The 2025 Santa Barbara Mission Conference will be held February 1, 2025 at the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Barbara (21 E. Constance Ave, Santa Barbara).

Register now for “Engage,” the 23rd annual Santa Barbara Mission Conference. On Feb 1st, Keynote speaker Tim Soerens will help us deiscover the church right where we are.

His message will be supported by a panel of local practitioners who have been pursuing justice and Jesus for the long haul. They will share spiritual and communal practices that have sustained them, while bringing hope and healing to our community.

Afternoon breakout sessions will help us see the presence of God’s church in the midst of addiction, homelessness, isolation, and trafficking. Where might God be inviting you to discover the church, God’s people, at work in the world? Let’s journey together!

LEARN MORE + REGISTER

FM YOUTH presents the seventh annual “TACO TIME”

One taco at a time, one restaurant at a time, South Milpas to North Milpas For all 6th -12th graders Friday, January 10 5:45-7:45pm, $25 (or less, depending on your appetite)

Meet in the parking lot of Rosales Mexican Restaurant 827 E Montecito
Pick up at Taqueria El Buen Gusto, 836 N. Milpas SIGN UP by January 8

For more information contact Doug Ranck, Free Methodist Church, 1435 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara, California 93109, 805-252-3216 or doug@fmcsb.org

PERMISSION SLIP

Calling all women for our annual Christmas party! This event is always filled with laughter, singing, great food, fun, games and reflection on the coming of our Savior. Invite a friend or neighbor as we would love to expand and open our circles wider this Christmas season. Joy to the world, the Lord has come! That is what we hope to embody when we gather together for a great party on December 10th.

For the party please bring:

Your favorite Christmas Mug

An appetizer or dessert to share

An item for Food for the Kitchenless! This would be a nonperishable sing-serving food items that can be eaten without using a kitchen or kitchen appliances. Items such as:

Bumble Bee, Snack On The Run, Tuna or Chicken Kits (or similar brand)
Protein bars
Granola bars
Cereal bars
Energy bars
Trail mix bars or pouches
Individually wrapped peanut butter or cheese crackers
Applesauce or fruit in squeeze pouches
Fruit snack pouches
Individually wrapped snack size packs of crackers
Individually wrapped snack sized packs of cookies

Families are welcome to the Patterson's new home for a special Supper Club Christmas Party on Sunday, December 8th! Come any time after5:30pm for fellowship, to share a meal, and celebrate the Christmas season. Childcare will be provided, so please reach out to sandy@fmcsb.org if you plan on attending.

Scotland Ministry Update with the Elliotts
Sunday, December 8th, 3:00pm, The Kass’ Home

Come hear more about the vision of Jake and Breean’s mission to Glasgow, Scotland next spring. They are having a gathering to share details and answer questions about the mission and our support needs this Sunday, December 8 at 3:00pm at the Kass home on 724 Mission Canyon Rd. Parking is limited so carpooling is encouraged. 

ALL CHURCH CAROLING- the YALL team wanted to usher in the Christmas cheer and have a time for the whole church to go caroling across the street at Villa Santa Fe (low income senior housing). We’d love you to join us and feel free to invite a friend! We will start with caroling at 5:30pm and then gather in the Upper Room at 6:30pm for some hot cocoa and treats.

More details:

Meet in Upper Room no later than 5:30pm so you can get your lyric sheet and then be with the group before they head over at 5:45pm. Come back around 6:30pm or so for some hot chocolate and treats. Contact Mary Woodyard ( <woodyard.marylinda@gmail.com> or Kaylie Grant <kayliagrant14@gmail.com> if you have any questions.

We are offering free childcare so that parents can go out and run errands on December 7th! Children must be 2 years and older. We are just asking for $5 for a pizza lunch. Use the form below to sign up!

SIGN UP

Wednesday, December 4 | 7:00-8:00 PM | Youth Room
For all 6th-12th graders

Bring a “white elephant” gift wrapped in newspaper and invite a friend! For more information call Doug @ Free Methodist Youth Ministries, 805.252.3216

Join us on November 24th for a Service of Gratitude at 10:30am in the sanctuary. In this service we will worship, reflect on the things we are grateful for, and rejoice in God's faithfulness together. Immediately following the service we will share a Thanksgiving meal together prepared by Chef Michele and her team.

To contribute to the meal, we ask that you bring a side dish or dessert to share with everyone (please include serving utensils). Drop it off in the kitchen foyer before the service.

