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


   Sixth Sunday After Pentecost    
July 1st, 2018    


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


                                     
                       

  


We celebrated our church school teachers this past week. Many thanks to Jeff, Roberta, Neva, Krysty, Connie and Grace for teaching our children all year!!! 
Reflection for Worship. . .

Isaiah 58:6-12
 
For the Sundays in July we will focus on our Core Values here at FCC which are: Hospitality, Spirituality and Justice. Each week we will select a Bible verse that is related to a Core Value and explore it and its connection to our faith community. This first week I will focus on hospitality using the text from the Hebrew Bible book of Isaiah.
 
These words from the book of Isaiah ring true for us today as we work to be people of great hospitality and welcome. Our Religious Tradition demands that we be people of great compassion, welcome and justice seeking and this passage in Isaiah lays it out with clarity and insistence. God does not want empty rituals and fasts from us - God wants advocacy and radical welcome for others as Isaiah describes. And we are promised in return that God will satisfy and strengthen us and we shall bloom like a watered garden!! One of the things we will learn is that these three values are intertwined with each other and cannot be fully separated. In the Bible justice involves radical welcome and spirituality. And being spiritual is also about acting out  in the world through our spiritual practices.
 
Our work as a church should flow from our Core Values and they are worth pondering this Summer during this time of great transition in our church life!
 
Hope to see you Sunday at 10:00!!
 
-Rev. Marlene W. Pomeroy  
 
 
Also on Sunday:  
 
This week Alice Dryden will bring some vocal music to our morning service.   We hope to see you there.
 
We have a combined class for elementary and youth class - teachers are: Judi Tyler and Irene Keller.



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

Pianist & Music Coordinator 
Connie Washburn

Church School Teachers  
Combined class for elementary & youth class - teachers are: Judi Tyler and Irene Keller.  

Church Nursery (for infants - K)
J. Rodriguez and Adi Paokhomai      
 
Nursery opens at 9:15 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.   
 

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.
 
10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
 
  
Tel. # 626.795.0696
Fax. # 626.795.0698

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In this Edition . . . 
 
-Wild Goose Trip
-Pastor's Discretionary Fund and
 the Good Samaritan Fund
-Women's Mini Retreat, Aug. 4th
-All Church Celebration Planned for Sept. 8th 
-Hollywood Bowl Outing, July 7th
-Habitat Dedication June 9th
-Wedding Party to Shower for Amy & Marcus June 30th  
-Church T-Shirts
-Friends In Deed Annual Back-to-School 


Wild Goose Trip
 
Thanks to the generosity of the Appley Fund, several of us are attending the Wild Goose Festival near Asheville, North Carolina this July. Folks attending are: Meagan and Randy VanDeventer, Lachlan Ashenmiller, Andy Speakman, Kaley Pomeroy, and Jake and Marlene Pomeroy. The festival takes place July 12-15 and you can look up details about the trip at http://wildgoosefestival.org. 
 
Pastors Marlene and Jake attended last year and were very moved by all the music, theology, art and presentations on a variety of progressive Christian topics with a community of 3,000 folks! We will have a general meeting after church on Sunday July 8th at 11:40 to go over details of the trip for all who are planning to attend.  
 
Pastors' Discretionary Fund and the Good Samaritan Fund
 
These two funds in our church provide care for folks in times of great need. The Discretionary Fund is intended for use to folks within our community who need one-time help for a variety of reasons. Any funds distributed are confidential. The Good Samaritan Fund is intended for help to those outside our community. How are these funds replenished?
Good Sam - we collect money through the envelope in your bulletin the first Sunday of each month. We will collect money this Sunday.
 
Pastors' Discretionary Fund - funded through donations made by church folks.
 
Both of these funds could use some support right now. Please consider making a donation to either fund during the next few weeks so we can in turn help others who are in need this Summer.
 
Many thanks in advance for your support. - Your Pastors, Jake and Marlene
 
 


Women's Mini Retreat Aug. 4th
 
We will be having a Mini Women's Retreat Saturday Aug. 4th from 10-2 at Pastor Marlene's house. It will be a time of sharing together as in past retreats as well as some time to engage in SoulCollage led by Anne Cohen ; she describes it this way: A SoulCollage Deck is the story of you! SoulCollageĀ® is a process which begins as simple creative fun, but which suddenly may surprise and awaken you! Learn how to access your intuition and create an incredible deck of cards with deep personal meaning that will help you with life's questions. This is a multi-leveled, creative process which anyone can do. It is wonderful to have other people with whom to share the process.
 
Anne Cohen is a minister with the United Church of Christ, currently serving Mt. Hollywood UCC in the Los Feliz area. Anne uses SoulCollageĀ® to encourage individual and communal transformation in the churches she serves. In personal use, as a verbal person, this visual approach has opened new avenues for self-understanding, spiritual expression and the processing of events and emotions. It's an adventure!
 
Of course we will also have a chance to eat together. Please RSVP to Pastor Marlene at   [email protected] if you plan to attend so we can have supplies and space for you. The cost is $10 each to cover supplies for the SoulCollage. 


