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“…love one another, as I
have loved you.” John
13:34
You’ve heard it so often in
church settings, maybe
TOO often. It may have
lost some of its power, or
at least, some of its shine.
But this is not a little
wisdom saying, it is
nothing less than a
command of Jesus to his
would-be followers.
How exactly do we
comply? What does it
mean to “love” the people
who call Centennial their
home? Yes, there are
those we love, but
perhaps, more that we
“like.” Some perhaps, who
don’t make that list!
Others, we don’t know at
all, regardless of how long
we have shared this
space. So what does it
mean to “love” ALL?
I think we could spend a
whole year exploring that
question… and we will!
2017-2018 program year
brings with it your Church
Council Goal of putting
our focus on our love for
one another. We do this
because together we are
building The Blessed
Church. You may recall
that in a congregational
survey taken in 2015, you
named these as the
foundational building
blocks for that sacred
work: Love of God, Love
of One Another, and Love
for our Neighbor. At my
suggestion, the Council
approved a focus on each
of these for one year.
My great hope and
expectation is that with
each of these yearly
emphases we will invite
the Holy Spirit to take us
where we have not gone
before: Each heart deeper
in our walk of faith with
God, our hands and feet
more deeply engaged
with one another and the
community around us,
and our congregation in
wider partnership with
others who enrich our
world with God’s mercy
and compassion.
Please plan now to be
present for our New
Year’s Day celebration. It
is will be all about loving
one another! Rather than
our traditional service of
worship in the sanctuary,
we will take advantage of
the unusual holiday on
Sunday morning by
celebrating a Moravian
Love Feast in the
Fellowship Hall together.
Amid music, prayers,
scripture and sharing
about our hopes for
Centennial’s future, we
will offer ourselves as one
Church to the God of the
Future.
May God light our
common path into Jesus’
Way in 2017!
Faifekau/Talatala/
Pastor Renae
The Pastor’s Perspective
The Centennial
STAFF
Pastor:
Renae Extrum-
Fernandez
Director of Music
Ministries:
Rick Schlosser
Hand Bell
Director:
Loretta Fransham
Pre-School
Director:
Denise Tessman
Office Manager:
Sonja Hazzard-
Webster
Administrative
Assistant:
Vilimaina
Koroi
Centennial United Methodist Church
5401 Freeport Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95822
916.452.4477
centennialumc.com
GOALS
JANUARY
LOVE
MEMORIES
MERCY
MIDNIGHT
CELEBRATE
COMPASSION
CONFETTI
FEAST
FELLOWSHIP
FIREWORKS
NEIGHBOR
PARADE
PRAYER
RESOLUTION
WISDOM
Page 2 The Centennial
S N J U C E V R W F W J T C F
M E A A X O O R I E I S H V E
D L I A N B M R L P S R G T L
Q J Z R H U E P R B D J I S L
W B V G O W A A A Z O A N N O
R B I L O M Y R U S M P D E W
M E R R C E E P Y U S L I B S
N Y K E R Y H M U M V I M T H
T S C O N F E T T I K T O U I
S R G R L O V E D A R A P N P
A O N F E R L T E B U N Q S A
E G K R C M V J N H A O L Y H
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Word Search
Page 3 The Centennial
A Man Called Ove by
Fredrik Backman is what
we are reading to discuss
in January. This
international bestseller is
centered around a 59 year
old man who is considered
a curmudgeon. It was
adapted into a successful
stage production in
Sweden and is a feature
film in the United States,
recently shown in
Sacramento. So if you did
or did not see the film,
read the book. We will
discuss it on Monday,
January 9, at noon. We will
meet at the home of Callie
Smith.
Bring your sack lunch and
join in the discussion.
From Shirley Manning:
Dear Centennial Family,
Thank you so much for the calls, cards, visits, meals and wonderful support following my recent surgery.
The road to recovery has been lightened by your care and concern. Healing is happening, and I thank all of
you for your part in it.
With gratitude,
Shirley Manning
UMW Book Group—January 2017 Selection
From Maryke & Richard Walsh:
UMW,
Our family thank each of you. A few of you were able to visit Mom at Eskaton, and we are thankful. One of
the cards had a handkerchief enclosed and Mom just loved it. The card was signed from UMW. Your kind-
ness uplifted Mom each day as she had her handkerchief at her side table.
Warmly,
Maryke and Richard Walsh
Thank You. Gracias. Vinaka Vakalevu. Malo Malo `aupito.
From Pamela Knox:
Dear Pastor Renae and Members of Centennial,
Thank you so much for your support during my convalescence. Your cards, calls, and prayers were greatly
appreciated. In fact when the doctor remarked about how fast I was healing I believe 100% it was because of
the many prayers that were prayed for me. Thank you also for the loving hands who crafted my prayer shawl.
Every time I look at it or use it I feel truly blessed.
Page 4 The Centennial
Towel oh Towel! Where for
art thou?
