Newsletter

Sacred Shoreline, Thanksgiving Eve Service, PASTOR'S COLUMN, Worship Plans for November 2008, Sanctuary!!!, Youth and Young Adult Ministry Leaders Attends Convention in Sacramento, Youth Ministry, Adult Education, Communion and Special Offerings, Do you want to help make a difference?, Memorial Christmas Tree, Thinking About Stewardship, Decorating for Christmas, Wreath Making, Thanks From LaVonda, Special Thanks, Flowers Schedule for November, Slide Show With John Sublett, Music Schedule, Columbarium, United Methodist Women, Welcoming Ideas, Guinda UMC Update, Nursery Task Force Reestablished, Hospitality Task Groups/ Hospitality Leaders, Ark Preschool,  Aerobics Class, Tents of Hope, Children's Ministry, Taize Service, Worship Environment Team Members Needed, NEW MEMBER

"SACRED SHORELINE" (Back to Top)

Dinner and a Show

Nov. 16, 2008

Dinner 5:30, Program at 6:10

Sacred Shoreline a dramatic, panoramic visual and music meditation on the spiritual gift of the coastline in our lives. Having photographed the coast for over 40 years, Don Baldwin has gathered the most stunning and memorable images together in this celebration of the shoreline. Through the beauty, mystery, and power of the ocean, heart and soul are fed. This audio-visual journey of the Pacific coastline, from California's Big Sur to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, offers an experience that serves, not only to inspire, but also to suggest ways we can live in deeper harmony and communion with the sacred Source of all creation.

Now, for the first time, over 40 years of  images have been gathered together for the production of, "Sacred Shoreline," which Don will be presenting at our church on Sunday evening, November 16th.  Don has cultivated a specialty in presenting    dramatic panoramic slide shows on the beauty and wonder of God's creation. This program utilizes a 27-foot wide triple screen, 6 projectors, stereo music, and        inspiring narrative of scripture and nature poetry. It is truly a moving andcaptivating experience.

Thanksgiving Eve Service  (Back to Top)

November 26th at 7:00pm

at Woodland United Methodist Church

Sponsored by Woodland Interfaith Ministries

Let us come together as a whole community to give thanks for all the blessings we have received.  As a whole community we have helped to make the Wayfarer Center a reality.  What a wonderful success it is having  providing a wide variety of services to help end homelessness.  In recognition of this amazing work and to support its continuing needs, this service is dedicated to the Wayfarer.

We will hear from graduates of the Wayfarer who are now on their feet and doing well and the from in house choir from Walters House.   Everyone in the community is invited to join us this evening.

Dinner: Dinner will be served at 5:30

PASTOR'S COLUMN 

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Dear Members and Friends-----

           We are in the grip of momentous times.  A critical election is about to take place.  The economy, and our anxiety about the economy, is        continuing to roller-coaster.  Most of the people around us if not we ourselves are profoundly unsettled.  What does God have to say to us when we are disquieted and thrown off balance?  How do we hear God’s word for us when it seems like the whole world is yelling at us at the top of their lungs. 

It occurs to me that the above is an apt description of a holy time.  Read the Psalms; read the Prophets; these are the times when God is at work.  These are the times when God upsets history to do a new thing.  God creates out of chaos,  whirlwind and fire.  God’s new way emerges from the uproar of a disgruntled,    disrupted, thrown off balance world.

Is it comfortable? No, it sure isn’t.  Is there any place to hide?  Only in the shadow of God’s wing; only in the lee of the Almighty rock; safety is only found in Thee, says the Psalmist.

In some ways we could say, we have ridden out these sorts of times before.  What’s happening now is actually not as painful or destructive as any number of difficult times we could name from the last 50 or even 100 years.  And that would be true.  But is this upheaval only about surviving?  Is it not a time to examine our ways and determine if we need to make some changes?

I believe that at the heart of a Christian response to times like these is the

desire to tune our hearts to God: to pay attention, to center themselves on the    enduring love of Christ, to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  We start with   ourselves.  Have we done what we ought to have done?  Are our lives on track?  Are we living generously with our neighbor, caring for the stranger as well as our loved ones, and giving our all to our God?  Let us put our hearts and lives in order.

