June 8, 2011
Vol. 28, Issue 12
OFFICE: (818) 886-1555 FAX: (818) 886-9105
WWW.NORTHRIDGEUMC.ORG WEEKDAY PRESCHOOL: (818) 886-4949 SUNDAY WORSHIP AT 9:00 & 11:00 AM
BISHOP MARY ANN SWENSON
DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT CATHLEEN COOTS
REV. STEVE PETTY
KATHERINE STANFILL, DIRECTOR OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
Jazz Vespers presents...
The Lesa Terry Quartet performs on
Sunday, June 12th at 6 PM in the Sanctu-
ary. Joining Lesa on violin are Lanny
Hartley, piano; Nedra Wheeler, bass; and
Munyungo Jackson, percussion. Dusty
Stiles will be our artist / photographer.
As a violinist, composer, artistic director, educator,
and scholar, Lesa Terry is at the vanguard of
contemporary musical interpretation and an artist whose
creative genius brings distinctive innovation to musical
performance. With a master’s degree in Afro-Latin mu-
sic and pursuit of a doctorate in Ethnomusicology, she
brings unique knowledge and originality.
Lanny Hartley is a jazz pianist, conductor and
composer with a solid gospel music background, who
has performed with such great jazz artists as Lou Rawls,
Linda Hopkins, and Ernestine Anderson.
Nedra Wheeler, bassist, composer and bandleader,
brings artistic versatility (bass, composition, vocals) and
experience with diverse musical genres including jazz
(straight ahead and contemporary), pop, R&B, and
world music. She has performed and recorded with such
greats as Stevie Wonder, Ella Fitzgerald, Pat Benatar,
and Bob Dylan.
Daryl "Munyungo" Jackson began as a classical
pianist but soon began to play timbales in a Latin jazz
band. Jackson became hooked on Latin styles of
percussion, working with traditional drummers from
Africa, Latin America and Asia, building an interna-
tional resumé of musical styles, and a collection of over
400 pieces of equipment. Jackson has performed with
Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Miles Davis and Anita
Baker, and worked on film and television soundtracks.
For more information, see www.lesaterry.com,
www.lannyhartley.com, www.nedrawheeler.com, and
www.munyungo.com.
Wetlands Visit Planned
Family Ministries and the Outreach Committee of NUMC
are jointly sponsoring two volunteer opportunities, one in
June and one in August. The first opportunity is the Habitat
Restoration Volunteer Day on Saturday, June 25th at the
Ballona Wetlands located in Playa del Rey (off Lincoln
Blvd.). See page 4 for details of August Beach Clean-Up.
The Habitat Restoration is scheduled to run from 9:30 a.m.
until noon. Volunteers will remove trash and non-native
plants from the Ballona Wetlands. Between 1999 and 2007,
volunteers have removed over 8,400 cubic yards of invasive
plants, trash, and debris from the wetlands, equaling more
than 450 tons of material. Over 800 native plants have been
carefully planted and tended by dedicated volunteers.
Anyone can join in a Fresh Water Marsh Tour which will
take place from 10 to 11 AM.
For carpooling, be at the church at 8:30 AM. For addi-
tional information, pick up a flyer in the church office or
check out the Ballona Wetlands Website: http://
www.ballonafriends.org/restoration.html
Prayer Service The monthly Prayer Service in the Spirit of
Taizé will be held on June 26 at 6 PM in the Sanctuary.
Please join us for a candlelight service. It will be an oppor-
tunity to take time to recharge your batteries and reflect on
what is important.
Page 1
Sermon Titles for June
June 12
―Potable‖
John 7: 37-39
Pentecost / Receiving Confirmands
June 19
Cherub Choir Sings / Father’s Day
The Preacher’s Part There is moving, and there is settling in, and there is
being at home; it’s a process.
I thought about this a bit as we were conveying corru-
gation from one abode to another. By changing houses
after a year, we find ourselves in different stages with dif-
ferent parts of our lives.
