The Friendly Visitor. November Rev Sharon Snapp-Kolas, Pastor. All Saints Sunday. Glen Ryel. Cliff Eagles. Sunday Schedule 8:15 am Gathering

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1 The Friendly Visitor November 2014 Sunday Schedule 8:15 am Gathering 8:30 am Traditional Worship 9:45 am Adult Sunday school 11:00 am Contemporary Worship 12:15 pm Youth Sunday school Rev Sharon Snapp-Kolas, Pastor Inside this month: From Pastor Sharon pgs. 2-5 All Church Picnic pg. 6 Passionate Spirituality.pg. 6 Guest Preacher.pg. 7 Tidbits..pg. 8 Oktoberfest pgs Alternative Christmas...pg. 12 Coffee & Fellowship Nursery Care all morning All Saints Sunday We celebrate the lives of the saints who have gone before us: Absent from the body; present with the Lord Leah Newport Cliff Eagles Glen Ryel 1

2 From Pastor Sharon For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope (Jeremiah 29:11). Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Failure. That s what it feels like. How could it not? Recently I heard of a new pastor s movement called Epic Fail Pastors Conferences. (I wonder if there s a similar conference for churches? Epic Fail Churches Conference). The movement was started by J. R. Briggs, a pastor in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. A few years ago, J.R. Briggs wrote a brief blog post, imagining an unusual kind of pastor s conference, where pastors could gather as equals to share their failure, their shame, their disappointment, grief and despair (instead of listening to a superstar give a pep-talk on how to succeed in ministry). To his surprise, the post went viral, resonating with hurting and wounded Christian leaders everywhere. Soon after, he organized the first Epic Fail conference ( for failures, screw-ups and losers ). Pastors drove halfway across America to attend the three day event. They met in a bar. They shared brutally honest stories of failure, and fear, and frustration. They opened their hearts to total strangers and found the love and acceptance of brothers and sisters in Christ. They gathered around tables, broke bread together, worshiped together, and ministered to one another. -- June 17, 2014, Church in a Circle blog If you haven t yet caught the tone of this letter -- I am writing to you with a heavy heart. This month s letter is longer than usual. There is much to talk about. I won t mince words. Our beloved UMC of Yucaipa is in financial crisis. We ve been hearing for years that money is tight. Money is beyond tight now. The Foundation cannot continue to support the church at current levels without spending down the principal within 5 years or so. The leadership of the Church and the Foundation want to honor the intent of those who have given so faithfully over the years; we do not intend to spend down the principal of the Foundation. In 2015 a transition team made up of key leaders will meet with me to develop a plan to gradually reduce the church s spending to bring it in line with the church s income. At present, 2

3 regular giving is projected at 37% of the budgeted needs of the church for This is with a bare bones budget. Significant cuts will have to be made. The intent is to develop a plan to gradually reduce staff while recruiting and training new volunteers. The staff reductions will include cutting staff hours and may include the lay-off of some staff. Staff have been informed. The transition team will develop a plan for the staff reductions and the recruitment of new volunteers. Some programs may have to be cut if volunteers cannot be found to take on tasks previously covered by staff. I want to say right here that I value each and every staff member. Our staff gives tirelessly and faithfully; our staff is gifted and dedicated; our staff runs quality programs and maintains a busy office and property with professionalism and creativity. I know our church family and leadership agree with me that we have a top notch staff. The need for cutbacks is not a reflection, in any way, on the staff and their good work. I also want to say that we have a dedicated, talented, creative, vibrant, healthy core of church leaders and volunteers, and we have a church family who love our church. Together we have done everything possible to grow this church spiritually, numerically and financially. We will, with God s help, continue to do so. We continue to trust in God. We continue to believe and pray for growth. We see signs of growth in many areas, including 3 new visitors; new members; children, youth and babies in our nursery, Sunday School, KidZone, Youth Glee Club, EPIC Youth Group, VBS, and Musical Theatre Camp; depth of prayer and Bible study; growth in the UM Women s and UM Men s groups; high quality music programs, including our Choir, Praise Team, and Bell Choir as well as special music offerings; commitment to Mission through Give Ye Them to Eat, Common Hope, and Sierra Service Project, to name only a few of the many missions supported by our church. As we celebrate signs of growth, we also take a deep breath and look at financial realities. Our giving through tithes and offerings is not sufficient to fund current spending levels. We are not alone in our struggles. Many United Methodist churches not only in California but across the U. S. are facing similar challenges. Most First churches in Southern California -- the big downtown steeple churches -- have had to make cutbacks. The United Methodist Church is in decline in the U. S., although it is growing in Africa and Asia. The Epic Fail concept is one way to come to grips with our situation. The popularity of Epic Fail conferences tells us that there is a hunger and a need for smaller churches to be freed from the sense of failure that comes from comparing ourselves to mega churches and the mega church model of success.