And then we look at the world around us and ask: where is God at work bringing change and new life?  How can I make a difference?

Change is upon us, and the rippling of change will have as yet untold effects.  It’s very scary when literally nobody knows how things will turn out.  If we can stay secure in our faith, certain—not that we are right about all things—but that the One who has made the Universe will ultimately make all things right, then we have true security.

Peace,

    Pastor Ardith

Worship Plans for November 2008 (Back to Top)

Traditional Service             Celebrate Service           Sanctuary Service

                      at 9am                                     at 11am           3^rd Saturdays at 7:30 pm

November 2                 All Saints Day

  Communion Sunday

Matthew 5: 1-12      Revelation7: 13-17

 “For All the Saints”

Today we will honor all the folks who have died in the congregation in the last year and those whom we individually want to honor and remember from families or friends.  This is a wonderful service of remembrance and thanksgiving.

November 9

Matthew 25: 1-13      

“Get Ready!”    
What does it mean to be wise and foolish today?  How do we get ready for that which we cannot see coming?   God asks us to be faithful, to be ready, to use the resources  we have been given for God’s purposes.  Where are we with that?

Dramatic Presentation:  “Unfinished Projects” 

November 15 Sanctuary Service 7:30 pm

“Hope”

How do you get through when you just don’t see it?  Chris Thompson preaching.

November 23 Thanksgiving Sunday

Deuteronomy 8: 7-18      II Corinthians 9: 6-8

“An End to Scarcity”

All the resources we need are right here or God will find them for us

when we need them.  We are partners with God in creating the future. 

      With praise and thanksgiving we prepare to give our all for Christ’s sake in the world.

November 26 Community Thanksgiving Eve Service 7:00 pm

Sponsored by Woodland Ecumenical Ministries

The service will be held here at our church.

The whole community is invited to come together to give thanks for the blessings of this last year and to support the Wayfarer Center. 

Speakers and Music will be from the graduates of the Wayfarer Center program.

November 30 First Sunday in Advent

Mark 13: 32-37     1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24

“A Waiting Game”

We begin the count down to Christmas with this first week of Advent. 

Our scholarship recipients will be the leaders of the service and share their gifts with us.

Sanctuary!!! (Back to Top)

sanctuary this month will focus on “Hope, when you just don’t see it”

Chris Thompson will be offering the message this month as he has a unique perspective on this subject.   The service will be on Saturday Nov. 15^th at 7:30pm.  If you haven’t been to a sanctuary service you just might try it.

Youth and Young Adult Ministry Leaders Attends Convention in Sacramento (Back to Top) 

Once in awhile, people who serve the church need a little fill-up.  The gas tank gets a little bit (or a lot) below “E.”  And the world is a rapidly changing place, with societal norms shifting and the constant bombardment of information making it more difficult to find and maintain a spiritual anchor.  This is why we sent eight members of our congregation to attend the Youth Specialties’ National Youth Worker Convention in Sacramento from October 10-12:  to help fill up their tanks and strengthen their skills to cope in today’s world.  Each person selected various workshops and presentations to attend; was able to worship every day; had the opportunity for personal spiritual guidance, prayer and alone time; and met workers in the youth and young adult arenas from around the nation who struggle with the same issues, have the same high hopes, and serve the same loving God.  Next month we will have a newsletter insert with a report from each person on the classes they took, what they learned, and how it has helped them return to ministry refreshed and recommitted.  We are grateful that our congregation cares enough about youth and young adults to allow us to look forward and equip ourselves in service to the Lord.

 Youth Ministry (Back to Top)

The youth group is in the middle of a change in focus. We are planning a more service to others based.  This ministry would include our continued service at the Wayfarer and GoDinners as well as other services to the congregation. We also plan to do a lot of work on the youth room in order to make it their own, not just the room of others before them.

We also plan on helping with the coming advent season with a service project and help with one of the Sunday advent services.  More to come.......

All of the youth activities and events are on their website:

www.woodlandumcyouth.org.

Adult Education (Back to Top)

Living the Questions                       

              One last class until the new year!  John Sublett will be gone the first two Sundays of November and no class will be held Nov. 2 or 9.  The last class in this series will be held on November 16 at 10:15 as usual in the Lamp Room.

