THE WINDOW Claremont United Methodist Church January 9, A Taste of Advent and Christmas at CUMC

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1 THE WINDOW Claremont United Methodist Church January 9, 2019 A Taste of Advent and Christmas at CUMC

2 As members and friends of Claremont UMC, we support the church with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness. Our Prayers... Please Remember: To publish someone on the public prayer list, she/he needs to give consent to be published. Remember to keep the church office updated on your loved ones on the prayer list, (909) or Thank you. Unwillingly Absent We list all temporarily or permanently homebound persons and their caregivers who are a part of Claremont United Methodist Church. This reminds us that they are a part of this church, and would be here if they could. Dixie Allen, Myrtle Atkins; Jeanne Avera; Merrell Baker; Jean Bogus; Jay Carlisle; Sue Carlisle; Savannah Chalifoux; Elizabeth Clarke; Betty Cramer; Lila Haage; Dave Harshman; Dorothy Hartzler; Orion Morrison; Pat Pruden; John Regan; Ruby Richardson. New to the Prayer List Jane (Debbie Schultz s aunt) Joy & Family (Lottie Lilley-Coles daughter) Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg John Brown (Dick & Maralyn Tipping s nephew) Sophia Carrena (request from the Campo-Poe Family) Cecily Chaney (Pam Williamson s friend) Eleanor Dornon Matthew Hernandez (Tim & Lynnae Hernandez s son) Mike Hubbard & Ryan Ashworth (Andy & Candy Hubbard s son and son-in-law, death of Stephen Ashworth, Mike s father-in-law) Loved Ones of Carolyn Beauchamp Loved Ones of Bob Stillwell Gregory McArthur & Family (Pearl Viggers nephew) Peace, Joy, & Hope for All Debbie Schultz (surgery recovery) The Singleton Family (friends of Christine and Ethan Rincon) Maralyn Tipping Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen (World Council of Churches Countries of the Week December 9 through January 19) CUMC Members Abraham Alobaidi & Family Myrtle Atkins Vivien & Dick Bruner Insar Gohar (studies) The Haage Family Andy Hubbard Laura & Lottie Lilley-Coles John Regan Ed Richardson Joan Roth 2

3 Friends and Family of CUMC Members Alannah (Savannah Chalifoux s daughter) Donnie & Georgie Childers Family (Laura & Lottie Lilley-Coles roommate and his mom) Joanne Curay (Alfred Cramer s brother s mother-in-law) Dios es Amor (CUMC s sister church in Tijuana) Families Torn Apart at the Border Gloria Gastelum (Sharon Estrada s sister-in-law) Alexander Harris (Sharyn Landers friend) Improved Relations between Races Leaders of All Nations (cease from violence & hate) Love in the World Military Members Peace: in the hearts of our leaders, among all peoples Peacekeepers in Israel & Palestine The People of Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, Sierra Leone & Liberia Tijuana Churches in Ministry with Migrant Caravan Victims of Hate Crimes and Violence Joan & Irwin Weiss (Laura Lilley-Coles mom & stepdad) All Facing Deportation The Homeless & Hungry Those Struggling with Addiction, with Finances, with Mental Health Our Presence 12/2/18: /9/18: /16/18: /23/18: /30/18: 142 1/6/19: 175 Our Prayers and Condolences: We hold Michael and Cameron Couper-Cheung and family in our prayers as they grieve the death of Michael s grandmother. We hold Tina, John, Jenna, and Stephanie Mohl and family in our prayers as they grieve the death of Tina s mother. We hold Anna and Natasha Scott and family in our prayers as they grieve the death of Arthur Scott, Anna s son, Natasha s brother. We wholeheartedly seek and ask for God s comfort, love, peace, and strength to embrace these dear ones in their grief for their loved ones. 3

