Celebrations Sunday, October 26 "Honest Appraisals"
We are mostly kind persons in this faith community - doing wonderful works in our wider community and caring for one another. What does this instruction about humility say to us? Perhaps we could use it to be aware of our judgments about others and find ways to let those disappear? If we are honest we have made so many mis-steps in our own lives - can we count those and forgive others their offenses? Come join us for worship as we explore confession and healing as parts of practicing humility! Join us for worship at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.
First Reading: Anand Mahindra
Scripture: Luke 18:19-14
|
Covenant Sunday, November 2
The covenanting process at Redlands United Church of Christ is unique and foundational to who we are as a community. Each year, we take time to consider how we want to move forward with this church and with our individual spiritual journey. It’s one of the high holy days for RUCC when we come together to say again, “I’m in and I choose to walk my journey with all of you!” Please bring your covenant with you to church on November 2nd, and we will consecrate again our commitment to our own path, our shared work, and our gifts of money and time to the world we want to create.
If you have not covenanted in the past and have questions, please reach out to Pastor Jake or anyone on the board as to how this process works. You may also want to attend the workshop after the quarterly gathering on Sunday, October 26th, or be a part of Sacred Saturday on November 1st.
Thank you for your prayerful consideration.
|
All Saints Day November 2
On Sunday, November 2nd we will celebrate All Saints' Day at Redlands United Church of Christ. We will remember those we have loved and learned from, who have encouraged and strengthened us – those who have been as saints to us. While they have moved from life to Life they are still integral to who we are. To celebrate our “saints”, please bring a photo, memento, touchstone that is significant to you in relation to your saint(s). We will bring these items forward at the beginning of the worship service and create a mosaic of memory and love.
| |
In our thoughts and prayers:
- Sue Hammond has been moved to hospice care.
- Ben Bohren has undergone surgery, and we pray for healing and patience.
- Prayers for Rick and Cheryl Napier on the passing of Rick’s other sister, Beverly, from life to Life.
- Prayer for our siblings who are working through their immigration status. We pray for compassionate and respectful policies in our state and nation.
Ongoing concerns:
- Tom Miller
- Floyd Orr
- Carl Parish
- Bill Buchanan
Please send prayer requests to Pastor Jake at jake@redlandsucc.org
| |
2024 ART, FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE! IS OVER BUT WE ARE ALREADY PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR!
The Art, for Heaven's Sake! Planning Committee wants to
THANK YOU
for all your help in making this year's show successful.
We really appreciate your willingness to help, and your enthusiasm was greatly appreciated.
We thank you, the church thanks you, the many artists thank you,
and the community thanks you for a job well done.
We hope to see you again next year!
October 16, 17, 18, 2026
| |
Church directory — Update your information
We would love to have everyone's photos and information updated. There will be a table this Sunday, October 26th, during fellowship hour to confirm your directory information and update your photo. If you would prefer not to be listed in the directory, please contact the church office.
The church directory is available online, on the web, or on your phone in the Realm Connect app. All the photos and updates you've made are there now. Hard copies will be available at a future date from the church office upon request.
If you have any questions, please contact Linda Hoeger.
|
Settled Pastor Search Update
After a break to help with Art for Heaven's Sake, the Settled Pastor search committee is back in full swing. We have resumed our video interviews with candidates who have already submitted profiles and are excited to learn more about what they might bring to RUCC. Those interviews will go on for the next month. We have also received additional profiles, which we will review. We're pleased with our progress and appreciate your continued support and patience.
|
Organ Update
Special Delivery!
This Sunday, as you enter the Sanctuary, look towards the choir loft to welcome the newest addition to our music family, the organ console! This piece is noted as part of the Opus 10342 organ manufactured by M.P. Möller Organ Company in 1968. This two-manual console is believed to have been part of the organ at the First Presbyterian Church in Lawrence, Kansas, until they rebuilt their organ in 2012. Ryan Ballantyne obtained the console and rebuilt it with a delicate balance of new and original parts to be part of the RUCC custom organ. Many details blend old-world mechanics with modern technology, giving the console the unique ability to expand with our music program.
As you take in the beauty of the piece, please note that you may see it in different locations as the music and worship areas work to locate the best spot both musically and aesthetically for it to live.
