Peter Tupou will be our preacher this Sunday

First Sunday after Easter - "Peace Be With You"

How do we go from the crucifixion to the resurrection? From Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday? In this church season of Easter, how do we reconcile loss and pain when perhaps many of us are still struggling with doubt? Doubt about our self-worth, about our purpose in life, about paying the bills, or family relationships, or dealing with any manner of human frailty. And yet, Jesus continues to show up in places where we don’t expect him. Why is that?

Sunday's Scripture

John 20: 19 – 31

April 16 - Second Sunday of Easter

CLICK HERE FOR THE BULLETIN

FOR SUNDAY, APRIL 16



This is a PDF file which is easy to download and print for use during the service whether you are watching on line, or attending in person on Sunday.

Heart to Heart - Where the heart speaks and the heart listens.

The Heart to Heart team is a group of your peers that have volunteered to listen, hug and walk beside you to share our range of emotions and our heartbreak about Jill’s being placed in hospice care and the challenge of the threshold of change for our church. Each Wednesday from 7-8, Heart to Heart will host a meeting at church for you to come and share your heart with ours. Please join us. This is not therapy. Just open-hearted support.

Team members and preferred method of contact are:

Judith Turian, Coordinator: Text, Email

Cherie Bogel: Phone, Email

Loring Fiske-Phillips: Phone, Text

Sue Hammond: Text, Email

Jennie Haney: Text

Jim Holbrook: Email

Patty Little: Phone, Email

Michelle McNevin: Phone, Email

Of course, you can stop any one of us at church for a hug or a listen. We will be wearing our red Heart to Heart buttons. You can find our contact info on the directory on Realm, through Veronica at the RUCC office or you can email me (Judith) at [email protected]. If you don’t have the Realm app or need info about it, email or text me(Judith) or call Veronica for help.

Reflection of the Week from the Racial Justice Team

United Church of Christ Justice and Local Church Ministries develop and provide resources, conduct workshops, and provide ongoing consultation for congregations to acquire knowledge and skills in intersectional racial justice advocacy. Christian activists are equipped to:

• Educate others to speak up when people are assaulted verbally and physically
• Advocate for and with historically oppressed and underrepresented communities
• Strategize and organize to eradicate hate speech and shut down white nationalism threats

– See more at https://www.ucc.org/justice_racism/

From the Environmental Justice Team

On November 20, 2022, Martinez Refining Company petroleum refinery accidentally released as much as 24 tons of ash containing potentially hazardous metals such as barium and chromium. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has just released a map with the current best estimate of the distribution of this ash indicating that the heaviest concentrations fell to the west of the refinery, an area that includes Martinez Junior High, but that ash may have travelled as far as a dozen miles from the refinery. Soil sampling and analysis must be conducted to clarify the extent of contamination and the potential health risks to the population.

Martinez Refining Company is participating in a lawsuit challenging a 2021 BAAQMD regulation requiring petroleum refineries in the area to reduce the amount of particulate pollution released in their operations. “Wet gas scrubbers” are more effective at reducing particulate pollution than the Martinez Refining’s current equipment. In discussing the ash release, a district representative said, “[W]ould it have completely controlled this event had it occurred if wet scrubbers were in place? I have to think it would help. But I don’t know for sure that would have controlled all the emissions.”

Source: Tony Briscoe, “Officials release map of hazardous fallout from refinery mishap,” Los Angeles Times, 4/11/23: https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-04-11/officials-release-map-of-refinerys-hazardous-fallout

Special Note: The Environmental Justice Team will meet Thursday, April 13 at 6 p.m. in the children's classroom in Micah Hall. If you are interested in working on environmental issues, please join us. For more information, contact Dianne Landeros, (909) 792-4839.

RUCC Youth Group news

The RUCC Youth Group is open to kids in 6th through 12th Grade. We meet every Sunday from noon-1 PM in the Youth Room.

The Youth Group had a very fun Eastertime at RUCC!

