La Tijera United Methodist Church & Child Development Center Newsletter V O L U M E V I I, I S S U E 5 M A Y 2 0 1 7 LIFE STANDS BEFORE ME LIKE AN ETERNAL SPRING WITH NEW AND BRIL- LIANT CLOTHES. - CARL FRIEDRICH GAUSS And the Harm Continues... The United Methodist News Service (UMNS) reported the ruling on April 28th of the Judicial Council hearings regarding the election of a married lesbian as Bishop in the United Methodist Church. The ruling states that the consecration of a gay bishop is against church law. Linda Bloom of the UMNS reports: Officials in the U.S. Western Jurisdiction consecrated the Rev. Karen Oliveto as a bishop on July 16, 2016. Based in the Denver area, she is the episcopal leader of the Mountain Sky Area, which encompasses Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and one church in Idaho. 05/02 PATH Birthday Celebration 12 noon 05/05 Center s Cinco de Mayo Parade at 10:30 a.m. 05/06 West District Conference, Rolling Hills UMC, 10 am to 1:00 p.m. 05/07 Worship at 9:30 a.m. Communion will be served and ALL are invited. 05/07 The Gathering at 6:30 p.m. A petition from the South Central Jurisdiction to the Judicial Council raised four questions about the legality of that election. Judicial Council claimed jurisdiction to review its petition only with respect to the consecration of an openly homosexual bishop and said the rest of the petition, related to nomination, election and assignment, is improper. The court rejected the argument made during the April 25 oral hearing by Richard Marsh, Western Jurisdiction counsel, that Oliveto s same-sex marriage to Robin Ridenour in 2014 was not a public statement about her sexual practices. A same-sex marriage license issued by competent civil authorities together with the clergy person s status in a same-sex relationship is a public declaration that the person is a selfavowed practicing homosexual for purposes of the prohibitive language in the United Methodist Book of Discipline, Paragraphs 304.3 and 2702.1(b), the council ruled. The decision further found that an openly homosexual and partnered bishop may be charged with disobedience to church law, Dates to Remember... 05/12 Center s Mother s Day Breakfast from 7 am to 9 am 05/14 Worship at 9:30 a.m. During worship, we will celebrate the women in our lives 04/15 Center Re-Registration begins 05/18 Ad Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. 05/19 Parent/Teacher Conferences, Center closes at 12 noon along with other bishops and clergy persons who actively participate in the consecration of a bishop who has been found to be a self-avowed practicing homosexual through a judicial or administrative process. * * * The congregation and clergy of La Tijera UMC stand with Bishop Karen Oliveto. We stand in solidarity with our LGBTQI brothers and sisters, clergy and laity, and we say, #NoSuchLaw! We are tired of waiting for the church to reflect God s inclusive love. We will continue to keep countering the harm done by the discriminatory and hate -filled language in the Book of Discipline regarding the LGBTQI population. We will continue to welcome ALL into this church and congregation. We will continue to follow Jesus, uphold Biblical Obedience, and love ALL of God s children. We will continue to minster to ALL of God s children. Amen. 05/19 Cool Harvest Potluck & Movie Screening at 6:30 p.m. 05/21 6:45 a.m. breakfast service at PATH West Los Angeles 05/21 Worship at 9:30 a.m. 05/28 Worship at 9:30 a.m. 05/29 The Center will be closed in honor of Memorial Day
P A G E 2 The Holy Hive is Here! In 2016, La Tijera UMC started hosting monthly Cool Harvest Potlucks followed by an environmentally themed movie screening. Slowly, but surely, we have been educating ourselves about the environment, how our food choices impact global warming, and steps we can take to encourage awareness and take action to help the environment. One of the horrifying things we learned was that the honey bee is an endangered species. It seemed almost unimaginable that bees are dying out our desire to find new ways to care for all of God s creation was sparked and the Holy Hive adventure in beekeeping was born! Church member Dawn Jacobs joined Pastor Lyda in attending Beekeeping 101 classes held at The Valley Hive in Chatsworth. They learned (and are still learning) all about bees and urban beekeeping. On April 17th, our bees were delivered, and after working at The Valley Hive installing bee packages into hives, Pastor Lyda was ready to head home and install our package of bees into their new home The Holy Hive. La Tijera s adventure into world of urban beekeeping has just begun and our amazement at the wonder of all God s creation and bees grows each day. A few fun facts about bees They can recognize faces Honeybees make out faces the same way we do. They have personalities Even in beehives, there are workers and shirkers. Researchers at the University of Illinois found that not all bees are interchangeable drones. Some bees are thrill-seekers. Others are a bit more timid. 16 ounces of honey requires 1,152 bees to travel 112,000 miles and visit 4.5 million flowers. A Place at the Table & a Potluck! On Friday, May 19th at 6:30 p.m., our Cool Harvest Potluck begins - bring a dish to share! Search for ingredients that are organic, local & seasonal, minimally processed, cage free & grass fed - if you wish, bring a recipe card to share! Please bring a dish that is ready to go - we are not able to heat up or cook on site - remember to bring serving utensils needed to serve your dish. If your last name begins with... A to J - bring an entree K to S - bring a salad and/or a side dish T to Z - bring desserts After dinner, at approximately 7:00 p.m., we will watch the movie, A Place at the Table. 