July 6, 2018Volume 68 No. 7

Freedom:12-Step Spirituality for Everyone

Our summer sermon series continues this month, exploring the 12 Steps as a path to knowing God. As the church has let go of the need to continually remind us that we are broken—knowing that guilt does not create faith—we also have lost the sense that the need for forgiveness, healing, and wholeness is part of our common experience. But of course that is our condition. We don’t change that by not talking about it. Every one of us is bound by some habit or failure or impossible burden. Come find how the 12-step path might lead you somewhere, even if you do not think of yourself as addicted.

July 8: “Change from the inside out.” Senior Pastor Kathi McShane will preach from Psalm 139.

July 15: “Trusting God to do something.” Pastor Dirk Damonte will preach on “God Knows What You Need Before You Say It,” using the scripture text from Matthew 6:7-8.

July 22: “Admitting that we have hurt others and making amends.” Pastor Kathi will give the message, using Matthew 5:21-26.

July 29: “Continuing to search ourselves.” Associate Pastor Sam Lewis will preach from Matthew 7:1-5.

August 5: “Seeking God—consciously, intentionally, faithfully.” Pastor Kathi will give the message from Psalm 46:10, and Holy Communion will be served.

August 12: “Pass it on.” Pastor Kathi will preach on Isaiah 43:10-12, concluding the series.

FROM THE LOS ALTOS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

by Senior Pastor Kathi McShane

It’s the first of July. We begin a new year in the life of LAUMC, and we have a new budget. The Ministry Team is already deep in its work of planning for fall (frightening thought, I know). I begin my second year among you. And it is a good time to reflect for a moment on the past year.

There is so much to give thanks for.

We’ve come through the transition of our worship schedule, and we are working steadily through a change in the shape of our music on Sunday mornings. I am still a little in awe of the grace I’ve seen demonstrated in and around the Chancel and Morning Glory choirs. Apparently, people who sing their worship are people filled with love and a sturdy commitment and a we-can-do-this spirit.

We’ve made one more change in our pastoral staff, saying good-bye to someone whom we have loved and welcoming Pastor Jeong. You have done this as a matter of faith, before you even know him. But I feel a little tingly with anticipation of how quickly I think you will see and come to love the depth of Pastor Jeong’s spirit, the strength of faith and leadership embedded in his humility.

We’ve added some things to our life together:• The Changemaker Initiative, which has already inspired 26 Changemaker Fellows to find new paths of

discipleship as they put their compassion into action. Everywhere I go, I see signs that this new way of thinking ‘Church’ is inspiring new ways of being ‘Church.’

• Conversational Church, which is drawing people into a different kind of worship, inviting them to dig deep into their own lives and stories for the signs of God that propel them out into the world for another week.

• An artist-in-residence who, in some way that always surprises and delights me, draws us deep into God’s presence in his words and music.

• New programs for youth: Tessera and The Launching Pad, two new small groups for high school-age youth, invite them into a deeper faith. Summer Blast and Venture help set middle schoolers on the path of living through adolescence as people of faith and conviction.

• Living Gospels, a new way of thinking about what it means to be a senior adult: a walking, living testament to the grace and power of God.

We’ve taken visible stands in the community around some issues of justice: gun violence, immigration, full inclusion of LGBTQ persons.

That’s a lot, I know. You may think it’s too much. Was it too much change for one year? Maybe. But here’s what I also see:• On June 24, our Church Council passed the largest budget that LAUMC has had for a handful of years—made

possible by an outpouring of support and energy demonstrated in the financial commitments of the Count Me In campaign.

• Worship attendance is up for the first time in many years.• There are resources and energy for extending LAUMC’s ministries into downtown Mountain View.

All of this looks to me like a congregation that is alive, living out its calling to be the hands and feet of God in a world that is changing all the time. We’re going to take some time just to live into these changes. In the next year we’re going to talk and share meals around A Bigger Table and figure out how we will be—all of us—together in this calling we share, to be the United Methodist people of God in Los Altos.

And I am very glad to be in the conversation with you.

