The
Aldersgate
Press
Sam
D
Pag in!
e 5!
September 2016 • Vol 21• www.AldersgatePA.org
• A Reconciling Congregation, open to all
SERVING YOUR CHURCH
Pastor: Rev. Roger Morimoto
[email protected]
Rev. Gary Barbaree
Your AUMC Staff:
Submit newsletter articles by the
15th of the month to:
Brad Shirakawa - newsletter editor
[email protected]
Send Sunday bulletin info to Brad
by the WEDNESDAY before Sunday
Mimi Funabiki and Lori Wong
do everything else:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Sunday service starts at 10 am. Sunday
school available for toddlers through
12th graders.
Aldersgate United
Methodist Church
4243 Manuela Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94306-3705
ph: 650-948-6806
www.aldersgatepa.org
building
sharing
aldersgate
community
Internment flower art by
Shingo Nishiura, circa 1944
Words With Rev. Roger
First Sermon and Renewal
“Can you give me just 30 minutes?”
This was the title of Rev. Gary Barbaree’s first sermon at Aldersgate on August 7. He recounted the exchange I had with
him and his wife, Lynn, back in March when I approached
him about coming to help at Aldersgate in his upcoming retirement.
He went on to weave a delightful
and moving sermon about time,
nuclear disarmament, his mother
and the Doolittle raid (WWII)
over Tokyo, art, John Swanson
the artist, worship, community
and “hogs that don’t matter much
about time.” (If you missed it,
ask someone who was there…)
From that moment, it was clear –
Gary is not Roger and Roger is
not Gary – and Aldersgate will be
all the better for it. The variety
of gifts will enhance our energy
and ability to be a community the church!
Rev. Gary
Barbaree
While it would be prudent to recognize it was one day in the life of the congregation, nonetheless it was a
wonderful start to this shared ministry. Keep up with what is happening at
Aldersgate lest you miss out as we begin this era of the Aldersgate Life!
Renewal Leave
After 5 years of service in the United Methodist Church, pastors are often
granted renewal leave from one to three months to rejuvenate their enthusiasm and energy for ministry. The Aldersgate SPRC has offered this leave
see Rev. Roger, next page
2
Words With
Rev. Roger
- continued
to me several times in the past. This year
is the first time I will be partaking of this
offer. For the entire month of October,
Chris and I will be away during the entire
duration of this renewal leave.
I would like to thank the congregation
for this opportunity! Chris and I are truly looking forward to this time. I would
also like to thank the
church members who
are especially supporting this renewal leave
– in particular, David
Nakamura. I would
also like to thank Gary
for providing and covering all the pastoral
responsibilities while I David Nakamura
am on my leave.
Church Renewal
September Sermon Themes
For September, the sermons will explore what is the Word of God. For
many, the Word of God is the Bible but this over-simplification distorts
the genuine Christian message. In September, we will be exploring
what is “the word” on the “Word of God” and how it is impacts the current issues of our day and our own spiritual journey.
September 4 – Overview of The Word of God
September 11 – The Word and the Love for God
September 18 – The Word and the Love for Neighbor
September 25 – The Word and Bringing Love for God and for Neighbor
Into The World
For the Youth Group (and Parents)
Each Sunday in September, either Rev. Roger or Rev. Gary will join
the youth for a 5-10 minute lesson on the Theme of the Month. This
month, the lessons will help the youth distinguish between “The Word
of God” and the Bible.
OM
September 11, 2001
I truly believe the Spirit guides us individually and collectively. While this is
a personal time of renewal for myself, I
believe the meme of renewal is also true
for the congregation.
OM Group – Monday, September
19 at 7pm. Topic: The Truth Movement of 9/11 and Spiritual Awakening
It is time for all of us to take a different look at ourselves, our spirituality, our
faith and our church community.
As we progress towards Advent, I encourage you to step forward and to step
up in your own spiritual journey – join us
in the Center for Spiritual Life, join us in
worship and join us in community – with
a renewed Spirit.
Roger
GROUP
and society today.
