St. Stephens Anglican Church will hold a Christmas Day Communion Service at 9:00 a.m. at the Fillmore Methodist Church, 421 Sespe Ave. Fillmore. For more information please call Fr. Bob Hammond 524-1697. Thank you and God Bless you all. Merry Christmas!

We will have an old fashioned Fiesta to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe this Sunday December 11th at 2PM. We will have music, great homemade food and dancers for all of our parishioners. Bring your family.
TODAY YOU CAN HELP CHRISTIAN FAMILIES IN THE HOLY LAND

This Sunday we will have a sale of rosaries, nativity scenes and other religious items all hand carved out of olive wood and made in Bethlehem. The proceeds from this sale will go towards Christian families living in the holy land. The items make very nice Christmas presents.

PASTORELA
Deacon Fernando from Sacred Heart Church in Ventura will present “La Pastorela” with actors from Sacred Heart. The presentation in Spanish on Sunday, December 18th in the Parish Hall following the 1PM Mass. Everyone is invited to attend this theatrical presentation. God Bless.

Our Christmas Tree Farm
Please invite your family & friends to support our Christmas tree farm. The Christmas tree began as a reminder of the tree of life and the life-giving cross of Jesus Christ. When you see the evergreen Christmas tree you will also see the life-giving tree of life on which Jesus hung as our crucified savior.

Our Lady’s Rosary Makers –there will not be a December meeting. We will resume in January
Thank You! You CONTINUED »

This Sunday, December 11, at 5 PM, the Bardsdale United Methodist Church's Chancel Choir will present its annual Christmas Vespers program in its historic Sanctuary.

Originated over 50 years ago by Choir Director Emeritus John Brothers, this gift to the community will feature regular and guest choir members and musicians playing and singing a variety of seasonal numbers that will put everyone in the spirit of the season. Choir Director Marsha Porter promises a program that tells the Christmas story with a mixture of tunes, melodies, and instrumentals that range from the familiar to non-traditional pieces.

There will be refreshments downstairs in LeBard Hall following the one-hour program.

The church is located at 1498 Bardsdale Avenue.

Written By JULIE PACE

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration is announcing a wide-ranging effort to use U.S. foreign aid to promote rights for gays and lesbians abroad, including combating attempts by foreign governments to criminalize homosexuality.

In a memorandum issued Tuesday, President Barack Obama directed U.S. agencies working abroad, including the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, to use foreign aid to assist gays and lesbians who are facing human rights violations. And he ordered U.S. agencies to protect vulnerable gay and lesbian refugees and asylum seekers.

"The struggle to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons is a global challenge, and one that is central to the United States' commitment to promoting human rights," Obama said in a statement.

Secretary of State Hillary... http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_GAY_RIGHTS?SITE=AP&SECTI...

Cardinal Tauran has thus called attention to the very real possibility in the future that Christian sites may be used for blackmail as a bargaining chip against Israel and the West, and that their security cannot be guaranteed by Palestinian governance. Indeed, one will recall the desecration of the Church of the Nativity in 2002, with Muslims seizing the site for 39 days, devouring the food supplies, and using Bibles as toilet paper:

Catholic priests in the church... http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/12/cardinal-lets-suppose-that-tomorrow-pa...

The Daily Mail headline goes straight for the elephant in the room: this is largely a phenomenon within Muslim communities in Britain. Indeed, Muslims commit 91 percent of honor killings worldwide; honor killings are encouraged by Sharia's inconsistency on whether parents can be held accountable for the death of their child. There is also the letter and spirit of Qur'an 4:34, which makes violence (yes, violence) an acceptable recourse for dealing with "disobedient" women.

Apologists are bound to point out that domestic violence exists in all societies, including the U.S. and Britain. That is true, but here is the difference: in those societies, it is actively denounced and combated, not covered over, denied, and excused, or even praised. In the report below, it is noted that the culprits are hailed as heroes in their communities.

The report, and reports about it, are sure to be denounced as "Islamophobic," even though it was an Iranian and Kurdish women's organization that compiled it. "Alarming rise of Muslim 'honour attacks' in the UK as police reveal thousands were carried out last year," from the Daily Mail, December 3 (thanks to all who sent this in):

Nearly 3,000 so-called... http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/12/uk-police-report-alarming-rise-in-hono...

