Inaugural Edition of the Asbury e-Articles
Welcome to Asbury e-articles! The e-articles will be sent weekly. For those who don't have access to email, the church office will send them via postal mail twice a month or have them ready for you to pick up at worship.

The e-articles will be brief. Michele R. has agreed to be our editor! Items for the weekly email need to be emailed to Michele by 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

The e-articles will be emailed on Wednesday at 3 p.m. Mission and ministry groups as well as committees desiring to have a specific week each month for their news may schedule their week with Michele.
Job Ad: Asbury Communications Specialist
Asbury’s Communications Specialist will create and maintain a consistent and appealing image that tells the story of Asbury United Methodist Church across all communications platforms and offer creative insight and support to church staff.

Asbury’s Welcome Statement: “ALL people are children of God and are of sacred worth. Asbury United Methodist Church affirms Christ’s example of unconditional love and publicly affirms a commitment to spiritual diversity and individual integrity. Therefore, we welcome all, including those who have not always been accepted because of race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, cultural background, social or economic status, family make-up, physical abilities, or age. Our community embraces you and celebrates God’s love with you. We receive you with open arms, joy, and the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Primary Responsibilities:
  • Supports the ministry of Asbury UMC with appropriate publicity, advertising, and promotion within the congregation and community which includes social media (Facebook, Instagram, Patch, etc.), e-newsletters, videos, thumbnails, brochures, postcards, signs, and banners
  • Works with church, staff, and web contractor in the refreshing/recreating of our church website
  • Maintains website for Asbury UMC
  • Maintains Asbury’s brand
  • Creates and maintains images for sermon series and worship
  • Maintains and effectively facilitates needed internal church communication
  • Works and consults with expert volunteers

Qualifications:
  • Work or volunteer experience relevant to required duties; graphic design experience preferred
  • Positive, proactive attitude
  • Detail oriented, highly organized, and capable of multitasking
  • Strong written communication skills
  • Proficient with technology tools including Microsoft Office Suite, social media, Canva, or Photoshop, and drag & drop web builder tools
  • Ability to create engaging presentations to all audiences

This position is part-time and has 15 hours allotted on average per week. Pay is $20-$22 an hour based on experience. To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and references to Pastor Kathy.
Ash Wednesday Offerings
Theologian and Pastor Nadia Bolz Weber describes Ash Wednesday in this way: “If our lives were a long piece of fabric with our baptism on one end and our funeral on another, and we don’t know the distance between the two, then Ash Wednesday is a time when that fabric is pinched in the middle and the ends are held up so that our baptism in the past and our funeral in the future meet. The water and words from our baptism plus the earth and words from our funerals have come from the past and future to meet us in the present. And in that meeting we are reminded of the promises of God: That we are God’s, that there is no sin, no darkness, and yes, no grave that God will not come to find us in and love us back to life.”

The ashes remind us of our mortality and that God is always with us in that mortality. Join us as we observe this holy day in three different ways.

Ashes-to-Go – 7:30-9:00 a.m.
Stop by Asbury United Methodist Church on your way to work or school from 7:30-9:00 a.m. on March 2 to receive a blessing and the imposition of ashes. Pull up, put your vehicle window down, and begin your day with the sign of the cross on your forehead to start the season of Lent. We will be set up in the east parking lot, and Covid precautions will be in place. Donuts and coffee will be available as you drive through as well. Hope to see you then!

Imposition of Ashes – 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Pastor Kathy and Brad will be available in the courtyard from 12:00-1:00 p.m. on Ash Wednesday for the imposition of ashes and a prayer of blessing.

Ash Wednesday Service – 7:00 p.m. Online
Asbury’s Ash Wednesday Service is online this year at 7:00 p.m. on March 2. This short service will speak to the meaning of the day and invite you to mark ashes on your head at home. Please have ashes, mud, dirt, or something else ready to mark your head at home. You can find this service online on Asbury’s YouTube page or website, asburylive.org.
Artful Prayer Group
Meets on the last Friday of every month, beginning February 25 at 10:30-12:00 p.m. in room 11. Each meeting includes prayer/meditation followed by collage. This group is limited to eight members. Contact the church office or Linda C. at home if you would like to participate in this group. This will be an in-person meeting with masks required.
Good-bye to Tom and Joanne P.
Tom and Joanne P. will be moving to Santa Rosa in March. On March 6 we will say good-bye to them in worship and at the Fellowship Time. As part of the good-bye, we would like your help by writing them a note on a 3 x 5 card expressing a memory, appreciation, or thank you. Cards will be available following worship or in the church office. Please return the cards to the church office.
Konnections with Kathy
Check out Pastor Kathy's column.
Have questions? Reply to this email or call the office at 925-447-1950. If you have newsletter items, please send them to the Newsletter mailbox.