Sunday, July 6 ~ Special recognitions, and Holy Communion ~"From Corinth to San Bernardino"
It's a holiday weekend, but that doesn't mean it will be a sleepy Sunday at RUCC. No, we've got a special and joyous service planned for this Sunday. The Peppermint Ridge Rejoicers will be singing in worship for us, our good friend and former accompanist Dr. Lara Urrutia will be providing music, and we are going to recognize the former members of First Congregational Church of San Bernardino UCC who have been attending RUCC since its closure earlier this year. There will be two moments of recognition -- one early in the service where we recognize all those who were members of FCCSB or associated with it at some point, regardless of whether they've formally joined RUCC or not.
Later in the service, before communion, we are going to welcome all those who have covenanted for the first time since our last recognition in November. All members who have submitted a covenant for the first time and have yet to be recognized are invited to be formally welcomed and celebrated in worship before we take communion. This group will include some people from FCCSB, and others too! And this will be a special communion -- we will be honoring many of our friends who started attending our church after the closing of First Congregational Church of San Bernardino.
First reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Second reading: John 12:23-26
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New Covenant Celebration this Sunday!
Have you recently covenanted for the first time? We’d like to celebrate you this Sunday! Rev. Joe will invite you forward at the time of communion, and we’ll welcome you as a new member of RUCC.
If you haven’t covenanted, and you’d like to join at this time, download a Covenant booklet from the website, prayerfully complete it, and bring it forward on Sunday. If you’re still discerning and would like more information, join us after church in Founders Room for RUCC Orientation.
Remember, while ongoing members covenant each year in the fall, anyone is welcome to submit a Covenant at any time by placing it in the offering plate or dropping it off at the office.
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Rev. Jake Pomeroy returns as Transitional Pastor September 1
As announced at our congregational meeting, we are thrilled to welcome Rev. Jake Pomeroy back to Redlands UCC as our Transitional Pastor, starting September 1. Jake spent seven months with us as our bridge pastor while Jill was fighting cancer. Board President Dan Abushanab notes, "He was a calming and comforting presence then and will be again as Joe departs and we start the journey toward calling our next settled pastor. We shared a short introductory video from Jake in the meeting Sunday, where I thought he hit all the right notes in describing his past and future with us." Pastoral care and Sunday worship coverage is being arranged for the time between Rev. Joe and Pastor Jake.
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Search committee elected and getting to work
Thanks to all who voted absentee or in person Sunday for the new search committee. They are now official! Congratulations to Sophia Beardemphl, Lisa Dewey, Pam Dunn, Kathy Economen, John Hoeger, Nick Mineo-Wells, Keith Osajima, Julie Phillip and Jules Rattray. We have great trust in you and the way the Spirit will work with you to find our next settled pastor. The next step for the committee is to meet with conference minister Rachael Pryor, who will provide an orientation on the process and set some milestones.
We have also now formally delivered our updated profile to the conference. Our listing is live on the website where pastors considering a new call can find those opportunities. Please share the link with anyone you feel would be a qualified candidate for our next settled minister.
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In our thoughts and prayers
- Prayers for Carol Chaney who fell and hurt her knee. In addition to the pain, she’s been unable to drive.
- Prayers for our church community and the Zarro family during this time of transition. Prayers for a loving, grace-filled departure, and for the Holy Spirit to continue to accompany us on the journey.
- Ongoing prayers for Mary Lou Haney, and her daughter and caregiver Jennie, and Jennie’s fiancé Patrick.
- Prayers for Rev. Kraig Beardemphl and his family as his grandmother entered hospice care in South Dakota. Traveling mercies for the Beardemphl family.
- Every week we pray for the victims of violence and oppression around the world. This week we pray for victims of the official closing of USAID. The Lancet medical journal estimates the resulting aid cuts could cause more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, one-third of those being children.
