Our Mission: "We are an inclusive Open and Affirming faith community reaching out with love, compassion, and justice."
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Thursday, August 26, 2021
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Super Shepherd Sundae Ice Cream Social |
The all-church ice cream social will be held this Sunday, August 29 on the Church patio right after church. It will include ice cream and all the toppings. It will be served by the Shepherds who will be wearing masks, aprons and gloves. One person will scoop ice cream, another toppings, another nuts, whip cream and cherries. This will limit the exposure, and speed the line along.
There will be accordion and Banjo music provided by Lara Urrutia and Jerred Lee.
Please plan to join in on the fun!
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A Message from our Pastor and Teacher
Sunday, August 29 - "I've Been Meaning to Ask ... Where are You From? "
We begin a new sermon series entitled, “I’ve Been Meaning to Ask…” This sermon series is intended to convey warmth and curiosity as we become the beloved community even in the midst of the Covid challenges of our day. The main objective of this series is to cultivate courageous conversations. Our weekly sub-themes will provide a trajectory for going deeper. The sub-theme for this first Sunday is “…where are you from?” Genesis reminds us that everyone is beloved, shaped from the dust of the earth, and the breath of God. Everyone has a story to tell. Our stories are messy and beautiful, painful and helpful – being written and rewritten over time. Let us commit to disrupting our assumptions about one another and staying curious.
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Sunday's Scriptures.
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Genesis 2: 4b - 9; John 1:43 -46
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Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, August 29 |
Prelude: Homeward Bound by Marta Keen......................Sophia Ohanian
Welcome and Call to Worship: ...........................................Janet Wilson
Opening Hymn: #388 Help Us Accept Each Other........ Led by Jim Tong
Opening Prayer:...................................................................Janet Wilson
Children's Circle:........................................................................Jim Tong
Following the Children's Circle, children from age 4 through Grade 5 are
invited to exit through the back of the Sanctuary to attend Sunday School.
Community Joys and Concerns: ..................Rev. Dr. Jill Kirchner-Rose
Special Music: On the Wings of Song by Felix Mendelsohn....................
.......Andrea Morics, cello; Mary Moore, Viola; and Sophia Ohanian, Piano
Scripture: Genesis 2: 4b - 9; John 1:43 -46.......................Janet Wilson
Scripture Hymn: #473 Blessed Assurance ...................Led by Jim Tong
Message: I've Been Meaning to ask...Where Are You From?.
........................................................................................Dr. Kirchner Rose
Offertory: Life's Journey by Amy Snyder.........................Sophia Ohanian
Doxology: ........................................................................Sophia Ohanian
Prayer of Dedication:...........................................................................Janet Wilson
Closing Hymn: #393 Blest Be the Tie That Binds..........Led by Jim Tong
Benediction: .................................................................Dr. Kirchner Rose
Time of Reflection: Strangers Like Me by Phil Collins ....Sophia Ohanian
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Concerns:
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Prayers for the family of Ronan Godfrey who passed from life to Life.
- Prayers for Chris Nicoloff who is recovering from a second surgery for a repair of her aorta.
- A service for Shirley Glass will be held on Thursday, September 9, at 9:30 a.m. at the First Lutheran Church. A lunch reception/time for sharing stories will take place at 11 a.m. on the patio of Redlands United Church of Christ.
- Prayers for Scott, father of Joey Perricone, who has been hospitalized with COVID.
- Prayers for the family of Sharon, cousin of Johanna Ballard, who passed from life to Life.
- Margaret Paul requests prayers for her sons, Ryan and Evan, who are facing personal challenges.
- Prayers for Gloria Ebert who is recovering from a brain injury
- Prayers for Anden, nephew of Michelle McNevin, who is facing health challenges.
- Rosemary Tuohy requests prayers for Michael who is hospitalized with mental health challenges.
- Susan Kirkhart requests prayers for her aunt, Helen, who is struggling with health issues.
- Prayers for Mara Dee Hodson who is facing health challenges.
- Prayers for Afghanistan after US troops pulled out of the country.
- Prayers for Haiti after a devastating earthquake.
- Mary Melcher requests prayers for her friend, Bridget, whose son, Brent, passed from life to Life.
- Paul Hodson and Charlie Wheeler requests prayers for Tom Owen and his wife, Karen. Tom is hospitalized and unresponsive.
