The Grapevine
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF NAPA
(707) 253-1411
March 15, 2008
…from Doug’s Deck:
As our Lenten journey runs us headlong into the absolutely stunning events of Holy Week and Easter, the first thing that I’d like to say is that it might be a good idea for each of us to pause at some point along the way here and ponder what just happened. The life of Jesus defies neat summaries. In spite of just a quarter-of-a-century short of two thousand years of theologians trying to capture the final truth about him, the meaning and purpose of his life remains elusive. Somewhere between saying, “Jesus died to save us from our sin,” and “He’s just another example of a charismatic prophet killed by the inhuman tyranny of an imperial government,” is the truth for you and me.
We’re called to wonder about all of the details of his life, not just about how he died. Any single detail, though, is a good place for us to begin imagining – just as long as you’re not in any rush to “get to the meaning” of it all.
The second thing that I’d like to say is that looking at and listening to Jesus does make the world around us harder to take. It’s a little harder to look at the faces of the homeless in our community when we see in them the face of the Crucified. It’s a little harder to support the punitive measures against criminals when we see the thief on whom Jesus had pity as he died. And it should be a lot harder for us to maintain our favorite prejudices when we remember that he hung out with harlots, lepers and traitors.
My invitation to you all in the days and weeks ahead, then, is to try to forget the lessons that you’ve learned about Jesus and to look very closely at what he does and listen very carefully at what he has to say. You may be disturbed to discover that he will resist your lifelong conclusions about him and make what you thought that you knew about him a little harder to accept.
If you will try this, though, I think that you’ll discover that in the details of Jesus’ life and words, you’ll find the details of your own life and words being recast into something that is, quite literally, beyond your wildest imaginings. And that is exactly the place that this journey should take us. It led a woman named Mary Magdalene to announce to the other disciples who first followed Jesus, “I have seen the Lord.”
Are you able, now, to say the same?
In the cause of shalom…always,
Doug
SAVE THE DATE
Jennifer
Edenborough’s Ordination
will take place at our Annual
Conference
in Sacramento on June 21, 2008.
All her church
family is invited.
Details will follow in subsequent mailings but
if you’d like to be there,
please let the church office know.
We will plan carpooling, etc. Please let
us know your needs.
Families with Young Children
The
next adventure for our FUMC families will be at the Jelly Belly
Factory. We will visit the Easter Bunnies at the Jelly Belly
Visitor Center on Saturday, March 22nd from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. There
will be photo opportunities and the children will receive a free
gift from the bunnies. We will meet at the front door at
12:45pm. Please let Shaunna Olson know if you are able to
attend. We hope to see you
there!
olsonkidsmom@sbcglobal.net
224-4690
Behind the Scenes
Have you ever wondered how things get done? We have many volunteers in this church who give their valuable time to make sure things get done. Here are some of the people we owe a debt of gratitude for:
Charlie Ray has just completed taking pictures of the entire church. We now have prints and a CD for our records.
Peter Lutz is our webmaster extraordinaire. He makes sure our website is always updated. He also sneaks in to set up the tables for the Bonner Bells and removes the choir chairs. He is also a valuable member of the Computer Committee.
Barbara Farmer takes care of all our indoor plants.
Annette Perry comes to the church twice a month to pick up all the Grapevines and takes them to the Bulk Mailing Office at the Post Office.
Many Thanks to All of You
Discovery Class - A Month of Sundays
Beginning on Sunday, March 30th a class for new members will begin. We will explore just what it means to be a United Methodist in this day and age. Using the Wesleyan Quadrilateral as our framework, scripture, tradition, reason and experience, we will learn a balanced way to be a Christian in the world today. Please call the church office to RSVP.
Welcome, Sweet Baby
Leah and Chris Ybarra, along with grandparents Don and Pat Hitchcock, are busy welcoming a sweet baby boy to their family. His name is Andrew Charles and he weighed 7 pounds and 14 ounces. May God bless this family with love and joy and happiness!
FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN
I have found the perfect spot for our camping trip - Kidd Lake. The lake is at 6,750 feet elevation and is a typical alpine lake (surrounded by pine trees). Kidd Lake is very private and has three group camp sites that are rented on a first come first served basis. The lake will provide us with an opportunity for fishing, boating (15 mph max), sailing, and swimming, or just relaxing on the shore.
The camping trip is scheduled for this summer, the weekend of July 11th thru 13th. (Please note the date change)
The cost for the campsite will be $25 per family for the weekend. Once we have a head count, we’ll work out the finer details re: food and activities. If you are not an experienced camper or have limited gear, please do not let that deter you. We (and I’m sure other families) can help you out.
Kidd Lake is located off of Hwy 80 at the Soda Springs exit. It takes just under 3 hours to drive there.
Please call me to let me know how many of you to expect,
Dave Helms
Lent
2008: The Journey Continues
Schedule
of Services - First
United Methodist Church of Napa
February 6 ~ Ash Wednesday - 7 AM and 7 PM Services
February
10 ~ The Journey Continues: Got Snacks?
