Third Sunday After Epiphany

Our Mission: "We are an inclusive Open and Affirming faith community reaching out with love, compassion, and justice."

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Thursday, January 20, 2022

A Message from Our Pastor and Teacher

Third Sunday after Epiphany - January 23, 2022 - “Help Is on the Way!”

Life is a series of exclamations form “Oh no!” to “Help!” to “Oh yeah!” As we enter the new year, we had hoped we would be past “Oh no!” Instead, we find ourselves with ongoing prayers for “Help!” The Book of Psalms knows all about this.

Psalm 121, the so-called “Traveler’s Psalm,” speaks of transition, fear, and invitation to deep trust no matter our circumstances. The Psalmist looks to the hills – the symbol of the steadfast presence of God – for help and rescue, moving us from “Oh no!” to “Oh Yeah!”

Sunday's Scripture

Psalm 121

January 23, 2022 ~ Third Sunday after Epiphany

Prelude: It Is Well With My Soul arr. by Sharon Wilson......... Sophia Ohanian

Welcome and Announcements...........................Rev. Dr. Jill A. Kirchner-Rose

Responsive Call to Worship.....................................................Sondra Hodson

Opening Hymn. #490 I Want Jesus to Walk with Me ..............Led by Jim Tong

Opening Prayer..........................................................................Sondra Hodson

Childrens' Circle:......................................................................... Ross Mitchell

Joys and Concerns:............................................................. Dr. Kirchner-Rose

Silent and Pastoral Prayer:...................................................Dr. Kirchner-Rose

Special Music: We Are Not Alone Pepper Choplin....................Covenant Choir

Scripture: Psalm 121.................................................................Sondra Hodson Message: “Help is on the Way”...............................................Dr. Kirchner Rose

Offertory: I Lift My Eyes Allen Pote ........Zoe Petersen, Sophia Ohanian Piano

Doxology:...........................................................................,..... Sophia Ohanian

Prayer of Dedication:................................................................Sondra Hodson

Closing Hymn: God's Got the Whole World In Their Hands ....Led by Jim Tong

Benediction: ..........................................................................Dr. Kirchner-Rose

Time of Reflection: Still by Ola Gjeilo......................................Sophia Ohanian

Concerns:

Prayers for the family of Joan, dear friend of Johanna Ballard, who passed from life to Life.
Missy Rucker requests prayers for her colleague, Kristy, who is facing challenging life situations.
Ryan Zappia requests prayers for his canine companion who is in need of emergency surgery.
Val McGlasson requests prayers for her sister and nephew who are in need of housing.
Prayers for all who are affected by the recent tsunami in Tonga.
Prayers for Kate Rhodes, daughter and granddaughter of friends of Carol Robb, who is having serious and unexplained allergic reactions. Prayers also for her doctors as they search for the cause.
Prayers for Travis, son of Beki Hill, who was diagnosed with COVID.
Shannon Walker requests prayers for the family of fallen firefighter, Joe Flagler who worked with Shannon’s husband.
Prayers for the Welsh family as they recover from COVID.
Prayers for Sylvia Mitchell who has been diagnosed with COVID.
Prayers for Cynthia McGuigan who faces complications with her chemotherapy treatments. Cynthia and medical staff are determining next steps.
Prayers for our medical personnel who are overwhelmed by the number of Covid patients.
Prayers for educators and students who returned to school in the midst of a Covid surge
Jolene Barrow requests prayers for her mother, Karen Barrow, who has been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and is in significant pain.
Rosemary Tuohy requests prayers for her friend Holly, who is recovering from surgery.
Prayers for Beth Welsh as she recovers from a back injury.
Carla Becerril requests prayers for her aunt Margaret, uncle Raul, and cousin Kathy who have been diagnosed with COVID.
Prayers for Eleanor Kemp who broke her hip and is recuperating at Mission Commons.
Cid Breyer requests prayers for her sister in law, Karen, who is going through chemo and radiation for blood / bone cancer.
Beth Welsh requests prayers for her niece Heather who is pregnant and has been diagnosed with COVID
Prayers for Carole Beswick who is recovering from partial knee replacement surgery.
Prayers for Marcia Taack who is recovering from knee replacement surgery and has been diagnosed with cellulitis.
Prayers for Glenda Bates, friend of Gretchen Andrews, who has been diagnosed with operable pancreatic cancer
Prayers for Carole Wesson who is currently in the Health Facility at Plymouth Village.
Nan Root requests prayers for her brother Gary who has dementia and has placed on hospice.
Ryan Zappia requests prayers for his father who is hospitalized with severe pneumonia.
Prayers for John, cousin of Virginia Cruz, who is hospitalized with COVID
Carla Becerril requests prayers for her friend, Edward, who works for a small business in which 7 of the 10 workers have been diagnosed with COVID
Continued prayers for Kathy Blanchard who is recovering at home.
Prayers for Richard Ault who broke his hip and is now home recovering.
Prayers for Bob Sheets who is recovering from eye surgery.
Prayers Angie, sister-in-law of Sue Hammond, who has been diagnosed with COVID.
Prayers for Eber, brother of Lara Urrutia, who is undergoing tests for a mass in his neck.
Prayers for Lisa, friend of Beth Welsh, who is recovering from emergency surgery.
Johanna Ballard requests healing prayers for her dear friend, Lana.
Sue Hammond requests prayers for her sister-in-law, Linda, who is receiving treatment for multiple myeloma.
Prayers for Burt, family member of Johanna Ballard, who is facing severe health challenges.
Eliza Ames requests prayers for her brother Coyne who is hospitalized and is very ill.
Beth Welsh requests prayers for her brother, Michael, who is recovering from surgery following a work accident.

