The Courier November 2018 First United Methodist Church of Canoga Park 22700 Sherman Way, West Hills, CA 91307-2396 Telephone: 818.340.2950 e-mail address: crossandflame@att.net website: www.umccp.org Preschool: 818.340.6639 Welcome to First Church where everyone is either our friend or family. Sunday Worship at 10:00 am Heart to Heart I checked in and sat down in the waiting room. I had hurried out the door without any reading material, so I thumbed through the magazines looking for something interesting. An issue of Cooking Light caught my eye. There were healthy recipes like usual. But something was different; I couldn t figure out what. The cover didn t seem quite right. And the paper wasn t glossy. So, I looked at the cover and saw July/August in the corner. It was October, so a summer issue wasn t too far out. But the paper was so different than the last issue I read. I was thinking, this isn t a good change, when I noticed the pages were yellowed at the outer edges. So, I looked again at the date on the cover. July/August 1989. The magazine is 29 years old! Think about it. No one discarded this magazine for 29 years. I mention this because churches do this too. Something can be there so long that we no longer see it. The problem is newcomers do notice. When I first walked into Trinity UMC in Lakewood, a large outdoor trash can was in the narthex. I had to walk around it to enter the church. So, I asked about the trash can in the narthex. People said, What trash can? I am happy to tell you that Karen Grengs, Grace Leighton, Tim O Connor and Stan Westover are working to clear the puppet room and free our puppets for new life with a church family who will love them as we have loved them. Grace, Tim, Stan and Margaret Cates are also putting the education office in order. Good friends, I deputize you to look around, to notice what needs to be done and to help take care of it. Pastor Lynn Westover Pastor Lynn Westover Preschool Director Wendy Finley Music Director/ Accompanist Paul Cady Christian Education Director Margaret Cates Administrative Assistant Julie Mosley Courier Layout Sharon Mountford Resident Bishop Grant Hagiya North District Superintendent Rev. Jim Powell
2 November Birthdays 1 Ken Dimmick 2 Gabrielle Dimmick 3 Tom Roe Chandra Seeger 4 Russ Amico 5 Sharon Mountford 10 Perla Mercado 11 Shawn Alvarado 12 Edwin Villacisneros 15 Alondra Laguna 19 Jane Bayless 20 Pauline Glenchur Ajae Magnaye 29 Noel Roberson 30 Midge Herder Doris Hood Jean Smith Henry Willauer Anniversaries 20 Lynne & Weldon German If we do not recognize your special days, please leave a note for Julie in the office, so that we may include them in the future. 4 Judith Austin in memory of her parents, Edna & Lonnie Austin. 11 Margaret Cates in memory of Martin & Margaret Shuler 18 Beulah Hajek in memory of Rick Hajek 25 The Parrinello family in memory of Anita s parents, Paul and Liana Burdsal November Calendar Weekly Activities Sunday Peace Evangelical Church, Hall, 9:30 am Hindi Urdu UMC, Sanctuary, 5:00 pm Monday Cub Pack, Scout Room, 7:00 pm Monday Narcotics Anonymous, Parlor, 8:00 pm Tuesday Shower Ministry, 8:30-11:00 am Boy Scouts, Scout Room, 7:00 pm Narcotics Anonymous, Parlor, 7:30 pm Wednesday Men s Stag AA meeting, Parlor, 7:00 pm Thursday Choir rehearsal, Choir Room, 7:30 pm Narcotics Anonymous Study Group, Lounge, 6:30 pm Friday Girl Scouts, email: gsavl1896@gmail.com for details Other Activities Saturday 3 Men s Fellowship Breakfast, Denny s, 8:30 am Topanga Canyon Blvd., just north of Roscoe Blvd. Sunday 4 Daylight Savings Time ends All Saints Sunday Thursday 8 Bookends, Library, 9:30 am Sarah s Circle, Denny s, 9:30 am Topanga Canyon Blvd., just north of Roscoe Blvd. Monday 12 Veterans Day, office closed Tuesday 13 Administrative Committee Meeting, Library, 7:00 pm Thursday 15 Courier Deadline for December issue Sunday 18 UMC Joint Thanksgiving Service, 3:00 pm Valley Korean United Methodist Church 10408 Balboa Blvd, Granada Hills Wednesday 21 Faith, Hope & Love, Library, 7:00 pm Thursday 22 Thanksgiving Day, Office closed Friday 23 Office closed Sunday 25 United Methodist Student Day, special offering Saturday 1 Upcoming in December Men s Fellowship Breakfast, Denny s, 8:30 am Topanga Canyon Blvd., just north of Roscoe Blvd. UMW Silver Tea, Fellowship Hall, 1:00 pm Christmas Cantata Sunday morning, December 23 Our chancel choir is already rehearsing, but it is not too late for you to sing with them. Come to Thursday night rehearsals at 7:30 pm and enjoy the fun.
