August 2013 - Walnut Creek United Methodist Church

August 2013
Monthly Newsleer of Walnut Creek United Methodist Church
Walnutleaves
United Methodist Women bring you a….
Women, let’s catch up during the summer!
Friday, August 9 at 6pm "Evening in August," An evening meal at Cathy Stussi's (3405
Joshua Woods Place, Concord) Share summer experiences and get caught up. Bring a dish
to share. Please RSVP to Cathy at 925-689-9132.
Inside this Issue
Building update page 3
Youth News
page 5
Education News page 6
Church News
page 10
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Pastor’sperspective
How is it with your soul?
Study is one of the basic spiritual disciplines, along with prayer, fasting, giving, hospitality,
service, and worship. The spiritual disciplines are ancient practices through which Christians
have nurtured their souls for thousands of years. John Wesley used to start his covenant
group meetings with the question, "How is it with your soul?"
Rev. Eileen Lindsay The Apostle Paul wrote:
Senior Pastor
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasPastoreileen
ing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2).
@walnutcreekumc.org
When we practice the spiritual disciplines, we trade our worldly habits for holy habits.
Through the discipline of study we immerse ourselves in the thoughts of other Christians and examine our
own beliefs and attitudes in light of God's truth.
Robert Mulholland wrote in Invitation to a Journey, “Spiritual formation is a process of being conformed to
the image of Christ, a journey into becoming persons of compassion, persons who forgive, persons who care
deeply for others and the world, persons who offer themselves to God to become agents of divine grace in
the lives of others and their world—in brief, persons who love and serve as Jesus did.”
1 Pet 2:5 says, “ like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood,
to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
We are called into relationship with each other in this spiritual house, a place of shelter and protection.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, he cared for others. He healed, he taught he forgave, and in the end, he gave his
very life for the sake of our salvation. We are now called to build on his foundation.
We are called to commit ourselves to strengthening one another in the faith and to devote our very selves to
people who need us. Small groups for study, prayer and fellowship are a way of focusing our spiritual formation. I urge you all
to take the opportunities to study and be part of a small group
as a way of building our spiritual house and practicing our faith.
The Beatitudes study will continue through August and in the fall
we will begin 2-3 new studies. If you have a study you would like to
suggest or to get involved in leading, let us know!
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Buildingupdate
Education Building Renovation Update …. AKA So Where did Our Money Go? …. Part 2
At the beginning of the summer, Phase 1 of the Education Building was complete, including new ADA aparoved bathrooms, and Phase II was just starting. If you are following us on Facebook you’ve seen a few of
the construction pictures and we want to share what’s been completed in the last 2 months. Enjoy!
Wesley Room with new cabinets!
Wesley Room with new window!
Dear Church,
New Youth Room!
Thanks for the new carpets! These
rooms saved my life. I think I’ll keep
coming back!!
- Anonymous 12-step Attendee
Active Reading Clinic offices
Willard Room with a great message!
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Children’sministries
SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS
In our “Giddy-Up for God” Prayer Journals the children and I have been writing down the
Beatitudes as they’ve gone by every week, and included some key words we’ve come up
with to describe them, i.e. poor in spirit--have nothing; mourn--sad, lonely; meek--humble,
shy, holy. Hunger and thirst are next week.
How are your lists coming along? Have you thought much about these curious, sort of inside out and backwards, words of Jesus’? What does God have in mind here? As Life LesDirector of
sons, they are sometimes kind of hard to understand. Hannah, age 6, was quoted on a
Children’s Ministries greeting card as saying,
Corrie Binker
925-934-4208 x211
“Life is like a roller coaster. It goes up and down,
makes you scream, and costs a lot to ride.”
I hope your life is on an upswing right now, and that you and the children you know are finding out what it
means to live a “Godly life.”
Next month we will be looking at the words merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and persecuted for righteousness sake. Check back to see what the kids come up with!
At a recent DCM [Director of Children’s Ministries] Colleague Meeting that I went to, one of the members
told a story that I wanted to share with you. Perhaps you’ve heard it, or one like it, before. I think it speaks
volumes in a short space about Our Lives. It is called “What is My Song?”:
There once was a tailor who loved his job and always sang as he worked. The Duke who lived in the castle
up the hill from him hated all the singing, so he paid the tailor to stop singing. The tailor gladly took the
money and stopped his singing. Soon, however, he realized that he
now hated his job. So, he gave the money back to the Duke, and
happily went back to singing.
What makes you sing? Have you found out yet? If not, there’s no
time like the present-- it’s a gift you can give to yourself and to God!
Blessings,
Corrie Binker
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Youthnews
…and on this rock I will build my church Matthew 16:18
…..and on this ROCK we shall
build this youth group!
