March 2016
Worship Opportunities

9am & 11am Worship Services

Circuit Rider Deadline

Please have any newsletter related articles, information, etc. to the Communications Director by March 23rd - donna.nacey@scumc.org

 

 
 
 
 
3/20 - Palm Sunday Service

3/22 - Family Event: Rise-up with Jesus

3/24 - Holy Thursday Service @ Valencia UMC

3/25   -  Good Friday Service

3/27   -  Easter Sunday Service!



 
   

Please save the date for Tuesday, March 22nd when our families with children and those in our community will have a chance to Rise Up With Jesus!  This is a great program where families explore the miracle of Jesus' resurrection.  We will need people to man the six stations our families visit and to prepare our meal.  

This was a fun, well-attended event last year and is offered as a ministry to families of children from preschool through elementary school.  We will start at 4:30pm and go until 7:30pm so that families whose parents work can attend after work, and families who need to get little ones to bed can start early.  A spaghetti dinner will be served from 5:30pm to 7:00pm.  Please let Marianne Smith, Scott Mocha or Melissa Day know how you would like to help in this ministry opportunity.  Thank you! 




From March 11th through the 14th, our church family will be providing the evening meals for the Santa Clarita Homeless Shelter, now call Bridge to Home.  This worthwhile program offers an array of services including on site dental facilities, and drug and alcohol prevention resources.  The program could not run without volunteer help.  For further information, contact Chuck Everhart at 805-622-7689.



Hospitality Committee
The meeting is the 2nd Wednesday night of the month at 7pm.  (Except during Lent this year to our terrific REVIVAL study).  This spring the goal of the Hospitality team is to Refresh, Restore, Redefine, Replenish, Renew and Reinvigorate.

COSROW
Cosrow presents "Step into Spring" - mini retreat, Saturday, April 2nd in Fellowship Hall at 10am for Ladies and "little ladies".  Childcare provided if needed. More information to follow...

Genesis Fellowship Group
Come join us in watching My Fair Lady, Saturday, March 5th @ 8pm.  Adults: $32, Seniors: $25 (62 & over), Children 16 & under: $20.  Call 818-244-8481 to make your reservation or email Steve & Laura Erickson for more information.

Dinners for 8 (more or less!)
Our planning get together dinner "Low Country Boil" was filled with FOOD, FUN, and FELLOWSHIP!  If you are interested, please call Santa 928-699-8226 or Jane 661-673-5154




Ministries better known as M&M's, meet on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month.  We start arriving at 9:30am for coffee and snacks.  Our devotions and program start at 10am.  We share birthdays, joys and concerns, fellowship and fun.  Around 11:30am, we gather together for grace and lunch.  Everyone is welcome!
#LOVENOTES
by KerrySue Thompson

As each of us prepares to enter the Lenten season, we often reflect of what we might consider giving up.  There is the no coffee, no sweets, no TV, ...something that will truly challenge us to clear our hearts and offer more time and space (and possibly resources) to arrive at the cross in celebration of Easter.

 

This year let's ADD not subtract.  On the heels of #SCUMTHANKS for Advent and the ease at which each of us can communicate our gratitude, I'd like to offer a similar challenge, #LOVENOTES.  To whom would you send a love note?  The answer; anyone and everyone who needs to hear they are loved.  God, to family, to your church and to others in our lives that we may not intentionally and often forgetfully say, "I love you" to.
 
Love notes are preciou s.  They are kept, if not literally in that desk drawer or the tattered box on a bookcase, in our hearts.  They are
reflections and reminders of moments both passed and present.  They are part of what enables us to live in celebration of love and its power.  The love of God, our heavenly Father, is the most powerful of all our loves.  It remains our first love as followers and anchors us in how we extend love to others.  Easter is that celebration of His most powerful act of love.
 
Join me in the weeks ahead as we offer our love notes and are reminded daily of the power of love.  #LOVENOTES

Come, Holy Ghost:
by Joe Lovino, UMC

While most United Methodists can articulate what they  believe about Jesus  and are reasonably comfortable  talking about God , our confidence might waver when talking  about the Holy Spirit .

Maybe that is because we can relate to Jesus as a human being and understand God through personified imagery like "Heavenly Father."
The symbols we use to talk about the Holy Spirit, on the other hand, are far less human.  At Pentecost  we read about the Spirit as fire and wind.  In Baptism , we recognize the work of the Spirit through water and a dove. Not to mention the confusion caused by referring to the Spirit as the Holy Ghost.
 
If you have ever wondered if you are really saved, you are not alone. Many Christians, including John Wesley, have gone through  seasons of similar struggles .
It may be difficult for some of us to articulate a relationship with one described as fire, water, wind, or a dove. What we need to know is that the Spirit is the presence of the Holy in and around us each day, enabling us to live into the people God created us to be and will be restored to one day.

