Santa Monica FUMC

CAST IS BACK!
CAST is proud to announce our Fall productions! Children K - 4th will perform Alice in Wonderland. Join Alice’s madcap adventures in Wonderland as she chases the White Rabbit, races the Dodo Bird, gets tied up with the Tweedles, raps with a bubble-blowing Caterpillar, and beats the Queen of Hearts at her own game. Auditions will be held on Monday, September 13, from 4 - 6 pm (everyone who auditions will be cast). Rehearsals will be on Mondays from 4 - 6 pm. And the performances are Friday, November 12, at 7 pm and Saturday, November 13, at 2 pm.
Youth 5th - 12th grade will perform Godspell Junior, a groundbreaking and unique reflection on the life of Jesus, with a message of kindness, tolerance and love. Auditions will be held on Thursday, September 9, from 4 - 6 pm. Rehearsal will be Thursdays from 4 - 6 pm. And the performances are Friday, November 19, at 7 pm and Saturday, November 20, at 2 pm.
There is a $100 activity fee (sibling discount available) and scholarships are available. For more information, contact Camille Mattick at 310-393-8258 x104 or camille.mattick@santamonicaumc.org.

NEW CLASSES
Calling all heretics, orthodox (right believers), seekers and the like, join Rev. Robert English for a new class called, Back to the Basics: An Introduction to Christian Theology, History and Basic Doctrine. This will be a four-week study on 9/19, 9/26, 10/10, and 10/17 after church from 11:30 am-1:00 pm. Concurrently, he will be leading a second opportunity after PAUSE worship on Thursday evenings from 7:15 pm-8:30 pm on 9/23, 9/30, 10/7 and 10/14. This study will infuse our history, tradition, theology and doctrine of the church as it has been handed down to us generation after generation. All are welcome! Each class session will build off of the previous, so active participation in all sessions is encouraged. Both classes will be held in Room 101.
Join Rev. Camille Mattick for a Women’s Bible Study on Mondays from 7 - 8:30 pm beginning on September 20 (for 6 weeks) in Room 203. For women of all ages who are hungry for studying scripture and making it relevant in today’s world. Childcare available.

NEW ART EXHIBIT BENEFITS UBH
Ruth Leaf is an internationally known printmaker living in Venice, CA. Now in her 80s, she continues to work daily, exploring and creating new images of our world and of the universe. Ruth’s work will be on display in the Fireside Room beginning on Homecoming Sunday, September 12. She has generously donated her works to Upward Bound House. Over the past 3 years, sales of her work have generated over $80,000 for housing homeless families. Stop by to view her art and/or to purchase a piece and support UBH at the same time.

SAFE SANCTUARY TRAINING
Calling all children/youth teachers and counselors, ushers, committee/council/group leaders, and anyone else who is interested: we will be holding a Safe Sanctuary Training on Sunday, September 19, at 11:15 am in Simkins Hall. Per FUMC’s policy, everyone working with children and youth is required to complete this training annually. Please plan to join us!

SEPTEMBER COFFEE FELLOWSHIP
September 5: Chancel Choir
September 12: Lay Leadership
September 19: Partnership with God
September 26: Guidance & Outreach

PAKISTAN FLOOD RELIEF
Since early August, heavy monsoon rains have caused severe damage throughout Pakistan, affecting about 14 million people. More than 1400 people have died, and homes, crops, bridges, roads, government buildings, and businesses have been destroyed. The floodwaters have made Pakistan increasingly vulnerable to waterborne diseases such as diarrhea and cholera. Our United Methodist Committee on Relief is responding to the Pakistan floods in collaboration with our partners on the ground there, providing clean drinking water, food, temporary shelter, and medical aid to tens of thousands of people affected by the crisis. You may offer financial support to UMCOR to help in their relief efforts by making checks payable to “FUMC” with “Pakistan Advance #982450” on the memo line. Either drop them in the collection plate during worship or deliver to the church office.

