The Courier November 2015 First United Methodist Church of Canoga Park 22700 Sherman Way, West Hills, CA 91307-2396 Telephone: 818.340.2950; FAX: 818.340.2951; Preschool: 818.340.6639 fumccp@sbcglobal.net website: www.umccp.org Join us at church Sundays at 10:00 am Heart to Heart The rummage sale started small but grew topsy-turvy. Plans began in conjunction with spring-cleaning at church. As Mary Mackay cleaned, it seemed reasonable to sell the things we no longer need and give the money to the church. But people had things they wanted to contribute. And before long, the Fellowship Hall was filled with books, dishes, Christmas lights, tchotchkes, and more. There were jars of buttons that called my name. I kept looking at them from far and near, until Beulah Hajek said, You ve already touched those twice; they re yours now. I have jars of buttons at home one belongs to me; another belonged to Mom and Grandma; and still another, to Stan s Mom. Now, I also have church family buttons. So, I m feeling thankful thankful for the people represented by the buttons; thankful for Mary, who is such a good steward of church buildings; thankful to God for giving Beulah a church family when she needed one and for giving the church Beulah; thankful for Devon Cates who listed special items on Craig s list; and for the donations and workers that made our rummage sale so successful. Remembering these good things has made my heart glad. So I invite you to write down three things for which you are grateful each day of November. Then, you too might find yourself singing words written by Leona Von Brethorst about God: He has made me glad, he has made me glad. I will rejoice, for he has made me glad. 1 Pastor Lynn Westover Advent Study Sent God sent Christ into the world as our Savior. That s what Christmas is all about. In turn, Christ sends us into the world. But do we really understand how, where, and why we are sent? Our Advent study, Sent - Delivering the Gift of Hope at Christmas, challenges us to discover what it means to be Christ s hands, feet, head, and heart. The class, led by Pastor Lynn, will meet Mondays at 7:00 p.m. If you need a ride, contact the church office. 1 He Has Made Me Glad words and music by Leona Von Brethorst 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 Minerva G. Carcaño North District Superintendent Rev. Jim Powell
November Birthdays 1 Kenneth Dimmick 2 Gabrielle Dimmick 3 Thomas Roe Chandra Seeger Analyssa Tallas 5 Sharon Mountford 11 Shawn Alvarado 15 Alondra Laguna Frank Wilken 19 Jane Bayless 20 Pauline Glenchur 22 Elvera Deonik 30 Midge Herder Doris Hood Jean Smith Henry Willauer Anniversaries 15 Martin & Margaret Shuler If your special day is missing, please contact the church office. 1 Rod and Perla Merado in honor of the birthday of granddaughter Tiana Mastrella 8 Shirley Ilgenfritz in memory of Rod If you would like to sponsor flowers on the 15, 22 or 29, please phone the office soon. November Calendar Weekly Activities Sunday Peace Evangelical Church, Hall, 9:30 am Hindi Urdu UMC, Sanctuary, 5:00 pm Monday Senior Exercise Class, Hall, 9:00 am Narcotics Anonymous, Lounge, 8:00 pm Tuesday Shower Ministry, 8:30 am - noon Boy Scouts, Scout Room, 7:00 pm Wednesday Men s Stag AA meeting, Parlor, 7:00 pm Thursday Choir rehearsal, Choir Room, 7:30 pm Other Activities Sunday 1 Daylight Savings Time ends All Saints Sunday Rededication of the Memorial Garden Valley CROPWalk Tuesday 3 Leisure Club, Lounge, 11:00 am HomeTown Buffet fundraiser, see page 5 Wednesday 4 Stewardship Meeting, Library, 4:00 pm Thursday 5 UMW Mission Team, Room 10, 10:00 am Saturday 7 Men s Fellowship Breakfast, Denny s, 8:30 am Topanga Canyon Blvd., just north of Roscoe Blvd. Memorial Service for Bob Connolly, 11:00 am Tuesday 10 Staff Parish Relations Committee, Library, 6:00 pm Called Church Conference, Library, 7:15 pm, see page 6 Administrative Committee, following Wednesday 11 Veteran s Day, office closed Sunday 15 Reception of new members Courier deadline for the December issue Monday 16 Laura Longman Scholarship Meeting, Library, 7:00 pm Tuesday 17 Prayer Shawl Ministry, Library, 10:00 am Sunday 22 Staff Parish Relations Committee with District Superintendent, Library, 2:00 pm Charge Conference, Sanctuary, 3:00 pm, see page 6 Wednesday 28 Education Ministry, Library, 4:00 pm Thursday 26 Thanksgiving, office closed Friday 27 Office closed Sunday 29 First Sunday of Advent Fifth Sunday Potluck, Fellowship Hall, 11:00 am Hanging of the Greens, Sanctuary, following potluck Upcoming in December Tuesday 1 Leisure Club, see page 4 Saturday 5 Men s Fellowship Breakfast UMW Silver Tea, see page 3 Sunday 6 Dessert Musicale, see page 8