UPDATE: The AFP piece below appears to be a mistranslation. Bougrab actually said "There is no such thing as a moderate Islamism": il n'existe pas d'«islamisme modéré». So back down the rabbit hole we go. (Thanks to Tom.)

Bougrab: Wonder of wonders, a truthful politician

Jeannette Bougrab is quite right. There are people who identify themselves as Muslims who are not interested in waging jihad against non-Muslims, but there is no form of Islam recognized as authentically Muslim by mainstream Islamic authorities that does not teach that the Islamic community has a responsibility to wage war against and subjugate unbelievers.

"A French minister of Arab origin says ‘there is no such thing as moderate Islam,’" from AFP, December 3:

A French minister said... http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/12/french-minister-of-arab-origin-there-i...

Written by David Sherfinski

A long-simmering battle in Virginia over the separation of church and state heads to federal court Monday, with a southwestern county school board fighting for the right to display the Ten Commandments in a public high school.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, in Roanoke, will hear arguments in the Giles County School Board’s motion to dismiss a complaint brought by a high school student and the student’s parent arguing that the biblical display violates the plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights under the Constitution.

The Ten Commandments has been displayed in all county schools for at least a decade before a complaint in December led to their removal and being replaced with a copy of the Declaration of Independence.

The issue went back... http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/nov/27/ten-commandments-dispute...

The Bardsdale United Methodist Church Bell ringers, the Orange Pealers, are having their annual exciting Christmas bell program on Saturday, December 3, 2011, at five pm, in Le Bard Hall. The hall is located at the church, on 1498 Bardsdale Avenue. The festive agenda includes dinner and dessert.

This interactive Christmas program features an opportunity for the audience to ring and sing carols, as well as listen to a mini concert given by the Orange Pealers. The suggested donation is ten dollars for individuals, and an all inclusive twenty-five dollars for families.

You may call either the church office (524-2070) or Marcia Heerema (524-3674), director, for reservations. You may also purchase tickets at the door, but seating is limited.

Written by Christopher Santarelli

Twitter was abuzz Sunday night with the usual chatter: plans for the upcoming week, one-liners from the Sunday morning news talkshows, polarizing comments on Tim Tebow’s latest miracle victory. But many were also talking about the gripping report airing on 60 Minutes, which took a heart-wrenching close look at several of the 16 Million American children currently living in poverty. The report focused on children homeless and living in cars in central Florida, an area of the country where the construction industry had especially collapsed.

Entitled “Hard Times Generation,” CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley led the report looking into the lives of several impoverished families, including the Metzger family of Arielle, 15, Austin, 13, and their father Tom. The children lost their mother at an early age and have been living out of a truck since foreclosure took their house five months ago. Tom is an unemployed carpenter who has been unable to find work since Florida’s construction industry fell apart. Here is a brief transcript of Pelley’s discussion with Arielle and Austin:

“Pelley: How long have you... http://www.theblaze.com/stories/60-minutes-airs-heart-wrenching-up-close...

Is deputy hotel manager Hossam al-Bana an Islamophobe?

The Salafist leader, whom the BBC compliments as "thoughtful and personable," acts as if the entire issue is about alcohol. What is at issue is not being harassed on vacation, and being able to relax without the fear of a dream vacation turning into a nightmare at the hands of a regime of thugs, in an atmosphere where conspiracy paranoia easily becomes hysteria. The atmosphere of hostility toward non-Muslims within the country may make non-Muslim tourists think twice as well. For women, there is also the issue of whether their bodily integrity would be respected in a place where sexual harassment and assaults go un-prosecuted, with victims blamed for not meeting standards of Islamic dress and conduct.

Really, who in the world would want to vacation in a country where churches are attacked and protesters are rammed by military vehicles, journalists are sexually assaulted, Jews are arrested as "spies," sexual harassment is accepted and encouraged, and the rate of female genital mutilation (see table below the map) is above 90 percent?

Egypt has a... http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/11/egypt-tourism-tanks-hotel-manager-says...