To read the whole article, click on the link below: 

http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/come-holy-ghost-a-wesleyan-perspective-on-the-spirit 

Midori & Brian Oliver
3/1/97
19 years
Mark & Linda Davis
3/2/85
31 years
Keith & Nancy Orduno
3/16/91
25 years
Allen & Karin Kelly
3/17/90
26 years
Jim & Marilyn Curtis
3/19/60
56 years
Gary & Sue Ward
3/23/74
42 years
Nicola & Jim Foley
3/24/01
15 years
Jeff & Michelle Farmer
3/25/95
21 years
Ken & Michelle Holsenbeck
3/27/94
22 years
Kirk & Terrill Harney
3/28/87
29 years
Dennis & Kathleen Cole
3/29/88
28 years



Debbie Gonsalves
3/1
Rebecca Heinisch 3/1
Karin Kellly 3/1
Paul Van Leuven 3/1
Kylie Gonsalves 3/2
Deborah Miller 3/2
Ken Kreyenhagen 3/5
Jamie Swartz 3/5
Sandra Elliott 3/6
Libby Sokolowski 3/6
Lyndsey Aponik
3/7
Laurie Farmer
3/7
Jake McDougle
3/7
Joyce Sheets
3/7
Amanda Reyes
3/8
Robert Babko
3/9
Mary Lou Carraher
3/9
Kathryn Hoar
3/10
Carren Jones
3/10
Jennifer Elliott
3/11
Tony Pipitone
3/11
Shelly Young
3/11
Linda Smith
3/13
Matthew Terwall
3/13
John Wood
3/13
Linda Redmond
3/14
Marilyn Kammrad
3/16
Jamie Defibaugh
3/17
Taylor McDougle
3/18
Michelle Holsenbeck
3/19
Jerry Dahl
3/20
Jackson Vick
3/20
Grant Silver 3/22
Jane Wood 3/22
Diana Allen 3/23
Donna Everhart 3/23
Jennifer Heinisch 3/24
Melissa MacKinnon 3/24
KerrySue Thompson 3/24
Keir Karzin 3/25
Melissa Day 3/26
Laura Erickson 3/26
Barbara Forletta 3/26
Jane Wells 3/29
Dennis Ridnor 3/30
Charity Dell 3/31
Brian Napoli 3/31
Jim Wohlfarth 3/31

Dear Beloved Community,
 
Happy middle of Lent! I hope you are still in the spirit of Revival. Revival means to reinvigorate, restore to life, and to become strong and healthy. At the beginning of Lent we asked these poignant and timely questions:
  • How has the church hurt me or the world?
  • What is your/our image of God?
  • How we can move into healing and empowerment?
  • What are some tangible ways we can express our faith or journey towards faith?
These questions will continue to guide our Lenten time as we move toward Easter. We have to remember that on Easter, God gave us a new image of God through the Resurrection of Christ. Before the first Easter, God was understood only as a God met through the obedience to the law. With Christ, God revealed a new way he was working in the world and giving us a new way of understanding our God. This new way of understanding and receiving God has the power to transform our lives into revived, made strong, reinvigorated in the love of God. Don't miss this chance to experience God anew on Easter. Easter is Sunday, March 27, we will be celebrating with two services at 9am and 11am. As we gather, whom will you be inviting to celebrate Easter with us?
 
With this revived spirit, we will be looking beyond Easter. This year I will not be taking the Sunday after Easter off. Folks we have work to do! If Easter is one of the largest days of visitor attendance, we then invite them back to a service where most of us are missing. So, I will be at church on Sunday, April 3 welcoming back are Easter visitors. I hope you will join me.
 
Also, your Church Council is looking beyond Easter. In Acts 2:42 we read, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers," When your Church Council met on Sunday, February 21 to sharpen our focus for the year they followed the guide of the early church. They developed our focus for the year. Our focus will be "Rooting Families to Grow in Christ". The areas we will pay particular emphasis on in order to fulfill our focus are worship, small groups and service. Each of these areas grounds us in Christ to grow in Christ.
 
  Blessings,

  Pastor Melissa 


Children's Ministry has some exciting news to share with our congregation! 

Beginning the first Sunday in March, we will divide our elementary classes into two groups - Upper Elementary and Early Elementary.  We will be using the same themes throughout preschool and elementary each week, with activities that are age appropriate for each particular age group.  

Our preschoolers will continue to meet in Room 3, Early Elementary (K-2nd Grade) will meet in Room 4 and Upper Elementary (3rd - 6th Grade) will meet in Founder's Hall at 9am.  Our 11am classes will continue to be combined and will meet in Room 3 after Children's Moment.