BOOK STUDY & POTLUCK RESUMES
We kick off the new season on Sunday, September 26, at 11:30 am in the Fireside Room. Books are available in the church office for purchase. This month’s selection is Where Mercy Fails: Darfur’s Struggle to Survive by Chris Herlinger and Paul Jeffrey.
Patricia first met Paul Jeffrey more than 20 years ago when he was a UM missionary/photojournalist in Central America. This book brings us many of his extraordinarily powerful photos from Darfur along with commentary and theological reflection on the suffering and violence in that region of the world. Paul will be preaching and speaking at Westwood UMC on September 19 with his photographs on display and we hope to join him to meet him and hear from him directly. Visit the church website for the full list of books and guests for the year. All are invited!

CHURCH NOTES:
Rev. Patricia Farris will be teaching United Methodist History again at Claremont School of Theology on Wednesday mornings this Fall.

We will be receiving New Members during worship on Homecoming Sunday, September 12. Anyone
who is interested, please contact one of our pastors.

We are pleased to again host the Santa Monica Synagogue and Rabbi Jeff Marx for High Holy Days
observances this year which will be on September 8-9 & 17-18.

Advent Devotional writers needed! Our Spiritual Formation Council is looking for volunteers to make this year’s Advent Devotional Booklet an uplifting read. If interested, please contact Ann Wagner at annwagner21@yahoo.com.

We want to make sure we have a complete list of names for 4th grade Bibles this year. Please contact Camille Mattick in the church office with your child or grandchild’s name if they are in 4th grade this year. The Bibles will be presented on Children’s Sabbath Sunday, October 10.

As Summer draws to a close and all things Fall begin to take over our lives—don’t forget your pledge to FUMC! We are still relying on the commitments made during our last stewardship campaign. Thanks so much for keeping our church and our ministries on track!

Meet our new Sound Engineer for worship and special events Jeffrey Miranda. Jeff, hailing from Millbrae, CA, has been a church audio engineer for as long as he can remember. Starting in his home church in Northern California at age 10, he assisted, and then took over the sound duties. From there, he began leading sound crews for high school music productions. His love of music and sound led him to pursue a career in the industry, and he currently serves as a product support specialist—providing technical support and systems design for complex high-end installations—for Xantech Corporation, a professional audio and video control systems company. Jeff is also working on his electrical engineering degree. He is thrilled to be back on the board again, and you may have noticed him up in the balcony where he has relocated the sound system to better observe the service. In his spare time, he enjoys working on his cars, listening to jazz, and exploring his new home in Southern California.

BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS
Our 4th Annual Blessing of the Animals takes place at 10 am on Saturday, October 2, in the Courtyard. Animals lovers are needed to help plan this year’s event. Contact Nancy Perov at nancy.perov@santamonicaumc.org.

CHILDREN'S SABBATH
"Blessed to Be A Blessing" Join us on October 10 as our Sunday School children lead us in worship. They will be preaching, writing and leading all the liturgy, and even helping to choose the hymns we will sing. During worship we will also present Bible to 4th graders as is our tradition. If youhave or know of a 4th grader who would like to receive a Bible, please contact Rev. Camille Mattick (310-393-8258 x104). Grandparents are invited to make a gift of a Bible to their grandchildren regardless of church status. We will also take this opportunity to give thanks and show our appreciation for our Sunday School and Preschool teachers. After the service, everyone is invited to Simkins Hall for practical and hands-on experiences that strengthen and equip families to live out their faith in their daily lives.

HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE 2010
Our annual UMW fundraising event of the season will take place on November 5 & 6 in Simkins Hall!

FUMC FALL FESTIVAL
November 7: Save the date! The entire church community is joining forces with our Preschool to make this year’s Fall Festival a joyful event for everyone. There will be activities for all ages and scrumptious food. Stay tuned for more information coming soon!

FLU CLINIC
This year’s Flu Vaccination Clinic is scheduled for Thursday, November 18, from 9 - 11 am in the Fireside Room.

