Third Sunday of Advent

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

Trouble viewing the newsletter?: try this View as Webpage

Thursday, December 10, 2020

A Message from our Pastor and Teacher

Third Sunday of Advent, December 13, “Those Who Dream…Sow Joy”

We continue with our sermon series entitled, “Those Who Dream.” Ultimately, dreams sow joy, even if that joy doesn’t immediately spring forth. Sowing seeds into the soil always feels risky and feeble. How can something so small become something so beautiful, so big, and so nourishing? Like Mary, we are called to tend and nurture the dreams God has woven into us.

Sunday's Scripture

Luke 1: 39 – 56

New and Improved Access to Virtual Sunday Services!

At 10:30 am on Sundays the worship video will premiere on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/RedlandsUCC. Everyone can chat right on YouTube as the video premieres (if you are signed in to YouTube). This is simplest and easiest for everyone. Note that the YouTube chat is public, so we want to be cautious about posting things that are too personal or sensitive.

If you just wish to watch, and not chat, the YouTube channel is also on the front page of our website at www.uccredlands.org .

Following worship we have an hour of fellowship time on Zoom, hosted by Jill. More private concerns can be shared there. The Zoom meeting link is https://zoom.us/j/717827959.

Click here for updated Zoom instructions for other meetings and events

Worship for Sunday, December 13 - Third Sunday of Advent

Prelude:_He is Born - Trad. Arranged by Peggy Carter

Dee Hodson Hammered Dulcimer and Sondra Hodson Auto Harp

Welcome and Call to Worship: _____________________________________Karen Rose

Opening Hymn:_# 124 Away in a Manger __ Led by Sara Schoonmaker and Keith Osajima

Lighting of the Advent Candle & Opening Prayer __ ____ _ _ ___Karen Rose & Daniella

Hymn: One Candle is Lit

Children's Circle:_________________________________________________Kayla Peetz

Community Joys and Concerns:_________________________Rev. Dr. Jill Kirchner-Rose

Special Music: The First Noel by Dan Forrest _________ _Covenant Stay-at-Home Choir

Scripture:_Luke 1: 39 - 56__________________________________________ Karen Rose

Message:_“Those Who Dream… Sow Joy” ________________________Dr. Kirchner-Rose

Offertory: The Holly and the Ivy - traditional English Carol_ ____Sophia Ohanian

Prayer of Dedication:_____________________________________ ________Karen Rose

Closing Hymn:__#144 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Led by Sara Schoonmaker and Keith Osajima

Time of Reflection: Calypso Christmas by unknown / Mary's Boy Child –

by Jester Hairston Arr. by Peggy Carter

Dee Hodson, Hammered Dulcimer & Sondra Hodson Auto Harp

Concerns:

Prayers for Mary Lou who is recovering from surgery.
Prayers for Susi Jacobsen who is recovering from surgery.
Prayers for Gloria Ebert who is facing heart challenges
Carla Becerril requests prayers for her cousin Sally who is hospitalized with COVID.
Carla Becerril requests prayers for Tim Brown who is hospitalized with COVID.
Elizabeth Welsh requests prayers for her kitty, Salem, who is recoverying from surgery.
MaCall Potter requests prayers for her kitty, Lucy, who is facing health challenges
Lisa Dewey requests prayers for her father who sustained a head injury.
Prayers for Danny and family, cousin of Jennie Haney, who has been diagnosed with COVID.
Barbie Fiske-Phillips requests prayers for Sonja, who was diagnosed with COVID
Judith Turian requests prayers for Jill Bressler as she undergoes treatment for lung cancer and for Judith's close friend Terri, who is unable to travel to be with Jill because of COVID.
Kenneth Lee requests prayers for his father and sister who contracted COVID-19.
Prayers for Armando, family member of Carla Becerril, who is diagnosed with COVID.
Prayers for Drew Morgan who underwent knee surgery on Nov. 23rd.
Prayers for Lois, sister of Mary Lou Haney, who has COVID.
Prayers for Ruth Jordan who is facing health challenges.
Prayers for Millie Mahoney, friend of Chris Nicoloff, hospitalized with COVID.
Prayers for Gene, a friend of Bonnie Pierce, who is a Nurse Practitioner and contracted COVID.
Prayers for Sue Wallace who is recovering from surgery for the replacement of an aortic heart valve.
Prayers for Leslie, sister of Barbie Fiske-Phillips, who is living through degenerative disks and vertebrae pain.
Ongoing prayers for parents, teachers, students navigating online school.
Prayers for Dick Ault, who is awaiting knee replacement surgery.