We have adopted the Deep Blu e curriculum that helps our children learn to use the Bibles that were donated by Galpin to our program.  The curriculum is planned with easy lesson plans making it easy to step in and teach without a long preparation time.  

To make this program successful, we will need our congregation members to step up and help.  You can volunteer to be a teacher or assistant once a quarter, once a month or every week depending on what your calling is.  Just let Marianne Smith, Scott Mocha or Melissa Day know when you want to teach and what grade you prefer.  The children are counting on you!
 
Save the dates for Vacation Bible School - July 18-22 Sign-up to help by checking it on your attendance slip on Sunday, on the Education Board on the patio or call the Church Office, 661-297-3783.  We need many volunteers to have a successful VBS for our children & the community!

- - - - -

Sunday School Volunteer of the Month!



Joy Pipitone

How long have you been teaching Sunday School?
Since 1984, 32 years

Hometown:
Born in Pomona, CA; Lives in Valencia, CA

Family/Pets: 
1 husband (ha), 3 children, 2 grandkids, and 2 cats

Favorite Food:
BBQ Chicken

Favorite Song:
1. Moon River (Henry Mancini, Cindy Williams, 1959)
2. Cherish (association sings, 1966)

Favorite Color:
Blue

Favorite Place to be:
Outside swimming or hiking

Favorite Bible verse:
Psalm 23

Anything else you would like us to know about you?
Interested in health, exercise, reading, music & teaching kids.


Youth Schedule

UMYF in March:
3/6 - No UMYF (Confirmation retreat weekend at Lazy W camp)
3/13 - UMYF! 6-8pm
3/20 - UMYF! 6-8pm
3/27 - No UMYF - Easter Sunday!!!

Boys Life Groups
Has moved to Tuesday nights, 6:30pm dinner, 7-8pm groups. All youth boys (7th-12th grade) are invited to join us for fun and some great conversation!

Wednesday Lenten Study
All of our youth and their families are invited to join us for a delicious home cooked meal and some great Lenten discussion together! We'll eat together with other members (and guests) of the church, then split off into our appropriate groups to do our own studies. Boys, girls, all youth should come join! :)

Camp Colby Work Weekend & Youth Sunday
Please make sure you have these upcoming important dates on your calendar for April!
Colby Work Weekend - April 1-3
Youth Sunday - April 10

SSP Payment Schedule
Just another reminder, for our SSP families, I mapped out the below schedule. Please let me know if anyone has any issues with making any of these payments:
January 31st - $120 due
March 15th - $140 due
June 1st - $140 due
I would like to have an SSP meeting in the coming weeks to talk details, more info to come! :)

50 Ways to Welcome New People
(First 1-9)
From the Lewis Center for Church Leadership
 
Recognize hospitality as a ministry

1. Teach that hospitality is at the core of the Gospel.

2. Teach your congregation to honor Christ in everyone and that God seeks to be in a relationship with ALL persons.

 

Make a good first impression


3.  Convey a clear invitation and a statement of welcome in all communications directed at the external community - ads, banners, fliers, website, etc.

4. Know that 40% of visitors make up their mind about a church before they even see the pastor, according to Barna Research.  Within two minutes of the beginning of a service, visitors have formed an opinion about whether the congregation is friendly.

5. Care for your building and grounds as a way of honoring your attendees and honoring God.  A well-cared-for building demonstrates a commitment to excellence and communicates that what the church does is important.

6.  Have clear exterior and interior signage that guides visitors everywhere they need to go.

7.  Reserve special parking places for visitors.  Encourage church members and staff to park offsite or in more remote spaces.  If parking lot congestion is an issue, recruit volunteer parking attendants.

8.  Make your nursery clean, safe, sanitary, well-equipped, and visually appealing to children and their parents.  Use a space that is easy to fine and convenient to the sanctuary.  Make sure your nursery workers and procedures inspire confidence on the part of parents.

9.  Make sure your restrooms are neat and clean.

Future topics to follow in upcoming Circuit Riders:

Be intentional about saying hello and goodbye
Help newcomers feel at home in worship
Follow-up with your visitors
Be more Inviting
Become more aware of visitors and their concerns

What is Lent and why does it last forty days?
 


Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means "spring." The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry.

Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of themselves for others.

Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter" and the reverent spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of the Resurrection.

 
Everyone who has a heart to sing is invited to join us to praise God in worship at the 9:00 a.m service each Sunday. No experience necessary.  You do not have to know how to read music. For more information on Choir, please email our Director of Music, Christine at christinetavares33@gmail.com or talk to any choir member.