I keep waiting for the lazy days of summer to arrive, but so far they haven’t for me. Maybe August will be better! I hope you have enjoyed the bounty of Nevada County offerings and even traveled around a bit.
This Sunday, July 30, is a combined service, followed by our all-church family picnic at Condon Park. Eleanor and her crew are fixing up a fine Hawaiian themed meal and games. I think the frog in the picture has just finished his Hawaiian chicken lunch and is in post-prandial bliss. Be sure to join us, and invite friends and family too.
I will be “thinking aloud” on Sunday about our worship services and in particular how to think about moving from two different services to one service. This has been a part of the church conversation since I came here two years ago, and I think it was thought about even before that. There is a wonderful story about how, in 1997, NCUMC was challenged by the District Superintendent to grow into two different styles of worship – how the church building was so crowded during the one service that it had people standing. That’s a tremendous feeling, isn’t it? To have such a crowd that not all can fit comfortably into the pews at one time?
There were challenges in making the switch, and there were opportunities, too. A vibrant Praise Band led the contemporary service and people had a choice about what style of worship they preferred – traditional or contemporary. There was more room and people continued to come in to worship and stay to make their church home.
Telling the story of how we move back to one service could be a “not so good” kind of story. Oh, we lost members, we got small, and no one wanted to come to church any more …. All of that might be true, but it won’t help us envision a future of hope that we know God has given us. Getting the narrative right will be up to all of us – not to spin the facts, but to continue our church “myth” or story of a people who adapt to their circumstances and adjust their plans over and over again.
I look forward to the conversation – wait until you see the bulletin cover!
We have started something new in our schedule. Instead of walking at the Fairgrounds on Tuesdays and Fridays, we will be alternating between the Fairgrounds and the Litton Trail. We’ll meet at the Fairgrounds at
Gate 1 at 8:00a.m. on Tuesdays and walk the Litton Trail on Fridays. That is where we will be walking every Friday at 8:00 a.m. promptly. Please try to be there at 8am so we can all walk together. This is a lot of fun and a great way to start the day. If you need further directions or have any questions, call Anne at 272-3703.
HOSPITALITY HOUSE: Help is needed with our dinner every first Saturday...we need shoppers (you are reimbursed), cooks (recipes, and experienced chefs are there), and servers (5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, with others who know the ropes). Sign up in Fellowship Hall. You will be called with the pertinent details. Please contact Barbara Dean with any questions.
HABITAT LUNCH FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKERS: We serve lunch (for the folks who are building Habitat houses) every third Saturday. We need cookies and sandwiches. You can choose what and how much you will contribute. Sign up on the “sign up board” in Fellowship Hall. Please contact Barbara Dean with any questions.
Our Great Course study called “The New Testament” with Professor Bart Ehrman continues Monday mornings at 10:00 am. All are invited to attend!
We will meet on Tuesday, September 5th at 10am in Fellowship Hall and it’s time to really get busy on our projects for the fall Corner Store and our big sale starting Thanksgiving weekend.
Family Fun Night
Our next Family Fun Night will be Sunday, August 27th at 5:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Dinner will be turkey tacos (with all the fixins’) for a mere $1 per person followed by a yummy dessert. After we eat, we will play board games of all types. There’s always lots of fun for everyone!!
In September and we meet on the first Friday night, which is also the 1st, at the home of Gail and Charles. All adults are invited to join us for this relaxing evening and great potluck. Please bring a dish to share for the gathering time or the dinner, your own table service and cold beverage of choice. Coffee will be provided. Gail and Charles live down Highway 49 south of Grass Valley - detailed directions are available at church See you there Friday, September 1st at 6pm.
Women's Retreat Committee will be sponsoring the Annual Silent Auction all four Sunday's in August. If you have donations for that auction, please call Barbara Dean and she will arrange pick up or storage during the month of July. All proceeds from this auction go to scholarships for women attending the retreat.
All Church Women's Retreat: An All Church Women's Retreat is scheduled for next fall, September 15--17, at Zephyr Conference Center at Lake Tahoe. The speaker/facilitator is Reverend Patricia Spooner. The theme is "The River of Life, Negotiating the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." Registration begins Sunday, June 4, at a table in Fellowship Hall. Space is limited, and there is an "early bird discount", so register soon! Brochures will be available at the time of registration. For further information, contact the church office.
HOSPITALITY HOUSE NEED
The generous funds many of you donated to Hospitality House Dinners last year have been spent on delicious dinners (usually serving about 70 guests) at Utah's Place during this year. Our commitment is one dinner a month, and the cost is between $100 and $200.
HOSPITALITY HOUSE NEED
The generous funds many of you donated to Hospitality House Dinners last year have been spent on delicious dinners (usually serving about 70 guests) at Utah's Place during this year. Our commitment is one dinner a month, and the cost is between $100 and $200.
If we are going to be able to continue our commitment, we will need more funds. If you would like to donate once again, please submit your contribution through the church (NCUMC), with Hospitality House on the memo line. Thank you so much!!
It's not over yet!! The Brat Booth will be
open for two events in September:
- Roamin' Angels Car Show - September 9th
- Draft Horse Classic - Septembeer 21-24th
Signup sheets for the various work shifts
are posted in Fellowship Hall
Taize Service - A Taize service is a contemplative-type service which includes prayer and short repetitive refrains. It comes from Taizé which is an ecumenical community in the eastern part of France. Begun in 1940 as shelter for refugees fleeing WWII, it is now made up of over a hundred brothers, both Catholics and Protestants from various backgrounds, coming from around thirty nations. The community is a representation of reconciliation between divided Christians and between separated peoples. The Taizé community has developed a tradition of prayer including the short repetitive refrains and silent meditation that are part of the service. All are invited to attend.
The United Methodist Board of Church and Society has a new website? The new web-site was launched on June 1. It is umcjustice.org. The goal of the update was not only to update the online presence of the agency, but to also make the information on the site easier to access. When you have a minute, I encourage you to check it out. It provides information on the positions that the United Methodist Church has on a variety of issues.
Videos from the 2017 California-Nevada Annual Conference are now available on the conference website. There are videos of the guest speakers, the memorial service and the various addresses that were given. You can view them by going to the conference website (www.cnumc.org). Once you are there, click on “ACS2017 Videos” and then select which video(s) you would like to view.
Our church frequently has visitors during the week who want to see our church be-cause they have seen “The Christmas Card” movie! We even have visitors who want to see our church just because it’s a church! We’ve had visitors from around the United States and even Europe!
