July 2014 Newsletter - La Tijera United Methodist Church

La Tijera United Methodist Church &
Child Development Center Newsletter
V O L U M E
I V ,
I S S U E
7
J U L Y
2 0 1 4
Message from the Bishop!
I am grateful for the action of the
committee on appeals in the
Frank Schaefer case. In line with
our disciplinary procedures, the
committee on appeals has clearly
stated that a fair punishment for
past actions has already been
imposed on Rev. Schaefer and
that he cannot be judged for
something he has not yet done.
It is a word that affirms that we
United Methodists have appropriate disciplinary procedures for
our clergy while never ceasing to
be a faith community dependent
on God’s grace.
MESSY
CHURCH IS ON
VACATION!
WE HOPE TO
SEE YOU AT
MESSY
CHURCH ON
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER
11TH!
I have this day been in prayerful
conversation with Bishop Peggy
Johnson of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. As per Rev.
Schaefer’s own request, Bishop
Johnson and I have agreed to
transfer Rev. Schaefer to the
California-Pacific Conference.
Even on this day, Bishop Johnson
continues to affirm that Rev.
Schaefer is a person gifted and
grace-filled for ordained ministry.
His transfer will be effective on
July 1, 2014 at which time I will
appoint him to the Isla Vista Student Ministry in Santa Barbara,
CA, a ministry that will build on
the work of our Korean UMC in
that community. Rev. Schaefer
will be responsible for leading the
administrative work of this congregation and reaching out to the
large college community that
lives, studies and works at the
doorsteps of this church while
Pastor Rachel Yoo will serve
with him to continue nurturing
and growing the Korean ministry.
I am aware of the fact that these
steps on our journey to wholeness may be troubling to some
among us. This burdens my
heart, but we must be the church
of Jesus that excludes no one. I
Dates to Remember . . .
07/03—Center’s 4th of July Picnic & BBQ, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 pm
07/13—C4C meets at 10:30 a.m.
07/04—Center closed in honor
of Independence Day!
07/27—9;30 a.m. Worship!
07/06—9:30 a.m., WorshipCommunion will be served
07/06—6:30 p.m., The Gathering
an hour of silence, prayer, meditation, scripture and music in the
style of Taize
07/13—9:30 a.m., Worship!
07/20—9:30 a.m., Worship!
will continue to hold up for all of
us the need to be servants of
Christ of the highest moral character whether we are straight or gay.
At the same time, we must not
judge each other on the basis of
our gender identity, for we are all
created by God and loved by God
with the very gender identity that
God has graciously bestowed upon
us.
Rev. Schaefer has much to teach us
about what it means to love the
children God gives us who happen
to be gay. I pray that we will make
space for him and his family in our
lives and in our hearts as he comes
to labor among us.
Bishop Minerva G. Carcano
Los Angeles Area Resident Bishop
PAGE
2
Apportionments—what are they?
The main way we support the
ministries of the church is
through our apportioned funds, a
method of giving that proportionately allocates the churchwide
budget to conferences and local
churches. For United Methodists,
this method of giving has become
a strong, generous tradition.
Together, through our connected
congregations, we accomplish
what no single church, district or
annual conference could ever
hope to do alone. In this way,
each individual, each family, each
congregation gives a fair share for
the church’s work. We combine
our prayers, presence, gifts and
“Summer afternoon;
to me those have
always been the two
most beautiful words
in the English
language .”
- Henry James
service to make a significant
difference in the lives of God’s
people.
The General Funds include:
The World Service Fund: the
essential core of our global
outreach ministry.
Ministerial Education Fund:
Men and women chose the
ministry because God calls
them. This fund is our way of
helping them answer that divine call.
Episcopal Fund: Bishops have
always had a very special role
in our church—elected and
consecrated to speak to the
church and from the church.
Black College Fund: the 11 historically Black colleges and universities supported by the UMC
have played a unique role in U.S.
higher education.
