A message from our Pastor and Teacher. 

October 29 - All Saints Sunday ~~ Surrounded by this Cloud of Witnesses

This week we celebrate All Saints' Day at Redlands United Church of Christ. We will remember those we have loved and learned from, who now are counted among the "Cloud of Witnesses" (Hebrews chapter 12). What a joy to know that all those who have been as saints to us, loving and teaching us, encouraging and strengthening us, now exist in the dimension of God’s Eternal Grace. They surround and hold us up in times of difficulty. Let’s give thanks to the One who has given us such a great gift.

Sunday's Scripture:

Hebrews 12:1-7, 10-13

Racial Justice reflection of the week

The Federal Reserve just published data that could help explain why Americans have kept spending through economic turbulence and warnings of a possible recession. American households saw a record 37% rise in their net worth between 2019 and 2022. That trend was particularly pronounced for Black and Hispanic households, whose wealth grew by 61% and 47% respectively during the pandemic.

Historically, the U.S. has had a wide and stubborn racial wealth gap. So, what does this new data mean? Most of that broad increase in American households’ net worth can be explained by one asset … home values went up a lot from 2019 to 2022. But there was no surge in Black or Hispanic homeownership during the pandemic. So why did those groups’ wealth grow so much faster than that of white and Asian households? The pandemic labor market. 

“Jobs growth was increasingly benefiting lower-wage sectors because that’s where more of the recovery was still taking place from the pandemic. Sectors like leisure and hospitality and food service,” where Black and Hispanic workers are overrepresented. But some of the recent growth in Black and Hispanic wealth is a bit of an illusion. Since those households generally started with less wealth, small changes had a large impact.

And the Fed’s report points out that despite faster wealth growth, the gap in absolute dollar value between Black and Hispanic households’ wealth and white households’ wealth actually widened during those years. 

“What we are seeing is the legacy of historical racism, discrimination and redlining.” And current economic conditions won’t make a big dent in the problem. In fact, the homeownership rates were suppressed by the very appreciation that we’re talking about. That could help explain another of the Fed survey’s findings: Black and Hispanic households felt more uncertain about their future finances.

Source: “Black, Hispanic household wealth grows, but stubborn gap persists” by Savannah Maher, Marketplace, American Public Media. https://www.marketplace.org/2023/10/19/black-hispanic-household-wealth-grows-but-stubborn-gap-persists/

All Saints' Day will be observed this Sunday, October 29

All Saints' Day is to remember those who have passed from life to Life, and to honor them for the love they offered and the lessons they taught.

This All Saints' Day, the first since Jill’s passing, promises to be a meaningful time to be in contact with our feelings, recognizing both the joy of memories and the pain that comes with loss. Our musicians are preparing special music, and the Worship Area folk are planning ways for us to shine light on the blessings and costs of loving.

This Sunday, October 29, please bring with you the names of loved ones whose loss has touched you. If you wish to bring a symbol or memento that recalls a quality of the one who has passed, come to church by 10 a.m. and bring them to the front of the sanctuary. 

There will be slips of paper to print names on and baskets to collect them in. Pick up a sympathy card sent in love from a sibling church, that you may take with you to remind you of the power of love.

The Pastor ponders... Saints and beloveds in our lives

It is October 25, and we are finally having a bit of chill in the air – for a few days, anyway, and this tells me that even in the IE, November will be upon us more swiftly than seems possible!

This weekend in worship we will honor the Saints of our church and of our lives. We will specifically remember those who have passed from life to Life in the past year, though for many of us, there is no way not to also remember those, who having graced our lives, entered life eternal in years past.

This Sunday, we invite you to bring with you the names of your beloveds in the Cloud of Witnesses so that we may read their names as we light memorial candles in their honor. Mementos may be brought to place on the memorial tables. We will also light candles for those who have died in the violence of war, lighting candles for the dead of Ukraine and those in Israel and Palestine. 

As a congregation transitioning through grief and moving toward healing and new life, this will be a day of both gratitude and tender feelings. Please don’t let this keep you away. We need to honor our losses and our pain so that we may move forward and live life in ways that celebrate the love Jill had for this congregation. Let us support one another with tears, laughter, gratitude, and tenderness.

As we move toward a new month, I leave you with a way to celebrate the many saints in your lives – with Rejoicing in God’s Saints - a Daily Prayer Calendar, created by Laura Stephens Reed. (Click on the blue button to the right.)