Ongoing Concerns:

Barb, friend of Carla Becerril

Gretchen and Aaron Andrews

Carla Becerril

Les Budai

Diane Campbell

Diane, Sister-in-Law of Heather King

Carol Chaney

Precia Gwenhwyfer Courtney-Hveen

Cousin of Rick Cruz

Gloria Ebert

Norma Erickson

Betty Gayle

Ronan Godfrey

Jerry Greenfield

Emma Grimauld

Katia Hage

Beki Hill

Jody Hoelle

Harriet Holt, Beki Hill's mother

Mark Alan Johnson, friend of Nancy Hotaling

Kim Johnson, friend of Gretchen Andrews

Jenny, Sister of Jules Rattray

Emily Jones

Hank Kirchner

Leslie, sister of Barbie Fisk-Phillips

Amber McGuigan

Bill McIntyre

Amy McQulillian, friend of Gretchen Andrews

Larry Minor

Missy, friend of Rosemary Tuohy

Sarah Montez

Mary Mortensen

Maria Montana

Carmen & Jim Neafsey

Kristin Farmer Preslica

Steve, Brother of Julie Phillip

Nancy Rojas

Adolph Romero

Joan Roth

Spencer, friend of Stacey Greene

Doris Stockton, Kathi Roth's Grandmother

Heather Tee

Arika Torres

Rosemary Tuohy

Vasquez Family

Helga Vroom

Reflection of the week from the RUCC racial justice team

“When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through the trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven.”

- Harriet Tubman’s recollection years later about her escape from slavery.

From the Environmental Justice Team

The Environmental Justice Team is collecting tree seedlings that may be growing in your yard for our community Tree Project. Our plan is to pot them, display them on a stand in the front yard at one of Cynthia McGuigan's houses and give them away to anyone who wants them. Please let us know if you have any donations. Give us a call and we can make the necessary arrangements. Dianne Landeros - 792.4839 or Chris Nicoloff - 792.6082

Consider giving a tree as a Christmas gift, possibly in honor or memory of a loved one.

Virtual Feastings at 7 p.m. Friday, December 18 on YouTube

A little pandemic cannot prevent us from enjoying our annual choir offering of a feast of music and entertainment! This year, there is no need to scurry to buy tickets or scramble to get a table with a good view. All the seats are in your own home and there is no charge for this year's virtual event. Join the choir and our guests via YouTube Premiere on Friday at 7 p.m. on our RUCC YouTube Channel. Some of our choir members’ favorite recipes are attached, which you may use to create your own feast on Friday evening. Or feel free to order a take-out meal from one of our wonderful local restaurants. To add to the fun, we will host a cooking party via Zoom at 5PM the same day. This will be an opportunity to socialize while we all knock around in our kitchens cooking whatever we have chosen to cook. No cooking lessons are provided, but we can lend support if you are nervous making a new recipe!

With these small modifications, this year's Feastings is bound to be as fun and filled with Christmas Spirit as all those in the past. Still have questions about how this will work? Send email to Heather Abushanab at [email protected] and she will answer your questions.

FOR THE RECIPES, CLICK HERE

Christmas Eve Service Goes Virtual at 7:00 p.m., but Don't Worry, the Tamales Will Be Real from 5 to 6 p.m.!

We are excited and happy to carry on the tradition of the Tamale dinner on Christmas Eve. Since we as a church are not gathering in person to enjoy this meal in Covenant Hall, the tamales will be distributed using the Churches drive through on Thursday 12/24/2020, from 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.. This is a grab and go event, masks required during this pickup.

We ask that church members drive through to pick up individual dinners for their immediate family (on a first come, first serve basis). Each dinner will consist of either a chili cheese, chicken or pork tamale, and a serving of rice and beans. The food will be packaged in a clam shell to go container for your safety and convenience.

The tamales will be wrapped in dry wax paper and must be warmed in the microwave or steamed prior to consumption. Also, the beans and rice must also be heated.

No reservations are required.

Everyone is invited to participate in the

Christmas Eve Service

Dear Church Family,

For the closing of the Christmas Eve video service we will recreate the passing of the candle light from person to person on the church patio during the singing of Silent Night. We are inviting you and everyone who is part of our church family to be part of it.

To participate please watch this short example of how to make your video. When you've made it you can get it to Dan Abushanab any of these ways:

upload to Dropbox, here -www.dropbox.com/request/K6aarw9QvcUh4JRnv06j
upload to our general area, at https://tinyurl.com/RUCCUpload
Email it to Dan at [email protected]
Text it to Dan at 909-782-7267

We really hope you'll join in! We will accept submissions until December 18, but please don't feel any need to wait until then - the sooner the better!

