Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost    
October 27, 2019
Meeting at 500 E. Colorado Blvd.
Sunday Worship Service: 11:30 am, FUMC Chapel
Our Core Values: 
Spiritual Growth. Welcome. Justice-seeking
Halloween Party! Oct. 27th
This Sunday following worship we will host a Halloween Party and lunch in the Fellowship Hall – details below!

Reflection for Worship. . .

Counting Our Blessings
Luke 17:11-19

Our text for worship this week is the story of Jesus healing ten lepers, only one - a foreigner - who returns to give thanks to God. In a reflection entitled “Counting Our Blessings” we will consider why the other nine did not return - and what that might tell us about the development of our own faith! We have some early clues - the Samaritan is an outsider and may signal to Jewish readers or listeners that there is something in Jewish worship or law that looks down on such healing and thanksgiving. The lepers also keep their distance when asking for help - a sign of respect for Jesus’ authority and reputation as more than a simple prophet or healer. And once again we find a healing story where the healing itself is not the point - it is whether or not the healing reveals a loving and compassionate God to others - a question for us in our day, as well as those who heard or read this story in Jesus’ time. Come join us for Halloween worship - wear a costume if you are so inclined and join us in the Chapel for worship at 11:30AM!

-Rev. John H Pomeroy
  Join Us For these Fall Events! Details will be forthcoming in future Touchstones.

Sun. Oct. 27th - Halloween Party and lunch following worship.
Sat. Nov. 2nd - Aid Africa Fund-Raiser on-site in Fellowship Hall
Sun. Nov. 3rd - Pasadena CROP Hunger Walk
Sat. Nov. 9th Parenting book discussion (see details below)

Halloween Party Sunday!
Membership Ministry is hosting our annual Halloween Party following worship. All are invited to come to worship in costume on Sunday. There will be a costume contest, pumpkin decorating, a lollipop craft, a donut-eating contest, a mummy wrap activity and the elusive Madame J will be offering fortunes for the coming year!!! Come join us for some fun and frivolity!! Many thanks to Membership Ministry for organizing this intergenerational event (Lu Nguyen, Kim Story, Elizabeth Lanski and Marlene Pomeroy)
Social Media Connections
Did you know that we have a Facebook (First Congregational Church of Pasadena, United Church of Christ) account and an Instagram (fccpasadena) church account? You will find weekly updates and inspirational articles that profile our church each week. Please pull up these accounts and follow us! Let’s get the word out about what great things we are doing here at FCC Pasadena.
 
Interested in a Spiritual Practices Group?
Are you looking for a faithful place to connect with others, quiet your mind and nurture your faith through mindful spiritual practices such as: breathing, restorative yoga, prayer, journaling, meditation, etc.? Please let Pastor Marlene know of your interest in attending a group such as this. It would be helpful for her to know what your particular needs are, how often you would plan to attend, and a couple of times during the week that you would be able to attend a 75 minute meeting at the church. If we have enough interest we will proceed with some dates this Fall. Contact Marlene via fccrevs@yahoo.com



Worship Leaders
Rev. Marlene W. Pomeroy
Rev. John H. Pomeroy

Liturgist  
Don Hughes
  
Ushers
Judi Tyler
Dana Pell
Mary Camacho
Jeff Tyler

Pianist & Music Director
Connie Washburn

Church School
Combined class for elementary & youth Roberta White/Krysty Leckrone are teachers in Room 302.
   
Church Nursery (for infants - K)
Kaye Jenkins & Lachlan Ashenmiller
     
This week everyone comes to the Chapel at 11:30am and stays through the Children's Time and then heads to the nursery with caregivers and parents. 

Visit us at:  uccpasadena.org

Sermon Podcast : 
  
Did 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.  
 
  Tel. # 626.795.0696
Fax. # 626.795.0698 

Nina Kung  


FCC Outreach Hours for October

Did you know that 26 FCC folks engaged in 56 and ½ hours of outreach work in October and donated $1275 worth of outreach support? In October we participated in the Rise Against Hunger food packaging event, served a meal at Union Station, raised money for the Aid Africa Walk for Water, and did a backyard Fruit Pick with Food Forward. Please continue to report your FCC outreach work to Pastor Marlene so she can track our support.
Stewardship
Fall Stewardship Season: Following in the Way of Jesus

Many thanks to Josh Ashenmiller for his Stewardship Witness in worship last Sunday. Josh voiced his appreciation for all the outreach work our church engages in and feels that it is an important reason why he is involved in the life of our church. We will hear from member Mary Camacho this Sunday about her involvement in our church.
 
You should also have received a letter from our Moderator Randy VanDeventer this week as Randy addressed our faithfulness in a time of great change and transition for our community. 
 
Members and friends of FCC will receive a letter from our Co-Pastors Marlene and Jake Pomeroy next week in preparation to receive your pledge cards on Sunday Nov. 10 th . This year we are asking each member to re-commit to the life and ministry of our church for 2020. Let us know what you want to be involved with in the coming year. Help us shape the ministry of this church to your areas of interest! We will also ask each member to make a financial commitment to the life of our church. Both your participation and donation is necessary for us to be a vibrant church.
2019 Fall Celebration & Fundraiser - Aid Africa, Nov. 2nd
Outreach Grants Deadline is November 1st.
See Grant Application below and encourage people to apply.
Several weeks ago we called a special church business meeting to approve our Outreach Grants proposal. Applications are available at the end of this article for folks to use to apply.

