VALENCIA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

The Messenger
VA L E N C I A U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H
Issue 234
February 2011
From Project Nicaragua
Below: Building of the new high school begins.
Notes from Nicaragua:
Day 1 recap….great team, all are well and send their love and prayers to all of you and thank
you for your notes...reconnected with families in Chacocente...great to see they are growing more
crops and have more livestock...put Miracle Offering dollars to work as we continued to build a high
school...humbling gratitude from Chacocente families...sharing dreams...God is good...bueno noche
from Masaya! - John
This was an amazing day. The kids were awesome this a.m. Helped build a wall after lunch :) Michelle
Team Members:
John Shaver, Rahel Yoo,
Deb Manahan, John
Adam, Chelsea
Ghasserani, Barry Pontius,
Brian Young, David and
Nancy Neill, Michelle
Andrews, Kellie Wood,
Taylor Wood, Catherine
Stebbins, Kathleen
Rutherford, Renato
Romero, Jan Broneer,
Rigo Rosales, Damian
Jones, Mike Nibarger,
and Brently Young.
Excerpts from letters….
Dear John and our brothers and sisters in Christ in Valencia UMC,
Dear Valencia United Methodist Church,
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Project Chacocente, I want to
extend our deepest appreciation and incredible gratitude for all you
have done for the project this year! Thank you so much for the generous
donations you have made and for the incredible gift of the matching
grants program. Throughout the year, we were able to tell people that
their money was doubled, exciting and energizing them to do more for
the families. Let me say now, that YOUR money was doubled also!
Thank you so much for financing our
Thanksgiving dinner party. Without your
support, our event would not have been
possible. Thank you for supporting the vision to
reach out to the probation camps. I want you to
know how much we appreciate the volunteers from
your church who came to serve our minors.
We know that God has called us to care for our brothers and sisters in
poverty and had clearly told us to share our wealth. You have taught us
even more in your generosity...not only have you shared your abundance
but you have also taken the time to meet the families, to work with them
side by side and to open your hearts in love to them.
These young ladies are our future. The love and
support that they received from your members will
affect them for eternity.
The love of God was truly demonstrated through
you. I have received so many thanks and
expressions of appreciation from the minors and
staff members here at Camp Scott, especially the
new staff who have never before attended our
dinner parties. We love you, brothers and sisters in
Christ at Valencia United Methodist Church. May
God continue to enlarge His blessings in your lives.
You have been blessed to be a blessing! And you have been blessed to
be an inspiration to so many throughout this country and Central America.
We appreciate your walking with us on this path...with our brothers and
sisters in Nicaragua as we strive to eradicate poverty in their lives and to
develop a model for ending poverty throughout the world.
In Christ’s name,
In His Service,
Mary C. Anderson
President, Project Chacocente USA Board of Directors
Chaplain Linda Howell
1
The Messenger
Off the Blocks with Pastor John
Dear Church Family,
I’m writing to you from one of the
homes in Chacocente. (I'll try and
find internet later.) It has been an
inspiring and powerful first few
days with our brothers and sisters
in Nicaragua. I continue to be
astounded by the way you share
with others, and it is great to put
the Miracle Offering to work as
we join with the community to
build a high school to continue to
further the dreams of the children
in Project Chacocente and
surrounding areas.
community; and we took time to
listen to what God had planned
for our future.
2. Take time each day to use
your personal journal and pray
for our church family.
This year we will again embark on
a 40 day journey; and I’m excited
to share that the journey will
incorporate “The Hole In Our
Gospel.”
3. Don’t miss worship. We’ll be
teaching every weekend, with
messages related to what you
study in your group. (If you’re
away on business or traveling, you
can catch the messages on the
web at umvc.org).
This book has inspired many to
live in new and exciting ways.
4. Participate in the other exciting
Together we’ll learn the answer to excursions to serve during this
journey!
one of the most penetrating
This journey is one that is exciting, questions we could ever be asked:
challenging and full of great
I believe God is again going to
“What does God expect of us?”
use this time of spiritual growth in
opportunities! As I think about the
life of VUMC, we have a similar
ways we cannot even imagine! I
To fully benefit from the
event that will be happening in
look forward with great
transforming power of this 40
just a few weeks. A few years
anticipation to journey with you
Days adventure, I hope you will
ago we joined together for
participate in four spiritual areas: and watch our God-given dreams
gain momentum to take us to what
40 Days of Community. Great
things happened during that time 1. Be involved in a small group!
God has in store for us!
in our church family; dreams
Watch for more information in the
bulletin and on the patio between Grace and Peace, John
began to come together; we
became more cohesive as a faith worship hours.
