Post on 03-Aug-2020
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@UMCMerced 899 Yosemite Parkway Merced, California 95340-5137
change service requested
Sunday Services
10:AM worship 11:30AM Sunday School
THIS
MONTH...
September 2019 Volume 19, Issue 8
@UMCMerced
Sharing
the liberating
love of Jesus
to empower and
mobilize all
in service
for God.
Inside this issue:
Pastor’s Musings
2
finance
3
UMW
4
September
calendar
7
You may have noticed the
children of the church leaving
the sanctuary after the chil-
dren's sermon! You may be
wondering where they are go-
ing or exactly what they are
doing. Let me fill you in! Kids
in the church (grades K-6) are
learning together in room 4 as
part of a "pull out" program
during church.
Page 2 @UMCMerced
Pastor’s Musings Rev. Ella Luna-Garza
From Luke 10… “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman
named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s
feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.
She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?
Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many
things, but few things are needed - or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not
be taken away from her.””
The story matters. It matters that the Bible is a narrative telling us the story of the faithful, the story
of our Savior, the story of creation and God and peoples before us. The sacred texts open up a realm
of life and lives, love and loves. With each word of the text, the Word is passed on. It tells us of be-
ginnings and ends and continuations of life and death and resurrection and life today. It tells us how
the life of Jesus the Christ mattered to those who came before, those who walked with, and those of
us who choose to live even today.
Just yesterday, I was at a table meeting with a community organizer here in Merced. She caught me off
guard as she stated, “Pastor, I really don’t know you. What’s your story? Why are you here?”
For a few brief moments, I pondered what it was I might want her to know. What is it she’s really ask-
ing? What part of my life and my presence might actually matter?
And I realized. Those are questions we ask ourselves and each other every day. And it all matters.
It matters that Angel is afraid he might come home after school to an empty house if his parents are
deported. It matters that Michael can’t find a job and struggles to feed his children. It matters that
Ruth is diagnosed with cancer and her body is deteriorating before our eyes. It matters that Penny
needs childcare so that she can work. It matters that Nick is a student who doesn’t have lunch money.
It matters that Josh is adding a day to his sobriety. It matters that Paul is feeling hopeless and worth-
less. It all matters. Each person and each story matters.
It also matters that as our stories are being lived out and that the living, loving Christ’s story is lived
out with us in this continuing narrative. It matters that His story is our story. We share a story of
faith and faithfulness. It’s our story of healing and hope. It’s our story of provision and peace. It’s our
story of comfort and challenge. It’s our story of forgiveness and favor. It’s our story of blessing and
boldness.
It’s important that we listen to each other’s story. It’s important that we know our own stories and
share them. It’s important that we know and share the life changing, life giving stories of Jesus. This is
how we build relationships with God and each other.
Take a moment to sit at Jesus’ feet and take in his story. Take a moment to hear another’s’ story.
Take a moment to consider your own story. It all matters. And you might see how Jesus’ story is
yours and the other’s story is Jesus’. In getting to know each other, we might meet Jesus in new ways.
May the Author of our lives keep us inquiring, move us to caring, and stir us to loving because it all
matters.
I can now report the
numbers that are con-
tained in the financial
reports for first seven
months of 2019 year-to-
date.
All income categories
c o m b i n e d t o t a l e d
$174,405 and, individual-
ly, most categories fell
short of their respective
budgeted amounts .
When compared to the
same month one year
ago, total income de-
creased by $11,298 or
6.1%. Pledged and Un-
pledged Income catego-
ries combined were
$24,260 or 15.3% less
than July 2018 year-
to-date! This year we
had $14,371 more in
grants and gifts, and en-
dowments compared to
the same period last
year.
Total expenses of
$173,407 were $3,427
below the amount budg-
eted for July year-to-
date. Included in total
expenses paid was
$14,371 in conference
tithing. Total income
exceeded total expens-
es by $998.
Remember, you can
always find the most
current financial report
in the Fireside Room.
For more detailed fi-
nancial data, please feel
free to contact me di-
rectly in person, by
phone, or by email -
larry@umcmerced.org.
In Christ’s service,
Larry Hall Treasurer, Church Administrator
Page 3 @UMCMerced
Money
Matter$
Many thanks for the
thoughts, prayers, food, and
other assistance given to us
after Nancy’s recent hospital
stay. We are so appreciative
of and blessed by our loving
and caring church family.
