The Grapevine
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF NAPA
(707) 253-1411
May 15, 2008
Open
Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors:
the People of The United Methodist
Church
…from Doug’s Deck:
Summer has arrived! For me this means more time on the water. If there is magic on this earth, I’m convinced that it’s contained in water. Even the faintest of stirring – as in a rain pond in the corner of my back yard – is enough to take me outside looking into its shallow depths to see what might be going on in there. A wind ripple on the surface of the Napa River may be translating itself into life. As the anthropologist, Loren Eisley, has observed, once or twice in a lifetime (if we’re lucky) we may find ourselves so merging with the sunlight and air and running water that we might find ourselves becoming one with the entire history of geologic time – the kind of time measured by mountains, deserts, and creations like the Grand Canyon. Like the circle in that fairytale into which someone stepped, and on coming out on the other side learned that a whole century had passed in a single night, we’ll never be able to completely define nature’s secret. But I’ll bet that it will have something to do with water.
Water is everywhere. It touches the past and prepares the future. It moves through the thinnest of cracks and wanders about in puffy and ethereal accumulations in the heights of the air that we breathe. It assumes forms of exquisite perfection in a snowflake, and yet it can also strip away any sign of life from a single smoothed bone that we find washed up by the sea.
One winter, a few years ago, heavily clothed against the cold, I went kayaking on a lake – no one else but a gaggle of Canada geese and me were on the water. But as I drifted by a section of the shore-line that was clumped with branches I happened to look down and found myself face-to-face with an entire family of beavers – all of them looking back up at me from their den with what seemed like as much wonderment at my presence there as I was with theirs.
I wonder to this day how they saw me. I held myself and the kayak very still and tried hard not to move or lift a hand since it would only frighten them. Drifting slowly out of their sight it finally came to me that this encounter is the most enormous extension of vision of which life is capable: the projection of itself into other lives. This is the lonely and yet magnificent power of being human. It is, far more than any cross-country adventure, the supreme epitome of reaching out and coming very close to touching the face of God.
I cherish such moments still.
In the cause of shalom…always,
Doug
Sierra Service Project will go to the Loleta Reservation in July
Wiyot people have inhabited California's northern shores for thousands of years. This area has long been renowned for its majestic redwood forests and thick salmon runs. Before the coming of white settlers, Wiyot people around Humboldt Bay and on Indian Island hunted the area's wildlife, fished for salmon and gathered roots for medicine, food and basketry.
Wiyot territory starts at Little River and continues down the coast to Bear River, then inland to the first set of mountains. Towns that are within the traditional Wiyot territory are McKinleyville, Blue Lake, Arcata, Eureka, Kneeland, Loleta, Fortuna, Ferndale, and Rohnerville. Rivers within this territory are Mad River (Batwat), Elk River, Eel River and the Van Duzen River.
Pre 1850, there were approximately 1500 to 2000 Wiyot people living within this area. After 1860 there were an estimated population of 200 people left. By 1910 there was an estimate of less than 100 full blood Wiyot people living within Wiyot territory. This rapid decline in population was due to disease, slavery, target practice, "protection," and being herded from place to place, and of course, massacres.
I am very appreciative to my church family for their prayers and support throughout the year while Mike survived his battle with cancer.
I will be participating in the American Cancer Society, Relay For Life on July 26,2008. The event will be held at the Napa Valley College. My co-workers have formed a team and we call ourselves, "Peju Pink". If anyone would like to join our team they are most welcome to do so. And, if anyone would like to donate to me personally or to the team they can do so by visiting the Napa Relay for Life website at http://events.cancer.org/rflnapaca. If anyone wishes to donate by check, please make it out to American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Please include Peju Pink, team #40 on the check. Checks can be mailed to me at my home address:
Oma Hackett
4459
Moffitt Dr
Napa CA 94558
Thank
you very much.
Families With Young Children
Let’s get together to enjoy Spring and welcome Summer. The Lewis Family has graciously offered to host another potluck BBQ in their backyard. Those of you who joined us last year will remember how fun their park (I mean backyard) is; climbing wall, zip line, trampoline, playhouse and lots and lots of open space. Please join us on Sunday, May 18th from 2-5pm. RSVP to Laura Brooks at 255-5203 and let her know what you’ll bring to share.