MISSIONS MARKETPLACE

On November 17th, from 8:00am - 12:00pm in the Upper Room, MISSIONS MARKETPLACE will be offering you the opportunity to find gifts for the Christmas season, and beyond, while supporting and partnering with some great global ministries. 

There will be products from Heavenly Treasures (East Africa, etc), "Turn the Page Uganda,"  Touch of Love (India), and Sarobidy Creations/ Sarobidy Birth Center (Madagascar).

Come and shop with a purpose!

College Hangout at Shoreline Park
Sunday, November 10, 12:15pm
Shoreline Park by Upper Parking Lot

We invite all college students, faculty, and staff to lunch at Shoreline Park after the second service on Sunday, November 10. Come enjoy some food and lawn games at the beautiful park just below our church campus. 

Breaking Bread Together is an event to help you fellowship with others around some delicious food. This is a great way for you to meet new people or get to know familiar faces a little better. Our goal is also to foster connections across generations, so we will intentionally be pairing up hosts of different ages/stages to host the dinners.  Our hope is for different generations to come together in fellowship and friendship! :) 

Who: You and (about) 7-9 other church goers (of various ages and stages) will be placed in a group. 
When: Dinners will be held on the evening of Wednesday, November 6th at 6:30pm 
Where: Dinners will be hosted at various homes in Santa Barbara. The week before the dinner, you will be contacted by your host letting you know where you will be eating and what dish you will need to bring (You should hear from your host no later than Saturday night November 2nd) 
What (to bring): The host will let you know but don't worry, no one person will be responsible for everything.
Why: Life is so much better with food, friends, and fellowship! And afterall, table fellowship was a very important part of Jesus’ ministry. :)

Save your spot at the table by filling out THIS FORM by the morning of October 31st.

Our annual Fall Family Festival is happening Saturday, October 26th, from 11:30am-2:30pm! Our parking lot will be transformed into a “fun zone” with bounce houses, games for all ages, a cotton candy machine, prizes, Trunk or Treat, and more! Lunch is also available for purchase during this event. This is a free event for the community, so all are welcome to attend. Bring your family, friends, and neighbors, and dress up in something fun (no scary or violent costumes, please).

We look forward to seeing you there!

VOLUNTEER AT FFF
Can you help us put on this party for our community? Volunteers serve food, set up and decorate, spend an hour running games for the toddlers/preschoolers or elementary school children, monitor the bounce houses, set up their cars for Trunk-or-Treat, and help tear down/clean up. Can you share an hour of your time for the children of our community?

VOlunteer HERE

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” 

Philippians 4:6-7

In my prayer time this week, I felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to have a day of prayer and fasting in our sanctuary. This is a time of great sadness for people, and each day we are talking to those who are struggling and suffering in very real and painful ways. This is a time of great anxiety for many, who are overwhelmed by the conflicts around the world and the state of politics in our nation. This is a time people have turned away from God, and are lost and alone. This is a time of crisis in various aspects of our society, which means a sad reality for a lot of people. This is a time when the Church is being pressed in on many sides and is needing to discern how to truly follow Jesus together. 

A few weeks ago, we had a time of prayer in the sanctuary on Sunday morning, where the Lord met us in powerful and life-giving ways. We wanted to extend another time for you to come and pray, and we wanted to invite you to fast with us. The Bible teaches us to seek God in times of worry and distress. Jesus taught us to humbly come in prayer, expecting God to answer. We are told to fast and pray before the Lord, in order to have our senses more attuned to God’s voice. Fasting from food is a response before God in a time of grief or to prepare ourselves for a sacred moment. We give up our regular eating patterns in order to present ourselves before God free from our reliance on anything but Him, which we are hoping you will join us in. 

This day of prayer will be in the sanctuary on October 24th, from 6:00am-6:00pm. You are invited to come anytime and pray or you can set aside an hour to do so at home. There will be various times during the day where pastors will be available to pray with you at the altar as well, which we will post. We will provide scripture prompts and writing materials, in case you want to write down your prayers. We will then end with worship in the sanctuary at 6:30pm, at the Thursday evening service, where Pastor Helen will be preaching on the Transfiguration, a moment when heaven and earth came together in a miraculous way.  

What an amazing thing that we have a God who invites us to seek and to knock and to ask. We have a God who invites us to join Him in interceding for the needs around us. We take this invitation seriously and hope you will join us for the day of fasting and praying. 

