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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 |
Palm Sunday
Our Core Values:
Spiritual Growth. Welcome. Justice-seeking
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April 9, 2017
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Join us for an Easter Egg hunt and potluck picnic and games at Grant Park after worship this week. Details below.
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Reflections on Sunday Worship . . .
Matthew 21: 1-11
This Sunday, as part of the Palm/Passion narrative nearing the end of Lent, we remember the entrance of Jesus into the holy city of Jerusalem, seated on a donkey.
Your pastors have been spending time preaching with the book,
Our God is Undocumented: Biblical Faith & Immigrant Justice during Lent. This week we will focus on the story of Rev. John Fife (highlighted in chapter 8 of the book), a pastor at a church in Tucson that led the Sanctuary movement of the 1980s, which took "civil initiative" (as opposed to civil disobedience) by doing what the government would not do; offer humanitarian aid and shelter to refugees fleeing violence.. We will also explore some other more current efforts challenging the powers that be... happening in our area.
Maundy Thursday in the Street:
4/13 at 10AM
Our FCC community will commemorate Maundy
Thursday
on
Thursday April 13th
with our
6PM
meal and
7PM
worship in the FCC chancel (i.e. choir loft in the sanctuary) action.
But earlier in the day, a handful of us also plan to take part in an interfaith prophetic action to stand with our immigrant and refugee brothers and sisters in a political climate of xenophobia, fear and hatred. The public liturgy will include a foot-washing for a group of immigrant brothers and sisters and will end with a smaller group of people (who have been trained) who plan to risk arrest in an orderly, non-violent civil disobedience. I will be attending the prophetic action but don't plan to risk arrest; I plan to support those being arrested by holding personal items and greeting them as they are released from jail, which might last into the night or even continue into the following day.
-Rev. Andy Schwiebert
Also This Sunday:
Meagan VanDeventer will be designing our altar for Palm Sunday as a visual to help us worship this week.
This will be the final Sunday to order your Easter lily or tulips. Please fill out a form that you will find in your bulletin or call Nina in the church office to order. We will display them on Easter Sunday and then you may take them to a loved one after worship next week.
We will head to Grant Park
directly after worship for our annual Easter Egg hunt this Sunday. Bring potluck food to share. We have reserved the large gazebo pictured below so we have a shaded area and seating for our food. Clean public bathrooms are directly next to us. The park is 1.5 miles from church and simple directions will be attached to your church bulletin on Sunday. Come, wear your church t-shirt and bring a friend! Don't forget your Easter Basket for the egg hunt! sponsored by our church school teachers and Membership Ministry (Tara, Kim, Lu and Marlene). Note: Ginger coffee shop is directly across the street in case you need your post worship latte...
Grant Park
Ways to Get Involved!
FCC Women's College Scholarship - see article below for details and send the application to eligible women in the Pasadena area who are attending a college or trade school!
Deadline is April 15th.
Join a Union Station meal team - contact the church office or speak with a pastor.
Join our newly re-formed Bell Choir - speak with Connie Washburn.
We continue to accept cereal boxes and canned protein to be sent up to the Friends in Deed food pantry.
Many Thanks!
Thanks to everyone's generosity we were able to put together 12 Spring Baskets to deliver to Friends in Deed! Many thanks to our children who assembled the baskets and all of you who brought in goodies and gift cards for the baskets.
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Rev Andy Schwiebert
Rev. Marlene W. Pomeroy
Rev. John H. Pomeroy
Meagan VanDeventer
Kathie Arscott
Jeff Levison
Jim Maddox
Liturgist
Youth and older kids to help Krysty/Grace/Neva/Roberta/Jake hide eggs and prepare games in Grant Park.
Church Nursery (for infants - K)
:
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...
Lenten Small Group on Immigration
Palm Sunday Festival and Potluck Sunday April 9th
2017 Palm Sunday Peace Parade
Pasadena Area Women's Scholarship
Easter Lilies & Tulips Order Form
An Interfaith Day of Prophetic Action....April 13th
Maundy Thursday Potluck and Service/Easter Worship
FCC Youth Sign for Summer Camp/ Camp
Information for elementary age youth and special needs adults
Yahweh's Yard Sale and Coffee Drive
Sanctuary Sabbath 4/30
La Casa de Maria retreat details
FCC Women's Scholarship Tea Info and date
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During Lent: a small group is reflecting on the immigrant experience...
