www.churchofthechimes.org
818-789-7124
Phone: 818-789-7124
June 2016
Congregational Church of the Chimes
14115 Magnolia Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
NEWS AND EVENTS OF
THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF THE CHIMES
www.churchofthechimes.org—www.Facebook.com/ChurchofChimes
Rae Perteet, Senior Minister
Curtis Peek, Lay Minister
Jennifer Lee, Church Office Manager
Jane G Poole, Christian Education Director
Allyne Baker, Preschool Director
Volume 67 Issue 2
MINISTER'S CORNER
“You are a letter from Christ… written not with ink but with the Spirit of
the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
- 2 Corinthians 3:3
Mother Teresa, when asked about her ministry to humanity, once quipped,
“I'm a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to
the world.” So, too, it is true with our lives when we decide to begin this
journey of faith taking strides to become our best selves. We soon come to
see that our lives are a narrative being shaped by a divine author.
Now this sounds wonderful in theory, until we remember there is a process
to creating that is much more messy and laborious than its final product.
See if this sounds familiar… to begin, you just decide to start, to put pencil
to paper or fingers to keys, right? Well, yes… that is, after all of the pencils
in the house have been sharpened, twice; your desk has been rearranged,
the windows cleaned (because, of course, there is no better time for this
than just before sitting down to write.) Then finally, after a couple of false
starts and crossed out words, you start.
The process continues, ideas begin to flow until, with a grateful sigh and a
cry of jubilee, the process is finished. That is, until the editing begins. A
process that feels like first discovering that the man in the red suit at
Christmas is not who you thought him to be. Simply said, it takes some of
the magic away! I think we can all agree, there is often little glamour in the
process and it often gets worse before it gets better.
Our lives are much the same way. When we begin a new narrative or take
a leap from the surety of our safe nesting places, beginning to grow and
evolve, our lives often look worse before they look better. Our individual
lives are works in the raw, unfinished symphonies, papers in the middle of
ongoing edits…, before being polished and improved.
JANE’S CORNER
“
I would have been without hope if I had not believed that I would see the
loving-kindness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Psalm 27:13
I wake up each day either intentionally or subconsciously having hope for a
decent day ahead of me. Hope is a key factor of what drives me, and, I
would venture to guess what helps drive all of us in our life. But what is
hope? The dictionary definition of hope is to cherish a desire with
anticipation or to desire with expectation of obtainment. Our personal
desires are as varied and different as the stars in the sky. For me, hope is
optimism with regard to the path my day will take. I hope my family is
healthy and that they have a good day. I hope and pray the people I know
and care about will be safe, happy and laugh a lot too.
From a scripture perspective, as written in Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is being
sure of what we hope for.” This sums it all up for me as faith and hope are
really inextricably tied together. Hope is a strong and confident expectation
for God to protect and hold us close. To celebrate our joy with us and when
we need it, lift us up and hold us close in times of need. We can’t see hope
but we feel it deep down inside our soul and in our hearts. It is hope that
leads us on our faith journey, a path I/we must believe in to walk each day
on this great, big, beautiful planet we live on. Through God and our loving
Jesus we have hope for the here and now and for the future.
When we have learned not to give up, it shows we have stood the test.
When we have stood the test, it gives us hope. Romans 5:4
In Christ,
Jane
PRE-SCHOOL
Parent & Me:last class will be June 2. There will be no class offered
during the summer; they will resume on September 15.
Year End School BBQ – June 3
4:30 – 6:30
Hamburgers, hotdogs, side dishes, live calypso music, face painting!
Sounds like a fun place to be on Friday, June 3. An evening to relax with
good friends, watch children laugh and play, enjoy yummy food and listen
to fun music. It will definitely be a great night! Don’t forget to bring the
beach chairs and blankets.
For more information about the Parent & Me class, Preschool Program,
or school BBQ, please call the Church office or e-mail:
[email protected]
Other Notable School Dates:
Last day of school:
June 9
Graduation:
June 10
Summer Camp:
June 13 – July 22
Summer Break:
July 25 – September-5
School Resumes:
September 6
CAL-WEST SPRING MEETING
On Sunday, May 1, 2016 Cal-West held its spring meeting at First Congregational Church of Anaheim. Churches from as far north as Porterville
to as far south as San Ysidero, at the Mexican border were represented.
