Palm Sunday

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Thursday, March 21, 2024

~~~ Click here for this Sunday's bulletin ~~~

Bulletin available on Friday

Holy Week Opportunities at RUCC

Sunday - March 24

Palm Sunday Worship Service 10:30 a.m. - Be a part of the celebration as we wave palms, sing hymns, and celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.

*We’re in search of palm fronds to decorate the sanctuary with. If you have some that could be used for Sunday, please contact Pastor Elaine or Barbie Fiske-Phillips.

Maundy Thursday - March 28

Seder Meal and Tenebrae service - 6:30 p.m. (Covenant Hall)

Join us as we observe Maundy Thursday with our traditional dinner, Passover Seder and Last Supper candle service with communion. (see article below.)

*Please make your reservations by March 25 by calling Veronica at 909-793-3520, or by email: [email protected]. Please provide: Your name, the number of guests attending and their names, choice of lamb or vegetarian "lamb" for each guest. There is no fixed cost for the meal, but donations will be gratefully accepted.

*Also, if you can help Monday-Thursday with set up and preparation, please contact Dianne Landeros who is coordinating the meal. Thank you, Dianne!

Good Friday - March 29

Open Sanctuary 12:00 noon – 6:00 p.m.

In commemoration of the crucifixion and death of Jesus, the sanctuary, labyrinth and grounds of the church will be available for individual time of prayer and reflection. There will be reading material and prayerful art supplies available for this sacred time of silence. Come and go as you wish.

Saturday - March 30

Children’s EGG-stravaganza! 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Bring the kids for a morning of games, crafts, races, treats and family fun. (See article below for RSVP information.)

Sunday - March 31 - Easter Worship and Activities

Easter Worship – 10:30 a.m. Celebrate the resurrection with the whole family. Bring cut flowers from home to transform our barren altar into a colorful image of new life. (extra flowers in the entryway). No Sunday School, so the whole family can be part of this joyful service. Nursery Care available.

Children’s Easter Egg Hunt - After the Hallelujah Chorus, kids under 5th grade will gather on the patio with Ms. Susi who will begin the hunt.

Easter Lunch – Sandwiches provided, please bring salads and desserts. (See article below to sign up for potluck.)

Youth Scavenger Hunt will happen after lunch– Find Ms. Andrea!

A message from our Pastor and teacher

Palm Sunday, March 24 ~ " Even the Stones Would Shout!"

In their book The Last Week, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan write “Two processions entered Jerusalem on a spring day in the year 30. It was the beginning of the week of Passover, the most sacred week of the Jewish year." From the west came Pilate in an annual imperial show of strength, intended to keep the rebels controlled and afraid. From the east, Jesus rode a donkey down the Mount of Olives, with his followers shouting "Hosanna!" and waving palm branches.

For two millennia we have celebrated this day as Palm Sunday – The day we begin to travel through Holy Week. Come as we walk alongside Jesus on this sacred journey.

Sunday's Scripture:

Matthew 21: 1-11

Monday, March 25 is the deadline to make your reservation for the Maundy Thursday Seder and Tenebrae Service

On Thursday, March 28, at 6:30 p.m. as part of our Holy Week observances, we hold our traditional Maundy Thursday Seder Meal and Tenebrae service. We will serve lamb or vegetarian "lamb." Please make your reservations by March 25 by calling Veronica at 909-793-3520, or by email: [email protected]. Please provide the following information:

Your name
number of guests attending and their names
lamb or vegetarian "lamb" - indicate which is for each guest.

There will be no fixed cost, but donations will be gratefully accepted when you check in.

Concerns / Prayers:

Let us renew our prayers for Dondon and Scott Mong, and Dondon’s safe return
Julie Phillip suffered a concussion and a broken finger in a fall.
Tom Mendlicott (Sue Hammond’s brother-in-law and creator of our Sanctuary and Covenant Hall stained glass) had an accident and broke his neck
Rev. John Forney is hospitalized with pneummonia
Rick Sforza's mother-in-law "Mike" is hospitalized with heart issues
Charlie Seek is back home and somewhat better following complications from kidney surgery.
Dianne Landeros' cousin Monty Montano had a stroke.
Danielle Abushanab's co-worker, Hyejin Lee, passed from life to Life.
RUCC's former interim pastor, Jake Pomeroy, had back surgery.
Coralyn’s niece, Shannon, with 20 percent heart function after Covid.
