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


   Last Sunday After Epiphany    
March 3, 2019    
Now Meeting at 500 E. Colorado Blvd.
Sunday Worship Service: 11:30 am, Chapel

Our Core Values: 
Spiritual Growth. Welcome. Justice-seeking
                      


             
                       

  

Many thanks to the 8 folks who came and set up cots and cooked a meal for about 80 folks this month. Thanks to Bob Rinck for organizing and buying all the food and for Joey Blan for recruiting folks. Thanks: Bob, Joey, Josh, John E., Andy s., Alice, Robert B., Jake and Lachlan!!

Reflection for Worship. . .


Transfiguration Luke 9:28-36

"Unless we get out of the fortress of our worship spaces, and rebuke the unclean spirits of the powers that be, and shed light into the lives of the poor of our communities, we will never know what transfiguration means. Glory will be an unknown word and experience."
                                                                                              
Cláudio Carvalhaes
 
This story of Jesus trekking up a mountain to pray with three of his followers starts with the ordinary and takes a strong swerve into magical realism; Jesus' appearance changes as he is transformed by dazzling light. Appearances of long dead prophets are to be had. And ultimately, as we have seen with many divine appearances of angels and others, there is fear, followed by the divine voice which claims Jesus as the beloved one for us to listen to and follow. There is so much to unpack in this mystical encounter on the mountain! We shall explore this on Sunday, the last week before Lent begins.
 
We invite you to come to worship this Sunday in festive attire and with a joyful spirit!! Our music and worship will lean towards a Mardi Gras spirit as we prepare for the 40 days of Lent. Mardi Gras are the French words for "Fat Tuesday," which is the day before Ash Wednesday when folks normally begin to observe Lent. It's a tradition that dates back to pagan festivals that the early Church transformed into new customs. In the days leading up to Lent folks would binge on rich, fatty foods and eat up all the meat, eggs, fat and cheese in their homes as they prepared to fast and eat modest foods during the season of Lent. The modern Church has often served up pancakes and sausage on Shrove Tuesday. So, we will take a page from this ancient book and have a little revelry on Sunday!!! Join us for some light-hearted fun in worshp and then see below for the FUMC Shrove Tuesday celebration that we have been invited to attend!
 
Also on Sunday

This Sunday's music will feature a festive collection of various styles from Mozart to Morton.

We'll hear music from the choir, Mattias' vocals, Melinda on violin and fiddle, and a Jelly Roll stomp. 

We will bid farewell to Jackie who has been our Nursery Coordinator for the past several years. Jackie has graduated from school and is focusing on a full-time position. We invite you to bring cards and other expressions of appreciation to share with her in worship. We will also celebrate her during Coffee Hour on Sunday.
 
Lent
Tuesday March 5th marks Shrove Tuesday and you are invited to come at 5:00 p.m. to cook pancakes or 6:00 p.m. to eat, listen to music and engage in some art activities outside on the front lawn of the FUMC church.
pancake 2  
 
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday March 6th and we invite you to join members from other area UCC churches (Altadena, Eagle Rock, San Marino, Glendale, La Canada) in an Ash Wednesday Worship Service to be held at the Congregational Church of La Cañada. Dinner is served to us between 6-6:45 p.m. and the worship service will be at 7:00 in their Sanctuary.
 
 
The FUMC church will also have services at 7:00 a.m. and 12 noon if you wish to come to 500 E. Colorado for a service.
 
 
Lent has been a time in the Church when the faithful have engaged in intentional study, fasting and service. We invite you to select something to do (or to abstain from doing) this Lenten season. One gift to you is a Lenten Reflection booklet being put together by various members and friends of FCC. It will be available on Sunday (hopefully) and then electronically starting next week. Using the texts assigned during the Lent season, our folks have been invited to reflect on their text and how it intersects and informs their own lives. Many thanks to those who have agreed to write a reflection this year!
 
Another idea would be for you to select a friend to partner with during the upcoming 40 days. You could check in regularly, read something together, pray for each other, and be intentional about supporting one another during this time. Try something!! It will make your Easter morning even sweeter to prepare and deepen your faith during the season that culminates on Easter Sunday!!!
 

Church School  
will be led by Krysty Leckrone/Jeff Tyler this Sunday in our main office space on the 3rd floor - room 302 at the top of the stairs. 
 
 
Transition Update 
Our phones seem to be mostly working!!! Our office number is still (626) 795-0696. Call us!
You may reach any staff via their emails. If something is urgent, you may use the pastor's cell phones (text or call). Normal office hours for Nina are Monday-Thursday 9-12 and 1:30-5:30. Pastoral Staff is also available on Sundays.