Angel Tree UMW Mission Team Thursday, November 5, 10:00 am Room 10 Candle of Commitment Our annual Angel Tree will be placed in the Parlor on November 22. It will contain the names of children provided to us by the Department of Children & Family Services through the Adopt-A- Child-Abuse Caseworker program. Each angel decoration carries the name of a child. We hope you will participate in this program by taking an angel and purchasing a gift for the child. The Candle of Commitment supports the mission programs of the United Methodist Women. Our unit submitted the name of Mary Mackay, who was honored at the Cal-Pac UMW Annual Celebration on October 24 at Holliston UMC with the burning of the candle for 1 minute. UMW Quilt Opportunity Sharon Mountford has donated a quilt for a UMW fundraiser. Beginning in November, tickets will be available for an opportunity to win the quilt while supporting UMW mission projects. Tickets will be $2.00 per ticket or 3 tickets for $5.00. The drawing will take place on November 29 at the Fifth Sunday Potluck. Bookends Thursday, November 12 10:00 am Library Book selection for 2016 Batik Bargello g UMW Circle Meetings g Save the date Saturday, December 5, 2015 at 1:00 pm. 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 musical entertainment and fellowship. UMW women are encouraged to donate finger foods. A free-will offering will be received for our Good Samaritan Fund. There will also be an ingathering of non-perishable food items for the West Valley Food Pantry. Please RSVP to Grace Leighton at 818 267-7567 or by e-mail to jleigh2128@aol.com. Faith, Hope & Love Wednesday, November 18 7:00 pm Home of Chandra Seeger 6625 Maplegrove, Oak Park Thanksgiving basket will be prepared. Sarah Circle Thursday, November 12 9:30 am Breakfast at Coco s
Leisure Club November 3 11:00 am Lounge Everyone is invited to share a pot-luck lunch and participate in a craft project, making beaded candy canes to sell for our children s camping fund. Nancy Summer, Our Quiet Disciple for 2015 The Canoga Park 1st UMW unit selected Nancy Summer as the person to receive the Quiet Disciple Award for 2015. This was awarded to her at the UMW District Annual Meeting held at Camarillo UMC on the 26th of September. Nancy Summer has been a UMW member since 2012 and a member of our Faith, Hope and Love Circle for the same period. As a member of our Administrative Committee, she takes minutes of the meetings. She supports our Homeless Ministry program in many ways supplying food, clothing, etc. She has also arranged for our homeless to receive haircuts given by her son-in-law, who owns a barber shop. Nancy supports financially the fund which enables the youth of our church to attend summer camp as well as provides the youth in need with items for school. In addition, Nancy gives of her time to visit our shut-ins and elderly on a regular basis, helping them with food and care when needed. She goes above and beyond the call of duty. We are pleased to recognize her multiple contributions to the life of our church and community. Preschool News At last month s Administrative Committee meeting, the Preschool was happy to present a check for $6,000 in addition to our regular monthly contributions. That brought our contributions up to $28,000 for the school year 2014-2015. Our Halloween festivities will include our parade (trick or treating) and singing our Halloween songs. We invite our church friends to come and join our Halloween celebration as well! The preschool kids anticipate a great time with our annual Trunk or Treating! We would like to thank the puppet ministry for preparing the Halloween puppet show! In November, we look forward to Thanksgiving and our communal feast. 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. School will be closed on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday of Thanksgiving week. Wendy Stewardship Pledge cards were mailed to those who didn't pick them up at church on October 11. If you didn't receive one in the mail, ask anyone on the stewardship committee, an usher, or Julie in the church office.
From the Mailbox Dear Church Family, Your kindness was greatly appreciated with the family dinner on Saturday and the BBQ on Sunday. Very nice of all of you. Sincerely, Pat Connolly and family Farewell to the Colemans On September 27, the congregation bid farewell to Bonnie and Norm Coleman, who have relocated to Colorado. We will soon have a satellite congregation there! Norm and Bonnie Coleman want to thank every one for the great send off on Sunday the 27th. When we came from St. John s you went out of your way to welcome us. FUMCCP will always be dear to us, a family we are so proud to be part of. Our good wishes go out to you all as we will be thinking of you often. God Bless and Keep You Laughing Shirley Thomson, Lora O Connor and Paul Cady spoke of the important roles the Colemans have played at our church. Bonnie said, Come and see us. We have 2 extra bedrooms. Their new address is: 2836 Hydra Drive, Loveland, CO 80537 Bonnie s cell phone: 818-300-2536 Norm s 818-300-4240 HomeTown Buffet Fundraiser Tuesday, November 3. Lunch is served 11:00 to 2:00. Dinner 5:00 to 8:00. Tickets for lunch $12.00 and for dinner $13.50. For lunch you save about 75 cents for dinner the savings are over $2.00. Good Food, Good Fellowship. Bring friends and have fun. The church receives $5 for each ticket sold. See Toby Lane or Liz Rogers for tickets on or before November 1.