4 Let s remember Jesus for a moment. We are His disciples, right? We are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world (United Methodist mission statement). Jesus was an Epic Failure. He was arrested, tried and executed as a criminal. I can t think of a more tragic tale of failure than the story of Jesus. Now you and I know that the story doesn t end there. Jesus is ultimately victorious over the grave. He is victorious over sin and death. As his followers, we claim that victory. We believe in that victory for ourselves. How Jesus resurrection victory works out in the details of the future of the UMC of Yucaipa is not for you and me to know. Victory in Christ often brings suffering and persecution, by worldly standards. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 5:4, 10). God has embedded in life a cycle of expansion and contraction. The UMC of Yucaipa is, perhaps, looking at a time of contraction. We are, perhaps, looking at a time of mourning for the way things used to be. We are, perhaps, looking at a time of persecution -- not in the sense of facing physical danger for our beliefs, but in the sense of accepting, for a time, a certain degree of defeat in the world s eyes and in our own eyes. There are bound to be feelings of failure. There may also be a sense of relief. Finally, we look at what s here, and take responsibility to live within our means as a church family. We will no longer rely on the Foundation to bail us out. We will move towards bringing our spending in line with our income. As our church goes through a time of difficult transition, it is fitting that we focus on Passionate Spirituality as our growth area for (see Passionate Spirituality article). We may have to pare back to the essentials. This may be a season when God is calling us to get clear about what s most important; a season when God is calling us to rekindle our spiritual passion; a season when God is calling us to renewed commitment as a faith community. You know of the Native American concept of the Seventh Generation. It s become a label for recyclable products at the grocery store. This may be a season when God is calling us to look, not to ourselves, not to our children, not even to our children s children, but to our great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren. If we count 40 years as a generation, the seventh generation is 280 years from now -- the year What spiritual trees are we planting for that generation? This is a season to be asking those longrange questions. God has provided for us richly, although we may feel a sense of scarcity in this time of financial crisis. We have faithful, hardworking members. We have a beautiful facility. We have a gifted and dedicated staff. We have a sacred calling to serve God s kingdom of love in this place. Adam Hamilton is senior pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, one of the fastest growing, most highly visible churches in the country. It 4

5 may seem odd to quote Pastor Hamilton in a pastoral letter that began with Epic Fail as a concept of comfort for smaller churches. We struggle in ways Resurrection church in Leawood can t comprehend. But I like Pastor Hamilton s invitation to reflect on a prayer from his book, Enough: Living with Simplicity, Generosity and Joy. Whether we re a mega church or a small family church, we can pray this prayer. We can pray, with gratitude, that God has given us more than enough. Pastor Hamilton invites us to Please share it on social media or post it in a prominent place, so that it can frame your prayer time as we move into Thanksgiving and then Advent : Contentment Prayer Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don t need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity. Amen. ( May we continue to find ways to give back to God, in gratitude for all the gifts with which God has blessed us. Yours in Christ, Pastor Sharon November Lectionary Readings: November 2 Rev. 7:9-17; 1 John 3:1-3; Mt. 5:1-12 (All Saints) November 9 Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Mt. 25:1-13 November 16 Judges 4:1-7; 1 Thess. 5:1-11; Mt. 25:14-30 November 23 Ezek. 34:11-16, 20-24; Eph. 1:15-23; Mt. 25:31-46 November 30 Isa. 64:1-9; 1 Cor. 1:3-9; Mk. 13:24-37 Weekly Psalms November: November 2 Psalm 34:1-10, 22 November 9 Psalm 78:1-7 November 16 Psalm 123 November 23 Psalm 100 November 30 Psalm 80:1-7,

