Sunday, February 23
8:30am Informal Worship in Epworth Lounge9:30am Contemporary Worship in the Sanctuary
11:00am Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary
Sunday's Scripture
Matthew 5: 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’[a] 39 But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. 41 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and don’t turn away him who desires to borrow from you.43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor[b] and hate your enemy.’[c] 44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors[d] do the same? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 5:38 Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21
b. Matthew 5:43 Leviticus 19:18
c. Matthew 5:43 not in the Bible, but see Qumran Manual of Discipline Ix, 21-26
d. Matthew 5:47 NU reads “Gentiles” instead of “tax collectors”.
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John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for Matthew 5:38-48
Verse 38. Ye have heard - Our Lord proceeds to enforce such meekness and love on those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake (which he pursues to the end of the chapter) as were utterly unknown to the scribes and Pharisees. It hath been said - In the law, as a direction to Judges, in ease of violent and barbarous assaults. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth - And this has been interpreted, as encouraging bitter and rigorous revenge. Deut. xix, 21.
Verse 39. But I say unto you, that ye resist not the evil man - Thus; the Greek word translated resist signifies standing in battle array, striving for victory. If a man smite thee on the right cheek - Return not evil for evil: yea, turn to him the other - Rather than revenge thyself.
40, 41. Where the damage is not great, choose rather to suffer it, though possibly it may on that account be repeated, than to demand an eye for an eye, to enter into a rigorous prosecution of the offender. The meaning of the whole passage seems to be, rather than return evil for evil, when the wrong is purely personal, submit to one bodily wrong after another, give up one part of your goods after another, submit to one instance of compulsion after another. That the words are not literally to be understood, appears from the behaviour of our Lord himself, John xviii, 22,
Verse 42. Thus much for your behaviour toward the violent. As for those who use milder methods, Give to him that asketh thee - Give and lend to any so far, (but no further, for God never contradicts himself) as is consistent with thy engagements to thy creditors, thy family, and the household of faith. Luke vi, 30.
Verse 43. Thou shalt love thy neighbour; And hate thy enemy - God spoke the former part; the scribes added the latter. Lev. xix, 18.
Verse 44. Bless them that curse you - Speak all the good you can to and of them, who speak all evil to and of you. Repay love in thought, word, and deed, to those who hate you, and show it both in word and deed. Luke vi, 27, 35.
Verse 45. That ye may be the children - That is, that ye may continue and appear such before men and angels. For he maketh his sun to rise - He gives them such blessings as they will receive at his hands. Spiritual blessings they will not receive.
Verse 46. The publicans - were officers of the revenue, farmers, or receivers of the public money: men employed by the Roman to gather the taxes and customs, which they exacted of the nations they had conquered. These were generally odious for their extortion and oppression, and were reckoned by the Jews as the very scum of the earth.
Verse 47. And if ye salute your friends only - Our Lord probably glances at those prejudices, which different sects had against each other, and intimates, that he would not have his followers imbibe that narrow spirit. Would to God this had been more attended to among the unhappy divisions and subdivisions, into which his Church has been crumbled! And that we might at least advance so far, as cordially to embrace our brethren in Christ, of whatever party or denomination they are!
Verse 48. Therefore ye shall be perfect; as your Father who is in heaven is perfect - So the original runs, referring to all that holiness which is described in the foregoing verses, which our Lord in the beginning of the chapter recommends as happiness, and in the close of it as perfection. And how wise and gracious is this, to sum up, and, as it were, seal all his commandments with a promise! Even the proper promise of the Gospel! That he will put those laws in our minds, and write them in our hearts! He well knew how ready our unbelief would be to cry out, this is impossible! And therefore stakes upon it all the power, truth, and faithfulness of him to whom all things are possible.
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In This Issue
Sermon on the Mount in Feb.eScrip
Rummage sale
From the Lay Leader
Lay Looker
Prayer Quilting
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This Week at Church...
