NEWSLETTER
April 4, 2012
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
of
Redwood City
Inside
this
Issue:
Birthdays
Calendar
Connections
Easter
14 Opportunities
2 Prayers
12 Weekly Message
8
5
13
3
Open & Affirming
Congregation
CALENDAR
Page 2
Sunday
April 8
4:00pm
Easter Celebration
& Fellowship
at
Casa de Redwood
See page 8
Tuesday
April 10
2pm
Craft Group
160 Birch Street
Wednesday
April 11
11:00am
Prayer Circle
160 Birch Street
Sunday
April 15
4:00pm
Weekly Gathering
160 Birch Street
Tuesday
April 17
7:30pm
Church Council
2668 Washington
All Welcome!
Wednesday
April 18
11:00am
Prayer Circle
160 Birch Street
Sunday
April 22
4:00pm
Weekly Gathering
160 Birch Street
Tuesday
April 24
2:00pm
Craft Group
160 Birch Street
Wednesday
April 25
11:00am
Prayer Circle
160 Birch Street
Thursday thru Sunday ~ April 26 –29
NCNC Annual Gathering
Hotel Sofitel, Redwood City
Sunday
April 29
9:30am
Worship
Annual Gathering
See page 5
at
WEEKLY MESSAGE
Page 3
DOING RESURRECTION
All over the world, Christians are preparing to celebrate the
resurrection of Jesus. We have walked the Lenten journey
together, many of us sharing in reflection and bible study
through our Lenten devotionals. We have sung the songs and
prayed the prayers of our faith, as we've sought to look
compassionately and realistically at our lives. Now we head
toward Easter, the culmination of all our preparations.
But we have a dilemma. What does "resurrection" really mean
to us today? We are often torn between seeing resurrection as
something that happened to Jesus long ago, and looking ahead
to our own resurrection at the time of our death. In either of
these cases, resurrection is seen as something that happens to
someone -- to Jesus in the past and to us in the future. What
if we also thought of resurrection as a present reality and as a
verb: as something we do. Resurrection could become for us
a choice about how to live, a kind of spiritual practice for our
lives.
We practice resurrection whenever we choose to bring hope
into a situation that seems hopeless. Do you have a friend or
family member who is depressed or grieving? Being with
them, offering love and acceptance, sharing the resources for
help -- these things are practicing resurrection. When we
recognize and speak up about injustice or unkindness -- that is
practicing resurrection. Kathie reminded me of the rainbow
colored bracelets so many members of this congregation wear
in support of LGBT youth. That is a resurrection practice.
Taking an unpopular stand on behalf of those less powerful --
Page 4
that is a resurrection practice.
Giving, serving, loving, challenging unfairness, offering hope -these are all ways of doing resurrection. There is power in the
story of Jesus' life and death and resurrection, even as there is
profound hope in the promises of life to come for each of us.
But that is not all there is to this story. Resurrection is something we live into every day, every time we choose to act
lovingly and hopefully.
May this Easter be an invitation to all of us to actively look for
ways to bring new life and joy into a world steeped in death and
pain. We are a resurrection people -- it's what we believe and it
is what we do. Thanks be to God.
Kim
How do you experience resurrection in your life?
Where do you see it happening in the world?
I'd love to hear from you --
OPPORTUNITIES
Page 5
WORSHIP
AT
ANNUAL
GATHERING
We are so blessed to again have the Annual Gathering held in Redwood
City at the Hotel Sofitel. Two of our members, Annette Howitt and
Carol Chivers, have generously offered to attend all four days of the
Gathering. We still have room for a few more who would like to attend.
Because the Gathering is so close to home this year and because the
Hotel Sofitel is such a beautiful venue, we will be holding our Weekly
Gathering there on Sunday morning. We will not have a Gathering here
at Birch Street that afternoon.
Please let the Church Office know if you would like to attend either
the Annual Gathering or this worship service at 9:30 am with hundreds
of fellow UCC members.
Page 6
Get to Know
Your Community
Eighteen members and friends of First Congregational met with
Redwood City Council member, Barbara Pierce, after Palm Sunday
Worship on April 1st.
Barbara shared six key needs in Redwood City: Community Cultural
Events, Project Read, Redwood City Education Foundation, Housing for
the Chronically Homeless, Redwood City Together, and Peninsula
Clergy Network. All of these projects involve our four core values of
Stewardship, Integrity, Partnership and Community to some degree.
If you would like more details about the presentation, contact the
Church Office or call us at 650-369-0344 and we’ll send you a more
comprehensive report.
We plan to invite speakers from each one of these groups to meet
with us over the next few months so watch this Newsletter
for details.
OPPORTUNITIES
Page 7
EASTER CELEBRATION
Page 8
Join us
Easter Sunday, April 8th
4:00 pm
Casa de Redwood
1280 Veterans Blvd.
Worship, Snacks & Fellowship
If you prefer a more traditional, UCC service
or if these times work better for you:
Ladera, Portola Valley
6:30 am
Woodside Village
9:30 am
Palo Alto
9:30 am
Foster City
10:00 am
College Heights
10:00 am
San Mateo (Tilton)
10:30 am
9:30 am
11:00 am
5:00 pm
OUTREACH
Page 9
Did you know One Great Hour of
Sharing (OGHS) responds to
disasters on average every 2.5 days,
while it changes lives 365 days each
year? Your gift to OGHS is hard at
work in 138 countries, including the
US. When you make a gift you
become a partner in the refugee,
disaster relief, and community
development efforts of the United
Church of Christ.
