La Tijera United Methodist Church & Child Development Center Newsletter

Transcription

1 La Tijera United Methodist Church & Child Development Center Newsletter V O L U M E V I I, I S S U E 8 A U G U S T From The Episcopal Church s Presiding Bishop These words written by the Episcopal Church s Bishop this week spoke to our belief that we are ALL beloved of God and we wanted to share them with you: I am compelled to oppose these actions and to affirm the moral principle of equal rights for all persons, including the LGBTQ communities, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry stated in his statement. I do so as a follower of Jesus Christ, as Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, and as a citizen who loves this country. The Presiding Bishop s statement follows: In light of President Trump s tweet banning transgender individuals from serving in the military and the Department of Justice s argument that employers can legally discriminate against people on the basis of sexual orientation, I am compelled to oppose these actions and to affirm the moral principle of equal rights for all persons, including the LGBTQ communities. I do so as a follower of Jesus Christ, as Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, and as a citizen who loves this country. This conviction is not born primarily of a social ideal, but of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and the witness of our biblical and theological tradition. Genesis 1:26-27 teaches us that all human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. This is a divine declaration of the inherent sanctity, dignity and equality of every person. Further, the sanctity of every human person and the principle of human equality before God are deeply imbedded in the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. In Mark 22:26 and Luke 13:10-17, Jesus teaches the inherent worth and dignity of the human person. In Matthew 5:43-38, he tells us of Dates to Remember... God s love for all people equally. In Luke 10:25-37, he commands us to love God and to love every person. Above all, Jesus teaches that we are to treat all others as we ourselves would want to be treated (see Luke 6:31-36).... I truly believe that the overwhelming goodness and kindness and sense of justice of the American people are summed up in the words of the Pledge of Allegiance, which says that we are one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Therein is the soul of America! So, to the transgender individuals currently serving in the armed forces: thank you. We are grateful for your service and for your sacrifices. We support you and all service members and veterans. You are our neighbors, brothers and sisters in God s human family, and fellow citizens of this country we love. - The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church 08/04 Center closed for Staff Development 08/06 Worship at 9:30 a.m. Communion will be served. 08/06 The Gathering at 6:30 p.m., a service of prayer, meditation, scripture, silence & music in the style of Taize 08/08 PATH Birthday Party 08/12 Joint Board Meeting 08/13 Worship at 9:30 a.m. 08/15 1st day of school at LAUSD 08/17 Ad Council, 6:30 pm 08/18 Movie Night at 7:00 p.m. (see page 3) 08/19 Faith Rooted Organizing Training (see last page) 08/20 Worship at 9:30 a.m. 08/27 Worship at 9:30 a.m. 09/04 Labor Day the Center will be closed.

2 P A G E 2 The Wesley Challenge Are you ready for a challenge? Are you ready for a Wesley challenge? Are you asking yourself Wesley who?!! Do we really know who John Wesley was and what he means to the United Methodist Church? Are you curious about what this whole United Methodist thing is all about? If you are already familiar with John Wesley, are you ready to explore his twenty-one questions? The Wesley Challenge introduces us to the founder of United Methodism in a practical and accessible way through twenty-one questions studied over three weeks. Renew your passion and discover a deeper commitment to God one that is authentic, vulnerable and soul-shaping. We will meet at 7:00 p.m. for three consecutive Mondays, starting on Monday, September 11th and finishing on Monday, September 25th. The cost of the book is $10.00, but no one will be turned away due to a lack of funds. Please RSVP to: info@latijeraumc.org. Summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. - Henry James Alive & Running! On Sunday, September 24th, we invite you to join us at the Alive & Running 5K Walk/Run for Suicide Prevention & Awareness we will not hold our worship service in the sanctuary we will be at the starting line of the 5K! We will meet at the race location the morning of the 24th, lift up a prayer together, then walk, run, stroll, jog, laugh, and share stories as we raise awareness and money for suicide prevention. If you would like to support Team La Tijera UMC here s how you can do it! Our Team page is up and running! To register, visit: support.didihirsch.org/ aliveandrunning and search for Team La Tijera UMC or the name of a member of the Team and help us make a difference. Pastor Lyda is once again the Team Captain and is looking forward to raising funds for suicide awareness and prevention. Become a part of Team La Tijera sponsor a walker support suicide prevention & awareness programs! L A T I J E R A U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T