“The Will of God”   We will read and discuss The Will of God by Leslie Weatherhead.  The book talks about how to understand God's will when times are tragic or difficult.  I attempt to answer the question:  How could God allow that to happen?

Advent Starts

Just at the moment that merchants and shoppers begin their hectic preparations for       Christmas, the church begins a period of quiet reflection in joyful anticipation of that same event.  Not surprisingly, the religious significance of Advent and Christmas tends to get lost amid all the shopping, housecleaning, decorating, and visiting that fill our holidays.  How can we Christians hold on to the deeper spiritual meaning of this time?  Join in an advent devotion group. 

There will be several classes lasting from 3-4 weeks.  Members of the congregation are    invited to choose the class that suits their family or personal situation.  Sign up sheets will be in the Fellowship Hall.  You can choose from:

From Holidays to Holy Days, A Benedictine Walk Through Advent

This is a book about spiritual contemplation, described as a “long, loving, look at the real”.  The author uses the Benedictine principles, 1) God is present everywhere and 2) Christ is present in every person we meet, to  guide our taking a long loving look at the realities of the holiday season.   This is a daily devotional.

Hurry Less, Worry Less at Christmas Time

Have the holiday season you long for.  Chapters include:  “Whatever happened to   Comfort and Joy?”; “Creating a New Way of Celebrating”; “Less is More”; “Growing Stronger Spiritually”.  This is a weekly devotional.

Come to the Manger

An advent study based on the lectionary.  The booklet takes the scriptures traditionally used in worship and preaching during Advent.  This study allows you to go deeper into those scriptures and to enhance the worship experience.  This resource will be used in a Sunday School Class on Sunday mornings.  A weekday afternoon class can be arranged if there is interest.

Communion and Special Offerings (Back to Top) 

Jesus Christ is the center of our faith.  According to his teachings we give to others in whatever way we are able.  On some Sundays, we are asked to further the Christian experience of our congregation by giving of our financial resources.  Our request for upcoming months:

November 2:  Pastor’s Emergency Fund:  These funds are used by Pastor Ardith to assist members of the community and in our own congregation with financial emergencies.

December 7:  Wayfarer Center Christian Mission:  Our prayerful contributions support the work of the Wayfarer Center in its work with the hungry and homeless.

Christmas:  This is an offering for the church to help with special ministry needs.

January 4, 2009:  Amnesty International:  This agency advocates with various governments in the pursuit of freeing prisoners of conscience.

Do you want to help make a difference? (Back to Top)

You could help children learn to read.  We have a wonderful     opportunity as Volunteers in Mission to do this.  We are going to support Freeman Elementary School with their Literacy Night, November 13 from 6:00 to 8:00.  We could use a few more volunteers and you can sign up in the Fellowship Hall.  You don’t have to be fingerprinted to participate, but you do have to be 16 years old or more.  That means most of us can help out. 

Along with the Literacy Night, we are having a Book Drive.  So please bring age appropriate books to church for kids k through 6.  This is a great chance to boost our ministry to the community.

Memorial Christmas Tree (Back to Top)

Dear Church Family,

              We will be having a memorial Christmas tree in the Fellowship Hall this year.  If you would like to purchase a Christmas star with your loved one's name ($15), please contact Jeannine Wells.   Sales will begin on November 9th.  The tree will go up on December 7th.

Thinking About Stewardship

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These are tough times, worrisome times.  How this church finishes the year financially is still unclear and uncertain.

Why do we give money to this church?

· Because all things are from God in the beginning.

· Because the talents we utilize and develop in a paying career are gifts from the One who made us.

· Because God made humans to be caretakers, not just consumers.

· Because what we give God is a response to God’s love and amazing grace towards us.

· Because the Bible says to give to others.

· Because giving money is not just about budgets, but rather about practicing a spiritual discipline.              Our personal relationship with God is more in tune when we give.

· Because giving helps us keep our priorities in order.  God is our higher power … money is just a thing.

· Because we trust the brothers and sisters who are leaders of this church, both lay and clergy.  We trust their decision-making about faithful uses of money.

