THE NESTOR BELL Volume No. 37 Issue No. 1 ~ January 2021 Pastor Luis A. Garcia

(619) 423-2068 E-mail: church@nestorumc.com Website: www.nestorumc.com

“A nurturing center for ALL people, Making Disciples for Christ”

~PRAYER REQUESTS~ Strength, Comfort & Healing:

Nestor UMC Children and Youth

Active Duty Military:

Pastor Jonathan Esparza, Cecilia Garcia, Liz Lyle, Bill Shipley, Crickett Clowery, Guiterrez Family,

Israel and Zuri Guerrero, Don Susral, Linda Walden, Al Dildine,

Joanne West, Lilliana Vaca,

Raina Kerr, Bob Gibson, James Dixon, Kaleo Hizon Villamen, Tom Chaudoin, Vannesa Querouil,

Daniel and Karen Abbotts, Rosalie Pamintuan, Janice Dahl,

David and Vicki Hankins,

Barb Morrison, Macfarland Family, Roach / Sigmon Families,

Joi and Curt Bayse, Carimilita Palsco, Monica Wong,

Lorraine Hanley, Francine Maigue

Count Your Blessings… As we finish this year of 2020, I was wondering if people would be able to identify the blessings that they have received during 2020. So, I asked around in different meetings and conversations and the top three were… - Reencounter with family - The importance of God/Church in our lives - A vaccine! You can put them in any order but in the end, it captures that first commandment to love God with our whole heart… and to love our neighbor as ourself. We are missing terribly the fellowship of the church, and somehow we have been trying to compensate with video worship services and Zoom Bible studies and meetings. Although these tools have been effective, we still long for a “face to face” encounter in church! I would not deny that with difficulty for some and adaptations, we have discovered the importance of the close family relationships and the nurturing process of sharing and having loved ones close to us. And yes, we are all blessed by the arrival of the vaccine that will be good for people around the world. Yes, there are many things to be thankful for during 2020 and, yes, we pray for a much, much better 2021. More than other new year beginnings may this one be a truly new beginning…in our personal life, our family life, and for sure in the life of our congregation. May this reflection help us to realize how blessed we have been. As we read these lines and get ready to start 2021, let’s be in prayer for a blessed new year with our loved ones, with our neighbors, and with a growing relationship with God. From our staff and Pastor Luis, Happy New Year! Pastor Luis

Andrew Jean McClellan Jr. and Jahniya McClellan; Mia Felizardo;

Jared Williams; Saedy McCoy; Makayla Soria; Julia and Jayda Jeter; Christopher, Madison and D.J. Peffer;

Arya, Sophia and Aden Narciso; Graham, Finn, Ethan and Noah

Wahamaki; Naliyah Cabal; Yhazzie and Rhiane Ramos;

Raymond Barrera-Wells; Emzey and Ryder Sheppard; Bree and B.J.

Gorospe; Porter and Sedona Sayers; Aracely, Yazleen, Enrique and Miguel Arauz; Caleigh and Declan Villagran;

Diana and Julian Kuenzi; Jordan, Trinity and Jewell Bendorf;

Tristen Campbell; Neveah Frayre; Gavin and Nyla Wraight;

Alex, Aulani, Aubri and Averi Williams; Fantasia Rivera;

Mia, Marissa, and Sabrina Howard; DJ and Nicky Camden, Brook, Erika

and Nikole Jamieson; Jaxon and Ethan Schaffer; Colleen Abbott;

Kaila Otto and Karl Otto Jr.; Ezekiel Zachary Crann;

E.J., Lucas, Sal and Lorenzo Cota

Taylor Cuellar Davis, Hailey Lazko, Joseph Guerrero, Jacob Spradlin, Charyn McCurdy, Keenan Flores,

Spencer Brandt, Henry & Lucy Steele, Josh Peterson, Rafael Navarrete,

Josh Glover, Joy Zanghi, Dajeur Bruce-Malone, Sara Fernandez,

Dairon Frazier, Ron Ramos, Michael Waters, Joe McGuffie,

Chris Duran, Arturo Mota

Guidelines for Outdoor Worship on page 3.

Before our July

virtual worship, Chris

Wischstadt realized he didn’t

have any grape juice to set the Lord’s

Table at home the next morning. He

ran up to the store to get juice. When

he got home he realized he had

grabbed Cran-Grape.

A little something to laugh about

in all of this chaos.

Virtual Worships and

Zoom meetings.

2020 has been a year of changes and learning new

things. Yet through it all we have learned together,

we have supported each other and we are still strong.

Charge Conference 2020 was a little different.

Christmas Eve Service and Zoom Meeting

Outdoor Worship Service with Communion Epiphany Sunday—January 3, 2021

This Sunday we will have an outdoor worship service. We want to provide a safe and healthy place for worship. Please read these instructions carefully. Attendance: • By attending worship, you agree to follow these instructions and ushers’ instructions. • Send us an email or call us and leave a message if you will be attending the service. • Let us know how many people are coming with you. • You can bring your own chair. A designated place will be assigned for your family. • You can remain in your car or in a chair beside your car. • Ushers will help you to park in designated areas. • There is limited space in the shade, so we recommend that you bring a hat and water.

Worship: • We will have communion in prepackaged meal sets. • Communion will be distributed to you at your seat. • We will send you the lyrics for the hymns and songs and you need to print them. • No nursery or children’s activities will be provided but we will send an activity sheet via email.

Other logistics: • We are committed to using masks at all times during worship and

maintaining 6 feet of safe distance between people or family groups. • Bathrooms will be open, and ushers will control traffic to the bathrooms.

(This was also a requirement in order to get the authorization for worship.) • Please follow the sanitary instructions posted in the bathrooms. • At all times you need to follow the instruction of the ushers. • We also commit to no gathering before or after worship in groups.

Overall, we ask you to follow common sense, be safe and provide safety to your fellow members and enjoy worship.

The Good Neighbor Center and

good works during Covid. They pre

-bag all the food and hand out with

a no contact distribution on

Tuesdays. With all the precautions

they are still

serving about

200 families

a week.

At Home Coloring Pages

Over the year we sent out several

coloring pages to give people

something to do while stuck at home.

Rocks for Peace and

Nestor UMC’s work to help end racism.