Mothers' Day

Our Mission: "We are an inclusive Open and Affirming faith community reaching out with love, compassion, and justice."

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Thursday, May 6, 2021

A Message from our Pastor and Teacher

Sunday, May 9 ~ Mothers' Day ~ “Exquisite Tenderness”

Parker Palmer writes, “The soul is like a wild animal—tough, resilient, savvy, self-sufficient and yet exceedingly shy. If we want to see a wild animal, the last thing we should do is to go crashing through the woods, shouting for the creature to come out. But if we are willing to walk quietly into the woods and sit silently for an hour or two at the base of a tree, the creature we are waiting for may well emerge, and out of the corner of an eye we will catch a glimpse of the precious wildness we seek.”

Listening draws the soul out of hiding. The power of listening to one another with full attention, without judgment, with a tender heart is one of the most profoundly healing gifts one can give to another. Jesus deeply listened to those whom he encountered. May we do likewise.

Reminder: in-person service on the patio at 9:00 a.m. No RSVPs are required this time, but please remember to observe social distancing and to wear a mask.

A second service will be livestreamed from the Sanctuary at the usual time of 10:30 a.m.

Sunday's Scripture.....

Luke 24: 17 – 24

Worship for Sunday, May 9

Prelude: Frühlingslied by Felix Mendelssohn.....................................Sophia Ohanian

Welcome and Call to Worship: ................./////...................................Sondra Hodson

Opening Hymn: Morning Has Broken .. . Led by Jim Tong

Opening Prayer:........................................................................ ........Sondra Hodson

Children's Circle: ......................................................................................Ken Hurley

Community Joys and Concerns: .....................................Rev. Dr. Jill Kirchner Rose

Scripture: Luke 24: 17 - 24 ........................................................ __...Sondra Hodson

Special Music: Every Time I Think of You by Ruth Elaine Schram ..........................

......................................................................................Covenant Stay-at-Home Choir

Message: Exquisite Tenderness .............................................Rev. Jill Kirchner-Rose

Offertory: Feed the Birds by Richard & Robert Sherman ................. Sophia Ohanian

Prayer of Dedication:.........................................................................Sondra Hodson

Closing Hymn: #293 Sweet, Sweet Spirit..........................................Led by Jim Tong

Time of Reflecton: Mother’s Day by Kevin G. Pace ........................ Sophia Ohanian

Concerns:

Rosemary requests prayers for her friend Jill K, who is recovering from COVID.
Prayers for Ronan Godfrey who is recovering from surgery for the insertion of a feeding tube.
Prayers for the father of Ryan Zappia who is having knee replacement surgery on May 5^th.
Prayers for Serena Morgan who fell off her scooter and has a hairline fracture
Melinda Sewer Muganzo, Music Director at Mentone UCC, requests prayers for her brother, Miguel Sewer who just went through a second liver transplant.
Prayers for Jim Tong and Michael whose dog, Sparky, crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
Ben Bohren will have surgery on April 29^th for the removal of a kidney stone.
Richard Ault will have knee surgery on April 30^th.
Mary Mortensen requests prayers for Joe Adcock, father of Mary’s children, who has been diagnosed with advanced bladder cancer
Sue Hammond requests prayers for the family of Bonnie Ann who passed from life to Life
Prayers for Ronan Godfrey, who has been diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Prayers for Leslie, sister of Barbie Fiske-Phillips, who had extensive back surgery and is having complications that intensify the pain.
Prayers for those in the congregation who are struggling with mental health challenges.
Prayers for Connie Roener who has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is currently going through chemotherapy.
Prayers for Julie Philip whose brother, Stephen, passed from life to Life.
Prayers for Caroline, mother of Karin Blad, who has been diagnosed with colon cancer.
Prayers for Patricia, sister of Michael Flores, who fell at a construction site and injured herself.
Prayers for Evan, son of Margaret Paul, who is facing life challenges.
Inez Diggs requests prayers for her friend, Penni Pierce, who suffers from Pulmonary Fibrosis, and needs a double lung transplant to help her breathing capacity.
Prayers for Keith, cousin of Maegan Hill, who is blinded by a blood clot.
Prayers for Lorna, mother of Erin Beardemphl, who shattered her kneecap.
Prayers for Claudine, grandmother of Paul and Dante Welsh.
Prayers for Charlie Seek challenged by diabetes related foot issues.
Prayers for Greg Farrell, brother of Karen Walsh, who is undergoing radiation treatment for cancer.
Prayers for Gloria Ebert who is facing heart challenges
Ongoing prayers for parents, teachers, students navigating online school.

Ongoing Concerns:

Gretchen and Aaron Andrews

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

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

Amy McQulillian, friend of Gretchen Andrews

Larry Minor

Sarah Montez

Mary Mortensen

Maria Montana

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

RUCC'S RE-OPENING PLANS!

