VINEYARD PRESS. Sonoma United Methodist Church Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors. June A Note From Our Pastor

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1 U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H O F S O N O M A VINEYARD PRESS A Note From Our Pastor June 2015 God of diversity, Help us to love otherness. God of the Jesus mystery, Help us to burn out hatred. God of the Woman at the Well, Help us to know our true need. And God of the Ethiopian, Help us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Amen. ~Michael Battle The world is a messy and chaotic place. There is violence, injustice, famine, disease, pollution, poverty, hatred the list could go on. I believe that as Christians we are called to be healers in this world but how? The prophet Micah offers these instructions for our lives: Seek justice Love kindness Walk humbly with God. It is tempting to focus only on one of the three instructions. Seeking justice, for example, could consume us entirely. There is always another cause to be championed or another issue to be taken there is far more injustice than one person can handle, nevertheless we try to fix the problems of the whole world. Sometimes we focus only on loving kindness simply being kind to those with whom we come into contact. Loving kindness gives us all sorts of warm fuzzies, but it does not address systemic causes of brokenness it only treats the surface. To focus only on walking humbly with God turns us inward if our concern is only with our own relationship with God, then how are we in relationship with our neighbor? Seek justice, Love kindness, Walk humbly with God an ancient prescription for holy living. These instructions though cannot be carried out individually they must be carried out simultaneously. Here is another way to think about what Micah says: work to make things better for everyone (even those you will never see), treat one another (and all life) with compassion, keep your focus on the infinite and enveloping love of God. If your faith becomes burdensome, boring or bleak consider what part of Micah s call you may be neglecting. By no means is being a follower of Christ the easiest path, but it is one that brings joy and healing. Grace and Peace, Pastor M@ pearson Sonoma United Methodist Church Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors

2 Serving in Our Church this Month Worship Leaders June 7-Rich Hacker June 14-Barbara Nichols June 21-Stu Christian June 28-Eliot Carter Ushers June 7-Mandy Weil, Arlene Dixon June 14-Charlene Thomason, Al Adams June 21-Norm Wray, Arlene Dixon June 28-Dick Severson, Sandra Metzger Greeters June 7-Bobbie and Dan Jenkins June 14-Darlene Fish, Christine Missmer June 21-Volunteers needed June 28 Linda Miller, June Lea Jan Caine Bill Chalker Emmilee Hodges Garcia Al Gunn (recovering from surgery) Mary Hall Catherine Beatty Holt Irene Lewis Jean Parrish Doris Peterson If you would like to have your name placed on the Newsletter Prayer List, Doris and Bill Pitman please call the Church Office at any Gwen Siler time You may leave a messageto have a prayer request placed Bunny Taggart on the Prayer Chain, please call: Sally Tuller Margaret Johnson at Jerry & Loretta Thomas Sam Virts Sympathy and Prayers to the family of Eleanor Steele who passed away on May 30th, Our Prayers...Please include these folks in your prayers that they may find strength and relief.

3 Help Needed: Sonoma United Methodist Church has an open position for a Nursery worker on Sunday mornings, 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. and Additional days may be scheduled as needed, such as special services and/ or meetings. Pay is $10 per hour for qualified applicant. You may contact the church at (707) to have an application mailed to you. This position requires Safe Sanctuary training and a background check. UMW Circles and Unit Meeting Rebekah and Priscilla Circles will meet together on June 9 for their June meeting at 12:30 for lunch at Mary's Pizza on Highway 12. This will be their last circle meeting until September. The circles then invite you to their unit meeting Tuesday June 16, also at 12:30, for a very special special program. There will be a salad luncheon, followed by Hula Mai, a local group of women who will treat the group to a a program of hula dancing. Celebrating June Birthdays Stu Christian 6/1 Jonathan Lugger 6/2 Anabel Menefee 6/3 Jenny Yankovich 6/4 Ruth Hoaglund 6/12 Sam Richards 6/16 Carol Brumley 6/22 Caroline Dillman 6/23 Kathy Derby 6/26 Charlene Thomason 6/27 Rejean Idzerda 6/27 Your birthday not mentioned here? Please the office at sumcoffice@comcast.net with your birthdate and your family member s birthdates. How to reach our pastor: Matt Pearson can be reached through the office , via cell phone ,and matthewalexanderpearson@gmail.com Church websitewww.sonomaumc.com Our Presence Average Sunday Worship Service attendance for May: 66 Our Gifts May 2015 income $14,205 Amount needed for expenses $14,327