The kitchen in the Fellowship
Hall yearns keenly for its dish
towels. If you have kindly
taken some home to launder,
please heed this call and re-
turn them to the kitchen.
Let’s Whisper.
CUMC’s office staff love to
see you when you visit the
office, but sometimes we are
on the phone, and compet-
ing voices makes it hard to
hear our callers. We appreci-
ate your mindfulness!
Our human compassion
binds us one to the other—
not in pity or patronizingly,
but as human beings who
have learnt how to turn our
common suffering into hope
for the future.
Nelson Mandela
Catch All Corner
parents can talk their own
elementary age kids
through the same issues by
starting with a basic
discussion of what’s fair and
unfair, and what it means to
be part of a community, with
questions like, ‘ What does it
feel like to be excluded?
What can I do to help other
people feel included? ‘
By middle school, McEvoy
Spero says kids can wrestle
with Kings statement that “
Life’s most persistent and
urgent question is, “ What
are you doing for others?”
And parents can help kids
answer that question not just
by asking their kids, but by
asking themselves, what they
are doing for others. “ Our
young people are watching
us ”she says.”
In high school, kids are
ready to “get into the
complexity,” McEvoy Spero
says: how to fight like king
did to defeat the three
interrelated evils of war,
racisms, and poverty. Older
kids can start asking not just
what they can do to help, but
what they can do to create
change. And they’re old
enough to turn to King’s
writing like “The Drum
Major Instinct” or the
famous ”I Have A Dream“
speech.
At any age, it’s important to
help students remember that
King wasn’t a legend, but a
person, just like them. “ If you
put someone on a pedestal,
you can’t really be like them”
Carson says. “ But if you
realize that he was a human
being just like the rest of us,
who was caught up in a great
movement and did
extraordinary things, then
people begin to understand
that they can do
extraordinary things too.”
Adapted From Time: Carey
Wallace, January 19, 2015
By Brenda Cunningham
Before he was assassinated in
Memphis in 1968, Martin
Luther King Jr. led a
movement that had won
many victories, but the issues
of justice and peace he
fought for are still with us.
What are some concrete
ways to talk with kids about
King and his legacy, not just
on Martin Luther King Day,
but in ongoing
conversations?
Clayborne Carson, founding
director of the King Institute,
professor of history at
Stanford University, and
author of Martin’s Dream,
suggest parents look at
King’s childhood. The civil
rights leader clearly describes
the injustice he suffered in
his autobiography.
Andrea McEvoy Spero,
Director of Education at the
Martin Luther King Jr,
Institute at Stanford
University, suggest that
FOR THE FAMILY: How to Talk to your Kids About Martin Luther
King Any Day of the Year
“At any age, it’s
important to help
students
remember that
King wasn’t a
legend, but a
person, just like
them.”
Page 5 The Centennial
By Michael Cunningham
In 2015 the UMC Council of Bishops
wrote a pastoral letter on racism. A
few of the powerful statements
contained in the letter are as follows:
“The evidence is overwhelming that race still matters,
that racism is woven into institutional life and is
problematic to communal health. This reality impacts
every area of life – in the church and in the world.
As bishops of the Church, we cast a vision for a world
community where human worth and dignity defeat acts
of xenophobia and racism. We acknowledge that silence
in the face of systemic racism and community fears
serves only to make matters worse.
We commit to lead, model and engage in honest
dialogue and respectful conversation and invite people
of faith everywhere to join us.
We renew our commitment to work for a Church that is
anti-racist and pro-humanity, believing that beloved
community cannot be achieved by ignoring cultural,
racial and ethnic differences, but by celebrating diversity
and valuing all people.”
The letter challenges us both individually and collectively
as the local body of Christ, the church, to prayerfully
embark on a journey to fully realize Centennial’s vision
of being “a church that embraces diversity.”
The question was where and how to begin. In late
summer of this year we were made aware of an
upcoming event that was presented through our Annual
Conference.
The Annual Conference sponsored a 3 hour guided
(facilitated) conversation that addressed racial issues at
personal, systemic and institutional levels. The
workshop was facilitated by Pastors Sun Hee Kim and
Dale Weatherspoon. The main objectives of the
workshop were to raise awareness and offer tools to
address issues and organize programs locally that help
to dismantle racism in systemic ways in order to
encourage implementations within local churches
Seven members from Centennial attended the
workshop. During the workshop we had the opportunity
to meet as a team and discuss what this might mean for
Centennial.
Based on follow up discussions with the workshop
facilitators the Church Council has approved moving
forward with Centennial convening a workshop for
church leadership and lay members. The workshop
would replicate the one held in West Sacramento,
but be tailored to our needs.
In addition to the guided conversations, the workshop
would also incorporate cultural competency skill
building. Our goal is to create a safe place for a
conversation on race, racism and racial justice to take
place. It is hoped that it is both a learning and sharing
experience that we can all benefit from. Most
importantly, it will be designed to increase our
understanding and appreciation for the value of the
diversity we are blessed with having within our
congregation. In order to ensure that there is sufficient
time for cross sharing and skill building the workshop
will be 5 hours in length.