Here is a synopsis of the process:

With the sale of our building the Budget Committee and Church Council considered setting aside $100,000 of 2019 income for Outreach Projects, in addition to our usual allocations for Union Station, Friends In Deed and other activities. There was considerable support for this idea at the Budget Forum but also a little reluctance to commit to a significant new program without first setting some guidelines. While the new $100,000 outreach budget line was not actually in the final budget approved at the Winter Business Meeting, the Church Council initially approved three projects in line with our mission and vision:

·       Offering five month’s direct support, with the Neighborhood Church on Orange Grove, of $1,000 a month to a woman and her four children who came from Honduras in the caravan at our border and resettled in Pasadena.
·       A $10,000 contribution to our own Women's Scholarship Fund that allowed us to offer increased scholarship amounts this year.
·       A $5,000 contribution to the Jackson Elementary Dual Language STEM Science Camp on Catalina Island that made it possible for 15 fifth grade students to attend who otherwise would have had to skip the trip due to a lack of funding.

In May, an Outreach Grants Committee comprised of Bevin Ashenmiller, Brian Cordova-Brookey, Elizabeth Lanski, Lu Nguyen, Carolyn Olney, and Roberta White was formed. They have worked diligently to develop a process for outreach grants, establishing sources of funding and parameters for the use of those funds, defining types of grants, crafting an application and review process, setting areas of priority, selection criteria, exclusions, and assessment and oversight.

A Forum was held Sunday September 15th to share the plan for awarding grants and to answer questions about the process. This Sunday September 22nd we will voted to affirm the guidelines. Paper or E-copies are available from Nina in the church office.

We are currently receiving applications so that we may fund additional outreach projects before the close of 2019 and start soliciting 2020 grant applications.

-Elizabeth Lanski, Chair
Outreach Grants Committee
Grant Applications
Central Association Fall Meeting

This Saturday Moderator Randy VanDeventer, Pastor Marlene Pomeroy, Rev. Carolyn Olney and Pastor Leo Lynch will attend the Central Association Fall meeting in Long Beach. We will approve the budget, discuss the work of our Association, and then examine two candidates for their final step towards ordination which is called an Ecclesiastical Council. Both Wendell Miller and Cynthia Hoeger have written extensive Ordination Papers for us to read and consider. We ask you all to keep us in your prayers as we engage in this important part of our work shepherding new folks into the ordained ministry of the United Church of Christ.
Parenting Book and Discussion on
Bless This Mess
Parenting Discussion Planned

Being a parent is an incredible journey and one that does not need to be done without support and encouragement!   Join us as we discuss the book Bless This Mess and parenting on Saturday Nov. 9th (NEW DATE)at 4:00 in the 2nd floor FUMC Youth Lounge.

The book is written by a UCC Pastor and a Child Psychologist and has some very thoughtful insights about parenting along with a lot of stories and support. What makes it so special is that it approaches parenting from a progressive Christian perspective! We will use the book as a jumping-off point to discuss our own experiences of parenting. The cost of the book is $13.50 each.
 
All Saints Day Remembrance to Be Held November 3rd
All Saints Day is November 1 st each year, the day after Halloween, and is a time for us to remember all the saints who have come before us in the faith as a way to honor them and inspire us. Our tradition is to name people who have passed on to be with God in the worship service. Please submit your names to Nina before that date and we will add them to the list. You may list family and friends who are close to you as well as public figures. There will also be a sheet in worship that Sunday.
CROP HUNGER WALK
November 3, 2019
Join us as we walk to raise awareness and raise funds to help fight hunger in our community and across the world! Sunday November 3rd at St. Elizabeth’s in Altadena is the date and place - bring a sign, a dog or a young person to share the walk with you! Normal start time is 1-1:30 and walkers can choose different routes according to your strength and time allotment. If you cannot walk, please sponsor someone from our church - the link here will lead you directly to our church's registration page…thanks to Church World Service for all their work and outreach.

Location: St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church, 1879 N. Lake Ave., Altadena, 12 Noon registration begins, 1:30 the 5K loop walk begins

Here is the link that will take you directly to our FCC Pasadena Team site to make your donation. There will also be packets you can use to collect money via cash.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
Dear FCCUCC and Friends -

I had this plan to have a casual retirement celebration with cake and punch after worship with you and a few people from churches I've served. You decided to make it an AMAZING party in a banquet hall with a sit down lunch, speakers, a color scheme and ENDLESS love. 

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for this beautiful exclamation point at the end of my formal career. It started with you in 1987 when you Ordained me. You have carried me and my family through so much of our lives. And now you've outdone yourselves in celebrating not only me, but the work we all do together to transform the world into God's Realm.

You are the best. I love you. See you Sunday!
- Anne Cohen
Rev. Anne G. Cohen Retirement Party

Much fun was had as over 130 people gathered to celebrate Anne Cohen for her Retirement Party after over 30 years of ordained ministry in various settings. Friends and loved ones from many parts of her life were on hand to celebrate her.
Altar Flowers -- Only Four More Sundays Available 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 . The cost is $40.

Nov. 24 and Dec. 1, 8, & 15 are available. Thanks to all who have already donated!

(We offer a reminder that altar flowers donation are not tax-deductible.)
Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus, Oct. 31, 1-3pm

You are invited to join All Saints Church, Matthew 25/Mateo 25, and Sojourners for an afternoon discussion with Jim Wallis and
Alexia Salvatierra on
Christ in Crises: Why we Need to Reclaim Jesus.

Jim Wallis: President and Founder, Sojourners, and Author, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus.
Rev. Dr. Alexia Saltvatierra: Author, Faith-rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World.
We worship at 11:30 a.m. at the Chapel of First Methodist Church every Sunday.
We are the First Congregational Church
of Pasadena,
United Church of Christ
500 E. Colorado Blvd.,
Pasadena, CA 91101
Telephone: (626) 795-0696
OFFICE HOURS:
Mon to Thurs
9AM – 5:30PM
Lunch Hour:
12 – 1:30PM