Ramona United Methodist Church
The Valley Spirit
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
October 2011
Pastor Steve’s Reflections Inside this issue: Opportunities to Participate
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UMYF
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UMW News Mark Your
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Calendar Birthdays &
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Anniversaries October Calendar
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LPLC
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Prayer Chain Info. Art Exhibit Fall Fest Update
OUR VISION: An inclusive community of faith, learning and serving for the glory of Christ
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Ramona United Methodist Church rocks! And rolls and whirls and jumps and spins around and eats funnel cakes and tri-tip sandwiches and tamales and chili and ice cream and drinks fruit punch and rocks to great music and greets the town and makes new friends and puts our church on the map as a great place to be. We don’t just have fun, we celebrate our community; not just in small ways, but in spectacular ways as well. That’s just part of what our first annual Fall Festival and carnival demonstrated. It also gave us an opportunity to do something new and exciting, drawing our members together from the oldest to the very youngest. Along the way, we raised funds to help support our ministries here locally and beyond. Congratulations to all who participated in the hard work. You demonstrated strong leadership as well as faithful dedication. This was big! And you did it! On the Monday following the Fall Festival a group of us gathered in
the narthex and discussed what we had learned, what we did right and what we could do better. One of the most frequent statements was “next year.” Yes, the planning has already begun. Everyone was positive about the results. Of course we would like to have made scads more money, but this was a learning year. But, next year…. In addition to all the logistical and functional lessons we learned, the do’s and don’ts, I also learned a few valuable lessons as well. (Actually, they were more like confirmations). I was affirmed in my belief that this community has incredible talents and abilities far beyond what was previously considered common sense. I was affirmed in my belief that this community can do anything into which it puts its heart and mind. I was affirmed in my belief that we have been given incredible potential to do God’s work in the world. It was proof that we can always think bigger than we are, act in ways that seem bigger than our individual abilities and accomplish Con’t on Page 2
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Faith Weaver Friends Has Begun! Faith Weaver Friends is a weekly gathering of pre-school and elementary students for a time of Bible stories, crafts, music, games and theatre. It takes place every Wednesday afternoon from 4:30-6 pm, followed by a potluck dinner at 6 pm. All are invited to attend the potluck. Registration forms for Faith Weavers are available in the church office, at the pre-
school, or on our website (www.ramonaumc.org). If you would like to volunteer to help with Faith Weavers or in the kitchen, you can sign up on-line or look for the sign-up sheets on the church bulletin board.
Communion Class Offered - October 2nd Have you ever thought about the meaning of communion and how you experience it? Well, this is your chance to have a conversation about just that. There will be a communion class held on October 2, following worship, from 11:30—1 pm. And lunch will be provided! Please join us.
Join us for Bible Study UMC offers a weekly Bible study program open to all who are interested. We meet each Wednesday evening in the education building from 6:30—8 pm. Each week we review and study the scripture for the upcoming Sunday worship service and discuss ways in which to apply it to our lives today. Please feel free to invite a friend. Please notify the church office if you need assistance with child care. Arrangements will be made to have child care on site.
For the promise of harvest contained within a seed, we thank you. For the oak tree within an acorn, the bread within a grain, the apple within a pip, the mystery of nature, gift wrapped for us to sow, we thank you. - John Birch, Methodist Lay Preacher Pastor’s article continued from page 1… more than we could have ever imagined. God is calling us to greatness. God is calling us to think and act on His scale and not on our own limited scale. This is the most valuable lesson. God has big and important things for us to do and when God is in it we cannot fail. What’s next for our community of faith? Let
us all pray with unlimited openness of heart and spirit for the next chapter. Its coming! Blessings, Pastor Steve
October 2011
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Calling all Jr./Sr. High Youth & Parents Let’s get our youth group back in gear! Input from ALL youth is needed to make this the year that we take that leap of faith and get back in the game. Youth group is a place where you can be yourself, have fun, ask questions and learn more about the world around you. We plan to be involved in our United Methodist District and Conference events, Sierra Service Project (which means traveling!), and make a difference through Heifer Project and other community missions. But, most of all, we will be building relationships with each other and HAVING FUN while we’re at it! Come and bring a friend; we will be meeting the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month immediately following worship (11:30-1:30). Of course, this will involve food! On October
2, parents are asked to join us in the sanctuary at 11:30 for about 30 minutes for an overview of activities and to brainstorm about fund raising ideas. meet in the youth room.
Youth will then
Jennifer Sager and I will be leading the Jr./ Sr. High UMYF (grades 6-12) and are very excited about the many possibilities that lie ahead. If youth need rides to church or home, please let us know. I live in town and Jennifer lives in Country Estates, so we’ve got it covered! In Christ’s Service, Diane Islander, UMYF Co-Director
UMW Annual Craft Sale—Nov 6 UMW will be holding their annual craft sale during the turkey dinner which will be taking place at the Senior Center on Sunday, November 6. Cyndy Manning is once again preparing a fabulous quilt for the “Opportunity Drawing”. Tickets will be available for a $2 donation at the church several weeks prior to this event. Tickets will also be available the day of the turkey dinner. Please note, this year our sale will not include baked goods.
