The Grapevine

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF NAPA

(707) 253-1411

February 1, 2010

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors:
the People of The United Methodist Church

Pastor’s Column

This is the season of love and valentines. Remember when you thought romantic love had everything to do with cupid, (the son of the Roman god Jupiter and Venus) and his aim, and then later in life you realized it had more to do with chemistry and bad choices. (Oh, sorry, that was my life.) Smile. The word valentine comes from Saint Valentine, whose feast day is on February 14^th, and is the name of several martyred saints of ancient Rome. Valentine also is derived from the word, Valens (worthy). Thus, you are worthy of God’s love and worthy of being loved.

Well, thank God, God’s love is not fickle, selfish, self serving, vain, arbitrary and chemical. God loves all of us all of the time. It is our behaviors God dislikes, but not us as persons. Some people are so good hearted. You can see it in their eyes and souls. Then again, others are just mean spirited and evil and you can see that in their eyes and souls.

Love is not about the size of the diamond, but about the giving and sharing of the heart. When you give yourself, talents and gifts to others, without expecting any- thing in return, you have begun to touch the surface of love. The love God gives each of us is special, but costs us nothing. It is a direct result of God loving God’s Son and sharing that love with each of us. We are always of worth and of value to God.

The heart has always been a special receptacle for love. People use to believe the center of your being and soul rested there. Now we know how to transplant hearts and love. It is the transplanting of love that is the fundamental gift we can give others. To know you are loved, cherished, respected and of worth and value to God, is the beginning of love.

Remember, you are worthy of love and being loved. Let no one treat you or tell you different. Once you know and believe God loves you ... you can then begin to try and love others in that same way.

Shalom my friends and Happy Valentine’s Day.

Roger

Next Sarah Crosby meeting:
February 13th - 1:00-300 p.m. - Kagawa Room
Contacts: Janeen Breyman 265-6918
Amy Herzog 251-8768

Next Unit meeting:
February 18th – 10 a.m. – Program “What Gift Shall I Bring?”

February dates for UMW meetings are as follows:
February 9th—7:30 p.m. Susanna Wesley Circle-meet at member’s home
February 11th— 10:00 a.m. Patricia Riddell Circle-FUMC in Kagawa Rm.
                       1:00 p.m. Judith Newton Circle-meet at member’s home
                      1:30 p.m. Lillian Wallace Circle-meet at member’s home
February 13th – 1:00 p.m. – Sarah Crosby Circle—FUMC in Kagawa Rm.
February 18th – 10 a.m. – Unit meeting in the Kagawa Room—                                           Program “What Gift Shall I Bring?”

Hope you can come. All are welcome. Bring a friend.

CONGRATULATIONS TO US!

The receipt of a significant gift of stock has allowed us to pay our 2009 Conference Apportionments -- in full -- for the 21st consecutive year. The gift was intended to be a 2009 donation but complications in the transfer and sale resulted in the funds not arriving in the church account until after the first of the year. Since it was the donor’s intent that the gift was for the year 2009, we have used it to pay the December apportionments.

We begin the new year with a low bank balance, but our long-standing commitment to supporting the connectional church remains strong.

Michael S Herzog, Secretary
Napa FUMC Finance Committee

What: Lenten Book Study
Where: The Meadows Library
When: 6:00 – 7:15 PM Wednesdays,
February 17 – March 24, 2010
Book: “The Powers That Be” by Walter Wink
Who: Peter & Evelyn Lutz, leading
Info: 255-8593 or plutz@sonic.net

In our fast-paced secular world, God and theology can become second-class citizens. Money, politics, sports, and science seem better suited to the hard realities of our world. As the church steeple has been eclipsed by the skyscraper as the centerpiece of the urban landscape, so has the divine realm been set aside in favor of more immediate human experience. One sad consequence of this shift is the loss of spiritual and theological bearings, most clearly evident in our inability to understand or speak about such things. If the old way of viewing the universe no longer works, something else has to replace it.

