For now, we will continue to provide the Zoom worship live on our YouTube channel (bit.ly/cuccyoutube) on Sundays at 10:35 a.m. Doors "open" around 10:15-10:20 for a few minutes of fellowship before worship begins.

Links to the Zoom worship services go out each Friday in a separate email just to church members. Look for "Zoom links" in that email subject line. If you would like to receive the Zoom links to participate in the Sunday service in a more interactive way, please contact the church office or let Lisa know.

The Fellowship Team invites everyone to a virtual soup and bread meal for Maundy Thursday at 6 p.m. tonight, April 1. All you will need is your soup, bread, and a Zoom link. If you cannot find the link, please let Pastor Julia know.

Beginning on April 8, the evening worship moves back to 7 p.m. Thursdays on Zoom. If you have questions or would like a Zoom link, contact Robin at [email protected].

Lisa Bell has volunteered to help anyone who might be struggling to sign up for COVID vaccinations. She is available by phone or through a Zoom session to assist in navigating websites, filling out forms, or handling other issues. Lisa can be reached at [email protected] or at 559.244.9502.

Congratulations to Vicky and Roger Wall for winning the Easter Raffle Fundraiser.

They received a nice gift basket with a $50 gift certificate from The HoneyBaked Ham Co. in Fresno. Rod Zook also contributed a homemade pie.

The drawing was held on Palm Sunday. The Missions and Social Justice Team sponsored the fundraiser, with proceeds going to the church's operating budget.

Pastor Julia delivers a video message in this week's edition of eNews. Click on the triangle to hear her speak about our journey through Holy Week as we approach Easter Sunday.

The Women's Book Discussion Group will continue at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6, with "There There" by Tommy Orange, an indigenous author from the Bay Area. If you have questions or need a Zoom link, please contact Robin at [email protected].

A new book study group meeting to discuss "Blessed Are The Crazy" by Sarah Griffith Lund, will not meet on Easter Sunday, April 4. The group will resume at noon on Sunday, April 11. Please read Chapter 3.

This is part of CUCC's preparation for becoming a WISE — Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive and Engaged — congregation to all persons who experience mental health challenges. WISE is an initiative of the United Church of Christ.

If you have questions or want to receive Zoom links for the study, please contact Kathy Lukan at [email protected] or Elizabeth Davis-Russell at [email protected].

Adult Education meets from 9-10 a.m. Mondays. The group is discussing Richard Rohr’s daily meditations.

To get them, please register at the Center for Action and Contemplation: cac.org. A Zoom link will be made available. Contact Robin at [email protected] if you're interested.

Last Sunday, Pastor Julia delivered a sermon titled "When A Triumphant Entry Isn't Enough" inspired by the Gospel of John 8: 2-11. Click on the triangle above to watch and hear the sermon.

Marilyn is in the office from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Please be sure to call ahead (559.435.2690) and remember to wear a mask if you need to come to the office.

Pastor Julia will be in the office Thursday morning and can be reached by phone, text, e-mail or Facetime other days of the week as well. E-mail her at [email protected]. 

If you have a prayer (of joy, for healing, gratitude, love) for someone or someplace that you would like lifted up during worship on Sunday mornings, please send it to Pastor Julia at  [email protected]. You can also submit prayer requests via our web page at communityucc-fresno.org/worship/prayer-requests/.

In each week's eNews, we include a news article from our larger denomination, the United Church of Christ, to show the faithful work being done in other places.

UCC pastors in Boulder come together to help community heal

Prayer vigils, community check-ins and comfort care. Two United Church of Christ churches in Boulder, Colo., are reaching out with love to their members and neighbors after a mass shooting took the lives of 10 people at a nearby grocery store on Monday night.

First Congregational UCC and Community UCC held online prayer vigils Tuesday night after the murders at the King Soopers on March 22.

“We read Psalms, prayed and wept together,” said the Rev. Christina Braudaway-Bauman, First Congregational’s pastor. She said even while the church was gathering on Zoom, members of her large downtown congregation were running through a mental roster of others who live in the neighborhood near the store. Continue reading at UCC.com

1 — Sharon Powers

2 — Elise LeBeau

4 — Sierra LeBeau

5 — Megan Fazio

7 — David Wall

9 — Niki Ruffin

10 — Nancy Tackitt

11 — Everette Newport

16 — Abbie Kilburn

17 — Katharine Chaffin

21 — Leland Virag

24 — EJ Hinojosa

25 — Jake Tilley

2 — Carol and Henry Phillips

3 — Marie and Steve Edwards

16 — Cheryl and Jeff Jones

Did we overlook someone's birthday or anniversary for this month? Please let Marilyn ([email protected]) and Lisa ([email protected]) know so we can get you in next week. We never intend to leave anyone out.

CUCC eNews is a weekly publication distributed every Thursday. Deadline for submitting announcements is 10 a.m. Wednesdays (and earlier is appreciated). Send your announcements to both Lisa Boyles Bell and Doug Hoagland. Doug is now the primary newsletter designer, but Doug and Lisa collaborate on its production. Emails: [email protected] and [email protected].

Online Giving

Due to COVID-19, worship will remain virtual for now. Limited office hours have resumed.

Website: communityucc-fresno.org