Ongoing concerns:
- Those affected by wildfires, including the UCC in Altadena
- Dick Ault
- Jerry Andrews
- Ron Bickford
- Tim and Ida Blakely
- Bill Buchanan
- Judith Gregory
- Beki Hill
- Harriet Holt, Beki Hill's mother
- Floyd Orr
- Paisley Parcell
- Amber McGuigan
- Cynthia McGuigan
- Dondon and Scott Mong
- Carl Parish
- Dee Dee Seek’s great grandson Jaxson
- Robert Silver
- Tom Miller
- Janet Wilson’s great niece Amelia
- Michael White
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Caring for Kin
In the month of July, we will be collecting school supplies for Women of Faith, a local organization that supports refugees in the Inland Empire. Items of special need include college-ruled notebooks and paper, colored pencils, markers, scissors, and backpacks for all ages. A few items that are NOT as needed are glue sticks, pens, and pencils.
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Steps 4 Life Needs Our Help!
Steps 4 Life provides transitional housing in Redlands, but one of the houses had a fire last year. The organization's founder, Cynthia McGuigan, has asked for help refurnishing the house. Any and all home items are needed, including new or gently used furniture, dishes, kitchen utensils, appliances, new towels, sheets, and other linens. If you have items to donate, please call Cynthia directly at 909-800-9970. Please do not bring your Steps 4 Life donations to the Church. Thank you!
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Helping with Fellowship Time is fun!
Fellowship Time after church is where the sacred snacks and holy hospitality happen. It’s that magical part of Sunday where we sip coffee and punch, nibble on treats, and chat with friends—whether we’ve known them for years or just met them at the table.
But here’s the secret: the snacks don’t appear by divine intervention (though they are heavenly). We need a few friendly folks each week to help make the magic happen—bringing goodies, setting up, and yes, helping with cleanup—because even holy hospitality comes with a few crumbs.
Want to be part of this behind-the-scenes miracle? Click here to sign up! Your church family (and their taste buds) will thank you!
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Sacred Saturday, tomorrow, July 5
Please join us this Saturday, 9 a.m.-noon, for a respite from the sometimes-overwhelming state of affairs in the world. You're encouraged to step back, embrace stillness, and enjoy introspective contemplation in the beautiful setting of the RUCC sanctuary, buildings, and grounds.
Let the worries of the week fade as you immerse yourself in the tranquil atmosphere of our serene garden and meditative spaces. We invite you to pause, breathe deeply, and find clarity amidst the natural beauty and quiet corners of our sacred grounds.
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RUCC Orientation this Sunday, July 6
Are you new to RUCC and looking for more information about how to get involved? Are you considering joining the church as a member but want to know more? This gathering is perfect for you! We’ll begin with pizza and small groups chatting and getting to know each other, and then a larger group presentation on some of the basics of the church—who we are, how we’re organized, what it means to become an official “member” of the church. There will be informational handouts and it will last approximately an hour. We will be meeting from 11:45 a.m. to about 12:45 p.m., following worship on Sunday, July 6, in Founders Room.
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Book group this Sunday, July 6
The RUCC Book Group will meet this coming Sunday, July 6, after church at noon, in Garden Room. The group will discuss books and ideas for the reading schedule for the next few months. Everyone is invited.
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Game and Conversation Night - Saturday, July 12
When is the next wonderful, fun, and exciting Game and Conversation Night? Saturday, July 12, at 5:30 p.m. in Covenant Hall. Come meet new friends and hang out with old ones. Play your favorite game or try a new one. Prizes and sweet treats. See you there. It's going to be great!
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Young and Middle Adult group, Trivia Night, July 18
Join in the fun Friday, July 18, at the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands! "Through the Decades" trivia night runs 5-9 p.m. with trivia beginning at 6:30 p.m. Museum admission fee is $5 (a 50% discount!).
Feel free to dress for your favorite decade! The quiz will focus on the 1960's-2000's. Click this link to sign up, or let Jules Rattray or Diana Steele-Jones know you will be there, so we know to look out for you! Hope to see you there!
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Have you had your Dinner for Eightish?