With blessings and love,

The Good Newsound

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BirthsBenjamin David CarlstromJune 5Parents: Erica and Erik CarlstromGrandparents: Janice and Bob Maggiora

Riley Marie LohmanParents: Kimberly Davies Lohman and Tristan LohmanGrandparent: Gina Davies

BaptismBeatrice Ashton CroftJune 24Parents: Jonathan Croft and Elizabeth Ashton

DeathsMartha KahnJune 14Survived by her husband, Mike

Jack Sayer HollenJune 15Survived by his wife, Beverly

Introducing Associate Pastor Jeong ParkTell us about your family. Young Jae Kim is my wife of nearly 11 years. I have two boys, Jacob (7) and Joshua (4). Jacob loves Pokémon and Joshua loves Ninjago and Paw Patrol. I have two brothers—one older and one younger. They and my parents live in Korea.

Tell us about your call to ministry. Originally I wanted to be a hospital chaplain; I believe God is in our actions when we care about people. I came to the U.S. for chaplaincy training, and I realized I needed to be ordained to become a hospital chaplain. I fell in love with the Methodist church and its ministries and people. I realized I could serve

people in ministry at local churches as well as visiting people at hospitals. Church ministry gives me joy, to share life with the people in a church.

You wrote a book, Pastoral Care for Survivors of a Traumatic Death: A Challenge for Contemporary Pastors. How did that come about? At my previous appointment, Fair Oaks UMC, a church member lost her son to suicide. It was a pastoral challenge to me to comfort and care for the family as a pastor. I didn’t feel I had sufficient pastoral training specifically in responding to traumatic deaths. That motivated me to work on this project—for myself, at first. Then I tried to make a manual or resource for pastors so that my colleagues can benefit from what I learned. I hope it is a contribution to pastoral ministry.

What are you looking forward to at LAUMC? LAUMC is a well-known church in the California-Nevada Conference. It’s an honor to join in ministry here, and I look forward to learning, growing, and deepening my pastoral ministry with this congregation. I’m passionate about meeting people and sharing God’s compassion, love, and grace. As I join your Ministry Team, I particularly hope to serve those who cannot come to church and make all people feel included.

Ice Cream Social for Pastor JeongSunday, July 8, 11:15am, Creekside

All are invited to welcome Associate Pastor Jeong Park to our congregation at an ice cream and root beer float social. There will be a short Q&A with Pastor Jeong. The Staff-Parish Relations Committee is hosting this event, which is free to attend.

Welcome Our Church Council MembersAll of our committees and ministry teams began with their new and returning members on July 1. Our new Church Council comprises the chairs of each governance and practice committee, additional officers and members, pastors, and staff directors. Let us thank these servant leaders!

Chair Leslie Williams-Hurt

Vice Chair Ken Greathouse

Secretaries Angela and Bridget Wipfler

Board of Trustees President Raymond Lockley

Finance Chair Alan Cyron

Nominations and Leadership Development Chair Rev. Kathi McShane

Staff Parish Relations Chair Stan Barkey

Bold Service and Social Justice Co-Chairs Jan McDaniel and Michael Penn

Deepening Faith Co-Chairs Raymond Lockley and Robert Wigington

Extravagant Generosity Chair Phil Pompei

Passionate Worship Co-Chairs Casie Walker and Dylan Damonte

Radical Hospitality Co-Chairs Jeanne and Duncan MacVicar

Young Adult Ministries (OpenCircle) at-large member Sam Pompei

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New Choir FormingWhether you’ve sung in a high school musical, Carnegie Hall, or a late Friday night at karaoke, you know you love singing—and God knows that, too! How about sharing that gift with us all during worship? A new choir is forming at LAUMC, and all are welcome to find a new spiritual level of worship as well as a warm and loving musical community.

The new adult choir will sing a variety of music that needs a full spectrum of vocal ranges and styles. There are no auditions, but each of the four voice sections will meet for some brief voice blending and group bonding. Sopranos (the highest voices) are invited to come to the Choir Room at 7:15pm on July 10, altos at the same time and place on July 19, tenors on July 17, and basses (lowest voices) on August 9. Not sure where your voice fits in? No worries! Contact Director Bill Golden (billgolden54@gmail.com or 408-656-4453), and he will sit down with you briefly to hear which voice level would be best for you.