Dear Church Family,
I just wanted to say thank you for
Senior Luncheon
to me. God bless each and everyone of
Saturday, February 12th
Fellowship Hall
11:30 a.m.
the beautiful card—it meant a lot
you & may your new year be filled
with many blessings,
Special Music by the Sounds of Joy
Kami Owens
2
Issue 234
2011 VUMC Women’s Retreat
Take a Trip around the World to Explore God’s World of Wonder
March 11-13, 2011 -- Canyon Creek
Wishing you could get away for a mini-vacation? We’ve
got just your ticket! Wonder Full World is an unforgettable
travel-themed retreat for the women of VUMC. It includes
worship, Bible study, and time for laughter as well as time
for quiet reflection. At Wonder Full World we’ll “travel” to
each of the seven continents. While there, we’ll explore
wonders of a woman’s heart, such as “I wonder if I matter
to God” and “I wonder where God is when life is hard.”
We’ll find the answer to each of these questions and discover more of God’s amazing love for us.
The 2011 Women’s Retreat will be held March 11-13, 2011 at Canyon Creek, above Lake Hughes.
The Retreat starts with dinner on Friday night and ends at noon on Sunday. The price is just $225, which
includes two nights lodging, five meals (dinner Friday through breakfast Sunday), a VUMC retreat t-shirt,
and all program materials! A $50 deposit is due when you register. Scholarships are available, so
please let us know if you are in need of assistance with the registration fee, or if you are able to provide
a contribution to assist with this year’s scholarship fund. Take time to relax, to make new friends, to
worship, and to explore God’s wondrous love. We hope you’ll join us at Wonder Full World!
Contact Robin Dal Soglio ([email protected]), Melissa Solomon ([email protected]) or
Kellie ([email protected]) for more information, or stop by our table at Church on Sundays to
learn more and register. Registration ends February 6th.
Winter Shelter
The SCV Winter Shelter has experienced
high volume this year due to inclement
weather. In December, VUMC unpaid
servants experienced sharing God’s love
through helping out with meals and
security. The next week that we will be
responsible for staffing the winter shelter
is Sunday morning, February 27, through
Saturday night, March 5th. We will need
morning hosts, dinner for 40-50 people
and night-time security patrol for each of
these dates. Please sign up after worship
if you would like to be an unpaid servant
for this ministry. Sign-ups begin on
Sunday, February 6th.
One of the groups of unpaid servants from VUMC who helped at the
Homeless Shelter during VUMC Week in December and found it fun
and rewarding. From left to right: Marilyn McDonald, Paula Miller,
Mindy Cope, Joann Fetterolf, Michael Park, and Mike Doggett
3
The Messenger
YOUTH HAPS….The REFRESH Ministry
Love God—Love Others—Serve—Repeat
by Pastor Joseph Yoo
40 Days of Prayer
Every day, starting January 10, at 4 p.m. I'll be
in prayer for 40 days. Here are the things that
I'll be praying for (in the following order):
I have realized that there are many things that
need to be done for our youth ministry (and our
church, in general). I don't mean that in a bad
way, at all. Just that there's a lot of dreaming,
thinking and doing that we can do as young
people of this church. Often times, my gut
reaction is to think of something and go for it,
without much planning. Sometimes, it goes very
well. Often times, it falls through, mainly because
of lack of planning. How easy it is to forget to
take everything to Jesus in prayer. It's something
that's been instilled in me since I was a kid.
1. Valencia United Methodist Church - that we
continue to seek God's will and God's alone
2. The staff and leaders of VUMC - for
strength, courage and wisdom to continue on
doing their ministry, and faithfulness to God.
3. For the youth - that God will become less of
an idea and more of a reality and priority in
their lives
4. For the youth ministry - to be effective in
making disciples of Christ
5. For youth leaders - that more people will
step up in their faith to help mold and
disciple the next generation Christians
6. Your prayer requests
7. My personal and family prayer requests.
Let me tell you something about my dad. He's a
prayer warrior, even by Korean standards. I've
told my anglo friends about the things that my
dad does and they just can't comprehend it. If
you add all the days my dad fasted in his life
time, it would come out to about 365 days. He
has gone on four different 40 day fasts in his life
time. That's 40 days without food. Four times I've
witnessed his legs become as skinny as my
forearm. My dad modeled, and continues to
model, the importance of prayer. My dad's
answer to everything has been, first seek God in
prayer. It has worked for our family for as long
as I can remember. He continues to get up at
4 a.m. everyday to head out to his church to
pray. There have been a couple of times last
year when I went to bed at 4 a.m. But as 2010
ended, there was something tugging at my heart
and spirit, telling me I needed to do something.