Friendship Circle
UMW October Meeting
The Friendship Circle will meet at 10 am on Wednesday, October 5, at the home of Rose Howland, 15745 Vista Vicente Drive. Maddie Volper will lead the devotions.
The October Meeting of the United Methodist Women will be held on Monday, October 24, at the home of Colleen Baker, 420 Pile Street.
All women are invited for a morning of i n s p i r a t i o n , fellowship, and refreshments.
Dinner will be provided beginning at *6 pm, followed by program and devotions. All women of the church are encouraged to attend. *The Board will be meeting prior at 5 pm.
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October Birthdays: 3rd 4th 6th 8th
Cory Gilbreth Cynthia Ferguson William Stromberg Amanda Allen Steve Islander Jeremiah Farley 9th Matt Sager Taylor Hout 17th Susan Steinberger Jackson Styx 22nd Carley Luckie Camille Gilbreth 24th Linda Claessens 25th Jim Bowden 27th Rose Howland Austin Greenwell 28th Karen Koch 30th Dawn Greenwell
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Mark Your Calendars Sunday Nov 6
Annual Turkey Dinner
Wednesdays
Bible Study
Thursdays
Choir Practice 6:30-8:00 pm
Mon., Nov. 7
Trustees 6:30 pm
Thurs., Nov. 17
Worship Comm. 5:30 pm
Mon., Nov. 21
Finance 6:00 pm
6:30-8:00 pm
Ad. Council 7:00 pm Open Door Dinner @ Grang Hall, 6 pm Mon., Nov. 28
UMW Ex. Comm. 5:00 pm UMW Gen. Mtg. 6:00 pm (Location tbd)
10-Fold 2011 – Mark Your Calendar The United Methodist Church, through UMCOR, is on the ground locally and globally, helping people after disasters. What are these workers experiencing? United Methodist missionaries are doing God's work every day. What issues are they facing and how are they making a difference? Beginning Monday, October 10, join us daily for 10-Fold, a 10-day multimedia experience that spotlights 10 powerful ways The United Methodist Church is making an impact worldwide—from planting churches to eliminating death and suffering from malaria.
October Anniversaries 7th 15th 16th 19th 21st 23rd 25th
Dan & Doris Nixon John & Karen Koch Peter & Donna Bakarich Darren & Meredith Hardesty Sheldon & Amanda Allen Ed & Jill Bacorn Steve & Cindi Zeigler
Log on daily to 10-fold.org, Oct. 10–19, to explore each day's featured project. See live webcasts and videos, read powerful stories, and learn ways YOU can join the effort. Plus, when you click to BE COUNTED, our sponsors will give $1 to the day's initiative—just because you visited! Please share 10-Fold with your family, friends, and fellow church members. For your convenience, we have created a toolkit (PDF, 4 pp.) to answer questions and provide you with suggestions for how you can get others involved. Mission never stops, so please spread the word and visit 10-fold.org. Thank you for your continued support.
Larry Hygh, Jr. Director of Communications General Board of Global Ministries
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October 2011 Sunday
RAMONA UMC
Monday
2 Communion Sunday Communion Class 11:30-1:00 UMYF 11:301:30
3 Trustees Mtg. 6:30 pm
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Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
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5 Friendship Circle 10 am @ home of Rose Howland Bible Study
6 Choir Rehearsal 6:30-8:00 pm
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12 Bible Study 6:30 pm
13 Choir Rehearsal 6:30-8:00 pm
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16 Inquiry Class 11:30-1:30 UMYF 11:301:30
17 Finance Mtg. 6:00 pm Ad Council 7:00 pm
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19 Bible Study 6:30 pm
20 Worship Comm. Mtg. 5:30 pm Choir Rehearsal 6:30-8 pm Cub Scouts 6 pm
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22 Golden Share Foods Dist. 10-11 am
23 Inquiry Class 11:30-1:30
24 UMW Ex. Mtg. 5:00 pm General Mtg. 6:00 pm @ home of Colleen Baker
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26 Bible Study 6:30 pm
27 Choir Rehearsal 6:30-8:00 pm
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30 Inquiry Class 11:30-1:30
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Women’s Breakfast @ McDonald’s 6:30 am Every Tuesday
Faith Weaver Friend’s! Wednesdays @ 4:30 pm Dinner @ 6
Men’s Breakfast @ Ramona Cafe 6 am Every Thursday
This Month’s Volunteers Liturgist: Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30
Karen Harris Hallie McCray Rex McCray J.D. Baker Open
Greeters: Oct. 2 Bowden’s Oct. 9 & 16 Open Oct. 23 Karen Harris Oct. 30 Coffee Fellowship: Month of October: UMM
Acolytes: Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30
Wyatt Adams Cara Wochaski Dawson Adams Conner Wochaski Wyatt Adams
Flowers: Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30
Elsners Open Open Karen Harris Ruth Smith
Office Hours: Tues-Thurs 9 am—1 pm
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Little People’s Learning Center First of all, I would like to thank the families who attended the Fall Festival and those that purchased a tattoo, hair design or had their face painted. Proceeds will go in support of LPLC! We all had fun on a beautiful weekend. October is a very busy month - the learning themes are: community helpers, fire prevention, pumpkins, recycle kids and night creatures. With these themes, we will go on two walking field trips and have a visit from Smokey Bear. This month is a good month to review your own emergency preparedness - talk with your child about a family meeting place, about calling 911, and practice what to do in an emergency.