The Powers That Be reclaims the divine realm as central to human existence by offering new ways of understanding our world in theological terms. Walter Wink reformulates ancient concepts, such as God and the devil, heaven and hell, angels and demons, principalities and powers, in light of our modern experience. He helps us see heaven and hell, sin and salvation, and the powers that shape our lives as tangible parts of our day-to-day experience, rather than as mysterious phantoms. Based on his reading of the Bible and analysis of the world around him, Wink creates a whole new language for talking about and to God. Equipped with this fresh world view, we can embark on a new relationship with God and our world into the next millennium.

Church women come, join in the fun. We're going green and recycling, making new cards and reminder magnets for UMW. Make some for your circle to send to missionaries and keep meeting dates on your refrigerator. All supplies are provided, we just need your hands to help. (We will reuse birthday, sympathy and get well cards that have been donated.)

When and where: Thursday, February 4th @ 7:00 p.m. in Kagawa Room.

Mark your calendars. If you need a ride call Joan Feury @287-2024. There is a member close to you that can pick you up or I can get the van.

Joan Feury, Co- President UMW

Concert - Abbots Bromley School for Girls

On Friday, February 12, we host the choirs from the Abbots Bromley School for Girls of Staffordshire, England. The concert begins at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary. The concert is free and open to the public, so please invite friends, neighbors, family, co-workers, and everyone to attend. We will be serving refreshments following the concert, so we'll need you to bring cookies to share. Admission is free, though there will be a freewill offering, the proceeds of which are to benefit our church.

Abbots Bromley School for Girls is a boarding and day school situated in the village of Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire. It has a long-established choral tradition and is one of the oldest girls' schools in the U.K. In 1955, the choir became the first girls' choir to sing at the local cathedral in Lichfield.

As well as providing music for chapel services and important school events, the choir has traveled widely. In recent years they have performed in cathedrals at Notre Dame, Paris Cathedral, and Cologne in France; St. Peter's in Rome; St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City; Barcelona Cathedral in Spain; and Montserrat Monastery. The choir regularly performs on BBC Radio's Daily Service--one of the longest running radio programs in the world.

The choir consists of over seventy members, with a Chamber Choir of 20 singers--Cantoria--drawn from the main group. The choir's repertoire is wide-ranging--from singing Plainchant to modern secular songs.

In California the choir has numerous performances at prestigious venues. As well as the concert in our church, performances are taking place at Grace Cathedral, St. Ignatius, and Old St. Mary's in San Francisco and at the Carmel Mission and Santa Catalina School in the Monterey area.

From Katherine Parker, our Missionary in Cambodia

Friends,

My prayers continue to go out to the people of Haiti and the tremendous loss, especially the family of my co-worker Sam Dixon and to Clint Rabb, who was still in critical condition in Florida last I heard. I am glad to be part of a church family that has been and will continue to be actively involved together with our members in Haiti for the improvement of the country. http://www.umc.org/haiti for updates.

On the other side of the world, 2010 has started off at a sprint. The annual report is not yet done for 2009, but the planning meeting with the Social Concerns Committee was great and I've already got the first quarter of workshops scheduled in Kampong Speu with 6 churches and the district pastors' group in addition to ongoing work in Kampong Chhnang and some tentative plans in Kampong Thom. We're also getting ready to host our first volunteer team on Wednesday. I'm really excited! You can be too with a donation to http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/advance/donate.cfm?code=14916A

This month is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, or so I've been told. My awareness has been heightened as to the real and present danger for young Khmer women and so I wrote about some recent experiences at http://bokashi.blogspot.com . Thanks for reading.

