The Grapevine
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF NAPA
(707) 253-1411
April 1, 2010
Open Hearts, Open Minds,
Open Doors:
the People of The United Methodist Church
...Pastor’s Column
Yes, April is upon us. It is a time for new beginnings and asking God to lead us in new directions. Often we get stuck in our daily/weekly routines and need a chance to start fresh, new and uninhibited by the past.
The name, April, comes from ancient Rome, and means “to open” and refers to when trees and flowers bloom. The month was dedicated to the Roman goddess Venus, the goddess of fertility and love. I see April as a time for opening our hearts and lives to God and letting God’s love bloom and flower with in each of us.
Things are always changing and in a flux. One must learn to bend with the wind and be able to transform oneself with God’s touch and grace. God always gives us new beginnings. Nature and humans will always be able to change with God’s touch and boom to their potential.
When I see the trees, shrubs and flowers in bloom, the beautiful colors just warm my heart. Nature starts anew and so should we. Our faith is not static but constantly growing, changing, maturing and enduring. Our belief and trust in God allows each of us to wait patiently for the springs in our lives to burst forth and shower us with the blessings, blooms and blossoms of God’s love for each of us.
We are never too old to learn and experience something new. Each day has its own lessons and meaning. We have to ask, “What is God teaching me today?” God wants our faith and love to mature, grow and prosper. In this way, we are the beautiful/colorful blossoms of life people can experience. Know that we can experience God working miracles with each of us every day.
There is always beauty in the world. We just have to look for it. God’s signature of love is all around us and in our hearts. May this April, this new beginning, bring you blossoms and blooms from God.
Shalom.
Roger
Holy Week Services
March 28, 2010 through April 4, 2010
Sunday, March 28th – Palm Sunday Worship Service - 9:30 am
Palm Sunday Concert – 3:30 pm in our Sanctuary
Palm Sunday Community Outreach Service – 7:00 pm
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church
Our Cathedral Choir will join with the choirs of other churches
in celebration of making music together
Maundy Thursday Worship Service – 7:00 pm
April 1st - FUMC Sanctuary
Communion will be served
Community Good Friday Service – Noon
April 2nd – Napa Valley Lutheran Church
Music, readings from John’s Gospel and prayers
Easter Sunrise Service – 7:00 am
Tulocay Cemetery, Napa
The service will be led by Michael Herzog, Lay Speaker
Communion with be served and God’s House Band will provide the music
Easter Worship Service – 9:30 am
First United Methodist Church Sanctuary—Rev. Douglas J. Monroe will preach
We will welcome our new Confirmands into membership in the church
The Cathedral Choir will provide the music
For Fun Book Club
The Just For Fun Book Club is open to anyone and everyone! We meet the first Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm and would love to have you join us! For our next book, we're reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett, another New York Times best seller which I found it at Costco. "In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women - mothers, daughters, caregivers and friends view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't." Sound intriguing? Join us next month, April 6th. In the meantime, happy reading. Barb Thompson
Fun and Fellowship News
On April 17th our Pie & A Movie Group will meet on Saturday night. We are inviting families to join us for a children’s film and activities plus an adult movie playing at the same time! The adults will view “Julie and Julia” which was released in 2009. We will have a potluck dinner beginning at 5:00 pm so save the date and look for more information as time draws closer.
Pentecost Sunday, May 23rd, we will have a finger food Potluck luncheon following the church service.
We’ll have a summer Pancake Breakfast on July 11th right before church.
Our All Church Family Picnic will be held this year on our own church grounds! Save the date of Sunday, August 22nd. It’s much more fun when everyone comes!
FAITH PARTNERS MINISTRY
Mark your calendars for a special forum after the worship service on April 11th at 10:40 am sponsored by the Faith Partners ministry. Dr. Pat Wolfe will lead our thinking about “Our Brains and the Impact of Addiction at All Ages”. Following her presentation, Dr. Wolfe will take questions from the congregation.
Easter Flowers
6 inch Pots of Color
Now is the time to order Easter flowers. This is a beautiful way to remember those who are or have been a loving part of your life.
In Remembrance Of____________________________
____________________________
In Honor Of
____________________________
____________________________
Given By
____________________________
Price: $18
Quantity: ___________
Total: $______________
I will pick up my flowers after the Easter Worship Services.