September 11, 2001 lives on within
the psyche of American culture and
history. It was a moment of lost innocence as America shifted to a culture
of fear of terrorism and surveillance
that still pervades American politics
For some, the truth of this fateful event has been suppressed in our culture; and for many of these individuals, the process of uncovering this
truth has reshaped their own sense of self, their personal psyche and
even their spiritual understanding.
Rev. Roger will share his experience with this process of exploring the
truth of 9/11 and how it has opened him to a larger spiritual perspective
on history and culture.
3
August was a very musical month at Aldersgate.
Matt Yu, above, soloed on Cold Duck Time and
Work Song.
Kaz Yanagisawa, Niko Shieh and Andrew Yanagisawa impressed on The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, at left.
The Aldersgate Choir clapped to the beat on A
Psalm, below.
Pianist Peter Nishimura and violinist William Copeland dazzled with their rendition of Aaron Copland’s
Hoedown. (not pictured)
4
Into The World
Ecumenical
Hunger
Program
Our sixth annual Aldersgate Blood Drive was another success with 28 donors,
including a happy Patty Sakuma. Paul Sakuma photo
The Backpack Drive netted 23 backpacks and four
donations, delivered by David and Niko (pictured)
Shieh. Photo by David Shieh
21 of our
youth, led
by Morgan
Nakamura,
worked at
the
EHP
warehouse
to sort, stack
food, and assist with loading carts of food
into cars. They also gave out meal bags to the
homeless, and helped straighten out pallets
and materials.
We were guided by two EHP warehouse coordinators and worked alongside a couple
of other families who are regular volunteers
each week. EHP was very grateful for our donation of meal bags and the group of terrific
helpers we brought. AUMC hopes to volunteer more often for this event.
Paul Sakuma photos
Aldersgate UMC
4243 Manuela Ave
Palo Alto 94306
www.aldersgatepa.org
Salmon
Dinner
Fundrais
er!
crafts & silent auction!
Directions: http://aldersgatepa.org/index_htm_files/Map-2015.pdf
aldersgate
building
Adults - $25 Advance / $28 door
6 to12 - $10 Advance / $12 door
Under 5 - donation
Tix - Herb Gong (650) 493-0790
sharing
Original Art by Marice Tatsuno
Poster design by Brad Shirakawa
August 2015
Saturday, September 24
Dine in 5 to 7:30pm
Take out 4:30 to 7pm
community
6
Koyukai
Movie and Bento lunch
Wednesday, September 7
10:30am
We are showing the "East Side
Sushi" movie and having a bento
lunch from Sushi House after the
movie. Cost is $12. Sign up at
church or contact Lori Wong.
Rally Sunday
Family Night
September 11 • potluck
It’s a very special Sunday, as we begin the school year
again. Celebrate the re-appointment of Rev. Roger to our
church, say thanks to our church staff, and for good measure, throw in an all church potluck, too!
Friday, September 16 at 6:30pm
Please bring a food item to share. Cake and drinks will be
provided.
Rev. Roger will be leading the youth through a similar
exercise. We highly encourage the youth to join family
night for this special evening!
Reiki Circle Returns!
Wednesdays, from September
14 at 11:30am
Lauren Morimoto will lead the adults through “Strengthening Families,” a conversational building exercise. She
will draw from her work at JCYC in San Francisco.
Dinner: Roger will provide bbq and rice. The families
are asked to help with salad, veggies and dessert. Please
RSVP so we can coordinate the food.
AED Training
Sunday, September 18, after service
CPR instructor Michelle Nieda will teach us to use the
church AED, an automated external defibrillator. The
portable device checks the heart rhythm and can send an
electric shock to try to restore a normal rhythm. Everyone
is invited to stay for this brief but very important training.
7
Reiki Sundays
Sundays, Sept 18, 25; Oct 2, 9 • 7 to 8:30pm
Suggested Donation: $50 for New Students/$30 for Continuing Students
Reiki is a Japanese Healing Art and loosely defined means “Universal Life
Energy.” Reiki is a gentle and safe technique using your hands to share
the natural life force energy all around us to promote wellness, relieve
pain, reduce stress and encourage relaxation. Reiki energy feels warm and
soothing, like a mother’s nurturing love, creating harmony as it restores
the body, mind and spirit. Receiving a Reiki attunement connects you
with universal life energy that can be used on yourself and others, and
even your pets.