4 Our Gifts, Service, Witness My Sincerest Thank You I have several words of thanks that I need to share! First, I want to say a special thank you to Carolyn Francis, who ministered in the church office through serving as a Friday afternoon volunteer. She has done this for several years, and decided to step down from this ministry at the end of December, We are all so grateful for her years of ministry and send her off with blessing! I am so grateful for Candy Hubbard and Wilma McLeod, who have volunteered to step in and take over the volunteer ministry on Friday afternoons. Thank you so much, Candy and Wilma! Over the holidays, volunteers put in a lot of extra time helping me get the various office tasks done. From the Thanksgiving letter, to the Stewardship letter, the Christmas letter, cutting pledge cards, cutting inserts for bulletins, stuffing bulletins, sealing envelopes, etc., getting everything done for the holidays takes many hands in the church office. I want to thank Gerry Loritsch, Ed Kania, Mary Johnson, Edith Richardson, Esther Trickett, and Carolyn Francis for their ministry helping to get these tasks completed. I couldn t have done it without them! There are also many people who volunteer in many other ways over the holidays: members of the Worship Commission decorate the sanctuary for Advent and Christmas, ordered, picked up, and delivered the poinsettias; our offering counters spend countless hours making sure the gifts given to the church get deposited and credited correctly; members of the Missions Commission prepare and oversee the Alternative Christmas Gifts, and organize the Designated Christmas Gifts. Gania Trotter lined up our special Christmas Eve worship service ushers. Connie Shoemaker lines up our scripture readers and Advent Candle Lighting readers. Connie offers this ministry throughout the year, not only at Christmas! Not to mention the ushers, greeters, and coffee fellowship hosts! I m certainly missing people! Please forgive me for any I might have missed. Please know that all of us on the church staff are so very grateful for all of the many, many ways that YOU, members of this congregation, share in leading the ministries of Claremont UMC. Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents! God bless you all in this new year! ~ Jessica Johnston, Claremont UMC Office Administrator Seeking New Ushers: Could it be you? Ushers welcome you to worship, handing you a worship bulletin. If you aren t quite sure where to sit, the ushers are there to guide you. They coordinate the passing of the offering plate during worship. After you leave the sanctuary, the ushers stay to make sure things are tidy. We have four open usher slots: two ushers the Sundays of every January, May, and September; one usher the Sundays of every March, July, and November; AND one usher the Sundays of every April, August, and December. If you are interested, please contact Jessica Johnston, CUMC s Office Administrator, churchoffice@claremontumc.info, or (909) Thank you! To all ushers, thank you so much for your ministry! 4

5 Happy January Birthday! Please contact the church office if we accidentally failed to list your birthday (or if we have it incorrect), and please accept our apologies! Jake Morales Stephanie Mohl Dick Bunce Kurt Howard Collin O Connor Gerry Loritsch Allison Benton Soheyl Al Obeydi Merrell Baker Pam Coburn Georgia Shannon Eloise Cadman Robert Willsey Maura Carter Dave Laybourn Tim Viggers Ray Bell Jenna Mohl Emily Viggers Carl Williams Pat Clark Mauricio Cordova Barbara Martin Guy Steenhuizen Mary Elizabeth Moore Howard Yeager Donovan Schipper David Sohn Tria Belcourt Susan Bell Kristen Strauss Hannah Zachary Katie Logsdon Clay Barrett Jacob Polamero Savannah Chalifoux Veronica Arelavo Katie Ledsinger Caleb Zachary Cameron Connor Mary Johnson Pam Bunce Susan Hume Stephanie Rhoades Sight Psalms Al Streyffeler recently shared this new form of devotion with the church office, and we thought it was worth sharing an example and the website: following photo by Mark Moeller Darkness: Sight Psalm for January 5, 2019 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them light has shined. Isaiah 9:2 (NRSV) Photos by Terry Givens Unless it s clip-art, an official book or movie poster, or otherwise noted, Terry Givens takes and shares all of the pictures of CUMC s worship, campus, and events that you see in each issue of The Window. We are SO grateful to Terry for this special ministry that enhances our newsletter! Please join the CUMC staff in saying thank you, Terry! 5

6 Winter Camp 2019: Emotions! Saturday, February 16, 10:00 a.m. through Monday, February 18, 10:00 a.m. at Camp Wrightwood For 2nd through 12th grade children and youth; Cost: $130 Visit to register. Happy, frustrated, worried, surprised, excited, sad; all of these emotions and tons more are part of who we are. Our emotional well being is a vital part of our health. We are going to spend the weekend with Joy, Sadness and the crew of Inside Out talking about how important our emotions are, and how we can use our faith to be emotionally healthy. Contact Marlene Urban-Funk, Camp Wrightwood s Program Manager, (760) or murbanfunk@calpacumc.org for more information. Pass the Hat 2018: another successful year! Thank you to The Boosters Class and Friends for organizing Pass the Hat this past Christmas! And thank you to all of you who drew a name from the hat and helped provide gifts and food for families in need in the Inland Valley community! As you can see from the pictures below, taken by Susan Hume, many people experienced a bit more Christmas spirit this year. Our thanks to Roger Connor, Sharon Estrada, Hilda Bizzell, and Lisa Poe for taking the gifts to the Inland Valley Hope Partners. 6