9:30 AM
– Worship with music
from the Bonner Bells
February 17 ~ The Journey
Continues: Got GPS?
9:30 AM – Worship
with music from the Cathedral Choir
February 24 ~ The Journey
Continues: Got Water?
9:30 AM – Worship
with music from God’s House Band
March 2 ~ The Journey Continues:
Got Glasses?
9:30 AM – Worship
with music from the Cathedral Choir
March 9 ~ The Journey Continues:
Got Coffee?
9:30 AM – Worship
with music from the Bonner Bells and Children’s Choir
HOLY WEEK
March 16 Palm/Passion Sunday ~ Are
We There Yet?
9:30
AM – Drama
with music from God’s House Band
March 20 Holy Thursday
7:00 PM
- Communion Service in
the Sanctuary
March 21 Good Friday Public
Procession of the Cross
12 Noon
–Begins at FUMC and
ends with worship in the Sanctuary
March 23 Easter Sunday ~ The
Journey Continues!
7:00 AM
~ Sunrise Service at
Tulocay Cemetery
9:30
AM ~ Worship
with music from the Cathedral Choir
G.R.A.P.E. Express for March
Our travels take us on a Journey to the Cross during March. We will follow the verses from Matthew:
Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! Matthew 21:9
Truly this man was God’s Son! Matthew 27:54
We will learn that Jesus is the Son of God; he came as a king of peace, not a king of war. In spite of danger, Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem to teach God’s message of love and forgiveness and that God, through Jesus, offers forgiveness and new life to all people.
On Easter Sunday, we will have our traditional Easter egg hunt. Please join us as we begin our next exciting journey. Our next stop in April is Out of Egypt—Exodus 5:11—tickets on sale now!
Put your Grapevine article here. The next deadline is March 20th and will be mailed out on March 26th
CONSIDER BECOMING A LAY SPEAKER
A
Lay Speaker is:
An active, supportive member of a United Methodist
church;
Eager to serve through the church;
Well-informed on
Scripture, and on the doctrine, heritage, organization, and life of
the United Methodist Church;
Committed to witnessing through
church and community leadership, caregiving ministries, and spoken
communication;
Willing to improve his/her skills by training for
service.
Lay Speakers don’t just speak -- they lead as well.
Lay Speaker training will be held in the Bay View District later in
the year. If you are interested in serving in this lay
ministry, contact Michael Herzog at MSHWRITE@aol.com
or 224-2686.
Urban
Stations of the Cross
Good
Friday, March 21, 2008
On Good Friday (March 21st), several leaders of local congregations, including Covenant Presbyterian, First Presbyterian and First United Methodist Church, will come together to observe Good Friday by walking the Stations of the Cross. This is the day to remember the passion and the crucifixion of Jesus and has a rich tradition in the Christian community. The walk is based on the walk Jesus took from his trial to the cross. Along the way, the suffering of Jesus will be remembered along with those who cared for him along the way.
This trip began in the fourth century as followers traversed the actual sites of Jesus’ passion in Jerusalem. As this pilgrimage became more and more difficult to make, a practice of meditating on representations of Jesus’ journey came to replace the actual trip to Jerusalem. Over the centuries, variations in the subjects and numbers of the stations have evolved.
This year in Napa we will traverse from place to place and remember not only Jesus’ journey, but also the journey of those people suffering today. We will begin at Noon in the courtyard of the First United Methodist Church at 650 Randolph St. Carrying a large cross, we will progress from there to thirteen other stops as we connect Jesus’ suffering with the world today. Some of the other stops are the County Jail, The Table, COPE and the HOPE Center. We will stop in front of each station for a brief reading and prayer. The journey will end at approximately 1:30pm on the steps of the First United Methodist Church at the corner of Randolph and Division Sts. From there we will enter the church for a brief service of reflection and meditation. Everyone is invited to come and join the procession. Those who are unable to join the journey are invited to sit in the sanctuary of the Methodist Church and offer support in the way of prayer.
Mission Statement
The First United Methodist Church unconditionally welcomes all people in greater Napa 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 and to become active followers of Jesus Christ.
March 16 Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Isaiah 50:4-9; Psalm 31:9-16 Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 26:14-27 or Matthew 27:11-54
Palm Sunday Drama God’s House Band
March 23 Scripture: Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-18
Easter Sunday - Pastor Douglas J. Monroe Cathedral Choir
March 30 Scripture: Acts 2:14a, 22-32; Psalm 16; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31
Lay Speaker Michael Herzog Bonner Bells
April 6 Scripture: Acts 2:14a, 36-41; Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19; 1 Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35
Pastor Jennifer Edenborough Cathedral Choir
Sunday Worship Service: 9:30 am -- All Sunday School Classes at 10:45 am
Adult Bible Study: Parlor
GRAPE Express for ages 3 years thru 5th grade: Kagawa Room
Junior High School Group: Beall Library
High School Youth Group: Sunday at 4:00pm - Youth Room