Forty-one years ago we packed all of our
belongings — clothes, bedding, a tape deck, and a
cedar chest — into the back of a Rambler Cross Country
Wagon, and hauled it all 1,254 miles to Denver. I-70 was
under construction so we went the long way through Albu-
querque and over Raton Pass. We borrowed the Rambler
for the weekend to move the stuff, because it wouldn’t fit
in the Sunbeam Alpine that I owned. We returned the
Rambler to Pacific Palisades, picked up the Alpine in San
Diego and returned to Denver — three trips totaling almost
4,000 miles in five days — all that to move what would fit
in a station wagon and a roadster. We were younger then!
Now, it takes all four of our children, spouses or
friends, a 16-foot rental truck that made multiple trips, and
three days to move most of our stuff one mile. We have
mountains of boxes in the garage, a four-bedroom house
full of furniture, and we still have a few more things to
schlep over in the next few weeks. Lucky for me, the of-
fice didn’t change.
So, after one year in Northridge we find ourselves in
the moving-in stage with our domestic life. What goes
where? What is the most efficient way to do that? We
need to get one of those, and that, and maybe a couple of
these. And maybe this would go better over there. It will
be months of nesting as we move into the new digs on Kil-
limore Ave.
On the church front, we’re finishing up the moving-in
stage. We have run the liturgical cycle from Advent
through Easter. We will finish the annual cycle on
Pentecost with the reception of Confirmands on June 12th.
You will have seen me lead the congregation through all
the holy seasons. I will have seen how the church, its com-
mittees, its people, its leaders function together through the
course of the year.
In July we begin settling in; our second year together
we make it our own. What will we do that will be uniquely
ours in the coming months and years?
Being a So. Cal native means that much of the local
culture is not new to me. I’ve been watching the
Channel 4 news since Tom Brokaw was in the anchor
chair. I understand the freeway system. I rooted for
UCLA in basketball during the John Wooden years, and
USC in football during the John McKay years. I’ve lived
through big earthquakes, umpteen firestorm seasons,
drought years and flood years. But I have never before
lived in ―The Valley‖.
This is a unique and wonderful place, but the task of
getting your head around The Valley is daunting. There is
just so much here that it is difficult to fathom it all.
What I do know is this:
> If you can’t buy it in The Valley, you haven’t looked
hard enough.
> There are many neighborhoods in which there is ex-
treme wealth and extreme poverty, and sometimes within a
few blocks of each other.
> There are more amazingly talented people here than
anywhere else I have lived, and I would guess more per
capita than anywhere else in the world.
> What we want to become as a church is unknown to
most of the congregation. We are just a bit too
complacent about church life. We are just a bit too happy
with what we have now. We are just a bit too contented
with what we have been.
> What we can do and what we can become are limited
only by our vision and our will.
> Anything we can build will last only as long we can
make the expenditure to maintain it. Buildings, programs,
staffing, administration, all require a lot of energy and
money to maintain.
> There are more ways to fund ministry than we have
faithfully explored. We will look at some new ways this
summer and fall. But we must be constantly on the look-
out for more creative ways to do things.
Finally, I am excited about the future. We have all the
building blocks in place. We just need the mortar and the
blueprints, and we can build this church and its programs
into one of the best things going in The Valley.
I am excited, and I look forward to feeling at home in
Northridge for years to come.
Love,
Page 2
Our condolences and prayers to Mike Walker
and family, on the death of Mike’s brother Bob.
Prayers of healing for:
Mel Anderson; Marion Dugan; Heather Fritch;
Virginia Jackson; Pat Kendall; Lillian McPherson;
Jacquie O’Connor; Catherine Phillips; Amanda
Snider; Jeanne Webb; and Win Wheatley.
Prayers for all those undergoing treatment and those in
pain.
Prayers of safety for all our Service Personnel serving
at home and abroad.
Page 3
Dear Church Family,
Thank you to all who volunteered to provide
transportation for those NUMC members who are not
able to drive themselves to worship services, to church
activities, to the doctor, to other appointments, etc. And
special thanks to Nancy Leverage for stepping forward
to coordinate Traveling Angels, this important new
NUMC program.
If this is a ministry that appeals to you and you have
not yet signed up for this, please call Nancy Leverage or
the church office to let them know you will help.