Stay tuned for more updates coming soon, as our next addition will be the installation of the organ façade!
| |
Quarterly Gathering on Oct 26
We will have a quarterly gathering after church this Sunday, in Covenant Hall, where we will go through the 2026 Covenant booklet and help people discern where they would like to jump in. We'll also share a proposal for a long-awaited update to the kitchen - see you then!
| |
Next Bridge lessons will be October 27!
Bridge is a card game that takes only a few lessons to learn and a lifetime to master. Heather & Dan Abushanab love this game and want to widen our circle of people who can play! A few RUCC members have expressed interest in learning to play, so Heather will hold a series of eight lessons to get them (and you!) started. We need at least four people to commit to the full series to make the lessons productive.
This first series will be on Mondays, 1-3 p.m. Next lessons will be Oct. 27, Nov. 3, 17, 24, and Dec 1, 8 at Heather and Dan’s house. A final session consisting mainly of play will be on Dec 22 or after Christmas, depending on the desires of the group. No prior experience with Bridge is required, but if you have played in the past and would like to refresh your knowledge of the game, you are welcome! Contact Heather Abushanab at Heather@Abushanab.com to sign up or get more information.
| |
Sacred Saturday November 1
Sacred Saturday will be held on November 1st from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. beginning in Micah room in Mosaic Hall. Our focus will be on the covenants we have encountered from those who have come before us, and on the impact the covenants we make in our lives may have on future generations. This may be a time for those who want to consider/ponder/pray/write/ their RUCC 2026 Covenants. If you feel that having a tranquil space to write and express yourself would be beneficial, we invite you to join us Saturday, November 1st.
While our focus is on covenanting, everyone is welcome to this time and space. If you are not in the process of making a covenant, or if you've already completed yours, we encourage you to attend. This sacred time is meant for your inner self and whatever it may be seeking. All are welcome!
| |
RUCC Book Group, November 2
The next meeting of the RUCC Book Group will be on November 2 at noon in Founders Room. Mark Leggett will present the book, The Best Minds by Jonathan Rosen.
“Brave and nuanced . . . an act of tremendous compassion and a literary triumph.” —The New York Times. “A story about friendship, love, and the price of self-delusion, The Best Minds explores the ways in which we understand—and fail to understand—mental illness”-Amazon review.
|
Celebration honoring UofR Chaplain Emeritus John Walsh
Date: Sunday, November 2, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: University of Redlands, Memorial Chapel
There is a reception with light refreshments following the service.
RSVP is requested.
| |
Chair Yoga, November 3, 10, 17
All ages wanted and needed.
We are blessed to have Jeanne Andrews, certified yoga instructor, hold three introductory chair yoga sessions for the church family.
Mondays, 10:00 a.m., Covenant Hall. 11/3, 11/10, 11/17. Kid-friendly. Donations accepted.
|
Congregational Meeting on November 16
The board has called a congregational meeting for November 16 immediately after worship, where we will vote formally on two motions.
1. The board recommends allocating up to $60,000 for Stewards and Hospitality to complete kitchen renovations. (These renovations will be discussed in more detail at the Quarterly meeting on Sunday, October 26.)
2. The board recommends a one-time special donation of $6,000 (a 10% "tithe" on what we're spending on ourselves) to the Conference, to be used for LA fire victims or wherever Conference leadership feels it can best help.
If you won't be present, you may vote absentee using the ballots available at www.redlands.org/ballot.
|
Christmas Craft Faire November 15-16
The Christmas Craft Faire on November 15, Saturday, from 10 am to 2 pm and November 16, Sunday, from 11:30 am to 2 pm in Covenant Hall and Founders Room is collecting books, Christmas decorations, and linens that can be donated in Covenant Hall between now and November 14th, during office hours Mon-Thurs. 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Baked items are needed; please package to sell, or we can package the items (Friday volunteers appreciated). We will price the items accordingly for the Christmas Craft Faire. Drop off items on Friday between 1-6:00 p.m. at church. Contact Ginny Cruz if you have any questions.