Pentecost Sunday 2015

Dear Members and Friends,

It is with great enthusiasm that we announce the date for resuming in-person, in-Sanctuary worship: May 23^rd. After 440 days, we are finally returning to our Sanctuary! May 23^rd is Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church, and a fitting day to return to our Sanctuary. We will celebrate this day with Music Sunday; it will truly be a day of praise and elation! In preparation for May 23^rd, please note the following:

Please wear your mask at all times and maintain physical distance. Hand sanitizer is available in the Narthex. While many have been vaccinated, some have been unable to achieve that yet. As an extra precaution, we changed our filtration system (from MERV 4 to MERV 8) and installed UVC lights on each unit. UVC light has been shown to quickly inactivate the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Your safety is of the utmost importance to us.
We will initially limit seating capacity in the Sanctuary to sixty persons with an additional ten persons in the Narthex. There will be an overflow section in Covenant Hall where the service will be livestreamed. Doors will be propped open to create a cross breeze.
Due to restrictions, there will be no coffee or goodies. You may socialize outdoors.
We will continue to livestream the service for those who are unable to attend or prefer to worship at home.

This is a momentous occasion of great celebration. Thank you for journeying with us. We miss you. We love you. We look forward to gathering together in person!

In Great Love,

Mary Fung Jill Kirchner-Rose

President Pastor

Reflection of the Week from the Racial Justice Team

“Regina Goodwin, a fourth-generation resident of historic Greenwood, Oklahoma, still remembers the stories her grandparents told her about one of the most horrific incidents of racial violence in the United States. Incited by the claim that a Black man assaulted a white woman in an elevator, it’s said that a white mob threatened to lynch the suspect. When Black residents, some of them World War I veterans, showed up at the courthouse to protect the detained man, they found themselves face to face with the mob. Gun shots were fired as white vigilantes attacked the nearby African-American area of Greenwood over a period of two days, beginning on May 31, 1921. They looted and rioted, then burned Greenwood to the ground. Private planes were seen raining bombs down on buildings, with an estimated 1,500 homes and 600-plus businesses destroyed and approximately 10,000 people left homeless. “Black people were murdered and burned alive,” Goodwin says. “They were told to come out with their hands up—‘We won’t shoot.’ And they’d come out with their hands up and be murdered.”

- From the article “Black Wall Street” in “Essence” written by Lee Anna Jackson. Apple News link: CLICK HERE

From the Environmental Justice Team

Coronavirus: Disposable masks 'causing enormous plastic waste'

By Justin Parkinson

Political reporter, BBC News

The government has been urged to do more to get people to switch from disposable masks to reusable coverings.

The Liberal Democrats said single-use surgical masks caused "enormous" plastic waste and that environmentally friendly alternatives must be promoted.

Disposable masks contain plastics which pollute water and can harm wildlife who eat them or become tangled in them. (One recommendation is to cut off the elastic before throwing it away) The official guidance for England is to wear a reusable, washable one where possible.

It also states that used disposable face coverings - often containing the plastic polypropylene - should be put in "black bag" waste bins "or a litter bin if you're outside".

It adds that people should "not put them in a recycling bin as they cannot be recycled through conventional recycling facilities" and "take them home... if there is no litter bin - do not drop them as litter".

Five-Week Book Discussion Series: Caste by Pulitzer-prize winning author Isabel Wilkerson Continues May 12

Please join us as we read and discuss this powerful book which examines the unspoken caste system in America:

The next meeting: Wednesday May 12,.

The link for the meeting is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84996728781

Meeting ID: 849 9672 8781

One tap mobile +16699009128

"Walk in Their Shoes" - Virtual Fundraiser

for YouthHope on May 13, 6:30 p.m.

YouthHope's annual "Walk in Their Shoes" banquet is going virtual this year. This event is a very powerful awareness night that shares youth's perspective with the group's supporters. YouthHope is using a professional videography company, and the video will share real stories, thank yous from youth, and other important information.

The event will be hosted through the YouthHope website on May 13 at 6:30 p.m. This format offers the potential to reach a wider audience, raise funds and raise awareness of local youth homelessness. This is a free event, but donations to YouthHope are always appreciated.

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

May 6 - Prayer Polygon at 7:30 p.m.
May 11 - Stewards Meeting at 7 p.m.
May 12 through May 26 - Each Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. - .........................................Discussion of Caste .by Isabel Wilkerson .........................................(see article above for details.)
May 13 - 6:15 - Bell Choir Rehearsal
May 13 - YouthHope virtual fundraiser "Walk in Their Shoes"- 6:30 p.m.
May 18 - Board meeting at 7:00 p.m.
May 20 - Prayer Polygon at 7:30 p.m.
May 21 - Military Honors' Service for Jay Grayson, Noon at Riverside ...............National Cemetery.
May 23 - Pentecost Sunday in the Sanctuary! See article above.
June 11 & 12 - Southern California Nevada Conference Annual ........................Gathering, which will be held virtually. Details to follow.
July 11-18 - UCC's first Virtual General Synod. Details to follow
August 20-22 - Silent Retreat at Serra Retreat Center. Contact Pastor ........................Jill if you are interested in attending.