The meeting started out with two groups for discussion: (1) How Cal-West
can help your church with development, attendance, getting known in the
community, etc. (2) a discussion with the leader of a battered women’s
group who regularly meets at the church. The group does not want the
environment too “too churchy.” Because of influences from their past, the
members have turned against the church. All they want is to move on and
become contributing members of the community. Eventually, they hope to
return to the church. After the discussions, participants went to the
sanctuary for a business meeting, followed by a worship service which
featured a choir comprised of singers from represented churches. Attendees were shown where the ICF (International Congregational
Foundation) meeting in South Africa will be held in June/July of this year.
Lee Fournier, Delegate/Treasurer
God often uses the circumstances of life to do this, to edit and shape our
narrative. This is not always a pleasant process but the good news is
that, “He who has begun a good work in you will see it to completion, until
the day of Jesus Christ.” The good news is that God will not abandon us in
the middle of this process. He is constantly working with us to create a
Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece from the painstakingly human drafts of
our lives.
This realization, simply understanding this process, can make moments of
frustration seem small when compared to the hope of the final work. My
prayer for you is that at times when your story seems on hold, when it
seems inconsistent or when you are not certain how your next chapter will
turn out, you will remember: no matter how frustrating it seems in the
moment, your life is still beautiful. It is still a part of the greatest love story
ever penned, by a writing God.
Remaining In His Hand,
Rev. Rae
EDITORIAL MUSINGS
June is an interesting month, being one which celebrates happy events
and new beginnings, while, at the same time evoking serious reflection
and patriotic remembrances. It is named for the Roman goddess of marriage Juno (spouse of head honcho, Jupiter.) On June 6, we celebrate the
72nd anniversary of the costly Battle of Normandy, also known as D-Day.
This was the beginning of the major invasion of German occupied Western Europe during World War II and, many consider, the beginning of the
end of Nazi Germany. There are many interpretations of what the “D” actually means. My father told me it meant “Disembarkation;” He had been
night editor of the Associated Press during World War II. General Dwight
D. Eisenhower’s executive assistant said it meant “Departed;” Eisenhower
helped plan D Day. Others have said “Decision,” “Designated,” and
“Deliverance.” Take your pick, you won’t be wrong.
June 14, 1777 the Continental Congress replaced the British symbols of
the Grand Union flag with a new design featuring 13 white stars in a circle
on a field of blue and 13 red and white stripes - one for each state. The
number of stripes stopped at 13, but the number of stars increased with
every added state. Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation calling for a
nationwide observance of the event on June 14, 1916. However Flag Day
did not become official until August 1949, when Harry Truman signed the
legislation proclaiming June 14 as Flag Day.
There are other important dates in June – not the least of which is Fathers’ Day. However, my all-time favorite is June 3rd - NATIONAL DOUGHNUT DAY!! So, on Friday, June 3, enjoy a “guilt free” doughnut with your
coffee – after all, the day does call for it! It’s not your fault.
Tanny
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION NEWS
Children’s Sunday will be June 12th
Children’s Sunday is a wonderful tradition in our church with the
children leading a good portion of the service. The theme this year is
“God Be With Us ~ Sharing and Caring”. If your child will be
participating, please let Jane know ASAP!
Summer Program: The launch of our summer CE program will be
June 19th. Summer sessions will be light in nature and multi-faceted.
We’ll be exploring the meaning of “hope” and how hope is woven into
our daily lives. We’re going to have Movie Sundays, several Craft
Sundays along with mission outreach projects interspersed. There will
be several Kids Night Out evenings with dates announced shortly.
Vacation Bible School will take place July 25th – 29th based on the
swimmingly fun theme, “Deep Sea Discovery – God is With Me Where
Ever I Go!” It will take place from 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for children
ages 4 - 5th grade. 6th grade and up will be Jr. and Sr. councilors.
Kids will learn how God is always with them, explore God’s presence
in their lives and participate in service projects. There will be games,
crafts, snacks and dramatically presented Bible discussions. The campus will be transformed into a deep sea adventure and, as always, it’s
going to be a blast! Registration forms are available in the church
office and will be sent in the mail soon.
