- Magic in the Sanctuary
- A Pastor's Advent Message
- A Word from Social Service Volunteers
- The Way of Forgiveness
- Children's Christmas Program
- Chancel Choir Christmas Program
- Christmas Eve Services
- Pastor's Musings
Sunday, December 1, 2013
December Messenger
Friday, November 1, 2013
November Messenger
- Cal-Pac Conference Report
- Stewardship focus
- Passionate Worship
- New Face of Library Fiction
- Christmas Markets
- MORE!
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
October Messenger
- ArtsNight & ArtWalk
- Rent-A-Youth
- Benjamin Britten Concert
- Work Camp
- Adult Ministries
- New Year’s Pancake Breakfast
- Much More!
Sunday, September 1, 2013
September Messenger
- Rally Day
- Church Clean-Up Up-Date
- Fall Arts
- Benjamin Britten Concert
- New Bible Studies
- And More
Thursday, August 1, 2013
August Messenger
- Recovery Support Group
- Messenger Subscriptions
- Five Practices of a Fruitful Congregation
- New Adult Ministries
- Church Clean Up Project
- And More!
Thursday, July 4, 2013
July Messenger
- Five Practices of a Fruitful Congregation
- New Adult Ministries
- Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, & Politics in the Book of Revelation
- Church Clean Up Project
- And More
Thursday, June 6, 2013
June Messenger
- Church Cleanup Project
- United Methodist Family Night at Dodger Stadium
- Book Search Time!
- Mission Opportunity
- And More
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Saturday, March 16, 2013
March Messenger
- Easter Holy Week Happenings
- Pastor’s Message
- Food Trucks Are Coming
- Summer Musical Bye Bye Birdie Announced
- Become a Foster Parent
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Words, Lifestyle, and Lent
Rev. N. Adiel A. DePano Lenten message from FUMC Pasadena.
Words have the power to create. Henri
Nouwen writes:
When
God speaks, God creates. When God says, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3),
light is. God speaks light. For God, speaking and creating are the same. It is
this creative power of the word we need to reclaim. What we say is very
important. When we say, “I love you,” and say it from the heart, we can give
another person new life, new hope, new courage.
Stories of healing abound in the
gospels. One such story describes how Jesus went to minister to Jairus’
daughter who had just died (Mark 5:35ff). Let’s pick up the story from verse
38:
When
they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with
people crying and wailing loudly.... After he put them all out, he took the
child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in
where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!”
(which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood
up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were
completely astonished.
What strikes me about the healing
stories in the gospels is that people sought Jesus and flocked to him in
droves! They recognized the power of his words spoken in compassion. The
experience so compelling that they recognized in Jesus a great prophet! In Mark 6:53-56 we read:
When
Jesus and the disciples had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and
moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him,
and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to
wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or
farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might
touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.
You might be saying, “What do I need
healing for?”
Our society is full of words: on
billboards, on television screens, in newspapers and books. Words whispered,
shouted, and sung. Words that move, dance, and change in size and color. Words
that say, “Taste me, smell me, eat me, drink me, sleep with me,” but most of
all, “buy me.” With so many words around us, we quickly say: “Well, they're
just words.” Thus, words have lost much of their power.
But it seems that we have not lost a
beat on our ability to inflict harm with our words. Words also have the
potential to destroy as Henri Nouwen writes:
When
we say, “I hate you,” we can destroy another person.
Our internal dialogue with the self
could be anything but affirming and nurturing of the seed of God that is
planted in our hearts. We are so capable of bombarding our inner self with
words that harm – I’m not good enough. I’m an idiot. I’m a failure. I can’t do
it. I don’t have what it takes. Our lives can be messy, filled with addiction,
fretfulness, and fears.
For God, speaking and creating are the
same. The holy season of Lent is a rich and potent season to experience the
transformative and creative power of words of the Word of God! The Word that
was made flesh at Christmas speaks volumes of God’s love, forgiveness, healing,
acceptance, joy, and hope to us. Lent invites us to prepare for Easter by
observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline
in order to make room for the indwelling of the Spirit. The purpose is to set
aside time for reflection on Jesus Christ – his suffering and his sacrifice,
his life, death, burial and resurrection – so that his life-giving words and
life-affirming teachings can take root in our lives and increase our capacity
to speak and love as he did.
John Wesley gave Methodists “three
simple rules” to abide by in growing our ability to be Christ-like in our
lifestyle:
- Do no
harm.
- Do
good.
