CVUMC Update for October 15, 2021

WEEKLY UPDATE

Dear Friends and Family,

Please check out all the great things coming up in the life of our church. Feel free to forward this message onto friends - they can subscribe, too and receive our updates! If you have additional announcements you'd like to share with us, please email info@cvumc.org and we'll include them in future updates.

Join us for worship in person this Sunday at 10am

or watch the livestream at that same time on our Facebook page

Centering Words:

God’s wisdom is pure, peace-loving, gentle at all times and willing to yield to others.

Scripture: James 3:13-18,4:1-3

Sermon: "Do Good" by Rev. Denyse Barnes

We invite you to worship in person. We request that you continue wearing masks inside the sanctuary. The service will also be live-streamed at 10:00 am to the CVUMC Facebook page. We will also be posting the service on our website www.cvumc.org where a Youtube version will be available later in the week for those of you who do not have Facebook. There you can worship at your convenience.

In addition, our prayer team will be available to pray for you. You can text, call or email Jeanne Lavieri 818-383-3137, Debi Bois 310-600-5939, Diane Lewis 818-497-4680, Christine Ruygrok 818-797-8890, or Janice Burke 818-497-8431.

From the Pastor

Greetings beloved CVUMC family

What a busy month October is proving to be! And the cooler weather is very welcomed (in my house at least!) This Sunday we will be continuing our sermon series Living Faith based on the three rules of John Wesley, "Do No Harm, Do Good, Stay in love with God." I look forward to being with you in worship or online.

October 24th is our charge conference at 2pm via zoom. If you would like to attend please email me (revdenyse@gmail.com) and I will send you the link.

October 31st is All Saints Sunday and the worship service will be put together and led by our youth. At 4pm we will gather to prepare for our inaugural Trunk or Treat event - I hope many of you will participate in this fun afternoon.

Blessings,

Rev. Denyse

CVUMC Monthly Newsletter: The Fellowship

For the time being, we'll be incorporating items typically shared in our monthly newsletter within our Friday email blasts. For Church Council members who would like to share an update with the congregation, please feel free to send those to info@cvumc.org and we'll get them included. Thank you!

Upcoming Events:

Sunday, October 24: Charge Conference on Zoom, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 31: “All Saints Day” Worship service led by the Youth

Sunday, October 31: “Trunk or Treat” in the parking lot

Music Notes

The Fall finds the band trying to get back in the groove again of going out and playing live gigs again! Tim, Alexis and Barb are all back to face-to-face classes, and Ricky is back to his busy schedule of doing gigs all over the place. We are all finding it hard to step back into the somewhat hectic schedule again, but it feels great to be making music with others in the same room. No complaints.

You might have noticed a slightly smaller band as of late. Alexis has been back in Canada visiting his family in Ottawa, so Tim has been filling in on bass. We will be working a trio for the next few months to accommodate the financial deficit.

In addition, we've decided to do a fundraising concert for CVUMC on Friday, November 12th at 7PM. It's something we've talked about for years. We're hoping you can put it in your schedule and invite 3 or 4 friends to attend. The donations will be optional but we are suggesting $20. We plan to do originals as well as some music that we love. A few special friends will make appearances too. It will be an eclectic night of music in our beautiful sanctuary, so we hope you join us!

Happy Fall everyone!

Barb

Bowls for Bailey

Greetings, Church Family,

When the pandemic arrived, the Empty Bowls crew felt some relief that the decision to cancel the event was made for us. Energy for the event had been on the decrease and we saw a shortage of possible leaders. The ability to make bowls has been cut back as Creative Arts Group has adapted to safety measures and studio space is at a premium there.

The good news is that we still have about four hundred bowls remaining from previous years’ events. Thinking of how much the Strength for the Journey Campers loved our gift of bowls to them a few years ago, I wondered if the clients at the Bailey Center would also appreciate receiving a bowl. Debi Bois asked Connie Wright, the director of the Center and heard an enthusiastic “yes.”

I am looking for volunteers to put a gift of about two hundred bowls together and deliver them to Tujunga in time for Thanksgiving. We will need to go through the bowls and sort out the best. If you’ve been missing sorting and washing bowls, here’s your chance! We will need to meet a few times to plan, sort, and prepare. Please let me know if you would like to be a part of this new way to do bowls.