4 Sonoma UMC Fundraising Lucky S.H.A.R.E.S CARDS We continue to earn funds from the Lucky SHARES Card program. It is very easy to use and the program pays 3% on your grocery purchases, which is very high. You simply present the SHARES Card at the time of purchase and then pay for your groceries. But you do have to remember to use the card. It is not a discount card and it is not a gift card. An easy way to remember when you shop at Lucky is to put the SHARES Card in your wallet with the credit or debit card you use or with your checkbook. You can also use the SHARES Card in the self-check lanes: touch the SHARES button on the screen, swipe your card in the credit card reader, and then scan your groceries. If you need SHARES Cards, please contact Ann Wray and let her know how many you want. Please ask your family and friends to use a card for us too. Every bit helps! The Sonoma Market/Glen Ellen Village Market Community Card Earn up to 5% for the church with your qualifying purchases every time you shop at Sonoma Market and Glen Ellen Village Market. This program is part of escrip. How to enroll: Recycling Your Ink Jet Cartridges SUMC earns money for collecting and returning small INK JET cartridges that are used in basic computer printers through the Empties 4 Cash program. They are the little cartridges sometimes less than 2 square. No large toner cartridges are accepted. 1. Complete the registration form at the checkout stand at Sonoma Market or Glen Ellen Village Market. To earn contributions, your card must be registered. 2. Select Sonoma United Methodist Church as the group to receive your contributions. 3. Use the card every time you shop and SUMC earns a contribution. SHOP AND EARN EASY as 1,2,3 1. Sign up or sign in at 2.Click on the Online Mall logo 3.Shop your favorite brands at online retailers to automatically earn for our group. Thank you for all the book donations. Please join Mary s Pizza Shack in supporting the SONOMA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH at a Dine & Donate Fundraiser on TUESDAY, JUNE 9 TH, 2015! Bring this flyer to Mary s Pizza Shack in Boyes Hot Springs or the Sonoma Plaza and support the The next big Used Book Sale will be in the Fall. Thank you for saving your donations until September when we will begin to collect books again.

5 The Vintage House Singers presents SPRING POTPOURI OF SONGS Refreshments Served Vintage House Friday, June 5th, 2 pm 264 First Street East, Sonoma Free to the Public POTLUCK AND DISCUSSION ON HOUSING 11:15am, Sunday, June 14 Bring your concerns, your suggestions, your friends And a dish to share. After church June 14, we will be having a potluck followed by a discussion on the housing situation. We hope you will come and have your say, hear what other people have been dealing with, make some suggestions about what should be done, and learn some people are already doing. Almost everyone is touched by the housing problems here in the Valley: skyrocketing rents and tightening vacancies... increasing numbers of empty vacation rentals... property taxes bumped up by rising house prices... landlords evicting people in order to gentrify... mobile-home parks raising rents and dropping services... the fear or actuality of homelessness. Spiritual Action suggested the potluck and discussion after hearing people s concerns and getting responses to the housing questionnaire. Everyone they talked to had something to say, and they felt that everyone should hear it. People also wanted something done, and getting together may help get that started. The movement of concern needs to spread. You are encouraged to invite friends, especially from other churches. Spiritual Action has also been meeting with a Latino group at El Verano School (18606 Riverside Dr.) and will be joining them in a community housing forum there Wednesday, June 17, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Some of them will be joining us here at SUMC, too.

6 Sonoma United Methodist Church 109 Patten Street Sonoma, CA Events and dates to remember: Sunday School for Adults, Youth and Children will resume in September. Friday June 5th Men s Group, 7 pm, TBA Sundays,June 7,21,28-Spiritual Action Group 11:30 am TUESDAY JUNE 9TH-MARY S PIZZA SHACK FUNDRAISER. All day at both Sonoma/Boyes Springs locations. Take a flyer with you for credit to SUMC. UMW Circles meet at Mary s for lunch. June 9th, 12:30 pm Tuesday, June 16th, UMW Unit Meeting 12:30pm-with program and salad luncheon. Tuesdays, Bible Study with Rejean Idzerda 3:30 pm at Brookdale. Bell Choir on Tuesdays at 4:30 pm Wednesdays, Koffee Klatch 10 am Wednesday, June 10th, Leadership and Education committee will meet at 7 pm Wednesday, June 10th, 7 pm Circle of Friends, Jenkins home. 830 Oak Lane. Family BBQ. Bring a dish to share. Saturday, June 13, all other committees meet at 10 am and Church Council at 11:30 am Thursdays- Quilters June 11 and 25. June 17th through June 21, California Nevada Annual Conference meets in Burlingame. Tuesday June 23 Brown Baggers at 8 am Parish Partners at 9:30 am June 9th 12:30 pm Both Circles meet at Mary s Pizza Shack Hwy 12- Boyes Springs location Bring your Mary s Fundraiser Flyer with you. Take a couple of extra in case someone needs one! ******************************************* Circle of Friends June 2015 Wednesday, June 10, 7pm Hostess: Bobbie Jenkins 380 Oak Lane Family BBQ, Bring a dish to share. 10 am Sunday Worship Service 9 AM Sunday School 11:15 am Adult Education Coffee and Fellowship following service. Childcare provided. Pastor Matt Pearson Phone: Cell: sumcoffice@comcast.net matthewalexanderpearson@gmail.com Koffee Klatch 10 am Wednesdays All are welcome! Coffee, Tea, and Refreshments. Please join us! Hosted by Loretta Thomas, Arlene Dixon and Frank Windes Brown Baggers Meet at the SUMC Kitchen Tuesday, June 23rd Join us for some great fellowship time while packing brown bag lunches for the needy in Sonoma Valley.