center and they donate back .02 cents per bag. Also, Ramona Disposal is now of our recyclables including board and plastic, as we are lots of supplies. Thanks to keep our environment clean!
picking up all paper, cardgoing through all who help
God Bless, Ms. Jill
On Monday, Oct. 31, we will celebrate Halloween with a costume parade and lunch party. Remember, we are doing our best to recycle all we can: the worms get the food garbage, the juice bags go to a recycling
Are You a Link? A link in the prayer chain, that is. Since our church was founded in 1979 we have had an active prayer chain with folks ready to pray at any time for those who request prayers. Those of us who have had our needs prayed for know how much strength and comfort those prayers have given us. If you have a need for prayer, please contact the church office at 760-789-7106 or Cynthia Ferguson
at 760-789-7204 or 760-310-2853. If you cannot reach either and it is a need for immediate action, please contact Adelaide Young (see below). Being a member of the prayer chain is easy. You just agree to hold people and their needs in prayer when you are called or emailed with a request. Prayer requests are distributed to everyone via email that we have an email address for, but not everyone has email; those who volunteer to be on the “call” list will receive a phone call regarding the prayer request. If you are not currently on the prayer “call” chain, you may contact Adelaide Young and let her know if you would like to be reached by phone. She can be reached at 760-789-2956, 760-445-0452, or adelaidey@sbcglobal.net.
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St. John’s Bible Art Print Exhibition at First UMC San Diego Twenty-five art prints from The Saint John's Bible will be on exhibit at First United Methodist Church of San Diego during the month of October. The Saint John's Bible is the first commissioned, hand-written illuminated Bible in over 500 years. It has been described as one of the extraordinary undertakings of our time, a work of art as well as one of theology. The prints will be displayed in Trotter Chapel with viewing hours on Saturdays from 10:00-4:00, Sundays from 9:00-2:00 and other times by appointment.
The opening event will be on Saturday, October 1, with registration beginning at 4 pm and the program from 5—8 pm. Speaking will be Abbot Charles Wright from the Prince of Peace Abbey in Oceanside and former senior pastor Rev. Mark Trotter. They will introduce the exhibit and highlight some of the symbolism of the prints. Classes will be offered throughout the month by the San Diego School of Christian Studies, a ministry of First United Methodist Church San Diego. Sunday worship will emphasize a selection of the pages.
Fall Festival Updates After three months of planning and scrambling at the last minute with the county for permits, our first Fall Festival has come to a close. This was a very big undertaking and all those involved worked tirelessly to make it happen. There will be another article posted on the website acknowledging all those who graciously gave of their time over the past three months to make this all happen. A report showing Fall Festival income and expenses (income exceeded expenses!) will accompany the third quarter financial statement. Thank you’s will be going out to all our vendors and other groups who participated. Please be sure to say “thank you” to all those who were involved for their hard work when you see them. We look forward to doing it all again in 2012 with a lot more insight and more advance planning.
NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 148 RAMONA, CA
Ramona United Methodist Church 3394 Chapel Lane Ramona, CA 92065-3640
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
We’re on the WEB! Ramonaumc.org & umc.org Rev. Steve Islander, Pastor OFFICE: 760-789-7106 HOME: 760-787-1589 EMAIL: pastorsteve @ramonaumc.org Barbara Green, Admin. Asst. office@ramonaumc.org
Opportunities to Participate in the Life of RUMC Sign up on the
Annual Turkey
Communion
bulletin board in
Dinner set for
Class
the church
Sunday,
Sunday,
Nov. 6
Oct. 2
Diane Islander & Jennifer Sager, UMYF Co-Directors alohadi@att.net jjsager2002@yahoo.com
narthex to serve
Jason Purtle, Music Director Kevin Cavanaugh, Accompanist
(greeters/coffee
Rev. Myron Wingfield, District Superintendent Ministers: The People of the Church LITTLE PEOPLE’S LEARNING CENTER 760-789-3435 Jill Bacorn, Director
and participate!
11:30-1:00
hosts/providing
Lunch
flowers on
provided
Sunday) Articles for next month’s Valley Spirit are due by October 17th