Northridge United Methodist Church

DECEMBER 2017

Volume 34, Issue 12

Northridge United Methodist Church

9650 Reseda Blvd.

Northridge, CA 91324

(818) 886-1555 www.northridgeumc.org

office@northridgeumc.org

To celebrate God's grace and love

while inspiring disciples of Jesus Christ for ministry in our community and the world.

Pastor.............................Rev. Dr. Joseph Choi Associate Pastor….............Rev. Karen Murata Dir. of Senior Ministry….........Char Anderson Business Manager…..............Dorrel Atteberry Facilities/Office Manager…..........Joan Coston H.R. Coordinator................Elizabeth Beckman Dir. of Youth Ministry……..........................TBA Dir. of Preschool………........Debbie Goodman Dir. of Music……..……………..Scott Lehmkuhl

Section Leaders…….Carol de Leon (Soprano)

….……………………..…….Rachelle Kye (Alto)

....……...….…………....Manfred Anaya (Tenor)

……………….……....Benito Galindo (Baritone)

Organist……….........................Dr. Joseph Lee Dir. of Handbells.....................Ruben Mendoza Sunday School Lead Teacher

& Music Leader……….......Chelsea Obermeier

Sunday School Assistants……...Leslie Orozco ..............................................Lindsey Woerner Sunday Childcare..................Ashley Anderson .........................................................Liz Piceno Buildings and Grounds............Richard Grijalva Custodian.....................................Chuck Grant

Sunday Custodian.....................Matthew Nash Sound Technician………..…...Adrian Boluarte

Sunday Worship at 10 AM

Sunday School & Nursery

10 AM in the Kendall Building

Childcare available

Children’s Christmas Musical Sunday, December 3

4:00 PM in the Sanctuary 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM: Petting Zoo and Christmas crafts! (on the lawn near

Weekday Preschool & back parking lot)

Christmas Concert

Sunday, December 17 4 PM in the Sanctuary

Our NUMC Chancel Choir presents John Rutter’s “Gloria.”

Favorite Christmas Carols will be performed by the Handbell Choirs.

Children’s Choir will bring the fun with “Fun Christmas Selections.”

Christmas Eve Service

Sunday, December 24 11 PM in the Sanctuary

Upcoming Sermons

December 3 (Communion Sunday) How Would You Respond?

Luke 1:26-38

December 10 What Are You Doing?

Matthew 1:18-25

December 17 Rev. Karen Murata

True Radiance John 1:6-8, 19-28

December 24 Why Are You on the Journey?

Matthew 2:1-12

December 31 Our Journey Continues

Matthew 2:13-23

From November 12 Jazz Vespers Service

Videos of all services are archived on YouTube. https://youtube.com/numcvideo

Upper Room Devotional Sundays at 8 AM This Bible study sets aside time each week to read and reflect using The Upper Room Daily Devotional Guide. Issues of The Upper Room are available in the Narthex and online at www.upperroom.org.

Book Study Sundays at 9 AM Join us for our study of the book “Mere Christianity” by C. S. Lewis.

(From L to R) George Quirin, Brian Mann, Kim Collins, and Craig Sharmat

Artist Mike Bacon with his artwork

Photos courtesy of Teresa Priem

Discipleship

Here are the people who completed

our Discipleship Group

Wednesday Group

(L to R) Karen Silvas, Rebecca Atkinson,

Dorine Collins, Joanne DeSantis,

Nancy Kaplan, Grace Lee, Shirley Gibbs

Thursday Group

(Front Row: L to R)

Marilyn Ewing, Barbara Shields,

Barbara Cruse, Sandy Farrell

(Back Row: L to R)

Frank Sciarabba, Sally Taylor,

Harriet Lewis, Phyllis Nelson,

Charlotte Sciarabba, Judy Hurst,

Gloria Myles

Sunday Group

(L to R) Oscar Canlas, Asha Rawate,

Eunice Canlas, Anna Reinke, Cari Banke,

Bruce Warder, Alan Apostol

Children & Family

CROP Walk Thanks to everyone who walked, donated, volunteered or prayed for our Northridge UMC's CROP Walk Team! The San Fernando Valley CROP Hunger Walk had 89 walkers raised $17,067.05 in total donations.

Northridge UMC had 19 walkers and has raised a total of $4,407.00. Northridge UMC is number #2 in donations. Congregational Church of the Chimes was #1, raising $4,695.00 with 12 walkers.

Everyone helped end hunger and poverty one step at a time!

25% of the funds raised are used locally at Valley Interfaith Council to help people in the San Fernando Valley to fight food insecurity. THANK YOU!! – Amybeth Lake

Children’s Christmas Mart Christmas and the spirit of giving is in the air! Our annual Children's Christmas Mart is scheduled for Saturday, December 16th from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at North Valley Caring Services (NVCS) 15453 Rayen St, North Hills, CA 91343. Every year we have had between 200 and 400 children come to pick out a gift for their mom or dad.

Please drop your gifts off in the church library. The gifts are things that children would pick for their parents. Bring new items please. A few examples for men are socks, tools, sweaters, hats, gloves, aftershave and calendars. Examples for women are: socks, sweaters, jewelry, lotion, and calendars. There are many more items that make appropriate gifts.