UMW Mission Team The UMW Mission Team will meet November 1, at 10:00 am in Room 10. We will complete plans for the Silver Tea. UMW Candle of Commitment Our unit submitted the name of Grace Leighton who was honored at the Cal-Pac UMW Annual Celebration on October 27 at the Kum Ran UMC in Gardena. The Candle burned for 1 minute in Honor or Memory of each of the Bold and Courageous people in our lives. Angel Tree Our annual Angel Tree will be placed in the Parlor on November 18. It will contain the names of children provided us by the Department of Children & Family Services through the Adopt-A-Child-Abuse Caseworker program until at least December 9th. We hope you will participate in this program by taking an angel and purchasing a gift. UMW Annual Christmas Silver Tea Saturday, December 1 at 1:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall All are invited: mothers, daughters, grandmothers, granddaughters, sisters, aunts, friends and neighbors. Some husbands enjoy attending. There will be beautiful decorations, lots of pretty tea sandwiches and cookies and plenty of time for visiting. Come and enjoy fellowship and musical entertainment by the San Fernando Valley Youth Chorus. UMW women are encouraged to donate finger foods. A good will offering will be taken for our Good Samaritan Fund. Please RSVP to Grace Leighton at 818 267-7567 or by e-mail jleigh2128@aol.com. Bookends Thursday, November 8 9:30 am Church Library Hostess: Evelyn Heim. The UMW books for 2019 will be selected. Sarah Circle Thursday, November 8 9:30 am Breakfast at Denny s 8330 Topanga Canyon Blvd. (north of Roscoe Blvd.) Faith, Hope & Love Wednesday, November 21 7:00 pm Church Library Lora O Connor will provide the program and devotions. Hostess: TBA. We will be assembling the Thanksgiving basket. UMW Reading Program I m afraid that not many of you are taking advantage of the UMW Reading Program. Each year we purchase 5 books in five categories: Education for Mission, Leadership Development, Nurturing for Community, Social Action and Spiritual Growth. These books can help us better to know God, to develop a creative fellowship and expand our concept of mission. On the wooden cart as you enter the library our choices for the past several years are ready and waiting for readers. There is a simple check-out system. Our choices for 2019 are on order. One really interesting new selection is Eleanor:The Faith of the 20th Century s Most Influential Woman. Fifty years after her death, Eleanor Roosevelt (FDR s wife) is remembered as a formidable First Lady and tireless activist. Her personal faith was focused on Jesus and fueled her commitment to civil rights and the rights of all people marginalized in American society. This biography provides insight into one of America s most famous women, particularly the spiritual influences which made her so active in social justice issues. If anyone was able to read one book in each category, let me know, as you will be eligible for a certificate at the end of the year. Happy reading! Pat Taylor, UMW Program Resources Coordinator 3
Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart Thanksgiving Appeal You are welcome to celebrate Thanksgiving the entire month of November. We are most thankful for knowing God. But God also pours many other blessings into our lives. So, each day in November, list something for which you are thankful. This congregation gives like the people in Macedonia whom Paul describes as being extremely generous in their giving, even though, they are very poor (2 Corinthians 8:2.) But, in spite of your generosity, the church anticipates a shortfall at the end of the year. For many years, we have received a special Thanksgiving offering in gratitude for all of God s gifts. This year, you will be invited through a Thanksgiving Appeal to invest yourself in the work to which God has called us, so that we might pay all apportionments and bills by the end of the year. All Saints Day November 4, 2018 All Saints is a day of remembrance of the saints, with the New Testament meaning of all Christian people of every time and place. We celebrate the communion of saints as we remember the dead. The names of the following persons who have died in this congregation since All Saints Day last year will also be solemnly read in worship. If a name is missing, please call the church office. Betty Barlow Jack Barlow Sandra Dedinas Stan Dimmick George Dutcher Pat Eaton Kaye Hall Coral Harper Elaine Hawkinson Tom Nowlin LaDean Owen Wayne Rosen Doris Taylor Jack Taylor Rae Wilken Life Lessons from Philippians Life Lessons with Max Lucado Roger Johnson is leading a six-week study using Max Lucado s book on Philippians. Classes meet at 11:30 am Sunday mornings in the Library. The remaining sessions will meet on November 4, 11, and 18. Advent Study Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph In Faithful, a four-session video Bible study, Max Lucado explores the life of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus Christ. Faithful