Ongoing Concerns:

Joe Adcock, family member of Mary Mortensen

Anden, nephew of Michelle McNevin

Jerry Andrews

Jeff Bonadiman

Les Budai

Burt, family member of Johanna Ballard

Diane Campbell

Diane, Sister-in-Law of Heather King

Dave, brother of Johanna Ballard

Carol Chaney

Caroline, mother of Karen Blad

Claudine, grandmother of Paul & Dantae Welsh

Precia Gwenhwyfer Courtney-Hveen

Cousin of Rick Cruz

Norma Erickson

Michael Flores

Betty Gayle

Emma Grimauld

Katia Hage

Beki Hill

Jody Hoelle

Harriet Holt, Beki Hill's mother

Mark Alan Johnson, friend of Nancy Hotaling

Susi Jacobsen

Kim Johnson, friend of Gretchen Andrews

Jenny, Sister of Jules Rattray

Emily Jones

Hank Kirchner

Amber McGuigan

Sara Montez

Bill McIntyre

Maria Montana

Carmen & Jim Neafsey

Ryan and Evan Paul

Rick Peetz, Sr.

Kristin Farmer Preslica

Nancy Rojas

Adolph Romero

Joan Roth

Spencer, friend of Stacey Greene

Miguel Sewer

Doris Stockton, Kathi Roth's Grandmother

Heather Tee

Arika Torres

Rosemary Tuohy

Vasquez Family

Special note regarding the Prayer List: Please review the list for any prayer requests you made that are outdated or that may be removed. Please notify both [email protected] and [email protected] of any changes that are needed. Thank you.

Reflection of the Week from the Racial Justice Team

Coretta Scott King, like Rosa Parks has seen her activism erased and reduced to being Dr. King’s wife and widow. However, her activism began before her marriage to King and extended beyond his death. Throughout her life she also voiced her experience with sexism and inequality with the Black freedom struggle:

“Not enough attention has been focused on the roles played by women in the struggle. By and large, men have formed the leadership in the civil rights struggle but there have been many women in leading roles and many women in the background. Women have been the backbone of the whole civil rights movement…Women have been the ones who have made it possible for the movement to be a mass movement…”

- Source: National Park Service - Women in the Civil Rights Movement Historic Context Statement and AACRN Listing Guidance (African American Civil Rights Network). https://www.nps.gov/articles/women-in-the-civil-rights-movement-historic-context-statement-and-aacrn-listing-guidance-african-american-civil-rights-network.htm

From the Envionmental Justice Team

In A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold describes the idea of a land ethic:

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. There is no other way for land to survive the impact of mechanized man, nor for us to reap from it the esthetic harvest it is capable, under science, of contributing to culture. That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics.” (Foreward)

“All ethics so far evolved rest upon a single premise: that the individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts. … The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land. …

In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for [our] fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such.” (The Land Ethic: The Community Concept)

When we watch the smog roll in on a sunny day or contemplate the sprawl of warehouses along the 10 freeway, we may wonder if there’s any possibility of applying a land ethic to life in Southern California. If you feel that way, here’s some good news:

“When Zachary Principe wants to introduce people to one of his favorite vistas, he takes them to the top of Bear Mountain, a sky island in the Tehachapi Mountains north of Los Angeles where California condors roost in the boughs of sugar pines.

