November 18 - December 1, 2007

Cover Story

WE WELCOME OUR NEW MEMBERS by Brad Beeman

What an exciting day it was last Sunday. At around 12:30, after a hearty lunch and a time of wonderful fellowship, we held our annual Charge Conference. We celebrated the many faces and ministries of First Church, none more powerful than what was seen in the new stewardship DVD. It literally said it all without saying a word. Represented in the DVD were the myriad ministries offered by this “amazing” church, reflected in the many diverse smiling faces.

Prior to Charge Conference, however, we took a few moments to be reminded by our District Superintendent, the Rev. Dr. Grant Hagiya, that each of us is responsible, each dedicated to, and each of us has covenanted to support the church with our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service. All undergirded when, as a part of both services, we focused on three who have chosen to covenantal support by
becoming the newest members of First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica. And thus, we extend a hearty welcome to each. Let me introduce them to you.

Todd Vollstedt comes to us by transfer from the Twin Cities, Minnesota. He was a member at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church where he served on multiple committees, including the Staff-Parish Relations Committee and the Board of Trustees. Todd moved to Santa Monica and now teaches junior and senior statistics (and other areas of advanced math) at Samohi. It’s great to have him here. Welcome, Todd!

Peter and Annalisa Harrington Peterson also come from Minnesota. Peter is a Systems Engineer, and Annalisa is a law student at Pepperdine. Annalisa comes out of a Baptist background and Peter from a Covenant background. These are two of the most gentle and wonderful people you will ever meet. Both Peter and Annalisa have beautiful hearts for service. It’s great to have them a part of First Church. Welcome!

We welcome all three and look forward to getting to know them in even deeper ways throughout the years to come.

From left: Todd Vollstedt, Annalisa Peterson, Peter Peterson

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Highlights

CONSECRATION SUNDAY
Sunday, November 18
We will bring our Stewardship Campaign to a close and consecrate our pledges during worship on Sunday, November 18. Be sure to bring your completed pledge card to worship OR mail it to the church office as soon as possible. Please prayerfully consider your contribution. 2008 will be a great year, with your help.

FORUM FOR HOMELESSNESS
Sunday, November 18
The Social Concerns Council invites you to join them for this panel discussion about Homelessness in our community at 12 noon in the Fireside Room.

ANGEL TREE FOR FAMILY PLACE
November 18 - December 9
The Angel Tree Project for Family Place is here again. Selections may be taken from the tree during coffee hour on Sunday mornings starting on November 18. Purchase the gift, wrap it and return it to the church by December 9 at which point you may take an angel ornament from the tree.

COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING
Thursday, November 22
Immunizations, blankets, haircuts, and yes, turkey, will all be available to those in need in our community at this annual event. Be a family in mission this Thanksgiving by participating! Look for the sign-up table during coffee hour or contact the church office.

A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
December 1 & 2 @ 7:30 pm
The Christmas Concert will include Magnificat by John Rutter and Carols, etc. for Choirs, Orchestra and Handbells compiled and arranged by our own James Smith, performed by our Chancel Choir, the SMC Concert Chorale, the Mark Twain Ringers and the Los Angeles Orchestra with Guest Narrator Peter Graves. Advance tickets are on sale now in the church office - suggested donation of $15 (seniors and students $10).

NOVEMBER BOOK STUDY
Dr. Amir Hussain, Prof. at Loyola Marymount University, will be with us to lead our discussion of his very helpful and informative book. Written for Christians by this Muslim scholar of world-religion, Dr. Hussain explores the differences between Christianity and Islam, as well as their enduring similarities. Dr. Hussain, an engaging speaker, provides an overview of Muslims in North America today and explores key points for dialogue, including violence and jihad, roles of women and men, and the practical aspects of how to be “good neighbors” to one another. The book is available for sale now in our Church Library.

ADVENT DEVOTIONALS
Advent begins Sunday, December 2, and is the time of waiting and preparation, once again, for the birth of Jesus. All Christians are encouraged to intentionally prepare themselves for the Christmas event through prayer and reflection. The following resources are offered to give guidance in this endeavor.

This year’s Advent Devotional for adults will be the November/December issue of Alive Now. This wonderful little magazine is published by the Upper Room. The title of this issue is “Fear Not,” a very appropriate theme for this time of year, as we hear that phrase echoed throughout the scriptures of Advent. Since the issue begins with November, copies are available now in the Church Office, in the Sanctuary narthex, in the Chapel narthex and at coffee hours on Sunday mornings. We are asking a donation of $2.00.