I'm actually just getting back from spending the day up in Kampong Chhnang at Solang Kandal Church. We shared a bible study on leadership looking at Deborah, Esther and Ruth and made plans for a workshop the following weekend. The church members decided to hire one of the poorest women in the community to make snacks for the morning break. Of course I knew that this was the mother of the young girl who had heart surgery last summer http://bokashi.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html ). The church members went off in search of her so that I could meet her again. It was the real highlight of the weekend. She was smiling, her face was filled out and her color was good. Her mother reported that the January checkup was good. She was looking more cheerful and healthy than I had ever seen her. What joy!

with renewed hope,

Katherine

Katherine T. Parker

Community Health & Agricultural Development, Methodist Mission in Cambodia
General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 2493, House #74, Street #606, Khan Toul Kork, Phnom Penh 3, Cambodia

Covenant Relationship:

http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/advance/donate.cfm?code=15187Z

Program Support:

http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/advance/donate.cfm?code=14916A

Developmental Relief and Emergency Healthcare 3020542

BUILDERS REPORT, AND NEXT LUNCHEON

At the last Builders potluck luncheon meeting, a small group had a wonderful time! A longtime tradition was changed. The January auction has been the main fundraiser for the year, as members auctioned off "white elephants." That had lost its popularity; most people want to get rid of white elephants without picking up another one. This time, people apparently went away happy, yet left $242 behind for some future “good of the church” project. People donated either wine (for an aural auction), or baked goods for a silent auction, and left without carrying away something they didn't want.

In addition to exceeding financial expectations, it was a very pleasant social time, with lots of good food to eat. There must be a lot of wonderful people in our church who would enjoy about eight luncheons and one evening dinner with this company. Please talk with some of us about joining us.

The next luncheon meeting is February 13, at noon in the Kagawa Room. The program, with a slide show not to be missed, is by Dave and Loie Whitmer, recalling highlights of tours in some of the world’s best wine regions.

Bill Crane--President, Louise Cade--Secretary-Treasurer, and special Vice Presidents--Pat Campbell, Marian Long, and Loeta Stocking.

Free Tax Help

The Napa Senior Center is offering a free, volunteer run tax preparation counseling service for low and middle income seniors with special attention to those aged 60 and older. They will be doing tax returns on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning February 5th, 2010. Please bring the following with you when you come:

            Copy of last year’s income tax return
            Social Security benefit statement
            All 1099 forms showing interest, dividends, etc.
            1099-R form from your pension or annuity
            Social Security cards for yourself and all dependants for identification

Call 707-255-1800 for an appointment

Black Church Celebration Sunday: February 14, 2010

Hello Folks. Jan Lanterman and I have put together a worship service that celebrates the richness and diversity of the black church experience. Come and have a good time. We promise not to put you to sleep! You will experience a different style of worship and see how a black worship service ebbs and flows. Most of all you’ll get to sing some hymns, hear some spirituals, pat your feet and say a lot of Amens! The choir will march in; you will experience an altar call and do things in a different order. This is a time for you to enjoy yourself and enjoy a different style of worship. So come on. Put the date, February 14, 2010 on your calendars and come praise the Lord!

Roger

P.S. Ladies you do not have to wear hats or you men, ties. Just come as you normally would and experience the spirit of the black church! Amen.

A GIFT OF WARMTH

During the Christmas Season we asked you to donate warm things for the homeless and the indigent. We received so many it was amazing. One member took the message to Vichy School and they collected for us, too, mostly much needed children’s sizes. Probably at least half of what we received came from them. The other half were donated by our congregation. The groups who received the items - coats, sweaters, gloves, shoes, scarves, blankets, socks and hats - were NEWS, COPE, VOICES, all three shelters and the HOPE Center. Everyone who came to choose what they'd like to have said the same thing - they couldn't believe the generosity of this congregation! They all spoke about what beautiful things there were to choose from, all nice and barely worn; many things were brand new with the tags still on. It was just a beautiful response from all of you and a demonstration of doing the work of Jesus in our community. Thank you all for your donations. It was a wonderful blessing to those in need.

Help for Haiti

If you would like to make a tax deductible monetary gift to Haiti, please make your checks out to First United Methodist Church and write Haiti on the memo line. We will send the money to UMCOR with the correct Advance Number on it. Every cent that you donate to UMCOR goes directly to the specified charity. There are no administration fees, etc. Thank you for your generosity.