~ Nancy, Joel, and Grace
We pray, read scripture, and do fun activities that help
us understand God's message for the day. We coordi-
nate themes with Pastor Ella, hoping families will talk
together about what they learned that day! We have
made hurricanes in a jar which remind us that Jesus is
greater than our storm, prayer jars with purposeful
statements that help kids get into the habit of praying
at home, and beautiful tile art that teaches us that no
matter where the "ink" goes on the tile, our lives are
the same and the final piece is beautiful. Please spread
the word, encourage your kids to attend, and ASK
questions about what we are doing and learning. Let's
get the kids engaged! If all this sounds amazing to you
and you would like to help out on an occasional basis,
please contact Stephanie (stephiev@hotmail.com) and
we can work you into the schedule. These children are
our future and are a blessing!
Children’s Worship (continued from page 1)
Food Pantry
Page 4 @UMCMerced
Fellowships
Cindy & Gary Moon
Monday, September 8 @ 1:PM
@ Nancy Reding
3023 Sycamore Avenue
Marilyn Chan
Thursday, September 19 @ 10:AM
@ Charlene Smiley
1404 San Miguel Way
Jane Kies
Thursday, September 19 @ 1:30PM
@ Donna Hall
3551 Claro Court
Hearts & Hands
Monday, September 23 @ 6:30PM
@UMCMerced fireside room
Events
Human Rights Celebration
Friday, September 6 @ 9:30AM
@ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
2692 McKee Road, Merced
UMW Central Valley District Celebration
Saturday, October 5 @ 8:30AM
@ First UMC Reedley
1461 11th Street, Reedley
District Leadership Training Event
Friday, October 18 @ 2:30PM
@UMCMerced
UMW CA/NV October Celebration
Saturday, October 19 @ 8:30AM
@UMCMerced
Executive Board
Thursday, September 12 @ 9:30AM
@UMCMerced library
General Meeting
Thursday, September 12 @ 10:AM
@UMCMerced fireside room Lunch provided by Cindy & Gary Moon Fellowship
Meetings
Page 5
On your birthday, our prayer intercessors
thank God for your birth and life
and ask God to bless you in a special way.
9/20 Jeannette Barrientos
9/26 Dee Near
Trevor Pfeiff
9/28 Clarenz Buyao
9/29 Don Shaljean
9/30 Felicia Casanova-Gastelum
9/1 Victoria Schlintz
9/4 Sean Manilay
Brian Tassey
9/6 Jim Marshall
9/9 Tom Kilinsky
9/16 Kelly Bentz
9/18 Jimmy Buyao
Terry Kruest
Merilee Landis
9/19 Crystal Floyd
Jim Glidden
A.J. Luna
Congratulations!
Prison Project
Holiday Gift Packets
On your summer trips and travels, have you
collected any items for the holiday gift bag project?
We continue this program, now in its 14th year, on
behalf of the women at Central California Wom-
en’s Facility in Chowchilla. Sample size soap,
shampoo, conditioner, hand lotion, tissue, and
toothpaste are needed, as well as unused greeting
cards with envelopes, adult toothbrushes, combs,
and small note pads. A donation container is locat-
ed behind the counter in the Sunday School wing.
An estimated 2700 gift bags will be packed again
this year at Wesley UMC in Fresno on December
7th and delivered to the prison the week before
Christmas. For more information, please contact
Dave Hetland at 209.388.1608.
Leadership Council meets on the third Wednesday
of every month at 6:PM in the
fireside room. All are welcome
to attend! The nominations committee is
currently considering persons
to f i l l leadership roles
@UMCMerced. Available vol-
unteer positions include: SPRC,
lay representative, finance sec-
retary, trustee, and treasurer. If you feel called to serve your
faith community in one of these
roles, please contact Pastor Ella
or Cathie Boehm.
Page 6
Help Stock
our Shelves!
The Merced County Food
Bank is struggling to keep
food stocked to supply our
neighborhood food pantry.
Help stock our shelves by
bringing non-perishable
goods for @UMCMerced to
distribute to those in need.
Food may be dropped off be-
hind the counter in the Sun-
day School wing.
We appreciate
your support of
this community
ministry.
Annual Charge Conference Sunday, October 13 @ 5:PM
Once a year, our church officers, members, and
guests gather to vote on official administrative
items central to every United Methodist Church.
(Only official members @UMCMerced may
vote.) At the meeting, we ratify the Board of
Trustees, elect leadership officers, approve the
pastor's compensation, and recommend lay serv-
ants. This meeting demonstrates our shared con-
nection to the administrative ministries of our
United Methodist Annual Conference and the
global UMC. Everyone is invited to attend.
Women’s Prayer Fellowship to begin September 26th
A new fellowship will meet on the fourth Thursday
of every month from 1:PM to 3:PM in room 2 open
to any woman wanting to participate. Led by Linda
Glidden and Donna Hall, the group will offer sup-
portive prayers for members and other submitted
requests. Prayers will also be offered for our
church, its programs, our country, and our world
as we strive to put our Christianity into practice.
This story can fit 150-200
words.