- Stay
in love with God.
John
Wesley believed that living a holy and good life required help from a caring
community, commitment to the practice of spiritual discipline, and ongoing
instruction.
Wesley
gave the Methodist movement General Rules which were the practical application
of what it meant to follow Christ – they were outlined and the people were
instructed on them within the class structure. Accountability for practice was
centered in the classes that formed the United Societies. Thus, the General Rules became distilled into
this “behavioral trinity” we refer to as the “three simple rules”.
Living
in a new way, becoming a new creation is risky business. Learning and speaking
words that build up rather than tear down is hard work. It requires sacrifice – the willingness to
undergo a radical transformation – it requires creating a way through the
wilderness where there was no way before. Richard Rohr, OFM brings it home for
me:
Christianity is a lifestyle—a way of
being in the world that is simple, non-violent, shared, and loving. However, we
made it into an established “religion” (and all that goes with that) and
avoided the lifestyle change itself. One could be warlike, greedy, racist,
selfish, and vain in most of Christian history, and still believe that Jesus is
one’s “personal Lord and Savior” or continue to receive the sacraments in good
standing. The world has no time for such silliness anymore. The suffering on
Earth is too great.
In
closing, let me share this invitation straight out of The Book of Worship:
I invite you, therefore, in the name
of the Church, to observe a holy Lent: by self-examination and repentance; by
prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy
Word.
There’s
that ‘Word’ again!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Easter Services in Pasadena
Easter Vigil - March 30, Altadena UMC located at 349 W Altadena
Dr, Altadena, CA 91001-4254. For more
info on meet up times, contact Rev. Mark.
Easter Sunrise Service - Join the FUMC Pasadena and Alta Dena
Youth in a collaborative Easter Sunrise Service at Altadena United Methodist
Church. Sunday, March 31, at 6:30am.
Altadena United Methodist Church is located at 349 W Altadena Dr,
Altadena, CA 91001-4254. Join us as we
watch the sun rise into the morning sky!
Easter Morning Art - Starting at 8:55am, all are invited to join the
Arts Committee and Children's Ministry in the Colorado patio to welcome in
Easter morning with breakfast, music, an innovative family worship opportunity,
Easter story corner and our "egg art" exhibition. Children and
families, please arrive early as children grades preK up will adjourn to the
sanctuary at 9:30am for choir. Then join
us for our traditional...
More info on Holy Week and Lenten services at First Church on the web.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Music for Solo Cello in Pasadena
Music at First
United Methodist Church of Pasadena
presents
Music for Solo Cello
Works by Bach, Britten and
Cassado
David Garrett, cello
- Program -
Bach - Suite No. 1, BWV 1007
Britten - Suite No. 1, Op. 72
Walton - Passacaglia
Cassado - Suite (1922)
Wednesday, February 27, 2013 7:30PM
First United Methodist Church of
Pasadena
500 East Colorado Blvd, Pasadena
Free Admission
Donations gratefully accepted
for the FUMC-Pasadena Friends of
Music
fumcpasadena.org 626-796-0157
From his biography on the LA Phil: Garrett is a dedicated advocate for music education. He coaches youth orchestras, visits schools, and is cello teacher for the El Sistema-inspired Youth Orchestra Los Angeles. At the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSU Long Beach Garrett maintains one of Southern California’s top cello teaching studios. Garrett’s community service extends beyond the Philharmonic’s projects; he is a board member of the Los Angeles Bach Festival and the Los Angeles Violoncello Society and an active member of the First United Methodist Church of Pasadena. In his spare time Garrett enjoys games and sports; in particular he is an avid, if frustrated, golfer.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
The February Messenger is here!
- In this issue, you will read about
- Holy Week Goings-On
- Breakfast and Bible Stories
- Turn-A-Page Gatherings
- Library Valentines for Kids Young and Old
- Children’s Lenten Missions
- How to “Be the Bunny”
- An Appreciative Inquiry Update
- How to go on the Summer YOUth Tour
- Adult Ministries Study
- And lots more…
Hard copies will be in the mail later int he week.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Episcopal Letter on Immigration Reform
This message comes from Bishop Carcaño in the the Cal-Pac Conference.
Last week, Bishop Carcaño represented the United Methodist Church at President Obama’s address on immigration reform in Las Vegas, NV. Afterward, she sent the following letter to the Council of Bishops; today she shares it in its entirety with the leaders of this Annual Conference, with the same expectation and encouragement that we give active witness to this issue of justice and compassion. Note especially the link at the close to further resources on the Episcopal Office webpage.