Next of Kin
Your church office would like to have an emergency contact for you. Please send your information to Dianne and she’ll keep it on file for you.
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 to whom we owe a debt of gratitude:
Kathryn Tolman is our Acolyte Leader and trainer. When our children get to third grade she invites them to be on the team; trains, schedules, and supervises them each Sunday. The kids love her and look up to her as their mentor.
Vicki Poli and Heather Banks share the job of GRAPE Express Chairpersons. They select lesson plans each month and recruit teachers. They make sure that all children are safe and where they should be. Also offering immeasurable help each Sunday are Laura Lewis and Susan Edenborough. They have all expressed their sincere gratitude to all of you who volunteer to teach Sunday School. Our children are very lucky to have these wonderful people who take time out of their busy schedules and devote it to sharing God’s Word.
Many Thanks to All of You
BUILDERS
Our next Builders meeting will be held in the Kagawa Room on Saturday, May 10th at noon. We will have a potluck lunch followed by a special fun game that you may remember from your childhood: “I have a secret!” We will all write something about ourselves that people may not know and then we will guess what it is. Please bring a dish to share, your own table service and your secret. We’ll look forward to seeing you at this fun fellowship. All are welcome, whether you are a Builder or a guest.
WANT AD
Wanted: a person who would be available once a month to create a bulleting board with the monthly theme for GRAPE Express. Please apply at the church office.
Church Women United
The CWU Clothing Center is in need of donations of all types of summer clothing, especially for men and for children size 4 and up. Please bring these to the center at 2473 Second St. on Monday through Friday from 9 to noon. Thanks for your help.
Re-Imagining the World in Parables
On Saturday, April 26th, three of us went down to Walnut Creek UMC to hear Brandon Scott talk about the parables of Jesus. Brandon (as Dr. Scott prefers to be called) gave us an interesting and entertaining day filled with a lot of new information. He started by describing a parable, the difference between parable and allegory, and why the difference is important. There is a considerable library of rabbinic parable, but the form is not used a lot now. Modern parables are the kind of thing that might be seen on bumper stickers, like: “Due to budget cuts, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.” or “We are making enemies faster than we can kill them.” Jesus parable of the banquet was used as an example of getting from the written parables in the gospels back to the oral tradition of Jesus time. After lunch, provided by the UMW, we dove into the parable of the Good Samaritan, which was understood in Jesus day much differently than it is today. Until you understand how much of a “bad guy” the Samaritan is in Jesus culture, the parable just doesn't have the same irony. Finally we finished the day with a discussion of the Prodigals, and how so many points of honor were disregarded by the father in this story. The final question is, “What happens when the father dies?” Brandon is a lively speaker who is not afraid to bend the edges of orthodoxy to provide a view of Jesus that probably better fits his place in history than his place in the trinity (if any). Peter Lutz
Why is our Circle named Judith Newton?
In 1980 UMW members suggested that all circles adopt the name of a missionary for their circle names. This circle chose to honor Judith Newton. We were drawn to Judith because of her California-Nevada affiliation. She was born in Sebastopol, CA and was educated at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, as well as the University of Illinois in Urbana, IL. Her father, Clark Newton, was a pastor and a clergy member of the Cal-Neva Conference with a home in Scotts Valley, CA.
When we first met up with Judith she was teaching English Language and Literature at Tohoku Gakuin University near Sendai, Japan. She also has a deep interest in music. She composes music and in 1976 published a book of original songs entitled “Went To A River”. She also is co-author of the book “Haiku, Origami and More” which was published in 1991.
We keep in close touch with Judy by correspondence, a birthday card in March, a Christmas greeting card signed by all and an annual gift of a copy of our journal, “Journeying Through the Days of 2008” (or whatever year it happens to be). We have been sending this gift since 1987 and Judy uses the journal to write her original music and thoughts.
We have had many visits from Judy over these twenty-seven years. The first was in February 1980 and the most recent was in May 2006. Snapshots of these visits have been put in an album for our records.
Judith continued her educational missionary work at Kwansei Gakuin University in Nishinomiya near Kobe and retired in 2004. She remains in Japan, working as a volunteer missionary at Hiroshima Jogakuin University. She also maintains her home in Scotts Valley, CA. We thank Ruth McIntosh for this information.
