June 1 - 14, 2008
Cover Story

BIG SUNDAY 2008 by Shannon Bishop

the bridge participated in Big Sunday this year for the fourth time. Seven members packed into the church van and headed downtown. When we got to the Los Angeles Mission, we were immediately put to work loading the elevator with plants as we went to the roof for our briefing of the job. “The Los Angeles Mission serves the homeless and poor on Skid Row, providing emergency food, shelter, medical care, education, job training and housing.“ We were there to “make the facilities more pleasant for their residents with very difficult lives” and “make the place look happy and welcoming” for the opening of their new Anne Douglas Center for Women.

After the briefing, our group was divided, with the men heading to the roof of the “men’s building” to work on the gardens for the male residents of the mission.

The women were assigned the outside gardens on Winston Street. After cleaning the flowerbeds of weeds and trash, we planted hundreds of flowers. Ellen and Rebecca planned and planted a colorful arrangement while I brought the appropriate flowers. Several people walking on the sidewalk stopped to admire the flowers before they were even planted and expressed their gratitude of our work.

It was a lot of hot, hard work, but we enjoyed the experience; it was wonderful to work for and with such friendly and appreciative people.

Participants included (from left top): David Penson, Shannon Bishop,
Ellen Polamero, Rebecca Arnold, (from left bottom) Alex Polamero,
Paul Deveaux and (not pictured) Noel Eaton.

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A FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Sunday, June 1 @ 7:30 pm
Joining our Chancel Choir will be the Santa Monica College Concert Chorale and the Los Angeles Concert Orchestra. The program is a special tribute to Halsey Stevens with performances of his works as well as the Fauré Requiem. Advance tickets are available through the church office. Suggested donation: $15, senior/student $10.

COME WALK THE LABYRINTH
Sunday, June 8
Have you walked the Labyrinth since the new floor was installed? Come try out the new permanent Labyrinth with a walk on June 8 any time between 2 and 3:45 pm. If you’ve never walked the Labyrinth before, there are people and materials available to guide you so that you might have the best personal experience.

GOSPEL BLUEGRASS & ROOTS MUSIC GROUP
Sunday, June 8 @ 7 pm
The Gospel Bluegrass and Roots Music Group will meet Sunday, June 8 , in the Fireside Room at 7 pm. All are welcome to bring their favorite songs, their voices, acoustic instruments, or just come to listen.

CELEBRATING OUR GRADUATES
Send Us Your Information by Wednesday, June 4!
In the next issue of the Sentinel we will list those graduating from high school and college/university. If you haven’t done so already, please send the names and details of your graduate to the church office ASAP!

FORMING A GULF COAST ADULT TEAM
Are You Interested?
The Gulf Coast Work Project Team is now currently seeking new adult team members for the next trip to the Gulf Coast on October 11 - 19, 2008. If you might be interested or would like more information, please contact GCWP Chairman Jon Ward at 310-828-7587 or email him.

SEE OUR OWN CHRISTOPH BULL
IN "ORGANICA" AT UCLA
Christoph Bull’s organ spectacular organica returns to Royce Hall (UCLA) on Sunday, June 8, 2008, at 7 pm. The repertoire centers around classic French and new contemporary organ pieces. The program will feature three organists: Christoph Bull, Chelsea Chen, and Maxine Thévenot, as well as mezzo-soprano I-Chin Feinblatt, videographer Benton-C Bainbridge, and performance painter Norton Wisdom. For more information & tickets visit www.uclalive.org, or call 310-825-2101. You may also contact Christoph directly and find more information about his upcoming events at www.christophbull.com or www.myspace.com/xophbull.

JUNE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TIPS
Tools for Survival and Supply Storage
Check for search and rescue tools like a crow bar, shovel, leather work gloves and hammer. Check your emergency supplies like flashlights, portable radios and first aid kits. Store your supplies in an area you can access easily.
Reducing Home Hazards
• Repair electrical wiring and leaky gas connections
• Place large, heavy objects on lower shelves and hang pictures & mirrors away from beds and sofas
• Use straps or restraints to secure water heaters, furnaces, furniture, etc.
• Remove any fire risks, clean chimney, flue pipes, gas vents
• Store pesticides and flammable products away from heat sources
• Keep emergency numbers by telephone or program them into your cellphone

ADVENTURING IN ROMANIA
by Larry Young
Frequently I get questions as to what adventures my retirement has led me to–so here’s an update. I recently completed a two-week stint teaching conversational English to some students in Romania, from grades 3 to 12. I went under the auspices of a group called Global Volunteers which provides service opportunities in a number of countries. Carol Reich did a similar program in Hungary last fall. Romanians, like many others, realize that proficiency in English is essential to their economic future, and I found students there eager to grow in their English-speaking skills. A group of high school students were willling to give up morning time during their spring break in order to meet with our GV teaching team! By the time they reach high school, most Romanian students can carry on a good conversation in English, but they need help in understanding English idioms, slang, and the differences between British and American usage (they are taught British usage in school); and of course they need practice in speaking it. It was a great delight to work with such an eager and motivated group. Romania is a beautiful country with a rich history and culture, but one of the poorest in Europe. Communist rule there was devastating, and the nation is still struggling to rebuild its economy. It is primarily agricultural. From a tourist point of view, Romania offers a lot more than Dracula lore. I was able to visit two of the noted painted monasteries in the north and enjoy the beautiful medieval towns of Brasov and Sighisoara in Transylvania. I ended my trip with two days in Budapest, Hungary, which of course is also a beautiful city. I believe this kind of service/travel opportunity would appeal to others at FUMC, and I would look forward to talking about my experience in greater detail. Yes, I do have pictures also!