All proceeds from the baked items, books, and Christmas goods go to the Pastor's fund.
| |
Game and Conversation Night November 29
Some people just can’t wait till January for Game and Conversation Night! Back by popular demand, Game and Conversation Night will be on November 29, Saturday, at 5:30 p.m. A sweet treat will be served.
Ricky and I would like to pass the baton to new hosts. If you are interested in organizing and hosting game night about once a month in 2026, could you contact me? - Ginny Cruz
| |
RUCC Trunk or Treat is TOMORROW October 25 at 5:00 p.m.
| | RUCC Intergenerational Thanksgiving Celebration Nov. 7th | | Olvera Street All Church Train Trip November 22 | |
Caring for Kin
In the month of October, we are collecting shelf-stable Thanksgiving holiday food items. We will give these items to Redlands Family Service in early November to help them prepare to support families and individuals in need during the holiday. Commonly-requested items include boxed mashed potatoes and stuffing, canned vegetables and pumpkin, and baking supplies.
| |
Racial Justice Message
The Voting Rights Act, a landmark law barring discrimination in voting, was a product of the U.S. civil rights era, sought by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Martin Luther King, passed by Congress, and signed by Democratic President Lyndon Johnson in 1965.
Six decades later, it faces its greatest threat, with the U.S. Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, looking poised to hollow out one key section after gutting a different one in 2013. The court is expected to rule concerning a map delineating U.S. House of Representatives districts in Louisiana. The conservative justices signaled they could undercut the law's Section 2, which bars voting maps that would result in diluting the voting power of minorities, even without direct proof of racist intent.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/voting-rights-act-faces-near-death-experience-us-supreme-court-2025-10-18/
| |
Environmental Justice Message
“The Nature Conservancy’s Medano-Zapata Ranch Preserve in the San Luis Valley of Colorado … is home to 2,000 bison … [and] every year since 2020, a selection of these animals (also known as American buffalo) has traveled … to homes on tribal lands throughout the Great Plains and beyond. The selective transfer of bison is part of TNC’s partnerships with the InterTribal Buffalo Council (ITBC), the non-profit Tanka Fund and other Indigenous communities to restore bison to the Tribes. ‘The restoration of buffalo back to our communities opens a new chapter for cultural revitalization and ecological restoration. Collaboration in Tribal buffalo restoration means we can work together for the betterment of buffalo and our Tribal homelands,’ says Jason Baldes, who is Vice President of ITBC Board of Directors and is Tribal Buffalo Program Manager for the National Wildlife Federation.”
Source: American Buffalo Return Home to Tribal Lands, The Nature Conservancy, 10/31/24
| |
RAIC Thanksgiving celebration November 16
The Redlands Area Interfaith Council presents our annual Thanksgiving celebration November 16, 2025 4:00 p.m. First United Methodist Church.
| |
This week at RUCC
Saturday, October 25
- 5:00 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. - RUCC Trunk or Treat
Sunday, October 26
- 9:15 a.m. -10:30 a.m. - Kids Zone early care
- 9:30 a.m. - Seekers (social time at 9:15)
- 10:30 a.m. - Worship in the Sanctuary
- 10:30 a.m. - Sunday School (kids start in Sanctuary)
- 11:30 a.m. - Quarterly Gathering
- 12:30 p.m. - Covenant Workshop
Monday, October 27
Tuesday, October 28
- 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Munch and Muse lunch group
Wednesday, October 29
- 1:00 p.m. - Mah Jongg
- 6:00 p.m. - Bells Rehearsal
- 7:00 p.m. - Choir Rehearsal
Thursday, October 30
- 5:00 p.m. - Search Committee Meeting
Friday, October 31
- 7:00 p.m. - Women's closed AA meeting
Saturday, November 1
- 9:00 a.m. - Sacred Saturday
- 9:00 a.m. - Search Committee Meeting
Sunday, November 2
- 9:15 a.m. - Kids Zone
- 9:30 a.m. - Seekers group (social time at 9:15)
- 10:30 a.m. - Sunday School (kids start in Sanctuary)
- 10:30 a.m. - Worship in the Sanctuary
- 12:00 p.m. - Book Group
| |
Upcoming Dates to Remember
-
November 7 - Education Intergenerational Thanksgiving Celebration
| | | | |