On Saturday April 8 we helped with the annual Eggstravaganza event: lots of fun and games. Also Easter cookies!

On Sunday morning we did a great job (with Wendy Birchard’s help) hiding the Easter eggs for the younger kids to find after worship. After that, we had our own annual Easter scavenger hunt. Thank you to all who assisted the kids in their hunt! For the record: Team A had the first “Bingo”, but Team B had the most.

We resume our regular schedule on Sunday, April 16, in the Youth Room after worship.

Spotlight on Christian Education Area

Hi, I'm Jules, and I am the Area Leader for Education. I am new to the role, having taken it up at the end of January. I have been a Covenanting Member of RUCC since 2016 and was first introduced to the church by my now wife, Leisa, when we were both studying in Edinburgh, Scotland. We would watch Jill's Sermons online on Sunday Mornings before heading out to play soccer with friends at the Meadows! When Leisa moved back to Redlands, and we later decided I would move out here too, I knew RUCC would become a very special place to us and it started with Leisa and I getting married here in the Sanctuary by Pastor Jill. We have been welcomed here ever since.

My area is involved with Christian Education, most easily divided into two areas of Children's Education and Adult Education. Susi Jacobsen is the Director of Children's Education, which includes Sunday School, Youth Group and all the fun activities the children get to take part in over the year! Adult education includes the Lenten Series, Summer Series, Seekers book group, and more. We are currently working on a plan to get a Bible Study for Adults back up and running so watch this space!

Summer Series is around the corner, and we are always happy to receive ideas or help with planning, set up, facilitating these sessions. We are also always happy to have new volunteers as second eyes for the children's classes, volunteers for presenting children's circle and new members to the Education Committee, so if you would like to get involved, please let me know. Our meetings are usually held on the second Monday of each month; however, this month our meeting will be held on Teams on Thursday 13th at 7pm.

Book Group selection for May 7

The RUCC Book Group will meet Sunday, May 7, after church at noon, in the Founders Room (which is directly off from Covenant Hall). The May book is Orwell’s Roses by Rebecca Solnit, and the presenter will be Nan Root. Everyone is welcome.

 “In the spring of 1936, a writer planted roses.” So begins Rebecca Solnit’s new book, a reflection on George Orwell’s passionate gardening and the way that his involvement with plants, particularly flowers, illuminates his other commitments as a writer and antifascist, and on the intertwined politics of nature and power.” (Amazon Review)

Raise Right - Gift Cards make shopping and fundraising easy

 Spring Gift Ideas – See this interactive guide to ideas on how to use gift cards to celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, teacher appreciate, graduations, and weddings during this spring season.  https://online.flippingbook.com/view/189675104/

About RaiseRight: When you purchase gift cards through the RaiseRight program to pay for your day-to-day expenses or provide as gifts, RUCC receives a rebate that helps fund our missions. It’s an easy way to raise some money for RUCC. Hundreds of retailers participate, including grocery stores, gas stations, home improvement stores, department stores, online retailers, and much more. Please contact Jennifer and Pam at [email protected]

if you need an enrollment link, need help setting up/accessing your online account or placing an order, have any questions, or want to learn more about the program.  This video will give you an overview of how to get started: https://youtu.be/c-v65F0xr2c

Have you seen this beautiful poster in Covenant Hall?

The design was colored by the participants of last week’s Eggstravaganza celebration—24 kids in all were on hand to celebrate the coming of Easter and to learn about the Easter Story with Pastor Jake.

Thanks to all who participated!

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

• April 12 -
• April 16 - 12:00 p.m. - Wider Ministries Action Group
• April 17 - Church Growth Committee meeting
• April 19 - 3:00 p.m. - Celebration of the life of Carole Wesson
• April 30 - Quarterly Gathering following worship
• May 7 - Book Group will discuss Orwell's Roses. Nan Root will facilitate the discussion



The church calendar April is found at uccredlands.org

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