasons through the years why people attend Church including but not limited to..... "I had to come here when I was a kid and it just became a habit" "My Family has always come to this place so I thought why not." "I don't have anything else to do on Sunday Morning." "My boyfriend/girlfriend goes here so I go here....Hello?? "I like the Music and Singing." "Samoans always have good food after Church!" There might be bunch of reasons why we come to Church, but the Psalmist reminds us through these Verses based on his own personal experience of God why Worship was important to Him: *God's Steadfast Love was better than life. As great and wonderful the Psalmist's life had been at times, God's Love was better all the time. In Joy and Celebration, in Pain and Despair, God's Love remained Steadfast, Sure, Unconditional and Unending. *God had been the Psalmist's help and there were a multitude of situations during the Psalmist's life that he needed God's Help. Sound familiar? The Psalmist's Song reminds us there are many reasons that we can list why we come to Church, but the Reason to come to Worship begins with a heart and a life that is thankful that "God Loves Me", and that when we are in need, we have an incomparable Help: "O lo‘u fesoasoani mai ia Ieova lea, o Le na faia le Lagi atoa ma le lalolagi.....My help comes from the Lord, Who made Heaven and earth." (Salamo / Psalm 121: 2) In response, the Psalmist just doesn't turn up to the Temple to fill a spot or show his face or fall asleep. This is what the Psalmist does: "ou te vivi'i atu lava ia te Oe i o‘u laugutu.O lea ou te fa'aman atu ai ia te Oe a o o'u ola; ou te si'i o‘u lima i Lou Suafa....ou te olioli foi i le Paolo o Ou Apa'au / ...my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your Name I will lift up my hand....in the shadow of Your Wings I will sing for joy." Praise the Lord.....Bless His Name....Lift Up Your Hand....Sing for Joy All because the Psalmist knew who God was, and what God had done for him. Do we know who God is? Do we know what God has done for us? See you at Worship tomorrow Ia Manuia outou i Le Alofa o Le Atua / May you be Blessed in the Love of God Faafouina.

"O le Poloaiga Fou ou te tu'u atu ai ia te outou, ia outou fealofani; fa'apei ona Ou alofa atu ia te outou, ia fealofani fo'i outou. O le mea lea e iloa ai e tagata uma lava o O‘u So'o outou, pe afai ua outou fealofani.....A New Commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are My Disciples, if you have love for one another. (Ioane / John 13: 34-35) I Le Suafa o Ies...Continue reading

"A o lenei, Ieova e, o Oe lava lo matou Tam; o i matou nei o le omea, a o oe le Tufuga; o le galuega a Ou A'ao i matou uma...But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our Potter; we are all the work of Your Hand." (Isaia / Isaiah 64: 8) Vi'ia Le Atua mo Lenei Aso Fou / Praise God for This New Day What a wonderful Verse of Scripture this is for us, to help us grasp the journey of being made New by the Lord in this New Year!... Firstly, as the people of Isaiah's time did, we must recognize and the Place of God in our lives: our Father, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, Forgiver, Provider, Deliverer. Secondly, we need to admit and accept that yes, we are the clay. Not so easy when we want to be the sole Potter of our lives and situations. We can and have tried to shape our lives through many years and many attempts to look a certain way, to be what we think is best. How has that turned out for us? When we are willing to be the clay, we have surrendered our hearts and lives to the Lord. Thirdly, when we say alright Lord, I am the clay and You are the Potter, we are not putting our lives into the hands of some potter who didn't finish pottery school, or a potter who already has another full time job and pottery is a part time hobby, or a potter who turns up and after finding out you're Samoan, asks "Are you related to The Rock cause I heard all you Samoans are related?" The Master Potter that we entrust our lives to made Heaven and Earth and everything in them. Enjoyed a Sunrise or Sunset? Marveled at the awesomeness in the Wonders of Nature? Had your breath taken away by the sheer Majesty of the sights and sounds, the living, breathing expressions of Creation across this world? All of that, every single part of that, is Our Potter's work. Finally, in this today's Scripture from Isaiah, God's People realize that their efforts have been futile and disappointing in trying to mold their own lives. Lacking in love, vision, discernment, truth and humility, they chose a path devoid of the Lord that led them to disillusionment, sadness, anger and frustration. In that despair, they understand that the times where Love, Faith, Blessing, Grace, Peace and Hope were paramount in their Life Journey, God was molding them by His Spirit. We are all - if we choose to be the clay - being molded as a work in progress, not the finished product, by the Master Potter into the works of His Hand. What an excellent gift, a deep privilege, to have our lives be molded by God. "Ua faia e Ia mea uma lava e matagofie i o latou lava tausaga...God has made everything beautiful in its time." (Failauga / Ecclesiastes 3: 11) Let's humble ourselves, trust the Master Potter, to take the clay that is our lives, and in His Time make us into His People who are New for His Glory. Ia Manuia Lava Toega o Lenei Aso / May your Tasks that Remain for this Day Be Blessed Faafouina.

