Community UCC eNews
Feb. 25, 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. 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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Sunday worship — Zoom and YouTube
Join us for worship this Sunday, Feb. 28. Pastor Julia will deliver a sermon titled "Do I Belong?" inspired by John 4: 5-15; 27-30.
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
For now, we will continue to 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 Friday 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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Evening worship service
on Mondays
Join us for an alternative to our Sunday morning worship, via Zoom at 7 p.m. Mondays. If you have questions or would appreciate a Zoom link, contact Robin at faithgrowth@communityucc.com.
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Week 5 update on our campaign progress!
Since launching our campaign last month, we have raised $6,680 — 45% of the way toward our goal! Thank you to all who have donated!
If you would like to donate, you can give to our capital campaign through Givelify or send a check to the church. In either case, please designate that it’s for the capital campaign in the memo field. We will continue to provide regular updates as we progress toward our goal.
You can read more about how this capital campaign will help our church grow on our church homepage.
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500,000
by Pastor Julia Penner-Zook
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Today, in stillness we hold space for all who mourn.
We hold space to honor the lives lost to Covid-19. We hold space to honor healthcare and essential workers who give and risk everything.
We hold space to honor grieving families who have been devastated as loved ones passed without their presence.
We hold space to pray for those who are left with lingering health concerns while having survived this disease.
We hold space to honor those who have carried on with research and activism against unspeakable odds.
We hold space, believing we will see a future which honors each person’s life as having mattered.
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We hold space to honor young people who choose to follow in the long line of scientists and medical workers who sacrifice for our well-being.
We hold space for all who walk alongside the grieving, whether this journey is public or private.
We hold space for hope, consciously shifting focus from agony and despair to a place where love, respect, and equity will flourish.
We hold space.
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Wanted: candy donations for Sunday school kids
The Faith Education Team asks again for the congregation to donate Easter candy for the children in our Sunday School. The candy needs to be wrapped and be without peanuts.
Please drop off donations at the church office by Monday, March 22. Your help is greatly appreciated. If you have questions, contact Eileen White at (559) 251-3357 or Eileenewhite@icloud.com.
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Lenten Series on lament
continues next Wednesday
We will continue our four-part Lenten Series on lament March 3 from 6 to 7:15 p.m. on Zoom. Next week’s story will focus on the disenfranchisement faced by people of color in our community.
There may be accompanying poetry, music, art, Scripture, and times for quiet reflection and journaling. A journaling booklet can be requested from the office, or you can use your own journal.
The series will continue on March 10 and 17. Links will be sent out along with all weekly links.
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Adult Education meets Mondays
Adult Education meets on Mondays from 9-10 a.m. The group is discussing Richard Rohr’s daily meditations.
To get them, please register at the Center for Action and Contemplation: cac.org. A Zoom link will be made available. Contact Robin at faithgrowth@communityucc.com if you're interested.
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Men's Book Discussion Group
The Men's Book Study – meeting virtually via Zoom from 7-8 p.m. Tuesday – will meet March 9 with a discussion of pages 165-189 in "Inspired" by Rachel Held Evans.
Please contact Rod Zook at zomad2020@gmail.com if you're interested. A Zoom link will be sent out on Monday, Feb. 22.
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Women's Book Discussion Group
resumes March 16
The Women's Book Discussion Group will start a new book — "There There" by Tommy Orange — at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 16.
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Marilyn's office hours at church
Marilyn is in the office from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Thursday. 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 morning 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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Gary Walker and Abraham Lincoln at Fresno State
CUCC member Gary Walker will present “Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution” in March through Fresno State’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
Gary’s presentations will be on Zoom from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, March 16 and 23. Course cost is $20, plus the Osher membership fee of $40.
Gary writes: “I’m taking an integral approach, a larger perspective that goes beyond the usual politics and Civil War, encompassing Lincoln’s cultural activities, reading habits, gift for storytelling, and his relationships with friends, his wife and his four sons. The way his mind worked will also be addressed.”
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You can still join Interfaith Scholar event |
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It's not too late to participate in this year’s Interfaith Scholar event. This year's topic is “Bearing Witness from Fresno’s Mason-Dixon Line.” All sessions are virtual and free, and they continue at 4 p.m. on Mondays, March 1, 8, 15 and 22.
On March 1, Rabbi Dr. Laura Novak Winer of Fresno, who teaches at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, will address chapters 2 and 3 from the book “Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own” by Eddie S Glaude Jr.
Other participants will be:
- Sukaina Hussain, Deputy Executive Director for CAIR Sacramento/Central Valley, offering an Islamic perspective.
Lady Jessica Criner of St. Rest Baptist Church in Fresno offering a Christian perspective.
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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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TV series explores abiding power of Black church
The United Church of Christ is in “The Black Church.” The TV special, that is.
The four-hour documentary, airing this month on PBS, features several UCC ministers.
Viewers can check local air dates at the series web page. They can also stream it there — or on YouTube — in two episodes of two hours each.
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Happy Birthday to all who are celebrating this month!
February Birthdays
26 — Cheryl Jones
27 — Anne Simone
March Birthdays
4 — Dala Ramirez
6 — Kristi Cole
8 — Emma Haring
9 — Ashlyn Chaffin and Olivia LeBeau
14 — Lynette Mulvihill
15 — Jack Van Patten
16 — Marie Edwards and Benjamin Williams
17 — Michael Dillahunty
23 — David Rocha
24 — Pam Mighaccio and Lu Parks
25 — Sophie Gilbert
27 — Carol Dailey, Kate Hayden and Debbie Schroer
30 — Jerry Thompson
March Anniversaries
19 — Carol and Bill Dailey
26 — Penny and Tom Carroll
31 — Carolyn and Al Evans
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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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