- Prayers for Burt, family member of Johanna Ballard, who is facing severe health challenges.
- Rosemary Touhy requests payers for her niece, Sabrina, who just delivered a baby boy and has a broken ankle.
- Prayers for Nancy Sheets who is recovering from knee replacement surgery.
- Prayers for Bob Sheets, husband of Nancy Sheets, who is recovering from surgery to repair a torn retina.
- Prayers for Ross Mitchell who was recently hospitalized with blood clots.
- Prayers for Justin Orr, son of Floyd Orr, who has been diagnosed with COVID.
- Prayers for Sara Montez who begins more chemotherapy
- Prayers for Peter Tupou, Joette Orman, and baby Sage as Joette travels to Ireland for work. Joette will be in Ireland in August and September.
- Prayers for Sue Hammond who is having a bone biopsy on August 20.
- Prayers for the family of Sally Engelen, mother of Debra Engelen, who passed from life to Life.
- Prayers for Rick Peetz, Sr, father of Rick Peetz, who is battling COVID.
- Prayers for Michael Flores who is facing health challenges and is looking for affordable housing.
- Johanna Ballard requests prayers for her brother Dave, diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer
- Johanna Ballard requests prayers for her cousin Sharon who has Stage 4 bladder and colon cancer.
- Prayers for Krystal Rose, granddaughter of Charlie and Dee Dee Seek, who has been diagnosed with COVID.
- Rosemary Tuohy requests prayers for an endangered father and his family trying to get out of Kabul.
- Carla Becerril requests prayers for family members, Stephanie and Brent, whose house burned down.
- Prayers for Connie Roener who is recovering from surgery for the removal of breast cancrer
- Prayers for Manny, friend of Carla Becerril, wo has been diagnosed with cancer.
- Prayers for Jessica Morgan who tore her Achilles tendon.
- Prayers for Mary Lou Haney whose doctors hope that IV antibiotics will clear up the infection in her hip.
- Prayers for Carole Beswick who is recovering from hip replacement surgery.
- Prayers for Bill Whitmer who is recovering from heart surgery.
- Mary Lou Haney requests prayers for Carol, a family friend, who is hospitalized with an illness.
- Prayers for Gloria Ebert who fell last week.
- Prayers for Cindy McGuigan who is awaiting biopsy results.
- Prayers for Kathy, a daughter of a friend of Mary Melcher, who will have have brain surgery this week for the removal of brain cancer.
- Prayers for Susi Jacobsen requests prayers for health concerns she is facing.
- Ken Hurley requests prayers for his sister, Sheila, who has been diagnosed with bile duct cancer and will undergo chemotherapy.
- Eliza Ames requests prayers for her brother Coyne who is hospitalized and is very ill.
- Prayers for Ted, Grandfather of Janet Wilson's neices and nephew, whose cancer has spread to both lungs.
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Prayers for Penni Pierce, friend of Inez Diggs, who continues to be on oxygen and is going through a series of evaluations to determine whether she is a good candidate for a double lung transplant.
- Prayers for Jeff Bonadiman, friend of Carole Beswick, who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.
- Susan Kirkhart requests prayers for her sister, Cyndi Kuran, who is recovering from hip replacement surgery.
- Mark Janz is recovering from knee replacement surgery.
- Norma Erickson is facing multiple health challenges.
- Dee Dee Seek requests prayers for family member, Pieter, who is recovering from major surgery in Atlanta.
- Beth Welsh requests prayers for her brother, Michael, who is recovering from surgery following a work accident.
- Rosemary requests prayers for her friend Jill K, who is recovering from COVID.
- Melinda Sewer Muganzo, Music Director at Mentone UCC, requests prayers for her brother, Miguel Sewer who just went through a second liver transplant.
- Mary Mortensen requests prayers for Joe Adcock, father of Mary’s children, who has been diagnosed with advanced bladder cancer.
- Payers for Caroline, mother of Karin Blad, who has been diagnosed with colon cancer.
- Prayers for Keith, cousin of Maegan Hill, who is blinded by a blood clot.
- Prayers for Claudine, grandmother of Paul and Dante Welsh.
- Prayers for Greg Farrell, brother of Karen Walsh, who is undergoing radiation treatment for cancer.
