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| T O U C H S T O N E - A M i d W e e k B u l l e t i n |
Eight Sunday After Epiphany
Our Core Values:
Spiritual Growth. Welcome. Justice-seeking
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February 26, 2017
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Reflections on Sunday Worship . . .
Matthew 17:1-8
The story of Jesus on the mountaintop where he is transfigured in front of a few disciples is a mystical event; it reminds us that being a follower of Jesus is not just about certain teachings or faithful actions, but about transformation itself! Jesus was radiant as the love and presence of God shimmered in and through him. Experiences of mysticism are few and far between it seems, but when we encounter one it leaves its mark on us. Jesus was certainly open to this kind of encounter. Are we? This is the final Sunday before we switch gears and begin the season of Lent and we invite holy encounters for each of us during Lent. But first we must do what the ancients did - we must eat up all the luscious, fattening food in the house; we must laugh and dance and sing and make merry so that there is a contrast to this and the 40 days of Lent. So, come to worship this Sunday with a light heart and dressed for a party!!! We will have a festive time in worship and afterwards with our pancake brunch. We will have pancakes and sausage, eggs and fruit and a cake walk to top off the morning. See ya Sunday!!
- Rev. Marlene W. Pomeroy
Also this Sunday:
We will have a special piece of music with soloist Kevin Cordova-Brookey this week as well as an Irish piece of music with our soloists. After worship our children will have a brief Children's Choir practice with Connie before lunch. Many thanks to all who are cooking and bringing food!!
The children will sing the first Sunday of Lent, March 5. Parents should be in touch with Connie for more details.
 We are gathering boxes of cereal all Spring for Friends in Deed food pantry. Please bring in boxes to worship each week.
Our FCC T-shirts are being sported as far away as Melbourne, Australia! We have 12 t-shirts left in our current batch, including children's sizes. Talk to Pastor Marlene if you want to buy one. Cost is $11 each.
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Rev. John H. Pomeroy
Rev. Marlene W. Pomeroy
Judi Tyler
Dana Pell
Mary Camacho
Liturgist
Elemetary class with Roberta White/Neva Orr
in room 232. Youth class will help Jeff Tyler and Pastor Jake in the kitchen cooking pancakes.
Church Nursery (for infants - K)
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Mrs. Phillips, Jaquelyne Rodriguez & Serena Van.
Nursery opens at 9 a.m. for early birds and then everyone comes to worship at 10:00 and stays through the Children's Time and then heads to the nursery with caregivers and parents.
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Nina Kung
Sermon Podcast:
D
id you miss a worship and want to hear the sermon? Please visit uccpasadena.org and select 'podcasts' from the menu on top of the home page or click below
http://uccpasadena.podomatic.com/
Office Hours
Mon. - Thurs.
9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Lunch hours:
12:00 p.m. -1:30 p.m.
Tel. # 626.795.0696
Fax # 626.795.0698
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In this Edition...
Feb. 22nd Friend's In Deed Women's Room Fundraiser
Winter Business Meeting
Concert on February 25th at Forest Lawn
Ash Wednesday Service, March 1st
Lenten Small Group on Immigration
Union Station team needs a new member
Walk for Water, Mar. 25th
La Casa de Maria retreat details
Membership Ministry
FCC Women's Scholarship Tea Committee
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Winter Business Meeting
Our Winter Business Meeting was a celebration of our collective ministry in several ways this year! We ended 2016 with a very slight surplus in our finances and were able to address a deficit carried over from 2015. In addition, we passed a balanced budget for 2017 that improved salaries for a number of our staff, kept ministry programs intact and included loan repayments that will allow us to make important repairs to the building this year. The church concluded a visioning process that has left us with statements and values that allow us to measure the effectiveness of our programs; the church also has demonstrated the ability to live within its means. Reports celebrated the pastoral care offered to several of our members, the success of our worship and programs, and the devotion and hard work of our Moderator, Church Council and staff. Pastoral staff shared that this spring will be a time of important discussion about the needs of our congregation and the disposition of our building.
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Lamplighters Invite You to Join a FREE Concert at Liberty Hall Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Sat. Feb. 25th
New choir member Paulette Westphal will be directing the Burbank Community Band in a perfomance Sat. Feb. 25th at 7 p.m. Featuring our soloist Eugene Carbajal, you will hear music from South Pacific, Victory at Sea, Pirates of the Caribbean, Shenandoah, the Blue Danube Waltz and Handel's "Water Music." Contact burbankcommunityband@gmail.com for more info or talk with Paulette Sunday! Click here for more information.
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Ash Wednesday and Lent
 We will be having our Area UCC Ash Wednesday Potluck and Worship o
nWed. March 1st at the LA Filipino UCC Church in Eagle Rock. Please arrive at 6:00 with food to share. The worship service starts at 7:00 p.m. If you wish to join the choir, contact Marlene or Connie so we can forward the music to you. The rehearsal will be at 6:30 p.m. Area UCC pastors will be leading the service and the new pastor of the La Canada Congregational Church Kyle Sears will be our preacher. We will be anointing and the imposition of ashes as well in the service.