Worship Leaders 
Rev. Marlene W. Pomeroy 
Rev. John H. Pomeroy
 
Liturgist  
Jeff Levison
 
Ushers
Aren Burd
Julie Burd
Peter Keller
Brian Brandenburg  

Pianist & Music Director 
Connie Washburn

Church School Teaachers
Combined class led by Krysty Leckrone/Jeff Tyler upstairs in Room 302. 
 
Church Nursery (for infants - K)
Jackie Rodriguez and Lachlan Ashenmiller         
This week everyone comes to the Chapel at 11:30 a.m. and stays through the Children's  Time and then heads to the nursery with caregivers and parents.   
 

Nina Kung   
Visit us at:  uccpasadena.org

Sermon Podcast
  
D id you miss a worship service 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
 

     
    
Office Hours
 
  Mon. - Thurs.
 
9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
 
Lunch Hours
 
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.  
 
Office is closed on
Presidents' Day Feb. 18th and Feb. 19th 
 
Tel. # 626.795.0696
Fax. # 626.795.0698

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In this Edition . . .
 
-Upcoming Dates for your Calendar 
-Worship Committee
-Update on Business Meeting
-Update on Sallie McNair 
-My Refuge House Fundraiser  
-Altar Flowers 
-Lamplighters Art Night Pasadena, March 8th 
-2019 Women's Retreat Planned for April 26-28th  
 
Upcoming Dates for your calendars
 
March 5th - Shrove Tuesday Celebration outside with FUMC from 6-8 p.m. If you wish to come early and make pancakes, please come at 5:00.
cross3.jpg  
 
March 6th - Ash Wed. Dinner and Worship at the Congregational Church of La Cañada, UCC. Dinner is being provided. Come anytime between 6-6:30 to eat. Worship is at 7. Talk with Connie if you wish to sing in the combined choir. This is an Area UCC worship service as is our custom over the past few years. Newly ordained Rev. Randy VanDeventer will be our preacher for the evening.
 
Sat. March 9th Confirmation Class for confirmands and adult partners 3-4:15 at FUMC with Pastor Marlene.
 
Sun. April 14th
Palm Sunday Worship and then picnic/egg hunt in Grant Park.  
 
 
Sun. April 21th - COMBINED FCC/FUMC EASTER SERVICE!! Yes, we were invited to plan a service together and our Worship Ministry and Council loved the idea. The service will be held at 10 a.m. and we will share music and be able to have organ music for Easter this year. FUMC offers a ham luncheon after the service for any interested folks for about $10 each. More info to come!
 

 
Update on Business Meeting
 
We had our Winter Business Meeting this past Sunday and heard the good news about how 2018 ended (with a small surplus) and heard a presentation of the 2019 budget. The highlights include: raises for all staff members, additional monies to support another male vocalist in our choir on occasion; monetary pay for the Revs. Anne Cohen and Leo Lynch who will be offering coverage for the Pomeroy's sabbatical May through July; $10,000 added to our OCWM (UCC Our Church' s Wider Mission outreach endeavors),;$10,000 for the 2019 Women's Scholarship Fund; $10,000 to be used for Marketing and Social Media outreach to announce our presence here in our new space, as well as funds to cover our ongoing programs and activities.
 
We are pleased to say that we are debt-free for the first time in many many decades and we have monies set aside for a building as well as for doing substantial outreach. Finally, we have designated $100,000 to be used for outreach and mission consistent with our Core Values to be developed more in the coming weeks and month (these monies are currently being invested). The 2019 Budget was passed with overwhelming support. Many thanks to our Budget Committee headed up by Krysty Leckrone, our Treasurer Barb Bonzo, our Council and staff for all their work preparing and presenting the Budget and for the meeting. If you wish to have a copy of the minutes please contact Nina in our church office.
 
Update on Sallie McNair
 
We have a new contract with Sallie, our former Building Manager for 2019. Sallie is being paid for 12 hours per week and will oversee all the details of Sunday morning as well as special events. You may recall that we needed custodial, worship and coffee hour set-up and security personnel each Sunday at our previous site; Sallie is providing all of that for us; on occasion she will have an assistant help her on a bigger Sunday or when she is away. She is working closely with the staff at FUMC to build a solid relationship with them as we settle in as new tenants.
   