3 V O L U M E V I I, I S S U E 8 Movie Night at La Tijera Friday, August 18th Friday, August 18th at 7:00 p.m. - it s Movie Night at La Tijera! We will continue our exploration into our role as stewards of all of God s creation and view the film, Promised Land, starring Matt Damon, John Krasinski and Francis McDormand. A corporate salesman has been dispatched to the rural town of McKinley with his sales partner to offer much-needed relief to the economically hard-hit residents in exchange for drilling rights to their properties. As they grapple with a surprising array of both open hearts and closed doors, the outsiders soon discover the strength of a small town at a crossroads. This film is rated R for language. Ask the UMC: What is Grace? United Methodists understand grace as a gift from God, the undeserved, unmerited, and loving action of God in human existence through the ever-present Holy Spirit. In an Interpreter magazine article on the gift of grace, Bishop Will Willimon said, "In the Wesleyan tradition, grace can be defined as the power of God working in you to give you a transformed life." We experience three kinds of grace in our life with God prevenient, justifying and sanctifying.. Prevenient grace literally means "the grace that comes before." Prevenient grace calls us into a relationship with God before we are even aware of God. It prepares us for the dawning awareness that God loves us so much that God seeks us out first. Justifying grace happens when Christians abandon all those vain attempts to justify themselves before God, to be seen as just in God s eyes through religious and moral practices. When God s justifying grace is experienced and accepted, it s a time of pardon and forgiveness, of new peace and joy and love. Sanctifying grace enables us to grow into the image of Christ and leads to inward and outward holiness. Rev. Wendy Hudson-Jacoby explained in Interpreter magazine, "Grace, God acting in our lives, is truly free. However, we know that from God's side, grace is costly. The cross is a stark response of how costly grace is to God. To give ourselves to God in response to this grace costs us our lives. "However, there is a greater cost the cost of not responding, the cost of non-discipleship. When we don't respond to God's grace it costs us peace with God, the peace of God, the joy of knowing that we belong to God, and the power of God working in our lives to accomplish what we simply cannot accomplish on our own." From The Upper Room Dictionary of Christian Spiritual Formation: "As an internal disposition and fruit of the Spirit, peace is a sign of faith and discipleship. Peace gives Christians the ability to have grace when facing enemies, an inward knowledge of and conformity to the will of God, a spiritual blessing, and a sense of calm and assurance, a trust that cannot be willed into existence but can only be felt when it is given. Peace found throughout the community and world is considered a sign of God's kingdom as envisioned by Jesus Christ. We experience peace, individually and as a community, as we respond to God s grace. This content was produced by InfoServ, a ministry of United Methodist Communications. First published July 21, For more on what United Methodist s believe, visit P A G E 3 Aaaah summerthat long anticipated stretch of lazy, lingering days, free of responsibility and rife with possibility. It s a time to hunt insects, master handstands, conquer trees, explore nooks and crannies, and make new friends. - Darrell Hammond

4 P A G E 4 Don t forget the Center will be closed on Friday, August 4th for Staff Development. Mayola s Corner Our Fall lineup is terrific! Looking back on where we ve been and looking forward to our school year leads me to believe that we CAN really do anything when we work together. We need to keep our biggest assets in mind our children! It is important to me that we all share the same vision, which is to provide the best quality program for our children. Teachers and parents are working together to ensure that children know their colors, shapes, the alphabet, and numbers. These are considered necessary skills to help prepare them for reading. As you may know, these skills are necessary for entering pre- K and kindergarten. This fall we are offering full academics for our preschoolers, ages 2-5, in math, science and reading readiness. We are hoping to restart our dance classes for a small fee. We will also be offering computer classes and a Spanish class this year to our children for free. If you have unused computer equipment that you would like to donate to help get our computer lab set up, all donations are welcome and tax deductible. Being nurtured by the Center staff is also important because while your children are here, they are forming social relationships and enjoying similar learning experiences. These social skills they get at an early age are a foundation that will guide them for the rest of their school years. We are so fortunate that as a team, we are nurturing these abilities through positive school and family environments. It is our objective to help them reach their goals and potential to become well-educated and sociable adults. I am asking that we all continue to lift up Teacher Mary and her family during this time of trial. Let s pray that she is victorious while she cares for her husband. Let s put our arms around them in prayer and ask for strength and wellness to them all. Bumblebees Wow it s August already! Time sure does fly. We hope everyone is surviving the heatwave! We welcome our newest student, Ethan, to the Bumblebee room. A huge welcome to Ethan and his parents! We look forward to a great start in your child s day care experience. This August we will enjoy lots of bubbles, circle time and lots and lots of singing! We will also enjoy reading and rhyming together. The children love circle time they make us teachers feel like rock stars! Have a wonderful August! - Teachers Kris & Suzy L A T I J E R A U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T