Our
God is Undocumented (Book) Small Group Meets 4/5 & 4/12
Tonight
4/5 our small group that's reading the book (by locals Ched Myers and Matthew Colwell) will be meeting
tonight
4/5 in the youth lounge at
7-8:30
and again
next Wednesday
4/12 at the same time. In addition to reading the book together, we have visited the Pasadena Community Job Center, attended a Pasadena City Council meeting where they were considering sanctuary city policy.
Facilitator: Pastor Andy (
[email protected]
)
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Palm Sunday Festival and Potluck Sunday April 9th
 This year we are taking our annual Easter Egg hunt and luncheon off-site - to Grant Park (1200 Cordova St,). Our teachers have rented the Picnic Shelter area for us to have a potluck, games, egg hunt and general merriment! It's only 1.5 miles from church (go south on Lake and east on Cordova). Our Membership Committee will be sponsoring the Easter Egg Hunt so bring your baskets. We will have plates, napkins, silverware, drinks, etc. Just bring your food to share. We hope you will wear your church t-shirt if you have one. See Marlene if you want to buy a shirt for $11. Currently we have youth sizes small (4), medium (3) and large (2), and women's v-neck small (2), and extra large (1). Let's show our church pride by wearing our t-shirts in public!
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2017 Palm Sunday Peace Parade on April 9th: Ending Homelessness and Ensuring Affordable Housing for All!
 Since 2003, Pasadena area churches and community groups have marched on Palm Sunday for justice and peace. This family-friendly peace witness and public worship event begins with a short sending ceremony at Reformation Church and proceeds to the intersection of Garfield and Colorado for music and brief words of wisdom, inspiration, and call to action.
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2016 Participants
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This march re-enacts the original Palm Sunday when Jesus and his movement culminated their journey from the margins of their society, the villages of Gallilee, to the center of their society, the capital city of Jerusalem. In the same way, we march from a historically marginalized neighborhood, Northwe
st Pasadena, to an upscale mall that represents the economic center of the city.
This march began as a proclamation of peace during a time of war. In the last few years, we have taken on other themes such as police shootings, gun violence, welcoming immigrants and refugees, the environment, and economic justice. This year's theme is housing and homelessness.
The Palm Sunday Peace Parade is sponsored by Orange Grove Friends Meeting, Pasadena Mennonite Church, Reformation Church Pasadena, First Congregational Church of Pasadena, Progressive Christians Uniting, Knox Presbyterian Church, Urban Village of Pasadena, Maryknoll Affiliates Los Angeles, Crescenta Valley Methodist Church, Montrose Peace Vigil, All Saints Church (Pasadena), Holliston Community Church, and Trinity Nazarene Church (Monterey Park).
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Pasadena Area Women's Scholarship - final week to apply!
A Pasadena Area Women's Scholarship is available annually in $500 to $1000 increments for any female who is currently enrolled or planning to enroll by Fall, 2017 at a college or trade/technical school at any level. This scholarship is sponsored by FCC Pasadena as part of its community outreach program; however church members are not eligible for selection.
 Qualities to be considered by the Scholarship
 Committee are: goals, grades, financial need, college and/or community service and proximity to achieving degree objectives. Students are expected to enroll in at least nine (9) units per semester at the undergraduate level and at least six (6) units at the graduate or postgraduate level. Applicants must be current residents of the city of Pasadena or adjoining communities OR be enrolled by Fall of 2017 in a Pasadena college, university, technical or trade institution.
Blank printed applications are available in the FCC church office, 464 E. Walnut Street, Pasadena, CA 91101, on the church website:
www.uccpasadena.org (click on the icon on the left column on the home page), via email:
[email protected] or click
here. In addition to the application, two references are required, as well as a typed 1-2 page autobiography. If currently attending college or trade/technical school, applicants must submit a photocopy of their transcript. The deadline for submitting applications is April 15, 2017. Scholarship awards will be announced on May 15th and presented on May 20th.
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An Interfaith Day of Prophetic Action Standing with Immigrant and Refugee Families, April 13th
Join faith, community, immigrant and civil rights, worker and labor leaders on Passover and Maundy Thursdays--a special and holy time of year for many people--as we gather in sacred resistance to tell ICE to stop tearing families apart!