Over at Atlas Shrugs, Pamela Geller provides inside information on an all-too predictable and patently unjust Obama Administration practice:

US policy regarding the refugee resettlement program would shock most Americans if they only knew. The UN picks who becomes US refugees. Christians are being refused refugee status and face persecution and many times certain death for their religious beliefs under the sharia, while whole Muslim communities are entering the US by the tens of thousands per month despite the fact that they face no religious persecution.
It is horrifying that Afghan Christians are being refused refugee status by the UN and many Western nations, including Britain. The UN claims that Afghan Christians do not meet the criteria for refugees under Statute 6B of the UN High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR), which requires refugees to have "a well founded fear of persecution by reason of his race, religion, nationality or political opinion."

Since 1976, millions of... http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/11/christians-in-imminent-danger-across-t...

Islamic law forbids Muslims to leave Islam. These murders were revenge upon one Muslim who dared to exercise his freedom of conscience. "NEWS ALERT: Nigeria Militants Kill Children Of Christian Convert, Missionaries Say," by Stefan J. Bos for BosNewsLife, November 23 (thanks to Mackie):

ABUJA, NIGERIA (BosNewsLife)-- A militant group seeking to enforce Sharia, or Islamic law, throughout Nigeria, has shot and killed two children of an ex-terrorist and "murderer" because he converted to Christianity, well-informed missionaries told BosNewsLife Wednesday, November 23.
Boko Haram, meaning “Western education is a sin”, carried out the killings this month after discovering that a former fellow fighter refused to kill a Christian and instead accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, explained Rae Burnett, Africa Director of the U.S. based Christian Aid Mission (CAM) group.

Burnett told BosNewsLife that... http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/11/nigeria-muslims-murder-children-of-con...

Written by Billy Hallowell

Alexander Tsiaras, an image-maker and the author of the book “From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds,” gave a recently-published TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talk, during which he unveiled a spectacular video about fetal development.

The video, which graphically shows the process of human progression, begins by showing an egg being fertilized and ends by illustrating a baby’s actual birth. Throughout the clip, viewers see the full fetal development, with explanations about what, exactly, is happening at each phase. But the imagery is spellbinding.

Watch the... http://www.theblaze.com/stories/astounding-viral-video-depicts-an-unborn...

Written By TIM MAK

A large cross that had been prominently displayed outside a chapel on an isolated military base in northern Afghanistan was taken down last week, prompting outrage from some American service members stationed there.

“We are here...http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/69039.html

The Bardsdale United Methodist Church will again present its two popular Christmas musical programs to begin the holiday season and hopes that the community will mark their calendars to attend.

"Ring Noel", put on by the church's bell choir, The Orange Pealers, will be on Saturday December 3 at 5 PM downstairs in LeBard Hall. This wonderful event will feature a concert of Christmas carols by the choir under the direction of Marcia Heerema-Hoffman and allows guests to try their hands in ringing bells and joining in the musical merriment. A hearty meal accompanies the program. The suggested donation is $10 per adult, $25 per family and children under 5 years are free. Seating is limited and reservations are encouraged by calling the church at 524-2070 or Marcia at 524-3674.

On Sunday, December 11 at 5 PM, the annual Christmas Vespers program will be held in the church's historic sanctuary. This free one-hour program will feature a variety of holiday numbers featuring the Bardsdale Chancel Choir with guest voices and musicians and directed by Marsha Porter.

Please come and get in the spirit of the holidays with these two heart-warming programs.

The church is located at 1498 Bardsdale Avenue.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - The community is invited to California Lutheran University's annual Hanukkah celebration from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, in the Roth Nelson Room.

CLU's observance of the Jewish Festival of Lights begins at sundown with the lighting of the candles on the menorah. Guests can join faculty, staff and students in enjoying music, dreidel games and Hanukkah food such as latkes and jelly doughnuts.

Every year for eight days between the end of November and the end of December, Jewish people around the world celebrate Hanukkah to commemorate the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Jews defeated the Syrians and won their religious freedom in the second century B.C.E. Hanukkah is commonly referred to as the Festival of Lights because, following their victory, the Jews cleansed and purified the temple, and rekindled the menorah, a series of candles that symbolizes God's divine presence. Although it only held enough oil to burn a single day, the menorah burned for eight days.

The Roth Nelson Room is located on Mountclef Boulevard between Olsen Road and Memorial Parkway in Thousand Oaks.