5 V O L U M E V I I, I S S U E 8 Caterpillars P A G E 5 July is gone and August is here. We are having a blast on these hot days with water play. The weather is perfect for playing and being outdoors. Please remember to bring hats, towels, a bathing suit, and sunscreen. Our water play days are Tuesdays and Thursdays when the weather permits. Hooray to Madeline whose vocabulary is growing, to Jude and Spencer who are using spoons to feed themselves, and to Shay who is standing up and will be taking steps soon! We are proud of our Caterpillars! We say goodbye to Finn as he and his family are moving to Virginia. We will miss you! Our themes for August: 07/31-08/04 under the sea 08/07 08/11 dinosaurs 08/ outer space 08/21 08/25 circus 08/28 09/1 zoo animals Thanks for all your support hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! - Teacher Rosy Transition II We hope everyone is enjoying their vacations and summer with family although we miss our friends and hope to see them soon. The children are enjoying outside time and activities and water play tops the list. The children are displaying their social and sharing skills. They are experiencing different textures through touch, such as comparing water, wet sand and dry sand by using the water table and the sand table. They are painting and using crayons outside, and really enjoying water painting the wall. We explore nature and talk about all the things we are noticing outside. Happy birthday to Tianna and Tiarra! We hope everyone continues to have a wonderful summer! - Teacher Chestina Open Enrollment is Happening Now! One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter Henry David Thoreau Stop! Look! Proceed with Caution! A Word about Earthquake Preparedness Kits Is your earthquake preparedness kit up to date? Each child must have one at the Center. Please help us help your children in case of an emergency. Thank you. When entering or leaving the parking lot, please remember that children are present. Thank you.

6 La Tijera United Methodist Church & Child Development Center Osage Avenue Los Angeles, CA Church: (3 10) Center: (310) Lyda Mayola We re on the web Latijeraumc.org We are a Reconciling church! ALL are welcome here. From Lyda... There is a lot going on in the world right now much which is challenging and even frightening. Racism, othering of people who are different from the status quo, discrimination against women, discrimination against the LGBTQ population, destruction of the environment, hatred of our Muslim brothers and sisters, and xenophobic attitudes in many world leaders seems to be getting worse. In one day alone, we witnessed the current administration s proposed banning of transgender military personnel threatening as many as 15,000 active-duty transgender troops who put their lives on the line for the country they love; the nomination of Kansas Governor Sam Brownback as an international ambassador a person the New York Times calls, a vocal opponent of gay rights ; and our government asserted that federal civil rights laws can t apply to LGBTQ people. Fossil fuels are once again being offered as clean energy, and national monuments are under threat for oil drilling. A Texas wildlife preserve is scheduled to be destroyed to build a wall to keep others out. Bees are endangered and trees are dying. It s as if the lid has been taken off of a Pandora s box of greed, hatred and ignorance and we don t know how to put it back on again. I don t agree with any political party playing the blame game or name calling those with whom they disagree. I believe that injustice, discrimination, and denying the need to take care of our planet and of each other, must be addressed in our churches, our communities, our country, and in our leadership. I have struggled with ways in which faith communities can stand up and follow the example that Jesus gave us by using love instead of hate. I have asked myself the question, What role does my faith play in shaping a world that reflects Christ s love? On August 19th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Hollywood United Methodist Church, you are invited to attend Faith Rooted Organizing Training. We will learn how to articulate our beliefs for justice in the language of faith. This training will focus on the basics of community organizing and legislative advocacy - in our political system or even inside the church. If you are looking for a way to respond to the difficulties in the world around us, to be proactive and effective, and to explore how our faith can shape the world, join me on August 13th and attend Faith Rooted Organizing Training. The cost of the workshop is $15.00 and includes lunch and training materials. Please RSVP to: pastorbridie@gmail.com. If you have any questions, feel free to Pastor Lyda.