Ongoing Concerns:
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Carla Becerril
Les Budai
Diane Campbell
Diane, Sister-in-Law of Heather King
Carol Chaney
Precia Gwenhwyfer Courtney-Hveen
Cousin of Rick Cruz
Norma Erickson
Betty Gayle
Jerry Greenfield
Emma Grimauld
Katia Hage
Beki Hill
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Jody Hoelle
Harriet Holt, Beki Hill's mother
Mark Alan Johnson, friend of Nancy Hotaling
Kim Johnson, friend of Gretchen Andrews
Jenny, Sister of Jules Rattray
Emily Jones
Hank Kirchner
Amber McGuigan
Bill McIntyre
Larry Minor
Mary Mortensen
Maria Montana
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Carmen & Jim Neafsey
Kristin Farmer Preslica
Steve, Brother of Julie Phillip
Nancy Rojas
Adolph Romero
Joan Roth
Spencer, friend of Stacey Greene
Doris Stockton, Kathi Roth's Grandmother
Heather Tee
Arika Torres
Vasquez Family
Helga Vroom
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August 17, 2021 Board Meeting Update |
Moment of inspiration: Mary Fung began the meeting by reading an excerpt about compassion from Tattoos on the Heart.
For the good of the church:
Updates regarding COVID/Delta-Variant restrictions:
- It was agreed that RUCC will continue to follow all CDC guidelines. What that means for now is that masks will be worn at all times while in the church building. This includes, but is not limited to attending church service, attending meetings at the church, performances during services, etc.
- The only exception to the above is that Worship Team members who are fully vaccinated, and have a negative COVID test no less than 72 hours prior to speaking may remove masks while they are presenting/reading information to the congregation.
- Please remember all are welcome to join in outdoor fellowship following service, and at that time masks are optional.
If you have any questions, concerns, or inspirational thoughts you would like for me to share with the Board, please do not hesitate to email me: [email protected]
Sincerely,
Jackie Patrick
Member-at-Large
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Kelvin Silva
and his daughter
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Reflection of the Week from the Racial Justice Team |
Kelvin Silva – one of many Black men held at Stewart Detention Center in Georgia – is facing deportation because of an archaic and racially inequitable law known as the Guyer Rule that prevented him from becoming a U.S. citizen as a child, even though his father was a naturalized U.S. citizen. Were it not for the Guyer Rule, Silva – who was born in the Dominican Republic but grew up in the United States – would have automatically gained citizenship when he was just 11 years old.
Enacted in 1940, the Guyer Rule prevented U.S.-citizen fathers, but not U.S.-citizen mothers, from passing their citizenship status to foreign-born, nonmarital children – in other words, children who were born “out of wedlock.” The rule disproportionately restricted how nonwhite parents could secure citizenship for their children – and for decades was maintained for just that reason.
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From the Environmental Justice Team |
Need for Congressional Action Evident with Climate-related Disasters
Climate-related disasters unfolding this summer are beyond the scope of anything most people could have imagined, and they should serve as a warning: We dare not blow this chance, finally, to enact policies that address climate change.
Throughout our nation, few places have escaped the impact of a climate altered by rising temperatures:
- In Tennessee, 22 people perished and dozens remain missing after horrific flooding caused rain up to 17 inches in 24 hours. NPR's Rebecca Hersher called it "Another deadly example of climate change."
- In California 42,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes in the face of wildfires raging out of control.
- Out West, a drought is forcing water rationing throughout the Colorado River water system.
- A rare tropical storm hit the Northeast, where Henri caused $12 billion in damage.
Take a minute to write or email your Congressional representative, and urge that a price on carbon is included in legislation moving forward this year.
--- Excerpted from the Citizens' Climate Lobby newsletter.
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Don’t Miss the 2021 Sunday School Kickoff on September 12! |
On Sunday September 12 we have a number of activities planned to celebrate our wonderful Children’s Ministry at RUCC.
During Worship:
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The Blessing of the Backpacks! Bring your school backpacks to church to be blessed by Jill to insure a fun and fabulous new school year!
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Commissioning of Sunday school teachers and volunteers! Help us thank these fabulous volunteers and let them know we support them in the important work that they do.