Advent Worship and Activities for Families is a great little booklet “chock full” of wonderful surprises for families to experience during the Advent season!! Check it out on the table at coffee hour. It will be available beginning November 18. We are asking a donation of $2.00

BLESSINGS TO YOU by Nate Risdon
In my journey of faith, I have been caught by surprise by life circumstances with some regularity, which in some sense is ironic. One such surprise was the birth of my daughter Abigail. She is a gift in the truest sense of the word – given freely and graciously by God. And it is an honor and privilege to be her father. Being a father has been one the most wonderful things to have happened in my life. And it has been and will continue to be one of the greatest challenges I will face. She has had an effect on every area of my life, including my ministry.

Since taking on the call of being a Parish Associate with this wonderful church, I have struggled with what it meant to be a good father to Abigail and a good husband to my wife, Mee Heh. This struggle came to a head when Mee Heh returned to work full-time in late August. It meant we had to enroll Abigail in daycare part-time. Since enrolling her in daycare, both Mee Heh and I have struggled philosophically with what it means for us to be good parents to Abigail. Abigail has not responded well to daycare and we came to the decision that we needed to do our best to keep Abigail out of daycare. However, this has been impossible while both of us work in full-time positions.

So for the past two months, I have wrestled with and prayed about what I should do. Recently, I came to the conclusion that I need to resign from my position as Parish Associate in order to be at home as a full-time dad. This was a very difficult decision for me because I have really enjoyed working with many of you, specifically the Sunday School volunteer staff,  the VBS volunteer staff, and the Social Concerns Committee members. I have been encouraged by how much you give of yourselves to this church, the community, and ultimately to God. However, I feel very strongly that being present for my daughter is an important part of being a good father to her. So with some sadness, I leave this position. I will miss those of you I have had the privilege of working with and I will miss the fact that there are many of you who I did not get the opportunity to know. I pray that God will bless you all and this church as it strives to live out its calling to be disciples of Christ.

SAVE THE DATE - UBH WELCOME HOME GALA
UBH will be celebrating 10 years of rebuilding families and will be honoring The Reverend Donald Shelby on Wednesday, December 5, with a reception and silent auction at 6 pm and a dinner and awards ceremony at 7:30 pm at the Skirball Cultural Center Ahmanson Ballroom. For more information or to purchase tickets or a tribute for Rev. Shelby, please visit www.upwardboundhouse.org or contact Kathlean Gahagan at (310) 458-7779.

TWO WOMEN + VISION = TRANSFORMED LIVES
The Church & Community Committee began with the idea to create sustainable solutions to impact the entire community. They have succeeded.

As the committee came together, they decided to do something that would benefit Upward Bound House (UBH). This was a natural fit as there are very close ties between FUMC and UBH. There was also a strong to desire to capitalize on the strengths of other FUMC committees in the process. Upon contacting UBH about any needs they might have, the idea for a food pantry was brought up. In providing food for Family Place residents, the residents could then save more money each month and graduate to permanent housing more quickly. In reducing the duration of each family’s stay at Family Place, more families can be served each year.

The committee quickly found out that what they wanted to do was unprecedented—no one had done something like this before. No one had ever done an in-house distribution of food based on the population’s desires and not just their needs. As they figured out how to make this happen, help started pouring in: The Boy Scouts got involved and made the pantry an Eagle Scout project, cleaning, painting and installing shelves. The congregation’s youth also lent a hand in getting the space ready. Food came in from the Westside Food Bank, local grocery stores, and local businesses. The Missions Council lent its expertise and assisted with food drives that involved five local churches of differing denominations. Schools also participated in the food drives.

Once the space was established and the food was coming in, the administration of the pantry was the final piece. After discarding the idea of using a rotation of volunteers and a detailed handbook, the decision was made to hire a part-time Food Pantry administrator. Elka Gilmore filled this role perfectly. Her impeccable organizational skills, ability to recruit volunteers, and her connections with the restaurant industry made her an ideal person for the job.

Under the leadership of Mira Pak and Phyllis Johnson the Church &Community committee has seen their vision become a reality. The Food Pantry is now a vital part of Upward Bound House and Elka, the original Food Pantry volunteer coordinator, is currently Upward Bound House’s Social Services Coordinator.  Because of the tireless efforts of Mira, Phyllis, and their committee, Family Place is able to serve five more families every year.

