First United Methodist Church of Orange

The Forum Volume 84 issue #8 August 2015

The Sierra Service Project is an independent, interdenominational, Christian non-profit organization affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It’s motto is “Building faith and strengthening communities through service to others” and it provides life-changing experiences through acts of service repairing houses in rural and urban communities. One of the areas it serves is the Navajo Nation which is the largest Indian Tribe in the U.S. with 17.5 million acres of reservation land across portions of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. It is truly a special place with great culture to share and SSP has a long history of working there. This year we are sending Kyle Dickerson, Kealan Gohil, Colin McCullough, Gavin McCullough, Nathan Meersman, Alea Duran, Stan Leland, and Beth Meersman to the Navajo Nation in eastern Arizona. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they as they experience the profound power of serving people who have a culture and life experience different from their own.

Sierra Service Project Navajo Nation, AZ ~ August 1-9

“Building faith and strengthening communities through service to others.”

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THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. —Romans 12:9-18

Dear Friends,

These remarkable words from Paul’s letter to the Romans are familiar in sound to so many of us, but too often also foreign in practice as we move from day to day. I remember once sitting in a room with Rev. Cherie Jones, who for 11 years was the International Director of Walk To Emmaus Ministries (for many years Walk to Emmaus was a powerful 72 hour leadership experience offered through the United Methodist Church). Someone walked up to Rev. Jones and said “Pastor Cherie, how come our local churches can’t be like this…so full of love and life and enthusiasm?” Without skipping a beat Rev. Jones replied “because 72 hours is the limit of how long people can pretend to be nice to each other!” She’s right, and there is nothing in the world quite so disappointing as a community of believers pretending I to love each other. Even in the early church believers struggled with the tension between the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit and the continual outbreak of pride and selfishness among church members. Paul had already reminded his friends that “to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). The life and peace to which he points is then slowly, carefully revealed in Romans 12. The light and warmth of the community life described when “love is genuine” and no one is haughty, or “claiming to be wiser than they are” creates a desire in each of us. But even after we give our lives to Christ, we struggle with what John Wesley termed “residual sin” -with hearts which are set on the flesh. The evidence of residual sin often emerges when we are challenged, or someone is critical of us, and we feel the need to retreat inward and lock our gates and pull up the drawbridge. Even though it will isolate us from the loving reach of the Christian community, there is a tendency of persons - all persons really - when pressed into a defensive posture to look not to Christ and the Spirit but to ourselves. We start reciting our accomplishments, our resumés, all the things that make us superior to others. Even more, we too often raise ourselves in relativity … by lowering and belittling everyone else around us, while simultaneously exalting ourselves far beyond what is appropriate. If you have found yourself overly critical of others lately, or polishing the trophies in your own trophy room so others will take notice and praise you, its probably time for a quiet stroll through the gardens of your own heart, with the Holy Spirit holding one hand and Romans 12 in the other. What the Spirit will do is lead you - not away from people - but back to community of faith, to the church … where you and I, so far as it depends on us, will live peaceably with all. May the genuine love and faithfulness of Christ see us through our selfish moments, continue the ongoing work of grace in rooting out our residual sin, and bring us together into a true community of genuine love.

See you in Church,

Pastor Bill

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I've noticed a trend among Christians, myself included, and it troubles me. Our rote response to material windfalls is to call ourselves blessed. Like the "amen" at the end of a prayer.

"This new car is such a blessing." "Finally closed on the house. Feeling blessed." "Just got back from a mission trip. Realizing how blessed we are here in this country."