· We give money because we have witnesses the transforming, resurrecting power of God’s love; it affects people’s lives and hearts, in part through the ministries that this church provides.

Because we said we would (and so did most of you).

Between now and the end of December, how each of us hears God’s call to be good stewards will shape the picture and possibilities of ministry and service we want to have for 2009.  UMC Woodland’s 2009 Pledge Campaign will not take place this fall, but will instead happen in January.

Think prayerfully about it.  How will we each live into the promise?

The Stewardship Team

Decorating for Christmas (Back to Top)

We need a team to help make the church beautiful for Christmas.  We will need people to put up trees, hang greens, and someone to lead up the whole group and provide   leadership.  Are you interested in helping with Christmas décor?  Do you want to be the leader who organizes the whole thing?  Please let the office know.

Wreath Making (Back to Top)

December 7th at 5:30 in the Fellowship Hall

Bring the whole family fore this evening of crafts, caroling, and good food. Admission is Free!  We will be making wreaths to decorate for the   holidays.  There will be    music to entertain us while we work.  There will be door prizes for children.  A variety of delicious soups, breads, and desserts will be served.  This is the perfect event to get you and your family into the holiday spirit.  Don’t miss out!

Thanks From LaVonda (Back to Top) 

I am so blessed with so many friends and loved ones.  Please let everyone know how much this has helped me, that I thank God for each and everyone of them, that they are truly God's hands at work on earth and I could not have come through this without them. 

from La Vonda

Special Thanks (Back to Top)

I want to thank everyone for their cards, phone calls, visits and especially prayers during my recent surgery and recovery.  I am feeling stronger all the time.  Praise God.  It is wonderful to have such a supportive congregation.

A special thanks to the Shawl group as well.  The shawl is beautiful!  What a nice reminder of the love that surrounds me.

Sincerely,

Barbara Graham

Flowers Schedule for November (Back to Top)

Nov. 2 John and Paula Cox

Nov.9

Nov. 16 Marci Kimura for J and Dusty’s birthday

Nov.23 Thanksgiving

Nov. 30 1st Sunday of Advent

Slide Show With John Sublett (Back to Top)

Saturday, Nov 22, 2008

from 9 to 10 AM in the Fellowship Hall.  

United Methodist Men and the United Methodist Women invite the congregation and general  public to a brunch on Saturday Nov. 22 .  At the brunch, John Sublett will present a 20 to 30 minute slideshow. John Sublett will return from New Orleans on Nov. 10 and will bring us an up to date report on conditions there and on the work of the United Methodist Church in      disaster recovery. 

John and a group of other retired pastors are part of a Volunteers in Mission repair and         rehabilitation team.  John will present a slide show showing their work and the current state of rebuilding in that flood destroyed area. 

A “continental” style breakfast will be served.  Sign up in the Fellowship Hall so the planners may have an idea how much food to prepare.  However, everyone is welcome whether signed up or not.  Donation will be accepted to fund UMM and UMW projects.

Music Schedule (Back to Top)

Celebrate Band: Play an instrument?  Sing?  How about joining us? Rehearsals are       Mondays at 7:30.

Chancel Choir: We’d Love to have you!  Please think about it, pray about it, then come sing to the Lord with us.   We rehearse Wednesday Evenings from 7:30 -9:00

Glory Shakers Handbell Choir:  (for advanced and continuing ringers) Let the music RING!  Rehearsals are Thursday Evenings from 6:30-7:30.  Please come!

 Children’s Choir:  For children in grades k through 6th.  Kids love to make a joyful noise; let them make it with us.  Rehearsals are Wednesday afternoons from 4:00 to 4:45 

Youth Choir:  Brand New! Feel too old for the children’s choir, but still in school?  Come check out the Youth Choir.  Let your voice be heard.  Rehearsals are Sundays at 12:15pm.

Columbarium (Back to Top)

THEN AND NOW

THEN ( a history of the church graveyard )

The traditional church graveyard had, for centuries, served as the ideal place of burial for its

congregation members. Members were born into the church and spent their lives involved in the

church community. After death, members remained a part of that community by interment

(ground burial) within the graveyard.

