faith matters - fumcsl.org...2019/12/17 · pastor myrna will be on renewal leave be-ginning...
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Faith Matters
December 19, 2017
The Big Day is now just under a week away! The ex-citement in the air is electric. It can also be a bit stressful. This is one reason why I appreciate our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols so much. By the time 7 PM on Christmas Eve rolls around, the stores are closed; we have to stop; if we haven’t finished our scurrying around, then, as they say, “it is what it is;” and folks get to come to church to simply sit, sing familiar tunes, hear lovely music, and just listen again to the story of a mysteri-ous event that changed the world. The fourth candle of the Advent Wreath is the Can-dle of Peace – which we will light earlier in the day on December 24, at our regular Sunday Worship Ser-vice at 9:30 AM. Yes: it’s weird to observe “The Fourth Sunday of Advent” in the morning, and “Christmas Eve” several hours later; but that’s what we have this year. However, Peace is what I experi-ence most at those Christmas Eve Services. There is something to be said about the sense of release and relief that come with that final exhale, when work to be done is behind us. We get to step back and just accept it – no more time to fuss over it, or make it “right.” It’s done; and whatever wasn’t done, we toss up to God for a good helping of grace. Maybe God has a sense of this, too, with the birth of Jesus: it took a fair amount of conversation with and convincing of a good number of people. Then, fi-nally, the Child is born. Exhale. There is peace. And God’s good work now rests in the hands of God’s Son. It’s a lot to take in; but, again, with all the “doing” of the “Charismas Rush” behind us; we have the time to reflect and take it in. One of the things I’m accustomed to doing is taking the last week of the year off. I can’t remember if I did this when I first began in ministry many years
ago. I do remember, however, that when our son was born on New Year’s Day, I started to take that week after Christmas off not only to recover from the demanding schedule leading up to Christmas Day, but also to give my husband and me enough time to plan for our son’s birthday celebrations. I also observe the tradition that Christmas is a full li-turgical season that starts (not ends) on Christmas Day, and runs through January 6, Epiphany. Now that our son is a young adult, and the opportu-nities to celebrate his New Year’s Day birthday with him on that actual day have become rare, that time off which starts on Christmas Day has become a time of calm and uninterrupted reflection over the past year. This year, I will be taking a bit more time to myself than that one week. The Staff-Parish Rela-tions Committee (SPRC) has approved a three-week Renewal Leave for me – from Christmas Day through January 15 (the Martin Luther King Holiday, which, coincidentally, falls on his actual Birthday in 2018). It will be an extended time away for rest, renewal, and reflection – no big travel plans, either with family or by myself; just time alone to maybe hold on to that place of peace for a little while longer than I might ordinarily. I’m looking forward to it as a time to look back and look ahead. And, looking ahead a bit, I see the largely blank slate of a brand new year, full of many possibilities. As our holiday season draws to a close, may you draw close to the manger once again this year, and feel the Peace and the promise that the night of Christ’s birth holds for you and for our world.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Myrna
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Please let us know if you know of someone who
could use our prayers of intention so we can include
them on our list.
Continued prayers of healing for our homebound
and/or chronically ill, and those who are recovering
from accidents/illnesses, who include:
Charles Dumm, Dorothy Feick, Barbara Humphrey,
Florence Kersting, Priscilla McIntire, Charlotte
McMahon, Pauline Palmeri, Betty Quadros, Mary
Lou Smith, Mae Stagnaro, Darrell Thomas, and
Marie Watson.
Mae Stagnaro has moved to the Sierra foothills,
close to her daughter Krissy’s home. Mae’s new
address: Oak Terrace Memory Care; 20420 Rafferty
Court; Soulsbyville, CA 95372. Cards are welcome!
We’ve received word that Mary Lou Smith finally
moved last week to a board and care in Union
City. However, we’re still awaiting the
information about her new address; and we will
pass that on as soon as we have it. In the
meantime, please keep her in your prayers
during this time of transition.
Office: (510)483-0606 9 am—1 pm, Monday—Friday Pastor: Rev. Myrna Bernadel-Huey [email protected] NOTE: Fridays are her day off. Office Manager: Jamila Price (Temporary) [email protected]
Music Director: Dr. Ondine Young
Accompanist: Marcie Avalon
Custodian: Nancy Skinner
Facilities Manager: [email protected]
Prayer Chain (Confidential): Dawne Teske (357-0770)
Wedding Coordinator: Judi Pitcher
Birthdays
Kelly Fletcher Dec. 7
Jacqui Boggess Dec. 8
Zachary Worthington Dec. 15
Jeremy Worthington Dec. 18
Nick Schwab Dec. 18
Esther Filiau Dec. 20
Bruce Jensen Dec. 26
Birthdays (cot’d)
Margaret McCubbin Dec. 27
Pauline Telfer Dec. 28
Gregory Linde Dec. 28
Anniversaries
Wendy & Stephen Quayle Dec. 11 Silvi Tjiam & Hendy Wijaya Dec. 25
Caring & Sharing our Prayers, Joys, and Tears
Anniversaries & Birthdays for December
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Regular monthly meeting days and times:
1st Tues.: UMW , 11am, in the Wesley Rm.
2nd Tues.: Finance Committee, at 6:30 PM, in the Library
2nd Thurs: Lay Leadership Development, 10:00 AM, Wesley Rm
2nd Sun.: Staff-Parish Relations (SPRC), 12:30 PM, in the St. Francis Rm.
4th Sun.: Church Council, 12:30 PM, in the St. Francis Rm.;
Regular weekly Christian Education/ Spiritual Growth/ Health gatherings:
Sundays: Children’s Sunday School, during worship; Adult Sunday School, ~11 AM-~12 PM: Bible
Study, in the Library, and Video Study Apocryphal Jesus in the St. Francis Rm.