(January 30, 2013)
Dear Colleagues,
Yesterday I had the opportunity to be among those who personally heard President Barack Obama outline his plan for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in the U.S. When the White House called to invite me to join President Obama in Las Vegas, Nevada for this historic moment I was told that the invitation came as an acknowledgement from the White House of the good work The United Methodist Church has done in the area of immigration. I was privileged to represent the hard work that so many of you and other United Methodists have been engaged in.
This is the moment we have been working so very hard for. President Obama was clear in his commitment to reforming our broken immigration policies. I also sense a shift in the attitude of the country toward the issue of immigration. We have before us a great opportunity to live out our commitment to sojourn with our immigrant brothers and sisters until justice comes for them and for us.
President Obama called for immigration reform that will provide a pathway to citizenship for the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants now living and laboring in the U.S. He affirmed the moral need to work for the reunification of families who have been separated by migration, recognized the importance of DREAMERS for the future of the U.S., and reminded us that we are a country of immigrants. He called us to remember that immigrants are not “them” but “us”. He vowed to work hard to bring our U.S. immigration policies into the 21st Century affirming that immigrants are part of the solution to our economic struggles. I heard him say that we need common sense comprehensive immigration reform for the common good.
Yesterday was a hopeful day, but there is yet much more work to be done. I was concerned when President Obama mentioned strengthening border security, employment verification, and undocumented immigrants going to the back of the line in order to begin their pathway to citizenship. The U.S. has already spent $10 billion dollars in border security. How much higher must the border wall be before border security is considered adequate? The government’s employment verification efforts thus far have proven to be detrimental to employers as well as employees including documented workers. And, we all know there is no immigration line to go to the back of, only a mass of people and a backlog that will take a lifetime to process unless immigration processes are reformed. In the meantime our immigrant brothers and sisters continue to live in fear, suffering injustice, discrimination, and in many cases the violation of their human rights. We United Methodists can help make a difference.
Here are some things we can do now as [leaders in] the church,
We ask you to focus on three areas of concern:
Hosting prayer vigils will give us an opportunity to reflect on the deep scriptural and spiritual roots of our work to welcome and support immigrants in the United States, highlight the moral aspects of the immigration issue and help us remember the real-life consequences of our failed policies on immigrant families. It will show our representatives in Congress that just and humane immigration reform is a top priority for United Methodists, and demonstrate a growing movement in support of immigration reform.
If you need any resources or assistance as you plan your Family Unity Prayer Vigils or Neighbor to Neighbor meetings, please contact Bill Mefford at the General Board of Church and Society. You might also want to consider using the wonderful video, Gospel Without Borders, that Bishop Charles Crutchfield graciously provided all of us with when he was still serving in Arkansas. Excellent resources provided to us by our GBCS called “How to Organize for Just and Humane Immigration Reform” can be located here: http://www.cal-pac.org/pages/detail/2016 .
I stand ready to support you in any way I can. Above all, may God be our help!
Your Sister in Christ,
Bishop Minerva
Last week, Bishop Carcaño represented the United Methodist Church at President Obama’s address on immigration reform in Las Vegas, NV. Afterward, she sent the following letter to the Council of Bishops; today she shares it in its entirety with the leaders of this Annual Conference, with the same expectation and encouragement that we give active witness to this issue of justice and compassion. Note especially the link at the close to further resources on the Episcopal Office webpage.
(January 30, 2013)
Dear Colleagues,
This is the moment we have been working so very hard for. President Obama was clear in his commitment to reforming our broken immigration policies. I also sense a shift in the attitude of the country toward the issue of immigration. We have before us a great opportunity to live out our commitment to sojourn with our immigrant brothers and sisters until justice comes for them and for us.
President Obama called for immigration reform that will provide a pathway to citizenship for the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants now living and laboring in the U.S. He affirmed the moral need to work for the reunification of families who have been separated by migration, recognized the importance of DREAMERS for the future of the U.S., and reminded us that we are a country of immigrants. He called us to remember that immigrants are not “them” but “us”. He vowed to work hard to bring our U.S. immigration policies into the 21st Century affirming that immigrants are part of the solution to our economic struggles. I heard him say that we need common sense comprehensive immigration reform for the common good.
