Erin Beardemphl is preaching this Sunday

Sunday, June 4 ~ First Sunday after Pentecost

In this creation story, God creates the world in 7 days. Humankind is introduced at the end of the sixth day, and God charges this last piece of creation with tending to the rest of it. But what does it mean to tend to, or have dominion over or with, the world we live in? What is it, exactly that God has called upon humans to do? And how does it balance with the idea that humans were created right alongside everything else? Contemplate this with me on Sunday!

Sunday's Scripture

Genesis 1:1-2:4

June 4 - First Sunday after Pentecost and Communion

CLICK HERE FOR THE BULLETIN

FOR JUNE 4

What a Caring Goodbye!

What a send-off on my last day in worship at RUCC! I am grateful for the altar assembled by Erin and company for Pentecost, the beautiful music from the choir, a special gift or two, and wonderful original composition from Rhymes with Orange! A wig, a tribute and blessing from John Walsh, and a party at the Abushanab’s for us all to welcome summer – photos from my time with RUCC and a Jake Cake to boot! My heart is fulled with your well wishes and support – I look forward to seeing you on July 2 in worship before Pastor Elaine is able to begin her work at RUCC – stay well and again – many thanks!

 ...........................................................................................Rev. John H Pomeroy (Jake)

See the RUCC Members and Friends Facebook page for photos of last Sunday's service and the party at the Abushanab's. Click here to see the words to the song adapted by Loring and sung by Rhymes with Orange.

Get your new name tag

When you go to the name tag table in the narthex, your old gray name tag may be GONE! If you haven't already claimed your new one, it should be on a table in the back of Covenant Hall. Custom bling is available to embellish your tag and make it uniquely yours. Insert the tag into a clear plastic name badge holder. There are empty holders with clips, holders with magnets, and holders that are used with a lanyard. Finally, put your new tag in the racks in the narthex where it will wait for you patiently until next Sunday!.

Reflection of the week from the Racial Justice Team

“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world.

And you have to do it all the time.”

- Angela Davis, feminist, political activist, philosopher, academic, and author; now a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

From the Environmental Justice Team

[T]he United Church of Christ is tracking the commitments of our churches in caring for God’s creation through an annual survey conducted by the UCC’s Center for Analytics, Research & Development and Data (CARDD).

While there are countless ways that a congregation can live out its environmental commitments, the survey sought to track some of the most prevalent manifestations. With slightly more than a thousand churches responding to the survey questions, 22% had a green team or group devoted to creation care, 16% had a community garden, 10% had divested from fossil fuels, 9% had solar panels, and 6% had achieved an environmental designation such as the UCC’s Creation Justice Church designation.

Source: Reverend Doctor Brooks Berndt, writing in The Pollinator, the UCC Environmental Justice Blog: https://www.ucc.org/caring-for-gods-creation-a-2023-statistical-snapshot-of-the-ucc/

SAVE THE DATES for this year's Summer Series

The Education Area will host this year’s Summer Series at RUCC! The Series title this year is: Widening Our Welcome.

Dates for the Series are Saturday, July 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th from 5 to 7pm. Save the dates for summertime fun and learning! More details to come soon.

Caring for kin - Youth Hope will be next focus for the June donations

Thanks so much for all of your generous donations to Redlands Family Services in May! Our second drop-off of the month weighed in at 148 pounds of peanut butter, cereal, oatmeal, and coffee. Nice work everyone!

For the month of June, we will be collecting for Youth Hope, which supports at-risk youth. Youth Hope would like us to focus our efforts on collecting peanut butter, jelly, cereal, granola bars, and pasta and pasta sauce. Let's keep up the good work!

Hygiene Kits for Unsheltered Neighbors - Gathering this Sunday, June 4

Wider Ministries is engaging in two initiatives to distribute hygiene kits to our unsheltered neighbors.

First, the church purchased a handful of backpacks containing hygiene items that will remain at the church and that can be distributed to unsheltered members of the community as they visit the church.

Second, Wider Ministries will be hosting an event on June 4 during which we'll create hygiene kits to keep in our cars to give to unsheltered individuals as we encounter them in the community. These hygiene kits will include basic (unopened/unused) hygiene items that can fit in a gallon-size Ziploc bag, such as travel-size shampoo and soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, washcloth, fingernail clippers, Band-Aids, menstrual supplies, and socks. They can also include small-denomination gift cards for groceries or fast food.

If you'd like to participate in assembling these kits, please begin purchasing the supplies. The Dollar Tree, CVS, or Target may be great places to find these items. Then, on June 4, we'll come together in the Founder's Room after church to compile all our supplies and assemble the kits together! For more information, please contact Sue Hammond or Diana Steele.

Raise Right - Gift Cards make shopping and fundraising easy

Bulk eGifting – Available exclusively on RaiseRight.com (desktop

only), now you can earn by eGifting in bulk. Select “Send as a gift” on any eGift card product page, then choose the “Bulk Order” gift type to get started. Simply follow the prompts to schedule delivery, add a custom message, upload recipient information, then add to cart and check out. eGift cards are the most convenient way to earn on all your gifting—whether for a birthday, holiday, or even gifting in bulk for teachers, graduates, or your team at the office. With the “Send as a gift by email” feature, learn how you can send eGift cards to as

many as 125 recipients all at once. https://www.raiseright.com/m/how-to-send-egift-cards

About RaiseRight: When you purchase gift cards through the RaiseRight program to pay for your day-to-day expenses or provide as gifts, RUCC receives a rebate that helps fund our missions. It’s an easy way to raise some money for RUCC. Hundreds of retailers participate, including grocery stores, gas stations, home improvement stores, department stores, online retailers, and much more. Please contact Jennifer and Pam at [email protected] if you need an enrollment link, need help setting up/accessing your online account or placing an order, have any questions, or want to learn more about the program.  This video will give you an overview of how to get started: https://youtu.be/c-v65F0xr2c

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

June is Pride Month!

• June 3 - Sacred Saturday - See article above for details
• June 4 - Hygiene Kit assembly in Founders' Room - 12 p.m.
• June 5 - Office will be closed
• June 8 - Office will be closed
• June 10 - Celebration of Life for Nancy Doss 11:00 a.m.
• June 11- Super Shepherd Sunday
• June 12 - Church Growth Area Meeting - 7:00 p.m.
• June 13 - Stewards Meeting - 7:00 p.m.
• June 20 - Board Meeting - Virtual - 7:00 p.m.



The church calendar for June is found at uccredlands.org

Click on "calendar" in the red banner near the top of the page