Anyone needing transportation may contact Nancy or
the church office to request help from a fellow NUMC
member.
Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will
fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
Screening “The Lives of Others”
Church and Society (part of Outreach Ministries Team) will be screening "The Lives of Others" on June 13
at 7 PM in the Kendall Building. This 2006 film won the Academy Award for best foreign language film.
The story takes place in 1984 in East Berlin, where a man who has devoted his life to ferreting out "dangerous"
characters as a member of the secret police is thrown into a quandary when he investigates a man who poses no threat. The
member of the secret police becomes increasingly involved in the lives of the man and his lover.
American journalist John Podhoretz called the film "one of the greatest movies ever made, and certainly the best film of
this decade." William F. Buckley, Jr. wrote in his syndicated column that after the film was over, "I turned to my
companion and said, 'I think that this is the best movie I ever saw.' " The movie gave a powerful, subtle depiction of how
people can rise above the moral corruption in which they are placed. The movie also generated controversy, as it was seen
to soft-pedal the oppressiveness of the German Democratic regime. The movie is in German with English subtitles. The
movie is rated R. There are a few moments of intensity, but no violence is shown on screen. There is brief nudity, and
one profanity is used.
To the NUMC congregation,
I want to sincerely thank you all for your support in my
―almost‖ mission trip to Manila, Philippines. The mis-
sion trip was cancelled, as the program in the Philip-
pines has been closed. I especially want to thank all
those who listened to my presentation at the Mission
Committee meeting in October 2010. These include
Mike Easterly, Dorrel Atteberry, Eleanor Serrano and
many more involved in the committee.
My deepest thank you for your prayers, support and
financial support that has shown me that I have a strong
foundation of friends in this church, and I know deep
down that all of you care. I thank you again for every-
thing this church has done for me in my past and pre-
sent.
Your sister in Christ,
Trisha Leverage
Thank You
Dear Church Family,
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all in our NUMC
family who responded to our ―Hey Pastor‖ about medical
equipment to share with other NUMC members in need.
We have received offers to lend the following items:
Bed pads, canes, commodes, crutches — adjustable
and others — a hip kit, hospital bed sheets, a patient serv-
ing tray, a sliding board bed-to-wheel chair, shower
chairs, walkers, and wheel chairs.
If you, or someone you know at NUMC, has a need for
medical equipment, please call the church office and see
whether we have the needed item for your use, and how
to coordinate your getting the equipment.
“By this everyone will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35
* * *
Page 4
A Found Congregation
When was the last time you found something that was lost? Did you misplace your glasses (always look on top of your
head first), your purse or wallet, the car keys — the ones attached to your house key — or the address and telephone number
of your best friend — the one you promised yourself to get in touch with that very day. Well, most all of us have experienced
that sinking feeling of trying to locate something, particularly when we were already late for an appointment or for our turn
at picking up the children from school. What do we do? Most of us try to calm down, take time out, think about where we
last had possession of the missing article; or we sound the alarm, man the battle stations, call all-hands-on-deck, and, if need
be, circle the wagons with a call for help from family members.
Then, do you recall the good feeling, the exhilaration, and the joy that almost overwhelmed you at finding whatever was
missing? Usually we rely on family or some close friend to help us out in our search for something we have misplaced. We
organize our search plan so we do not aimlessly wander about going over the same repetitive steps. What was our solo fruit-
less effort suddenly became welcomed assistance from everyone. Our initial panic gave way to pleasurable relief. How much
more emotion and distress occur when what is missing is the family pet or, far worse, a child. Suddenly everyone is present
to help, and do we not all take a measure of relief and credit at the conclusion of a successful search.
So, too, is our involvement in our church as we reach out to find missing, lost, or strayed members — an emotional roller
coaster ride of an awareness of some person no longer attending — to the gratification of seeing once again an old friend or
recognizing for the first time a welcomed newcomer. Yes, we have a membership team — and yes, the church office is well
organized to follow up on all contacts — but think of our potential when all of us sense a belonging and responsibility for the
building of our congregation. My goodness, a committee of over three hundred of us actively searching for new or lost or
missing members becomes a force that is unbeatable. What a Committee of the Whole, and how we can all celebrate each
and every additional person who ―once was lost, now am found‖!