If you are thinking to yourself, “Aren’t there a couple of choirs at LAUMC already?” Yes, there were. Since we’ve moved to two services on Sunday morning, it made the most sense to have one adult choir and one high school choir. This is a day of new beginnings, and you are invited to join in!

Youth Ministry UpdateThis year the youth and the ministry staff have stretched themselves to think bigger, pushed themselves to act bolder, and lived into a ministry that is even brighter. Two new programs have made a powerful impact in the lives of our high school students.

Tessera is a small group that spends time digging deeper into the details of faith. The group started in the fall, and activities included a book study on Becoming Human and conversations around healing and wholeness. Group participants worked hard to find the best ways to live out the gospel message in their everyday lives.

The Launching Pad, a summer series led by Pastor Kathi and Carol Damonte, is a space for 11th and 12th graders to grapple with some of the big questions before they launch out into the world: Who’s God, why Jesus, who am I in this story, and how do I live out my faith?

In a world that keeps demanding more, the best way to help our young people thrive is to create places where they can fit the pieces of life together in order to make a great launch.

Invitation to High School GraduatesSunday, July 2211:30am, Bright Oaks Parsonage

OpenCircle invites this year’s high school graduates to a BBQ. We will celebrate in worship at 10:00am and then celebrate with food and fun at 11:30am at Pastor Kathi’s parsonage, 1375 Bright Oaks Court, Los Altos. Contact Rev. Sam (samlewis@laumc.org) with questions.

Immigration Accompaniment Team FormedThe LAUMC Immigration Action Team has formed an Accompaniment Team to provide support for an immigrant family through the family's immigration process, accompanying them to legal hearings, helping connect them to services, and being a caring presence on their journey. The family currently being accompanied are three asylum seekers from Guatemala: a mom, 10-year-old son, and 5-year-old daughter.

The Accompaniment Team has helped them apply for services at Community Services Agency and is in the process of finding them legal representation for their asylum case. The team’s goal is to be a caring presence with them and learn while walking beside them. LAUMC is establishing an Accompaniment Fund to help support this family and others that will be accompanied over time. Right now the financial support needed is minimal, but the team may not be able to find a pro-bono attorney to represent their case by their upcoming Immigration Court date. Please prayerfully consider whether and how you would like to support this family. For more information, contact Yvonne Murray (y_murray@yahoo.com).

Now Hiring: Senior AccountantLAUMC is in search of a qualified candidate to fill our senior accountant position. This position plays a key role in our finance department, performing a variety of accounting duties and providing accounting and problem-solving leadership for other members of the Finance Office. Visit www.laumc.org/employment for a full job description and contact Human Resources (hr@laumc.org) to apply.

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Trinity UMC UpdateEffective July 1, Pastor Kathi is assigned to be “Supervising Elder” for Trinity UMC in Mountain View, in addition to her responsibilities at LAUMC. This means that she is responsible for making sure that there is pastoral leadership for the Trinity congregation and leadership for the administration of the church’s property and finances. Trinity will continue as its own congregation. Over the next year the two congregations will consider whether it makes sense for Trinity and LAUMC to merge; there is no decision or plan in place at this time to do that.

Here’s what this means as a practical matter:

A task force chaired by LAUMC Church Council Vice-Chair Ken Greathouse will investigate the current financial, physical, and business condition of the church over the next 60 days. The task force will report back and make recommendations to Pastor Kathi and Church Council by September 1.

Pastor Sam Lewis will spend a substantial portion of her time doing the advance work to start a new ministry in downtown Mountain View, a ministry that will serve the population there that is not yet served by a United Methodist church:

principally young adults who work for tech companies in the area.

Leadership of Trinity’s worship services will be shared among a rotating group of clergy and lay leaders, from LAUMC’s staff and elsewhere. LAUMC staff will provide pastoral care as needed.