Yesterday was a hopeful day, but there is yet much more work to be done. I was concerned when President Obama mentioned strengthening border security, employment verification, and undocumented immigrants going to the back of the line in order to begin their pathway to citizenship. The U.S. has already spent $10 billion dollars in border security. How much higher must the border wall be before border security is considered adequate? The government’s employment verification efforts thus far have proven to be detrimental to employers as well as employees including documented workers. And, we all know there is no immigration line to go to the back of, only a mass of people and a backlog that will take a lifetime to process unless immigration processes are reformed. In the meantime our immigrant brothers and sisters continue to live in fear, suffering injustice, discrimination, and in many cases the violation of their human rights. We United Methodists can help make a difference.
Here are some things we can do now as [leaders in] the church,
- Write op-eds for our local newspapers standing with President Obama in his call for comprehensive immigration reform;
- Contact your Congressional leaders and let them know that United Methodists stand for comprehensive immigration reform;
- Blog about our commitment to justice for our immigrant brothers and sisters;
- Sign up on the Interfaith Immigration Coalition call to the 113th U.S. Congress to work for comprehensive immigration reform. I have attached it for your consideration. All you have to do to sign up is send your name to Bill Mefford at bmefford@umc-gbcs.org. As United Methodists we are members of the IIC and helped shape this statement;
- Observe Family Unity Prayer Vigils in your area in the month of February . Invite your local churches, UMW, UMM, young people, campus ministries, conference and district offices, your cabinets, ecumenical partners and others to join you. In doing so you and your area will be joining a nation-wide interfaith prayer effort in the U.S. There is power in prayer!
We ask you to focus on three areas of concern:
- Protection for immigrants,
- Empowerment of people of faith to speak out more boldly for immigrants, and
- Moral courage for Members of Congress to exercise leadership in enacting humane immigration reform.
Hosting prayer vigils will give us an opportunity to reflect on the deep scriptural and spiritual roots of our work to welcome and support immigrants in the United States, highlight the moral aspects of the immigration issue and help us remember the real-life consequences of our failed policies on immigrant families. It will show our representatives in Congress that just and humane immigration reform is a top priority for United Methodists, and demonstrate a growing movement in support of immigration reform.
- As these prayer vigils are held in your area please have someone on you staff let Bill Mefford at GBCS know when and where they are held. Pictures of the prayer vigils would also be helpful. As we work with Congressional leaders it is so very important to make them aware of the fact that United Methodists are concerned, committed, and are praying. Numbers matter to elected officials!
- In April, encourage Neighbor to Neighbor Meetings in your area. Neighbor to Neighbor meetings involve congregational leaders meeting with Members of Congress to share with them the need to support legislation that protects and preserves the dignity and rights of our immigrant neighbors from throughout the world. Neighbor to Neighbor meetings help us establish close relationships with our members of Congress, a crucial aspect of working for the enactment of just and humane immigration reform.
If you need any resources or assistance as you plan your Family Unity Prayer Vigils or Neighbor to Neighbor meetings, please contact Bill Mefford at the General Board of Church and Society. You might also want to consider using the wonderful video, Gospel Without Borders, that Bishop Charles Crutchfield graciously provided all of us with when he was still serving in Arkansas. Excellent resources provided to us by our GBCS called “How to Organize for Just and Humane Immigration Reform” can be located here: http://www.cal-pac.org/pages/detail/2016 .
I stand ready to support you in any way I can. Above all, may God be our help!
Your Sister in Christ,
Bishop Minerva
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
St.Olaf Choir comes to FUMC Pasadena
The St. Olaf Choir, with Anton Armstrong conducting, will perform in concert at FUMC Pasadena on Saturday, February 9th, 2013.
Tickets and more information on the web at St. Olaf Choir 2013 Tour.
ECPAC Weather Shelters
Everyone is invited to help at the Bad Weather Shelter on Tuesday, February 5. Please contact Diane Harris for more information and directions. Phone (626) 355-4494 or email dmharris150625@gmail.com.
On Tuesday, January 15th, 21 Methodists from our church, and one each from Altadena and Sierra Madre UMC's, plus our District Superintendent joined together to assist the Ecumenical Council of Pasadena Area Congregations (ECPAC) at their Bad Weather Shelter.
First Church has a long standing relationship with ECPAC and provides volunteers at the shelter twice each year, the next date being February 5. Our volunteer service includes providing the food, cooking and serving the evening meal for between 150 and 200 persons, setting up cots and distributing bedding for the homeless, overnight, guests.