UMW COLLECTING BOTTLE CAPS
The UMW are collecting metal bottle caps (the kind used on glass soda bottles). Bring yours to the UMW Workroom or to the church office.

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Over these past weeks I’ve received newsletter articles and notes from some dear friends and colleagues who are moving from churches they dearly love to churches they don’t know well. Like Dorothy, Ben, Cora and me, they are going through what Cora now commonly calls a “kind of confusing time” of transition. On the one hand there is the excitement of being near family: my parents, my sister and her family, our oldest son, nephews, nieces and cousins. There is the adventure of discovering a new city, with a new home, and the potential development of new relationships. On the other hand there are those feelings of loss: of relationships that have become so special and so significant and we know, no matter the distance, they will change. The things that have become so familiar have taken on a different feel – worship with you, our favorite Starbucks, the softball families with whom we’ve shared every Saturday and grown so close, even daily trips to schools. Change is always challenging.

Yet, in the midst of it all, I had the rare privilege of spending a few hours yesterday with Rev. Robert English, one of your new pastors, and am so impressed with him: his gentle way, his encouraging words, his wonderful smile, and his deep faith. Last week I shared Preschool Chapel with Rev. Camille Mattick, your other new pastor, and watched in awe as she did the infamous “cha-cha-cha” right along with the children. She engaged them with such gentleness and greeted each as they left to go back to class. And again I was moved by the privilege of handing this ministry off to such talented colleagues. You are in talented hands and the future is very bright at First Church Santa Monica.

I will share as I have with some that I am already working in Auburn on a similar yet smaller and less complex version of what you did with Upward Bound House. I will be flying up early next week to hear of the progress and offer my thoughts. Those I’ve met are a wonderful, talented, and faith-filled group of disciples who are seeking to be the hands and feet of God in this community of need. Let’s remember that they too are in this “confusing” time. My friend Rev. David Tinney (who is also moving) described it well as a wilderness time, an “in-between place” of growth and self-discovery for all of us. And friends, God is there in each situation. God is here working in and among you. God is in Auburn working in and among them. God is in Robert and Camille, Patricia and this staff working in and among each of them. God is moving to bring peace to the confusion, hope in the transitions, and love in the relationships. And it is in that understanding that we take our hope, our faith, and our trust that it is most certainly God’s future and God’s kingdom for which we work and move. May God richly bless you all. It has been a wonderful and growth-filled privilege these past four years. Thank you all.

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A LOVE GIFT
We bid a fond farewell and Godspeed to Brad, Dorothy, Ben and Cora Beeman as they relocate back to the Pacific Northwest Conference and Brad takes a new appointment as Senior Minister of the Auburn FUMC. We will miss them dearly. We will celebrate the Beemans’ time with us and their new appointment after worship on Sunday, June 15, during coffee hour. There will be a Memory Book in which you may write your memories and best wishes. We also invite you to contribute to a Thank-You gift. Please send your check to FUMC marked “Beeman Gift.”

BIRTHS
We welcome Olivia Kimju Ohr into our church family! She was born on April 15 at 6 lbs, 7 oz and 19 inches long to parents Catherine & Eugene Ohr and big sister Isabella.

We congratulate grandma Mary Jo Dalton on the birth of her new grandson Wyatt Carlisle Despain who was born on May 16 at 6 lbs, 1 oz and 19 3/4 inches long to Mary Beth & Darrin Despain and big brother Dalton.

CONGRATULATIONS
We congratulate our new Minister of Youth & Intergenerational Ministries Robert English (beginning July 1) who was recognized with the FUMC Santa Monica Edwin and Frances Witman Pastoral Care Award “given in memory of the Reverend Edwin H. Witman, a former pastor of the church, and his wife, Frances, whose seventeen year ministry was marked by person-centered pastoral care.” He also received the Hoyt Hickman Award for Outstanding Liturgical Scholarship and Practice “given to a graduating student who has shown evidence of a high quality of scholarship in the study of liturgy and is an effective leader of Christian worship.” Robert’s fiancee Allison Rainey received the President’s Award for Academic Excellence. Congratulations to both!

Our member Kellie Howard has won the Lori Petrick Excellence in Education Award from the Palisades Chater Schools Foundation. Kellie teaches second grade at Canyon Charter School and a picture of her with some of her students and a lengthy article about her and her work as a teacher was featured in the Palisadian-Post. Congratulations!

Service