Saturday Sept. 8th  date for our All Church Celebration in anticipation of leaving our building
 
We are planning a grand celebration of our time here in this building on Saturday September 8th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. The planning committee is busily working on the details of the evening and invitations will be ready to go out later in July. Please mark your calendars and let anyone you know who might be interested in attending to save the date! If you have questions please ask Pastor Marlene. In addition to the event on Saturday, long-time member Jeff Tyler will be leading a building tour and telling stories after worship on Sunday Sept. 9th 
 
Revs. Marlene & Jake 


Hollywood Bowl Outing for Summer 2018 - no tickets remaining!

Membership Ministry (Kevin, Tara, Lu, Kim and Marlene) has chosen Jennifer Hudson on Saturday July 7th as an event for us to attend together. We have no further tickets but if you would like to be on the waiting list in case someone is unable to attend, please contact pastor Marlene. If you choose to buy your own ticket we are in section P1 for $36 each. The time is 8 p.m. and of course we will go ahead of time and picnic.

Wedding Party to Shower Amy & Marcus Saturday June 30th
 
Amy, who has grown up in this church, has moved with her family to Las Vegas. She and Marcus are planning to be married on August 18th in Las Vegas. As her church community we want to celebrate their wedding locally so we are having a party/shower on Saturday June 30th at 6:00 p.m. at the Leckrone's house.
 
It's a potluck so you will need to sign up and RSVP either on the poster board on Sunday or to [email protected]. Membership is sponsoring this event and we need to know how many people are coming. We will need drinks, appetizers, main dishes and side dishes (dessert is provided). The couple is registered at
zola.com/wedding/sherowlovestory2018 and ask that any physical gifts be sent to their home in Las Vegas. You may also contribute to their honeymoon fund instead of a gift. When you RSVP we will send you both the address to the Leckrone's house and Amy/Marcus's home address since we don't publish addresses in the Touchstone. Let's celebrate these two fabulous people and send Amy and Marcus our love.

Church T-Shirts Available

Our wonderful FCC t-shirts are still available in limited quantities in the following sizes for $15...
Women's sizes medium, large, extra large
Men's sizes small, medium and large
Please contact Nina in the church office during regular church office hours if you would like to purchase a shirt and show your church pride!
 

FRIENDS IN DEED
ANNUAL BACK-TO-SCHOOL BACKPACK AND SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE!!
Please bring in supplies during the month of July
Our youth and adults will be distributing backpacks July 31st and August 1st
Please speak with Pastor Marlene if you wish to help us with this drive 
 
For our pantry clients, the Back-To-School Backpack and School Supply Drive is our most important event.  The start of a new school year is exciting, but it can also be scary and intimidating for kids that don't have the necessary backpack and school supplies.
Our families in the Friends In Deed community struggle to make ends meet every month. Bring on the new school year, new clothes and shoes for their ever growing children, fees for school programs and projects, and a backpack full of essential items, and a family's stress level can grow exponentially.  And, as we all know, kids compare themselves to other kids. So, our goal is to help them feel confident that they've got a nice back pack full of the supplies they need for a successful and enjoyable new school year. It's a privilege to help our Friends In Deed kids and their families this way.
Of course, we don't make this happen all by ourselves.   Every year, you, our Friends In Deed supporters, make the Back-to-School Backpack and School Supply Drive a big success. Last year we distributed more than 300 backpacks and we expect to do the same this year. Please join us in this effort!
 
 
Please avoid all red and all blue backpacks.
This is very important to us. Backpacks should be sturdy enough to handle the crazy amount of books kids heft around, especially our high school students. The supplies needed are recommended by the Pasadena/Altadena area schools and the list is attached. We will fill them and begin distributing on Tuesday, July 31. If you have any questions, contact Tim at the Food Pantry ( [email protected] or 626-797-6072).
Thank you for helping us make sure the students, in our community, kick off the upcoming school year on the right foot.
 
FRIENDS IN DEED
ANNUAL BACK-TO-SCHOOL BACKPACK AND SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE!!
Please deliver empty backpacks and any supplies to Friends In Deed, 
between Tuesday, July 24 and Friday, July 27.
Please avoid all red
and all blue backpacks. 
Backpacks should be sturdy enough to handle the crazy amount of books kids heft around, especially our high school students.
 
College ruled notebook paper (this is used more commonly than the "Wide-ruled" paper)
Wide ruled notebook paper (early grades will use this)
Spiral notebooks
Composition Notebooks, hardcover
Pens; red, blue and black
Pencils, including #2 yellow 6-sided for younger grades; mechanical pencils Erasers
Pencil-top Erasers
Copy paper (for printing on computer)
Zipper pouch for pens and pencils (3 holed to go in binders)
Dry Erase Markers
Colored Markers (NO Sharpies or Permanent Markers)
Highlighters, all colors
Colored Pencils
Sharpener for colored pencils (must hold shavings)
24 Colors Crayons (prefer Crayola Brand)
2 Pocket Folders (prefer poly folders)
Student scissors (such as Fiskar)
Rulers (metric & customary)
3" x 5" index cards
Glue Sticks (many schools prefer the sticks to bottles of glue)
3 Ring Binders - 1"- 3" (Prefer with Clear View pocket on front)
Tab Dividers for Binders
Tissue/Kleenex - small little packages that can easily fit into the backpack or school desk