50 Million Americans - 1 in 4 children - don't know where their next meal is coming from. A Place at the Table tells the powerful stories of three such Americans, who maintain their dignity even as they struggle just to eat. In a riveting journey that will change forever how you think about the hungry, A Place at the Table shows how the issue could be solved forever, once the American public decides - as they have in the past - that ending hunger is in the best interests of us all. The film is narrated by Jeff Bridges. Please RSVP by Monday, May 15th by visiting the site, Eventbrite, - search for Cool Harvest Potluck on May 19th. You can also visit our website to click on the RSVP link provided under our News and Events page. L A T I J E R A U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T
V O L U M E V I I, I S S U E 5 Pictures from an Adventure in Urban Beekeeping P A G E 3 Bees safely seat-belted in for the drive to their new home! UMCOR Needs Our Help! The Cal-Pac Disaster Response Task Force will be collecting relief-supply kits at Annual Conference 2017 (June 14-17). Relief-supply kits help provide care for the most vulnerable people during times of crisis. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) collects 6 types of kits for global distribution and cleaning buckets for US distribution after storms. The Cal-Pac Disaster Response supports the efforts of UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) and they are in need of additional relief-supply kits. Relief-supply kits help provide care for the most vulnerable people during times of crisis. UMCOR collects 6 types of kits for global distribution and cleaning buckets for US distribution after storms. Kits help sustain everyday life for people who lack ready access to essential supplies. They provide vital support for UMCOR s global development work and make a tangible difference in people s lives. View demonstration videos on assembling specific kits. Help us restock relief supply kits! At this time, the greatest need is for the following: Health Kits, School Kits, Cleaning Buckets & Layette Kits. During the month of May, La Tijera will collect items to assemble the kits check our website often for more details about items needed! #NoSuchLaw an excerpt from Matt Berryman Rise up, faithful ones! Will opening your church doors to LGBTQ weddings produce joy? Will supporting LGBTQ candidates of ministry in the church produce faithfulness? Will reaching out to those who are still struggling to understand the welcome that God calls us to extend produce love? Let the Holy Word be your guide and pay no authority to the church s efforts to reassert its prejudicial policies and practices. They have only as much power as individuals and communities choose to give them. We simply will not recognize a law where God has already said, there is no such law! But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. Galatians 5:22-23 Mr. Berryman s full article can be found at the Reconciling Ministries Network website: rmnetwork.org
P A G E 4 Mayola s Corner On May 12th from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., the Center is hosting its Annual Mother s Day Breakfast for all to enjoy. We encourage grandparents, moms, dads, sisters, friends, and aunts to enjoy breakfast with the children. Our summer program will officially begin on June 12th for all children at the Center. Camp Crossroads children will enjoy adventurous trips, art classes, cooking, tutoring, and of course, water play, which is always a hit. Our younger campers will enjoy fun in the sun, in-house field trips, and oh yes, water play too! Dance will also be offered to children 2 years and older at a small extra charge for summer enrichment. Please make sure that you apply sunscreen daily to your children before they come to the Center. Teachers will reapply sunscreen as needed, before and after water play, and before going outside. Don t forget to add a bottle of water to help reinforce the importance of staying hydrated. Thank you to everyone who supported our See s Candy fundraiser. Congratulations to Ginger and Justin Philburn (Flynt s parents, Stage III room) - they are our star fundraisers! The Center raised $613.00 which will be used to enhance our programs and facility. The Center will begin a few improvements of our facility in the very near future a couple of new classroom doors, gates and air conditioning units. It s that time again reregistration begins May 15th. Siblings of children currently enrolled will receive priority registration. Look in your child s mailbox or stop by the office to pick up your reregistration or registration form by May 15th. Parent/Teacher Conferences will take place on Friday, May 19th the Center will close at 12 noon. Sign up sheets will be in your child s classroom. As a reminder please make sure the office has your email address so we can keep you in the loop for all Center information and newsletters! The Center s email address is: centernews@latijeraumc.org Be like a flower and turn your face to the sun. - Kahlil Gibran Bumblebees The Bumblebees can t believe we are springing into May already! We have so many things to celebrate this May. Our Isabella is having her first birthday on May 1st Happy Birthday! We also have May Day on May 1st, Cinco de Mayo on the 5th, and of course, we can t forget about Mother s Day on Sunday the 14th. We want to wish all our moms a Happy Mother s Day! We will be saying goodbye to Spencer and Isabella they are starting a new adventure in the Caterpillar Room and joining Teacher Rosy s class. Have a great month and we ll see you in the Bumblebee Room! - Teachers Kris & Susie L A T I J E R A U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T