On the surface, the phrase seems harmless. Faithful even. Why wouldn't I want to give God the glory for everything I have? Isn't that the right thing to do? Not really. As I reflected on my "feeling blessed" comment, two thoughts came to mind. I realize I'm splitting hairs here, creating an argument over semantics. But bear with me, because I believe it is critically important. It's one of those things we can't see because it's so culturally engrained that it has become normal. But it has to stop. And here's why. First, when I say that my material fortune is the result of God's blessing, it reduces The Almighty to some sort of sky-bound, wish-granting fairy who spends his days randomly bestowing cars and cash upon his followers. I can't help but draw parallels to how I handed out fruit snacks to my own daughter when she followed my directions and chose to go to the bathroom in the toilet rather than in their pants. Sure, God wants us to continually seek His will, and it's for our own good. But positive reinforcement? God is not a behavioral psychologist. Second, and more importantly, calling myself blessed because of material good fortune is just plain wrong. For starters, it can be offensive to the hundreds of millions of Christians in the world who live on less than $10 per day. You read that right. Hundreds of millions who receive a single-digit dollar "blessing" per day. During my mission trip to India back in my college days, I witnessed first-hand the damage done by the theology of prosperity, where faithful people scraping by to feed their families were simply told they must not be faithful enough. If they were, God would pull them out of their nightmare. Just try harder, and God will show favor. The problem? Nowhere in scripture are we promised worldly ease in return for our pledge of faith. In fact, the most devout saints from the Bible usually died penniless, receiving a one-way ticket to prison or death by torture. If we're looking for the definition of blessing, Jesus spells it out clearly (Matthew 5: 1-12). The Beatitudes. . .

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted, Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled

. . .and so on.

I have a sneaking suspicion verses 12a 12b and 12c were omitted from the text. That's where the disciples responded by saying: 12a Waitest thou for one second, Lord. What about "blessed art thou comfortable," or 12b "blessed art thou which havest good jobs, a modest house in the suburbs, and a yearly vacation to the Hawaii?" 12c And Jesus said unto them, "Apologies, my brothers, but those did not maketh the cut." So there it is. Written in red. Plain as day. Even still, we ignore it all when we hijack the word "blessed" to make it fit neatly into our modern American ideals, creating a cosmic lottery where every sincere prayer buys us another scratch-off ticket. In the process, we stand the risk of alienating those we are hoping to bring to the faith.

Continued on pg.4

SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS & FAITH FORMATION

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Dear Church Family, We have exciting things planned for the new year. We want to become a church that is active not only on Sundays, but also mid-week. Our desire is that our regular attendees will take the next step, and become discipled and transformed through Christ. In order for us to grow in the body of Christ, it is essential to offer up more than just Sunday worship service. Beginning in January 2016, we will be having Wednesday night fellowship classes here at First United Methodist Church including coffee with the Pastor, a Covenant Bible Study series, a Prayer Class, a Parenting Class, and a Companions in Christ Class for Women. In the meantime, Pastor Bill will be teaching the Discipleship Class at the end of September. We need volunteers to help teach some of these classes as well as families/congregants to help host dinners before hand at the church. If you are at all interested in joining our team, please contact Peter Joseph or Pastor Bill as soon as possible. We would love to have you use your gifts for this great new adventure! And a reminder to those who are interested in the Lay Visitation Team. We are beginning to take sign ups now. Pastor Karen Tannheimer, a Chaplain at Kaiser and a pastor at Cornerstone United Methodist Church in Placentia, will be partnering with me to train our lay people who are interested in this team. The training will be 5 weeks from 6 to 8:30 pm in the Fireside Room, and will take place on Wednesday nights beginning September 30th. This is a commitment to our community, and to be people of faith. Some of the things we will be covering are listening skills, how to deal with anger, healing, hospital protocol, and how to pray. Even if you are remotely interested, please contact Peter Joseph at peter@fumco.org or call him at 714-532-6363 ext. 203.

Continued from pg.3 And we have to stop playing that game. The truth is, I have no idea why I was born where I was or why I have the opportunity I have. It's beyond comprehension. But I certainly don't believe God has chosen me above others because of the veracity of my prayers or the depth of my faith. Still, if I take advantage of the opportunities set before me, a comfortable life may come my way. It's not guaranteed. But if it does happen, I don't believe Jesus will call me blessed. He will call me "burdened." He will ask, "What will you do with it?" "Will you use it for yourself?" "Will you use it to help?" "Will you hold it close for comfort?" "Will you share it?" So many hard choices. So few easy answers. So my prayer today is that I understand my true blessing. It's not my house. Or my job. Or my standard of living. No. My blessing is this. I know a God who gives hope to the hopeless. I know a God who loves the unlovable. I know a God who comforts the sorrowful. And I know a God who has planted this same power within me. Within all of us. And for this blessing, may our response always be, "Use me." Now my new response is simply, "I'm grateful."