LA DISTRICT UMW CONVENE FOR ANNUAL MEETING AT FUMC
We are hosting our LA District United Methodist Women for their Annual Celebration on Saturday, September 25 from 8:30 am (registration) to about 12 noon. The meeting will include worship, business and special presentations, and feature guest speaker Rev. Jeanne Roe Smith, Chaplin/Executive Director, Wesley Foundation UCLA. The theme is “Faith, Hope, Love in Action.” All UMW and those interested are invited to attend!

See the Church Calendar for a full list of activities and to verify exact times and dates.

Our Church Newsletter
Click on the above link for our Church Newsletter,
the electronic version of the Sentinel = the eSentinel!

Rev. Patricia Farris is now one of three co-editors of the on-line Circuit Rider Book Reviews. You may find them here: Circuit Rider Reviews

The church wants to be aware of the happenings of our church community and their family and friends. Please contact the church office if you know of any information that you feel might be important to communicate to our pastors and staff and/or for inclusion in the Sentinel. Feel free to call or email us with news of: births, deaths, anniversaries, graduations, special honors or any other celebrations or concerns.

WAYS TO SERVE
We have many volunteer opportunities available throughout the church. Please consider where you might use your time and talents:

TITHING
If you would like to tithe regularly to FUMC, there are several options. Please view our 2010 pledge card, print it out, and send the completed form to the church office (FUMC, 1008 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403). If you have any questions, please call the church office at (310) 393-8258. Thank you so much for your generous support for the ministries of our church.

COMMEMORATE WITH THE TREE OF LIFE
The FUMC Commemorative Tree of Life in the Fireside Room was started by our United Methodist Women to honor many of their leaders and members. It is now available to the congregation and makes a wonderful lasting gift and tribute. Leaves may be purchased in memory of a loved one or to commemorate significant events in the lives of church members. Funds raised through the Commemorative Tree of Life will be administered by the FUMC Trustees in support of the ministries of FUMC. Leaves are available at $500 per leaf. Text may be up to 5 lines, 28 letters/spaces per line in the current font size of the New Times Roman font. Please contact the church office for further information.

YOU CAN HELP FUMC WITHOUT EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT
In the times we’re living in, “every little bit” truly does help! Did you know that by signing up with a few different programs (which is quick and easy) you could be sending monetary funds to the church just by running your normal errands? At www.escrip.com you can register your grocery club/rewards cards and your various credit cards (optional). Then, when you shop at their participating merchants such as Vons, Macys, Pep Boys, Bristol Farms, OfficeMax and others, a percentage of your purchase total is donated to FUMC. Just enter our group name (First UMC) or ID number (166442608) to designate FUMC as your beneficiary. Other stores have their own programs that will also donate to FUMC, including Ralphs. Simply visit this page for the specific instructions. Again, it’s easy and will only take a few minutes of your time - but will give extra added support to the church so that we might continue valuable ministry to our members and community. Thanks!

GIVING TO FUMC - ONLINE
Did you know that we now accept payment/donations with credit cards? You may use a credit card to support various minitries of the church, to give your tithe, to pay Preschool tuition and much more! The link to giving options also permits credit cards to be used to purchase various services and items, such as concert tickets, poinsettias, Easter lilies and class registration fees. All purchases will have a 3% service charge added to the amount charged. There is no extra charge for donations. Check it out!

RALPHS REWARDS CARD
If you shop at Ralphs, we have a painless way for you to give to FUMC. Under their Community Contribution program, Ralphs donates to FUMC a portion of every dollar you spend at Ralphs when you enroll on-line with your new Ralphs Rewards Card number. Go to www.ralphs.com, click on “Community,” then on “Community Contribution." You’ll need our NPO (non-profit organization) number which is: 81295. Or you may call the church office with your Rewards Card number and we will be happy to take care of this for you.

(To make sure you’re enrolled, check the very last line on your next Ralphs receipt. It should read: “At your request, Ralphs is donating to First United Methodist Church.”)