I am reminded of the famous quote from the movie “Field of Dreams”; if you build it they
will come. This past week I was invited to my first staff retreat at Pastor E’s house. We
began the day searching scripture for the word CHURCH. I was assigned Matthew 16: 1323 which was absolutely perfect. Throughout Matthew we hear of the ROCK as a solid
foundation for which many great things, including the church, may withstand any adversary; of the wise man who built his house on a rock. This my friends is where I want to
start our youth program, on a rock.
Michelle Brown
Youth Director
Youth Director
@walnutcreekumc.org
925-934-4208 x207
A figurative rock is someone who is strong, stable and dependable. I want to bring stability to our youth. I
have fond memories of my own experiences with a stable MYF program. (Methodist Youth Fellowship) I
have proposed this “name” to the youth and they rolled their eyes a little but I’m not giving up yet!
This summer we are mostly getting to know each other, focusing on fellowship and fun. Last
week we attended a BBQ/tie-dye party with the Lafayette UMC youth as a pre-SSP get together. We made shirts, met some great folks, ate wonderful food and sang a few SSP songs. I
would say it was a successful afternoon merger! We are planning SSP Sunday worship on August 11, so mark your calendars now!
My focus for the fall will be a more structured MYF gathering. Right now we are looking at Sunday nights
from 6-8:00pm. I have a huge list of possible activities and interests from these bright and eager youth.
THEIR first priority is personalizing the room and getting bean-bag chairs! I suspect Jesus himself would have
enjoyed a little bible study while lounging on a bean bag chair surrounded by lots of color and silver crosses.
Anyway, we are not there yet.
I encourage our congregation to help spread the word
about our youth ministry. We are a small group but will
build our MYF on a solid rock “doing all the good we can,
by all the means we can, in all the ways we can.”
Michelle Brown
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Educationnews
THE BEATITUDES FOR TODAY
Join us to discuss the Beatitudes in an informal, fun and
interactive class. Each week is a new Beatitude. ALL are
welcome!
Sundays at 11am
August 4 ! September 1
Library
“I would love a class on …”
Do you find yourself saying this often? We would love to hear your ideas as we plan classes for the fall/winter. Books, DVDs, Movies, Art, Music, Writing - Anything you want to
share with a group for spiritual development, we welcome your involvement. Email Bill
Hughes (wthughesrg@comcast.net) to share your ideas or to explore being a class guide.
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Missionreport
Extended Family Closet Full
Our Extended Family program has been blessed with a few large
“whole house” donations. Thankfully, the closet is completely
FULL of furniture. We are not currently accepting furniture donations. Small household items, linens, etc. are still needed.
To make a furniture donation in the future, please contact Cortne
Bui at 415-279-6869 or cortnebui@yahoo.com to arrange pick up.
Furniture not cleared first for donation will not be accepted.
Thank you for all your wonderful donations and support of the
program!
ESL Planning for 2013-2014 School Year
The ESL team, led by Jan Pearson, is busy planning for the upcoming Fall trimester, which will be on Wednesday, starting September 18 - November 13.
Last year, there were several volunteers who led one or two
lessons during the year. We are looking for volunteers who
might want to jump in this year.
Perhaps you wouldn't want to do a formal "lesson", but might
be willing to lead a field trip to one of the little grocery stores, the library, or Wendy's Restaurant near-by.
These are all great opportunities to build survival skills and basic vocabulary for specific situations.
Maybe you'd like to do a food prep demonstration (with some needed vocabulary
thrown in for practice). Perhaps you could build a lesson around a favorite hobby
or a song. You never know . . .
There will be an ESL planning meeting on Wednesday August 7 at 7pm in the Raine
Room. Please notify Jan if you will be attending and any class ideas you might
have. Jan’s email is janpearson@earthlink.net. Thank you!
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Communitynews
Come for dinner and musical entertainment!
Performers include: the Binker Family, Bill & Myrna Bowman, Michelle Brown, Robin
Charlton, Abbigail Cote, Judith Hall, Bill Hughes, Emily Justice, Anna-Lisa Muraoka,
Brian & Karen Nippa, Miriam Plautz, Tina Smith, Roger Sperling, Marlene & Dave Ward
and more!
SAVE THE DATE -- Saturday September 28 - 6pm Dinner
Open Auditions: Tuesday, September 10
Time & Place: 7:30pm in the Social Hall
Actors needed: Women, Men, Youth, & \Children
Qualifications: Ability to stand, sit, walk, & speak
aloud
Requirements: Audion on September 10th at
7:30 p.m. Be available on December 5, 6, & 7 for
ma0nee and evening performances. Aend Rehearsals —at least the occasional Tues. and Wed. evenings,
& Sunday a4ernoon in star0ng in September - November
If you cannot make the audi0ons, phone or e-mail Bill or Claire
Toaspern, 925-934-0749, or livingact2@aol.com.
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Communitynews
The United Methodist Women (UMW) of the California-Nevada Conference presents:
You are Enough!
Friday, August 9, & Saturday, August 10
This multi-generational retreat is open to all girls and women, from 12 to the young at heart!