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Adult Bible Study
NOTE: We will NOT meet for Bible Study on Thursday, February 27.You are welcome to join our regular Thursday Bible Study with Pastor Molly when we resume, on March 6.
The Pastor's Bible Study meets each Thursday at 11:00am in May Day Parlor.
A Church That Responds to the Needs of the Community
Shared Bread Every Wednesday, with help from neighbor congregations and many volunteers, we host Shared Bread, a free meal for the community.
(Click the logo for more information.)
Groceries =
$$$ for Church
Looking for an easy way to support our church? Now you can do your grocery shopping and the store will give a percentage back to FUMCRB! Click the image on the left to learn how you can sign up for this easy giving program. Our Stewardship Team can answer any questions!
WANT TO STAY CURRENT ON ANNUAL CONFERENCE NEWS?
CLICK THE IMAGE ON THE RIGHT TO LINK TO THE CAL-PAC WEBSITE.________________________________
You may also visit the new website for the entire denomination of United Methodist Church here.
Sacred Dust
This week, our Trustees were having some new timers installed on our church watering systems, I'm thinking about Ash Wednesday and Lent (as they're less than two weeks away!), and my mind and heart have often been occupied by the heart-breaking loss of Bob Crownover from our midst, this week. All of which have me thinking about the beautiful, humble, precious life we share. Last week, I was watching Bob's last sermon he preached here, from just after Christmas in 2012. He quoted from Alice Walker's "The Color Purple," where Shug names God's deep love for everything, and describes God's joy when we notice God's beauty around us; she says God's "just wanting to share a good thing." God is present in us and everyone--and everything--and we are invited to notice and treasure. We are dust, filled with God's Spirit, and God's blessing is everywhere.
So, as we live that out in caring for the flowers around the church, in our humble prayers on Ash Wednesday, and in our grief, we are given invitation to remember that we are dust, and that we are God's precious, beloved creation. We get to share love in beautiful, real ways in this life, and we know this divine love claims triumph over even death.
grace and peace,
Pastor Molly
Contact Info
Pastor Molly Vetter
PastorMolly@BeachFaith.com
(310)372-8445 x 102
Intergenerational Mardi Gras Party
Sunday, Feb 23 from 4-5:30, in Fellowship HallLearn the religious significance of this Lenten festival. Enjoy Pancakes, games, a cake-walk contest, crafts, fellowship and good jazz music!
There will also be a chance to sign up for our Lenten Small Groups- see you there!
Bake a Cake to Share in the Party!!!
Make your best dessert and submit for awards & fun!Really, bring any dessert you like to make--cakes, cupcakes, pies, brownies, whatever. There will be prizes!
Sign up with Katherine to RSVP your participation in the contest: Children@beachfaith.com
We need more rummage donations. Just bring your donations to church
during office hours, Monday - Thursday, 9am-4pm.
AND...If you have a card table we can use during the sale, please bring it to church by the 23rd.
Looking for other ways to help?
Click here for a list of volunteer opportunities.
From our Lay Leader
Read Johnna's recent Lay Leader reflections online.Disciple Spotlight: Leila Grantz by Johnna Kosnoff
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”—Psalm 118:24, is the Scripture that fuels Leila. She likes to begin each morning by thanking God for the new day, and reminds herself to “stop and smell the roses.” In the true spirit of discipleship, she helps in many supporting and leading roles in both her church and community to “do what (she) can so that others can appreciate each new day.”
Here at FUMCRB, Leila regularly supports our church staff by helping with day-to-day office duties, picking up slack so that they can focus on “important things,” as she puts it. She strongly believes in supporting her “church family.” She maintains an ongoing prayer list including congregants, their loved ones, and community members in need. “Prayer is the easiest thing we can do for others. God listens.” In addition to prayer, Leila coordinates care for those in need. She organizes meals to be delivered when her church family is struggling with illness and grief. She has also coordinated other assistance to members, depending on their individual needs. She believes that when we all do a little bit, we can really take care of our church family, and she is overwhelmed by the support that this congregation provides.