6 All-Church Picnic Thank-you Dear friends, Just a quick note to say "thank you!" to Paula and Amy and everyone who was involved with making the all-church picnic at Wildwood Park such a fun time and a huge success this past Sunday. (The picnic took place on Sun., Oct. 5). What a great day it was! A communal event; a church family gathering. There were babies, children, youth, and adults. There were long-time members of the church and new visitors. There were folks from a variety of groups and friendship circles. There were folks visiting from out-of-town. The food was fabulous! What can I say? We have a lot of great cooks in this church. The kids got wet & had loads of fun playing games & sports. The adults had lots of time to sit back, relax, talk, and check out who was winning at backgammon. The guys on "grill duty" kept those hot dogs and burgers comin'. As I was leaving I heard a number of comments along the lines of, "We should do this again!" Yes, we should. It was great fun. Thanks again, Paula, Amy and friends, for organizing a wonderful church family day in the park. Blessings, Pastor Sharon Passionate Spirituality Natural Church Development Church Health Focus Christian A. Schwarz, the founder of Natural Church Development, writes: Effective ministry flows out of a passionate spirituality. Spiritual intimacy leads to a strong conviction that God will act in powerful ways. A godly vision can only be accomplished through an optimistic faith that views obstacles as opportunities and turns defeats into victories. The important issue here is not the way spirituality is expressed, but the fact that faith is actually lived out with commitment, fire and enthusiasm. The methods a church uses are really a secondary concern. A church that lives its faith with passionate fervor will experience success with many methods. As our own Yucaipa church goes through a time of difficult transition, it is fitting that we focus on Passionate Spirituality as our growth area for Nothing is more important at this critical time in the life of our church. Do we believe that God will act in powerful ways? Yes! Pray about how God might act in more powerful ways through you. Ask, Lord, how can I be more spiritually passionate for You in the world? Watch The Friendly Visitor for groups, classes and events designed to grow our church in the area of Passionate Spirituality. One upcoming Passionate Spirituality event is A Day With God Jan. 24, 2015, 8:30-4:00pm, here at our church. Mark your calendar and plan to participate! See Carole Jones for more info, or to volunteer. We are expecting folks to attend; your help is needed for a variety of welcoming and clean-up tasks. 6

7 Mark Your Calendars Nov. 10 Office closed for Veterans Day holiday. Nov Alternate Christmas Fair, to include African Ministries Arts & Crafts sale. (Deb can give you the times & other details for Pastor Roy Snapp-Kolas, Guest Preacher Sunday, November 9 Pastor Roy Snapp-Kolas, an Envoy in The Salvation Army (TSA), and husband of Pastor Sharon Snapp-Kolas, is our guest preacher for Sunday, November 9. Pastor Roy has ministered with homeless folks and people in recovery for over 30 years, since his days at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. For over 20 years he has served homeless populations through the programs and ministries of TSA. Currently Pastor Roy teaches, preaches and pastors a church ( corps in TSA lingo) in the city of Bell, and teaches classes at shelters, recovery programs, and jail ministries throughout greater Los Angeles, as well as overseeing a skid row outreach ministry in downtown L. A. In his capacity as Director of Urban Ministry for the So-Cal Division of TSA, Pastor Roy does chaplain work in the jails and works with Malachi Men, a program that teaches men in jail or prison how to break the generational cycle of incarceration. We welcome Pastor Roy Snapp-Kolas to the pulpit this Sunday. Come hear the Word he has to bring. the event) Nov If you aren t going to the fabulous Alternate Christmas Fair, consider taking part in our Mission Area build in 29 Palms. Or, you could do both! It s the building of a home for an impoverished family, similar to the Habitat for Humanity concept. More info. to come. Nov. 18 Administrative Council meeting is moved to the 3 rd Tues. this month, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. 7:00pm, Conference Room. Nov UM Women Thanksgiving luncheon - Camellia Room. If you plan to attend, please let Sarah Van Tassel know. Nov. 23 Hanging of the Greens, noonish (after 11:00 worship service). Come help Susanna Wesley Circle decorate the Sanctuary to honor the birthday of the King. You are also invited to bring extra goodies for coffee hour, to tide us over as we hang the greens. Nov Office closed for the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving! 7

