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First United Methodist Church

Place

First United Methodist Church of San Diego

2111 Camino del Rio South, San Diego




Membership: 3000 individuals

Pastor: Jim Standiford

Age: 62

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Born: West Virginia

Formation: University of Redlands, Redlands, CA; Claremont School of Theology, Claremont, CA

Years Ordained: 40

San Diego Reader: How long do you usually spend writing your sermons?

Pastor Jim Standiford: Fifteen to 20 hours. I write out a manuscript. I ­don’t always use it, but I always have it. I usually preach a series of sermons. ­We’re doing one on Old Testament heroes right now. So, obviously I research the scriptures and current stories that tie in and clearly make the application to ­people’s lives and what it means for us ­today.

SDR: ­What’s the lesson ­you’d like people to go away with?

PS: Not to get sucked into the interchange with the bully but to have enough self-confidence and strength of faith to say, ‘I’m okay. ­I’m a child of God. Sorry you ­don’t have a good opinion of me, but I feel pretty good about ­myself.’

SDR: What is the most prevalent sin you hear about or observe in your congregation?

PS: I think people rely too much on themselves and their own skill set, and we seem hesitant to turn to each other for help and to God for help. So ­it’s the old ego thing — ‘I ought to be able to handle this.’ But there are some things we need a little extra help ­with.

SDR: What is your biggest failure as a minister?

PS: My biggest failing is what I said about my people — there are times when I try to do it all and ­don’t allow ­God’s spirit room to ­work.

SDR: What is the mission of your church?

PS: We claim to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ; to follow his teachings and his ­life.

SDR: How does your sense of vocation fit in with that mission?

PS: In everything I do, I try to help people along the way as well as continue to grow ­myself.

SDR: What is the congregation’s greatest strength in carrying out this mission?

PS: We have a tremendous emphasis here on education and a very good educational program for people from the cradle to the grave. And we have a strong focus on mission in the community. We have an extensive multi-layered food ministry where we feed people and provide groceries for folks. We have 150 people involved in a reading program in local schools up in the mid-city area. We have our own tutoring program we operate here on Saturdays. We provide shoes for children. A lot of the things we do are oriented toward ­children.

SDR: Where do you go when you die?

PS: Into the loving arms of God, so I believe in a heaven. I have no idea what that looks like, but ­I’m counting on it being there. I think heaven is having a relationship with God and so the opposite of that is if you ­don’t have a relationship with God, ­it’s a pretty bad experience. And God determines that, I ­don’t. ­I’m pretty confident Christians are going to get that relationship, and whether other people have it or not, ­that’s ­God’s business. ­I’m just going to do the best job I ­can.

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Who, U.S.?
Place

First United Methodist Church of San Diego

2111 Camino del Rio South, San Diego




Membership: 3000 individuals

Pastor: Jim Standiford

Age: 62

Sponsored
Sponsored

Born: West Virginia

Formation: University of Redlands, Redlands, CA; Claremont School of Theology, Claremont, CA

Years Ordained: 40

San Diego Reader: How long do you usually spend writing your sermons?

Pastor Jim Standiford: Fifteen to 20 hours. I write out a manuscript. I ­don’t always use it, but I always have it. I usually preach a series of sermons. ­We’re doing one on Old Testament heroes right now. So, obviously I research the scriptures and current stories that tie in and clearly make the application to ­people’s lives and what it means for us ­today.

SDR: ­What’s the lesson ­you’d like people to go away with?

PS: Not to get sucked into the interchange with the bully but to have enough self-confidence and strength of faith to say, ‘I’m okay. ­I’m a child of God. Sorry you ­don’t have a good opinion of me, but I feel pretty good about ­myself.’

SDR: What is the most prevalent sin you hear about or observe in your congregation?

PS: I think people rely too much on themselves and their own skill set, and we seem hesitant to turn to each other for help and to God for help. So ­it’s the old ego thing — ‘I ought to be able to handle this.’ But there are some things we need a little extra help ­with.

SDR: What is your biggest failure as a minister?

PS: My biggest failing is what I said about my people — there are times when I try to do it all and ­don’t allow ­God’s spirit room to ­work.

SDR: What is the mission of your church?

PS: We claim to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ; to follow his teachings and his ­life.

SDR: How does your sense of vocation fit in with that mission?

PS: In everything I do, I try to help people along the way as well as continue to grow ­myself.

SDR: What is the congregation’s greatest strength in carrying out this mission?

PS: We have a tremendous emphasis here on education and a very good educational program for people from the cradle to the grave. And we have a strong focus on mission in the community. We have an extensive multi-layered food ministry where we feed people and provide groceries for folks. We have 150 people involved in a reading program in local schools up in the mid-city area. We have our own tutoring program we operate here on Saturdays. We provide shoes for children. A lot of the things we do are oriented toward ­children.

SDR: Where do you go when you die?

PS: Into the loving arms of God, so I believe in a heaven. I have no idea what that looks like, but ­I’m counting on it being there. I think heaven is having a relationship with God and so the opposite of that is if you ­don’t have a relationship with God, ­it’s a pretty bad experience. And God determines that, I ­don’t. ­I’m pretty confident Christians are going to get that relationship, and whether other people have it or not, ­that’s ­God’s business. ­I’m just going to do the best job I ­can.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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