Based on the church calendar and what would work best
for the Fijian Language Ministry, April 30th, has been
selected as the date for the workshop. It was felt that
having the workshop on a Sunday afternoon would yield
the greatest turnout and accommodate competing work
and personal schedules. On April 30 there would not be
a separate Fijian Language service. Instead there would
be a joint service that would be fully integrated with the
Fijian Language Ministry.
Following the morning service there would be a
multicultural potluck luncheon. The workshop would
take place immediately after the multicultural potluck at
1:00 PM.
The Racial Justice and Cultural Competency Workshop
Fetu'u Niu January 19
Nola Wainiqolo January 20
Carol Hironaka January 25
Mary Castro January 28
Winfred Manuleru January 28
Irene Sadler January 28
Tina Boladau January 30
Kelly Lem January 31
Aliti Viriviri January 31
There are two great days in a
person's life - the day we are born
and the day we discover why.
William Barclay
Today you are you! That is truer
than true! There is no one alive
who is you-er than you!
Dr. Seuss
Hengi Fonua January 1
Connis Kimball January 1
Ralph Buell January 3
Marian Sheppard January 3
Emily Lau January 5
Barry Kwan January 6
Maina Koroi January 7
Samuel Ratliff January 9
Thomas Wallace January 11
Dave Roberts January 12
Fine Kula January 13
Anthony Sakakihara January 13
Grace Taumoefolau January 13
Steven Ashe January 15
Joe Green January 19
Zak Kazee January 19
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Page 6 The Centennial
It is essential that all members of
Centennial attend
the workshop. Without the
support and attendance of the
staff, church leadership,
committee members, and lay
members the ability of Centennial
to fully reflect our vision of being
“a church that embraces diversity”
cannot be fully realized.
We are excited about what this
might mean for Centennial and
request prayers that the Holy
Spirit provide the
direction for the upcoming
workshop.
In the coming months you will be
hearing more about plans for the
workshop.
Workshop: Racial Justice and
Cultural Competency cont’d
By Michael Cunningham
In December we focused on Standard
3 of the ten standards for culturally
proficient ministry. Standard 3
addressed who and how we recruit,
retain, and promote staff and lay
members that volunteer and serve in
leadership capacities within our
church. Standard 4 addresses how we
ensure that both staff and lay
members receive ongoing education
and training in culturally and
linguistically appropriate service and
ministry.
Standard 4. We provide ongoing
education and training on providing
culturally proficient ministry.
Hiring diverse staff and having a
diverse congregation and church
leadership does not automatically
guarantee
that we are
providing
culturally
competent
and
linguistically
appropriate
services and
ministries.
On going
staff and lay
member education and training are
also crucial to ensuring culturally
proficient cross-cultural interactions.
We represent different countries of
origins, English language proficiency,
social and economic standing, degree
of acculturation, and comfort levels in
cross-cultural settings.
It is incumbent that staff participates
in ongoing certified and/or
accredited education or other
training in culturally competent
service delivery. This training should
be based on sound educational (i.e.
adult learning) principles, include pre
and post training assessments, and
be conducted by appropriately
qualified individuals. Training
objectives should be tailored to the
particular functions of those being
trained and the needs of our church
and the specific populations that we
serve. Education and training should
include, but not be limited to, the
following topics:
Elements of effective
communication among staff and
lay members of different cultures
and different languages,
including how to work with
interpreters.
Strategies and techniques for the
resolution of racial, ethnic, or
cultural conflicts.
Building God’s beloved
community where everyone is
valued and every gift celebrated
by relating across racial, ethnic,
and cultural differences
The effects of cultural differences
on styles of worship, roles and
functions of clergy, staff, and lay
leadership, music, Bible study
and discipleship, and ministry for
children and youth.
The impact of poverty, race and
racism, socioeconomic status,
white privilege, ethnicity, and
sociocultural factors on
engagement in multicultural and
racial settings, such as our church
The effects of cultural differences
among members and staff on
satisfaction with church ministries
and activities
The effects of cultural differences
on discipleship and evangelism
services and ministries
The inclusion of social and racial
justice activities and ministries.
Working with and benefiting
from cross cultural clergy
appointments.
Developing and applying
awareness, knowledge, and skills
for racial equity, embracing
diversity and inter-cultural
competency.
These topics should be part of an
annual staff, leadership, and lay
member development plan based on
an annual training and education
needs assessment.
Next month we will focus on
language assistance for church
services, materials and activities.
Embracing our Diversity: Culturally Proficient Ministry
Ongoing staff and lay
member education
and training are also
crucial to ensuring
culturally proficient
cross-cultural
interactions.
Page 7 The Centennial
Centennial United Methodist Church
5401 Freeport Blvd.
Sacramento CA 95822
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We are many—one in
Christ… a church that
embraces diversity.