The mountaintop 6,805 feet above sea level is a refuge for mountain lions, mule deer and bobcats and is only about a two-hour drive from 18 million people in Southern California. “But it’s off-limits to development,” said Principe, project manager for the nonprofit Nature Conservancy, “because we bought the place.”

(L. Sahagún: “Conservationists create a vast home on the eco-range for wildlife north of L.A.”, Los Angeles Times, 12/24/21: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-12-24/conservationists-create-home-for-wildli fe-north-of-l-a

Virtual Fellowship following Sunday Worship

It's just not Church without fellowship time! So RUCC is reinstating the virtual fellowship hour on Zoom. Please grab a cup of coffee, tea, or something, and perhaps a snack and join us after the service on Zoom, from noon to 1 p.m.

Topic: Fellowship Hour

Time: Sundays 12 – 1 p.m.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/567112071

2022 All-Church Book Challenge: The 1619 Project

Join us as we make 2022 the year of the 1619 Project!

“A dramatic expansion of a groundbreaking work of journalism, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story offers a profoundly revealing vision of the American past and present.”

This year we will challenge ourselves to read this important new book together, culminating in a series of gatherings and discussions later in the year. Stay tuned for more information!

In the meantime, please get yourself a copy of this important book at your local bookshop or local library.

Also, the RUCC Education Committee has purchased four copies which we will loan out to participants. Please contact [email protected] if you would like to borrow one of the church copies of The 1619 Project.

Please take up this Book Challenge with us as we wrestle with these uncomfotable truths about our History.

We Need Flowers, Even If We're Virtual Right Now

Dee Dee Seek is the new flower coordinator. If you want to dedicate flowers, contact Dee Dee at [email protected] or phone her at (951) 534-3438. You will need to give your name, the dedication you wish to make to anyone or anything, and any colors you prefer.

We use Above the Stem florists here in Redlands. Dee Dee will contact them for you, and they will deliver the flowers on Sunday morning. The cost of the flowers is $60.00. There are several ways to pay for the cost.

You can drop the money or check in the collection plate on Sunday morning. Make the check to RUCC and put “flowers” in the memo line. If you pay with cash put it in an envelope and label it flowers.
You can mail a check or cash to the church office. Make sure you designate it is for flowers.
You can pay on-line through Realm. Choose “flowers” as the fund.

You may also provide your own flowers from your garden or from another vendor. Just make sure you send Dee Dee the dedication information and have the flowers there by 10:15 a.m. on the Sunday you choose. If you have questions do not hesitate to email or call Dee Dee.

Bible 101 Beginning Tuesday, January 25^th

at 5 p.m. on Zoom

If you think that “Job” is a term of employment or that “Jericho” is the name of a rock band, then Bible 101 is for you. This 6 week class is an overview of the Bible in its entirety. The class meets on Tuesdays, January 25 through March 1 @ 5 p.m.

Redlands United Church of Christ is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Bible Study

Time: Tuesdays, January 25^th – March 1 @ 5 p.m.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83189260341

Meeting ID: 831 8926 0341

One tap mobile

+16699009128

January 18, 2022 Board Meeting Update

As your Member-at-Large I am excited to have this opportunity to keep the congregation updated on the happenings of the Board!

Opening Prayer: Led by Pastor Jill

For the good of the Church:

Our Annual Congregational Meeting will be held on January 30^th at 12:00 noon via Zoom. Both the agenda and the absentee ballot were approved by the board. Keep an eye out for the absentee ballot if you are unable to attend the meeting, as there are two items that need to be approved by the congregation. Absentee ballots will be sent to covenenting members.
The Board Retreat will be held on February 5^th from 9:00-10:30 in Dan Abushanab’s backyard.
The Bell Choir will resume practice with extra COVID precautions in place, i.e., doors open, masks worn, all members vaccinated/boosted, etc.
Sunday Church Service will remain on line at this time. Once our county begins to move in a downward swing with the number of COVID cases, we will resume with the COVID protocols established prior to this new surge. We are hoping this will be sooner rather than later!