All Saints Day, November 1, 2015 All Saints is a day of remembrance for 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. Marjorie Forrester Winnie Grayson Ethel Johnson Dorsie Maiden Gwen Mason Pat Ferrin Paul Morrison Erl Nelsen Pauline Hawley Jonathan Ferrin Anna Bennett Bob Connolly Called Church Conference Tuesday, November 10, at 7:15 p.m. Library The Church Conference will convene briefly to consider local church items (such as the leadership report and pastor s salary) that will not be covered at the Mission Area Charge Conference. Administrative Committee meeting will follow. Everyone is welcome. Reception of Members Sunday, November 15 If you have been part of the church family for some time, Pastor Lynn would like to honor that by receiving you into membership on November 15th. If you are interested in knowing more, please give her a call. San Fernando Valley Mission Area Sunday, November 22, at 3:00 pm In an effort to build on the good spirit of collaboration and mission, we will meet in a subgroup of our Mission Area. We are the host church for the meeting that includes First UMC of North Hollywood, Hindi-Urdu UM Mission, Sherman Oaks UMC, Woodland Hills First UMC, and Woodland Hills Korean UMC. Pastor Jim Powell, our District Superintendent, will preside. Think before you Speak Pastor Greg Laurie encourages us to think about what we say before we say it. He says, T-H-I-N-K before you speak. The next time you are about to speak and are not sure if you really ought to say it, run through the T-H-I-N-K acronym: T is what I am about to say true? H is it helpful? I is it inspiring? N is it necessary? K is it kind? Address Changes & Additions Elma Abellera 21744 Septo Street, Chatsworth, CA 91311 Joshua Gardner & Jackie Robertson 9931 Lurline Ave., #121, Chatsworth, CA 91311 Beulah Hajek 7430 Woodlake Ave., West Hills, CA 91307 818-883-2616 Donna Nall 7458 Asman Ave., West Hills, CA 91307 818-912-6325 Transportation Ministry If you need a ride to church, or if you are interested in becoming a driver for the transportation ministry, please contact JoAnn Chadwick-Ellis at 818-932-9724 or Mary Mackay at 818-346-5872.
Is It Over? by Mary Mackay The Spring Cleaning that began over a year ago, just keeps going. What started out to be a final Yard Sale, on a hot Saturday in September, turned into a mega Rummage Sale, in the air-conditioned Fellowship Hall with treasures galore. Our many thanks to all who donated, worked, sorted, picked up items and came to the sale. A special thanks to the Nelsen and Coleman Families for their donations and to Devon Cates for advertising and assisting the day of the sale. Our total sales were $1,922.40. In addition to the Rummage Sale, we have been selling items on Craig s List. Devon Cates has made it possible to sell the following: three lawnmowers, an edger, a garden trailer and grass catcher, a pool table, and five gallons of paint. Cleaning equipment was sold to a young man beginning his own company and two Christmas Trees and three bolts of fabric were sold to a Sylmar Youth Group for props and costumes for their summer play. Our Craig s List sales have totaled $325 with eight items still listed. The United Methodist Women, in addition to selling 22 crocheted crosses at the Rummage Sale, have a potential buyer for their stainless flatware. We have donated four circular clothes racks to the Assistance League Thrift Shop, a fogging machine to Paul Cady s theater group, and Pastor Lynn took a set of communion trays to Annual Conference for their recycle program. All in all our Spring Cleaning has helped to unclog some of our cupboards, closets and garages. It has been a way to help others and to put funds into our budget. I guess it isn t over quite yet. Rummage Sale Day Hard workers (above) Liz Rogers, Pat Taylor, Glynene Roe, Lora O Connor, Toby Lane, Beulah Hajek, Debbie Navarro and Mary Mackay. Not shown JoAnn Chadwick-Ellis Karen Grengs mother Ken Krueger JoAnne McColloch s son Bob Connolly s family Grace Leighton Hope Schmidt Stan Dimmick Evelyn Heim La Dean Owen Lois and Ted Jimenez Chuck Engberg MN To receive Prayer Chain e-mails, please contact Robin Abernathy at robingreenbird@yahoo.com Happy Birthday to Ruth Albrecht October 18 Fellowship Time Hardly working (left) (At this moment) Stan Westover, Tim O Connor and George Grengs
Student day November 29 Churches have raised money for scholarships for many years, and the need continues. A special offering will be received to assist young people with schooling. Student Day is one of the special days recognized by the denomination. Dessert Musicale Sunday, December 6, 2015 6:00 pm Fellowship Hall Enjoy dessert and the sweet sounds of the SAN FERNANDO VALLEY YOUTH CHORUS ValleyYouthChorus.org $12/person (half price for children 12 and under) Menu, choose one when you buy your ticket: 1 Christmas Sundae Meringue shell, peppermint ice cream and hot fudge sauce 2 German s Chocolate Pie Chocolate, coconut and pecan delight 3 Pumpkin Cake Roll Pumpkin sponge cake, cream cheese filling (with walnuts) Call 818-340-5084 for more information and reservations. 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 November 1 Daylight Savings Time ends