For over 65 years, Christians in
North America have changed lives
with their gifts to OGHS. By sharing
our resources, we share God’s love
and blessing, bringing joy to
thousands of God’s children who
wait for their seed of hope to bloom.
Please send a check to the Church
Office today
made out to FCC and marked
“OGHS”.
Page 10
REJOICE
The last 20 Bibles
We purchased
for the boys at
Hillcrest
are nearly
gone.
So, we took a
chance and
ordered
40 more Bibles
for us to use when
working with the boys and
20 smaller versions
for the boys to take
when they are released.
You
can
purchase
one of
The regular
Print
versions
for
your own
use
for only
$25.00
each
(includes
tax
and
shipping).
You’ve been generous but the need
is still great.
Please help us pay for these
essential ministry tools
and give each of these boys
a chance to own
one of these easy-to-read,
relevant,
conveniently sized,
modern language, Bibles.
Please bring or send your checks to the Church Office
made out to FCC and marked ‘Bibles’.
CONNECTIONS
Page 11
IT’S NOT TOO LATE
TO GET ASSISTANCE
PREPARING
YOUR TAXES...
You can get free tax preparation at
The Veterans Memorial Senior Center
1455 Madison Avenue
650-489-6023
Open until April 11th
Between 9am and 3pm
BY APPOINTMENT
Trained Tax Preparers
Fast
Free
Confidential
You do not need to be an AARP Member
to use this service
More information and locations
at the Church Office
CONNECTIONS
Page 12
Evelyn Hunt (shown here on
the right with Ruth Stroshane
on the left) celebrated her 97th
Birthday with us at our Weekly
Gathering on Palm Sunday.
Evelyn spends her free time
working in her lovely garden
and walks downtown to the
Farmer’s Market and to
Church on Sunday afternoons.
Pat Moore celebrated her
Birthday a bit early at the
Good Hope Colony luncheon
with joy and lots of laughter
and a great lunch. Pat is
shown here with her card
signed by all the ladies who
attended the lunch which was
held at Harry’s Hofbrau. Pat’s
daughter also attended the
celebration.
BLESSINGS & PRAYERS
Page 13
The following prayer was used as our Closing Prayer at the
Palm Sunday Gathering after a discussion relating Jesus’
taking a stand for justice and a different understanding of
power and how both relate to us today.
O Lord,
Open our eyes that we may see the needs of others;
Open our ears that we may hear their cries;
Open our hearts so that they need not be without help;
Let us not be afraid to defend the weak because of the
anger of the strong,
Nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of
the rich.
Show us where love and hope and faith are needed,
And use us to bring them to those places.
And so open our eyes and our ears
That we may this coming day be able to do some work
of peace for you.
Amen
~ Alan Paton
Page 14
Joe Tanouye
April 9th
Ted Minenko
April 11th
Condolences to the family and
friends of our dear friend and
long-time member, Peggy
Newman.
Peggy passed away on March
24th. The family will hold a
Memorial Service on Saturday,
May 19th at UCC San Carlos.
Prayers for Rev. Jack Dawson,
Conference Council President,
as he recovers from chest
pains. Also prayers for his
family and his congregation in
Lodi.
PRAYERS & BLESSINGS
Page 15
Prayers of sympathy for Joey
Downey as he mourns the
loss of his partner of 17 years
who died last Friday of HIV
related complications.
Prayers for rest and recuperation
for David Berman-Hill of the
NCNC Office during his medical
leave of absence.
Ongoing Prayer Needs
Little Jack
Pat Moore
Larry Kopecky
Annette Howitt
Bob & June Bury
Kathleen Mahany
Lois Dittrich
Christiane Streeter
Julie Strauss
Phyllis Happ
Bruce Holcomb
Bob Uhlenberg
Carole Tomkins
Lucy Walker
Connie Wolff
Henry Frye
Alan Nilsson
Kim Smith-Nilsson
Wanda Davison
Joann Brown
Barbara Ellington
Sally Tanouye
Gary Dawson
Paul Michel
George Swierczynski
FCC
First Congregational Church
160 Birch Street, Suite B
Redwood City, CA 94062
650-369-0344
www.FirstChurchRWC.org
Chaplain
Rev. Kim Smith-Nilsson
650-964-8957
[email protected]
Office Manager
Kathie Fosgett
[email protected]
Church Council
Catherine Lyman
Bill Van Cleve
Carol Chivers
Larry Fosgett
Peggy Smullin
Patti Bury
Advisory Committee
Millie Cole
Annette Howitt
Kathleen Mahany
Peggy Smullin
Office hours vary so please
call ahead to make
an appointment
MORE QUESTIONS
THAT HAUNT ME…
Why are they called “stands” when
they are made for sitting?
Doesn’t ‘expecting the unexpected’
make the unexpected expected?
Can you cry underwater?
How is it that we put a man on the
moon before we figured out it would
be a good idea to put wheels
on luggage?
Why are you ‘in’ a movie but ‘on’ TV?
If the Professor on Gilligan’s Island
can make a radio out of a coconut,
why can’t he fix a hole in a boat?
Why does Goofy stand erect while
Pluto remains on all fours?
They’re both dogs!
If Wile E. Coyote had enough money
to buy all that ACME stuff, why didn’t
he just buy dinner?
Is there ever a day that mattresses
are not on sale?
How come you never hear
father-in-law jokes?