If you have any questions, concerns, or inspirational thoughts you would like for me to share with the Board, please do not hesitate to email me: [email protected].

Sincerely,

Jackie Patrick

Member-at-Large

Annual Congregational Meeting

Sunday, January 30, 2022

12 Noon on Zoom

The annual congregational meeting is an opportunity to hear about the work of the church from our Board members. We will also vote on the 2022 budget and elect members for our 2022 Board. We must have a quorum to accomplish this, so your attendance by Zoom or your participation with an absentee ballot is essential. Please join us! Absentee ballots will be sent to every coventing member in case you are unable to attend.

The Zoom link will be posted in next week's View!

New Year, Same Program

When you purchase gift cards 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.

Gift Cards in stock - Delivered to your door --We carry a limited supply in stock of some of our more popular gift cards. While RUCC worship services remain virtual to protect the community, Pam Dunn has volunteered to make house calls for stock scrip orders while supplies last. If you would like to purchase any of the following gift cards, please contact Pam at 909-963-8305.

Stater Bros - $100 (5)
Stater Bros - $25 (12)
Vons/Albertsons - $25 (1) – this card is reloadable
Target - $25 (4)
Amazon - $25 (2)

Physical Order Deadlines – Currently, physical cards are once per month. If the demand increase, we can add a second card order each month. Here is the ordering schedule for the next few months.

February 14 – available for pickup on February 20
March 14 – available for pickup on March 20
April 11 - available for pickup on April 17

eCards – Remember that you can buy eGift cards, available to you immediately, to use for online or in-person shopping or to send as a gift. Every time you buy, RUCC gets a small rebate.

Please contact Jennifer at [email protected] if you need help placing an order or want to learn more about the program.

Plague Stories: Gathering Our Community Narratives

Beginning on Monday, January 31, there will be a series of three public conversations about how the humanities can help us gain perspective on the pandemic. University of Redlands faculty, alums, and community members will initiate an informal conversation about how they have found insight in the humanities, and invite members of the community to share their own insights and questions. There will be two additional open forums, one on February 28th and one on March 28th. All three will be at 6:00pm, Hall of Letters 100 on the University of Redlands campus.

These conversations will be followed by two one city/one book events: adult readers will gather to discuss Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven on April 25th at Smiley Library; young readers will discuss Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson on April 30th at Frugal Frigate bookstore.

At each event, participants will have a chance to record their "plague story." On May 31, a closing reception will take place at the University of Redlands, at which we'll share the collected narratives of our community. This series is supported by a grant from California Humanities as part of their "Humanities for All" program.

For more information, contact Heather King ([email protected])

Looking ahead: RUCC Lenten Series begins Wednesday March 9

What is Lenten Series? It is a long tradition at RUCC, in which we meet weekly on Wednesdays during Lent for a simple soup supper and contemplative study and fellowship.

In past years we have had many wonderful and varied Lenten Series programs: with topics such as Racial Justice, Prayer Practices of different Traditions, Immigration Justice, Spiritual Traditions.

This year we will be using a book as our starting point: The Mystic In You: Discovering a God-Filled World by Bruce Epperly. --"Epperly shows how we can experience the living God in the midst of daily life and never again take everyday events for granted.”

Each week will involve a combination of discussion and activity which will bring us to a greater understanding of some of history’s great mystics—and in the process, incorporate some of their strength and wisdom into our own daily lives.

More information will be forthcoming—particularly the details regarding our mode of meeting (online or in-person.)

Also, please note: THIS IS AN INTERGENERATIONAL ACTIVITY! We encourage families to attend with their children as we learn and pray in fellowship together.

Family Nature Fair at RUCC—March 5.

Join us in our beautiful RUCC campus as we learn about nature through fun activities and crafts. Stay tuned for more information!

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

January 23 - Zoom Fellowship hour - noon to 1 p.m. See link in article above.
January 25 - Bible 101 begins on Zoom - continues for 6 weeks - through March 1.
January 30 - Annual meeting on Zoom at 12 noon.
March 5 - Family Nature Fun - Details to be announced
March 9 - Lenten Series begins. See article above for details.