THIS MONTH... Volume 18, Issue 1 January 2018 Upcoming Sermon Series Sharing the liberating love of Jesus to empower and mobilize all in service for God. For six Sundays starting in January, inspired by questions UMC children asked about God, we will journey into the life of asking questions in the name of our faith. As we travel together, let us take time to reflect on who we are, where we have been, and where God is calling us to go, as individuals and as faith communities. We hope to see you Sunday mornings at 10:AM! Inside this issue: new members 2 The United Methodist Church of Merced 899 Yosemite Parkway Merced, California 95340-5137 change service requested money matters 3 UMW news 3 january calendar 5 Sunday Services 10:AM worship 11:30AM Sunday School
Page 2 Angel McCarthy Reaffirmation of Faith Sirena Casanova-Gastelum Profession of Faith Angel describes herself as and older character who is loving and caring and tries to be helpful. Sonja Edd-Bennett Reaffirmation of Faith I would like to start off by saying thank you for accepting my family and me into your church and for making this day special for our son, Zayne. We are very grateful. And now to introduce myself - I am Sirena Casanova. I am a proud mother of five handsome boys and proud grandmother of two beautiful grandbabies. I work very hard so I can provide the best for my family. I have an amazing wife/partner who I ve had the pleasure of sharing 10 wonderful years with. I am a woman who loves to give to and help others as much as I can. I never mind coming to the aid of those I love. N E W M E M B E R S Felicia Casanova-Gastelum Profession of Faith/Baptism My name is Felicia Casanova. I was born in 1976 here in Merced California. I have three brothers and one sister. I ve been with my partner for 10 years and we ve been married for one year. Between the two of us, we have five boys and two grandkids. I love my life and everyone in it. I m also happy we found this church. We ve made the right decision for our family. Zayne Manuel Casanova-Gastelum Baptism Take a moment to say hello and welcome the new members of our church family!
Page 3 Money Matter$ I can now report the numbers that are contained in the financial reports for the first eleven months of 2017 year-to-date. All income categories combined totaled $265,087 and, individually, most categories exceeded the budgeted amounts. When compared to the same month one year ago, total income decreased by $122. For the month of November, combined Pledged and Unpledged Income exceeded the budgeted number by $1,683 or 8.5%. Total expenses of $281,278 were $4,012 above the amount budgeted. Included in total expenses paid was $24,971 in conference tithing, which was 100% of the total amount due for November year-to-date. Total Expenses exceeded Total Income by $16,191. For the month of November alone, Total Expenses exceeded Total Income by $1,164! With just one month left in 2017, we are on track to record a record deficit, more than doubling the deficit in 2016 which was the previous worst result that I can recall! Will we see some progress in closing the gap in our budget shortfall in the final month of the year? Let s keep praying for that! I would also like to remind those of you who have been using the electronic fund transfer (EFT) option for making your church contributions, that this option of giving will cease as of December 31, 2017. For more information on the subject, please refer to the e-mail I sent to each of you on December 6 or contact me with questions. Remember, you can always find the most current financial report in the Fireside Room. For more detailed financial data, please feel free to contact me directly in person, by phone, or by email (larry@umcmerced.org). In Christ s service, Larry Hall Treasurer, Church Administrator The United Methodist Women of Merced will meet Thursday, January 11 th, at 10:AM in the Fireside Room. Our guest speaker will be Dr. Rose Scott from the UC Merced Center for Early Cognitive and Learning. The Board will meet at 9:AM in the library. The Holiday Bazaar was a HUGE success. We will have to make a decision to continue holding it on the second Saturday of December. Thank you so very much for all of you who donated your extremely valued talents to make this one of the most successful bazaars in years. Betty Avery will be attending a Central Valley UMW Board Meeting on the first Saturday of January and the CA/NV Conference UMW Board in Sacramento on the second weekend. She hopes to return with new ideas for the organization to try.
Page 4 1/6 Adriel Flores Ithan Flores 1/7 Kathy Thao 1/19 Natalia Ortega 1/20 Kimberly Austin Enid Olive 1/31 Bunny Ross On your birthday, our prayer intercessors thank God for your birth and life and ask God to bless you in a special way. 1/8 Kaden Dillon 1/9 Sonja Edd-Bennett 1/12 Leone Sherwin 1/16 Joyce Hambley 1/18 Steve Landis Tania Moore 1/21 Sue Hulse Jerry Thao 1/23 Charlie Parish 1/24 Mildred Pitts 1/26 Nancy Caudle 1/27 Katy Taylor If we have missed your birthday, please contact the church office From the Speziales We want to thank everyone for the wonderful send-off you gave us. Leaving our church family was one of the most difficult parts of moving. Your blessing, prayers, and thoughtfulness have made it an easier transition. We love where we are living and we re very happy in our new church - Newman United Methodist of Grants Pass. Below are our phone numbers and new address, we love to have visitors so please know the door is always open. Dear friends of Habitat, Our new ReStore in Atwater is in need of volunteers. Each Saturday we have one board member and two to thee volunteers. We need more volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering one Saturday a month, please call the Habitat phone at 209.726.0850. Training provided on the job. Love, Andy & Claudia Andy & Claudia Speziale 1300 Rounds Avenue Grants Pass, OR 97527 Andy - 209.777.2004 Claudia - 209.609.0508 Remember to submit all items you wish to be included in the February newsletter by January 19th!