Yes_________ No_________
Happy Easter
Golden Cross Sunday Offering
Half of your Golden Cross Offering will go to the Conference Health & Welfare programs to assist churches in helping people with disabilities and health crises. The other half of your offering remains at FUMC of Napa’s Health and Welfare Committee to support their budget to buy supplies for Memorial Service refreshments for our members, gifts for Easter and Christmas for our members who are homebound and also to buy cakes in celebration of those in our congregation who turn 90 years old. At this time we have 18 people on our homebound list and they are so appreciative of the gifts, phone calls and visits that they receive from your Health and Welfare Committee. Won’t you please help support this committee and their good work? We thank you.
Lavonne Van Cleve
Chair, Health & Welfare
The Blood Centers of the Pacific came on March 14 and collected blood from 16 donors. 7 people were "deferred" for various reasons. Some who have traveled to the UK during certain periods will be permanently disqualified; others were temporarily disqualified because of low iron levels or an insufficient amount collected. The people from the Blood Centers thought that this number deferred was not unusual and asked when they could come back, preferably before a year elapses. June Moroney, Co-Chair
Health-Care Bill Passes
'Huge step' toward
affirming United Methodist Social Principles
By Wayne Rhodes,
Editor, Faith in Action
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United Methodist General Board of Church & Society chief executive said the U.S. House of Representatives took a "huge step" toward affirming the denomination's Social Principles when it passed health insurance reform legislation on March 21.
Jim Winkler, chief executive of the General Board of Church & Society, said the House action affirms the United Methodist Social Principles that declares health care is “a basic human right.” The House passed the U.S. Senate version of health insurance reform legislation by a vote of 219 to 212. That bill now goes to President Obama for his signature into law, expected today. A second bill, to improve the Senate legislation, passed by a vote of 220 to 211 and goes to the Senate for approval.
“For decades, the General Board of Church & Society has worked alongside thousands of United Methodists to achieve health care for all in the U.S.,” Winkler said. “This vote brings us closer to that reality.”
Resolution #3201 in the United Methodist Book of Resolutions charges the General Board of Church & Society with primary responsibility for advocating health care for all in the United States. The resolution was approved by the 2008 General Conference, the denomination’s highest policy-making body. (Resolution #3201 can be downloaded from the General Board of Church & Society website by clicking on the following: "Health Care for All in the United States.")
Winkler pointed out that when the bill is signed into law important protections for every person will be enacted. These include banning health insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and more Americans will have access to health insurance.
“Over 31 million Americans are currently uninsured,” Winkler said. “This legislation will assist low-income working people who cannot afford the steep prices for health insurance now.”
Winkler said Jesus’ ministry serves as an example and a call to serve the least and the last in society. Jesus asked us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, Winkler noted, “setting forth a faith grounded in God’s abundance, generosity and a capacity for love that knows no bounds.” Important protections for every person will be enacted.
During her remarks prior to the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., thanked the 350 organizations, including The United Methodist Church, that worked to achieve historic health-insurance reform:
That is why we’re proud and also humbled today to act with the support of millions of Americans who recognize the urgency of passing health-care reform. And more than 350 organizations, representing Americans of every age, every background, every part of the country, who have endorsed this legislation.
Our coalition ranges from the AARP, who said that our legislation “improves efforts to crack down on fraud and waste in Medicare, strengthening Medicare for today’s seniors and future generations.” I repeat: “Improves efforts to crack down on fraud and waste in Medicare, strengthening the program for today’s and future generations of seniors.” To the American Medical Assn., the Catholic Health Assn., The United Methodist Church and Voices of America’s Children. From A to Z, they are sending a clear message to members of Congress: Say yes to health-care reform.
Winkler said he appreciated Speaker Pelosi’s comments about the hard work that The United Methodist Church has done in helping secure passage of health-care reform for all people. He pointed out that the denomination’s General Conference has been advocating for reform since 1980.
The United Methodist Church was not alone among faith communities in working for health-care reform according to Winkler. He said that more than 150 other faith organizations also sought change, working through coalitions such as Faithful Reform in Health Care. The General Board of Church & Society is one of four international general program boards of The United Methodist Church. The board’s primary areas of ministry are Advocacy, Education and Leadership Formation, United Nations and International Affairs, and resourcing these areas for the denomination. It has offices on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and at the Church Center at the United Nations. The text of Winkler’s statement follows:
Health-care reform legislation passes House of Representatives
The United Methodist Social Principles declares health care is “a basic human right.” The United States took a huge step toward affirming this right last night when the House of Representatives passed health insurance reform legislation. The bill now goes to the President for his signature into law. A second bill was adopted by a vote of 220 to 211 and now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to pass. Health-care reform will ensure that more Americans have access to health insurance. I appreciate that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi thanked The United Methodist Church for the support our denomination has given to health-care reform. For decades, the General Board of Church & Society has worked alongside thousands of United Methodists to achieve health care for all in the U.S.; this vote brings us closer to that reality. When signed into law there will be important protections for every person including banning health-insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Health-care reform will ensure that more Americans have access to health insurance. Over 31 million Americans are currently uninsured; this legislation will assist low income working people who cannot afford the steep prices for health insurance now. Jesus’ ministry serves as an example and a call to serve the least and the last among us. He asked us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves — setting forth a faith grounded in God’s abundance, generosity and a capacity for love that knows no bounds.