"Ou te foa'i atu fo'i ia te i latou le loto e tasi, ma Ou foa'i atu le Loto Fou i totonu ia te outou; Ou te ave'eseina le loto fatu ai totonu i o latou tino, ma Ou foa'i atu le loto a'ano ia te i latou....And I will give them One Heart, and a New Spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh" (Esekielu / Ezekiel 11: 19) Ona o Le Suafa Paia o Iesu Keriso / In the Holy Name of Jesus Christ: Talofa! Greetings!... For there to be a New Beginning in any situation, even in any person, there must a focused Purpose to that New Beginning. We cannot ask Jesus to make us New and then be half hearted or unenthusiastic about it. It's similar when our Children say to us they want to go to somewhere, and then when we as Parents are ready to go, and we say "Are You Ready?", the response is a distracted: "I Guess.." The Lord's Invitation and Promise to make us New, can only be received by hearts that are open and ready - focused, honest and certain - that they want to be made New. We can't guess. We need to make a Freewill, Genuine, Truthful Choice. To help us in this Transformation, the Lord says He will give us "...One Heart and a New Spirit I will put within them..." One Heart so that we won't be distracted, discouraged or divided about living the New Life that the Lord has purposed for us; and that we will commit to One Way, One Truth and One Life who is Jesus Christ. We will also receive a New Spirit - the Holy Spirit of God - who will renew and restore us to a rightful relationship with the Lord, and crush the heart of stone that has been hardened against God and kept us from Loving, Worshipping and Serving God, and replace it with a Heart that is waiting to be made New in Jesus Christ! I Pray that as we walk the opening steps of 2021, we would receive the Blessings of the Lord: "Ou te foa'i atu fo'i ia te i latou le loto e tasi, ma Ou foa'i atu le Loto Fou i totonu ia te outou; Ou te ave'eseina le loto fatu ai totonu i o latou tino, ma Ou foa'i atu le loto a'ano ia te i latou....And I will give them One Heart, and a New Spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh" (Esekielu / Ezekiel 11: 19) E Lelei le Atua....I Aso Uma Lava I Aso Uma Lava....E Lelei Le Atua God Is Good...All The Time....All The Time....God Is Good Faafouina.