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For Lent we will be having a small group -
Immigrants and refugees have been the focus of much of our recent national political debates, policy proposals and executive orders. Our faith is an important resource in the debate about immigration practices and policy. Biblical tradition and Christian history are rich with discussion and clear mandates concerning strangers, aliens and migrant people. To help us explore this topic and grow in our commitment to our faith and justice, we will spend time with a book entitled
Our God is Undocumented: Biblical Faith & Immigrant Justice by Matthew Colwell and Ched Myers. Matthew is pastor at Knox Presbyterian Church in Pasadena, and Ched is an author, biblical scholar and activist in Ventura County. This book is a mixture of Biblical reflections on questions concerning immigrants and case studies of local Christian practitioners working for immigrant rights.
Dates: Wednesdays March 8 & 22 and April 5 & 19 at 7-8:30PM
We plan to visit 2-3 local organizations serving immigrant communities, tentatively on Saturday 3/18, 4/1 or 4/15. Visits could include the Pasadena Job Center (run by National Day Laborers Organizing Network), the Filipino Worker Center or the downtown detention facility for immigrants
Co-facilitators: Pastor Andy (
andrewschwiebert@gmail.com
) and TBA
We will also be sending ideas next week about how you might observe the season which begins March 1st and concludes with Easter on APRIL 16th. The traditional practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving can be interpreted in many ways. We will send specific ideas next week. It always makes Easter more special when we have been intentional about Lent.
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Union Station Volunteer Needed
Cooking and serving a hot meal to persons in need is an important part of the ministry of our church! The Alpha Team needs a new volunteer to cook and clean at Union Station (412 South Raymond) three times a year - present members of the team include Jeff Tyler and Regina Meyers, with Barbara Klein and Jim Maddox helping regularly. We serve the first Monday of the month in January, May and September each year - we begin at 6PM and are usually done by 9PM. If you would like to help us, or know someone who could support this team, please call Nina in the church office at (626) 795-0696.
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Walk for Water
 Our mission partner Aid Africa is holding their spring fundraiser to educate friends and supporters about those who have to walk miles for their water - and the need for us to offer our support to our brothers and sisters in Northern Uganda as they rebuild their economy and their lives after years of guerilla warfare in their land. You may walk or sponsor a walker - please see the flyer that is attached to the link below for more information!
A Clean Water Fundraiser
to benefit the Water Projects of Aid Africa
at 9am on Saturday, March 25, 2017
in Montrose, CA
Click
here for flyer
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La Casa de Maria Women's Retreat is On!!
 A group of FCC women will be headed up to the beautiful La Casa de Maria retreat center the first weekend in May. We have up to 5 additional spots for the retreat. Please let us know if you wish to join a group of us. The retreat is a wonderful way to unwind together, reconnect with new and established friends, do some art, have some conversation, do some yoga, walk, listen, pray, take a nap, etc. We have two housing options - a dorm style room with 5 meals for $190 each (one bed left) and a private double room with 5 meals for $265 each. So, if you are interested, please let Marlene know ASAP and give her your $100 non-refundable deposit ASAP! Please give Marlene your deposit in the next few weeks. Note: breastfeeding babies are welcome according to La Casa policy. Join us for a wonderful time away in a life-giving setting. - Marlene
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Membership Ministry (Tara, Kim, Lu and Marlene) have identified several events to host for the next few months. Here are the dates - details to come!
Saturday March 25- we plan to support the Aid Africa Water Walk and host a picnic in Montrose Park after the walk. You may walk or just join us for the picnic.
Sunday April 9th - For Palm Sunday this year we will be taking our lunch and egg hunt to a local park after worship! Details will be unfolding but we will eat and play and dye eggs out on the sunshine this year.
Saturday May 13th - a mom's day out morning from 9-noon for mothers of older elementary children and youth. You may drop off your children at church and we will put together some mom's baskets, deliver them, have some lunch together and meet you back here at noon! Sign ups will be happening later on.
Finally, we are looking at several dates and ideas for our annual Hollywood Bowl outing this summer. If you have a preference, please email or tell Lu or Marlene in the next few weeks. Your choices are narrowed to a couple of family friendly movies and one more adult targeted concert: Raiders of the Lost Ark movie on Sat. Aug. 5th; Harry Potter movie Sat. July 8th; or an adult evening of Pink Martini on Sun. July 27th. Let us know! We will reserve a block of tickets in the next few months.
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FCC Women's Scholarship Tea Committee
Grace Rinck is gathering her committee to organize our 2nd annual scholarhip which will be presented at a Tea on Saturday May 20th. Mark your calendars now and save the date!!
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