Interdenominational Cooperation
Fund: We acknowledge that we
are but a small part of the worldwide church. We meet human
suffering and advocate for peace
and justice all over the world
I am proud to share that La
Tijera UMC has paid 100% of
its apportionment funds for
2013!
Alive & Running!
On Sunday, September 28th,
we invite you to join us at the
Alive & Running 5K Walk/Run
for Suicide Prevention—we
will not hold our worship service in the sanctuary—we will
be at the starting line of the
5K!
We will meet at the race location the morning of the 28th,
lift up a prayer together, and
then walk, run, jog, stroll,
laugh, and share stories as we
raise awareness and money for
suicide prevention.
If you would like to support
Team La Tijera UMC - click on
http://events.didihirsch.org
and look for Alive & Running!
Search for Team La Tijera
UMC and help us make a difference.
clude Maryann Reuter, John
Reuter, Mimi Muro, Keith
Dager, Kimiko Dager, Kane,
Kyla and Keira Eddington, and
Charlie & Kallan Eddington will
be working at the 5K.
If you would like to be a part
of the La Tijera Team for Alive
& Running, let Pastor Lyda
know. Everyone is welcome!
Pastor Lyda is the Team Captain, and team members in-
Imagine No Malaria
Every 60
seconds,
Malaria
claims a life in
Africa. Imagine No Malaria is an
extraordinary
effort of the
people of the United Methodist Church, putting our faith
LA
TIJERA
UNITED
into action to end preventable
deaths by malaria in Africa. As
a life-saving ministry, Imagine
No Malaria aims to empower
the people of Africa to overcome Malaria’s burden. Malaria was eliminated in the
United States in the 1950’s,
but Africa was left behind.
Find out all we are doing to
end Malaria—and how you can
METHODIST
help join the fight, by visiting
imaginenomalaria.org
The United Methodist
Church California Pacific
Conference has pledged $3
million to eradicate malaria. We will continue to
support Imagine No Malaria and meet our goal of
$3 million by the end of
2015!
VOLUME
IV,
ISSUE
7
PAGE
3
Summer Health Tip!
I’m sure everyone knows how important it is to drink water, particularly during warm weather. Water
is important because it flushes toxins out of our systems and keeps us
hydrated. But did you know that
there are certain times of the day
when drinking water is very effective?
2 glasses of water after waking up
helps activate internal organs
1 glass of water 30 minutes before
a meal helps aid digestion
1 glass of water before taking a
bath helps lower blood pressure
1 glass of water before going to
bed helps avoid strokes or
heart attack! Water at bedtime
also helps prevent nighttime leg
cramps
According to the Journal of the
American College of Cardiology,
most heart attacks occur during the
day between the hours of 6:00 a.m.
and noon.
There are other symptoms of heart
attack beside the well known pain
in the left arm or an “elephant sitting on
my chest” pain. There can be upper back
or shoulder pain, jaw pain, pressure in the
center of the chest, sweating, dizziness, or
unusual fatigue. If you experience any
heart attack symptoms, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water. Call 911and
also let them know that you have taken
two aspirin. Take a seat on a chair or a
sofa close to your front door (if at home)
and wait for the paramedics to arrive but
do not lay down.
This summer drink lots of water!
Annual Conference 2014
Annual Conference is the annual
gathering of the California Pacific
Conference, a regional body of the
United Methodist Church.
Our Annual Conference theme this
year was, “Journey to Wholeness,”
and our focus was Imagine No Malaria. The United Methodist
Church has pledged to wipe out
malaria—with all our local churches
pitching in. I am proud to report
that La Tijera UMC raised
$1,300.00 for Imagine No Malaria.
At Annual Conference, there were
opportunities to care for the body
as well as our spirits, and we were
fortunate to have access to a health
booth, blood pressure checks, and
lots of information about making
healthy life style choices. There
was also an opportunity to donate
8-10 inches of hair for “Locks of
Love.” Keira Eddington, one of our
youth representatives at Annual
Conference, donated!
One of the important pieces of
legislature that we voted on at
Annual Conference was a Resolution to ask our Pacific Annual Conference to stop placing clergy on
Messy Church!
