Sunday Service on November 15th and 22nd will be Live in the UCV parking lot

United Church of the Valley

A Partnership Church

United Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ

A Progressive Christian Community

UCV News

November 2020

UCV is a Beloved Community, But Who Else Knows

During this stewardship moment (video below), we were called a Beloved Community - a safe place for people to go where they aren't judged, just welcomed with open arms. We've heard this before, quite a few times actually, so why is it that most people don't know about us? It seems that is a question that we need to answer, and we need to come up with a strategy to make it happen. We have brainstormed a couple of call to action items. Perhaps you have interest or expertise in an area that you would like to share with the congregation.

Look at services that would be of interest to the community. This would not be a UCV Sell - it would be a way to connect with the community.
Formulate and implement a solid social media strategy that would encompass Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to start.

To accomplish these, we will need the help of our congregation. Do you have a passion for meeting the needs of this community? Do you or someone you know have an interest in social media? This would be a great opportunity for a college student to intern for college credit. We understand that your time is a treasure, please share it with us.

November services will be live on Zoom at 10 am on Sundays. The live service will be recorded and available on the UCV website, Facebook and YouTube later in the day. On November 15th and 22nd at 9am, we will be live in the UCV parking lot. Please join with us.

Do You Want to Pledge for 2021 But Not Sure How

Given the Pandemic?

In the past you would grab a pledge card and pencil and fill it out then put it in the offering plate. Since that isn't an option right now we have come up with three new options.

Click the button below which will take you to the online pledge card, you fill it out and hit submit.
You request a hard copy pledge card at admin@ucvchurch.org, fill it out and mail it back.
You call Deb Hudson at 951-698-1520 and provide Deb with the information and she will fill out your card.

UCV's ability to provide Sunday Service as well as our programs and services are dependant upon pledges and offerings. We can't thank you enough for your continued support of our mission.

Thanks from your Church Council

Pledge Card

Stewardship 2021

Words from our Moderator

After a year like no other, I wanted to share with you the State of Our Church – where we stand financially after the pandemic. With the pandemic surging this fall and closures expected through at least the first quarter if not the first half of 2021, we need to take a realistic look at our financial situation.

At United Church of the Valley, we have approximately 20 individuals and families who donate regularly to UCV. In order for these people to support the ministries of UCV, each would need to give $300 a month, and for many of us, that is not possible. We need more help. You are receiving this email because you are on friends & family contact lists. If each person or family could manage a monthly gift of $60, or a one-time annual gift of $700, we would meet our budget. Even if each person donated an additional $10 a month, or made a $100 one-time donation, we could make up the lost revenue of our rentals. If you are like me and unable to increase direct giving, you can help cover expenses by donating time or needed facility and worship items. We have ongoing needs for supplies such as toilet paper, paper towels, soap, sanitizer, coffee, sugar – the list goes on. If you are interested in donating items, we can send you a link to Amazon for the specific supplies we need.

We at UCV have so many ideas that will allow us to be of service to our despairing world, and Advent is approaching. A time of hope. If you have been absent from United Church of the Valley, we want you to find your way back to your spiritual home. We are a Progressive Christian outpost in a wilderness of fundamentalism and God has placed us in this place for a purpose. Please help us stay alive and vital in this challenging time. We don’t just deliver the message; we ARE the message. Now more than ever we invite you to be an active part of this message…the non-judgmental, loving, and compassionate message that promotes healing of our emotional and spiritual wounds, and provides sustenance, wholeness, and unity to a divided and tired world.

Click Here to Fill Out Your Pledge Card

Coffee at the Duck Pond

Saturday Nov 7th 8:30am

Bring a chair or blanket (for the grass). There are concrete picnic tables as well. Be sure and bring your hot coffee, tea or cocoa and join in some much needed conversation and laughter. If someone wants to bring a guitar and play a little music, feel free. This is just meant to be a couple of hours of conversation with those whom we have missed seeing on a more regular basis.

Prayers and Squares Fundraiser Update: Shopping Appointments!

We continue to upload new items to our online Boutique (https://ucvchurch.org/boutique/prayers-and-squares-ministry/), with special holiday items coming very soon. Check us out to see lots of beautiful handmade items, perfect for gift-giving and available for modest donations. Shop early for best selection!

We’re now also accepting appointments for in-person shopping, which will be touch-free and socially distanced. Let Anne know if you’d like to reserve a time (dipardo.anne8@gmail.com; 319/331-1515).

Meanwhile, all of our prayer quilts are completely free, and we’ve so far given away a dozen. We’re off to a great start and hope to grow this outreach ministry in the new year. Please help us sustain our work on behalf of UCV!

Visit our Boutique

Slideshow challenges

PLEASE send in any pictures, new or old, so we can continue to see everyone’s smiling faces throughout the month of August...any road trips?

We Need Your Help to Update Our UCV Church Directory

Our very own Deb Hudson is working on an update for the UCV Church Directory. If you would be so kind as to help her out by clicking on the button below and filling out the short form and then hitting send. Thank you for helping, this will be ever so helpful to us all.

Directory Form

Bringing our tithes and offerings to God is an important spiritual practice that cultivates gratitude and generosity. While we cannot physically pass the offering plate, we can continue to bring our gifts to God through online or mail-in donations.

To send a check, please use:

United Church of the Valley

41685 Date Street Suite 100

Murrieta, CA 92562

Or donate online:

PayPal: admin@ucvchurch.org

(3.5% fee)

Venmo: @ucvchurch (free)

Worship for November

October Worship has been great! How blessed we are to have such an incredible team who lead our worship!! On Oct. 18 we had our second live service in our parking lot. We still had a few technical glitches as we are trying to learn how to do services with both live and zoom participants. Since we expect that once we finally can worship in our new sanctuary we will continue to include zoom and in-person worshippers, we will continue to learn and improve. It is also heartening to hear that there are also folks who are watching the recordings of our services later in the day.