These are short-term arrangements, with a view toward the appointment of a pastor who will be regularly attentive to all of the United Methodist ministries in downtown Mountain View. Over the year LAUMC leaders will evaluate Trinity’s need for staffing, its financial condition, and the future of that congregation. They’ll look for ways that collaboration can enhance the work of both churches. Please keep praying that God will use us to be instruments of good news to the people of Mountain View.

Five of Our African Students GraduateFive more African women have graduated from Africa University because of our help! Our African Student Education Fund has supported 56 women to date, each for up to four years of study. Forty-four women have graduated! We will support 10 students in the coming academic year.

We know these women’s names and call them “our students,” and they are aware of our support. Graduating scholarship recipient Vanessa Masengo wrote, “I have always dreamed about going to university, but my parents and my siblings were not able to afford to pay my school fees. Then you appeared in my life. You did not just pay my university fees, but you also allowed a girl who always wanted to be called a graduate to realize her dream.”

What a joy to see their dreams come true and read their notes of gratitude! For more information, visit www.laumc.org/adults/umw/fund-to-help-african-women.

Harvey Dixon HonoredAfter many years of long, faithful, and invaluable service on and to LAUMC’s Board of Trustees, Harvey Dixon was honored at his last meeting with a formal proclamation, appointing him as the first honorary life member of the Board. Thank you, Harvey!

Also thanked at their last meeting, after many years of service, were Douglas Roberts and Jeanne MacVicar.

Book ClubThursday, July 19, 7:30pm, Garden Room

The Thursday Night Women’s Book Group will discuss The Thirteenth Tale, by Dianne Sutterfield. All women are welcome to participate. Contact Sandy Montoya (smsmontoya@gmail.com) with questions.

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Name High School College Attending / Plans

Ryan Christopher Cox Los Altos High School University of California, Santa Cruz

Jillian Cyron Los Altos High School

Will Demers Woodside High School Oberlin College

Sean Hayden Dickinson Fremont High School Foothill College

Anna Dupin Homestead High School San Diego State University

Patrick Gaffney Los Altos High School University of Colorado, Boulder

Caden Gaviria Mountain View High School Northwestern University

Laura Hare Milpitas High School Ohlone Community College

Simon Heck Los Altos High School Pomona College

Franzisksa Heilig Waldorf Santa Clara University

Emily Holland Mountain View High School DePaul University

Emma Kimbrough The King's Academy Santa Clara University

Avery Luke The King's Academy University of Puget Sound

Dylan McConnell Saint Francis High School University of California, Berkeley

Maegan McElroy Branham High School

Evan Morgans Foothill Middle College Sonoma State University

Kelly McHargue O'Donnell American High School Ohlone College

James Robinson The King's Academy Gap year

Steven Rutledge Mountain View High School Purdue University

Mary Sapigao Henry M Gunn High School DeAnza College

Emily Vastano Mountain View High School University of Oregon

Eric Warmoth Los Altos High School Claremont McKenna College

Jack Wilbur Mountain View High School Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Hayley Yount Wilcox High School University of California, Los Angeles

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES 2018

Name College/Institution Degree

Liza Dally California Institute of the Arts B.F.A., theater design and production

William Heck Emory University English with creative writing

Kelsey Petersen Santa Clara University B.S., mechanical engineering

Jake Stuebner Stanford University Human biology, minor in economics

Katie Tritschler Carleton College B.A., psychology/cognitive science

Brian Wipfler University of Washington, Business administration, entrepreneurship and finance Foster School of Business

Africa University 2018 Grads:

Chipo Jakata Africa University B.S., animal science

Vanessa Masengo Africa University B.S., English communications

Elvine Nikhata Africa University B.S.S., sociology

Elisa Quilende Africa University B.S., public administration

Patricia Simakwezi Africa University B.S.S., psychology

Juliana Vintenaba Africa University B.S.S., sociology

COLLEGE & GRAD SCHOOL GRADUATES 2018

July 6, 2018 GOOD NEWS! Page 6

Annual Conference HighlightsThe California-Nevada Conference met June 20–23, convening about a thousand delegates in the Modesto Convention Center. All four of our pastors were there, plus lay members Patricia Parfett, Yvonne Murray, John Swan, Lindsay Sapigao, Kristina Sinks, and Bev Boxill-German. In addition, two of our staff members helped to put on the conference: Harold Caudle managed the facilities coordination and Emily Allen organized and updated the daily agenda.