Charles Mortensen For the Membership Team
BEACH CLEAN-UP
Family Ministries and the
Outreach Committee of
NUMC are jointly sponsoring
a beach clean-up day for
Saturday, August 6th from 9
to 10 AM.
The beach clean-up is being
hosted and coordinated
through the Surfrider Founda-
tion West Los Angeles/
Malibu Chapter. Carpooling will be available.
More details to follow. The website link is: http://
s u r f r i d e r w l a m . o r g / w p - c o n t e n t /
uploads/2008/06/2011beachcleanup_FRONT.jpg
If you would like to participate in the
planning of such events, please contact Denise
Woerner or Mike Easterly.
NUMC Hikers:
Saturday, July 2
NO HIKE
Have a Happy 4th of July!
Saturday, August 6th
The All-Church Hike for August 6th, originally
planned for Placerita Canyon, has been changed.
NUMC Hikers are invited to participate in the
Family Ministries / Outreach Team Beach Clean-Up on
August 6, from 9 to 10 AM at Paradise Cove.
Carpools will meet at 8 AM in the church parking
lot.
Help Others, Donate Blood
A Red Cross Blood Drive will be held
on Monday, July 11, from 12 to 8 PM,
in Fellowship Hall. Sign-ups will start
on Sunday, June 12 during coffee fel-
lowship. For more information, call
Joann DeSantis.
Page 5
Confirmation Sunday Sunday, June 12, at 9 and 11AM
Come and support our youth who have
completed the Confirmation Classes and
will be received into membership at
NUMC.
Reception for Confirmands, 10 AM
in Fellowship Hall.
Vacation Bible School at NUMC
July 25 to July 29, 9 AM to Noon
Our children will become chefs-in-training at Shake It Up Café, traveling from station to
station, as they discover God's recipe for living. In this kid-friendly café full of chef's hats
and aprons, pots and pans, checkered tablecloths, and chalkboard menus, kids explore the
Bible as a cookbook filled with recipes for living out God's word. Through interactive les-
sons that are easy for kids to apply to their lives today, children will celebrate biblical festi-
vals that reveal ingredients for being a follower of God.
Volunteers are still needed for Vacation Bible School
We need help before Shake It Up Café VBS. We need people to pray for VBS, coordinate publicity,
paint backdrops, distribute publicity, make costumes, make phone calls, help with pre-registration, pro-
vide supplies, gather donations, create decorations, prepare craft packets and help with the kickoff
event.
We need help during Shake It Up Café VBS. We need help with childcare, being a registrar, providing
transportation, taking photos, greeting participants, providing snacks for leaders, praying for the chil-
dren and setting up rooms each day.
We need help after Shake It Up Café VBS. We will need people to send
thank-you cards, to take down decorations and to return donated items.
Our first training meeting is set for June 26th in the Kendall Building from Noon to 2 PM.
Lunch will be provided!
Visit our website www.northridgeumc.org to register your children and to register yourself as a
volunteer. You will be glad you did!
A Celebration of Graduates Please let the office know the
names of any graduates, in-
cluding their schools and future
plans. We will celebrate them
on Sunday, June 19th.
Thank You to everyone who ordered popcorn to
support our SSP trips. If you want to support the SSP Mission Trips but did not order popcorn, you can still help fund the trips by sending a check — with ―Youth Missions‖ on the memo line. Popcorn will be available for pick-up in Fellowship Hall on June 12th and June 19th.
Leadership Training Trip!
W e h a v e t h e e x c i t i n g
opportunity to participate in
Disney’s new ―Youth Education
Series‖ on Monday, June 27th
(ALL DAY).
This 3½ hour class at
Disneyland Park has hands-on courses to increase
learning desire, encourage students to reach their po-
tential and demonstrate teamwork — all in a unique
setting that combines the classroom with the real
world.
After the class we will have the rest of the day to en-
joy Disneyland and bond as a group. ALL NUMC
youth (entering Grades 6 to High School Graduates)
are encouraged to be a part of this special opportunity.