Judith Gregory’s son-in-law (cancer surgery); granddaughter and 2-pound baby (medical complications); cousin (cranial surgery).
Jolene Barrow's brother Andrew will receive kidney surgery in April.
We continue to hold in our prayers the people of Ukraine, the Middle East, and wherever war and violence prevail.

Ongoing Concerns:

Karen & Daniella

Steve Arth

Jerry Andrews

Scott Ault

Dave, brother of Johanna Ballard

Bill Buchanan

Denise Cain

Cousin of Rick Cruz

Janet Edwards

Norma Erickson

Mark Janz's mother, Martini

Beth Welsh's brother, Coyne ("Butch")

Katia Hage

Beki Hill

Harriet Holt, Beki Hill's mother

Jenny, Sister of Jules Rattray

Amber McGuigan

Cynthia McGuigan

Pastor Elaine's nephew Michael and brother Dan

Christine Reese

Floyd Orr

Ryan and Evan Paul

Dick Ault's brother-in-law, Charles Proctor

Spencer, friend of Stacey Greene

Robert Silver

Arika Torres

Rosemary Tuohy

Nancy Ternasky

Beth Welsh

UPDATES FROM THE PASTORAL SEARCH COMMITTEE

We are thrilled to announce that the work of the Settled Pastor Search Committee is nearly complete. After six months of dedicated work and prayerful discernment, we arrived at a unanimous decision to enthusiastically call our top candidate to become our next settled pastor. A Letter of Call was negotiated, and our candidate joyfully accepted.

We want to respect our candidate’s request to keep this news confidential while he goes through the delicate process of informing his church. So, at this moment, we are not providing more information about our choice and the qualities he will bring. A full announcement will come sometime after Easter.

The next step in the process is to have a “candidating weekend” which will take place on April 20-21. During that time, the candidate will be introduced, and opportunities to meet him will be organized. On Sunday morning, we will experience worship with him. After the service, the congregation will convene, and covenanting members will vote to approve or disapprove of calling him as our next settled pastor (those unable to attend in person may vote via absentee ballot). An affirmative vote by two-thirds of covenanting members, according to our Bylaws, will mark the official end to the search and call process and clear the way for our candidate to join us in early July.

The search committee wants to extend our deepest thanks and appreciation to all in our beloved RUCC community. Your commitment and support inspired our work. The special qualities of RUCC were abundantly clear to our candidate. He fell in love with us. This made his desire to join us stronger and the decision to accept even easier.

We look forward to the April 20-21 candidating weekend and the chance to finalize the call to our new settled pastor. Search Committee members include: Sophia Beardemphl, Loring Fiske-Phillips, Keith Osajima (Chair), Samantha Sanchez-French, Dee Dee Seek, Diana Steele-Jones, Minori Tsukimoto, John Walsh, and Janet Wilson

From the Environmental Justice Team

CalEnviroScreen ( https://oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen/about-calenviroscreen ) is a mapping tool used by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (Cal OEHHA: https://oehha.ca.gov/ ) to determine the relative impact of pollution on communities in California.

Using data from federal and state sources, OEHHA uses environmental, health, and socioeconomic information to assign scores to census tracts; the higher the score, the greater the relative cumulative impact of pollution on the population of a given census tract.

Scores in Redlands range from 22 to 94 according to a map of the results that has been made available to the public. This map is color-coded to indicate the overall percentile into which each census tract falls, and by clicking on a census tract, you can get a pop-up that gives more detailed information about exposure to environmental hazards and about various socioeconomic and health-related characteristics of the affected population.

The latest map is here: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/11d2f52282a54ceebcac7428e6184203/page/CalEnviroScreen-4_0/ .

Lenten Series 2024 is now concluded—see you again next year!

RUCC's Eggstravaganza, March 30, 2024!

Easter Fun on the patio for kids of all ages!

Crafts, games, prizes...

Saturday March 30, 10:00 a.m.-noon.

(No Egg Hunt on Saturday: that comes after worship on Easter Sunday)

Please RSVP using this link: https://onrealm.org/RUCC/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=OTdjY2UzZDItOTRlZC00OTY3LTlhZjItYjEzOTAxN2VkNDhh

Please Join Us for Lunch on Easter Sunday!

We invite you to join us in Covenant Hall for lunch after the Easter Sunday worship service. RUCC will provide sandwiches and volunteers will bring salads and desserts to share. If you can bring something, please let us know by signing up using the link below or emailing [email protected].