  ~Pastor Colleen, for the entire pastoral staff

(if you are physically not able to fast from food, we recommend you to let go of a daily aspect of your life that you rely upon, in order to be fully present to God’s Spirit.)

We could use your help preparing for our annual Fall Family Festival. Come down to the preschool area on Wednesday, October 23rd, at 6:30pm to do some last minute prep for this amazing event. Any and all are are welcome to come help. The more the merrier!

Monday, September 23
5:30-7:30pm 
16 S. Canada St

Drop by Pastor Jake and Breean's house for a hearty bowl of soup, and get to know other students and faculty that are part of the church. We know students are busy, so come and go anytime between 5:30 and 7:30pm.

Backyard Conversations: A Conversation about Justice in Santa Barbara and how to get involved

September 18th, 7:00pm

We will be congregating in the Wheatley’s backyard (2010 El Camino De La Luz) for dessert and good conversation. We will be chatting with and hearing from folks in our congregation who have been pursuing justice in Santa Barbara for a long time and who have wisdom and opportunities to share. Are you interested in justice opportunities in Santa Barbara? Do you enjoy gathering with others to talk about important things? Do you have questions about your role in the community? Then come on out and let’s sit and learn together around the firepit. 

Vitalant is bringing their bloodmobile on Saturday, September 14th from 9:30am-12:30pm for a blood drive! Whether you have given many times before, or this would be your first time, Vitalant makes it easy. Your donation helps replenish the blood supply- a continued need in our county and beyond. We hope you will consider donating.

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

Save the Date for our upcoming Men’s Retreat on Saturday, September 14th, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at Toro Canyon Park. Our theme this year is “WAITING ON GOD:  Trusting Him in Good and Bad Times.” The speaker for this year is Rev. Dr. Denny Wayman, our retired lead pastor. He is a man who loves God, walks in wisdom, and cares well for God’s people. Registration includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Register online or at Connection Central. All men, high school and older, are welcome. For more information, contact Pastor Doug at doug@fmcsb.org

$25 Registration (General)
$10 for College students/young adults 30 & under (thanks to a generous scholarship gift)*
* Use promo code “COLLEGE” at the bottom of the registration form

REGISTER HERE

Supper Club is a chance for parents to gather once a month to share life together. The children go to a park with babysitters while we open the word and pray together. This year we will be discussing the sermon passage (feel free to come even if you missed church). When the kids come back to the house, we have a potluck spaghetti dinner. All are welcome!

For our September 8th gathering, we will meet at Leadbetter Beach! Childcare will be provided from 4-5:30pm and then we will enjoy a potluck dinner together. Please bring a dish to share! From October on, we will gather at the Patterson’s house.

We are so excited to invite you all to our All Church Picnic on September 1st at 4:00pm at La Mesa Park.

It will be a great time of connection with one another as we share a delicious meal made by Chef Michelle, play some yard games, and chat with one another. There will also be a bounce house for the kids!

Please bring ready-to-serve dessert to share with everyone and the utensils that may be needed to serve the item.

Are you interested in volunteering in your community?

It’s almost time to help serve at Transition House! We are currently looking for some volunteers to help prepare the dinner meal. You can also help by donating funds or food items to help make this dinner happen. Reach out to Pastor Nikki, nikki@fmcsb.org, for more information about how you can get involved in this important ministry.

Ladies, do you enjoy a good brunch? A fun conversation with friends? Have you read anything fun or intriguing recently that you have been wanting to share and talk about? Are you wanting to gain inspiration to start reading again? YES?!

We invite you to join the women of FMCSB for a morning of fellowship at Carol Pagel's house, 1343 Cliff Drive, from 9:30am - 11:30am Saturday, August 10th. 

Bring a book you've enjoyed recently, either a physical copy or digital, AND a brunch dish to share. We will spend time brunching, and also sharing about the book that you brought. You will come home with not only your own book, but an amazing list of new books to read!

For more information contact Pastor Nikki at nikki@fmcsb.org.

MADAGASCAR UPDATE with Jamie and Alissa Shattenberg
Wednesday, August 7, 6:30-8 pm
Free Methodist Church Upper Room

Join us for this informative time with Jamie and Alissa, our global mission partners in Madagascar. They are home for a brief stay and excited to share with us the latest and greatest work the Lord is doing. This will be a meaningful time to help each of us be better prayer partners and teammates.