• Yvonne Murray made progress on her Changemaker Fellow project—to engage many churches in the movement to stop gun violence. By the end of the week, 641 people were wearing her orange buttons!

• We celebrated with Associate Pastor Sam Lewis as she transferred her membership from the Alabama-West Florida Conference to our California-Nevada Conference.

• The total conference offering for Puerto Rico was $80,000, of which LAUMC contributed $5,000. The Puerto Rico rebuilding team that LAUMC co-led was also recognized.

• Senior Pastor Kathi McShane, as convener of the conference Core Team, presented the conference’s strategic vision moving forward.

• The California-Nevada delegation for the special General Conference in February 2019 was affirmed, including both Emily Allen and our new Associate Pastor Jeong Park.

For more details about all that occurred, read the wrap-up report on the conference website (www.cnumc.org).

Children’s Ministries NewsThe week of June 11–15, LAUMC hosted Changemaker Summer Camp. We had so much fun talking about how each of us can be changemakers and learning from the original compassion-driven changemaker, Jesus! Each group built a strong, supportive community and talked about the importance of taking care of yourself, taking care of others, and caring for God’s people. Highlights included singing with Bobby Jo Valentine, making pretzels, and Genius Hour!

Save the date: We will bless students' backpacks in worship on Sunday, August 19.

Children’s Center News We are looking forward to our summer camps. The staff is working extra hard to transform the classrooms into magical lands. This year’s theme is “Splash Zone Fun.” No doubt the children will have a magical time pretending to be pirates and mermaids playing with dolphins in the ocean!

We feel extremely fortunate to be in a position to support other nonprofits in improving the lives of children and families in our community. In accordance with the Children’s Center’s tithe/outreach policy, 10 percent of the preschool’s yearly net surplus activity is allocated to organizations that assist children or families. This year the Children’s Center Board voted to split the fund between two recipients:

• There With Care assists families and children facing critical illness at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. This program works with families to identify their day-to-day stresses and provide support to ease their burdens with meaningful help.

• The Creative Montessori Learning Center (CMLC) is a nonprofit preschool in East Palo Alto that provides full-day child care and preschool education for approximately 140 children, ages 2–6. In early June our directors visited CMLC and delivered much-wanted bikes and water tables. In addition, a small cash donation was given to the school to purchase rugs and manipulatives.

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GOOD NEWS!Los Altos United Methodist Church655 Magdalena AvenueLos Altos, CA 94024-5297(650) 948-1083 www.laumc.org

DATE MAILED: July 6, 2018NEXT GOOD NEWS! DEADLINE: August 6, 2018WORSHIP SERVICES: Sundays 8:30am, 10:00am & 5:00pm

Living Gospels BBQ Thursday, July 1211:30am–1:30pm, Shoup Park

Join the Living Gospels senior adult group for a fun summer BBQ at Shoup Park. Bring a side dish or drink to share and RSVP to Megan Carroll (megancarroll@laumc.org or 650-948-1083 x152).

Living Gospels Book StudyWednesdays, July 11–August 152:00pm, Redwood Room

The Living Gospels will be doing a book study of John Pavlovitz’s A Bigger Table for six weeks. All are welcome to participate!

Changemaker Initiative UpdateWe want to put our faith into action in new ways and are learning what that means—for individuals, a church, a community. Our 26 Changemaker Fellows and their teams are each pursuing a “calling” to improve something in one of four areas of our lives: church, families, community, or school/workplace. We all have the potential to make a difference in the spaces where we live and bring God’s kingdom to earth!

The Fellows enjoyed a chance to share their ideas at the Changemaker Showcase on June 24. Thank you for your interest and feedback! If you would like to learn more about individual Fellows’ passions and projects, invite one to come present to your group or committee (contact kim@thechangemakerinitiative.org) or visit www.thechangemakerinitiative.org/fellows. Thank you for your continuing prayers as we step out and stretch our faith in this exciting endeavor.