Sunday, November 27, 2016

2016-11-27 Worship Videos

Chinese Choir

Chinese Sermon

English Sermon

English Ministry News and Notes 2016-11-27

  • UM Student Day Special Offering, Today! - We remember our students today. Your special offering supports students as they prepare for life in uniting faith with knowledge by providing scholarships for qualified United Methodist applicants.
  • Great Thanks to all those who turned in their Stewardship Response Card. You are invited to do so asap if you haven’t. We will be following up this year!
  • Charge Conference: Dec. 4th, Sunday, at 2:00 p.m., Twin Towers UMC (Alameda). For the first time, we'll be joining with our circuit brothers and sisters for this annual business meeting! Please sign up to go today!
  • Christmas Poinsettias - Bring Christmas beauty and color to the sanctuary by donating a $10 poinsettia. Today is the last day to sign up. Thank you!
  • ”Pick It Up Chinatown” - We join together with AYSC and others again on Dec. 11th for a time of hands on service in our neighborhood, 12:30—2:00 p.m. Please sign up today!
  • Let’s Go Caroling - Bring the joy and connection of the season to others by sharing your voice. We will carol for neighbors who are strangers, shut-ins, and friends. Monday, Dec. 19th, from noon to 4:00 p.m. Drivers are needed! Please sign up today!
  • Looking Ahead: We will celebrate Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship at 7:00 p.m. on Dec. 24th and then come together for a joint Christmas Worship on Dec. 25th at 10:00 a.m.

Hope: A Farmer’s Heart for the Land

This is a story about an olive farmer who finds hope and strength in the land. My name is Shareef Omar. I’m a farmer from a small village in Palestine, called Jayyous. As Palestinian people, we don’t control our own country. The Israeli government sets the rules. They decide where we can live. They tell us where we can go and what we can do. In 1988, the government took my farmland away. They said that I couldn’t use the land to grow food. It was too full of stones.

I paid for a bulldozer to clear the stones. I had to sell my sheep and goats and my wife’s jewellery to get the money. I put in plastic pipes for water. I proved that my land could grow food. Eight years later, I was lucky. I got my land back. I grow juicy guava fruit, oranges, olive trees, and many vegetables. The land is how we make a living. It is also our memories, our dreams, and our hopes. I feel alive when I am on the land.
Let me tell you a short story. It shows how farmers feel about their land. In 2002, a big fence was built. It blocked us from our farmland. The only way to get to my land was if I had a special paper, which was hard to get. Many farmers snuck through the fence. We cut a hole in it so that we could water our plants. The army arrested many of us, but some of us escaped.

During this time, I discovered a wild tree growing on a steep rock. It was dry and thirsty. I poured a bottle of water. But the rock was steep, and the water ran off. I drilled the lid with a nail, so the water came out drop by drop. The wild tree began to bloom. I did that every day for weeks.

Finally I had to travel out of the country for a meeting. I felt sad about the wild tree. I went to it and said, “Sorry, I have to leave. I will not be able to come back to take care of you, because I have no permit. I don’t want you to suffer, because you are thirsty.” Then I cut its two branches to stop it from growing anymore. When I reached the gate, the soldier asked me what I had in my hand. I felt confused. Why was I still carrying the branches?

Five months later, I got a permission to go to my land. My wife and I passed through the gate together. We were very quiet. We looked at everything as if we were seeing it for the first time. When we reached our small house, my wife cried. Everything was wrecked and dusty. I went to the place of the wild tree to see if it was still alive. I was amazed! Many of its branches were growing again. I kissed it and apologized for cutting two of its branches before. My wife heard me talking. She shouted, “Shareef! Wake up! Who are you talking to?”

I was lying beside the wild tree. A few drops of blood were on my lips, because I had kissed the thorny branches. My wife looked at the rock. She asked, “How can this tree survive? I said, “This is a Palestinian tree. A Palestinian can live without water, without food, if its roots are in its land.”

May we be reminded that we are called to seek justice and to take action to help keep hope alive.

World Council of Churches. Theological Reflection on Accompaniment:
Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, 2005, pp. 162-171.

Sunday, November 20, 2016

2016-11-20 Worship Videos

Chinese Choir

Chinese Sermon

English Sermon

English Ministry News and Notes 2016-11-20

  •     Happy Thanksgiving! You are warmly invited to a fellowship potluck luncheon following worship today. Special thanks to turkey and ham bakers: Larry, Aeri, Brenda and Arlene.
  •     Great Thanks to all those who participated in "Pick It Up Chinatown" last week! We heard that it was fun and satisfying. Special thanks for Burt & Jane’s leadership. Plan to join in next month on Dec. 11th.
  •     UM Student Day Special Offering, Nov. 27th - The last Sunday in November has been set aside to remember our students. Your special offering supports students as they prepare for life in uniting faith with knowledge by providing scholarships for qualified United Methodist applicants.
  •     Advent Begins - We will begin the special 4 week journey of Advent next Sunday, Nov. 27th.
  •     Christmas Poinsettias - Bring Christmas beauty and color to the sanctuary by donating a $10 poinsettia. Signs up today through Dec. 4th. Thank you!
  •     Please mark your calendars for Charge Conference: Dec. 4th, Sunday, at 2:00 p.m., Twin Towers UMC (Alameda). For the first time, we'll be joining with our circuit brothers and sisters for this annual business meeting!
  •     Support the UMC's Imagine No Malaria campaign at Malaria Awareness Night with the Warriors on Jan 4th, 2017, 7:30pm - With each ticket sold, a lifesaving bed net will be donated to Nothing But Nets. Tickets are $80/$95. See Ben Wong for more info.

