ONLINE WORSHIP LIVE STREAMING


Belong. Believe. Be love.

Online Worship Service at 9:30 AM, Jan 30.


For the month of January, we will not have an in-person service. Our worship service will be live-streamed only on our YouTube Channel.

Click the link below to go to our channel, click "Subscribe," and click on the notifications bell to receive alerts when we post a video.




We invite you to participate in the "Live Chat" thread during our worship service to know you're online! 
Please be cautious though, and do not click any links in the live chat feed.  We monitor the chat and delete spam comments asap.


A Light to Enlighten the Nations
Hometown Boy  


Bulletin (all words are on our worship video):



After worship, we will gather for Virtual Coffee Hour via Zoom.
 
 Here is the Zoom link for the coffee hour in January:





  Lenten Series & Daily Devotional Opportunity 

Our Lenten worship series this year is "Good Enough: Embracing the Imperfections of Life and Faith," based on the work of author Kate Bowler: Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection. 

This daily devotional will release on February 15th and is available to pre-order online, or you may request one be purchased for you for $15 by e-mailing pastorcathie@uumcirvine.org by February 10th.  

Worship Design Studio Series synopsis: We live in a culture bent on definitions of a good life as continuous upward mobility– climbing ladders of prosperity with increasingly fabulous experiences that we can post to evermore-likable social media accounts.

We may comb the shelves of the self-help section in search of just the right formula to gain success. Perhaps we even gravitate towards spiritual leaders who promise great rewards if we only do “the right thing.” But life happens, right? Most times we are not moving upward but trying to repair the rung we’ve just slipped from.

So what if we stopped climbing and started fertilizing, watering, and blooming right where we find ourselves?

Welcome to a Lent of affirming a faith in which we are blessed, regardless, and where we can lean into embracing our “good enough” lives.  
 


Mental Health First Aid Training is Now Available

According to the National Council of Mental Well-Being, one in five Americans has a mental illness or a substance use disorder. Yet many are hesitant to seek help or simply don’t know where to turn.

Recognizing this gap in care and the results from the 2021 Clergy Well-Being survey showing a steady decline in mental and emotional health, Wespath is offering no-cost Mental Health First Aid training for all Wespath participants and their spouses, church leaders, and congregation members.

Mental Health First Aid teaches how to identify, understand and respond with empathy to people struggling with mental health issues—it can help you with your own mental well-being or be more prepared to support others.

Visit the Mental Health First Aid page to learn more. We hope you’ll make time to attend and share widely to encourage others in the UMC community to attend as well.

Click here to register for this FREE training in March 2022:
 https://a18814.actonsoftware.com/acton/fs/blocks/showLandingPage/a/18814/p/p-0005/t/page/fm/0?sid=TV2:7QKEJTg4t
UUMC MEMBERS IN ACTION
TRACKING VOLUNTEER HOURS

Being the Church is not something that just happens on Sunday mornings for about an hour, but it is a way of life. Discipleship is the journey of living not solely for self, but out of love for God and neighbor. As the many members of Christ's body, the Church, we are invited to be "all in," committing our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. 

The many hours we spend in service to God at the local church and throughout the community on an individual level is impressive; yet, our collective efforts reach even farther and reflect the true vitality of our Church.  

Beginning in 2022, we will be tracking volunteer hours done at church and in the community on a monthly basis. These hours will be reported to the Conference in our annual report, and we want to be able to celebrate the collective impact our church has in making the world a better place.  

Prizes will be offered at our Quarterly Conferences to individuals who have submitted their hours and guess closest to the number of hours of service given in total by our UUMC members!

Allow your work to be counted collectively by filling out our tracking sheet TODAY!

(Volunteer hours at church include those in the office, counting, ushering, greeting, singing, decorating, cleaning, painting, teaching, serving on committees, calling our members, etc. Volunteers hours in the community include all those given to organizations supporting needs or helping individuals in the community.)

Click on the link below and submit it once you have filled it out. Thank you!
  Donations for Safe Harbors Shelters

Southern California has seen a constant flow of newly arrived asylum seekers. The Safe Harbors Network was established to provide temporary housing for asylum seekers and especially families. It takes dedication and lots of supplies to maintain the shelter facilities.

To assist in this effort, you can make a monetary donation to UUMC Acct# 1093 or donate the following items: toilet paper, paper towels, jackets and coats (adult & children), baby clothes, rice, and black beans.

Items can be left at the church office through the end of February. 

~ Sue Harriss
 

A NEW CLASS -- POSTPONED UNTIL FEBRUARY!
'GOD IN BIG HISTORY'

A five-part video discussion course by Michael Dowd to be presented over 6 weeks. The discussion will be led by Les Redpath.

BACKGROUND
Michael Dowd is an evolutionary evangelist and minister. He is the author of a major work “Thank God for Evolution” which reconciles science and religion and is endorsed by many Nobel Prize winners.
Big History is an academic discipline that examines history from the Big Bang to the present.

The question that is addressed is where does God fit into all this?
This is a question that Les Redpath, himself a scientist, continues to struggle with.