"....O lenei, afai o ia Keriso se tasi, ua mavae mea tuai, o le tagata fou ia; ua mavae mea tuai, fa'auta, ua fa'afouina mea uma....Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a New Creation. The old has passed away; behold, the New has come." (2 Korinito / Corinthians 5: 17) Taeao Manuia Malamalama o Samoa / A Blessed Morning Church Family... St. Paul speaks clearly to us, based on his own profoundly piercing experience with Christ that transformed his life forever. Stuck in a life obedient to his personal ambition and fixated on the influences of his "Faith" that led to his leading the charge to persecute and hunt down the early Christians, Paul was a zealot for anything and everything that would bring down the burgeoning following and followers of Jesus Christ. But on the road to Damascus, an encounter with the Risen Jesus changed Paul's life forever; and Paul became a "New Creation!" (Galuega / Acts 9: 1-19) We can try all we want to make ourselves New, to make situations, relationships, issues, our attitudes and perspectives, even our Faith Walk and Journey with Christ New; yet if Jesus is not the Centre, the Reason, the Force, the Goal the Purpose, the Transformer of our Lives, for our being made New, then everything will be same old, same old. Muamua Le Atua! I don't have a New Year's Resolution, but let me share again with you this New Year's Guarantee: "....O lenei, afai o ia Keriso se tasi, ua mavae mea tuai, o le tagata fou ia; ua mavae mea tuai, fa'auta, ua fa'afouina mea uma....Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a New Creation. The old has passed away; behold, the New has come." (2 Korinito / Corinthians 5: 17) Change can be scary. New things often concern us. The fear of the unknown is a common phrase we hear. So if you're not sure about starting fresh, turning over a New Leaf, experiencing Metanoia.....Beloved remember this: The One who makes you and me New, makes us New Creations, is the Lord of Lord and King of Kings, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Risen Christ, the Saviour of the World! Jesus Loves You!! He's Got You!! Trust Him to make You New!! Ia Manuia outou i Le Alofa Agalelei o Le Atua Be Blessed in the Loving Kindness of The Lord Faafouina.

Worship program for this morning! See you at 9:50am for pre-worship!

For Our Beloved Church Family, Details for The Funeral Service of Deacon Carol Borce are as follows: *Date/Time: ... Sunday, 25 October 2020 @ 2.00pm. *Place: El Camino Memorial - Sorrento Valley 5600 Carroll Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 92121. *The Service will be held at Deacon Borce's Graveside. *Due to current COVID 19 Protocols. Masks are Required at the Funeral Service. Let us continue to keep Carol's Family in our Prayers for God's Love, Comfort and Peace to be with them through their time of Mourning and Grief. "Jesus spoke: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5: 4)

Worship Program for 10.18.2020

"For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's." Romans 14:8 We are saddened to inform our church family of Deacon Carol Borce's passing. Carol was a loved elder of our family in Christ here at the Malamalama o Samoa. Carol was the second eldest of two brothers and five sisters. Her parents were Teofilo and Jean Borce. Carol grew up in the Catholic Church and as a young woman joined the Re...ligious Order of the Catholic Church to become a Nun. Eventually she would leave and make her way into the workforce and be employed for Pacific Bell until her retirement at the age of 62. It was during a visit to a Sunday Morning service with her Mother Jean, that they made a decision to join our church. This was followed later with her Ordination into the Deacon Family on Communion Sunday of April 4 2004. Carol was a faithful and dedicated member of the Deacon Family, Chancel Choir and Women's Fellowship. She also supported the church in all aspects of the Spiritual and Physical life. Carol extended this support as well to the Sunday School Ministry. Carol was of Filipino, Caucasian and Native American descent, but she was an enthusiastic participator of the Samoan culture, desirous to learn about the culture and people she adopted as her own. Wherever she could help, Carol gave of her best. She regularly delivered Bread and sweets to the church, which was shared with members, friends and neighbors. Carol was a prayer warrior, and it was only as her health failed, that attendance became difficult for her. She continued to join us in prayer from her home. Carol was also an active member of the Wednesday Evening Bible Study, up until she was no longer able to commute. A very loving and selfless woman of faith, Carol's ultimate goal was to serve her Lord with a joyful heart and to be a reflection of His Love to all she came in contact with. Carol will be missed with much love by her church family. We offer up our sincere condolences to her surviving siblings and family, and pray God's comforting presence to dwell with us all during this time of grief and mourning. Funeral notice will be posted as it is confirmed. Manuia le malaga a le Afioga i le Tiakono - alu ia, alu ia i le Nu'u Paia. Faasoifuaina Carol! "Ua ou tau le taua lelei, ua i'u ia te a'u le tausinioga, ua ou taofi i le upu o le faatuatua." 2 Timoteo 4:7

Dear Friends, Unfortunately we are experiencing technical difficulties. We will resume as soon as possible. For now, have a cup of tea and biscuit and look at for the LIVE to resume, and pray that we will be up and running soon. Love and Blessings.

Worship program for Lotu Tamaiti 10/11/2020.

Worship program for 10/3/2020!