The Bad Weather Shelter operates out of the Pasadena Covenant Church gymnasium at 539 N. Lake Avenue, Pasadena. The shelter is open every night in January and February. It is also weather activated (40 degrees or below or 40% chance of rain) from the day after Thanksgiving until the end of December, and from the first of March until the 15th of March. At 7 pm families with children are admitted to the shelter, registered and fed a hot meal by volunteers. They are then transported to another local church where they spend the night. At 8 pm individual adult guests are admitted, registered, and fed. Guests leave the shelter by 7 am each morning.
We want to thank the following volunteers for donating their time and talent at the shelter on January 15th. Jessica Ardo, DS Cedrick Bridgeforth, Nathan Carter, Dr. Ebenezer Dasan, Theresa Dawes, Rev. Adiel DePano, Julian DePano, Jim Doyle, Diane and JP Harris, Pam Harris (Altadena UMC), Wendy Kendall, Liz Mackey-Peterson (Sierra Madre UMC), Michael Moore, Fred Niemann, Adán and Marian Peña, Karl Peron, Gerry Poulin, Cynthia Quan, Sara Seyedali, Patricia and Steve Zeider and Ann Zeiss.
Breakfast and Bible Stories
First Church begins a Family Worship Experience on Sunday mornings.
We invite you and your family to join us at 8:55 am on Sunday mornings, in the chapel, for breakfast and family worship.
Each Sunday, we will offer a healthy breakfast for parents and children followed by a casual worship service led by our children. After worship, children join their Sunday School teachers for class time followed by music at 10 am.
We invite you to join us!
We invite you and your family to join us at 8:55 am on Sunday mornings, in the chapel, for breakfast and family worship.
Each Sunday, we will offer a healthy breakfast for parents and children followed by a casual worship service led by our children. After worship, children join their Sunday School teachers for class time followed by music at 10 am.
We invite you to join us!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
FUMC Pasadena presents an intimate reading of 8
Pasadena, CA – The Drama Committee and Reconciling Committee of First United Methodist Church Pasadena, with license from the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) and Broadway Impact, are proud to announce an intimate reading of “8,” a play chronicling the historic trial in the federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8. Written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and AFER Founding Board Member Dustin Lance Black, “8” had its much-heralded Broadway world premiere in September 2011 and its star-studded Los Angeles premiere in March 2012.
The production is an unprecedented account of the Federal District Court trial in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Hollingsworth v. Perry), the case filed by AFER to overturn Proposition 8, which stripped gay and lesbian Californians of the fundamental freedom to marry.
What: A staged reading of “8,” the landmark marriage equality play by Academy Award-winner Dustin Lance Black.
Who: First United Methodist Church of Pasadena, jointly sponsored by the Drama Committee and Reconciling Committee
When: 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 15 & Saturday, March 16
Where: FUMC Pasadena, 500 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101 in Fellowship Hall
Cost: Free
FUMC Pasadena Info: Our cast and crew all have dedicated themselves to giving a performance that you won’t soon forget. Mark your calendars and get to FUMC on March 15 or 16! This is a free event, but a free-will offering will be taken with half of the proceeds to go to AFER. The reading will be followed by a short talk-back session. Contact the Church Office for more information: 626.796.0157
Cal-Pac Bishop Carcaño to represent UMC Church POTUS address
This message originated from the UMC Cal-Pac office yesterday. FUMC Pasadena sends it's prayers and well wishes to Bishop Carcaño on this mission of hope.
January 28, 2013 Special Update
The White House, upon recommendation of the U.M. General Board of Church and Society, has invited Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño to represent the United Methodist Church at a public address by President Barack Obama tomorrow, Tuesday January 29, in Las Vegas. The President will speak to the proposal reported below. The invitation came in light of the current administration’s recognition of the strong, positive voice that the U.M.C. has brought to the issue of immigration and needed reform. When more news becomes available, it will be posted here and to the Cal-Pac Conference website.
United Methodist bishops, social-justice agency welcome step forward on immigration reform
Caution, though, more changes needed to achieve just, workable system
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The General Board of Church & Society of The United Methodist Church welcomes the Bipartisan Framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform presented by eight U.S. Senators Monday, January 28. This framework offers necessary steps towards policy solutions, particularly regarding a pathway to full citizenship for all undocumented immigrants and the strengthening of the family immigration system, both of which are crucial aspects of any legislation that is both effective and humane.