May these days of autumn be kind to you, as like the seasons, we move through changes, toward beauty and joy.

In Great Love,

Pastor E

The Noack Organ has found a new home!

Please join us in person or online this coming Sunday as we listen to and say farewell to our Noack Opus 67 Organ! This instrument has served us well for over 38 years and now will have a new home at St. Patrick Church in the village of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin. Please see the following excerpt from a letter given to RUCC by the new owners:

"…On July 1st, three Catholic Churches on the south side of Madison began the process of merging into one community. During this process my colleague Andrea and I identified a need for a new instrument at St. Patrick Church in the village of Cottage Grove Wisconsin. This church building is relatively small, and we were challenged to find an instrument of quality, in a small form factor, that could serve the needs of Catholic liturgy. It turns out that Noack Opus 67 is just the instrument we need to fit our mission!

In addition to leading the music of weekend Mass, weddings, and funerals, the organ will be used almost daily by our five organ students, our three regular organists, and a number of other local organists who use our churches for practice. Opus 67 will be an important teaching instrument because it will offer our students the opportunity to experience a completely mechanical pipe organ and all of the nuances that come through experiencing an organ with this manner of construction.

This instrument will bring beauty not only to our congregation but the wider community through both weekly Masses and concerts which we hope to plan once the instrument has completed its move across the country. On behalf of our family of faith, of all those who will hear and wonder at the beauty of this instrument, and of all those who will learn the art of organ playing at this instrument…."

Thank You!

As we await the completion and installation of our new custom organ it is a joy knowing the Noack will serve a community who will appreciate and use this wonderful instrument!

Pumpkin patch for the kids this Sunday

Just in time for Halloween!

After church this Sunday, October 29, the kids will invade the Pumpkin Patch in the garden on the hill and pick their own pumpkin TO TAKE HOME!

New Conference Minister Search is Now in Progress

We are grateful to the following individuals who have committed to serve on the new search committee. Some members of the first committee informed us they were unable to continue, and the Board of Directors appointed additional members

to ensure full representation from the Conference.

Christopher Bobo, Central Association

Rev. Jeanne Favreau-Sorvillo, Eastern Association

Claudia Hoffman, Northern Association

Rev. Tameka Love, Eastern Association (Las Vegas)

Jeanne Miller, Northern Association

Rita Monteiro, Southern Association

Rev. Kyle Sears, Central Association

Rev. Christina Siva, Eastern Association

Rev. Pausa Kaio "PK" Thompson, Central Association

Rev. Mitchell Young, Central Association

Edith Guffey will staff and support this effort as she connects with potential candidates across the UCC landscape. Regular updates will be provided to the Board of Directors and the Conference.

From the Board

Please allow me to introduce myself: my name is Larry Rose and I serve on the RUCC board as Member at Large. In this capacity, my primary responsibility is to represent all members of the congregation equally. So, if you have any questions or concerns regarding church operations, please feel free to contact me.

I have been involved with this church from the early days of its formation and believe it’s the best place for me to explore my faith journey. No matter how you found us, I hope you will take the opportunity to see what we have to offer and how you can become more involved. We encourage fresh insights and new ideas.

So please talk with me after a service or some other church function if you have any questions. I will do my best to get some answers or find the information you require. If you would rather contact me by email, my address is: [email protected]

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

• October 28 - "Trunk or Treat" at RUCC
• October 29 - All Saints' Sunday
• November 4 - Sacred Saturday 9 a.m.-noon
• November 5 - Daylight Savings Time ends -- "Fall back" Saturday night!
• November 5 - COVENANT SUNDAY - Please have your completed Covenant ready to turn in on or before Nov. 5. See details in the article above.
• November 5 - Book Group meets after church. See article above.
• November 11 - Mentone UCC Gospel Concert
• November 12 - Pet Blessing Sunday
• November 12 - Wider Ministries quarterly meeting
• November 12 - Worship Committee
• November 12 - Annual Community Thanksgiving service at Trinity Episcopal Church
• November 18-19 - Alternative Christmas Faire - See article above
• December 10 - The Youth Group's Annual Christmas Pageant - Contact Andrea Morics for more information. There are parts for children and youth of all ages



The church calendar is found at redlandsucc.org

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