Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost
September 29, 2019
Meeting at 500 E. Colorado Blvd.
Sunday Worship Service:
11:30 am, FUMC Chapel
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Our Core Values:
Spiritual Growth. Welcome. Justice-seeking
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Outreach Grants Proposal Approved!
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FCC folks unanimously approved our Outreach Grants Proposal this past Sunday. Our church is now offering grants up to $25,000 for projects or activities aligned with our congregations mission, vision and core values. Details may be found in the article below.
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Reflection for Worship. . .
Calling Out the Lie
Luke 16:19-31
There are important boundaries or markers in our text for worship this week - a line between life and death, and a line between knowing God and ignoring God. We are all among the living as we read this, but find ourselves in various stages of loving, trusting, learning about or following God. The writers are anxious for us to understand that what happens in life has consequences for death, afterlife and our relationship with God…not easy for those of us who spend almost all of our time with the practical, day to day tasks of living our lives, going to work, nurturing relationships and caring for family. In a Reflection entitled “Calling Out the Lie” we will explore the idea that our culture - and to some extent our upbringing - have sold us a bill of goods. We have learned to be honest and caring and kind, but we have also likely learned to work until we have enough money to retire comfortably, take care of ourselves, trust only what is in front of us and not spend time searching for the meaning of life. We will consider the importance of reflecting on why we are in this life and where we are headed - in case it turns out that the one with the most toys does not win! Come join us in the Chapel at 11:30AM for worship this Sunday!
Rev. John H Pomeroy
Also on Sunday:
We welcome back a perennial favorite Damon Zick on sax this Sunday to play several pieces of music, including one set by our soloist Alice Dryden entitled "Prayer of St. Francis."
Our Coffee Hour will be held in the FUMC Lounge this Sunday. Directions will be given in worship to guide folks to this room. which is located just behind the Fellowship Hall.
Council Financials will meet in the church office after worship at 12:30.
Youth Pool Party will be held at the Bonzo home from 1:00-4:00
Join Us For these Fall Events! Details will be forthcoming in future Touchstones.
Sun. Sept. 29th
Youth Pool Party - 1-4 p.m. Bonzo's
Sun. Oct. 6th
Rise Against Hunger Food Preparation Event
Sat. Oct. 12th
Aid Africa Walk for Water
Sat. Oct. 19th
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Fruit Pick 10:00-11:30 a.m.
FUMC Mozart Requiem Concert 7:30pm.
Sun. Oct. 20th
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Rev. Anne Cohen's Retirement Party following worship with catered luncheon.
Sun. Oct. 27th
Halloween Party and lunch following worship.
Sat. Nov. 2nd
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Aid Africa Fund-Raiser on-site in Fellowship Hall
Sun. Nov. 3rd
Pasadena CROP Hunger Walk
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Worship Leaders
Rev. Marlene W. Pomeroy
Rev. John H. Pomeroy
Liturgist
Grace Torpoco
Ushers
John Gamber-Thompson
Thom Meyers
Lu Nguyen
Judy Burd
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.
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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
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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
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September
October
November
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Tracking Our Outreach Hours - send your hours and info to Pastor Marlene
A new activity that we will be doing this Fall is tracking our outreach hours. We do a lot of outreach that goes unnoticed and unrecognized so let's do something about that.
How can you help
? Anytime you engage in outreach that is FCC related, please calculate the amount of time, people and money that is spent; For example, if 4 people serve Union Station for 3 hours each, send that info to Pastor Marlene along with the amount of money you spent on food (Alpha Team please send me your September info).
Let's see how many hours, people and funds we are offering. If you are part of a group, please have the leader send me an email. If you buy a bag of supplies for the FID Food Pantry, just send me the amount you spent and how long you shopped. How many hours of outreach can we offer to those beyond us???
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Outreach Grants Process Approved!
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This past week 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:
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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.
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A $10,000 contribution to our own Women's Scholarship Fund that allowed us to offer increased scholarship amounts this year.
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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 will now solicit 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
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Upcoming Events for Youth
(6th - 12th grade)
Sunday Sept. 29
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Pool Party at the Bonzo’s house from 1-4:00.
Please keep
Sun. Oct 6
th set aside for the
Rise Against Hunger event in the Fellowship Hall taking place from 12-2:00. We will join the Methodists and folks from the Islamic Center as we pack 27,000 meals to be used for hunger relief around the world.
Check out their website for more information about this organization
We will also plan to walk the CROP Walk and participate in Backyard Fruit Picks this Fall. More info to come!
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Nourishing Lives Through Rise Against Hunger Events
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School is a Happy Place for 5-Year-Old Tra in Vietnam.
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Parenting Book and Discussion on
Bless This Mess
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Being a parent is an incredible journey and one that does not need to be done without support and encouragement!
So far we have several parents interested in the book and we will gather for a discussion of it and parenting at a date in October.
Please let Pastor Marlene know of your interest so she can include you in the selection of the date for the first discussion.
We are looking for a house to meet in for our October meeting. Please contact Pastor Marlene if you can host.
It 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.
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Rise Against Hunger Event
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On Sunday October 6th we will join members of the First United Methodist Church and the Islamic Center of Southern California in an emergency packaging event sponsored by Rise Against Hunger. The event will be held on-site at the Methodist Church. In two hours we will package up to 30,000 meals to be sent all over the world. Lunch will be provided for folks and you may choose stay as long as you wish. Our Church School Kids will begin at noon and others may join them after worship up until 2:00. Please learn more about this organization at
www.riseagainsthunger.org
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Walk for Water - A Clean Water Fundraiser - October 12
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CROP HUNGER WALK
November 3, 2019
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Save the date!
Crop Hunger Walk, Sunday November 3, St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church, 1879 N. Lake Ave., Altadena, 12 Noon registration begins, 1:30 the 5K loop walk begins.
Save the date! Recruiters Info Materials Rally
*New 50th Anniversary materials
*Inspiration and information
*Help setting up your web page
St Elizabeth Parish Hall
1840 N. Lake Ave., Altadena, CA
(EAST side of Lake Ave., at the school
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Will you offer flowers for our worship one Sunday?
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
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The cost is $40.
Sept. 29, Nov. 24 and Dec. 1, 15, & 29 are available. Thanks to all who have already donated!
(We offer a reminder that altar flowers donation are not tax-deductible.)
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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
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500 E. Colorado Blvd.,
Pasadena, CA 91101
Telephone: (626) 795-0696
OFFICE HOURS:
Mon to Thurs
9AM – 5:30PM
Lunch Hour:
12 – 1:30PM
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