Grace and Peace, Peter Joseph , Director of Faith Formation

SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS & FAITH FORMATION CONTINUED

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YOUTH & CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES

“The God Squad” Youth Fellowship for 6th – 12th grades

Exciting Things Coming Up . . . August 1st thru 9th

Youth SSP Mission Trip to Arizona!

Saturday, August 15th Knott’s Berry Farm!

(RSVP to Peter by August 10th)

Sunday, August 23rd SSP Ice Cream Social @ 4:30 p.m.

Peter Joseph Director of Faith Formation

Email: peter@fumco.org Cell: 714-473-8086 Office: 714-532-6363 x203

Join us in prayer for our SSP Team!

VBS 2015 - 46 children and 26 volunteers!

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VTF In-Home Focus Group Meetings

We’ve done so well getting through our first two phases of our Vision Process. Thank you for participating so far. Now is the time that we need you most! Below is a reminder of Host homes, dates, and times for the upcoming In-Home Focus Group Meetings. Please make sure you attend one of the meetings; be on-time and willing to share. These meetings are a chance for each person attending FUMCO to have a “voice” and be heard.

Sandy Wilson August 3, Monday 7:00 PM Kay Johnstone August 5, Wednesday 7:00 PM Janice Self & Carolyn Geraldi August 6, Thursday 2:00 PM Mary Lou Taylor August 10, Monday 2:00 PM Sylvia Coussa August 10, Monday 7:00 PM Jackie Hanson August 10, Monday 7:00 PM Michael & Jane Parra August 11, Tuesday 7:00 PM Cathy Seelig August 12, Wednesday 7:00 PM Wayne & Donna Nash August 13, Thursday 7:00 PM Bonita Chavis August 17, Monday 7:00 PM Julie & Lynn Wakefield August 18, Tuesday 7:00 PM Margaret Davis August 19, Wednesday 7:00 PM Betsy Ross Miale August 20, Thursday 2:00 PM

Please notify Sarah Fast (sarah.fast3@gmail.com) or Betsy Ross Miale (betsylew@earthlink.net)

immediately so we can get you into one of the meetings.

VISION TASK FORCE

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UNITED METHODIST WOMEN

By the time you are reading this, the Rummage Sale will be over. As usual, it was a HUGE success thanks to everyone who set up, sold, cleaned up, brought food, prepared the food, brought rummage, and especially prayed. We had many, many volunteers during the week – including United Methodist Women, and our men, youth and grandchildren. WOW! Many hands indeed made light the work. A BIG THANK YOU goes out to all who made it possible, and especially to Nancy Teigen for once again being chairperson and tireless in all her efforts.

Our pledge to missions worldwide as well as locally in our community will be funded from the re-sults of the sale. We will let you know the final tally when all income and expenses have been to-taled. We praise God for blessing our efforts.

FALL CALENDAR

There will be no official UMW activity in August. Rest, relax and get ready for a busy fall schedule. Sept. 1: Tea at Two Fellowship, Fireside Room, 2pm Sept. 11 UMW Luncheon meeting, 11:30 am Sept. 22 Ruth Circle 7:30 pm – Mission Study hosted by Betsy Ross Miale Oct. 6 Tea at Two Fellowship, Fireside Room, 2pm Oct. 8 UMW Luncheon, 11:30am Oct. 27 Ruth Circle 7:30pm – Book Review hosted by Kay Johnstone Nov. 1 Tea at Two Fellowship, Fireside Room, 2pm Nov. 5 CRANBERRY TEA, 11:30am TBA All-Church Shoebox Ministry Dec. 10 UMW Luncheon 11:30am – Orange High School Choral Group and Installation of

Officers

The organized unit of United Methodist Women shall be a community of women whose PURPOSE is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church

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Thanks to your generous donations our lunch bag program is doing great! In fact, the word has gotten out and we are serving more people than ever. Of course that means we need more food donations than ever! Items needed to fill the bags include: Vienna sausage, Beanie Weenie, granola bars, box juice drinks, individual applesauce or fruit cups, small boxes of raisins, cheese & crackers, peanut butter & crackers or any other item that would fit nicely into a sack lunch. All donations, large and small, are greatly appreciated. Please place your donated items in the specially marked collection bins in the Narthex on Sunday mornings or bring to the office during the week.