Volume 18, Issue 1 Page 5 January 2018 Inside Story Headline This story can fit 150-200 develop and write your own when you re finished writing words. articles, or include a calendar your newsletter, convert it to a of upcoming events or a special One benefit of using your Web site and post it. offer that promotes a new newsletter as a promotional tool is that you can reuse content from other marketing You can also research product. articles Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat materials, such as press releases, market studies, and reports. cessing 2 the World Wide Web. or find filler articles by ac- 1 You can write about a variety While your main goal of distributing a newsletter might CLOSED be of topics but try to keep your to sell your product or service, articles short. Yoga the key to a successful newsletter is making it useful Bible to your Study Much 8:30AM of the - content room 6 you put in readers. 4:PM - FSR 7 A great way to add useful content to your newsletter is to Food Pantry News 8 your newsletter can also be used for your Web site. Microsoft Publisher offers a simple way to convert your newsletter to a Web publication. So, 9 3 4 10 11 Men s Breakfast 7:AM - FSR Worship CLOSED Yoga Men s Breakfast Hmong Comm. Our 10:AM Good Neighbor Food visited 8:30AM and - room served 6 50 Gently worn 7:AM - FSR children s 6:PM - room 7 Pantry distributed 142 meals at the D Street clothing is in high demand. Etz Chaim Sunday bags School Bible Study UMW of food in June. Shelter on the first 11:30AM 4:PM - FSR 10:AM - FSR 6:PM - MR Twenty volunteers helped Wednesday in June. If you would like to be a to pack and distribute the To sign up to provide part of this mission in food bags and offer clothing. Please remember 15 to the 16 Fireside Room. 17 food, packing 18 food bags, 19 this meal, see the sheet in Merced by picking up the Men s Breakfast give either a check We are continuing the or distributing bags and Hmong Comm. (made out to the church clothing ministry in Food conjunction with the food Pantry clothing, call 7:AM Terry - FSR Kruest at 631.1057 or the 6:PM - room 7 Worship with a food bank CLOSED notation) or bring a sack of pantry distribution. church office at 722.5777. (prep) 10:AM Yoga 5:PM - WH Food Pantry Etz Chaim 8:30AM - room 6 5:PM - WH 6:PM - FS Sunday non-perishable School groceries Bible Study Clean, usable items Leadership may from 11:30AM home. 4:PM - FSR be left in the box in 6:PM the - FSR Sierra Club Newsletter The Van Dyken Family Sunday School hallway. 6:30PM - FSR Articles DUE 14 5 Hmong Comm. Caption describing Muslim comm. 6:PM - room picture 7 or graphic. 11:AM - rooms 5, 7 12 Etz Chaim 6:PM - MR 6 13 The first Sunday of the month is Food Pantry Sunday. Next food distribution is June 18th. 20 Muslim comm. 11:AM - rooms 5, 7 21 Inside Story Headline 22 23 24 25 26 27 This Worship story can fit 75-125 CLOSED words. Men s Breakfast Selecting 10:AM pictures or graphics is an important Yoga 7:AM - FSR part of adding content to your newsletter. 8:30AM - room 6 Sunday Think about School your article Bible and Study ask yourself if the picture supports or enhances the message you re trying 11:30AM to convey. Avoid 4:PM selecting - FSR images that appear to be out of context. Microsoft Publisher includes thousands of clip art images from which you can choose and import into your newsletter. There are also several tools you can use to draw shapes and symbols. 28 Worship 10:AM Sunday School 11:30AM 29 Once you have chosen an image, place it close to the article. Be sure to place the caption of the image near the image. CLOSED Bible Study 4:PM - FSR 30 Yoga 8:30AM - room 6 31 Hmong Comm. 6:PM - room 7 Etz Chaim 6:PM-MR Caption describing picture or graphic.
Volume 18, Issue 1 Page 6 We pray for those in hospital or care facilities Hylond Ray Adams Joanne Sasaki Park Merced Phoebe Benjamin Roy Harris Wes Shrum Better Living Care Les McCabe Courtyard Health Care Center (Davis) Mary Maxfield Mission Gardens Enid Olive Pacifica Senior Living Virginia Taylor Merced Nursing & Rehab George Balliet Prayers for the people We hold in our hearts and prayers... Don Boehm Connie Jones Guy Near Jan James Tom Keene Kitty Towe Jack Drouillard Barbara Renteria Wayne Smiley Steve Landis Hal Hambley Mary Ellen Wood Bobbi Robinson Steve Landis Eileen Hasting...missionaries serving throughout the world....united Methodists standing for justice for immigration reform....families who have lost their homes to fires, floods, tsunamis and other natural disasters....all those affected by violence and war at home and abroad....our military personnel and their families at home....the homeless. Rev. George Edd-Bennett - Senior Pastor Rev. Victoria Schlintz - Pastor in Residence Minerva Carcaño - Bishop California-Nevada Conference of the UMC Debra Brady - District Superintendent California-Nevada Conference of the UMC Office hours: Tuesday through Thursday: 8:30AM - 4:30PM Friday: 8:30AM - 12:PM 209.722.5777 laura@umcmerced.org umcmerced.org Transportation is available for Sunday worship. Contact Steve Landis (209.769.6626) before noon on Friday. For pastoral emergencies, call Pastor George (775.343.8695). Your call will be returned as soon as possible.