Community UCC eNews
June 10, 2021
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Community UCC is an inclusive and progressive Christian Church doing social justice, environmental faithfulness, interfaith collaboration and spiritual formation to help ourselves and others grow in faith, hope and love.
COVID Status: Virtual worship (but not much longer!).
Limited office hours. See below.
SO MUCH GOOD NEWS! — If it says "[Message clipped]" at the bottom of your eNews, that means you're not seeing everything. Click the link next to that to view the entire newsletter.
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Join us for worship on Sunday, June 13, when Pastor Julia will deliver a sermon titled "I Don't Envy Samuel" inspired by 1 Samuel 15: 35-16:13.
Julia writes: "If you were with us last week, we were told that Samuel was old. In today's text, it's 42 years later. After decades of faithfully carrying out the impossible task of providing spiritual leadership to a bunch of rebels, he's given another excruciating task. I truly don’t envy Samuel. Join us Sunday to hear more."
See below for how we "do church" now.
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Sunday worship onYouTube begins at 10:30 a.m.
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Instructions for Zoom worship
We will provide the Zoom worship live on our YouTube channel (bit.ly/cuccyoutube) on Sundays at 10:35 a.m. Doors "open" around 10:15-10:20 for a few minutes of fellowship before worship begins.
Links to the Zoom worship services go out each Wednesday in a separate email just to church members. Look for "Zoom links" in that email subject line. If you would like to receive the Zoom links to participate in the Sunday service in a more interactive way, please contact the church office or let Lisa know.
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Thursday evening worship
A more intimate evening worship takes place at 7 p.m. Thursdays. This Thursday, June 10, it will take place only on Zoom. In-person gatherings will resume on June 17.
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Extra! Extra!
eNews takes a summer vacation (sort of)
For part of July and August, eNews will publish every other week instead of weekly. In addition, there will be no eNews on June 17, as Doug and Lisa are both traveling. You will still receive a "Zoom links" email next week if you are on that mailing list.
The publication schedule (and deadlines) after July 8 are listed below:
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NO eNews on July 15.
- eNews will publish on July 22.
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NO eNews on July 29.
- eNews will publish on Aug. 5.
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NO eNews Aug. 12.
Our normal weekly publication schedule will resume on Thursday, Aug. 19 (deadlines at 10 a.m. Wednesdays). Please send articles and photos for eNews to both Lisa Bell at lisamboyles12@gmail.com and Doug Hoagland at doughoagland@att.net. |
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Important: Reopening scheduled for July 4!
We will begin in-person worship with an outdoor service on July 4 at the church. The following Sunday, July 11, services will resume in the Sanctuary.
Because the July 4 service will be outdoors, we will not live-stream the service to YouTube nor will it be live on Zoom. An outdoor service presents technological challenges beyond the capabilities of our equipment. And taking a one-week break from the technical aspects of broadcasting will allow us all to enjoy seeing each other for the first time in almost 16 months.
The following Sunday – July 11 – services will resume in the sanctuary. The Council has decided on these protocols for indoor services:
- Masks will be required.
- Hand sanitizer will be available.
- Social distancing will be maintained. (Families, of course, can sit together.)
- Fellowship after church will take place in the breezeway. We expect to serve coffee and water in paper cups.
Beginning on July 11, worship services will ONLY be on YouTube (bit.ly/cuccyoutube), NOT on Zoom, using our new camera system. We are still working out details; more updates will be available in the coming weeks.
We look forward to seeing you all in person soon!
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Hear the voices: reopening excitement builds
We at CUCC are indeed "one" with each other and with people in our world – as EJ so beautifully declares in his song. In that spirit, church members express their anticipation for in-person services resuming on July 4. Hear their voices in the video below.
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Important reminder from Finance Team
It’s not too late to submit a pledge for the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Currently, we haven't heard from some people who made pledges last year. Pledges enable our Finance Team to make an accurate budget for the church's 2021-22 financial year.
If you’ve misplaced your pledge card or time and talent sheet, please call Marilyn at the church office. You can also submit your pledge online via these links to Google Forms:
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June fund-raising raffle — Win a Desert Beauty basket
Just in time for the blazing summer heat, the Worship Team and Communications have prepared a wonderful succulent basket for the June fundraiser filled with goodies to help you keep cool. The basket contains:
- Garden tools and gloves
- Potting soil
- Three medium pots containing a variety of plants
- Ten small pots with individual plants
- A book entitled The Beginner's Guide to Succulent Gardening
- Notecards with original watercolor paintings of succulents done by Nancy Pressley
- A refreshing bottle of Fresno State Albariño white wine
- A $20 gift card for Ampersand ice cream
- A garden gnome
Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. We will do the drawing on July 4, our first in-person gathering back at the church campus!