We're now into the second round of Dinners for Eightish but some folks didn't get together for round one. It's not too late! If you were listed as host and life got in the way, please reach out to your group now and find a date to get together. Also, if your host hasn't contacted you, feel free to give them a nudge (or even offer to help). RUCC folk consistently report that these small gatherings of friends, old and new, are a great way to connect with our church family. Questions? Contact Kim Lara-Kane or Loring Fiske-Phillips or email d48ish@redlandsucc.org.
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Racial Justice Message
“I learned that racism, like most systems of oppression, isn’t about bad people doing terrible things to people who are different from them, but instead is a way of maintaining power for certain groups at the expense of others.”
- Alicia Garza, civil rights activist and writer, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement.
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Environmental Justice Message
Mindlessly degrading the natural world the way we have been is no different than a bird degrading its own nest, a fox degrading its own den, a beaver degrading its own dam... And we can’t keep doing that and assume that we will repair it later. Later is over... Later is too late, so whatever we are going to save, we’d better start saving it now.
Thomas L. Friedman, Hot, Flat, and Crowded, Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, New York, 2008, pg. 153.
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John Walsh is keynote speaker at "Hope Renewed" camp
Member Pat Gordon is on the board of directors for the Unitarian Universalists' Camp de Benneville Pines, located in Barton Flats, on Jenks Lake West. She invites the RUCC community to the 2025 Summer Break Camp for Adults & Singing in the Pines featuring member Rev. John Walsh as keynote speaker.
John will address the impacts of climate change on our planet and our government’s reluctance to respond. John asks, “What can we do to find a path to environmental awareness? How can we live mindfully green?” The voices of John Muir, Rachel Carson, Annie Dillard, and other mindful writers ask us to respond to their environmental warnings.
Much more information and registration at:
https://www.uucamp.org/camps-retreats/adult-camps/2025-summer-break-camp-for-adults-singing-in-the-pines/
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Know Peace Online
From the national UCC's Media Justice Ministry:
Today, misinformation spreads faster than facts, AI-generated content overwhelms our timelines, and attacks on journalists are on the rise. That's why we're relaunching Know Peace Online — a campaign rooted in the same belief that launched our ministry: that media shapes public understanding, and we all share a responsibility to make it better. Even in a noisy, divided digital world, how we show up online still matters.
Learn more about this important campaign on the UCC Media Justice blog.
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Last Sunday for the RUCC History Project book
If you'd like a copy of the RUCC History Project book, this Sunday is the last day they'll be on sale. See Kathie Blakley to get your book for a suggested amount of $20, which can be paid in cash or check (made out to RUCC).
The book is also available on our website at https://redlandsucc.org/history/.
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This week
Saturday, July 5
- 9 a.m.-noon, Sacred Saturday, Mosaic Hall
Sunday, July 6
- 9:15 a.m. - Kid's Zone
- 9:30 a.m. - Seekers (social time at 9:15 a.m.)
- 10:30 a.m. - Summertime Sunday School
- 10:30 a.m. - Worship in the Sanctuary, welcome to new members
- 11:45 a.m. - RUCC Orientation, Founders Room
- 11:45 a.m. - Book Group, Garden Room
Monday, July 7
- 4:00 p.m. - Church Growth Area meeting
- 7:00 p.m. - Bible Study (email for info), in person or online
Tuesday, July 8
- 11:00 a.m. - Munch & Muse, Covenant Hall
- 7:00 p.m. - Stewards Area meeting
Wednesday, July 9
- 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. - Mah Jongg, Mosaic Hall
Thursday, July 10
- 11:00 a.m. - Worship Area meeting
Friday, July 11
- 7:00 p.m. - Women's closed AA meeting
Saturday, July 12
- 5:30 p.m. - Game and Conversation Night, Covenant Hall
Sunday, July 13
- 9:15 a.m. - Kid's Zone
- 9:30 a.m. - Seekers (social time at 9:15 a.m.)
- 10:30 a.m. - Worship and Sunday School
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Upcoming Dates to Remember
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July 11 - UCC General Synod begins in Kansas City, Missouri
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