The framework is being put forward by Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo.; Richard Durbin, D-Ill.; Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.; Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Robert Menendez, D-N.J.; John McCain, R-Ariz.; Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
The framework’s principles offer necessary steps towards immigration policy solutions that are just and humane, according to Bishop Minerva Carcaño, episcopal leader of the Los Angeles Area (California-Pacific Conference) and chair of the United Methodist Interagency Taskforce on Immigration. “A pathway to full citizenship for all undocumented immigrants and policies that will allow the reunification of immigrant families are crucial aspects of any legislation that strives to be effective and humane,” she emphasized.
Carcaño said the steps being recommended in the framework help the United States move toward immigration reform, but she cautioned that there is much more work to be done. “One specific area of concern is making a pathway to full citizenship contingent on even stronger and potentially harsher border enforcement,” the bishop said. “We will continue to monitor the plan for implementing these principles for immigration reform. I do, however, applaud our senators for their hard work and look forward to working closely with them in moving these principles toward effective, just and humane legislation.”
The framework contains essential elements such as a pathway to citizenship for young immigrants called "DREAMers" and agricultural workers. It would also reduce waiting times for separated families to be reunited thereby strengthening the family immigration system and would protect the rights of workers with strong labor protections.
Rectify enforcement-first proposals
Unfortunately, the framework also makes the pathway to citizenship for many undocumented immigrants contingent on more onerous border enforcement, some of which could take years or even decades to achieve. "The enforcement-first proposals must be rectified before these proposals can be effective legislation," stressed Bishop Robert Hoshibata, episcopal leader of the Phoenix Area (Desert Southwest Conference) and president of the General Board of Church & Society.
Hoshibata pointed out that The United Methodist Church has led in the grassroots mobilization of the faith community across the United States, organizing hundreds of public witness events in support of just, humane immigration reform. “United Methodists are calling for humane and common-sense solutions because they see firsthand how our immigration system tears families apart, exploits workers, and keeps entire communities terrorized under our current enforcement policies,” he emphasized.
The United Methodist Church believes “at the center of Christian faithfulness to Scripture is the call we have been given to love and welcome the sojourner … to refuse to welcome migrants to this country and to stand by in silence while families are separated, individual freedoms are ignored, and the migrant community in the United States is demonized … is complicity to sin” (Welcoming the Migrant to the U.S., 2012 Book of Resolutions).
Moral courage needed by Congress
Just as United Methodists have led in the struggle to defend and support the rights of immigrants, they are organized and ready to work closely with Congress and President Obama to see the principles in this framework that are just and effective enacted into legislation, according to Jim Winkler, chief executive of the General Board of Church & Society.
Winkler said immigration reform must be both moral and practical.
The General Board of Church & Society is one of four international general program boards of The United Methodist Church. Prime responsibility of the board is to seek implementation of the Social Principles and other policy statements on Christian social concerns of the General Conference, the denomination’s highest policy-making body. The board’s primary areas of ministry are Advocacy, Education & Leadership Formation, United Nations & International Affairs, and resourcing these areas for the denomination. It has offices on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York City.
Related Social Principles
162 III. The Social Community
163 IV. The Economic Community
More Info on the United Methodist Church California Pacific Conference at their website.
The White House, upon recommendation of the U.M. General Board of Church and Society, has invited Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño to represent the United Methodist Church at a public address by President Barack Obama tomorrow, Tuesday January 29, in Las Vegas. The President will speak to the proposal reported below. The invitation came in light of the current administration’s recognition of the strong, positive voice that the U.M.C. has brought to the issue of immigration and needed reform. When more news becomes available, it will be posted here and to the Cal-Pac Conference website.
United Methodist bishops, social-justice agency welcome step forward on immigration reform
Caution, though, more changes needed to achieve just, workable system
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The General Board of Church & Society of The United Methodist Church welcomes the Bipartisan Framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform presented by eight U.S. Senators Monday, January 28. This framework offers necessary steps towards policy solutions, particularly regarding a pathway to full citizenship for all undocumented immigrants and the strengthening of the family immigration system, both of which are crucial aspects of any legislation that is both effective and humane.
The framework is being put forward by Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo.; Richard Durbin, D-Ill.; Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.; Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Robert Menendez, D-N.J.; John McCain, R-Ariz.; Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
The framework’s principles offer necessary steps towards immigration policy solutions that are just and humane, according to Bishop Minerva Carcaño, episcopal leader of the Los Angeles Area (California-Pacific Conference) and chair of the United Methodist Interagency Taskforce on Immigration. “A pathway to full citizenship for all undocumented immigrants and policies that will allow the reunification of immigrant families are crucial aspects of any legislation that strives to be effective and humane,” she emphasized.