Come together in a spiritually, dynamic, and inclusive environment aimed at self-discovery
and faith renewal. Open mic sessions will encourage personal storytelling and small group
sharing. Community outreach for the event will be to assemble UMCOR kits.
Registration opens on Friday, August 9 at 5 p.m
Program from 6 to 9 p.m.
Saturday, August 10 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cambrian Park UMC
1919 Gunston Ave
San Jose, CA
Cost: $15/person
For more information contact Betty Dickey, (408) 896-1548, famdickey@earthlink.net, or K Stone, (408) 3484067, kstone09@ymail.com.
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Churchnews
Prayers are offered for:
Claire Binker
Tom Coull
Debbie Culver & Family
Betty Grimm
Cord & Arta Hull
Larry Justice
Linda Schade & Family
Marguerite Shea
Molly Vinson
Terry Vinson
Audrey Wilson
"Art in the Hallway" Needs YOU! Are you
an artist or do you know one who would
like to display your/their art in our church
hallway? Displays are usually up about
two months. All mediums are appropriate but they all need to be able to
hang.Please contact Cathy Stussi at
csstussi@gmail.com or 925-689-9132.
August 1
Lee Hudson
August 13
Carolyne Pettit
August 27
Curt Peck
August 3
Tina Smith
August 14
Whitney Ellis
August 28
William Bayes
August 4
Colleen Goya
August 17
Dick Novak
August 28
Vera Davenport
August 5
Nancy Lee
August 17
Leslie Whitney
August 28
Bob Johnson
August 8
Karen Ray
August 18
Kerstin Phillips
August 28
Denise Pullen
August 9
Frank Lee
August 19
Craig Beattie
August 28
Tim Stussi
August 10
Steve Dentone
August 20
Smitty Lancaster
August 29
Susan Weaver
August 10
Matthew Dentone
August 20
Taylor Stussi
August 30
Carol Hilley
August 10
Cathy Neybert
August 22
Arlene Sanders
August 31
Carolyn Kain
August 12
Jan Pearson
August 22
Bob Teget
August 13
John Anderson
August 25
Glenyse Henchel
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Treasurer’sreport
Marlene Ward □ Treasurer □ marlene-ward@comcast.net
A glance at our finances ….
If you have been keeping up with my short financial highlights each month you know that
last month our cumulative figures showed us in the red!!! Well congratulations to each of
you for the giving recorded in June! Our June cumulative totals reflect that we are back in
the black! We are doing O.K. this summer and I’m hopeful that our August figures will be
just as healthy.
Below are the cumulative figures as of the end of June:
Our total giving
$214,151.37
(represents 44.7% of our anticipated income for the year)
Our total disbursements for utilities, mission ministry, etc…
$210,915.30
(represents 44.0% of our anticipated disbursements for the year)
$ 3,236.07
All apportionments and all bills …. Paid up-to-date!
Our “Wild, Wild, Blest!” summer is about half over and it’s exciting to see a healthy financial picture for our
church. This says to me that all of us are keeping our pledges up-to-date! Continuing on this path should mean
a strong start to the Fall/Winter season for us. So much is yet to come this year and to be in a stronger financial
place would be such a boost to our programs. I hope that each of you, as well as myself, have or will find time to
rest and enjoy some vacation “down time”. We all need this if we are to continue doing what God has intended
for us to do through our church.
God Bless.
Marlene Ward,
Ward Treasurer
FinancialSecretaryUpdate
Jan Looney □ Financial Secretary □ r.looney@sbcglobal.net
Good news!
The first batch of email statements went out on July 24th and the regular mail statements on July
25th. Thank you to Pat Evans who helped me sort and mail. This should have cut our postage costs
by 2/3. We are hoping that this works for many of you and will be taking a poll later to see how
you wish to receive your contribu0on informa0on. As always things are a work in progress.
Please let me know which is the best for you and your family.
Jan Looney,
Looney Financial Secretary & Pat Evans,
Evans Assistant Financial Secretary
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Eventscalendar
August 4: “Not Necessarily Pancake” Breakfast
Staff
August 9: Shelter Dinner, UMW Summer Social at 6:00pm
Eileen Lindsay -Senior Pastor, x202
Carol Morris - Director of Music Ministry, x206
August 11: SSP Sunday
August 23: Pizza @ the Shelter, Parking Lot Closed
August 25: Ice Cream Social
Corrie Binker - Director of Children’s Ministries, x211
Michelle Brown -Youth Director, x207
Lalena Shea - Office Manager, x201
Natsuko Murayama - Organist
Church Office: 925-934-4208
office@walnutcreekumc.org
September Walnut Leaves Deadline is August 14. Articles and Photos are welcome!
Walnut Creek United Methodist Church
1543 Sunnyvale Avenue
Walnut Creek, CA 94597
We’re on the WEB! www.walnutcreekumc.org
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