Thanks and Hope,

Jeanne Lavieri

(818) 383-3137

jnlavieri@earthlink.net

The Board members are Kathy Garrett, Peggy Griffin, Connie Horton, Bettie Hull, Diane Lewis, Loraine Locke, Mary Marino, Linda Neate, Carmena Smith, and Cathy Wacker.

Library Table: We hope you are continuing to find, check out, and read books from our Library Table. If you are reading specifically for the Reading Program, please finish your books and your Reading Log before mid-November. Turn in your Reading Log to Cathy Wacker by Sunday, November 14. She needs time to prepare the Reading Report and send it to the District Coordinator before Dec. 1. (You can read books from 2015 to 2021 for the Reading Program.)
We will be planning a meeting (day and time TBD) for the Board and Local Organization members to discuss and plan how we wish to proceed for 2022. Watch for info in your email inbox and the Friday Eblast!

The Foundation

During these extraordinary financial times here at CVUMC, and given the Foundation’s ability to contribute well over $50,000 a year to help out, we thought now would be a great time to remember those with the vision to create the Foundation, and those who have served on the Board since its creation in 1985. That’s 36 years!

For quite some time there has been a plaque containing stars with the names of many of our Founders right next to the Tree of Life. It had not been kept up to date, and Chris Ruygrok, our Secretary and Tree of Life Officer, suggested we update it with names of those who have served over the years. Some of these names will be completely unfamiliar to some of you, but they are people to whom CVUMC owes a huge debt of gratitude.

Let’s take a look at those names:

Becky Castano

Flo Dennon

Roland Duquette

Norma Ellis

Hank Garrett

George Haney

Helen Horak

Bert Locke

Loraine Locke

Helen MacDonald

Frank Manzano

Joel Markss

Carol Ruygrok

Cathy Shepherd

Carl Weigmann

Marian Wilhelm

How many do you remember? They should be honored always for the foresight and sacrifice of time they have given to create and maintain a healthy Foundation.

The plaque will soon be reinstalled, and CVUMC will have an opportunity to celebrate in church in the near future.

In addition to the star plaque, two new leaves have been added to the tree of life. One honoring Ed Waldheim, and another honoring Carol Ruygrok. The leaves were paid for by our loving congregation.

We urge you all to take a look at the Tree of Life. It celebrates our Church Family on so many levels. For example, there is a leaf in recognition of Tai Kim (I think I have to look up the spelling), the first Pastor of Hang Sa Rang. We must never forget our Korean Church Family.

Enjoy the journey down memory lane. Give thanks for those who were and still are looking after the future of CVUMC.

If you’d like to purchase a leaf ($300) or Stone ($2500), please reach out directly to Chris Ruygrok at cmruygrok@aol.com

Regardless of your ability to contribute……we appreciate your prayers.

Your Foundation Board

Debi Bois, President

Bettie Hull,Treasurer

Chris Ruygrok, Secretary

Show Your Support for The

Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act

We invite you to contact your federal Representative and Senators to show your support for the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act (H.R.4011/S.2125).

Our faith teaches us that children and youth are specially cherished. Yet here in the United States many children and youth of color are regularly funneled into the school-to-prison pipeline. Harmful policies and practices divert youth away from educational success, wrongly rerouting children towards the criminal justice system. Schools' overreliance on school-based police contributes to this harmful trend. The federal government can help address this issue by passing the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act (H.R.4011 / S.2125).

This bill would shift federal funding away from harmful, criminalizing approaches (police in schools). Instead, it would make available a pool of federal funding to meet student needs and improve school climate through evidence-based, age-appropriate, trauma-informed practice.

The Gospel calls us to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. Urge your Representative and Senators to sign on as cosponsors for the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act.

Click here to take action today. (Press Control and click your mouse)

If you have trouble with the link above, copy and paste this web address into your browser: https://p2a.co/A7PoQJZ

Walk And Word

We will be back at Deukmejian Wilderness Park on Sunday mornings from 8-10 AM for our hiking and scripture journaling. We’ll meet in the parking lot and walk for an hour and then gather in a circle in the picnic area tor read scripture, journal, and converse. Please bring your own chair for the circle. And also bring something to write with and any drinks or snacks you might want. Since we will be outdoors, masks are optional. We will be meeting on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th (and sometimes 5th) Sunday of each month.