SSP Kids Thank Mike Edenborough
There is a new wall separating the Grenfell Room from the Wesley Room in the Bonner Building. It was beautifully built by Mike Edenborough. Mike generously donated all the money from his labor fees to our SSPers.
Mike, we can’t thank you enough!!!
G.R.A.P.E. Express for May
Please join us as we begin our last journey before the summer break. We will learn about the Ten Commandments. As we learn our verse, Psalm 119:34, “Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart”, we will discover that God’s rules are as important today as they were in Old Testament times; that laws and rules are a part of everyday life and are intended to improve our lives and make us safe; and that following the Ten Commandments helps us make good choices about things we say and do.
WATCH THIS SPACE FOR AN
ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT OUR END OF YEAR CELEBRATION!!!
UMW Unit Meeting
Thursday, May 15th at 10am
Program: God’s Song in God’s Mission
Visitors are Welcome
UMW 2008 Reading Program
Book Review
“Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an
Unexpected Life” by Queen Noor
This is a large print book and is found in the Spiritual Growth section of the UMW Reading Program library. It is the story of a US woman who became wife and partner to an Arab monarch. And it is the story of a mother coming to terms with the demands the king’s role as a world statesman places on her family’s private life. Most of all, it is a love story - the intimate account of a woman who lost her heart to a king and the king’s people.
Many thanks to Ruth McIntosh for recently donating two books to the UMW Reading library. “I Saw Rammallah” by Mourid Barghouti is in the Education for Mission category and “Madam President: The Extraordinary, True (and Evolving) Story of Women in Politics” by Catherine Thimmesh is in the Social Action Youth category. Both of these books are eligible for the 2008 Reading Program.
Put your Grapevine article here. The next deadline is
May 15th and will be mailed out on May 21st
This year’s SSP Gourmet Dinner will be held on May 17, 2008 at the home of Bill & Claudia Hanna. Appetizers and drinks will be served at 5:30 PM with a Peruvian dinner to follow. The menu will include classic Peruvian dishes such as ceviche, Causa Limena ( a potato dish), Anticucho de Carne (beef and vegetables skewers marinated in an Aji sauce), and Leche Asada y Alfajores(Custard with caramel filled cookies.) Tickets are available for $50.00 and can be purchased after church in the Fellowship Room or by calling the office at 253-1411. Thank you for your faithful support of Sierra Service Project. We look forward to dining with you!
Welcome New Babies
Carlyisabella Hart Wyndham was born on 4/21/08 to James & Samantha Wyndham. She weighed 6.5 pounds and was 19 inches long. Her proud great-grandparents are Annabelle and Charlie Mieth.
Harrison Patrick Close was born on 4/29/08 to Nicole and Gregory Close. He was 7 pounds and 19.25 inches long. His proud grandparents are Ron and Martine Patrick.
May you be nurtured by God’s love.
Graduation Sunday
June 1, 2008
Please plan to attend our special Sunday service of celebration for all who are graduating in 2008. Please call the church office with the names of everyone you know from this church who is graduating. Please also send a biography that we can publish in the Bulletin.
Pastor
Staff Parish Relations Committee
Have
you marked June 15 and June 21 on your calendars? Those two very
important dates mark celebrations for Pastor Jennifer Edenborough!
Help plan her Farewell Party for the 15th and come
to Sacramento for her Ordination Ceremony on Saturday, June 21.
Seattle Choir Visits Napa
On Sunday, May 25th, our Cathedral Choir will be joined by members of the Wallingford United Methodist Church Choir in worship. The combined choirs will sing a mass by Johannes Brahms entitled Messe. This is the first half of the exchange; our own choir will travel to Seattle in November and sing in their church (You may remember that we did something like this back in 2000.). So save the date as we welcome our fellow choristers!
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.
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
May 11 Scripture: Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-35; 1 Corinthians 12:3-13; John 7:37-39
Pastor Douglas J. Monroe Cathedral Choir
May 18 Scripture: Genesis 1:1-4; Psalm 8; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; Matthew 28:16-20
Pastor Douglas J. Monroe Bonner Bells
May 25 Scripture: Isaiah 49:8-16; Psalm 131; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Matthew 6:24-34
The Wallingford UMC Choir from Seattle, WA will be with us in celebration this week
June 1 Scripture: Genesis 6:11-22; Psalm 46; Romans 1:16-17; Matthew 7:21-29
Pastor Douglas J. Monroe God’s House Band