BCUCC News for Sunday, August 18, 2019

News and Upcoming Events

·            Sunday, August 18:  Worship at 10am. Theme: “It’s All Sacred (A Last Sermon)”.  Scripture: Psalm 139:1-18. 

·         Sunday, August 18: Please join us for a thank you and farewell reception for Pastor Terry LePage on Sunday, August 18.  The potluck reception will be in the church hall immediately following the worship service.  Please bring appetizers or dessert to share! Our theme is Garden Party!  If you have a potted plant (especially succulents and native plants) that you can bring for the day, we will decorate the hall with them.

·         Sunday, August 25:  Family Promise Shelter Training after worship. Cyndee Albertson, director of Family Promise, will present an orientation for our new shelter program.

·         Tuesday, August 27, 7pm: Jessica Cosley and Laura Weiss would like to invite you to attend a French horn and piano recital here at the church. They will be playing some of their favorite pieces from film and classical repertoire. No tickets needed but all donations will benefit the Academy of Music for the Blind, giving students with disabilities access to music education and helping to teach life skills. Hope to see you there! 

·         September 1-8:  Family Promise Shelter in Hall (4 families hosted). Volunteers needed: see Ann Marshall or Carol This for signups.  We are excited to restart our homeless ministry with Family Promise! 

·         Sunday, September 15: Movie, 4 pm. “Happening: A Green Energy Revolution.”

·         Family Promise Shelter is seeking donations of desperately needed essentials:  $25 – $50 Target & Walmart gift cards (for back to school clothing and supplies, ASAP please!), feminine hygiene products, razors, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner.  Look for the decorated box in the church entry (coming soon…)  Thank you for your generosity!

Ongoing

·         Choir is returning! Enrich your body and soul with music and singing! Afraid of commitment or of trying something new? Don’t worry! Jessica is here to help you learn and grow at your own pace. Rehearsals are on Thursday evenings at 7:30PM beginning August 29th. We also sing Sunday mornings with warm-ups beginning at 9AM. All are welcome! 

·         For our summer read, the BCUCC Theological Book Club chose a novel, The Overstory, by Richard Powers.  Inspired by the Redwood trees, Powers writes an impassioned work of activism and resistance that is, also, a stunning paean to the natural world.  There is a world alongside ours—vast, slow, interconnected, resourceful, magnificently inventive, and almost invisible to us.  Come join the discussion Wednesday at 7pm on August 21st at the Hill household. For directions please call or email the Hills.

Giving Beyond Our Local Church

In the 2018-2019 fiscal year, BCUCC contributed the following:

$1405   One Great Hour of Sharing: for Church World Service emergency and development aid around the world. (member donations)

$863     Neighbors in Need: grants for UCC churches and affiliates to support justice and compassion projects around the country. (Member donations)

$1500.  UCC “per capita” support (proportional to our membership)– to support the Southern California-Nevada Conference staff and ministries. (General budget)

$863.  Friends of Orange County Detainees (Member donations)

$363     Donations to friends of the church in need (General budget)

$150.    LGBT Center OC: support and advocacy for LGBTQ Orange County residents. (Youth and Young adults recycling… thank you Bryan Wake!)

$150.    Our Church’s Wider Mission: Support of the national UCC (Youth and Young adults recycling… thank you Bryan Wake!)

The church is made possible by gifts, and is made stronger by sharing.  Thank you for your generosity!