We are not finished. There is more work to be done in the weeks, months and years ahead to fulfill the need for health care around the globe.
—Jim Winkler, General Secretary, General Board of Church & Society, Washington, D.C., March 21, 2010
Editor's note: The United Methodist Social Principles states, "We believe it is a government responsibility to provide all citizens with health care (¶162V Right to Health Care, click on 'Our Beliefs' at top of page)."
United Methodist Resolution #3201, which was approved by the 2008 General Conference, charges the General Board of Church & Society with primary responsibility for advocating health care for all in the United States Congress and for communicating this policy to United Methodists in the USA. The resolution can be downloaded from the General Board of Church & Society website by clicking on the following: "Health Care for All in the United States." Date: 3/23/2010
What is The United Methodist Church's Position
on
Health Care Reform?
"From our earliest days United Methodists have believed that providing health care to others is an important duty of Christians. John Wesley found ways to offer medical services at no cost to the poor in London. The first Methodist Social Creed (adopted in 1908) urged working conditions to safeguard the health of workers and community....
"The provision of health care for all without regard to status or ability to pay is portrayed in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:24-35) as the duty of every neighbor and thus of every person. In a conversation that began with the question of how one might obtain eternal life, Jesus asserted that one must love God and one’s neighbor. In response to the next question as to who one’s neighbor is, Jesus portrayed a Samaritan, an outsider, who coming upon a wounded traveler, provided him with health care. Jesus portrayed the duty to provide health care as (1) one that is owed regardless of the merit or ethnicity of the person in need; (2) one that is owed to the limit of one’s economic capacity – the Samaritan told the innkeeper, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend”, and (3) a duty that one neglects at the peril of one’s eternal life. In a democracy, our duty to our neighbor merges with the duties that the Hebrew scriptures assign to government: the prophet Ezekiel denounced the leaders of ancient Israel whose failure of responsible government included failure to provide health care: “you have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them” (Ezekiel 34:4, NRSV). The United Methodist Church therefore affirms in our Social Principles (¶ 162V) health care as a basic human right and affirms the duty of government to assure health care for all....
"The United Methodist Church is committed to health care for all in the United States and therefore advocates for a comprehensive health care delivery system that includes access for all, quality care, and effective management of costs."
—Excerpts from "Health Care for All in the United States," The 2008 Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church.
General Conference, the only body that speaks officially for The United Methodist Church, has taken no stand on current legislation, but has been a strong advocate for universal health care.
General Conference charged the General Board of Church and Society with the "primary responsibility for advocating health care for all in the United States Congress and for communicating this policy to United Methodists in the USA." ("Health Care for All in the United States," 2008 BOR)
What Does It Mean
to be
a member of the
United Methodist Church?
If that’s a question that you simply find intriguing, or if you’ve been attending our worship services pretty regularly over the last few months and have indicated that you’re interested in becoming a member of the 1st United Methodist Church of Napa, then we have a gathering just for you!
Beginning on Sunday, May 2nd – (skipping over “Mothers’ Day”) and continuing on the 16th, 23rd and 30th of that month – Pastor Doug and our lay leaders will be offering an opportunity for you to discover answers to that question above (as well as many others!) that you might have about our church. There is a curriculum, of sorts, but the most important aspect of this gathering will be the dialogue that we will have about our shared journeys of experiencing the presence of the sacred in our lives.
If you’d like to know more about this group, speak to Pastor Doug, but also get your name on a mailing list by contacting our Office Manager, Dianne Mahler, by phone (253-1411) or email (secretary@napaumc.org). We look forward to hearing from you!
Endowment Fund
Fund Facts
Endowment Fund balance, as of December 31, 2009 - $266,984
2009 total contributions - $2,313 with 14 contributors 2009 interest payout - $11,264
This fund is governed by the CA-NV United Methodist Foundation
located in Sacramento with the Santa Rosa office managing our fund.