We also need wrapping paper, tape, ribbon and gift tags.

You can also donate money if you don't have time to shop.

Volunteers are needed to: transport donated items from the church to NVCS at 8:30 Saturday morning.

help with set-up at NVCS at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning. help the children select gifts for their parents & help wrap gifts anytime from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. help transport items back to Northridge United Methodist Church

Thank you for your generosity! Merry Christmas!

Gift To The World – Alternative Christmas Giving

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Is this song stuck inside your head? It only means one thing, Christmas is upon us. And part of our Christmas tradition here at NUMC is the Gift To The World.

We all know how great it feels to receive gifts. But that feeling does not last; in most cases the gift

itself does not last like the toys we give our children or the food baskets we give our friends. But

when we give through Gift To The World, we know the gifts we give are lasting, far-reaching and

more meaningful. It is a gift that not only blesses the giver and the people we honor with that gift,

but more importantly it blesses the recipients. It might be a speech and hearing-impaired student in

the Philippines or a homeless family who can have a warm bed and meals at the San Fernando Valley

Rescue Mission. Your gift will also mean we can continue to support the operations at NVCS in

North Hills which was forced to cut down on some of its services due to lost grants.

And this year, if we give to “Give Ye Them To Eat” (GYTTE) in Puebla, Mexico, we will be helping the

victims of the strong earthquake that hit them last September, 2017. It will help repair the damages

in the buildings of GYTTE and support the

staff who are making all these happen.

In 2017, because of our support and that

of other Methodists, the East Congo

Women’s Center was built in Kenya. This

center is a safe place for women who

were victims of sexual violence. Our

CalPac Conference was a major

supporter of this project and we at

NUMC continue the good work already

started by designating the East Congo

Women’s Center as one of our

beneficiaries for Gift To The World.

Pick up your GTTW brochures from the

church office or from the Missions Team

table which will be open after Sunday

services for the whole month of

December. They will receive your filled-out gift donations and will also send out the cards on your

behalf.

Truly, giving from the heart and of ourselves helps us live out the real meaning of Christmas.

“As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.” Mary Anne Radmache

– Eleanor Serrano

Mission & Outreach

Condensed from Blogher Family Network by Sheila Gregoire

It is always hard to think of something to give our adult children for Christmas. Here are some suggestions:

Three Things Seniors Should Think About to Make Things Easier for their Adult Children

Please, for the sake of your kids, have a life When you are lonely, or have few friends, or just stay in your home all the time, it puts a great strain on children. They feel as if they are your only support, and that’s very hard. Most people caring for aging parents are in their 40s and 50s (or older) themselves. Many have very busy jobs or volunteer activities that they love and that they feel called to. There is a season when parents’ needs will take all of our children's energy, and that’s okay. But that season should not last years, because adult children have lives they need to live, too

You owe it to your adult children to downsize and sort out your stuff One day you will likely have to leave your home. And even if you don’t, and you die in your home, one day someone is going to have to sort through your house. Do you really want to leave that to your adult children? It’s just kind to get your affairs in order. And it’s a lot easier to live with less stuff if you suddenly have to move into a nursing home or care facility. Selling the house will be such a huge hassle, and will likely have to be done in a hurry, at the same time as kids are taking time off of work to help get you settled. Make it easier on them now, while you still can. Clearly mark legacy items to whom you wish them to be given. Make sure you have your financial affairs in order. Nothing is harder than leaving decisions that you should make to your children who struggle to figure out what you would have wanted them to do.

If you need adult children to care for you, then it’s incumbent on you to move to where your adult children are. Many seniors love where they’re living, and have a ton of friends and a church community and a house that they cherish. But one day they’re going to need kids to care for them. And that is just too hard to do if the children live on the other side of the country or even the state. You may think that you're totally self-sufficient now. And you may say to yourself, "that's fine, I just won't rely on my kids." But let’s get real. If you have a stroke and you’re in the hospital, you know that your child is going to have to be there for you. And then what if decisions about nursing homes and care facilities need to be made? What if your house needs to be packed up in a hurry? Who is going to do that? Your church family? Your friends? It most likely will fall to your family. y. And that’s just a lot to ask of someone who may have their own children, or who has a job where it’s super hard to take a month off at a time. Or let’s say you fall and break a wrist or a hip and you can’t care for yourself for a few weeks. Who is going to have to come and arrange things? Even if seniors think they’re self-sufficient, eventually you need help. So you owe it to your kids to move near them, so that when you do need help, it’s easier on them. And you should move when you’re still young enough to make the adjustment and make new friends. Enjoy your senior years knowing that you have taken care of all necessary information.

Eat Out Monday Monday, December 11, 2017 (Lunch – Dinner – Take Out) California Pizza Kitchen 9301 Tampa Ave. Northridge, CA 91324 The CPK will donate 20% of all sales to NUMC’s Family Ministry Program. Please take a flyer with you.

A New Year’s Eve Eve Hike Tuna Canyon Park, Saturday, December 30, 8:30 am-1:00 pm.

