IN THE SPIRIT

-- Story by Michele Marr

* Church name: Mesa Verde United Methodist Church

* Address: 1701 Baker St., Costa Mesa

* Telephone: (714) 979-8234

* Web site: o7 www.mesaverdeume.orgf7

* Denomination: United Methodist

* Year church established: 1960

* Service times: Sunday at 8:30 and 10 a.m., adult Bible study meets

at 8:30 a.m.; Sunday School for kindergarten through high school youth

meets at 10 a.m. The fourth Sunday of the month is Children’s Sunday,

except in the summer when it is every Sunday. On Children Sunday, the

children’s choir sings and all children attend church with their parents

for the first part or the worship service when there is a sermon prepared

for them.

* Christmas Eve service: 10:30 p.m.

* Senior pastor: Rev. Dick George

* Pastoral staff: Vicky Key, administrative assistant; Eliza

Rubenstein, director of music ministry; and Suzanne Morgan, coordinator

of religious education.

* Size of congregation: 408.

* Makeup of congregation: Close to 70% of the members are from the

Mesa Verde community, but increasingly, people are coming from Santa Ana,

Irvine, Newport Beach and even South County communities.

* Child care: Available at both Sunday services

* Type of worship: Music and preaching of the Word are central to the

worship in a way that involves both the head and the heart. Members are

challenged to go home and think about what we are expected to do, from a

Gospel perspective, in our lives and in our communities.

* Type of sermon: Biblically based, applied to the contemporary scene.

Themes generally come from the Scripture texts designated in the Common

Lectionary. George also draws from science, social science and the arts,

keeping in mind the United Methodist Church’s four “compass points on the

journey of faith” -- Scripture, tradition, reason and experience.

Christmas Eve sermon theme: “Christmas Can Change Us.”

* Welcome wagon: Visitors are invited to introduce themselves, but may

remain anonymous if they choose. They are invited to join members for

complimentary coffee and a doughnut following the service. If they leave

their name and address, they receive a note of thanks for their visit

from a member of the congregation. The pastor also sends a note with

information about the church.

* Outreach programs: The church has a strong and increasing focus on

outreach. The congregation is assisting a sister church, Trinity United

Methodist Church in Whittier, with building repairs. The Mesa Verde

church sponsors three major blood banks for the Red Cross each year. They

also assist S.O.S. and FISH, two Costa Mesa, nonprofit social service

agencies. They serve at Hospitality Kitchen once a month. They assist

Costa Mesa First United Methodist in the SHIP interfaith housing program

twice a year. They are usually among the top five churches providing the

greatest number of walkers participating in and raising money for the

annual CROP Hunger Walk.

Members of the congregation also participate in local Habitat for

Humanity projects. The women in the church are currently preparing for

the organization’s Women’s Build. Each fall the church sponsors an

Alternative Christmas Celebration featuring Habitat for Humanity, The

Heifer Project (a hunger project that establishes food resources by

supplying livestock to communities), Third World Hand Arts (a cooperative

project that provides Third World artisans markets for their wares),

Strength for the Journey (a program of the United Methodist Church that

offers support services and a summer camp to people afflicted with AIDS

or HIV) and Mary Magdalene House (an outreach facility for abused women

and children).

* Children and youth programs: A strong and growing church school

program is being augmented with the introduction of a computer lab in the

new year. Three active fellowship groups are offered for third through

fifth grade, junior high school and senior high school youth.

* Church design: A soothing, comfortable and hospitable setting.

* Vision statement: “Every visitor a friend. Every member in

ministry.”

* Interesting note: The church has an extraordinary music program that

includes two children’s choirs and a chimes choir. The adult Chancel,

Rejoice and Handbell choirs perform a Christmas concert in December. This

year’s concert featured “Gloria” by Vivaldi.