Questions? Contact Jeanne Lavieri at jnlavieri@earthlink.net.

Your Prayer Team meets every Tuesday evening. If you have a request, please be sure to reach out directly to Jeanne Lavieri (jnlavieri@earthlink.net). Diane Lewis (rubydl2@icloud.com). Chris Ruygrok (cmruygrok@aol.com) or Debi Bois (boisdebi@gmail.com). Because your requests are not raised up during Church service (because we are live streaming and do not want to compromise your privacy, or the privacy of those you are raising up), when you make the request to the team, please let them know if you want to share the request with your Church family. If you do this, please know that your request will be added to the email blast on Friday, and also to the CVUMC Facebook page. We will use generalized wording, such as only first names, and not specifically why you are raising the request. That way, your prayer will be communicated to the CVUMC community.

This week, the prayer team asks for prayers for the following:

Judy, Susan and Richard

Norma and her family

Linda and Rick

Diane and her family

Debi's friend, Sherryl

Sandy and her family

Reminder: Southern California Gas Company will be performing construction work on our gas infrastructure and at least within 500 feet of the property line. This work will be completed by 12/31/21.

For those who are watching the service on line, the Worship Program will be posted on Facebook at the beginning of the service. But if you would like a copy before the service it will be on the website so you can print it out to follow along. Our Website is: http://www.cvumc.org where it is listed in the service tab in the menu and called worship program.

Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church

Covid Protocols

As recommended by the CDC, continue to take these steps to reduce your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19:

Correctly and consistently wear a mask that completely covers your nose and mouth
Stay at least 6 feet away from others who do not live with you
Stay home when you are sick (or when anyone else in your home is sick.)
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (or use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol)
Get vaccinated when the vaccine is available to you
Get tested if you have signs or symptoms of COVID-19, or if you think you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19
Even if you and others (including children) do not feel sick and do not have any symptoms, you can still spread COVID-19 to family, friends, and community.
Inform the Pastor In Charge if you have tested positive and have been in worship in person. NOTE – this information will be kept confidentially and no names or details will be shared with anyone other than the Pastor.
Do NOT be around others if you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, if you are sick, or if you have tested positive for COVID-19.
Wipe down the area where you have been sitting in the sanctuary.
Consider whether physical contact (e.g., shaking hands, hugging, or kissing) can be limited among members of the faith community.
Sign in when you attend church so that we can provide correct contact tracing as required by the State and County.

Next month, November 6th

Bailey Center and Learning Works:

First Saturdays of the month:

Food Pantry collection 10:00 – 1:00 outside of Fellowship Hall. Non-perishable foods and paper goods collected for Bailey Center & Learning Works. Financial donations also welcome.

Recyclables can also be dropped off during these donation times!

For Bailey Center, non-perishable foods are essential – they are still providing food for around 1,000 people each month. Financial donations can be given as well. Make checks out to Bailey Center. For Learning Works, foods that are easily microwaveable are really helpful. As always, any non-perishable food, paper goods, hand sanitizers, disposable training/pull-up diapers for toddlers, sippy-cups – all are greatly appreciated. Many thanks to you from the students and staff of Learning Works for the donations you have sent them. If making a financial donation, you can make a check out to CVUMW and put Learning Works on the memo line. Thank you always for your concern and care for people in our community who are in need.

If you would like to share in an offering or your pledge, you are welcome to mail this to the church at:

Crescenta Valley UMC

2700 Montrose Ave.

Montrose, CA 91020

Or give online at https://secure.myvanco.com/YH2N/home

Contacts

Website: http://cvumc.org

Email: info@cvumc.org

Pastor: Rev. Denyse Barnes

Music Director: Barb Catlin

Child Care Center: Tel: 818-249-4048 / Email: ccc@cvumc.org

Crescenta Valley UMC is a faith community that welcomes all persons to celebrate their love of God and their birthright as children of God. We affirm Jesus' example of love without exclusion. We welcome into the life and ministry of CVUMC all persons of every race, ethnicity, age, faith history, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic status, marital status, family configuration, and physical and mental ability. We believe that a diverse community makes our faith stronger, our spirituality deeper, and our service more helpful.