First United Methodist of Redondo Beach, California Weekly News - Thursday, 28 November 2013
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Sunday, December 1
1st Sunday of Advent
8:30am
Informal Worship in Epworth Lounge
9:30am
Contemporary Worship in the Sanctuary
11:00am
Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary
Sunday's Scripture:
Isaiah 2: Isaiah 2: The Future House of God
1 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 In days to come
the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
3 Many peoples shall come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
Judgment Pronounced on Arrogance
5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord!(NRSV)
John Wesley’s Notes-Commentary for Isaiah 2:1-5:
Isaiah 2:1-5
II A prophecy of Christ's kingdom, and the calling of the Gentiles, ver. 1-5. And rejection of the Jews for their idolatry and pride, ver. 6-9. The great majesty and power of God, and his terrors on the wicked; with an exhortation to fear God, and not to trust in man, ver. 10-22.
Verse 1. The word - Or, the matter or thing, as this Hebrew word commonly signifies; the prophecy or vision.
Verse 2. In the last days - In the times of the Messiah. For Christ's institutions were to continue to the end of the world. The mountain - The temple of the Lord which is upon mount Moriah; which yet is not to be understood literally of that material temple, but mystically of the church of God; as appears from the flowing of all nations to it, which was not to that temple, nor indeed was fulfilled 'till that temple was destroyed. Exalted - Shall be placed and settled in a most conspicuous and glorious manner, being advanced above all other churches and kingdoms.
Verse 3. The law - The new law, the doctrine of the gospel, which is frequently called a law, because it hath the nature and power of a law, obliging us no less to the belief and practice of it, than the old law did.
Verse 4. He - Christ shall set up his authority among all nations, not only giving laws to them, but doing what no other can do, convincing their consciences, changing their hearts, and ordering their lives. Rebuke - By his word and Spirit, convincing the world of sin; and by his judgments upon his implacable enemies, which obstruct the propagation of the gospel.
Verse 5. The light - Take heed that you do not reject that light which is so clear that even the blind Gentiles will discern it.
In This Issue:
eScrip
All-in-One Advent Fun
Youth Flashmob
Lay Looker
Advent Events
Prayer Quilting
Gardeners WANTED
This Week at Church...
www.beachfaith.org
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Adult Bible Study
You are welcome to join our regular Thursday Bible Study with Pastor Molly, each week at 11:00am in May Day Parlor. NOTE: There will not be Bible Study on Thanksgiving Day.
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.)
escrip
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
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Happy Thanksgiving!
We wish you a holiday of gratitude & joy--may God's love be visible wherever you share food this weekend. We give thanks that you are a part of our church family.
Imagine...
In a season where our calendars are already packed and our minds filled with to-do lists and shopping lists and menus, God invites us to do something wild: imagine.
During this season of waiting and anticipation we get to imagine what it can look like if we really put Christ's love at the center of things. We get to imagine how it changes us, and how it changes the world.
Each week, in worship, we'll do some imagining together. We also have prepared a devotional guide for you to use at home (or alone or with friends) during the week. As a congregation, we will also be helping support the work of Imagine No Malaria, an initiative of the United Methodist Church to eliminate malaria, worldwide. (This is one, very particular, way we get to imagine life-giving possibilities into reality. But more about that later...)
I hope you will join us for this journey, as we move toward Bethlehem and toward God's vision of love and justice together. I believe it will make this Christmas especially meaningful.
with gratitude and hope,
Pastor Molly
Contact Info
Pastor Molly Vetter
PastorMolly@BeachFaith.com
310-372-8445 x 102
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Celebrating Advent in our Homes
We have prepared a devotional guide for you to use during the season of Advent. It will be available to pick up Sunday (especially at the Advent Prep Party at 10:30).
To observe Advent at home, there are just a few things you need: the devotional guide, an advent wreath, and a glass jar for collecting coins. All of these will be ready for you on Sunday at the Advent Prep Party, or you can download the guide, and use your own advent wreath and coin jar.
(This Sunday, families will also receive a paper chain, printed with verses of the Christmas story to read each day of the season.)
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Throughout the season, we will be collecting coins for Imagine No Malaria, a campaign to end malaria worldwide.
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Be an angel for someone in need this Christmas!
Each year George and Peggy Mercer team up with Faith United Methodist Church to travel to Mexico to share God's love with the Corazon community at Christmas time. As a congregation we can help them by providing gifts for the children and families they visit.
Sign up via Sign Up Genius today and remember this ministry as you shop this weekend!
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Fall Finance Pledge Campaign
We have so much to celebrate in our ministry together--more than we can count--and we are grateful for the generosity of our congregation, which makes this possible.
After many of you made a pledge commitment this past Sunday, we have now received 52 pledges for $209,230. This represents 64% of our goal, and we are grateful for your generosity. We anticipate setting a church budget for 2014 at our December Church Council meeting on the 9th, and are very grateful for any pledges you can make before then (though we are happy to receive your commitment anytime.)