Of course, the initial reaction to this tugging was
to completely ignore it. But, as the year drew
closer and closer to the end, the feeling was
getting bigger and louder, even.
If you have a prayer request, email it to me or
leave a note in my box. If you want to remain
completely anonymous, just drop off the prayer
request in my box without your name on it. By the
time that you get to read this in the newsletter,
I may already be more than half-way done. But
please don't hesitate to shoot me a prayer
request. In fact, don't ever hesitate to ask either
myself or Pastor John to pray for you. But, know
that as I go through all of our prayer requests,
my ultimate prayer is that we align our will with
God and that God's will ultimately be done. Let's
continue to find ways to open ourselves and let
God do amazing things through us.
Books In Our Library
While I won't be able to go on a 40 day fast, I
feel that 40 days of prayer will be a great way
to start 2011, the year I have deemed My Year
of Obedience. Why am I sharing this with you?
First and foremost, to hold myself accountable to
get through these 40 days. And secondly, to ask
for your prayer requests. And thirdly, for you to
join me.
The Power of a Whisper by Bill Hybels
Faith, Hope, and Luck ~ DVD & Small Group
Study by Andy Stanley
The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
4
Kids’ Worship Leaders
and Assistants Needed
Bible Bucks Store
The Bible Bucks Store will be open on Sunday,
January 30th following both worship hours in
Room 5. Parents, please be sure to
accompany your children to the store to help
them shop.
We are looking for several adults who are
willing to serve once or twice a month in one
of our two Kids’ Worship groups as a
leader or as an assistant. Easy-to-use lesson
materials and supplies are provided. If you
love kids, this is a great place for you to
serve. You’ll have lots of fun sharing God’s
love with our kids. Please contact
[email protected] for more information.
Sunday School
Themes For February
9:00 Sunday School Themes
2s & 3s:
Pre-K & Kindergarten:
1st & 2nd Grades:
3rd & 4th Grades:
5th & 6th Grades:
Jesus Loves Us
Jesus’ Parables
Families
Jesus’ Parables
Money and Time
10:30 Kids’ Worship Theme
Jesus’ Parables
Valencia United Methodist Church
Vision Statement
We are a community of faith where lives are
continuously transformed through Jesus Christ.
Mission Statement
Our Church exists to:
Invite people
Nurture them with Christ’s love and the Word of God
Send them out to serve others
Our Core Values:
Worship—Public and private
Small Groups—Building relationships
Service—Using God-given gifts
5
The Messenger
Habit Sunday on February 6th!
Support our Pioneer Clubs Program by
having lunch or dinner at the Habit (located in
Granary Square). Just present your Sunday
bulletin to the cashier when you
place your order and a portion of
your total bill will be returned in
support of our children’s program.
Get the Habit!
Cindy Marks, Consultant
Quality Products,
Personalized Service & 24/7 Shopping
661.360.9626
[email protected]
This Spot could be
yours!
Luxury senior apartments for adults, ages 55 and better!
ON SITE ACTIVITIES DIRECTOR
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CLUBHOUSE AND LIBRARY
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EXERCISE CLASSES
BINGO AND SOCIAL EVENTS
12 HELPFUL EMPLOYEES
HEATED POOL AND SPA
FREQUENT PARTIES AND FIELD
TRIPS
OUTDOOR PATIO AREAS
PRIVATE BUS AND CAR, FREE
products and services. For more information,
contact Catherine in the church office at 255-1301
or email, [email protected].
Amazing Move-In Special!
Call for details today!
Phone: (661) 259-5501
Fax: (661) 259-2431
K
Valley Oaks Village
Law Offices of
DONALD R. KLAHS
24700 Valley St.
Santa Clarita, CA 91321
Nearest Cross Street: Lyons Ave.
www.valleyoaksvillage.com
Donald R. Klahs, Esq.
Attorney at Law
25152 Springfield Court, Ste. 100
Valencia, CA 91355
Phone: 661-287-1511
Fax: 661-287-9217
E-mail: [email protected]
COMPLETE
TREE CARE
&
REMOVAL
“Rigo”
“Rigo”
Rigoberto
Rosales
Rigoberto Rosales
6
818-893-0058
818-535-0977
Upcoming Events
February 2011
Sun
Mon
2/6 Habit Sunday
1 Prayer
2/7 & 2/8 Hill’s Angels
2/8 Charge Conference
2/12 Senior Luncheon
Tue
Wed
Thu
2
3
4
5
6 Habit
Sunday
7 Hill’s
Angels Game
Night
8 Charge
14
15
Conference
9Hill’s
10
11
12 Senior
Angels Game
Night
16
Luncheon
17
20
21
22
23
24
Chancel Bells
Tuesday 7:30 p.m. in the
Choir Room.