In the community, Leila provides office support at the local high school, organizing test booklets, making copies, filing, etc. so that the teachers on the front lines can focus on other things. She serves on school councils, including the School Site Council, Wellness Council, and STEM Advisory Board. Her goals include helping our schools become healthier and growing the science, technology, engineering and math programs. She believes in encouraging young women to enter these career fields. She has also tackled the role of Team Parent for the high school wrestling team, which her younger son, Lars is a member of. She coordinates fundraisers and acts as liaison between parents and coaches.
To nurture herself, Leila enjoys travel with her family, and loves camping and hiking. She is thankful that her faith journey brought her to FUMCRB when she was expecting her first son, Christian. The children and youth ministries here have helped her provide a strong foundation for her family, and she loves the open communion table of the United Methodist Church. She believes that God’s blessings are for everyone.
Lay Looker by Bob Peterson
Read Bob Peterson's column here and on our website! "For over twenty years I have called it The Miracle of Shared Bread. When Shared Bread was proposed as our church project, I was not available due to an every Wednesday evening's conflict. However, during its first year of action I had a free Wednesday and went to the church to see what this Shared Bread was all about. I was asked to serve that evening. Following us serving all the hungry (about 80) a few of us were standing around and this man came up to us, thanked us for the fine meal and asked what he could do to show his appreciation. We had been trying to drink from the Fellowship Hall fountain which barely dribbled and one of us said, could he fix the drinking fountain. The man said sure he could do plumbing and asked if he could get his tools from his car and fix it. We said yes and sure enough in a short while he had it running like new. That was my first experience of meeting Bob Crownover..."
[Read the rest of the Lay Looker by clicking here!]
Bob Crownover by Bob Crownover
For over twenty years I have called it The Miracle of Shared Bread. When Shared Bread was proposed as our church project, I was not available due to an every Wednesday evening’s conflict. However, during its first year of action I had a free Wednesday and went to the church to see what this Shared Bread was all about. I was asked to serve that evening. Following us serving all the hungry (about 80) a few of us were standing around and this man came up to us, thanked us for the fine meal and asked what he could do to show his appreciation. We had been trying to drink from the Fellowship Hall fountain which barely dribbled and one of us said, could he fix the drinking fountain. The man said sure he could do plumbing and asked if he could get his tools from his car and fix it. We said yes and sure enough in a short while he had it running like new. That was my first experience of meeting Bob Crownover.A few weeks later our church custodian resigned and some Shared Bread workers urged Bob to apply for the position. He did, was hired for the job and a few months later everyone agreed that our church facility was cleaner and better organized than it had ever been. Someone told me that even Bob’s wife, Betty, had been helping out. To make a long and delightful story shorter, they eventually joined our church and made friends of everyone here. Later we heard that Bob was studying to become a Church Lay Preacher. Over the years we were privileged to hear Bob from our pulpit as a substitute preacher when various clergy were elsewhere. Our congregation, almost without exception, was pleased to hear Bob’s take on scripture and his preaching was well done and his theology was direct and to the point.
Now, we and Betty have lost Bob to God’s care and we and our facility will always be better for his life here, his hard work and willingness to help and his services to each and every one of us. God Bless you Bob Crownover and we send our prayers of thanks for you and blessings and best wishes to your wife, Betty.
Sponsored by Children's & Families Ministries...
Friday, February 28th!
Parents/ Caregivers: enjoy some quality time alone or with your spouse while we (your Sunday School staff) have a pizza party, play games and watch a movie with your kids! It's a "Win-Win"
Parent night out runs from 5:30pm-8:30pm and costs $20 per family.