Mondays: Gentle Exercise Class, 10:30 AM in Hale Hall. Taught by Nancy Skinner
Wednesdays: Meditative Communion, 12:15 PM (except the Second Wednesday), Chapel
Wednesday evenings, 6:30 PM - Small Group & Supper. Discussion on Rob Bell’s “What is the Bible?”.
Thursday evenings: Bell Choir, at 7 PM; Chancel Choir, at 8 PM. Both are in the Sanctuary
Our Shared Ministry
Thanks
Thank you to all who contributed a gifts or other items for our Giving Tree. And a special thanks to Kent Kavasch for coordinating the Giving Tree again this year.
The open arms of Jesus in many nativities are a symbolic invitation to salvation. Photo by Kathryn Price, United Methodist Communications.
*Changes to Meetings Schedule for January 2018*
Due to the New Year holiday on Monday the 1st:
The United Methodist Women’s January monthly meeting will be on the sec-ond Tuesday of the month - Jan 9th - instead of Jan. 2nd.
The Trustees meeting for January will be moved to the 3rd Tuesday of the month, Jan. 16th.
* Both groups meet in the Wesley Room*
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Need Help? Dial 211 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week for
FREE information about health, housing and social services (including food kitchens), etc.
or visit www.edenir.org
In the United Methodist Connection
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facebook.com/fumcsl
A Word from Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño
Friends,
I have been at the Council of Bishops’ fall meeting this week. I thank you for your prayers for us. You
have been in my prayers. This has been a critical week as we have considered a significant report from
the Commission on a Way Forward. Please receive and prayerfully consider the press release from our
meeting as it provides information that will be foundational to a season of prayer and conversation we
will have in our own California-Nevada Conference beginning with our assigned week of prayer for this
time in the life of The United Methodist Church on December 30, 2017 – January 6, 2018, the Gathering
of the Orders and Association of Local Pastors and Associate Members, on to the annual session of our
conference and beyond.
To read the press release click here.*
I also ask that you receive this pastoral letter coming from the prayerful work of the Council of Bishops
this week, click here.
God is at work in our church and we know, is ever faithful.
Blessings
Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño
*For more information, please visit :
http://www.umc.org/news-and-media/bishops-uphold-values-of-mission-unity-space-contextuality-in-interim-repor
Our Children’s Sunday School needs… YOU!! Please give prayerful consideration to giving 15 minutes of your Worship time to read a Bible story to our children, right after they leave the Sanctuary. You’ll
get to know them a bit better; and they will be very appreciative.
If interested, please speak with Marie Wilson-Johnson who is coordinating readers for our Children’s Sunday School.
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Looking Ahead…. Sunday December 24th , 7PM
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Service of Lessons and Carols
The church office will be closed for Christ-mas Day and New Year’s Day, which both fall on Mondays this year.
United Methodist Women will meet on Jan.9, 2018. in the Wesley Room.
The Trustee meeting for January will be
held on Jan.16, 2018 at 7 PM in the Wesley Room.
Pastor Myrna will be on Renewal Leave be-ginning Christmas Day, and will be away from the church office until January 16th. In the event of a Pastoral Emergency dur-ing her leave, please contact either the Church Office (483-0606), M-F, 9 am-1 pm, or Adele Dow, SPRC Chair, at (415) 377-1297. She will put you in touch with the on-call pastor.
Calendar and Up-Coming Events
In the Community...
WARMING CENTER UPDATE
We are housing the San Leandro Warming Center again this year, through the winter. Our Church
is providing the hot meal on Sundays when the Warming Center is open. If you would like to
assist with this ministry of compassion, please contact Marilyn Madsen
( [email protected] ). We will be advised in advance if the Center will not be open on any
given Sunday. Anyone in need of shelter at the Warming Center, or who wants to know what
nights it will be open, should call the Warming Center hotline: (510)924-3787.
The Warming Center will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Night 2017
“MLK Day 2018—The Urgency of Now”
Monday, January 15, 2018: San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Garden hosts a Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday January 15th. Each year, BART distributes a limited number of free MLK Day Flash Passes to churches and other community groups. For more information, and to reserve passes, please go to bart.gov/mlk. Hurry—quantities are limited!
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First United Methodist Church of San Leandro is a Chris-tian Community which believes that every person is a Child of God. We invite you to grow with us in your rela-tionship with God, through a repeating cycle of Prayer and Praise, Study, and Service. For more information, please visit us online at our new website:
www.fumcsl.org
Sunday Schedule:
9:30 AM Worship & Children’s Sunday School
11:00 AM Adult Sunday School & Children’s Choir
Service Ministries and Agencies FUMC Supports: Interfaith Homelessness Network (IHN) “April Showers” on
the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of each month at the Girls’ and Boys’ Club of San Leandro
Red Wagon food collection to benefit Davis Street Family Re-source Center. You may bring in non-perishable food items to share as part of the Offertory on any Sunday Morning—or place items any day of the week in the barrel in the Breeze-way.
Contact the Church Office: (510) 483-0606
Office Manager Hours: Monday-Friday;
9:00 a.m.— 1:00 p.m.
FUMC Office E-mail address:
The Spire is published on the second and fourth Tuesday of
each month by the First United Methodist Church of San Lean-
dro. Articles may be submitted electronically at
office @fumcsl.org.
All Articles Due by 9:00 am Monday of Spire Week.
DATED MATERIAL
Please Do Not Delay
Return Service Requested
December 19, 2017