The 20th century had witnessed an alarming trend within our country. The rate at which members

were choosing interment in secular cemeteries was growing tremendously. This shift was caused

primarily by the lack of space in existing church cemeteries (many of them being landlocked with

no room for expansion) and the rising costs of land (if available) adjacent to the church, making

growth very difficult and forcing members to go the way of secular burial. Unfortunately, that

trend had created some distance within the church community. Loved ones would need to travel

to the secular cemetery to meditate and pay respects to loved ones who have died.

Although interment within the church graveyard declined, the desire to return to the church burial

tradition remained. With the concerns of skyrocketing funeral costs (now being one of the top 3

expenditures in one's life, averaging $8,000-$11,000) and the lack of available space within the

church graveyard, the church struggled for a viable option to satisfy the need for members to

remain within its community.

In conjunction with this, cremation was becoming widely accepted (and is now a growing trend).

Members not only were choosing secular burial, but were moving toward cremation as an option

to offset these secular costs. This was yet another need of the members that the church had to

address. The idea of a columbarium within a church memorial garden was the answer!

NOW ( bringing loved ones back home to the church )

Today, the traditional church graveyard is no a longer practical, long-term ministry. But there is

an alternative that more and more churches are adopting. The memorial garden option answers

the needs of many of its members: Inurnment within a columbarium allows members to remain

within the church community and it is a fraction of the cost of secular burial. We are born into the

church, our lives are spent involved in the church community and now, in death, we can be

welcomed back. The memorial garden offers departed members a true homecoming.

This new ministry will allow the church to provide Christian care and service and gives the church

the distinctive opportunity to serve its congregation. Churches have historically been a place for

the rest of remains. With a memorial garden, once again the lives of those who have died can be

remembered and celebrated on sacred ground.

The concept of the church Memorial Garden is simple in function, yet powerful in both mission

and ministry.

We will continue to answer questions and consider out options after both worship services on November 9th.

United Methodist Women

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EVENTS:

November 16, 2008                      Bake sale / Cookbook sale

November 22, 2008           Next meeting is at 9:00 a.m. in the

                                                       Fellowship Hall with UMM for John                                                          Sublett’s slide show on Greece

December 6, 2008 Christmas tour/donation at 10 am at Wayfarer

Our UMW Cookbook is on sale again this year.  Stop by our Bake Sale table and buy one for $5.00.  This purchase is a bargain that is chock full of great recipes of our church women with many used for our monthly bake sales.

WAYFARER CHRISTMAS TOUR & DONATION

**PLEASE NOTE:  The date of our Christmas tour AT the Wayfarer Center has been changed to 6th of December because of the Christmas parade being held on December 13.

This year’s Christmas meeting is special not only getting a tour of the Wayfarer Center but also we’ll get a chance to give Christmas gifts TO the administration for   distribution to the street people who go there.  Each gift will consist of the following items:

1 hand towel (15” x 25” or 17” x 27” inexpensive one)

1 inexpensive washcloth

1 pocket comb

1 bath size bar of soap (3 oz. and up)

1 toothbrush (in original package)

1 small travel size tube of toothpaste

Disposable razors

1 packaged roll of toilet paper

We’ll assemble these items and put them in sealable one-gallon plastic bags at the Wayfarer Center.  Wrapping the presents all together in colorful tissue paper will be the finishing touch.

The congregation is welcome to contribute the personal health items that are on the above list.  Put them in a labeled container that will be placed under the mail boxes next to the Wayfarer food box.

Please donate your good used pots, pans, and other kitchen items that you no longer need.  Hand can openers are especially needed.  Put these items in the same labeled  container next to the Wayfarer food box.  All of these items will then be given to the  center for their kitchen.

Welcoming Ideas (Back to Top)

Rule of Three

For the first three minutes after worship, only talk to the people who don’t know.  This is a prime time for visitors to slip out with being greeted.  This tool will help address that issue.

Guinda UMC Update (Back to Top)

Several of our members attended the Guinda UMC service on Oct. 5 to support that congregation and it’s new direction.  This month both LaRae Shaw-Meadows and Bud Cassevah have preached at Guinda.