One benefit of using your
newsletter as a promotional
tool is that you can reuse con-
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es, market studies, and reports.
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the key to a successful newslet-
ter is making it useful to your
readers.
A great way to add useful con-
tent to your newsletter is to
develop and write your own
articles, or include a calendar
of upcoming events or a special
offer that promotes a new
product.
You can also research articles
or find “filler” articles by ac-
cessing the World Wide Web.
You can write about a variety
of topics but try to keep your
articles short.
Much of the content you put in
your newsletter can also be
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when you’re finished writing
your newsletter, convert it to a
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This story can fit 75-125 words.
Selecting pictures or graphics is an important part of adding content to your newsletter.
Think about your article and ask yourself if the picture supports or enhances the message you’re
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Inside Story Headline
Inside Story Headline
Food Pantry News
visited and served 50 meals at the D Street Shelter on the first Wednesday in June. To sign up to provide this meal, see the sheet in the Fireside Room. We are continuing the clothing ministry in con-junction with the food pantry distribution. Clean, usable items may be left in the box in the Sunday School hallway.
Gently worn children’s clothing is in high de-mand. If you would like to be a part of this mission in Merced by picking up the food, packing food bags, or distributing bags and clothing, call Terry Kru-est at 631.1057 or the church office at 722.5777.
Our Good Neighbor Food Pantry distributed 142 bags of food in June. Twenty volunteers helped to pack and distribute the food bags and offer cloth-ing. Please remember to give either a check (made out to the church with a ‘food bank’ nota-tion) or bring a sack of non-perishable groceries from home. The Van Dyken Family
The first Sunday of the month is Food
Pantry Sunday.
Next food distribution is June 18th.
Page 7 Volume 19, Issue 7
Caption describing
picture or graphic.
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
Worship
10:AM
2
OFFICE
CLOSED
Bible Study
4:PM - FSR
3
Yoga
8:30AM - room 6
4
Pastoral Care
10:AM - FSR
5
Men’s Breakfast
7:AM - FSR
Journey 4 Justice
5:PM - FSR
6
OFFICE
CLOSED
7
Muslim Comm.
11:AM - rooms 5,7
8
Worship
10:AM
9
OFFICE
CLOSED
Bible Study
4:PM - FSR
10
Yoga
8:30AM - room 6
11
12
Men’s Breakfast
7:AM - FSR
UMW
10:AM - FSR
13
OFFICE
CLOSED
14
15
Worship
10:AM
16
OFFICE
CLOSED
Bible Study
4:PM - FSR
17
Yoga
8:30AM - room 6
18
Food Pantry
(prep)
5:PM - WH
Leadership
6:PM - FSR
19
Men’s Breakfast
7:AM - FSR
Food Pantry
5:PM - WH
20
OFFICE
CLOSED
Newsletter
Articles
DUE
21
Muslim Comm.
11:AM - rooms 5,7
22
Worship
10:AM
23
OFFICE
CLOSED
Bible Study
4:PM - FSR
24
Yoga
8:30AM - room 6
25
Leadership
6:PM - FSR
26
Men’s Breakfast
7:AM - FSR
27
OFFICE
CLOSED
28
29
Worship
10:AM
30
OFFICE
CLOSED
Bible Study
4:PM - FSR
September 2019
Hylond
Ray Adams Joanne Sasaki
Courtyard Health Care Center
(Davis)
Mary Maxfield
Park Merced
Phoebe Benjamin Hal Hambley Roy Harris Leone Sherwin
Rev. Ella Luna-Garza - Senior Pastor
Rev. Victoria Schlintz - Pastor in Residence
Minerva Carcaño - Bishop
California-Nevada Conference of the UMC
Debra Brady - District Superintendent
California-Nevada Conference of the UMC
We pray for those in hospital or care facilities
@UMCMerced
Prayers for the people
Phil Nelson Mildred Pitts
Connie Jones Guy Near
Jeane Hetland Jack Drouillard
Mary Ellen Wood Rene Garza
Tom Keene Bobbi Robinson Liz McCabe Helen Prien
Ray Ross Liz McCabe
Lorraine Morris Joan Stribling
Page 8 Volume 19, Issue 7
Office hours:
Tuesday - Thursday: 8:30AM - 4:30PM
209.722.5777
laura@umcmerced.org umcmerced.org
Transportation is available for Sunday wor-
ship. Contact Steve Landis (209.769.6626)
before noon on Friday.
We hold in our hearts and prayers...
...missionaries serving
throughout the world.
...United Methodists
standing for justice and
for immigration reform.
...families who have lost
their homes to fires,
floods, tsunamis and
other natural disasters.
...all those affected by
violence and war at
home and abroad.
...our military personnel
and their families at
home.
...the homeless.