I have enrolled 14 spots for our youth in the
―Leadership in Action: Pursuit of Excellence‖ pro-
gram.
Please let me know ASAP if you want to be a part of
this. Priority will go to those attending SSP
mission trips this summer.
RSVP — [email protected]
Children and Youth Activities
Page 6
Newsletter Articles Are Due Articles for the next newsletter, dated June
22, 2011, should be submitted before 4 PM,
Tuesday, June 14, 2011. Please send
pictures, articles and/or information to:
UMW Salad Luncheon The Northridge United Methodist
Women Noon Fellowship Group will
meet on Tuesday, June 21 at 11:30 AM
in the Kendall Building. This gathering
will be our annual salad bar luncheon, so
plan to attend and bring a salad to share!
A representative from Ride On Therapeutic
Horsemanship Agency will tell us about their work with
disabled children. All women of the church are invited. Eat Out Monday
@ Pick Up Stix
―Eat Out Monday!‖ on June 13 will be at Pick Up
Stix, 19751 Rinaldi Street.
Pick up a flyer in the office or in the Narthex. Take the
flyer to the restaurant from 11 AM to 9 PM and present
it to your server when ordering, and 20% of the sales
will donated to the church for Family Ministry.
Mark your calendars, plan ahead and invite friends!
Mission Projects Planned
My friends from Costa Rica – Kiki, Yolanda, Wil, Felipe,
Hugito, Fanny, and Hugo – are the dedicated staff of Costa Rica
Mission Projects.
For eight years they have been building churches, Sunday
school buildings, parsonages and church camps throughout
Costa Rica with the help of about 36 mission teams per year.
In 2012 I will be leading an adult mission team to Costa Rica
in February and co-leading a youth mission team with
Katherine to Costa Rica in July. Plan to join us as we
introduce more members of NUMC to our friends in Costa Rica.
Join us on Sunday, June 26 for the 2012 Costa Rica Mission
Team - Information Meeting at 10:10 AM in the Kendall
Building.
Wil Bailey is a North Carolina Conference Missionary. He
received his Master of Divinity degree from Duke University Divinity School in 2003. His wife, Yolanda, is an active,
life-long member of the Evangelical Methodist Church of Costa Rica. Wil went to Costa Rica for the first time when he
was 15 years old with a United Methodist Volunteers in Missions youth work team. He went back every chance he got,
and by the time he moved to Costa Rica in 2003, he had been there 14 times.
Wil and Yolanda believe that Christian service comes in many forms, and they believe that they have been called to pro-
vide opportunities for churches in Costa Rica and churches from other countries to serve one another and explore what it
means for us to be part of a body that extends far beyond the walls of our own individual churches.
Take time to view the CRMP display in the
Narthex. Also check out the photos on the
website:
http://www.costaricamissionprojects.com/
Mike Easterly – Outreach Ministries
FEBRUARY 18-25, 2012
Adult Mission Team to La Bonita de ChanguenaBuild a New Parsonage
Information Meeting on June 26 at 10:10 a.m. in Kendall Building
JULY 7-14, 2012
Youth Mission Team to Rio Claro / Puerto JimenezBuild Sunday School Buildings
The Church and Society team would like
to thank everyone who donated fruit for
Citrus Sunday during May.
NUMC members donated two trunk-loads
of fruit, which helped feed local residents
served by either the Valley Interfaith
Council or North Valley Caring Services.
Fruit Drive is Successful
Page 7
Saturday Morning Breakfast
June 18
@ 8 AM in Fellowship Hall
This month’s Saturday
Morning Breakfast will be
held on June 18 at 8 AM in
Fellowship Hall. Come for
a great breakfast, and then
enjoy Ellen Rundle singing
a selection of jazz songs.
The Saturday Morning
Breakfast is sponsored by
the NUMC Men’s Club on
the 3rd Saturday of the
month. All are welcome.