Thanksgiving


At Thanksgiving we pause, even if only in a cursory way (and it often is) to consider what we’re thankful for. Usually we’re more interested in turkey, football and shopping than in the practice of deep gratitude. (Isn’t it odd how on one day we give thanks for all we have, and then the next day we go on a mad shopping rampage?) But give gratitude a try. Take a moment to think of what you’re most deeply grateful for. Most people’s lists are kind of short. Family, friends, health, material comforts, our nation, church and pets. That about covers it.

Go deeper. As long as you’re being thankful for something, say, our nation, be thankful for the whole thing, not just your favorite parts. I’m thankful for all the people, all the kinds of people, all the races, all the ages and shapes and lifestyles and perspectives, the heroes and the ones who struggle. Everybody. If you are grateful for your family, give thanks for the whole ding dang family tree stretching back to Adam and Eve, even the drunks and cheats and losers and misfits. Thank God for them, each one of them, or you wouldn’t be here. If you are grateful for your health, thank God for your body, this amazing creation that may be older and weaker than you wish, but it keeps you alive. It knows how to move and feel things, how to digest food and fight germs and how to get sick instead of just rolling over and dying. Even pain is a necessary gift. Thank God for pain.

If you’re really deeply grateful for what you have, you know that it’s a gift. You haven’t earned or created it yourself. Your health, your family, your station in life, even the money you’ve “earned” is a gift (plenty of people work hard and no one pays them for it). And you’re grateful for all those who suffered so that you could have it: the underpaid migrants who pick your fruit, the black-lung infected miners who dig the coal that keeps you warm, the slaves that pick your chocolate (sorry, but it’s true, unless it’s Fair Trade chocolate).

Beware of selfishness masquerading as gratitude. There’s a difference between gratitude and possessiveness. Love does not rejoice at the suffering of others, nor does it seek to keep what we are grateful for to ourselves. (Thank God for my food; too bad for the poor... thank God we get cheap goods, though the people who made them can’t afford them...thank God for oil; too bad for the earth...) If we are truly grateful we are mindful of the whole. Even as we give thanks for our goods, health, friends and comfort, we are aware of those without. And we are aware not just in thought but in deed. In love, gratitude is not a feeling; it’s an act. We don’t just have thanks; we give thanks.

So as you think of the things you are grateful for, try this:

If you are grateful for your belongings, donate to UMCOR to support those who have experienced disaster and lost everything.

If you are grateful for your house, find out where the closest homeless shelter is and make a donation to them.

If you are grateful for your church, tell someone about this community today and invite them to come with you to worship one day.

If you are grateful for the abilities God has given you, put them to use by committing to a particular ministry via the Stewardship Response Card.

If you are grateful for your friends, greet someone you don’t know at worship this Sunday.

May gratitude be more than just a feeling for you, but something you practice. I hope that you have a deeply grateful thanksgiving.

-Adapted from “The Other Side of Thanksgiving” , Steve Garnass-Holmes

Sunday, November 13, 2016

2016-11-13 Worship Videos

Chinese Choir

Chinese Sermon

English Sermon

English Ministry News and Notes 2016-11-13

  • Pick It Up - Join in the opportunity to be a sign of God's grace and goodness today. Participate in picking up trash in our neighborhood with others. Gather in foyer at 12:25 p.m. and follow Burt and Jane!
  • Giving Thanks - We will celebrate Thanksgiving next Sunday, Nov. 20th. Worship will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Annex, followed by a fellowship potluck for the whole church. Please bring a favorite dish (main or side...no fruit or dessert, thank you!)
  • Please prayerfully consider your giving this year in the areas of prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. You are kindly requested to return your completed stewardship card on Nov. 20th. Please connect with any questions or concerns.
  • An Altar Piled High - as a sign of your gratitude, let’s fill our Thanksgiving altar with healthy canned food and dried goods for the Alameda County Community Food Bank barrel.
  • Advent Begins on Nov. 27th!
  • How Might You Serve? There are all kinds of different ways to be in ministry here at CCUMC. Please pray about this and be open to conversation for what that might look like in the new year!
  • Please mark your calendars for Charge Conference: Dec. 4th, Sunday, at 2:00 p.m., Twin Towers UMC (Alameda). For the first time, we'll be joining with our circuit brothers and sisters for this annual business meeting!

Salt & Light, Here & Now


Below is an excerpt from “Ahead of the Election, Poll Shows a Nation Divided” (US News & World Report, Oct. 25, 2016):

“Less than two weeks away from the presidential election, an annual survey released Tuesday shows the nation is sharply divided on nearly every topic, from race relations to what problems the next president should fix first, and a record percentage of people believe the country is on the wrong track – up nearly 20 percentage points since the last race for the White House.