7 Adult Ministries Corner Reading the Bible Together, a weekly Bible study led by the Rev. Mark Wiley and Rev. Martha Morales, meets Wednesdays, from 9:45-10:45 a.m. in Room 2. All are welcome, whether a beginner with the Bible or a seasoned veteran! Speak to Rev. Martha or Pastor Mark if you have any questions. Men s Enrichment Group gathers on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday morning of each month for food, fellowship, individual sharing, and faith forming study. Upcoming meetings are January 23, February 13, 27. Would you like more information? Get an invitation card from Abraham Alobaidi, Bill Beck, Carl Williams, Dale Smith, Dave Harshman, Dick Tipping, Ed Huff, Ed Kania, Frank Cookingham, Harold Unland, Insar Gohar, John Regan, John Tate, Ron Harrington, and Thom Armstrong we're happy to share. Book Group: meets the fourth Monday of January, the 28th, 7:00 p.m. in Room 2 (location change). The book for November is The Stuff by Sharlee Jeter and Dr. Sampson Davis. Leader: Jane Hunyadi. All are welcome! Contacts: Peggy Williams & Wilma McLeod Life Goes On : meets the second Sunday of each month at 11:00 a.m. in the Round Building Part of the human experience of living and being in relationships is facing death, dealing with loss, and working our way through grief that can, at times, threaten to overwhelm us. We realized that there is a great need for people to talk, to share, to work through their feelings of loss and grief or feelings of being overwhelmed with caring for a loved one who is ill or approaching the end of their life on this earth. The group meets THIS Sunday, January 13 and will discuss Reflections on the Holidays. We ll focus on what went well and what was difficult this past holiday season. Prior to the holidays, we talked about changing some things in light of our loss and grief. Did you try that? Did it help? What would you suggest for others in your situation? If you would like to be part of Life Goes On or if you d like more information, please contact Rev. Martha Morales: (909) , or marthacumc@gmail.com. Sign Up for Altar Flowers (or Plants)! We are always looking for volunteers to help provide some flowers or a plant for Sunday morning worship services. You can bring flowers from your garden, order a bouquet or arrangement from a florist, (or pick something up at a market), or bring a plant. You can then take your flowers or plant home when worship is over. This is a thoughtful way to honor the memory of a loved one who has died, or celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other important occasions. The NEW Signup for 2019 is now available outside the church office in the Narthex. THANK YOU to all who bring flowers or plants for worship!! 7

8 Third World Gifts and Hand Arts Thank You A big thanks goes to all those who participated in the Third World Gifts sale in November. $1, was made in sales and donations. You made a positive and tangible difference in the lives of thousands of impoverished people in the United States and in many developing nations. We are truly a church in mission!~ Mary Beck United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) the tsunami in Indonesia, fires in California, earthquake in Alaska As many disasters threaten different areas around the world, UMCOR and its partners prepare to respond. Please pray for the areas affected and consider a gift to UMCOR Disaster Response. 100% of your gifts go directly to relief efforts. If you d like to make a gift, make your check payable to CUMC with UMCOR on the memo line for U.S. disasters; or UMCOR on the memo line for Indonesia. Thank you! Claremont School of Theology s (CST) 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and Lecture Tuesday, January 29 featuring Dr. Derek Hicks, Associate Professor of Religion and Culture at Wake Forest University in North Carolina Call CST, (909) , for more information. The deadline for the January 23rd issue of The Window is Sunday, January 13. Help GREEN CUMC Receive The Window online! Jessica: churchoffice@claremontumc.info. 8

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10 The Window (USPS ) is published bi-weekly by the Claremont United Methodist Church, Periodicals Postage paid at Claremont, CA. POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Window, 211 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont, CA Claremont United Methodist Church 211 W. Foothill Blvd. Claremont, CA Periodicals Postage Time Sensitive Material POSTMASTER PLEASE DO NOT DELAY Office: (909) Fax: (909) Toll Free: CUMC warmly welcomes you to worship and fellowship. Sunday Worship Service 9:30 a.m. Sunday School Classes Children 9:50-10:30 a.m. Adults 10:45 a.m. Youth 10:50-11:20 a.m. Youth Group Tuesdays, 7-8:30 p.m. during the schoolyear CUMC Clergy and Staff Rev. Mark Wiley ~ Lead Pastor x224 Rev. Martha Morales ~ Minister of Education & Caring Ministries x231 Jessica Johnston, M.Div. ~ Church Administrator x222 Genaro Cordova ~ Facilities Engineer Jeri Bollman, M.S. ~ Director: CUMC Preschool, Sara Swift Tharpe, M.Div. ~ Director: Children s & Youth Ministries Jared Pugh ~ Director: Sanctuary Choir Katie Ledsinger ~ Organist; Director: The Circuit Ringers, CUMC Kids Choir, & Youth Chimes Dr. Barbara Durost ~ Drama Coordinator Marie Soltero and Elizabeth Slater ~ Nursery Attendants Mateo Mamea ~ Sunday Custodian Linda Sheldon ~ Wedding Coordinator Leeann Nabors ~ The Clinebell Institute, , Susie Holway ~ The Window Editor Located in the California-Pacific Annual Conference: Rev. Dr. Grant J. Hagiya ~ Resident Bishop Rev. Melissa Roux MacKinnon ~ East District Superintendent