Salad & Dessert Sign-up: www.PerfectPotluck.com/TARJ4687

Hey kids! The Easter Bunny has lost all their eggs right here at RUCC!

Join us Easter morning, immediately after the service, to find as many eggs as you can, then exchange the empty eggs for a big bag of candy!

We have baskets available to use or bring your own. Everyone is guaranteed to find one or more eggs, and all receive the same bag of candy no matter how many eggs you find!

Come help the Easter bunny by finding all those lost eggs!

Bunny helpers: Start bringing individually wrapped candies to the church kitchen now! Mark your candy donations “For Egg hunt” and leave on the counter by the microwave.

..............................................................................................And THANK YOU!

Book Club discussing Crossing the Line on April 7

The RUCC Book Group will be reading Crossing the Line by Kareem Rosser for the month of March, and will discuss it at the next meeting, April 7, at noon, in Founders Room. The presenter will be Deborah Rada.

An inspiring memoir of defying the odds from Kareem Rosser, captain of the first all-Black squad to win the National Interscholastic Polo championship. Crossing the Line will not just leave you with hope, but also ideas on how to make that hope transferable. (New York Times best-selling author Wes Moore - Amazon review)

Caring for Kin

Women of Faith, Interfaith Service Community

Jean Arnott participated in the Caring Fair this past Sunday, and also excitedly took home your many wonderful donations from the Caring for Kin rolling cart. We now have just two more weeks to fill up this empty cart with a few more things to help our refugee kin. Take a look at the list and see if there is something that you might be able to donate. Thanks for your on-going generosity!

Brooms & Dustpans
Food storage containers
Measuring cups & spoons
Pots & Pans - all sizes
Baking pans
Mixing & serving bowls

Large kitchen utensils
Manual can openers
Cutting boards
Paper towels
Spray paint (for a project), partially filled cans are OK

Lotion - family size
Shaving cream
Men's deodorant
Disposable razors
Sturdy laundry baskets
Household-size scissors
Size 5 diapers

It's not too late to order Easter flowers

Every year at Easter, we brighten our Sanctuary with live flowering plants ordered by our members and placed in honor of, or in memory of, someone or something. The order and dedication form is here and is also available in Sunday's bulletin. This Sunday, March 24, will be your last chance to place an order.

Meals for Women’s Cold Weather Shelter

“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40, New Revised Standard Version

There are several opportunities to provide a meal to the Redlands Women’s Cold Weather Shelter, which will be open until April 26, 2024. The following link will get you to the online signup: crsredlands.org/meal. This will allow you to take or send a meal. If you take a meal:

Make it for 8 people.
Dinner time is 7 p.m., so bring your food fully cooked and ready to serve by 6:30 p.m.
Bring it to the back building of 602 Church St, Redlands
Contact person is Jean Pagdilao, (909) 206-4156

Thank you!

Youth Group news

We have had quite a few enjoyable meetings during Sunday School these past few weeks. If you are in 6th grade and older, please join us this Sunday in the Youth Room after the Children’s Circle!

This past Sunday we had a successful t-shirt sale fundraising for the Western Regional Youth Event taking place in Long Beach this summer.

There are a few purple RUCC shirts left—many of them kids’ sizes—we’ll have them on hand again this coming Sunday for sale during Fellowship time. Just $5 each!

Remember we're still looking for a Youth Director!

This may be only a part-time position, but it is important to our church's mission. The Youth Director plays a key role in helping our young people understand why RUCC's values and theology are important to them as they prepare to go out in the world.

......................~~ The RUCC Personnel Committee

Ramadan Iftar (Dinner) at

Islamic Community Center of Redlands

All are invited! 6:00 p.m., this Sunday, March 24

Details and RSVP here.

Racial Justice reflection of the week

Vaughan Gething's election as the next leader of Wales marks a milestone: For the first time, none of the U.K.’s four main governments is led by a white man.

It’s a striking moment in a country still grappling with racism and the legacy of empire.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has Indian heritage and is Britain’s first Hindu leader. Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf – who, like Gething, heads a semi-autonomous government -- comes from a Pakistani Muslim family. Northern Ireland’s regional administration is jointly led by two women, Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/17/uk-racism-wales-gething-sunak/2e7e81ea-e467-11ee-9eba-1558f848ec25_story.html