So when you see Phyllis or Mira, offer them some much deserved congratulations. And if you’re in the mood to transform some lives, ask them what they’re planning next.

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Our recent Charge Conference gave us the opportunity to say “thank you” to all those of you who give so much to make the mission and ministry of our church so very faithful and exciting. It was also an opportunity to say “thank you” to God for the many blessings bestowed upon us through the life of the church.

How appropriate in this season of giving thanks! Thanksgiving Day is our annual day set apart to say “thank you” to God and to those we love - a day to pause and count our blessings, a day to remember to be grateful and to give thanks. But if we’re tempted to over-indulge on too much turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie, we may also be tempted to focus all our “thanks-giving” on this one day. Instead, we need to make it our daily practice and let it become our basic attitude towards everything in life.

Did you know that researchers are showing that a daily dose of gratitude promotes health, happiness and social relationships? Psychologists in a new field called “positive psychology” are finding that gratitude is a key element in human well-being. Their studies show that grateful people are optimistic and energetic and deal better with stress and illness. And their research points to mental and physical health benefits for those who make a habit of “counting their blessings.” In other words, gratitude can make you happier and healthier.

Gratitude also builds connections. When parents teach their children to say thank you, they are not only teaching good manners, but also fundamental ways of getting along with other people. This is called “pro-social behavior” that enhances human relationships. Gratitude builds community and strengthens “the ties that bind.”

The ancient Christian teacher, Meister Eckhart, said: “If the only prayer you say in your life is ‘thank you,’ that would be enough.” That’s the wickedly simple wisdom of a spiritual master. How do we do it? How might we get to that level of spiritual maturity and grace? How might we let gratitude make us happier, healthier, more connected—and more faithful?

Another wise teacher once instructed his disciple in the art of the ‘smile meditation.’ “Just sit and smile,” he said. “Smile with your face. Smile with your mind.” Let your heart smile. I don’t know. Seems like another deceptively simple piece of wisdom that we all might do well to try. We just might find gratitude flooding in and resetting the contours of our soul.

If the only prayer you say in your life is ‘thank you,’ that would be enough.

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Community

UMW Thanks You
The UMW Los Angeles District Officers wish to thank the Prayer Quilt Ministry for the gracious and beautiful prayer quilt for, then President, Gerie Moody-Major. The quilt was tied by the officers at the UMW Mini-School of Missions held recently at Venice UMC and was presented to Gerie at her rehabilitation home. One month later, she felt strong enough to make an appearance at the Annual District Meeting at Westchester UMC and encouraged all in attendance to continue working towards our mission goals and to enlist God’s help in our times of need and/or thanksgiving - through prayer. Amen, indeed!

Condolences
We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of:
- Edrie Osborne who died on November 3. A memorial service will be held for her on November 27 at 2 pm in the chapel.
-Elisabeth Donley and Esther Neubauer who both died recently.

Births
We congratulate Kim and Matt Crawford on the birth of their first son Ethan Matthew, born on November 3 around 12 noon weighing in at 10 lbs 2 oz. We also congratulate big sisters Emma and Megan and grandparents Dorothy and Gale Williams and Mary and Dick Crawford.

Congratulations
We congratulate Chris Reagh who was recognized recently as a Vons Community Hero. The Vons Ink Newsletter reported that “Chris works tirelessly to raise awareness and educate people about cancer through the sharing of her own family experiences. She actively recruits Relay for Life participants and supporters.” Way to go, Chris! We’re so proud!

Meant to Be
For many years, we have stored curriculum in the hope that we could utilize it in the future. Thanks to the prompting of some of our volunteers in the Sunday School program, an ad was placed and emails were sent and a volunteer at the First UMC of La Puente discovered that we had exactly what they needed. This partnership allowed for the transfer of 3 years worth of Sunday School materials to a Children’s Ministry program working on a shoe-string budget. Sara Barnes responded “Many thanks, from me, the church and the lives you’ve touched!”

November Birthdays Over 90!
We celebrate with these special members who have birthdays in November: Dorothy Fox (92), Altheah Adkins (92), Dorothy Zimmerman (91), Vincell Ott (98) and Adele Murphy (93). Congratulations and happy birthday!

Service Update

Upcoming Worship