Susan Luker
Directing
some of our
Children’s
Choir, with
soloist Anna
Luker
June 2016
Sun
Mon
Tue
2
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
7:30am AA DH
4:30pm Girl Scouts #2886 -BH
7:00pm Bible Study HH
7:30pm Alanon MR
2
8:45am Movers&Shakers MR
9:30am Parent & Me CEDS
6:00pm Boy Scouts #190 BH
7:15pm Jumpin’ Fleas DH
7:30pm AA Solutions CEUS
8:00pm MA MR
3 Preschool Year End BBQ!
7:30 AA
8:45 Movers & Shakers MR
1:00pm Knitting Group DH
4:30pm School Year End BBQ
6:30pm AA Solutions CEUS
8:00 pm AA CEUS
4
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
6:00pm American Cancer
Society Relay for Life
5 8:50am Choir Rehearsal
10:30am Worship/Children’s Chapel
11:45am CE Meeting SC
12:30pm Sunhan Service SC
3:00pm Daisy Troop DH
5:00pm ACA MR
7:30pm Alanon DH
6
7:30am AA DH
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
5:00pm TOPS DH
6:30pm Sea Scouts CEUS
7:00pm Council Meeting DH
7:30pm Alanon BH
7
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
9 :00am Festival Workshop DH
6:30pm Boy Scouts 191 DH
7:00pm AA SC
7:00pm Girl Scouts CEUS
8
7:30am AA DH
7:00pm Bible Study HH
7:30 Alanon MR
9
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
7:30pm AA CEUS
8:00 pm MA MR
10 Preschool Graduation
7:30am AA DH
9:30am School Graduation
8:45 Movers & Shakers
1:00pm Knitting Group DH
6:30pm AA Solutions CEUS
8:00pm AA CEUS
11
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
12
8:50am Choir Rehearsal
10:30am Children’s Sunday
12:30pm Sunhan Service SC
5:00pm ACA MR
7:30pm Alanon DH
13 Summer Camp begins
7:30am AA DH
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
5:00pm TOPS DH
6:30pm Sea Scouts CEUS
7:00pm Deacons DH
7:30pm Alanon BH
14
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
9:00am Festival Workshop DH
2:00pm Girl Scouts DH
6:30pm Boy Scouts 191 DH
7:00pm AA SC
15
7:30am AA DH
4:30 Girl Scouts #2886 BH
5:00pm American Legion DH
7:00pm Bible Study HH
7:30pm Alanon MR
16
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
7:30pm AA CEUS
8:00pm MA MR
17
7:30am AA DH
8:45 Movers & Shakers MR
1:00pm Knitting Group HH
6:30pm AA Solutions CEUS
8:00pm AA CEUS
18
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
6:00 Circle Service
19
8:50am Choir Rehearsal
10:30amWorship/Sunday School
11:45am CWS
12:30pm Sunhan Service SC
5:00pm ACA MR
7:30pm Alanon DH
20
7:30am AA DH
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
5:00pm TOPS
6:30pm Sea Scouts CEUS
7:00pm Deacons DH
7:30pm Alanon BH
21
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
9 :00am Festival Workshop DH
6:30pm Boy Scouts 191 DH
7:00pm AA SC
22
7:30am AA DH
7:00pm Bible Study HH
7:30pm Alanon MR
23
24
8:45am Movers & Shakers
7:30am AA DH
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
1:00pm Knitting Group DH
6:30pm AA Solutions CEUS
8:00pm AA CEUS
25
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
26
8:50am Choir Rehearsal
10:30am Worship/Sunday School
11:45am Music Board
12:30pm Sunhan Service SC
7:30pm Alanon DH
27
7:30am AA DH
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
5:00pm TOPS DH
6:30pm Sea Scouts CEUS
7:30pm Trustees DH
7:30pm Alanon BH
28
29
7:30am AA DH
7:00pm Bible Study HH
7:30pm Alanon MR
30 Red Cross Blood Drive
8:45am Movers & Shakers
11:00am –5pm Blood Drive BH
7:30pm AA CEUS
8:00pm MA CEUS
8:45am Movers & Shakers MR
9:00am Festival Workshop DH
2:00pm Girl Scouts DH
6:30pm Boy Scouts 191 DH
7:30pm AA CEUS
8:00pm MA CEUS
7