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Honoring Jazzy Wall on July 11 during worship
Jazzy Wall is leaving her position in our nursery. She has provided many years of service and touched the lives of many children. Jazzy's last day will be June 27. Please join us on July 11 to honor her.
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. . . From Pastor Julia
Pastor Julia writes this introduction to the video below:
"Have you noticed how often we don’t remember things we’ve just experienced? We were on auto-pilot! Here’s an opportunity to practice being truly aware for a few minutes."
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Women's Book Discussion Group
On June 15, the Women's Book Discussion Group will continue a new book: "Mother Goose Meets A Woman Called Wisdom: A Short Course in the Art of Self-Determination" by Linda Hollies. She retells classic fairy tales with a decidedly spiritual – and autobiographical – spin.
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Annual Meeting set for June 27
Our Annual Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, June 27, immediately after worship. This meeting will be held on Zoom. Please mark your calendars to join us!
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All-Church Family Camp scheduled for Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3-5
Annie and Jack Van Patten express their enthusiasm for – and love of – Family Camp in the video below. Annie can be reached at 209.902.2033 or teechrannie@comcast.net.
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On Sunday, June 6, Pastor Julia delivered a sermon titled "Okay, Fine" inspired by 1 Samuel 8: 4-20. Click on the triangle above to watch and hear the sermon. |
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Pitman and Tidyman scholarships available
CUCC annually offers two scholarships: the Martha and Paul Pitman Scholarship and the Phyllis A. Tidyman Scholarship.
The Pitman Scholarship Fund – established in 1998 – supports the theological education of students preparing for ordained ministry and “in care” of the church.
Graduate students or re-entry students returning to school after a two-year absence are eligible if a seminary student doesn’t apply.
The Tidyman Scholarship Fund – established in 1999 by the Tidyman family –provides scholarships for church members.
The Pitmans and Mrs. Tidyman were longtime church members.
Completed applications are due in the church office by June 30..
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Marilyn's office hours at church
Marilyn is in the office from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Please be sure to call ahead (559.435.2690) and remember to wear a mask if you need to come to the office.
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Contacting Pastor Julia at church
Pastor Julia will be in the office Thursday mornings and can be reached by phone, text, e-mail or Facetime other days of the week as well. E-mail her at j.penner.zook@gmail.com.
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In each week's eNews, we include a news article from our larger denomination, the United Church of Christ, to show the faithful work being done in other places.
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Crowds flock to rural county’s 1st Pride fest, with Ohio churches’ help
Flags flew in stars, stripes and rainbows as a librarian, two pastors and a drag queen took the stage on an Ohio family farm. Ashtabula County’s first-ever Pride festival was about to get underway on Saturday, June 5.
Their journey to that outdoor stage had been long and not without resistance. But to quote a 2009 Miley Cyrus hit that blasted from the stage later in the afternoon, nothing was going to stop this “party in the U.S.A. Continue reading at UCC.com
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June Birthdays and Anniversaries |
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June Birthdays
3 — Penny Carroll
8 — Clay Pressley
9 — Virginia Virag
12 — Sam Mahtab
13 — Laurie Tidyman-Jones
16 — Jacque Garcia
17 — Sean Carlson
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18 — Annie Van Patten
22 — Steve Reynolds and Ron Vivian
24 — Jazmyn Wall
June Anniversaries
13 — Diana and Helmut Kloos
18 — Sharon Powers and Mike Smith
19 — Lisa and Randy Bell
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eNews deadline is 10 a.m. Wednesdays
CUCC eNews is a weekly publication distributed every Thursday. Deadline for submitting announcements is 10 a.m. Wednesdays (and earlier is appreciated). Send your announcements to both Lisa Boyles Bell and Doug Hoagland. Doug is now the primary newsletter designer, but Doug and Lisa collaborate on its production. Emails: lisamboyles12@gmail.com and doughoagland@att.net.
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Our Joyful Giving page reflects the many ways members can help support our Church's missions and operations, especially needed in these critical and uncertain times.
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Due to COVID-19, worship will remain virtual for now. Limited office hours have resumed.
Phone: 559.435.2690
Email: office@communityucc.com
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Follow us on social media: |
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