This month begins with a special observation of All Saints’ Day and the related Mexican observation of Dia de los Muertos. This year, this commemoration takes on even greater significance . Rev. Sharon Graff, who will be leading this service, has the following comments:

Sunday is All Saints’ Day, and it is part of the season in the year when many cultures honor those who have died. For Christians, it is a moment to honor the “saints” as those who faithfully paved the way for us, and also acknowledge that death is not a closed portal. Scripture teaches us that the saints are all around us. Cheering us on. Appearing as needed for our encouragement. Teaching even beyond the grave. Jesus taught, in his stories and by his very life, that death is not the end of life or of love. Yet, when deaths do occur, the big ones and the thousand little deaths we experience simply by living, we grieve. And rightly so. In late 2020, we have much to grieve, and so on Sunday, in lieu of a traditional sermon, we will share in a ritual that encourages us to grieve, to be grateful, and to muster courage. Appropriate for ALL the saints, and all the voters, and all of you! See you on Zoom. And please, have 3 candles ready safely to light, in addition to your communion elements…

You will notice that Advent starts on the last Sunday in November. I am excited about our plans for Advent/Christmas. Watch for specific details later in the month, but I hope it will be a meaningful journey through advent to Christmas. And, despite covid, our musicians are going to be presenting (virtually) some very special music. Rather than on one “cantata Sunday”, it will be spread out over the entire Advent season.

Joys and Concerns

We have added a time of Joys & Concerns to our online Sunday service. Please email any joys & concerns you would like read aloud to Sandy Selby at moderator@ucvchurch.org. You can also send confidential prayer requests. Just indicate as such and let Sandy know if you want it shared with any of the other spiritual counselors.

Behind the Virtual Pulpit in November

During the month of November our Sunday service will be live on our Zoom channel. The recording of the service will be available online later that day on Facebook, YouTube and on our Website. November will be live in the parking lot at UCV.

Nov. 1st - Rev. Dr. Sharon Graff, All Saints Day (zoom)

Nov. 8th - Darcie Dunlop (zoom)

Nov. 15th - Rev. Stephanie Toon (live parking lot 9am)

Nov. 22nd - Jamie Barnett, Thanksgiving (live parking lot 9am)

Nov. 29th - Rev. Dr. Sharon Graff first day of Advent (zoom)

You can find our Sermons, past and present, on our YouTube channel (click the video) as well as our website (click the button).

Sermons on our Website

Nicaragua Report

Our friends in Nicaragua are bracing for Hurricane Eta which will make landfall in Nicaragua today as a category 4 hurricane. We pray they will be safe and avoid major damage.

Just Hope sent a note expressing gratitude for our donation to help pay the water bill. Unfortunately, the news from Chacraseca is that the water situation is still in crisis so if anyone wants to continue to fill your water bottles with change, there is still a great need.

Congregational Care

Please call your church family or send cards. Let Donna know what is going on with our friends so we can share the news and prayers with each other. Email her at donnalouise1rn@aol.com

Other Happenings Around Our Church

Please save your toilet tissue rolls so we can wrap and stuff them with candy for the food bank of Murrieta. They will be passed out to the families just before Christmas. We wrapped 200 last year. We need candy and curling ribbon for them. Please drop of rolls and candy at the church before the 1st week of Dec. Call Donna if you can help with wrapping and stuffing of the rolls. Check out our Christmas section on the Prayers and squares boutique and then continue watching for new items often.

Join our coffee hour on Sunday. Catch up with what is going on in our church family. Look for the zoom link on our website. Sandy and Lynne have helped me get on zoom and I enjoy the fellowship.

Pilgrim Pines Update

Pilgrim Pines --Nov 7th there will be a workday at camp. It will be from 10am to 4pm. If you can assist, then call Donna at 951-217-0735 for reservations. We had about 15 people with masks and distancing at the work camp on Oct. 24th. We moved burned logs to help make a barrier between the creek and the swimming pool. They also move sandbags to the pool area and will be placing K-rails around the upper camp. The swimming pool is above the cabins on the mountain. Apple Pie Day was Oct. 17th via zoom. there was a silent auction and a raffle for a tee shirt quilt. UCV had donated several items to this auction. The camp received more than $4,000 to help support the camp. The tee shirt quilt helped fund the campership fund. Find out what is happening at Pilgrim Pines at pilgrimpinescap.org. It is a great place to go camping. Cabins and the cottage house are available for rent. This will help fund the camp while other programs are shut down due to COVID-19.

Our Flocks of Cranes is Still Growing

We have a crew lined up to string our cranes together and get them installed. With luck, we should have some of our cranes installed in our new sanctuary very soon. Watch for pictures. Soon, we HOPE!

Online Fellowship at UCV

September services will all be live on Zoom at 10 am on Sundays. The live service will be recorded and available on the UCV website, Facebook and You Tube later in the day.

Even fellowship can be online, thanks to the innovative minds at Zoom! Join us Sunday’s at 9am for Book Study and 11am for Fellowship Coffee Hour. UCV has its own Zoom meeting room at https://zoom.us/j/9516981520

You can join from your Zoom app using meeting number 9516981520

Or you can join by phone:

One tap mobile

+16699006833,9516981520# US (San Jose)

or dial

+1-669-900-6833

and then enter

9516981520#

You can start your own online fellowship, too! Just email Sandy Selby at moderator@ucvchurch.org to get on the meeting schedule.