The Grapevine
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF NAPA
(707) 253-1411
April 15, 2008
Pastor’s Column…..
The Easter Season thrusts us headlong into the book of Acts. The book bears witness to the acts of the apostles that eventually gave rise to the church. The stories are filled with daring proclamations of the Risen Christ, persecution and suffering, and the unbelievable beauty and communal life of the early church. The stories inspire me, and convict me. If this is how Christian community can be, why isn’t it like that more often? Why aren’t we bolder and more persistent? Why aren’t we kinder and more gracious? Why haven’t we reached Christian perfection yet?!!
I, like many of you, I suspect, am a hopelessly imperfect messenger of God’s love. I get angry, and tired, and impatient. I give up, just at the moment I should press on. Sometimes I am just plain lazy. And, yet, I believe God works through me, just as God works through you. Even more, God calls us together to be the church, just as we are, flaws and all.
It really should come as no surprise that when a large group of imperfect people with different backgrounds and ideas come together there is hard, challenging work ahead. And yet, we still find ourselves surprised and alarmed when things don’t go as we’d like, don’t we? I don’t think Jesus ever promised this life together was going to be easy. He just promised that the struggles would be worth something! Here, we have the opportunity to grow in spiritual maturity and to strengthen the Body of Christ. As flawed and frustrating as it all can be at times, each step we take together draws us closer to God’s kingdom.
The Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador wrote that, “Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. This is what we are about. …..It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.”
May the Risen Christ lead us into God’s future and fill us with Grace for one another along the way,
Jennifer
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.
SSP Fundraising Reminders!!!
April is Sponsorship Month! Come to the Fellowship Room, read a biography and get to know our SSP Youth.
May 17 is the Gourmet Dinner at the home of Bill & Claudia Hanna. The menu will feature foods from Peru and tickets will be available beginning April 20 for $50.
June 1 is the SSP Carwash at Sleep City on Jefferson St. Stay tuned for ticket information!
Put your
Grapevine article here.
The next
deadline is April 17th
and will be mailed out on
April
23rd
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:
Shirley Ray, Communion Steward
On the first Sunday of every month you will find Shirley in the Sacristy, preparing for the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Shirley feels so blessed to be able to do this because her grandmother was also a Communion Steward and Shirley loved being with her as she went about her preparations. It makes Shirley feel close to her while she does this important job for her church.
Martine Patrick and
Trudie Atchison
You probably have noticed these two worker bees in the kitchen during our Fellowship Hour after worship service, busily making coffee and cleaning up after all of us as we have a wonderful time visiting with one another.
Loeta Stocking
Loeta has given us the opportunity to have cookies each Sunday. She arranges the cookie donation schedule and even calls us to remind us when it’s our turn!
Many Thanks to All of You
Spring
Book Study
Beyond Belief
The
Secret Gospel of Thomas
by Elaine
Pagles
Please join us on Sunday evenings at 7:00 PM, starting on April 20 for a discussion of Elaine Pagles book about the Gospel of Thomas and related Gnostic ideas. We will also read concurrently the Gospel of Thomas itself (it's not that long), because while the book title indicates that the book might explain that gospel, the book is really more about Gnosticism in general and partly about contrasts between G. John and G. Thomas. We will meet at the Lutz home at the regular time, and of course there will be cookies. Please contact Peter Lutz at 255-8593 or plutz@sonic.net for more information and to get a book.
More About Parables with Bernard Brandon Scott
If you didn't get enough parables in our Lenten Book Study, or if you disagreed with the author on any points, now is your chance to interact with the author. On Saturday, April 26th, at 10:00 AM, Dr. Scott will be presenting a one day seminar on the parables at Walnut Creek UMC. The day will be divided into four sessions, with lunch available in the middle. Session titles are: What is a Parable? From Gospel to Parable: The Archaeology of Parables. The Samaritan: What Does a Hero Look Like?. The Prodigals: The Kingdom as a Dysfunctional Family. So you can see that Dr. Scott is dealing with the popular (easy?) parables as examples. There will be a free will offering for the seminar, and lunch is $7.50. They would like you to register for lunch so they know how many to prepare.
For more information, see the Walnut Creek UMC website at: http://www.walnutcreekumc.org/
To carpool or get more information, call or e-mail Peter Lutz, 255-8593 or plutz@sonic.net
News from Staff Parish Relations
New Associate Pastor
In your last Grapevine you read about Jennifer Edenborough’s appointment to South Reno UMC, beginning on July 1st. So, now we are pleased to announce that Roger Kimble has been selected by the cabinet to serve as our Associate Pastor!
He’s promised to send us a bio and picture for a future Grapevine so that we can learn more about him. Stay tuned!
Party Sign-ups
Jennifer’s farewell party will be on June 15th, 2008 and if you’d like to help with the set up, food, publicity, decorations, memory book, etc...oh, and clean up, please call the church office.
"In
our end is our beginning . . . at the last a victory, unrevealed
until its season, something God alone can see."
Thank you
dear FUMC friends for your cards and prayers. Thanks especially
to Michael Herzog for his sensitive reading at Jerry's service.
We appreciate your support during this very difficult time.
The
Family of Jerry Hass
On Saturday, April 26th there will be a celebration of Jerry’s life , including a softball game and lunch. Please call Wanda at 916-456-5453 if you’d like to attend.
G.R.A.P.E. Express for April
We continue on our journey Out of Egypt during April. As we learn our verse, Exodus 5:1, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.’”, we will discover that God wants all people to be free, to be treated equally with respect, justice and kindness; we can trust God’s guidance and God’s care and know that God is always with us and we will learn that we are called by God and can respond to God’s call in many different ways.
Please join us as we begin our next exciting journey--Our next stop in May is The Ten Commandants—Psalm 119:34—tickets on sale now!
Six times throughout the year, United Methodist congregations celebrate churchwide Special Sundays with offerings. Your support is critical to the survival of these important ministries and for sharing God's gifts around the world.
Churchwide Special Sundays with offerings enable United Methodists like you to offer refuge in times of disaster, promote peace and justice, provide scholarships and student loans, reach out to the community, teach skills to encourage self-sufficiency and share the love of Jesus Christ with God's people everywhere. Six times throughout the year, United Methodist congregations celebrate Churchwide Special Sundays with offerings.
Your support is critical to the survival of these important ministries and for sharing God's gifts around the world.
Thank
you for your prayers and concern for our grandson's neurosurgery.
As Charlie would say, "all done." His eight inch "Z"
scar will be a constant reminder of God's tender mercies.
Bill
& Barb Sharp