2017-1-1 Worship Videos

Chinese Choir

Chinese Sermon

English Sermon

English Ministry News and Notes 2017-1-1

• 5th Sundays Worship @ Work Launches - We launch a new ministry that enables us to worship through the work of our hands and serve the world God so loves. Please see more info on insert. You are invited to sign up to donate needed items for our 1st 5th Sunday (Jan. 29th) today! Great thanks for your generosity!
• AO Circuit Pilgrimage Invite - Please do note that your down payment for the trip is due on Jan. 5th. For full info, please connect with Pastor Emily.
• English Ministry Retreat, Part 2 - We want to turn our "What If's" into concrete realities! Gather to be inspired and challenged by Rev. Sam Yoon and to get connected to the powerful "Why?" behind all that we do. We will gather at Twin Towers UMC in Alameda, Saturday, Jan. 21st, from 9:00 - 2:00p.m. Your presence is vital!
• Please Mark Your Calendars For These Special Dates in Jan. -
• Snow Retreat Faith Sharing in worship, 1.8.17 followed by "Pick It Up Chinatown", 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.
• Human Relations Sunday with Ken Schoon preaching, 1.15.17
• Interfaith Muslim Solidarity Dinner, 1.20.17 at 7:00 p.m. benefiting Wadi Foquin Community Development Project and AO Circuit Holy Land Pilgrimage Scholarships (Lake Merritt UMC)
• Laity Sunday, 1.22.17 followed by book talk by Dr. Russell Jeung at 2:00 p.m.
• First 5th Sunday Worship @ Work, 1.29.17

Happy, Happy New Year!

We step into a brand new calendar year today.

As we do so, I invite you to be intentional – intentional about noticing all the ways God is already present in your life, intentional about allowing your deepest longings for God to surface and be named, intentional about your relationships and priorities, intentional about your time and the way you use your gifts, intentional about staying connected to joy and hope.

My prayer for the year ahead for each of us – individually and collectively – is that we experience a revival of God in our midst, and that we discern with a united clarity the ways that God is calling us into the future. Will you join in me in this prayer?

Grace & Peace,

Emily

Spiritually Literate New Year’s Resolutions

Revs. Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

• I will live in the present moment. I will not obsess about the past or worry about the future.
• I will cultivate the art of making connections. I will pay attention to how my life is intimately related to all life on the planet.
• I will be thankful for all the blessings in my life. I will spell out my days with a grammar of gratitude.
• I will practice hospitality in a world where too often strangers are feared, enemies are hated, and the "other" is shunned. I will welcome guests and alien ideas with graciousness.
• I will seek liberty and justice for all. I will work for a free and a fair world.
• I will add to the planet's fund of good will by practicing little acts of kindness, brief words of encouragement, and manifold expressions of courtesy.
• I will cultivate the skill of deep listening. I will remember that all things in the world want to be heard, as do the many voices inside me.
• I will practice reverence for life by seeing the sacred in, with, and under all things of the world.
• I will give up trying to hide, deny, or escape from my imperfections. I will listen to what my shadow side has to say to me.
• I will be willing to learn from the spiritual teachers all around me, however unlikely or unlike me they may be.

2016-12-25 Worship Videos

Chinese Choir

Sermon

Full Worship

2016-12-18 Worship Videos

Chinese Choir

Chinese Sermon

English Sermon

English Ministry News and Notes 2016-12-18

• Let's Go Caroling - Connect with Becky (if you haven’t already) if you plan to go caroling tomorrow! Bring joy to others by sharing your voice!
• Calling All Bakers - Get out the mixers and sifters: your delicious treats are invited for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day refreshments! Thank you!
• Celebrate Christmas - this year's calendar invites us to celebrate Christmas in worship and community. You are warmly invited to Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship, Dec. 24th, at 7:00 p.m. Invite friends and family to this beautiful time of remembering the story and sharing the music. On Christmas morn, we'll gather at 10:30 a.m. for a creative joint worship. Again, friends and family are invited and welcome!
• Sunday School Rests - Please note that there will not be Sunday School next Sunday, Dec. 25th. Adults will also rest on Jan. 1st and resume on the 8th.
• Please Note - the church office will be closed Dec. 26th - 28th. For pastoral emergencies, please connect with Pastor Emily via email or cell phone.
• AO Circuit Holy Land Pilgrimage - We will be traveling to the Middle East from May 1st - 12th with our circuit brothers and sisters. The trip cost is $3,250 and includes airfare, ground transportation, hotels, all meals, honorariums, and gratuities. The first installment representing your commitment to the trip is required by Jan. 5th ($1,500). Checks can be made out to CCUMC with Pilgrimage in the memo line. Interested? Questions? Connect with Pastor Emily.

Love: The Children of Susiya

This is a story about a village in Palestine.

Children play and make friends there. But they live in a hard situation. The churches in Jerusalem invite people from around the world to come and see what is happening. Patricia, who wrote this story, is one of those people. For three months she lived with Palestinians and Israelis who are working for peace.

Susiya is a small village in Palestine. The Palestinian people don’t have control of their own country. This situation is called a “military occupation.” In this small village, the Israeli army told the people to leave. They were going to tear down their homes and use their land for themselves.

But the people don’t want to leave. They love their homes. They love their families and their animals. They love the land and their community. This place is their home. Where else would they go?

During this difficult situation, the children try to go about their daily lives. They are just like children anywhere. The other observers and I arrive just as school finishes for the summer. Remember how that feels?

Getting up and out first thing in the morning. Meeting up with friends. Going in and out of each other’s homes? The children play school, marbles, and games. They play little sally saucer and statue. They fill water balloons and—watch out!

We watch the children play. We watch them push and pull, cry and laugh. There is a lot of love in this close community.

A special moment for me is playing rock-a-bye baby. All of the children want a turn being rocked. Even the older ones, who have trouble fitting on my lap! Then I teach them to dance to “Rock Around the Clock.” And they teach me to dance to an Arabic song!

Every child needs a safe place to live and grow up. The children of Susiya and many other villages in Palestine need to have courage. As long as this conflict goes on, they will live with the very real fear of losing their homes.

We hear the love and courage of the people in Susiya who want to keep their village. Are we ready to love? Are we ready to step up and help the people of Palestine and Israel? I wonder what love is calling forth from us?

For pictures of the children of Susiya that accompany this story from the blog of former World Council of Church’s Ecumenical Accompanier and United Church member Patricia Mercer, visit: https://patriciainpalestine.wordpress.com