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New Sunday school classes! We will have three classes this year, and the children will leave as usual after the Children’s Circle to attend Sunday school.
After Worship—Informational Meeting:
Parents are invited to attend a brief informational meeting about our Children’s and Youth programs. This meeting will take place directly after the worship service ends—we will meet at the front of the sanctuary.
Please don’t miss this meeting! We will answer any questions you have about our programs. We will also be collecting this year’s registration forms/permission slips.
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SCRIP PROGRAM HAS NEW INCENTIVES! |
Scrip/Gift Card Program is still ongoing! – When you purchase gift cards 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.
Help RUCC Earn Free Shipping for a Year– For each order of $50 or more placed through Sept 10, RUCC gets entered to win free shipping for a year. With free shipping, every rebate dollar earned goes straight to RUCC’s ministries instead of having to cover shipment of physical gift cards. Every existing participant earns 1 entry per order, but new participants get 5 entries for your first order. Now is a great time to place your first gift card order!
Win $1,000 in Apple Gift Cards or get a free $5 Starbuck eGift Card – During the same timeframe (through Sept. 10), you will also be entered to win $1,000 in Apple Gift Cards for every order of $50 or more. And if you order includes at least $50 in Apple Gift Cards, you get a free $5 Starbuck eGift card.
In-Person Orders and Pickup – We will have a table set up outside after worship – pick up your orders, place new orders, and learn about the scrip/gift card program. We will also have a small stock of Stater Bros cards available, which you can purchase. We will be placing orders for physical cards once a month (next order date will be September 13) UNLESS we get more orders just justify the shipping costs to place orders more frequently.
eCards – Remember that you can buy eGift cards, available to you immediately, to use for online or in-person shopping or to send as a gift. Every time you buy, RUCC gets a small rebate.
Please contact Jennifer at [email protected] if you need help placing an order or want to learn more about the program.
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The Personnel Search Expands |
The RUCC Personnel Committee is actively searching to fill two positions at RUCC. The first is the long-vacant nursery care position that has been on hiatus during the pandemic. For a complete job description and application instructions, click here.
The second position to be filled is that of Office and Property Manager. Our current Office Manager has announced her retirement. Click here for the job description and application instructions.
Please share this information freely with qualified people who may be interested.
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UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER |
- August 29 - Super Shepherd Sunday Ice Cream Social
- September 4 - Sacred Saturday - 9 a.m. to noon.
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September 5 - Book Group - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty. Presenter: Toni Momberger
- September 12 - Seekers resume meeting
- September 12 - Sunday School Parents' Meeting
SPECIAL NOTE:
- Seekers Study Group will remain on hiatus until September 12
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This Week at RUCC
Calendar for August 29 - August 22, 2021
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Sunday, August 29
- 9:30 a.m. Virtual Sunday School - on zoom
- 10:30 a.m. Worship Service - In person from the Sanctuary and also livestreamed from the Sanctuary on YouTube. In-person Children's Sunday School following the Children's Circle.
- 11:30 a.m. Youth Group
- 11:30 a.m. Super Shepherd Sunday Ice Cream Social on the patio.
Wednesday,September 1
- 12 to 1 p.m. "The Pastor is In"on Zoom
Thursday, September 2
- 5:00 p.m. Staff Meeting
- 6:15 p.m. Bell Choir rehearsal
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Friday, September 3
- Women's AA closed group - 7:00 p.m. -Founders' Room
Saturday, September 4
Sunday, September 5 - Labor Day Holiday
- 9:30 a.m. Virtual Sunday School - on zoom
- 10:30 a.m. Worship Service - In person from the Sanctuary and also livestreamed from the Sanctuary on YouTube. In-person Sunday School following the Children's Circle.
- 11:30 a.m. Fellowship time on the Patio
- 11:30 a.m. - Youth Group
- 12:00 p.m. - Book Group
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RUCC Staff
Senior Pastor: Rev. Dr. Jill Kirchner-Rose
Honorary Minister of Arts and Worship: Rev. Erin Beardemphl
Music Director: Jim Tong
Accompanist: Sophia Ohanian
Children's Education Director: Susi Jacobsen
Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries: Vacant
Office Manager: Nancy Sheets
Child Care: Vacant
Caretaker: Vacant
Phone: (909) 793-3520
Staff and Other Emails
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