Join us for this four-session, fun and heart-opening Reiki course. Limited
to 24 enrollees (sign up required)
To sign up, contact Rev. Roger. Questions: contact Ben Hashiba at
[email protected]
Planning Your Neurons
Enneagram and NLP
Tuesday, September 20 • 7:30pm • Free will Donation
We relate to the world through the filters of our Enneagram type, and we relate to the world through
our senses. Individual patterns for literally “making sense” of our experience are central to
Neurolinguistic Programming, or NLP. We
can detect sensory processing through language and through non-verbal cues such as
eye movements. Join us for a brief overview
of NLP and experiential learning about how to
recognize the representational systems and their
effects. We’ll explore the question, “How do
these two understandings of human similarities and differences interact with each other?”
Lucy Freedman, speaker, author, and coach, is CEO and Founder of Syntax for Change, and applies a variety of models to help people gain
greater freedom through awareness of self and others. She developed
the original Syntax for Change model to assist technical people to be
effective leaders.
Realm of
the Spirit
Spirit Evening
with Tammy
Langowski
Tuesday, September 27 at 7:30pm
Tammy returns as
she will be leading
us in further explorations into the realm of
Spirit. Discussion, Grounding and Meditation
and spot readings will be a part of this evening
event. This session is perfect for both beginners and for those familiar with psychic phenomenon.
Special
Gifts
In memory of
Kiyo Nakamura
Jim, Elaine & Diane Nakamura
In memory of Elsie Yoshida &
Ruth Ishizaki
Mary Ishizaki-Schallock
Birthdays-Olivia-Abby-Tommy
Judy Wong
Meal assistance
Judy Wong
Kitchen Fund, Sabbatical
David Nakamura
Sabbatical
Sachiyo Yamasaki
UMW
Jim, Elaine & Diane Nakamura
Mary Ishizaki-Schallock
David Nakamura
Building Fund
David Nakamura
Lake Sequoia
Retreat
Reunion
Saturday, September 10 from
3:30pm • Here at AUMC
If you went to LSR summer camp,
come out for a potluck (drinks provided) and reunion! No RSVP needed, just show up for good times, music and more.
BMU Choir Blast
Saturday, September 17 at 4pm;
and Sunday the 18th at 10:30am.
Free admission, donations accepted.
Join our friends at Berkeley United
Methodist Church for great music
and tasty Japanese food. You can
also meet their new choir director.
1710 Carleton at McGee, Berkeley
94703. www.bmuc.org
La Traviata
September 18 at 3pm
Historic Hoover Theatre
1635 Park Ave, San Jose
$20, $25 at the door
The Sopianos present Giuseppe Verdi’s
La Traviata, with Keiko Kagawa as
Violetta.
More info: 408-250-3004 or [email protected]
Aki
Matsuri
San Jose Wesley UMC
Saturday, October 1 • 11am to 4pm
Celebrate the fall season with our
friends at Wesley UMC. There will
be wonderful food, cultural offerings, entertainment, a vintage collectible store, craft sale, along with
flowers, veggies and plants for purchase.
Info at 408-295-0367 or office@
wesleysj.net
Special
Thanks!
Thank you to our teams for providing refreshments last month.
Our thanks to the newsletter
crew and Sunday service offering counters. Ogasawara Landscaping for keeping the grounds
groomed each week. Lori Wong
for buying church supplies. Satoko King for buying coffee.
Fellowship Tea
You are welcome to bring food
items to share. We are trying to
make this as easy as possible for
those who are unable to prepare
food ahead of time, or maybe
have forgotten it was their day,
so we will have small snacks
available at church. Whichever
you decide to do, we ask that you
keep your refreshments simple.
Fellowship tea volunteers are
also asked to make coffee, tea,
help set-up the refreshments
and to stay afterwards to cleanup, wash/put away any dishes
and tidy the kitchen. Thank
you for your help!
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Let us know!