Blessings,

Jill

ART, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE! SILENT AUCTION ON FACEBOOK!

Some Art, for Heaven's Sake! artists have donated pieces to be auctioned for the benefit of the Art Show. Please join the Facebook Group Art, for Heaven's Sale! Silent Auction to see the pieces that are available for auction.

Please share this group with friends, and "like" it as well. There are some lovely things that could be just the thing for someone on your Christmas list.

It's Not Too Late for the Angel Tree Fund!

Although we can't be together in person this year, we hope you will still join us in supporting our neighbors during the holiday season. We appreciate receiving your donations by December 11, so that we are able to purchase scrip gift cards in time for delivery before Christmas.

If you didn't make it to the "Drive Through" for the Angel Tree Fund, it's not too late to contribute. The easiest way is to log onto www.uccredlands.org, click on GIVE in the red banner. Then click on "Make an online contribution." Use the "Pull down" menu to find Angel Tree. Easy peasy! Please be as generous as you are able. Thank you!

Click here for more details about the Angel Tree Fund, including how to contribute online.

Come Buy Scrip/Gift Cards – Sunday, Dec. 13 at 1 p.m.

Coinciding with the gingerbread house kit pickup, the scrip/gift card table will be open this Sunday, Dec. 13 from 1 pm to 2pm. We will have a limited stock of Stater Bros, Target, and Amazon gift cards available for immediate purchase. You can also place an order for additional gift cards from hundreds of different retailers nationwide to be picked up the following Sunday.

Place your online orders for physical gift cards by midnight on: December 13 (available for pick up on December 20). And there are always options to buy eGift cards, available immediately when ordered through the RaiseRight app or on the shopwithscrip.com website.

To learn more about the scrip/gift card program, which allows RUCC to benefit while you do your regular gifting and shopping, please read the holiday edition newsletter.

Contact Jennifer Brainerd at [email protected] with any questions!

"Love will find a way." Well, so will GINGERBREAD HOUSES!! -- This Sunday, December 13 at 1:00 p.m.

Our special tradition continues—but with COVID restrictions in place. Due to the rising COVID cases and new CA lockdown measures, Gingerbread house decorating will be pickup only. (We had planned on meeting on the patio, but sadly have to pull back on that.)

The time frame for pickups will be between 1 and 2 PM on Sunday, December 13. Each gingerbread house comes with a bag of decorations and a can of frosting.

ALSO: Once you get back home with your house—join us on Zoom at 3PM for a virtual decorating party!

We’re still accepting reservations! Please email [email protected].

And a GINORMOUS THANK-YOU to Barb Lord and Heidi Malone for once again making the marvelous houses!!!

Virtual Winter Camp

The SCNC Outdoor Ministries and Youth and Young Adult Ministries Teams

would like to invite all ages to join our upcoming

Virtual Winter Camp!

Theme: The Mountain Top: "I've Seen The Promised Land"

Join us during MLK weekend as we take a look through the lens of Dr. King and envision what we want our world to look like. In his final speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about the mountaintop and how God led him to see the promised land. During this weekend of virtual camp, we will be grounding ourselves in the ideology that before we can create a better world we first have to envision what it would look like and there is no better place to start than within our own communities. We will explore how struggle in our daily lives is necessary in order to achieve this better world and how we can support each other along the way. Join us as we celebrate Dr. King’s message of HOPE.

This year we are opening Winter Wonder Camp to ALL.

This will be an intergenerational weekend retreat for all ages.

The retreat will include 3 days of virtual programming that includes some of your favorite camp activities. We will have workshops for BFLF, Minis, Juniors, Jr. & Sr. high, Pinesters and Adults. We will also have family crafts and cooking activities. You will also receive a box for you and your family. The box will include programming material, a winter camp t-shirt, and more Pilgrim Pines swag!

Dates: January 16-18, 2021

Investment:

$110 for first participant

$25 each additional participant

Special note from Pastor Jill: The church will pay half of the registration cost.

Camperships are Available: Making programming accessible to all is something that we highly value.

Check out https://www.yayaministries.org/winter-camp for more information

RUCC Book Group Will Meet on Zoom Sunday, January 3 at Noon

The RUCC Book Group will meet on Zoom, at noon, on Sunday, January 3 at noon on Zoom. The group will decide on books to be read, will develop a schedule, and decide on discussion facilitators.