Fun pictures from June—can’t
wait for September 11th for
more Messy Church!!!
trial for performing same gender
weddings.
Many dedicated people worked late
into the night changing the language
of the Resolution to be more inclusive of all people. I am happy to
report that the Resolution passed.
In the California Pacific Conference,
clergy will no longer be put on trial
for performing same gender weddings, although they can still be
brought up on disciplinary charges.
It’s a step in the right direction—
but we still have a long way to go!
Aaaah summerthat long
anticipated
stretch of lazy,
lingering days,
free of
responsibility
and rife with
possibility. It’s
a time to hunt
insects, master
handstands,
conquer trees,
explore nooks
and crannies,
and make new
friends.
- Darrell
Hammond
PAGE
4
Just a reminder
… please slow
down in the
parking lot—we
want to make
sure that everyone is safe!
Thank you.
Mayola’s Corner
Wow! Summer is here! We
are starting things off by celebrating the Fourth of July with
our annual 4th of July picnic. It
will be held on the ballfield
with games, water play and
good food. All are welcome
to join us.
We had a tremendous year
and it’s time to relax and enjoy
our summer. Most of you
know that we convert to
Camp Crossroads during the
summer to give the children a
chance to relax from academics and enjoy field trips (older
children,) water play, and an
array of other activities. Don’t
forget that warmer weather
means less clothing. Boo-boos
are a part of life for our active
children. When dressing your
child, please think of safety
first. Wearing closed toes
shoes are a must!
Re-registration packets will be
issued during the month of
July– please read them carefully. Remember—productive
volunteering and fundraising
makes everything possible.
We have to continue working
together cooperatively to
make this commitment to
fundraising a reality. We have
had a few successful fundraisers, but not enough! I would
like to extend many thanks to
all who have been active participants in our school functions. Each of you need to do
your part to make sure that
our efforts are successful so
we can keep our fees low. As
Infant I
This month, we are looking
forward to fun in the sun in
Infant I as we welcome new
baby Jethro and his family to
the Center! Thank you for
joining us friends! We say a
fond adieu to Tyler, Lyndon
and Layla as they join the Infant II group. Way to go and
we are so proud of you all!
Teacher Jessica! Have a
safe and happy Fourth of
July everyone!
Love, Infant I Teachers
Happy birthday to Teacher
Chelsea! Welcome back to
TIJERA
UNITED
Our father/child brown bag
lunch was a hit. Let me know
your thoughts! Putting on
different functions allows families to meet each other, discuss how to keep our school
the success it is, and ways to
improve. We need your cooperation for this important step,
so please get involved!
Check your mail often for
other summer events!
Have a safe and fun summer!
Camp Crossroads
We’ll be painting seashells and
fish to make our beautiful sand
and sea board. It is so rewarding watching the babies
play, grow and gain their independence as some are venturing off to new areas of the
classroom. Wow! They are
all so amazing!
LA
a non-profit organization, we
rely heavily on fundraising to
make ends meet or our fees
have to go up to make up the
difference.
METHODIST
Welcome campers! This summer started off with a bang!
Our activities and field trips
have been so much fun. We’ve
had good times at Dave ‘N
Busters, gone to movies, the
Griffith Park Observatory, and
the Los Angeles Zoo.
Please come by and look at the
fun pictures and activities that
we have made.
Mrs. Sharon & Mrs. Suzy
VOLUME
IV,
ISSUE
7
PAGE
Infant II
We will have an exciting month
with lots of fun, arts & crafts
and smiles. We hope everyone
had a wonderful Father’s Day.
Thank you to all parents who
participated in our Father’s Day
lunch-we hope you enjoyed it!
On Thursday, July 3rd, please
dress your child in red, white
and blue to celebrate Independence Day.
Goodbye to Leela, Julianna,
Declan, and Johannes as they
Infant III
transition to Infant III. We will
miss them! Welcome aboard
to Layla, Lyndon, Tyler, Arya,
and Giovanni—it’s great to
have new friends in our class.