Families, bring the kids and join us for a fun 3-mile hike to bring 2017 to a close. This hike includes spectacular ocean overlooks, panorama views of the Santa Monica Mountains and Malibu, and a labyrinth atop a mesa with ocean views. Bring a special object to add to the labyrinth for future visitors to discover. Pack a picnic and we'll enjoy lunch before heading back home. Dogs on leash welcome.

Meet at 8:30 am in the church parking lot to carpool. Trailhead is at the intersection of Tuna Canyon Rd. and Big Rock Motorway (fireroad). From 101, take Topanga Canyon south, turn right on Fernwood (turns into Tuna Canyon). Parking on side of the road.

The 1st Joint Thanksgiving Service with 15 UM Churches of the SF Valley

Fellowship

Prayers Joan Farnham, Kyle Catterlin, Anita Ruiz, Don Miller,

Christine Coons, John Turner, Jack Kister, Chuck Grant, David Koch

Prayers for the family of Ruth Shaw who passed away on 11/18/17 Prayers for the family of Win Wheatley who passed away on 11/28/17

Prayers for the family of William Thompson, a long time former member, who passed away very recently.

(Continued from the last month’s “New Members” column)

I have been searching for a church home now for too long. I had tried a few churches (Episcopalian and Lutheran) but could not find a place that felt like I belonged. Was I seeking the impossible? Am I being too choosey? Yet, because I love art in all its forms (for years, I happily taught art and drama in a Lutheran grade school) I know I need a place of artful beauty, both restful and inspiring. Because I have sung among angels in a wonderful choir, I need great music, the "language of angels," to lift mind and soul heavenward. And, because my mind and soul need both challenges and respite, I need sermons that speak of God's love and saving grace. I believe God's greatest challenge for us is to "Love one another as I have loved you." And, for the sake of that command, I desire an active, involved congregation with members who see God not only in terms of all people, but in terms of all of our responsibility for what God created: our world, people, creatures, vegetation, water, air, and earth and even space. As "Chosen People" I believe we have responsibility for loving all of God's creation. And so, I have chosen NUMC as my church. You see, I truly need a place to challenge me if I am to grow into the person God created me to be. This is why I am here. I have hope my time among you will help me become what God had in mind for me all along. – Cari Banke

Interfaith Thanksgiving Prayer Service

New Member

This year’s Interfaith

Thanksgiving Prayer

Service was held at

Our Lady of Lourdes

Catholic Church.

It was great to be with

our Jewish, Muslim,

and Catholic friends to

give thanks to God.

Photo courtesy of

Oscar Canlas

December Events and Meetings

2 8:30 am All Church hike-meet in parking lot

Eaton Falls Trail

3 9 am - 12 Christmas Boutique-Kendall Bldg

11:15 am Grief/Caregivers support-Library

4 pm Children’s Musical-Sanctuary, following

Christmas crafts/Petting Zoo-grass area by

Weekday Preschool

4 6 pm New You party-Fellowship Hall

5 7 pm Memorial Garden Mtg.-Library

6 6 pm Soul Food Café-Fellowship Hall

10 2 pm Caroling to Homebound-meet in

Fellowship Hall to car-pool

6 pm Jazz Vespers–Sanctuary with

Yvette & Lanny Hartley and friends

11 11:30 am UMW Board meeting-Kendall Bldg.

All Day Eat Out Monday-California Pizza Kitchen

9301 Tampa Ave.

6 pm Missions– Kendall Building

12 5 pm Cook & Host at Rescue Mission

16 9 am Concert Rehearsal-Sanctuary

10 am - 3 pm Christmas Mart-at NVCS

17 4 pm “Glory of Christmas” Concert-Sanctuary

19 11:30 am Noon Fellowship Lunch-Kendall Bldg.

7 pm Trustees-Library

24 Christmas Eve

10 am Family Service

11 pm Candlelight Service

25 Christmas Day office closed

30 8:30 am Family New Year’s Eve Eve

Hike meet church parking lot

to carpool to Tuna Canyon Park

Regular Weekly Events

Mondays: UMW Arts and Crafts 9 am Kendall Bldg T’ai Chi (1st & 3rd) 10 am Fireside Rm

Tuesdays: Cracker Barrel 10 am Library

Wednesdays: Maintenance 8:30 am Church Office Volunteers (WMD) WORMS 9:30 am Kendall Bldg. Jubilee Bells 5:45 pm Room 5/6 Celebration Ringers 7 pm Room 5/6

Thursdays: Chancel Choir 7:30 pm Sanctuary

Fridays: Cracker Barrel 10 am Library T’ai Chi 10 am Fellowship Hall

Sundays: Devotional Group 8 am Library

Adult Study 9 am Library

Infant/Toddler Care in Nursery All morning

Worship Service 10 am Sanctuary

Brunch at 11 Fellowship Hall

Sunday School 10 am Kendall Bldg.

Grades Preschool-5 Kendall Bldg.

Children’s Choir 11 am Kendall Bldg.

Northridge United Methodist Church

818-886-1555 www.northridgeumc.org

Coming in January 2018

6 ~ All Church Hike

27 ~ North District Training Workshops for all church leaders and those interested

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