You can see the information we recently mailed on our website; you can also watch the video we shared (celebrating our rich ministries) by clicking here.
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Join us for a *new* all-church, all-in-one advent celebration, on Sunday, December 8, from 4-6pm. This is THE party to be a part of--it will bring together families with children, older adults, youth, singles, mission-minded people, our UMW and more...
And, it's certain to include something of all the things you love about the season: sing Christmas carols, eat good food, make crafts to give, buy fair trade handicrafts, give to local missions, bring and wrap donations for Corazon, perform for your friends, listen to holiday music, hear the Christmas story, help decorate the Hall... and there will be cookies, too!
This event is sponsored by Children & Family Ministries, Youth Ministries, UMW, Missions and more. You can take care of all your holiday gifts--making crafts to give, buying things that support good causes, making donations to worthy organizations as gifts to loved ones. We will have opportunities to support Shared Bread, Imagine No Malaria, Corazon and 10,000 Villages (a fair-trade gift shop). You can take time to enjoy an afternoon with our intergenerational church community. Our youth will host the entertainment--and you can sign up to sing a song or perform you favorite carol or recite a poem at our informal coffee-house style open mic. Our UMW is hosting the food--sandwiches and finger foods (and cookies!!), so it's sure to be delicious. Pastor Molly will help us share the Christmas story to remember the good news at the heart of all our celebrations.
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Click the icon above for more info about the UMW Reading Program
United Methodist Women Reading Program
Attention: All women participating in the UMW reading program. Please return your forms to Eloise before Thanksgiving or you may email the titles of books read to Eloise here.
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Calling all 4-12th graders... It's Flashmob Time!!
This year the Youth Group has decided to take Christmas joy further into the community. We're going to "spontaneously burst into song" in a few public locations this December.
All 4-12th graders are encouraged to join us this Sunday afternoon to learn a short carol medley from 3-5 PM.
We'll announce the "performance" times/locations as they are solidified so you come enjoy the fun!
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Lay Looker by Bob Peterson
Read Bob Peterson's column here and on our website!
"Last Sunday afternoon, November 24, about 70 of us attended our choir concert which was also a concert by our Church Organist's Chamber Music Group called Definiens. The choir never sounded better, perhaps because they included a few other church choir singers as well as our own Pastor Molly Vetter. The Definiens musicians were all outstanding and played their own special arrangements of some familiar songs such as Amazing Grace, St. Louis Blues and..."
[Read the rest of the Lay Looker by clicking here!]
God's Gifts Are Wonderful by Bob Peterson
Last Sunday afternoon, November 24, about 70 of us attended our choir concert which was also a concert by our Church Organist’s Chamber Music Group called Definiens. The choir never sounded better, perhaps because they included a few other church choir singers as well as our own Pastor Molly Vetter. The Definiens musicians were all outstanding and played their own special arrangements of some familiar songs such as Amazing Grace, St. Louis Blues and Ain’t Goin’ to Study War No More. When one hears such fine talent in our sanctuary, it’s a confirmation that God’s gifts are wonderful and it is heart-warming to be able to hear them, a special gift from God. One may show appreciation by contributing to our church funding under “Friends of Music.”
This is the season, Advent, when we give gifts through George Mercer’s Corazon, his annual trip to Mexico with gifts and money for the very poor near Tijuana. See our bulletin board for details.
As noted above, there are many ways we can help our church as well as the needy in the world. The options are there for many diverse things to do, from hands-on work to financial contributions, prayer and moral support. If we don’t do these special things at Christmas time, when will we?
Do Something by Bob Peterson
One of the very special things to do at our church is to take a study class with Pastor Molly Vetter as the leader. I and eleven others just completed a seven week evening class under her leadership. It included 12 minutes of video plus discussion each week and a work book to study and in which to write opinions. To say this was a great class with outstanding classmates may sound ordinary, but it was really true. Each of us added comments and our own experiences, so we got to know the others, as well as our leader, better. The next time such an opportunity arises, you had better get on board. The course just completed led us to think a great deal about our Faith, God, Religion, Jesus, Salvation, The Cross, Bible and Church.
We all have been saddened by the huge typhoon in The Philippines as well as other natural disasters lately. Our church has urged that we contribute donations to UMCOR, The United Methodist Committee on Relief. Money earmarked for this current tragedy and donated to our church for UMCOR goes quickly to the heart of the problem and is never enough. Every dollar is necessary to help others in need. We all know what another clergyman friend of mine says, “Every day there are hundreds and thousands of children and adults trying to sleep while hungry and as Christians, it is our job to do something about it.” Donations marked UMCOR help our world become a better place. Just place them in the collection or at the office.
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Please bring in your old Wrapping Paper:
We're collecting for the All in One- Advent Fun Crafting. Thank you!- Family Ministries
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Mark Your Calendars for Events in Advent 2013:
December 1: Advent Prep Party especially for families- Come prepare for the season to get tools for observing Advent at home: a devotional guide, an Advent wreath, calendar and coin jar. 10:30am in Fellowship Hall.