The Endowment Fund is a permanent fund. Interest earnings are
placed under the discretion of the Board of Trustee and are used for
special programs and maintaining our historical building.
It is IMPORTANT to note Endowment Fund on any contributions.
Committee Members
Annette Perry-Chairperson, Mary Herzog, Hugh Reat, Hugh Silcox
The Oakland - East Bay Gay Men's Chorus Returns to Napa!
The Oakland - East
Bay Gay Men's Chorus is performing its Spring Concert
Series
this coming April. The Friday night performance will be here in Napa.
Friday, April 16th at 8:00 pm – Peace Within
***a portion of the proceeds from this concert will benefit PFLAG Napa***
First United Methodist
Church
625 Randolph Street
Napa, CA 94559
Napa Ticket Prices: $15 Adult, $12 Children, Seniors, Students with ID
Advance tickets are available through the church office or online at: www.oebgmc,org or www.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 800-706-2389. Tickets may also available at the door on the day of performance, prior sales permitting.
The OEBGMC Spring Concert traditionally is an array of more classical music offerings. This year is no exception. The title of this year's Spring Concert is Peace Within, featuring Requiem in D Minor by Cherubini. Life and death are so intertwined that to celebrate either requires an understanding of both. Regarded by Beethoven as the greatest composer of his time, Cherubini grappled with his own death by composing this impassioned Requiem for Men's Chorus. Intertwining each movement, you will hear twentieth-century American works that celebrate all that is life: love, happiness and friendship. In this way, we juxtapose death with life, opening the possibility of finding Peace Within.
McCurdy's School Scores Again
The United Methodist Women has mailed their fourth contribution of Campbell Labels and Box Tops for Education to the McCurdy School in Espanola, New Mexico. This is our largest number of labels yet. We mailed 457 Campbell labels making a total of 1, 358 and 156 Box Tops for Education bringing our total to 614. How are the box tops & labels used? The box tops are exchanged for money. Each one is worth 10 cents. Labels can be used to purchase sports equipment, school supplies etc. A few years ago McCurdy was able to purchase a sports van for school use with labels. McCurdy School is one of the 103 institutions that UMW supports in the United States. For more information check the bulletin board in the Fellowship Room. GREAT WORK - THANK YOU Aletha Silcox
Bay View Spiritual Growth Retreat – Saturday, March 27 8:30-2:00
Lake Park UMC, Oakland - “Gather Together” – Contact Joan Feury if you are going.
Upcoming March and April dates for UMW meetings are as follows:
April 8th
10:00 a.m. Patricia Riddell Circle FUMC in Kagawa Room
Contact: Doris Forsythe 944-2654
Lois Nelson 257-3160
1:00 p.m. Judith Newton Circle meet at member’s home
Contact: Ann Thieme 258-1800
1:30 p.m. Lillian Wallace Circle meet at member’s home
Contact: Eleanor Greig 255-8056
Twyla Kellerman 224-3226
Next Sarah Crosby meeting:
March 26th Friday - 11:30-1:30 a.m. - Parlor
Contacts: Janeen Breyman 265-6918
Amy Herzog 251-8768
Next Unit meeting:
April 15– 7:00 P.M. Fellowship Hall– Program “ Social Justice, Immigration, and Food" - Sarah Crosby presenting and Susanna Wesley hosting. Call Joan Feury at 287-2024 for "UMW taxi service". We can have you home by 9:00 p.m. Hope you can come. All are welcome. Bring a friend.
First United Methodist Church
625 Randolph St. Napa 94559
Office: (707) 253-1411 Fax#: (707) 253-1976
www.napaumc.org
Facebook: Napa First United Methodist Church
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
Grapevine Schedule
The next deadline is April 8th and it will be mailed out on April 14th.
Please email your articles to secretary@napaumc.org
Help For Haiti
Please make your checks out to FUMC and write Haiti on the memo line.
100% of all donations go directly to
UMCOR for earthquake relief efforts.
Thank you for your generosity.
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
Mar. 28 Scripture: Isaiah 50:4-9; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 22:14-23:56
Rev. Roger Kimble—Palm Sunday God’s House Band
Apr. 4 Scripture: Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-24; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; John 20:1-18
Rev. Doug Monroe—Easter Sunday Cathedral Choir
Apr. 11 Scripture: Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 150; Revelations 1:4-8; John 20:19-31
Rev. Roger Kimble—Second Sunday of Easter Special Music
Apr. 18 Scripture: Acts 9:1-20; Psalm 30; Revelations 5:11-14; John 21:1-19
Rev. Doug Monroe God’s House Band