March 23 - April 5, 2008
Cover Story

A GLORIOUS PALM SUNDAY

Photos by Allan Walker. Click on thumbnails to view larger versions.

---

MARCH BOOK STUDY & POTLUCK
Sunday, March 30 @ 12 noon
Our book for discussion will be To Heal a Fractured World: The Ethics of
Responsibility by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Rabbi Jeff Marx will lead our discussion of Sacks’ (the Chief Rabbi of Britain) book on Jewish social ethics and the role of religion in alleviating the human condition through justice, charity, love-as-action, sanctifying God’s name, the ‘ways of peace’ and ‘mending the world.’ The book is on sale NOW in our church library. You won’t want to miss this challenging discussion.

GOSPEL BLUEGRASS & ROOTS
Sunday, March 30 @ 7 pm
The Gospel Bluegrass and Roots Music Group will meet Sunday, March 30, in the Fireside Room at 7 pm. All are welcome to bring their voices, favorite songs, acoustic instruments or just come to listen.

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION MEETINGS
If you’ve ever thought about joining First United Methodist Church or have questions about the church and its ministries, there will be two information meetings coming up on Sunday, April 6. The first will follow the 9:00 worship service and will be led by Rev. Brad Beeman - Minister of Family Life and Teaching. The second will follow the 10:30 service and will be led by Senior Minister - Rev. Patricia Farris. Both will be held in the Fireside Room, close to where we hold coffee hour. All are welcome to attend.

 

HAPPY BAPTISM
Addison Micka was baptized on Sunday, February 24, surrounded by parents Mary Catherine and Kenny and brother Austin. They sent this photo to the church office with their thanks. “We really appreciate all you did to make it such a special day for Addison, us and our family.” We welcome Addison into our family of faith and congratulate the whole family!

 

NEW MEMBERS
The Ohr family joined our congregation on Sunday, March 2. Eugene works for Capital Group along with our other recently joined member Lars Reierson. He and Catherine are expecting their second child to join sister Isabella in April. Welcome to FUMC!

 

BIG SUNDAY COMING IN MAY
The annual Los Angeles day of service is almost here again. Reserve May 3 and/or May 4 on your calendar for any of the Big Sunday projects taking place this year. Opportunities include: helping the homeless, working with kids, spending time with seniors, serving veterans, working outside, caring for animals. You may volunteer as a family, an individual or a group of any size. What are YOU going to do this Big Sunday? Brochures will soon be available in the church office. In the meantime, all the information you need can be found at www.bigsunday.org.

L. A. GALAXY'S FAITH & FAMILY NIGHT
Like soccer? We’ve done baseball. We’ve done basketball. Now, for the first time ever, it’s time to join as a United Methodist family and watch some soccer by the L. A. Galaxy! Our local MLS Soccer team is hosting “Faith and Family Night” on June 7 at 7:30 pm at the Home Depot Center in Carson. The Galaxy will be playing the Colorado Rapids. With the winning combo of Beckham and Donovan, we are sure to see some very exciting soccer! Stay tuned for more details in the weeks ahead.

 

---

“Blessed be the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in great mercy has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3

Along with so many of you, my Lenten journey this year has been greatly enhanced by our own Lenten Devotional Booklet, that marvelous compilation of your reflection, prayer and writing produced by our Spiritual Formation Council. Day by day, I discovered a window into some aspect of YOU that I had not known. It has been such a privilege to share your experience of the faith we hold dear. I come into Easter now with a renewed sense of journeying together among the company of God’s faithful people affirming, in all the marvelous diversity of our perspectives and points of view, our shared faith in God, our love of Christ Jesus, and our experiences of the renewing power of the Holy Spirit.

God finds so many ways “to Easter in us” as Gerard Manley Hopkins once put it. Making “Easter” into a verb in this way may sound strange to our ears, but isn’t it a beautiful way to express the life-renewing power of this season incarnate in us? God “Easters” in us, in order to birth us into what Scripture calls “living hope.”

And because God “Easters in us,” there is indeed “living hope” within each of us, and it is that hope we have shared with one another this Lent. In so doing, we have been able to perceive the precious and palpable ways in which together we are transformed into the body of Christ for the sake of the transformation of the world. There is an energy connecting us to one another, a relationship of living love, that carries us through the ups and downs of this life, that gives us courage to face into the future unafraid, that carries our sorrow and celebrates our joy.

We are God’s people. And God will continue “to Easter in us.” May we continue to hold one another in prayer. May we stay open to all that God has in store for us. And through this Eastertide and beyond, may the world see our hope and in it, find Christ.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

---

THANK FROM DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT HAGIYA
I want to take this time to thank all of you who were able to make the wonderful farewell event last Saturday (February 23). I am so appreciative of all of you, and want to thank you for sharing with me. I also want to thank each of your for your witness and ministry. I have greatly enjoyed working with all of you over the last 8 years, and I will continue to pray and support you from a different role this coming appointment year. Thank you so much! -Rev. Grant Hagiya

CONDOLENCES
Member Charles R. Brown died Saturday, March 14 at the age of 91. A memorial service will be arranged for him after Easter. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of this beloved member.

We recently learned of the deaths of members Kirk and Ferne Thompson. We send our sincere condolences to their family and friends.

YOU'RE INVITED!
Katherine Cole, soprano (and UMYF alum), will give a voice recital on Wednesday, March 26, at 7 pm in the Sanctuary. All are invited.

FAMOUS AND ARTICULATE
You may not know that our member Donald Lee Nelson frequently researched and wrote about 1920s and 1930s hillbilly music. A new collection of essays called Shreveport Sounds in Black & White (University Press of Mississippi) includes a reprint of liner notes Donald wrote in 1984 for a Texas Rose Records compilation of the music of Buddy Jones (“Louisiana Honkey-Tonk Man”). Way to go, Donald!

 

Service

Upcoming Worship