December 8: All-in-One Advent Fun at the church from 4-6pm. Food, crafts, missional gifts and festivities, for all ages. Organized by Youth Ministries, Children & Family Ministries, UMW & more!!
December 15: Children's Sunday School Christmas Pageant at 10:30am in the sanctuary, between worship services.
December 22: Festive Music in worship & the Walk to the Manger at 11am. Christmas Caroling in the afternoon (tentative).
December 24: Christmas Eve candlelight worship at 5pm and 11pm.
December 29: One Combined Worship Service at 10:00am.
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prayers and squares
Join our New Prayer Quilt Ministry
Our next quilt workshop/meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 12, from 6:30-8:30, at the Pacific Inn, where Mary Emerson lives (5481 Torrrance Blvd). Anyone (regardless of sewing ability) is welcome to join us then. See our website for instructions on how to make a block to contribute to a group-made quilt top this month.
Sponsor a Quilt for Someone in Need of Prayer
Our prayer quilt ministry is ready to share prayers and quilts--if you would like to sponsor a 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.
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Thank you to everyone who "JUMPED-IN"
to help with our Thanksgiving Placemats for our Shared Bread ministry. :)
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This week in addition to our Bible Lesson (see below) we will be rehearsing our Christmas Pageant: "A Cosmic Christmas"
Need a script for your child? or want to help with costumes/ set design? Visit the Children's Ministry blog
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GARDENERS WANTED!!
If you enjoy being outdoors, and can give any time-one hour, two hours, one time only, or weekly- to assist our volunteer gardeners in maintaining our church campus, your help would be welcomed. NO experience necessary! Please call the office for more info.
310-372-8445
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Visit the page and "like" us so you can see and share the latest photos, news and links from the church.
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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
Children ages 3 and up will meet this Sunday at our regular Sunday School hour (9:30 a.m.). This week's Bible story is "God will Bring Peace" from Isaiah 2:1-5 (pg. 164-165 in the Spark Story Bible). We will also be working hard on our Christmas Pageant so please arrive on-time and ready to dance & sing! :)
Church R Us (4th and 5th grade):
Join us for Sunday School at 9:30 am. This week we will examine the story of Simeon, a man who recognized young Jesus as the awaited messiah. Also join us from 3-5 PM for Flashmob rehearsal (see article above)!
Youth Group (6th-12th grade):
We're working on our Christmas Flash Mob! Join us from 3-5 PM for Youth Group and practice!
PRAISE BAND TIME CHANGE: Due to the concert, praise band meets at 5 PM this week.
Middle Schoolers will meet for Sunday School this week!
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, December 2 at 7a.m. 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.
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First United Methodist Church of Redondo Beach
(310)372-8445 main
(310)372-5696 fax
Reverend Molly Vetter, Lead & Teaching Pastor
Pastor: Molly@beachfaith.com
Ernie Valenzuela, Administrative Assistant: x101 Ernie@beachfaith.com
First United Methodist Church
243 South Broadway Street
Redondo Beach, CA 90277 United States
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Weekly thoughts on theology, church life and more from our Pastor, Molly Vetter.
In a Week Where the UMC has Made Headlines by Molly Vetter
This is not what I’d hoped for. I have carried a heavy heart as the news has reported this week on a United Methodist Church trial that convicted a Pennsylvania pastor of disobeying church law when he officiated at the marriage of his gay son (six years ago). Other stories from across the country portray the depth of division in the church about our understanding of homosexuality and about marriage, too.
My heart is heavy for several reasons:
This is not the message of grace I want the church to proclaim to a broken world. In the wake of a typhoon’s devastation in the Philippines, in the midst of alarming rates of childhood poverty in our nation—and with so much other suffering and injustice—it is painful to me to see the church’s voice raised most publicly in judgment against gay marriage.
More, I grieve the pain and spiritual violence this continues to cause for gay and lesbian church members and their families—and for folks outside the church. No church court or General Conference can limit the love of God or God’s blessing on relationships of commitment. I long for the time when the church will stop making judgments based on sexuality and instead will help all of us love God more and live more faithfully. I am pained when we talk about homosexuality and gay marriage as “issues,” ignoring the real people—members of our families, church and community—who are involved.
The worldwide United Methodist Church has not settled our biblical or theological understanding of human sexuality—in many ways, we remain deeply divided. I suspect the same is true of our congregation. I treasure that we are a church that teaches people to think theologically, interpreting scripture with the help of tradition, reason and experience—and the space this opens for us to engage today’s issues with integrity and care.
There’s much more to be said about this, and I hope you’ll join me in conversation and prayer, as we seek to be a church faithful to God, and a community that embodies God’s grace for this world. We do that so well in our ministries as we feed the hungry in our community, as we teach our children, as we care for one another. May we continue this legacy, together.
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