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 — katherine@northridgeumc.org

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:

announcements@northridgeumc.org

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.