Water play is starting and we
will advise you of our water
play days. Please bring sunscreen, hats, bathing suits and a
towel. Please label all your
child’s belongings.
Thank you for your support!
Summer is here and Infant III’s toddlers are ready for
some fun. This month we will be working on using our
words to express our needs and wants. We will enjoy
this summer with many fun sensory activities such as
water play, painting, crafts, music, and movement.
Please check our summer schedule for daily activities.
Tuesday and Thursdays will be water play, so please
bring a towel and extra clothes for your child. Please
apply sunscreen every morning before drop-off.
We look forward to an exciting fun summer with our
little ones!
Teachers Lupe, Bernice and Leolin
Teachers Rosy, Lauren & Shay
Don’t
Transitional Preschool
Children have been enjoying summer fun activities each day playing
inside and out. We have been
washing classroom toys, playing in
water and wet sand, and we enjoyed painting on the table outside.
In the month of July, we will have
more fun activities such as cooking,
picnics on the ball field, a pizza
lunch party on July 3rd, fun art
projects, learning about safety
rules, health and fitness, and more
water play.
forget—
Please check your child’s cubby to
make sure that your child has
enough clothing.
the Center
Enjoy, and be safe on the 4th of
July!
will be
Teacher Mary
closed on
Friday, July
4th!
Transition I
Fun in the sun is here! The
children have been taking advantage of the longer hours of
being outside. As we kick off
July, we will begin our brown
bag picnics on the field. We
will be having “literacy on the
grass” as well as arts & crafts.
We will engage in several wet
day activities this month. Please
bring a towel, a second set of
clothes to change into and sunscreen.
You will be given the days of
water play and picnic days
ahead of time. We request that
on picnic days, food is kept simple. The children will enjoy
their simple and healthy picnic
lunches1
These activities will take place on the ball field,
and we plan on having lots of fun! Happy 4th of
July and please stay safe.
Have a great summer!
Teacher Chestina
5
La Tijera United Methodist Church
& Child Development Center
www.latijeraumc.org
7400 Osage Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Church: (3 10) 649-6267
Center: (310) 641-4173
Lyda email: lyda@latijeraumc.org
Mayola email: mayola@latijeraumc.org
We’re on the web
Latijeraumc.org
We are a Reconciling church!
ALL are welcome here.
From Lyda . . .
At our 30th Annual Conference, I
had the privilege of hearing the witness of seven incredibly brave
women who spoke about disability
awareness. They each shared their
personal journeys—each one expressing fear about how they or a
loved one is perceived by society.
From the mother of an autistic child,
to a pastor who shared for the first
time last year that she is challenged
by depression, each person expressed their frustration and pain
about living in a world that doesn’t
make room for them at God’s Table.
Some disabilities are on the outside,
some are on the inside, but they
overcame their fear and shared
their stories to promote change in
how those who are different are
viewed or treated not only by society, but in our churches. Churches
who did not welcome them.
Churches who asked families to
leave because their children were
not “normal” - and as the mom of
four kids, I personally have no idea
of what is considered “normal!”
Those of us fighting for full inclusion
in the church and in the world of
our LGBTQ brothers and sisters,
our LGBTQ brothers and sisters
who open themselves up to hatred
and even physical abuse, those who
are considered differently abled,
those who are considered different,
they have acknowledged their fear,
but have found a brave way to be
scared.
scared because Jesus gives us a response to our fears—”Aren’t two
sparrows sold for a small coin? But
not one of them will fall to the
ground without your Father knowing about it already. Even the hairs
of your head are all counted. Don’t
be afraid. You are worth more than
many sparrows.”
Fear is not always a bad thing, but
we can’t let it get in the way of what
Christ calls us to do. We go where
we are needed, pull our fears and
insecurities out of the darkness and
into the light, and be brave. Sometimes bravely scared, but still brave.
Is there a brave way to be scared?
In the book, On Being Human, Ashley Montague states that to be human is to be in danger. I think that
being a follower of Jesus is to be a
human in danger. To be bravely
30th Annual Conference