Quick update on Sallie's work: Sallie has done the extraordinary job of getting things set up here at FUMC. In addition to overseeing the entire move, she has had space cleared for us on the 3rd floor and in our storage space adjacent to the chapel and brought in 4 much needed storage cabinets. She has overseen the installation of all the wall hangings, pictures and bulletin boards in our offices. She continues to take items to the off-site storage site that we don't use regularly. She has purchased new office chairs for our staff and is stocking us with paper goods as needed for events.
 
Sallie is onsite each Sunday for several hours - up to 5 or 6 as needed. In addition ,Sallie is normally onsite Wednesdays. She is available via email on other days. We have set up a work space for her on the left side of the Treasurer's desk within our Main Office. She will be onsite for certain special events as needed. Shrove Tuesday and Palm Sunday in the park as well as the Women's Tea so far)
 
Sallie has also provided food for two Sundays after church and set up the potluck this past Sunday. She makes sure the chapel is set up each week (putting out communion elements, FID basket, quilt, flowers, signs, etc.) and makes sure coffee hour is ready for us. She has purchased exterior signage for the front lawn and back parking lot for Sundays.She works closely with and supervises David our audio tech and is available to broker any needs on Sundays.   
 
 
The next project is additional signage  - both inside and outside FUMC.
 
Down the road : Sallie will obtain bids and help oversee renovation of Bride's room and sharing cost with FUMC; also discussing with FUMC cutting out a pew or two for wheelchair access.
 
We are very blessed to have Sallie oversee all the hidden work that makes things run so smoothly on Sundays and during events here at our new space.
 
    
Worship Committee
 
Worship committee met last Sunday, giving thanks for our new church home, reviewing suggestions for some additional "tweeks" and planning for worship in the coming weeks. We expressed our gratitude for all the work done by pastors and staff to get us  settled in this beautiful new space. We reviewed all the work that's in progress: sign boards and signage to direct people to the chapel, pillows for the kids during story time, continuing to adjust sound and lighting, and continuing to respond to suggestions from members. We welcome suggestions as we make this location our home base for our mission and ministry.  

We are grateful to have ample free parking available to us in several areas around our new church home.  For members arriving 11:20 or after, you may park next to the church (enter off Green Street) or in the Planetary Society lot with entry off Los Robles or Green.
 
There are a few "FCC SENIOR PARKING" spaces designated for our use in this lot.   Please note that use of these spaces is determined by medical need, not chronological age.
 
For members arriving early for choir or meetings before FUMC worship services end, there is plenty of parking around the church on Green, Oakland and El Dorado streets.   All street parking is free on Sundays.  You may also park free in the Kaiser parking structure with entry via El Dorado.  Please check however as the structure access might end at 2:00 pm.
 
-Bettie Teel and Carolyn Olney 
 
    
My Refuge House Fund-Raiser in South Pasadena  
 
17 of you took advantage of the Early Bird Special to buy a ticket to the fund-raiser. If you wish to purchase a ticket please go online to myrefugehouse.org/muchado to purchase a ticket. Also please let Pastor Marlene know if you do that, as each ticket will be supplemented by $20 from the Appley Fund. The date is March 16th at 7 p.m. and will be held at the Calvary Presbyterian Church in South Pasadena.
 
 
Altar Flowers - thank you for your orders!!! 
 
flowers for Bea
 
There are 25 Sundays still available for altar flower donations for 2019. Sign up to remember/honor someone or event! The Flower Chart is located by the entrance in FUMC Chapel or you can contact Nina at the Church Office 626.795.0696 or email her at fccmonina@gmail.com
 
Lamplighters Art Night Pasadena

ArtNight Pasadena occurs twice per year (March and October), where the city's most prominent museums and cultural instituttions open their doors for free and offer special programming. Attendance reaches 28,000. complimentary shuttles are brough in to transport visitors around to different venues. Begin your evening at any one of the venues on the shuttle route and make your way around until you are back at your starting point.




Armory Center for the Arts
145 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena
6:00 pm to 10:00 pm

RSVP to Regina at 626.576.2718 or Cindy at dolphinlover827@yahoo.com

  


2019 Women's Retreat Planned For April 26-28th
 
Ten women have signed up for the "Mostly-Annual" Women's Retreat, to be held in Joshua Tree this year. We have a few beds left in our two houses that have been rented. Please speak with Pastor Marlene ASAP if you are interested in attending and having a bed. The cost is @ $100-$115 this year depending on if you have a dorm style bed or a private room. Food will be separate and we will make most of our food together. Spring is a beautiful and popular time in the desert and accommodations are limited so please don't delay if you wish to join us!