Please RSVP by 12pm the day PRIOR to the event. children@beachfaith.com
Church-Wide Lenten Study: What Wondrous Love
Join us for a Lent as we share in a special study of scripture, featuring art images of John August Swanson. Each week, a story from the gospels is illuminated by a companion artwork. A daily devotional (available Sunday) guides you through prayers for the season, and small group Bible studies deepen our study of the texts and images.The 6-week Bible study includes discussion in response to a short DVD, featuring biblical scholars from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and runs through Easter, April 20.
Small Group Bible Studies will be available at the following times: (sign up for any of them on our website or in the church office at 310-372-8445)
-Sundays, at 9:30am starting 3/9 (along with Adult Sunday School class)
-Monday evenings from 5:30-7pm starting 3/10 (We will offer a children's art program at the same time, as well as dinner for all ages--see below!)
-Thursdays from 11am-12pm starting 3/13 (along with the Thursday Bible Study)
-Thursdays from 7-8pm starting 3/13 (at the LeClaire/Walters' home)
-a group for 20/30s young adults (starting 3/12) on Wednesdays from 8-9pm
-a group for youth on days
Special Monday Night Option for Families
On Monday nights, we have two extras: a dinner for anyone participating, and a printmaking art class for children at the same time as the Bible Study. The dinner is for anyone--adults or youth in the Bible Study as well as children in the class. (Suggested weekly donation $5/person or $20/family.) The Printmaking Art Class for Children (grades 1-6) will use the art of John August Swanson as inspiration. Kids will explore a variety of principles of design and foundational art techniques as they explore various printmaking techniques, including monoprint, silkscreen, block printing and more. There is a materials fee of $25/child or $40/family for the art class. Questions? Contact Director of Children's Ministry Katherine Stanfill. There is also free childcare available on request for younger children.
Holy Conferencing: Homosexuality, Marriage Equality and our Christian Faith
I invite you to join me for a class and conversation about our faith and contemporary issues, as we share in holy conferencing about homosexuality and marriage equality on Sunday, March 9 from 3-5pm in Epworth Lounge. I will share some of the teaching of the church, and we will look into the Bible together, as we learn and pray together. I will share more about why I have come to advocate against our church's policies of exclusion and judgment, and there will be space for you to share your own beliefs and experiences, too.
"Holy Conferencing" is one of our distinctive Methodist traditions--John Wesley used the term "Christian Conferencing" to describe this means of grace in which followers of Christ meet to have real conversation with one another, in a prayerful context. My hope is that our time together will provide an opportunity for some teaching, and for some grace-filled conversation. I expect that we can do so with generous and open spirits.
We scheduled this conversation at the usual meeting time for our youth group, so that young people who wish to participate will be able to be a part of this intergenerational event.
In our church tradition, we invite all believers to work out their beliefs with thoughtfulness and discernment; I look forward to this occasion to spend time together as a community, seeking to better understand one another and God, at a time when the United Methodist Church, our regional church, the culture and our families are too often painfully divided in our beliefs and actions.
Thanks for considering joining us for this event. Peace, Pastor Molly
Lenten Visitation Volunteer Team
(an invitation from Pastor Molly)
I would like to recruit and train a small team of volunteers, to visit the homes of our homebound members and bring them Holy Communion during the season of Lent. If you would be interested in being a part of this ministry, please email me; I hope to set a training time that works for those interested.
Ash Wednesday Worship - March 5
Our congregation will join other area churches for a special evening worship service at Torrance First UMC, at 7:30 p.m. Rev. Lee Carlile of El Segundo UMC will be preaching, and Stephen Bullardo of Faith UMC (Torrance) will lead a combined choir. As we begin the journey of Lent, this will be a meaningful time for confession and centering in the Spirit of God.
Prayers and Squares
Sponsor a Free Quilt for Someone in Need of PrayerOur prayer quilt ministry is ready to share prayers and quilts--if you would like to sponsor a free quilt for someone you know, we simply ask that you ask the recipient's permission, and then be here on a Sunday to help people tie knots and say prayers. Request forms are available in the church office or on our website.
