First Church Lent and Easter Goings On!

Special Lent and Easter Goings On at
First United Methodist Church, Pasadena
500 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101
More details available in the March Messenger!

March 30th    Laramie Project: 10 Years After - Friday, 7:30 pm
March 31st    Laramie Project: 10 Years After - Saturday, noon

April st          Palm Sunday Service, 10 am, Bishop Shamana, preaching
                          "Hosannas, Hoodies and Hope"
                     Palm Sunday Picnic Lunch and Egg Hunt, at FUMC Pasadena

April 4th        Seder Meal - All are invited to this meal who are interested in experiencing and learning more about this ritual meal served on the first night of Passover commemorating the flight of the Jews from Egypt
                                                       Fellowship Hall at 6:15 pm

April 5th    ECPAC Good Friday Service
                      Noon at Church of the Bretheren, 1041 N. Alta dena Dr. Pasadena
                 Good Friday Service, First Church
                      7:30 pm in FUMC Chapel; Labyrinth available following worship

April 7th    Youth Holy Vigil
                      7:30 om Saturday to 7:30 am Sunday

April 8th    Sunrise Service in Church Courtyard
                      Colorado Boulevard Courtyard at 6:30 am
                 Easter Service, 10 am, Rev. ken McMillan, preaching
                      "Broken hearts and Empty Tombs"
                     All choirs and Brass Ensemble in service;
                     children adorn the Resurrection Cross
                 Easter Sunday Lunch, 12 noon, following worship.

The Laramie Project: Ten Years After

The Theater Arts Committee of FUMC Pasadena Presents

The Laramie Project: Ten Years After

A play by Moises Kaufman and the Members of the Tectonic Theater Project
performed by permission of Dramatists' Play Service I

March 30, Friday at 7:30 PM
A light dinner before will be served before the production at 6:30 PM

and

March 31, Saturday at 12:30 PM
A light lunch will be served before the production at noon

  Both Events are FREE and open to the public.

First United Methodist Church Pasadena
~ Fellowship Hall ~

500 E. Colorado Boulevard
Pasadena, CA 91101
Map
626-796-0157


ADULT CONTENT
MATURE LANGUAGE

Pasadena Methodist Foundation Scholarships

A reminder to all new applicants and renewal recipients of academic scholarships from the Pasadena Methodist Foundation, you must apply for your scholarship request annually. The deadline this year is May 28, 2012 and we will not be able to accept any applications for scholarships for the fall 2012 school year after May 28, 2012. Please find both new and renewal applications on the Foundation’s website at pasadenamethodistfoundation.org or you may pick up your renewal application in the church office and return it to the church office no later than May 28, 2012.
 
Should you have any questions please contact Sue Clairday at sclairday@charter.net or (626) 796-0157.

United Methodist General Conference will meet in April

Once every four years, United Methodist leaders from all over the world come together for worship and policy making.  This highest body of the church makes decisions that then are published in the The Book of Discipline and The Book of Resolutions.  They determine what the priorities, theology, social principles, budgets, and organization of the denomination will look like for the next four years.

In 2012, the General Conference will meet between April 24th and May 4th, in Tampa, Florida.  Of the 988 delegates elected to attend, 606 will be from the United States, 282 will be from Africa, 48 will come from the Philippines, and 42 will come from Europe and Russia.  Half the delegates will be clergy, and the other half will be laity.

One of the big issues that will come before the General Conference this year is a proposal to restructure the denomination.  The hope is that by streamlining our church government, we can make decisions more quickly and with less cost.  The General Council on Finance and Administration will be recommending a budget that is six percent less than the budget for 2009-2012.  This will be the first time a smaller budget has been proposed.

The longest petition that will be reviewed by the General Council has to do with revisions to the clergy retirement program.

The 2012 General Conference will process approximately 1200 petitions.  Each proposal for change originates with a petition sent to General Conference by individual members, local congregations, annual conferences, or general agencies.

The 988 delegates will be divided up into 13 legislative committees.  Each group will work through 70-80 petitions.  The committee’s recommendation on each petition will then be sent to the full assembly for final action.

A majority vote in a plenary (full) session makes most proposals church law.  Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds vote by delegates, followed by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the aggregate members voting in annual conference sessions.

One other item of business will be “An Act of Repentance toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous People”, during which the church will express contrition for harm done to native people in the U.S. and other countries.

Along with our delegates from the Cal-Pac Annual Conference and Western Jurisdiction, both Bishop Beverly Shamana and Rev. Allison Mark will be attending General Conference 2012 in Tampa, Florida in April. As United Methodists, we invite you to be in prayer for the people and polity of the United Methodist Church. Join the Upper Room's "50 Days of Prayer until General Conference": 


More information on the United Methodist Church here.

Sourced from Wesley UMC, Pueblo Colo., Charlene Reichert, and Rev. Allison Mark

UMC General Conference News

General Conference 50 Days of Prayer Information:  The 50 Days begins today: Friday, March 16th! 

You can download a free 50 Days of Prayer book or subscribe to daily e-mail meditations by visiting 50 Days of Prayer Join Us in 50 Days of Prayer. When delegates to General Conference meet in Tampa in April, you and other United Methodists around the world will be able to join together in support of our General Conference.

FUMC Summer Musical Announced - Legally Blonde!

**Update**  See our update on the performance of Legally Blonde in 2012.

She's Headed Off to Law School to Change the World - It's Legally Blonde for our Exciting Summer Musical

The FUMC drama committee announces that this year's summer musical will be the fresh-from-Broadway-and-tour musical, Legally Blonde, based on the Reese Witherspoon movie of a decade or so ago.  Filled with upbeat songs and dances, this story of self-discovery, perception versus understanding and acceptance promises to be an exciting artistic adventure for our youth and the community.  Auditions will be May 12 from 10am-2pm.  A make-up audition for those who cannot attend May 12 is scheduled for May 20 from 3-5pm.  More information will be coming soon.

To be directed by Cynthia Crass and choreographed by Megan Goldstein, Legally Blonde has only recently become available for licensing so FUMC's offering will likely be one of your first local opportunities to see this show, which will be a pleasure for families and friends of all ages.

Mark your summer calendar for performances July 25-28.

The summer youth musical is a great way to introduce friends to FUMC.  Do you know youth entering 7th grade through high school who might enjoy participating in this summer's show?  Tell them about it.  Do you have friends who enjoy great music and song?  They probably haven't seen Legally Blonde.  Encourage them to attend this summer.  This is your production and ours.  Let's share our excitement with our greater community.

Keep your eyes open for future announcements.  There may even be a few opportunities announced for cameo parts by some of the older aspiring actors in our church community.

Save the Date - Summer Musical Auditions:  Youth entering grade 7 in fall 2012 through grade 12 are invited to summer musical auditions for Legally Blonde on May 12 from 10-2; a make-up date is scheduled for May 20 from 3-5.  More information available soon.