“When did we ever see you hungry and feed you . . . whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me - you did it to me” - Matthew 25:38-40

BITS & PIECES

HOMESTEADERS PLANNING B.B.Q. WHEN: September 13, 2015

TIME: 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Claussen & Mamchur Abode 4738 East Bond Ave., Orange 92869

Meat and drinks will be provided! Bring an appetizer, side dish or dessert along with your

ideas for another FUN-filled year (2015-2016)! R.S.V.P. to Joyce (714) 633-4934 or Julie (714) 637-2261

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The family of Bonita Chavis would like to

thank the church for all the love and support they received during the death of their

mother, Emma Lee Chavis. It was a beautiful celebration of her life in North Carolina.

August Birthdays 1 Mary McKenerick 4 Debbie Fast 5 Diane Brown

Mona Ward

6 Bernie Franklin

Donna Nash

8 Norm Hansen

Dale Towers

9 Pete Martinez

10 Lind Cook

Alice Wallace

12 Erin Quintanilla

Laura Tardie

13 Brian Fast

14 Herman Hall

19 Buzz Reynolds

Cheri Williams

22 Alexandra Kull

29 Neale Davis

Bill Utter

30 Gladys Finn

31 Margaret Davis

Anniversaries

Prayer & Praise Requests Prayers for Brenda Longyear’s 11-year-old nephew,

Corbin, who had surgery for a brain tumor -diagnosis/pathology pending.

Prayers for Victoria’s grand niece, Maria, who has a recurrence of leukemia and needs a healing miracle.

Continued prayers for Norm Hansen’s granddaughter, Sierra Gil who is still at CHOC.

Prayers for our shut-ins, the homeless, the hungry, the sick, the lonely, the unemployed, our military so far from home and all the others not mentioned, but known in our hearts.

A praise report for our former youth leader, Mike Meyers, who got married in July.

2 Lynn & Julie Wakefield 4 Packy & Lynne McFarland 6 Bill & Dorothy Utter 7 Jay & Patty Farrell 8 Betty Jean & Bob Dietlin Scott & Barb Swanson 12 Terry & Nancy Teigen 17 Dale & Florence Towers 24 Dana & Cathy Seelig 25 Vince Cleveland &

Sandy Porter

JOYS . . . CONCERNS . . . CELEBRATIONS

Nancy Bjorkland, Diane Brown, Ken Brown, Jay Farrell, Bonnie Goodrich, Shirley Katz, Cybil Low, Mary McKenerick, Jackie McCracken, Meg Murray, Carol Nameth, Jim Salling, Jerry Schaper, Charles Schroeder, Shirley Somers, Freida Stevens, Patricia Stone, Rita Suthers, Florence Towers, Karla Turner, Nena Williams, Betty Wisely

Pray Without Ceasing

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Outreach Ministries of First UMC, Orange

FAMILY PROMISE Casey Crosbie, Exec. Dir. 714-353-0428

FUNCO Parent operated child-care Becky Billingsly, Coordinator 714-944-7156

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Orange Co. Central 714-556-4555 Meets Monday and Friday evenings in room 205

NARANON Meets Thursday evenings in room 205

161 South Orange St. Orange, CA 92866

Phone: 714-532-6363 Fax: 714-532-5496 www.fumco.org

Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Sunday Morning Schedule 8:30 a.m. ......... Choir Rehearsal 9:00 a.m. .. Adult Sunday School 10:00 a.m. ..... Coffee/Fellowship 10:30 a.m. .................... Worship

Sunday School for ages 4-6th grade following the

Word for Children.

United Methodist Youth Sunday Fellowship

5:30 - 7:00 p.m. 2nd & 4th Sundays

Office Staff Telephone Extensions: Dial 532-6363 and extension: Pastor 206 Rev. Bill Johnson

Administration 204 Karen Mendoza, Office Manager 216 Carol Rathbun, Communications Secretary

Programs 203 Peter Joseph, Director of Faith Formation

Mike Short - Director of Music Sylvia Coussa - Bell Choir Director Joe Schubert - Organist

The deadline for the September edition of

The Forum

will be August 21st

Please continue to pray for our