Further, a sizable number of Americans, particularly evangelical Protestants, believe the nation’s best days came during the era of Elvis, the Cold War and legal segregation. Meanwhile, nearly half think the era of Beyonce, Islamic State group and Black Lives Matter is so bad that the country needs an authoritarian leader “who is willing to break some rules in order to set things right.”

Those are the top lines from a new poll, “The Divide Over America’s Future: 1950 or 2050?” a survey of voters conducted last month by PRRI, a public policy think tank.

Examining the attitudes among a broad sample of voters on a range of issues, the survey reveals a country sharply at odds with itself, said Robert P. Jones, PRRI CEO and co-author of the report, speaking at a Brookings Institute forum.

“It’s not a really stretch to say one thing about this election is it really is a referendum on the future,” said Jones. “Does the future look bright? Are we going to reach back for something in the past? Or are we going to lean into the cultural and demographic changes that are happening in the country and even celebrate those changes?”

Though the divide may seem obvious to anyone following the bitter presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the winner, Jones says, will face a daunting challenge: unifying a country that’s divided on partisan lines, including political correctness and whether the election itself will be legitimate.”


As we sit with the election results and the recognition that we are deeply divided, how will we be salt – preserving, enhancing, seasoning, and creating a thirst for God in the world? How will we be light – illuminating, awakening, revealing in the world? How will we be growing disciples that make a difference, that exert influence, that are engaged and relevant for the transformation of the world?

Sunday, November 6, 2016

English Ministry News and Notes 2016-11-6

  • Great Thanks to all who participated in the All Church Clean Up last Sunday. The kitchen is shiny, the social hall closet was thoroughly organized, bathrooms deep cleaned, and more! Special thanks to the leadership of Steve and Al.
  • Let's Love Our Community by “Picking It Up” - Next Sunday, Nov. 13th, from 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. we'll join others in Chinatown to pick up trash and clean storm drains. This is an all ages opportunity to serve. Please sign up with Burt & Jane today!
  • Giving Thanks - We will celebrate Thanksgiving on Sunday, Nov. 20th. Worship will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Annex, followed by a fellowship potluck for the whole church. Please bring a favorite dish (main or side...no fruit or dessert, thank you!)
  • Please prayerfully consider your giving this year in the areas of prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. You are kindly requested to return your completed stewardship card on Nov. 20th. Please connect with any questions or concerns.
  • An Altar Piled High - as a sign of your gratitude, let’s fill our Thanksgiving altar with healthy canned food and dried goods for the Alameda County Community Food Bank barrel.
  • Advent Begins on Nov. 27th!
  • Please mark your calendars for Charge Conference: Dec. 4th, Sunday, at 2:00 p.m., Twin Towers UMC (Alameda). For the first time, we'll be joining with our circuit brothers and sisters for this annual business meeting!

A Prayer for Election Day, Rev. Mark Sandlin


In Proverbs, we are reminded that Wisdom is a thing in which you delight daily. In the life and teachings of Jesus, we are reminded that loving others is one and the same as loving you.

As we, a nation who boldly proclaims across the face of our currency “In God We Trust,” approach yet another election cycle, we ask that you might inspire in us a deep seated desire to delight in wisdom rather than focus on party lines.

May we be moved to a compassion for others as a way of expressing our love for you.

May our hearts and minds teach our eyes to see the voting booth as a way to express our undying devotion to a better world – a world less cluttered with the pitfalls of the powerful – a world less littered with the entrapments of consumeristic competition – a world less defaced with the warping of the beautiful diversity your Creation contains.

Prayerfully we hope to be moved into action. Knock us out of our sometimes overly complacent perspectives of the importance of an individual vote. Compel us toward a fully engaged electorate who demands an equal engagement from those elected.

Plant in us a seed of biblical justice. Teach us to nurture and grow it. Teach us to never hide it under a bushel. Inspire us to plant it in our town squares, publicly proclaiming the value of every individual in our society. And with it grow in us and in our nation an expectation that our elected officials be active reflections of that same justice.

Keep all of this in our hearts as we approach the voting booth this week. May our choices be predicated on a desire to build a better nation, a true light on a hill, a nation that holds these words to be self-evident that all people were “created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Never let us forget, that the voting booth and an active electorate are our first line of defense. In a nation that has created people out of corporations, and “voice” out of dollar bills, remind us that, for now, our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution still tip the balance of power to “We The People.”

May we wield that power with grace and love and biblical justice based in equality, but... may we wield it boldly, assertively, and on behalf of all people. May we do so in numbers so massive that our voices be heard and in standing up may we alter the course of this great nation – re-establishing the pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness for ALL rather than solely for the powerful.

Let us not leave these words on this page, heard only in our hearts and never put into action in our lives. Rather let us be the voices in the Wilderness that the United States as become – let us be the ones proclaiming a higher way where all flesh may know that it is valued, it is cared for and it is loved.

Amen.