AtAtAt---AAA---Glance for EveryoneGlance for EveryoneGlance for Everyone
June 2011
June 9 … Summer Bible Study @ 10 AM in the Library
June 12…Pentecost Sunday
Popcorn Pick-Up, in Fellowship Hall
Receiving Confirmands @ 9 AM & 11 AM
Reception @ 10 AM in Fellowship Hall
Jazz Vespers @ 6 PM in the Sanctuary
June 13…UMW Executive Board @ Noon, Kendall Bldg.
Eat Out Monday @ 11 AM to 9 PM @ Pick Up Stix
Church & Society screens “The Lives of Others” @ 7 PM
in the Kendall Bldg.
June 14… Membership Committee @ 9 AM, Kendall Bldg.
Newsletter Articles due @ 4 PM
Celebration Committee @ 6:30 PM in the Library
June 16… Summer Bible Study @ 10 AM in the Library
June 18... Saturday Breakfast @ 8 AM in Fellowship Hall
June 19… Celebration of Graduates @ 9 AM & 11 AM
Father’s Day
Popcorn Pick-Up, in Fellowship Hall
June 20… Caring Ministry @ 11:30 AM, Kendall Bldg.
Missions Meeting @ 7 PM, Kendall Bldg.
June 21… UMW Noon Fellowship @ 11:30 AM, Kendall Bldg.
Finance Committee @ 5 PM in the Library
Trustees @ 7 PM in the Library
June 23… Summer Bible Study @ 10 AM in the Library
June 25… Wetlands Clean-Up. Carpool from church at 8:30 AM.
June 26… Mission 2012 Meeting @ 10:10 AM in Kendall Bldg.
VBS Volunteers Meeting @ Noon in Kendall Bldg.
Prayer Service in the Spirit of Taizé
@ 6 PM in the Sanctuary
June 27… Money Makers @ 7 PM in the Library
June 30… Summer Bible Study @ 10 AM in the Library
* * * * *
Tuesdays… Cracker Barrel @ 10 AM in Library Exercise Program @ 10:45 AM in Fellowship Hall
Worship Band Rehearsal @ 7:30 PM in Sanctuary Wednesdays…Maintenance Team @ 8:30 AM in Church Office WORMS @ 9:30 AM in Kendall Bldg.
Jubilee Bells @ 4 PM in Room 5/6 Celebration Ringers @ 7 PM in Room 5/6
Thursdays…Chancel Choir @ 7:30 PM in Sanctuary Fridays… Cracker Barrel @ 10 AM in Library Sundays… Adult Study @ 8 AM in Library
Sunday School and Nursery @ 9 AM in Library Children/Youth Choir on Summer Break Cherub Choir @ 10:15 AM in Room 5/6 Sunday School Grades 1 to 6 in Room 4
Youth Sunday School @ 11 AM in Room 5/6 Preschool to Kindergarten in Room 9
Worship Services @ 9 & 11 AM Childcare available at all services.
Members Exchange Thoughts The next meeting of the Book Club will
be on Monday, June 27, at 7 PM, at the
home of Dorine Collins. We will discuss Rhett Butler’s
People by Donald McCaig. Please call Dorine or the
church office if you would like to join us. The book
for the July 25 meeting is ―Tattoos on the Heart‖ by
Gregory Boyle.
UMC Night at the Hollywood Bowl
If you have not yet bought your
tickets to the August 6th evening at the
HOLLYWOOD BOWL to see the Broadway Tony
Award winning musical ―Hairspray‖ and would like to
attend, call Nancy Easterly about adding your name to
the “Wait List”. There are usually a few people who
are unable to use their tickets at the last minute.
The Night at the Hollywood Bowl is more than a
concert… it’s fellowship with the church family, get-
ting to know each other, sharing cookies during the
intermission and a relaxing change of pace. Bring your
picnic (or purchase one there) and join the fun,
Saturday, August 6th. The $38 ticket includes the bus
and the concert.
Summer Bible Study Meets
Join us Thursdays at 10 AM in the Library for a Bible Study on the story of the rise and decline of King David, as contained in the Old Testament Books of 1 and 2 Sam-
uel. An outline of the class schedule is on the church website or can be picked up in the church office.
Annual NUMC Yard Sale
Coming This Fall
Save your stuff.
Start now to set aside items for the sale.