Carcaño said the steps being recommended in the framework help the United States move toward immigration reform, but she cautioned that there is much more work to be done. “One specific area of concern is making a pathway to full citizenship contingent on even stronger and potentially harsher border enforcement,” the bishop said. “We will continue to monitor the plan for implementing these principles for immigration reform. I do, however, applaud our senators for their hard work and look forward to working closely with them in moving these principles toward effective, just and humane legislation.”
The framework contains essential elements such as a pathway to citizenship for young immigrants called "DREAMers" and agricultural workers. It would also reduce waiting times for separated families to be reunited thereby strengthening the family immigration system and would protect the rights of workers with strong labor protections.
Rectify enforcement-first proposals
Unfortunately, the framework also makes the pathway to citizenship for many undocumented immigrants contingent on more onerous border enforcement, some of which could take years or even decades to achieve. "The enforcement-first proposals must be rectified before these proposals can be effective legislation," stressed Bishop Robert Hoshibata, episcopal leader of the Phoenix Area (Desert Southwest Conference) and president of the General Board of Church & Society.
Hoshibata pointed out that The United Methodist Church has led in the grassroots mobilization of the faith community across the United States, organizing hundreds of public witness events in support of just, humane immigration reform. “United Methodists are calling for humane and common-sense solutions because they see firsthand how our immigration system tears families apart, exploits workers, and keeps entire communities terrorized under our current enforcement policies,” he emphasized.
The United Methodist Church believes “at the center of Christian faithfulness to Scripture is the call we have been given to love and welcome the sojourner … to refuse to welcome migrants to this country and to stand by in silence while families are separated, individual freedoms are ignored, and the migrant community in the United States is demonized … is complicity to sin” (Welcoming the Migrant to the U.S., 2012 Book of Resolutions).
Moral courage needed by Congress
Just as United Methodists have led in the struggle to defend and support the rights of immigrants, they are organized and ready to work closely with Congress and President Obama to see the principles in this framework that are just and effective enacted into legislation, according to Jim Winkler, chief executive of the General Board of Church & Society.
We need Congress to show the moral courage necessary to enact immigration reform,” Winkler said. “The framework has created a first step towards just, workable reform, and with some changes, can improve the lives of our immigrant brothers and sisters.
Winkler said immigration reform must be both moral and practical.
It will secure both the future of the United States and the rights of immigrants and their families,” he said. “We applaud the leadership by the Senators and we urge all members of Congress to work towards enactment of just reform as soon as possible.
The General Board of Church & Society is one of four international general program boards of The United Methodist Church. Prime responsibility of the board is to seek implementation of the Social Principles and other policy statements on Christian social concerns of the General Conference, the denomination’s highest policy-making body. The board’s primary areas of ministry are Advocacy, Education & Leadership Formation, United Nations & International Affairs, and resourcing these areas for the denomination. It has offices on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York City.
Related Social Principles
162 III. The Social Community
163 IV. The Economic Community
More Info on the United Methodist Church California Pacific Conference at their website.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
January Messenger is here!
Just in time for all your mid winter reading.
In the January issue, you will find...
- Enough Light for the Next Step
- Greetings from the Holy Land
- Small Group Meet-Ups in 2013
- Pasadena Methodist Foundation
- Help to Find Focus in the New Year
- News on the Youth Cabaret
- Valentines from the Library
- And a special upcoming Jazz Concert.
- And lots more!
For now, you can only download the January Messenger directly, or you can view and down load it from our NEW church website.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Casting Call For Staged Reading of Eight, the Play
Rehearsals
are set to begin on Saturday mornings starting January 26th at First Church. We need a fairly large cast of at least 13, but as many as 21,
so please tell family and friends and join us. If you haven't tried one
of our drama productions before, they are comfortable, supportive theater
adventures for the actors.
Questions, please contact Maggie in the church office by phone at 626.796.0157, or by email at office@fumcpasadena.org. Or, you may contact Pam Marx, FUMC Arts Committee, at pamelamarx@sbcglobal.net for more details.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Jazz and Swing Youth Cabaret in February
Get out your poodle skirts and saddle shoes because this year’s Youth Cabaret is
Join the Youth of
Sounds of the Risen Son Choir &
Messiah’s Harmonies Bell Choir
at First United Methodist Church Pasadena
Friday, February 1st
&
Saturday, February 2nd
Appetizers & Silent Auction at 6:00pm
Dinner & Show at 7:00pm
Tickets on-sale after worship or in the Church Office.