Gather at La Placita Olvera, 125 Paeo de la Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012. We will March to another location for an interfaith ritual action in observance of the traditions of Passover, Maundy Thursday, and other participating faiths. RSVP at bit.ly/sraction4-13
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Maundy Thursday Service & Easter Service
On
Thursday April 13th we will have a Maundy Thursday service to honor and celebrate the last worship service and meal that Jesus celebrated with his followers. We will begin with a potluck soup meal in our parlors at 6 p.m. followed by worship in the chancel (up near the choir loft) of our sanctuary at 7 p.m. Our choir will be singing and we will observe the Last Supper together. Please let us know if you can bring a soup or some finger food for our supper together. We will have sign-ups after church on Sunday.
We will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus in worship on
April 16th at 10:00 a.m. in our sanctuary. There will be an array of Easter flowers and beautiful music to accompany the Easter Story and our preaching by the Rev. Marlene W. Pomeroy. Please bring a flower or two for our living flower cross to be assembled before worship between 9:00-9:45.
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FCC Youth: Sign Up for Pilgrim Pines Summer Camp
Any junior high (6th grade thru 8th) or senior high (9th thru graduating 12th) who are interested in more information about attending, please contact Andy Schwiebert. We are organizing a group to go, most likely the 2nd week of July (though the 1st week is also a possibility). See the brochure here.
Pilgrim Pines Summer Camp 2017
 We are hoping to start a new tradition of young children and special needs adults attending Pilgrim Pines Camp the same week. Pastor Andy is working with our youth to decide if there is interest in either Week 1 (July 2-8) or Week 2 (July 9-15) at Pilgrim Pines. Andy is interested in volunteering to be at camp all week and we hope that many of our children, youth and special needs adults can all attend the same week! There are camps for those entering 1st-3th grade, 3rd-6th grade, 7th and 8th grade, 9th-H.S. graduate, and Pinesters camp for adults with special needs ages 26 and up the first two weeks. Please check out the information on the link listed below and think about attending. The cost is between $435-$475 depending on the ratios. We may also need drivers to drop off and pick up campers at the beginning and end of the week. Pilgrim Pines is now mostly volunteer run for the four weeks of summer camp so if you wish to volunteer, check out the information on the website as well. Now is the time to start signing up with friends to get your preferred spot!
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Yahweh's Yard Sale and Coffee Drive!
On Sunday April 23rd (the Sunday after Easter) we will have an expanded coffee hour which will allow us to have another Yahweh's Yard Sale and Coffee Drive. How does it work? YOU scour your closets and garage for amazing items that you want to get rid of. You bring them to church and set up on the table and price them. If they sell, the proceeds go to the church general fund! Our suggestion is to bring just 1-2 items that will fetch between $25-$75. You are responsible for setting up and cleaning up your lovelies. Last time several folks were very happy with their new items.
The Coffee Drive is our semi-annual drive for you to either bring coffee (decaf or regular - must be fair-trade), buy bags from our Peace and Justice Table, OR make a donation and we will purchase coffee for you!
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FCC was invited by CLUE and other community organizations to take part in the upcoming Sanctuary Sabbath, a weekend to focus on how we might faithfully live out the biblical tradition of offering safety and protection to those facing persecution or being unjustly accused of a crime. We will host a guest speaker from the Pasadena Community Job Center who will share testimony about challenges facing immigrants. Between 7-12 congregations across Pasadena will take part.
That Sunday 4/30, after worship we will also hear a presentation on Sanctuary by Rev. Andy Schwiebert and then have a conversation with one another about options for sanctuary and have dialogue with Rev. Ken Heintzelman at Shadow Rock UCC in Phoenix, Arizona online.
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La Casa de Maria Women's Retreat is On!!
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Last year's Participants at La Casa
de Maria
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This is the final call to obtain the last 2 spots at the beautiful La Casa de Maria retreat center May 5-7. We need to release our final rooms in the next few weeks. So, if you are interested, please let Marlene know ASAP and give her your $100 non-refundable deposit ASAP!
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FCC Women's Scholarship Tea
 Save the date for our 2nd annual Women's Scholarship Tea on
Saturday May 20th in the afternoon in our parlors. We will be awarding a scholarship to a local woman (or women) . If you would like to make a donation to this important scholarship fund, please speak to Chairperson Grace Rinck. Through this scholarship we continue offering support to women pursuing higher education.
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