Nursery Task Force Reestablished (Back to Top)   

The Nursery Task Force will assist the Nursery Coordinator in keeping the room fresh, clean and inviting.  They will make recommendations for discarding toys and equipment and for the acquisition of new toys.  Our nursery is used at lot!  Several days a week the room is made available to groups which meet here, as well as for our own ministries and programs.  Yea, for the nursery!

Our new task force team members are:

Carla Hutchinson, Kim Hammons, Michele Setzer, and Shelley Blanton.

Hospitality Task Groups/ Hospitality Leaders (Back to Top) 

We have agreed to have another follow-up meeting on November 23 at 2pm.  The last meeting was very helpful as we heard where various task groups have gotten in their efforts and new ideas were shared too.  This ministry continues to grow and bear fruit.

Ark Preschool (Back to Top) 

We can see God's grace at our little school in every nook and cranny. We're blessed to work with the most delightful      children. An LCSW has volunteered her services to those who need it. A local gal , Sandy Simpson, author of Sally the Sheep, has visited, given us a copy of her book, book marks, and coloring pages along with a wonderful presentation      including where she got her idea for her story. Mary Drummond volunteered her      services to help write grants and Jack Rexroad moved the gate which allows everyone easy, safe access to the fenced area by the office. We are inspired and grateful for the many acts of kindness which support those in need.

Aerobics Class (Back to Top)

LET’S GET PHYSICAL!

All who are interested in having input into what kind of aerobics class you would like to attend, please come to a very informal meeting in the Fellowship Hall at 5:30 on Thursday, November 6^th.  Bring any VCR/DVD exercise videos, and               nutritional and devotional materials you may have.  Let’s try to find the perfect fit! 

 Tents of Hope (Back to Top) 

We, at Tents of Hope , found many of our interested city residents, group members, and some tents would not be able to travel to Washington DC for the National gathering of the tents and felt a West Coast tent city in Sacramento on Saturday, November 8^th would be an excellent     alternative for these very  enthusiastic and hardworking people. 

You are invited to join us in Sacramento on November 8^th, with any tents, and       displays you have, for the Sacramento Gathering of the Tents.

Where in Sacramento: on the lawn by the west steps of the capitol building

Time: set up 8-9AM, event from 9AM-4PM.

Tents after the event:  Dave Weidlich, co-director of Tents of Hope Petaluma, has made contacts and our tents will be welcomed in to be shipped to Darfur.  They can be shipped to Newark, and they will be going to be school tents in Darfur.

If you would like to help set up the tent or stay with tent on Nov. 8, let the pastor know.

November is the month to remind us to be thankful.  The children are turning in their UNICEF money this month so help them show those in need how much we care.

Children's Ministry (Back to Top)

HELP WANTED:

Children’s Church needs more volunteer teachers to join the rotation (currently you would only teach every 4^th Sunday).  THANKS to the Senior High Youth

who have offered their service to assist the teachers.

Sunday School needs a few willing teachers to relieve or assist the current teachers.

Pre/Kinder – Assist Patsy every other Sunday

1^st/2^nd – Relieve Nancy once a month

3^rd/4^th – Relieve Roz once a month

Taize Service (Back to Top)

November 5 at 5:30 pm   

How do we respond to the pressures around us?  What do we do when we feel helpless?  Christians turn to prayer and spiritual nourishment to see them through these ports of days.

A Taize worship service is a service of music and prayer.  It is gentle, focusing and releasing.  It is especially meaningful for people who want a more meditative and reflective worship experience.  Come after work.  Come before dinner.  Come rejuvenate in the middle of the week.

Worship Environment Team Members Needed (Back to Top)

Ever wonder why the church always looks so nice?  How the banners always go with the season?  Where the banners and decorations come from?  It is all because of the worship environment team.  This team meets to put up banners, take them down, and even design and make new ones.  Right now, however, the team is understaffed.  Would you like to help?  Give us a call at the office to lend your time and talents to make the church a beautiful place to worship.

NEW MEMBER (Back to Top)

David Gluesing

David is a familiar face around the church.  A long time United    Methodist, he has been considering himself a “visitor” here for about a year.  Now, he is officially part of our church family.  You may have     noticed David in the bass section of the chancel choir.  Please make him feel welcome!