Contact Barb Hauge
259-2899
Chancel Choir
Thursday 7:30 in the
Sanctuary
Contact Steven Applegate
284-1866 ext. 101
Contemporary Praise
Band
Rehearses every Tuesday
night at 7:30 p.m. in the
Sanctuary. Contact Paul
Anderson 259-7224
19
25
26 Angel
Food
Distribution
Women’s Retreat 3/11-3/13
Body & Soul
Meets every other
Wednesday 9:00 a.m. in
Room 1. Contact Suzanne
Bowman 513-0683
18 Angel
Food Order
Deadline
Looking Ahead:
Daylight Savings 3/13
Sat
Shawl
13
Ash Wednesday 3/9
Fri
27
28
F.I.S.H.
Every Thursday
6:30 p.m. in the Kitchen
Sign-up on the FISH
calendar posted on the wall
in the kitchen
Prayer and Share
Women’s Prayer Group
1st and 3rd Thursday of
each month at 10:00 a.m. in
Room 1. Contact Vicki
Cranmer 259-2774
Men’s Bible Study
Every Thursday
6:30 a.m. in Room 1
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Meets the 1st Tuesday of
each month at 7:00 p.m.
Contact Maria Sears
259-4142
Men’s Ministry Breakfast
Meets periodically at
various locations and
times. Contact Pete
Brosnan 263-8991
Senior Service Ministry
Plans luncheons, sends
cards, provides rides,
makes visitations and calls.
If you can help in any of
these activities, contact
Ron Kari at 799-3808 or
Dick & Maria Sears
259-4142
MOPS
Mothers of Preschoolers
meets the 2nd and 4th
Tuesday of each month at
9:00 am. Contact Michelle
Jones 284-2564
7
Youth Prison Ministry
Every Wednesday.
Held at youth prison
Training materials, and
childcare are provided.
Carpool departs from
church at 5:30. Contact the
Church Office for more
information.
The Messenger
Published Monthly
Valencia United
Methodist Church
25718 McBean Parkway
Valencia, CA 91355-2008
Non-Profit Org.
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CA
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Return Service Requested
Valencia United Methodist Church
25718 McBean Parkway
Valencia CA 91355-2008
Phone: 661-255-1301
Fax: 661-255-0119
Email: [email protected]
February 6th—Chacocente Sunday
Sermon: Mission Possible: Celebrate!
Scripture: Philippians 4:13
Synopsis: Join us for a great
celebration as our mission team
returns from Nicaragua!
February/March Sermon Series
The Supporting Cast
February 13th
Sermon: Barnabas
Scripture: Acts 4:32-37
Synopsis: One of the easiest jobs in
the world is to be an armchair
quarterback. We find it easier to
critique rather than encourage. But
Barnabas was a believer of people.
His name meant Son of
Encouragement. We need more
people in the world like Barnabas,
who was willing to encourage,
inspire and love people.
February 27th
Sermon: Rahab the Prostitute
Scripture: Joshua 2:1-24
Synopsis: Sometimes we let our past get in the way of
God’s will for us. Rahab is mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy.
Not only was she not an Israelite, but she was also a
prostitute. James, in the New Testament, called Rahab
righteous because of her actions of faith. God has a great
purpose for everyone regardless of their history.
February 20th
Sermon: Ebed-Melech
Scripture: Jeremiah 38:7-10
Synopsis: We teach our young people to always do the right
thing and not to give in to peer pressure. But how are we
following our teachings? Peer pressure doesn’t go away; and
doing the right things does not become easier just because we are
much older. Edmund Burke once said: “The only thing necessary for
the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing.” EbedMelech was courageous enough to do the right thing, even if it
meant going against the king and his royal officials.
8
March 6th
Sermon: Aquila and Priscilla
Scripture: Acts 18:1-4
Synopsis: Discipleship happens when people are willing to
lead by example and willing to invest their lives into someone
else. Paul did that with Aquila and Priscilla. They, in turn, did
that with Apollos, who later became a vast help to Paul and
Christianity. Jesus did that with the Twelve, but more closely
with James, John and Peter. The goal of our church is not
more church members, but more disciples of Christ, and one
way we can do that is through our learning, sharing and
growing within small groups.