Our February quilting meeting will be Friday, February 21--from 10am-noon at the church (hosted by Dorthea Cox). To participate in our February group quilt, we invite you to make a square in hearts and red fabric, using the directions on our website!
Redondo Beach First UMC invites
ALL scouts to celebrate
Scout Sunday, March 9 during 9:30 worship.Wear your uniforms and come for a moment of appreciation and prayer for Boy Scout Troop 851 and to honor the commitment of scouts, boys and girls, to serve God and country.
Our Sanctuary is now ALARMED! To protect our new sound system, the Trustees have upgraded our security system to include the sanctuary. If you have a key to the sanctuary you must contact the church office before you next use it. There are only two points of entry that should be used and there is a code that you will need to disarm the system. If you need access before this Sunday (2/26), contact Ernie or Pastor Molly directly.
Giving to the Church Electronically
There are two new ways for you to make contributions to the church electronically, through electronic funds transfer--via a paper form that is turned into the church office or via a new internet option. Read more here.If you choose to give electronically, we have new cards for you to drop in the Sunday offering basket, noting your gift and allowing you to still participate in the weekly ritual of the offering. Contact the church office for more information.
Memorial Service: Lewis Robert Crownover
We will hold a memorial service for Bob Crownover on Saturday, March 8 at 10am in the sanctuary. A reception will follow, organized by Naomi Circle.Born on August 31, 1950 in Belleville, Illinois; Bob passed from this life early on Monday, February 17, 2014 at home in Torrance, CA, as a result of cancer. For the past 24 years, he has shared his life with his wife, Betty.
Bob was a beloved member of our congregation, and served as our Facilities Manager since 1995. He was a Certified Lay Servant in the United Methodist Church, and preached in our church and for the California-Pacific Annual Conference.
The Belltower Has a New Brightness!
We recently installed a system to light our beautifully restored belltower at night--now, the upper bell area is visible for all who pass by, and the stained glass in lower levels shines with a warm glow. (Plus, we took care of some needed electrical maintenance.)Next time you're in the area in the evening, be sure to swing by to enjoy the light! Our thanks to the Trustees for taking on this project.
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This Week at Church...
Nursery The Nursery is open all three services for ages 6 weeks to 4 yrs old. Located right off of the parking lot across Epworth Lounge. Any questions email the Nursery Coordinator: Adriana Hwang
Children's Ministry
This week during Sunday School we will explore another Bible Lesson from Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" and talk about how Jesus felt about "Loving your Enemies." There will be prayer stations with "hands on" activities for the children to explore.
Church R Us (4th and 5th grade):
Join us for Sunday School at 9:30 am. This week we will be reviewing our lessons on Jesus' early ministry, including baptism, calling the disciples, and teaching with parables.
Youth Group (6th-12th grade):
***NO CONFIRMATION CLASS THIS WEEK***
You and your families are invited to attend the All-Church Mardi Gras Party this Sunday at 4:00pm.
Adult Sunday School: Join us every Sunday at 9:30am for study and discussion of this week's scripture lesson. (May Day Parlor)
Men's Breakfast: Our next breakfast is Monday, March 3 at 7AM. All men of the church and their friends are welcome to join us for fellowship. At Billy's Deli, 5160 W 190th St, Torrance, CA 90503.
Register Early for Vacation Bible School 2014!!
June 23 - 27th (Ages 3- Junior High)
Volunteer and Student registration now available.
We are collecting items...
Check out the Children's Ministry webpage for a list of items needed.
First United Methodist Church of Redondo Beach
(310)372-8445 main (310)372-5696 fax
Reverend Molly Vetter, Lead & Teaching Pastor PastorMolly@beachfaith.com
Ernie Valenzuela, Administrative Assistant x101 Ernie@beachfaith.com
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