8 Nov. 30 First Sunday of Advent Buy Scrip and Support YOUR Church With Thanksgiving fast approaching and the Christmas/New Year holidays just around the corner, now is the time to stock up on Stater Bros. Scrip. If you buy now before the holiday crunch you will have more money for other things. Scrip makes good gift cards as well as freeing up your cash for last minute emergencies. Remember, the church receives 6% back from your purchases and as long as you shop at Stater s you might as well us scrip - right? See the ladies after first service, in fellowship hall on Sunday or visit the office during the week. Thank you for your support! Oktoberfest 2014 The Oktoberfest was a tremendous success thanks to so many people: to Jaci Davis for getting it going, for all those that participated in the talent show, those that worked hard in the kitchen, the ones that setup, and tore down. And, to all of you that came and supported your church family. You helped raise $529.00! 10 Rebecca Harps Thank you, Sally! Sally Gibson took on the job of Editor for The Friendly Visitor in the fall of Time flies! Can t believe it s been three years already! Sally has brought creativity and dedication to the role of newsletter editor for our church. She has a keen eye for beautiful graphics, and a gift of humor that has given The Friendly Visitor its delightfully friendly tone during her tenure. Sally also has a passion for the faith, and has contributed countless interesting and uplifting articles on spiritual matters. We will miss you as Editor, Sally! Thank you for sharing your editorial gifts. Faux Christmas Advent Schedule Saturday, December 6, :00 pm, Hampton Manor, Christmas Caroling Sunday, December 7, 2014 Christmas Choir Cantata 8:30 & 11:00 Services Advent meal served at noon Sunday, December 14, 2014 Advent meal served at noon Followed by Children s Christmas Program & Carol Singing Sunday, December 21, 2014 Advent meal served at noon Followed by Christmas Caroling in the community Sunday, December 24, :00 pm, Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 8

9 Oktoberfest 2014 Jaci and you the crowd Ronald Bonneau with Jaci Aleta Kerker 9

10 Joan Faux Paula Fisher & Johanne Dyerly Judith Thompson Carole Jones 10

11 Kevin Greenhaw Lourena Arrowood Rev. Ron Faux & Benjamin Faux Amy Bahnson 11

12 ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS FAIRE! Join us in the Fellowship Hall Saturday, Nov 15 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm for a great soup, bread, and dessert lunch (all homemade) and raffles, silent auction items, and African Team Ministries shopping. You can make your Christmas shopping more Christian! All lunch counter sales will help our youth go to Sierra Service Project in Join the fun!

13 PRIMARY SOURCES Very little is known about the 1621 event in Plymouth that is the model for our Thanksgiving. The only references to the event are reprinted below: And God be praised we had a good increase Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty. Edward Winslow, Mourt s Relation: D.B. Heath, ed. Applewood Books. Cambridge, p 82 United Methodist Church of Yucaipa Non Profit Org Beech Avenue U.S. Postage Paid Yucaipa, CA San Bernardino, CA Reverend Sharon Snapp-Kolas Pastor Jaci Davis Music Director Chris Nielsen Accountant Gerald Pugh Caretaker Linda Ewan Church Secretary Amy Bahnson Children & Family Ministries Deb Davidson Youth Ministries David Newport Facilities Management info@yucaipamethodist.org To submit articles or news items to the Friendly Visitor, please items to Linda Ewan: Linda@YucaipaMethodist.org or bring your submission to the church office, by the 10th of the month for publication in the following month s newsletter.