CLU’s Office of Multicultural Programs and International Student Services and Hillel Club are sponsoring the free event. For more information, call the Multicultural Programs office at 805-493-3489.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University will mark the 23rd anniversary of World AIDS Day with a candlelight vigil and panel discussion on Thursday, Dec. 1.

CLU’s Center for Equality and Justice will host an HIV-positive speakers panel at 2 p.m. in the Swenson Center for the Social and Behavioral Sciences. A candlelight vigil will be held at 4 p.m. on the Swenson Center front patio. Resource tables will be in the lobby from 1:30 to 5 p.m.

The Swenson Center is located on Faculty Street near Pioneer Avenue on the Thousand Oaks campus. Parking is available at the corner of Olsen Road and Mountclef Boulevard.

This year, other Ventura County agencies are also hosting AIDS Day activities. A presentation on HIV and aging, a panel discussion, and a vigil will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, in the Ventura County Public Health auditorium at 3147 Loma Vista Road in Ventura. The Ventura County Council On Aging will donate a portion of the proceeds from its bingo game at 6:45 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at 4917 S. Rose Avenue in Oxnard to the Ventura County Public Health Center.

First observed in 1988, World AIDS Day was initiated by health ministers from around the world who called for a spirit of social tolerance and a greater awareness of HIV/AIDS on an international scale. The theme for this year’s observance is “Getting to Zero: Zero New HIV Infections, Zero Discrimination and Zero AIDS-Related Deaths.”

CLU’s Center for Equality and Justice, Wellness Programs, Campus Ministry and the HIV/AIDS Coalition of Ventura County are sponsoring the free events at CLU. For more information, contact Amanda Whealon at 805-493-3950 or awhealo@callutheran.edu. For more information on the other events, call Craig Webb with Ventura County Public Health at 805-652-3310.

Written by Bill Wilson

It is becoming increasingly clear that the man who occupies the Oval Office is linked to the "Occupy Wall Street" movement. On October 18 he told ABC News, "The most important thing we can do right now is those of us in leadership letting people know that we understand their struggles and we are on their side, and that we want to set up a system in which hard work, responsibility, doing what you're supposed to do, is rewarded. And that people who are irresponsible, who are reckless, who don't feel a sense of obligation to their communities and their companies and their workers that those folks aren't rewarded." The question is what "system" does the Occupier in Chief have in mind?

If you are known by the company you keep, there are definite clues to the answer. The Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement is endorsed by the Communist Party USA, the Nazi Party, labor unions, Islamic groups, even Iran's terrorist sponsoring "president" Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Former organizers of the president's banned community organization group, ACORN, are part of the OWS leadership. Former and unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers is advising the Chicago chapter. Socialist George Soros funneled money to OWS through the leftist Tide Foundation. Soros-funded socialist economist Joseph Stiglitz is teaching OWS members about the global economy. But, wait, there's more...

Amidst all the signs that say "destroy capitalism," "capitalism doesn't work," "America failed because of Christians," there is yet another sign. At Zuccotti Park in New York and at other OWS camps, Guy Fawkes masks are worn by Occupy protesters who are self-proclaimed anarchists. News stories say the masks have become the symbol of the OWS movment. Fawkes was a terrorist who tried to bomb British Parliament on November 5, 1605. He has become the symbol of revolution. Moreover, Zuccotti Park is owned by Brookfield Properties. Police will not remove the protestors unless Brookfield requests it. A major stockholder in Brookfield is George Soros.

Classic communistic tactics are to use the ill-informed to create crisis to maintain power. Isn't it interesting that top 2008 contributors to the president were Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley, totaling over $3.9 million? Soros contributed tens of thousands to the president's campaign through many organizations. While OWS is employing classical communistic revolutionary strategy for the president, there is ample evidence they are being duped. These are indeed perilous times where what appears to be is not, and what is, is not what it appears to be. Jesus said in Luke 19:13, "Occupy till I come." This parable meant that we be actively faithful to the tenets of the Christian faith until his return.

Resources:

Brookfield owns Zuccotti Park: http://www.dnainfo.com/20111006/downtown/only-park-owner-can-kick-out-oc...

Soros owns stock in Brookfield: http://www.gurufocus.com/stock.php?symbol=BAM

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com