sessions include: A Carpenter Named Joseph Whose Child Is This? Raising a Child Not Your own The Journey to Bethlehem Pastor Lynn Westover will lead the class at 11:30 am on Sundays, December 2, 9, 16 and 23. Sign up for classes on the bulletin board in the parlor. A freewill donation will be received for books. Books cost $13. From his beginnings as a humble carpenter to his all-important role as the earthly father of Jesus Christ, Joseph s place in the nativity story is sometimes overlooked but contains valuable lessons for all of us. Joseph s story is much like our own. In life, we encounter circumstances that we would never have chosen for ourselves. At times it can be tempting just to walk away. Joseph provides us a great example of humbly obeying God even when we don t understand and faithfully moving forward in the strength that God provides. Transportation Ministry If you need a ride to church events, or if you are interested in becoming a driver for the transportation ministry, please contact JoAnn Chadwick-Ellis at 818-280-6441 or Mary Mackay at 818-346-5872.
An Incredible Way to Look at God When GOD solves our problems, we have faith in HIS abilities. When GOD doesn t solve our problems, HE has faith in our abilities. God s accuracy may be observed in the hatching of eggs. those of the canary in 14 days; those of the barnyard hen in 21 days; eggs of ducks and geese in 28 days; those of the mallard in 35 days; the eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days. Notice, they are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week! God s wisdom is seen in the design of an elephant. The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body too large to live on two legs. For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily. The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first. A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation! Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind. Each orange has an even number of segments. Each ear of corn has an even number of rows. Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains. God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day. Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed.the lives of each of us may be ordered by the Lord in a beautiful way for His glory, if we will only entrust Him with our life. If we try to regulate our own life, it will only be a mess and a failure. Only God, who made our brain and heart, can successfully guide them to a profitable end. When you carry the Bible, Satan has a headache; when you open it, he collapses. When he sees you reading it, he loses his strength, and when you stand on the Word of God, Satan can t hurt you! From Roger Johnson Nick Aiani Nancy Summer Will & Erin Landrum Debbie Gore Jane Bayless Ted Stanwood Ralph Knapp Helen Mackintosh Willie Wilhelm Joan Kelley Laurie Berger Broken Relationships Mental Illness To receive Prayer Chain e-mails, please contact Robin Abernathy at robingreenbird@yahoo.com cc the church office at crossandflame@att.net Address Changes Julie & Robert Mosley 19920 Eagle Ridge Lane Porter Ranch, CA 91326 Ralph Knapp 3884 Croydon St Highland, CA 92346 Ted Stanwood c/o Mom & Dad s Retreat 15214 Wyandotte St. Van Nuys, CA 91405 Tammy Cates-Palmerlee 1552 34th Street Sacramento CA, 95816
Preschool Sunday On Preschool Sunday, we gathered for worship 97 strong. The kid-friendly service was great fun! Preschool News Our Halloween festivities included our parade (Trick or Treating) and singing our Halloween songs. A big thank you to Pastor Lynn & Julie for joining in on the Trick or Treating! Thank you to our church friends who came and joined in with our Halloween celebration as well! The preschool kids also had a great time with our annual Trunk or Treating! In November we look forward to Thanksgiving and our communal feast with Pastor Lynn joining us and opening with a prayer. The children will all participate in bringing and sharing food, and we ll include a canned food drive to help them understand about sharing on a larger scale. Pastor Lynn with the preschoolers Christmas for Kids A West Valley Children s Business Fair is scheduled for our church property on Saturday, December 8, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Young entrepreneurs set up shop and present their wares for sale to the public. Plan to come by to see what Valley young people are doing. Visit the organizer s website for more information: www.childrensbusinessfair.org/westvalley. Fundraising Quilt Show and Sale December 8 10 am to 3 pm. Half of the proceeds from sales will be donated to the church. Sharon Mountford will display many of her quilts in the sanctuary and offer quilted items for sale. Shop for a lastminute Christmas gift (in time for shipping). School will be closed on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday of Thanksgiving week. Wendy Troop 474 As a companion activity, our Scout Troop and Cub Pack are sponsoring a photo shoot with Santa from 1:00 to 3:00.