V O L U M E V I I, I S S U E 5 Caterpillars Butterflies This month is so special why? Because we will celebrate the person most important our moms! Thanks to all parents for the treats for our Easter Egg hunt, which the children really enjoyed. On May 19th, we will hold Parent/ Teacher Conferences. We look forward to seeing you there to discuss your child s development. Please remember to label all your child s belongings and don t forget to sign in and sign out! Have a wonderful Mother s Day! - Teachers Rosy & Shay Hi from the Butterfly Bunch! Thank you for making last month such an eventful one. We appreciate you. We have been enjoying the outside and watching nature take its course. It has been such a discovery for the children to notice the insects as they reveal themselves, and to notice a cat or squirrel run across the fence, or a bird soaring across the sky. The children make noise so the animals will run away. The children have been enjoying sand play as well. They are also using their language skills by identifying the things they see. Transitional Preschool P A G E 5 We will miss Brooksly, as she moves to the Transition class. We welcome Sydney who joins us from the Caterpillars. We wish all the mothers and grandmothers, as well as great grandmothers a Happy Mother s Day and hope that you can join us for our Mother s Day breakfast celebration. - Teacher Chestina During the month of May, we will review what we have learned so far. The children will be observed in the areas of physical, social and emotional development. They will also be tested and prepared to share their skills for our Parent/Teacher Conferences. We will have fun and special activities for Mother s Day, will continue reading books and learning all about time and clocks. We wish you a Happy Mother s Day! - Teacher Mary Room 3 The children are really enjoying the spring season. We are happy to have Kennedy back from her Florida vacation at Disney World. Jaziel is recovering from her fabulous 5th birthday weekend. Thanks to all our parents who supported us for our Easter Celebration. Don t forget to sign up for Parent/ Teacher Conferences which will be held on Friday, May 19th. - Teacher Sharon
La Tijera United Methodist Church & Child Development Center www.latijeraumc.org 7400 Osage Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90045 Church: (310) 649-6267 Center: (310) 641-4173 Lyda email: lyda@latijeraumc.org Mayola email: mayola@latijeraumc.org We re on the web Latijeraumc.org We are a Reconciling church! ALL are welcome here. From Lyda... The story of doubting Thomas is a familiar one. This story of Jesus appearance to his disciples left Thomas the doubter with a bad rap. Seriously! His friends make a hard to believe claim that Jesus was right there with them in a locked room after he was crucified they tell Thomas that he showed them the nail marks in his hands and his pierced side. The disciples had seen Jesus, and they knew their claim was true. But Thomas wasn t there he missed Jesus initial appearance. He only had his friends story to go on. And he had his doubts. Do you blame him? The story of doubting Thomas is a story about how far Christ will go to reach us. Nothing, not even a locked door, not our doubts and fears, not even a huge stone rolled in front of a tomb, can keep Jesus from finding us. The disciples encounter the risen Christ who meets them where they are afraid, confused, broken, and with more questions than answers. When we have doubts Christ is there. When we lock ourselves away because we feel lost and alone Christ is there. When we screw up Christ is still there. As Episcopal priest and comedian Les Carpenter once said regarding the story of doubting Thomas,...it really is an Easter story. It s about the losers winning and isn t that the gospel? I love that isn t the story of the gospel about the losers winning? The ones who were marginalized and discriminated against in their society were sought out and lifted up by Jesus. Justice is valued over monetary gain and power. Love is valued over hate. Questioning unjust laws and policies in the church is biblical. Leaving the safety of church walls to walk with the homeless, the marginalized, the questioning, the doubting is what Jesus calls us to do. Not to lock ourselves behind closed doors and hope that someday the United Methodist church will see the light and change their discriminatory ways but to pledge to perform same gender weddings, and to speak out loudly and often to challenge the church s unjust policies regarding LGBTQI children of God. To tell our government that as a people of faith, it is our job to fight against unjust incarceration practices, to demand that food and access to health care are rights for ALL people, that we will not be silent when policies are put in place which target our Muslim brothers and sisters which destroy our environment which lift up the rich at a horrific cost to the poor. Christ will meet us where we are doubters or not locked safely away or standing in protest rallys when our faith is sure or when it s a bit unsteady Christ will meet us where we are. Christ has risen and comes to be with us even in the midst of our greatest fears and challenges. That is the Easter story.