Sounds of the Risen Son Choir &
Messiah’s Harmonies Bell Choir
at First United Methodist Church Pasadena
Friday, February 1st
&
Saturday, February 2nd
Appetizers & Silent Auction at 6:00pm
Dinner & Show at 7:00pm
Tickets on-sale after worship or in the Church Office.
Individual - $20, Children $10
Big Band Donor - $500+
Boogie Woogie Donor - $200
Jitterbug Donor - $100
Big Band Donor - $500+
Boogie Woogie Donor - $200
Jitterbug Donor - $100
Donations for Silent Auction & Ads for Program also being accepted!
See Lydia In or Rev. Allison Mark for more details.
FUMC Pasadena Book Club to meet Sundays
Turn-A-Page book group to beging 2013 meetings on
Sunday, January 13 at 11:30am.
Between 1942 and 1945, Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of those he treated in his practice as a psychotherapist, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and more forward with renewed purpose.
We welcome
all newcomers to join with us after worship on January 13, in the church lounge,
for light lunch and conversation.
All are welcome to join in on the conversation.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Sunday morning Adult Bible Study
Beginning Sunday, January 6th, SpiritSeekers begins Philip Yancey’s 8-week study, The Bible Jesus Read, facilitated by Paula Hui.
Jesus didn’t have Paul’s epistles or the Gospels when he meditated on God’s word. As a Jew, he studied the Hebrew Bible. Yancey, editor-at-large for the magazine Christianity Today, observes in this study that the Hebrew Bible “portrays the world as it is, no holds barred. In its pages you will find passionate stories of love and hate, blood-chilling stories of rape and dismemberment, matter-of-fact accounts of trafficking in slaves, honest tales of the high honor and cruel treachery of war. Nothing is neat and orderly. . . .” But he also detects in these stories of God’s people a “gradual but certain movement toward grace.” Yancey offers samplings from Job, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Ecclesiastes and the Prophets -- not because he expects them to reveal the secrets of life, but as companions on his own pilgrimage.
Join SpiritSeekers on Sunday mornings to track this journey. Participant’s Guide available in class or at the church office for $9.00; also available in other formats, including ebook and on the Kindle.
SpiritSeekers will interrupt the Yancey series mid-February to join FUMC’s church-wide Lenten Study. Watch for details.
Sign up for these classes after Sunday service or anytime through the Church Office, or drop in at the church on the day of the class.
Adult Ministries invite you to consider the gift of a spiritually-centered study in your life. It is in settings of close connection with others on a faith journey that we deepen our relationship with God and strengthen connections with one another as the church, the body of Christ. We encourage everyone to consider one or more of these short or long-term commitments, whether as a new visitor, or a new or long-time member.
Confidential scholarship assistance is available to assist with study material fees. See Rev. Adiel DePano or your course leader. Childcare is provided on Sunday morning and for weeknight classes when needed. Please indicate when signing up.
Questions? contact the church office by calling 626.796.0157 or by email at office@fumcpasadena.org
Invitation to John - Study Group
Each of the four Gospels has its own unique interpretation of the life, ministry and meaning of Jesus, but the Gospel of John truly stands apart.
The last of the Gospels to be written, John, contains many stories and discourses of Jesus not found in the others. Indeed, John posits a Christology not found expressly in any of the other Gospels: Jesus is the enfleshed Word of God that existed before the creation of the world that was sent by God to dwell among man in order to reveal God and the way to eternal life.
This short-term study is an in-depth examination of the often subtle and always deep meaning in this challenging and rewarding Gospel. Participants will closely read the Gospel, learn its historical context, compare its viewpoint to that of the other three Gospels, and discuss its meaning to them, the church, and our world.
Materials approximately $11.
Sign up for these classes after Sunday service or anytime through the Church Office, or drop in at the church on the day of the class.
Adult Ministries invite you to consider the gift of a spiritually-centered study in your life. It is in settings of close connection with others on a faith journey that we deepen our relationship with God and strengthen connections with one another as the church, the body of Christ. We encourage everyone to consider one or more of these short or long-term commitments, whether as a new visitor, or a new or long-time member.
Confidential scholarship assistance is available to assist with study material fees. See Rev. Adiel DePano or your course leader. Childcare is provided on Sunday morning and for weeknight classes when needed. Please indicate when signing up.
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