For Fun Book Club

Please join us in reading our next selection: Say You’re One of Them, by Uwem Akpan. This collection of stories “pays tribute to the wisdom and resilience of children.” You’ll have plenty of time to catch up as we decided to skip a February meeting. Come discuss your favorite story on Tuesday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Kay Stevens. This book club is for all ages and genders – the only qualification is loving to read!

Grapevine Schedule
The next deadline is February 4^th
and it will be mailed out on February 10^th
Please email your articles to secretary@napaumc.org

First United Methodist Church
625 Randolph St. Napa 94559
Office: (707) 253-1411      Fax#: (707) 253-1976
www.napaumc.org
            Pastors:     Douglas J. Monroe
                               Roger Kimble, III
Sunday Worship - 9:30 a.m.
Child and Infant Nursery Care is available
Church Office Hours:
Monday—Friday   8:30 am to 4:30 pm
The Grapevine is published bi-monthly.
Editor: Dianne Mahler

The United Methodist Women sends a big thank you to Ruth McIntosh who recently donated five books from the UMW Reading Program list for our library. We appreciate your generosity so much

VOICES Rebuild!!!

VOICES has begun the remodeling of their new space. We are in need of skilled carpenters and plumbers for the month of February (2/6 & 2/20) to help with the remodeling of two of our bathrooms so that they are handicap accessible. If you would be interested in helping us out, please call VOICES on 251-9432 and ask for Ashley or Mitch.

We also need to feed our crews on those two days. If you would be interested in helping us with breakfast and/or lunch, please call Rev. Linda on 815-4774.

Blessing,
RevLSP

**VOICES Napa has moved to our new address: 780 Lincoln Avenue, Napa**
**Also, help us keep employing youth and providing nurturing programs, give to VOICES:          It's about time! www.givetovoices.com**
            Rev Linda S. Powers
            Chaplain/Wellness Coordinator - VOICES
            work # (707) 251-9432
            cell # (707) 815-4774

Jean Crozier and her family want to thank their many friends and the church family for all their support before and after Joe's death. The cards were a blessing to us all. Along with the prayers, they were a constant reminder of your concern.
Jean Crozier

Pie & A Movie

Next month the date will be Feb. 19th. We chose, on a recommendation, the movie "Muppets Take Manhattan"...now don't laugh...it's light, funny and very adult. Fun for the gloomy days of February.
March will be on the 19th and in honor of St. Patrick's Day we'll view "The Quiet Man".
Mark it down and we look forward to seeing all who can make it.

Martha

Mission Statement

The First United Methodist Church of Napa unconditionally welcomes all people wherever they are on their faith journey. As a congregation rooted in scripture, tradition, experience, and reason, we promise opportunities to grow in the Spirit to become active followers of Jesus Christ. We are affiliated with The Center for Progressive Christianity and a member of the Reconciling Ministries Network.

Sunday Worship Service: 9:30 am
Coffee, cookies, lemonade and friendship are served at 10:30 am
Adult Bible Study: 10:45 am Parlor
Sunday School for 3 years old through 5th grade—10:45 am—Kagawa Rm.
Middle School Group—10:45 am—Beall Library
Youth Group—11:00 am—Youth Room
Come and see what your church has to offer you this year
Visit us on Facebook—Napa First United Methodist Church

Jan. 31 Scripture: Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 4:21-30

Michael Herzog, Lay Speaker Cathedral Choir

Feb. 7 Scripture: Isaiah 6:1013; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11

Rev. Doug Monroe—Communion Sunday and Evolution Sunday God’s House Band

Feb. 14 Scripture: Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-43

Rev. Roger Kimble—Experiencing the Black Church Cathedral Choir

Feb. 21 Scripture: Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

Rev. Roger Kimble—Peace With Justice Sunday Cathedral Choir