Join us as we examine how Dowd reconciles this question.
Dowd’s credo is:
Reality is my God
Evidence is my scripture
Evolution is my creation story
Ecology is my Theology
Integrity is my spiritual path
Fostering a just and healthy future is my mission.

MEETING TIMES AND DATES
Join Les on Thursday mornings at 9:30 am beginning February 3.

This will be an “in-person” class in Room D of the Education Building. 

Masks required. Call the church office (949-786-8354) to indicate your interest.
  Our next Faith & Film discussion will be on Feb. 21 to discuss the movie 'Encanto' available on Disney+.

 If you don't have Disney+ but wish to watch, please send an email to melissa@uumcirvine.org 
Help Afghan Families Rebuild Their Lives

Signup this Sunday after service by pledging to provide financial support for the refugees as they arrive and help them settle in the US.

Stop by the Welcome Desk 
Given the number of families coming to the US who have worked with American service personnel during the Afghan war, UUMC in collaboration with Aldersgate Methodist Church has been given an opportunity to assist a family identified by Families Forward working with other support agencies in Southern California. 

The initial goal is to assist 5 families with rent and support services at an approximate cost of $15,000 per family. UUMC and Aldersgate are hoping to sponsor one family and raise $15,000 between our two congregations.
The immediate need is a commitment for rent support. 

As the families are identified and assessed, other needs will be identified and opportunities will emerge for the members of the churches to assist.

Because of the size of the commitment, we are requesting members interested in providing financial support to submit a written pledge indicating the amount of the gift, and how the gifts will be received, weekly, monthly, or in one check, and when those gifts will be received. 

We request you either download the pledge form below and complete it at home to bring with you on Sunday, or return it to the church office.


Or, you may fill out the form electronically and give by clicking the link below:



Gifts in total will need to be completed by July 1, 2022.

If you have any questions or need more information on how to help, please contact:

Margie Wakeham at  margiewake4469@gmail.com 
or 949.838.7857

Thank you for your generosity 
Altar Flower Donations
Thank you to all who donated during the 2021 calendar year. Your
donations are what have been providing the flowers since we returned to
in-person church services.

For 2022, we will need donations for the following Sundays:
  • All Sundays in February
  • March 6th and 13th
  • July 31st
  • Aug. 21st and 28th thru to the end of the year.

By 2023, we will have a blank year, to begin with.
Due to all the restrictions and shortages of 2021, the price for the altar
flowers has gone up to $60. This price is for all new payments and sign-ups.

We hope that you have been enjoying the arrangements. We have
received glowing compliments for the new florist at Irvine Village Florist.

If you wish to make a donation for a future date, please contact
Roxane Fowler at 949.651.9929 or iwasuna@sbcglobal.net.
Attention Online Shoppers! Support Us When You Shop.
Remember to shop at Amazon Smile to earn 0.5% back for our Church!

It's simple to do and links to your existing Amazon account.

To gain access, click on the link, below:
Restorative Yoga @ UUMC (via Zoom)

This yoga class is a moving meditation. Each sequence aims to increase the flexibility of your muscles and widen the mobility of your joints. We use gentle stretches to open the body and breathing techniques to calm the mind. This class is great for all levels, no prior yoga experience is necessary. 
Tools you'll need a yoga mat and a chair. 

If you have any questions about the class; feel free to email Matt at mattmirshaf@gmail.com , he would be happy to answer. 

<3 TheYogaMatt

The $10 fee can be paid online, Matt will walk you through the process, it's painless!

January 27 thru February 2


Happy Birthday to those celebrating birthdays this week. Wishing you a day filled with precious memories and a year filled with numerous reasons to be thankful for.

 Bonnie Wright (1/30)
Nora Caffrey, Dan Babcock (1/31)
Wan-Chin Chang (2/1)


We would also like to extend birthday greetings to any other January babies, not on our list.

If you would like to add your birthday (or a family member's), please email Marcel at marcel@uumcirvine.org.

Thank you!
 Please pray for healing and restoration for those in our UUMC family:


Karen Simpson, Paul Tonkovich, Karl Lovgren, Tammy Rice, Jun Eun Lee, Bonnie Burke, Janet Jones, Jeanne Lovgren, Vill Calicdan, Bonnie Wright, Ann Ownbey, LaVerna Price, Barbara Albers, and Lois McKissick. 


We pray for those who grieve; lifting up Leon Napper’s Son in-law’s family (whose brother suddenly died at 50), Cyndi McCormick and her family as Michael (husband) entered into life eternal, Jan. 10th, and the family of Betty Doyel who passed away suddenly on 12/27 in Spain.


We also pray for those who are homebound long before the stay-at-home order: Muriel Dameron and Jan Taylor.
 
We pray for our fellow South District Churches, this week lifting Mission Hills UMC, (Pastor Baily Brawner, Pastor Jeanette Bragunier) and Mission Viejo: Shepherd of the Hills & Santa Margarita Campus, (Pastor Rick Uhls, Pastor Jon Waterson).



(Prayer requests may be sent to Mickey Chase: wmchase@cox.net).

GIVE ONLINE
Your generosity is making a difference. 
We believe in the power of generosity, what it does for the individual doing the giving, and for the purpose that the giving supports.
Lets Keep in touch
949-786-8534
Belong. Believe. Be love.