BCUCC News for Sunday, May 19, 2019
News and Upcoming Events
· Sunday, May 19: Worship at 10am. Theme: “God is Still Speaking”. Scripture: Acts 11:1-18.
· Sunday, May 19: Congregational Meeting after worship to vote on whether to join other UCC churches in a resolution of witness supporting HR763, the bipartisan Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. This resolution will be presented for voting to both the Southern California Nevada Conference UCC and the UCC General Synod (National). For info about this bill, see https://energyinnovationact.org/how-it-works/
· Sunday, May 19: ‘FAST WITH A MUSLIM” IFTAR Our friends at the Anaheim mosque — the Islamic Institute of Orange County — have invited us to join them in a meal to break the Ramadan fast (Iftar) on Sunday, May 19. Those who attended last year remember a rich evening of interfaith fellowship! The event begins at 6:45pm, and will include a brief intro to Ramadan, a sunset prayer, and a wonderful meal to break the day’s fast. The event is now full. Carpools will be arranged from the BCUCC lot.
· Tuesday, May 21: Church Council meets at 7pm in the Joshua Tree room.
· Wednesday, May 22: 10am, Recycling Tour at Republic Recycling Facility, 1131 N. Blue Gum St. Meet at the church at 9:40am for carpool. Only 3 parking spaces for visitors, so carpooling is a must! Sign up on Kiosk, or email Sharon Bolle atjsbolle@pacbell.net Note: This event may be full!
· Tuesday, May 14: BCUCC Lunch Bunch meets at 11:45am, at Coco’s on Imperial near State College Ave. All are welcome to this informal fellowship gathering. RSVP to Pastor Terry so we can save you a spot.
· Friday and Saturday, June 7-8: UCC Annual Gathering of the Southern California Nevada Conference at Chapman University in Orange. Join us for workshops on spirituality, activism, effective church leadership and more. Make connections with other progressive Christians throughout our region. Delegate registration is paid by the church. Register at: https://scncucc.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/209440–
· Pilgrim Pines Summer Camp is taking registrations now. Weeklong camps for children grades 1-12 run from July 7 to August 3. (Special adult/child (ages 3-7) camp July 7-10.) See pilgrimpinescamp.org/summer-camp/ for complete information.
· June 22: OC Pride Parade and celebration. A number of UCC churches will be marching together. Join the Parade and celebrate inclusive welcome with us!
News
· Check out the new mural on the preschool patio! Preschool director Michelle Serna invited the Love Brea program to create something beautiful, and they did. We are grateful for the generosity of the artists who designed and painted it, including Michelle!
· Last Sunday we were delighted to meet Lyanna Freya Norman, born April 13. Congratulations to Kim, John, little John and Paul on the new addition to your family. Thanks for bringing her to church.
· The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: Talk about it. Governments and individuals will take action when enough people insist on it. Climate Scientist and Evangelical Christian Katherine Hayhoe spoke to the Creation Justice Churches last week, showing us that people imagine climate change won’t affect them. We know better. Spread the word. We owe it to our children, to those already displaced and impoverished by climate, and to the planet. Her TED talk is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BvcToPZCLI&frags=pl%2Cwn, and the one-hour webinar is at: https://youtu.be/g7YscULEYcQ.
Ongoing
· Tai Chi Thursdays at 6:30pm in the Sanctuary. Check with Karen Hill which Thursdays. Next dates: May 23rd and 30th.
· Bible Study is on Thursdays at 2-3pm. Join us in the pastor’s office; you are always welcome. Ring the bell at the gate on Flower Street. We are studying the Book of Jeremiah. Lively discussion about what scripture means to us today. No homework!
• The BCUCC Theological Book Club will be reading, Finally Comes the Poet—Daring Speech for Proclamation, by Walter Brueggemann. Brueggemann tells us that the Christian gospel can be too often preached with excessive certitude which can reduce it to coercive, debilitating pietism that can mask the text’s meaning. He proposes an alternative voice that is artistic, poetic, and dramatic. Come join the discussion. We’ll meet Wednesday, May 29th, at 7pm to discuss Chapters 1 & 2, and again on June 26th to discuss Chapters 3 & 4. We’ll meet the the Hill household. Please call or email at 714-693-0261 or jandkhill@mac.com for directions.
News from our Pastor Search Committee
Since our last report, the Pastor Search Committee has met several times
and had two video interviews with potential candidates. We had two
more interviews set up for next week; however, one of those candidates
had to withdraw due to health reasons. We remain optimistic with the
quality of candidates submitting their profiles. Thank you for your
continued prayers and support.