Congratulations Grant Grant Simmons was recently recognized for his good work with visuals for Sunday worship. He was presented with an antique gravy boat, symbolizing that his visuals pull worship together in a wonderful way like gravy pulls together Thanksgiving turkey, dressing and mashed potatoes. Thank you, Grant! From the Mailbox I had a nice visit with Ted Stanwood yesterday afternoon. He seems just the same talkative, current and accepting this new living arrangement. He knows that his home has been sold, said he did not want or/could not go to Acton to live with his son Don & daughter-in-law Peggy, because of their multi-level home. He seems content where he is. I think he would enjoy cards: c/o Mom & Dad s Retreat 15214 Wyandotte St. Van Nuys, CA 91405 He does not have a phone the number for the facility is 818-390-7012. Visiting hours: 9 am - 9 pm. Mary Mackay We at Camp Wrightwood pray that this autumn is proving to be a fruitful season for you! Camp Wrightwood is a ministry of the CalPac UMC Conference. This past summer we served over 160 campers from ages 6-70. The ministry we do here at camp is life-changing and sometimes life-saving. We nurture connections with God, with others and with God s creation. We hike, we worship, we sing songs, we make new friends and we deepen established friendships. God meets us in so many wonderful ways at camp! Let us know how we might help you in your ministry. We have a beautiful location for congregational retreats! Many blessings! Sincerely, Rev. Marlene Urban-Funk Program Manager, Camp Wrightwood 1401 Linnet Road, PO Box 66, Wrightwood, CA 92397 murbanfunk@calpacumc.org 760-249-3453 United Methodist Student Day Sunday, November 25 This special offering funds scholarships and student loans for qualified United Methodists. Pastor Lynn received a UM loan to attend UT at Austin and a Conference Merit Scholarship to attend the Claremont School of Theology at Claremont. This offering makes a difference for people like Pastor Lynn. Thank you. Good Samaritan Fund You are welcome to give to the Good Samaritan Fund any Sunday, but a special Good Sam Offering is received every Communion Sunday. (The offering plate is in the center aisle as we gather for worship.) The fund is currently depleted. Through your gifts, the pastor is able to help people in need. Altar Flower Cost Increase Sadly, Mr. B s, the florist who faithfully provided our altar flowers for many years, closed its doors a couple of months ago. We were very fortunate they had not raised our fee for many years. In hiring a new florist, our cost will increase. Because altar flowers are sponsored most Sundays through the end of the year, we will honor the previous rate of $35.00 through the end of December 2018. Starting in January 2019, the cost to sponsor altar flowers will be $55.00. The cost for a bud vase will remain the same at $11.50. Thank you for your understanding.
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF CANOGA PARK 22700 Sherman Way West Hills, CA 91307-2396 Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage P A I D Canoga Park, CA Permit #1 Return Service Requested Sunday, Nov. 4 November 4, 2018 Participate in the 43rd Annual San Fernando Valley (SFV) Thanksgiving Service Our joint Thanksgiving Service with Bishop Grant Hagiya will be on Sunday, November 18, at 3 pm at Valley Korean United Methodist Church (10408 Balboa Blvd, Granada Hills, CA 91344.) CROP Hunger Walk Registration: 12:30 pm Walk Start: 1:30 pm Northridge UMC, 9650 Reseda Blvd., Northridge Sixteen UMCs in our San Fernando Valley area participated last year.