Richmond First United Methodist News and Events
Pastor’s Perspective
Dear Friends,
Prayer for me as I travel to Paris with our Iranian American friends. Pray
for Fran as she shares with you this Sunday.
Love and Joy,
Dan
Conference Devotions, Matthew 10:24-39
Pastor Dan Damon, Richmond 1st UMC, 6-22-14
Introduction
I was asked to lead the Friday morning devotions at our California Nevada
Annual Conference in Burlingame this week. Here are some highlights from
that devotion:
³My prayer life is in these hymns, my devotional lifeŠ my spiritual life is
in these hymns. I work on my hymnwriting every day. I develop my craftŠ
music, poetry, theologyŠ I write about people in relation to God, real
people like us, people with tattoos, piercings, and twitter accounts, people
with a past, transformed and transforming by the love of God.
I pastor a vital small church: Richmond First, 90 members, 40 on most
Sundays. We sing At Your Altars, The Love of God Receives Us, I Want Jesus
to Walk with Me, and Here Am I (words by Brian Wren). We sing ³Goddess of
Love, we want to worship, not as outsiders waiting for crumbs, but as your
children, part of your body, we long to praise you, part of your church.² We
try things, we imagine, we hope, we work, we pray together. We sing ³Eternal
Christ, you Rule keeping company with pain.²
We are small, we are few, but God is at work in us. We give food to the
hungry, comfort to the oppressed, we reach out in concern and service to the
world.
God is with us. Jesus walks with us. The Holy Spirit is with us in sorrow
and in joy.²
***
At conference we sang the songs mentioned above, but with you, here today,
I¹d like to sing new songs from our new book.
Let¹s sing AYA 4, Abide in Me
and AYA 70, Receive Our Bits and Pieces
Retell the Scripture Story
In the gospel lesson appointed for today we hear these words:
³Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on
the ground with our your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. Fear not therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.²
Jane tells me that we have a family of sparrows living in our belfry on the
Martina Street side. Have you seen them coming and going? They have, indeed,
found a home near the altar of God.
Sing AYA 1, At Your Altars
Application
At the close of our gospel reading for today we hear these words:
³Those who do not take up their cross and follow me, are not worthy of me.
Those who find their lives shall lose them, but those who lose their lives
for my sake shall find them.
I just finished reading ³Stages of Faith² by James Fowler. He says that in
mature faith we spend and are spent for the kingdom of God. In some cases
this leads to an early death. In some cases we spend and are spent in
creating a peaceful and a just world throughout a long life. How will you
spend the days that God gives you? I will follow Jesus, as God gives me the
grace to do so.
I look forward singing many new songs here with you, as long as the bishop
continues to appoint me to this church, and as long as God gives me breath.
Sing AYA 93, Who Is My Neighbor?
Let us be in prayer.
Prayer for me as I travel to Paris with our Iranian American friends. Pray
for Fran as she shares with you this Sunday.
Love and Joy,
Dan
Conference Devotions, Matthew 10:24-39
Pastor Dan Damon, Richmond 1st UMC, 6-22-14
Introduction
I was asked to lead the Friday morning devotions at our California Nevada
Annual Conference in Burlingame this week. Here are some highlights from
that devotion:
³My prayer life is in these hymns, my devotional lifeŠ my spiritual life is
in these hymns. I work on my hymnwriting every day. I develop my craftŠ
music, poetry, theologyŠ I write about people in relation to God, real
people like us, people with tattoos, piercings, and twitter accounts, people
with a past, transformed and transforming by the love of God.
I pastor a vital small church: Richmond First, 90 members, 40 on most
Sundays. We sing At Your Altars, The Love of God Receives Us, I Want Jesus
to Walk with Me, and Here Am I (words by Brian Wren). We sing ³Goddess of
Love, we want to worship, not as outsiders waiting for crumbs, but as your
children, part of your body, we long to praise you, part of your church.² We
try things, we imagine, we hope, we work, we pray together. We sing ³Eternal
Christ, you Rule keeping company with pain.²
We are small, we are few, but God is at work in us. We give food to the
hungry, comfort to the oppressed, we reach out in concern and service to the
world.
God is with us. Jesus walks with us. The Holy Spirit is with us in sorrow
and in joy.²
***
At conference we sang the songs mentioned above, but with you, here today,
I¹d like to sing new songs from our new book.
Let¹s sing AYA 4, Abide in Me
and AYA 70, Receive Our Bits and Pieces
Retell the Scripture Story
In the gospel lesson appointed for today we hear these words:
³Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on
the ground with our your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. Fear not therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.²
Jane tells me that we have a family of sparrows living in our belfry on the
Martina Street side. Have you seen them coming and going? They have, indeed,
found a home near the altar of God.
Sing AYA 1, At Your Altars
Application
At the close of our gospel reading for today we hear these words:
³Those who do not take up their cross and follow me, are not worthy of me.
Those who find their lives shall lose them, but those who lose their lives
for my sake shall find them.
I just finished reading ³Stages of Faith² by James Fowler. He says that in
mature faith we spend and are spent for the kingdom of God. In some cases
this leads to an early death. In some cases we spend and are spent in
creating a peaceful and a just world throughout a long life. How will you
spend the days that God gives you? I will follow Jesus, as God gives me the
grace to do so.
I look forward singing many new songs here with you, as long as the bishop
continues to appoint me to this church, and as long as God gives me breath.
Sing AYA 93, Who Is My Neighbor?
Let us be in prayer.
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st United MethodiRichmond First United Methodist News and EventsRichmond First United Methodist News and EventsRichmond First United Methodist NewFirst United Methodist News and
Joys and Concerns
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“The American Maritime People” at The Frank C. Munson Institute: An NEH Summer Institute for College and University Teachers, June 23 – July 25, 2014. Jennifer Metz Foster has been chosen to teach this class! Congratulations!
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The Frank C. Munson Institute at Mystic Seaport invites selected college teachers to participate in its five-week National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute, “The American Maritime People” from June 23-July 25, 2014. The NEH Institute gives college teachers the opportunity to enhance course offerings by studying the influence of maritime activities on U.S. history and culture.
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I’ll be participating in order to develop a course in American Maritime History for the Spring 2015 semester at CSUM, as well as building context for an upcoming exhibit I’m consulting for at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum on the history of maritime diversity in Vallejo
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Lauren McLeod welcomes your prayers for healing.
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Julio Osegueda was recently hospitalized with severe GI bleeding. He is home and feeling well. He welcomes your prayers for continued healing and good health.
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Deby McFadyen is asking for prayers for her father, Jack McFadyen, who has lung cancer and has started chemotherapy She also requests prayers for a friend, Sara Talkington who has just been diagnosed with a brain tumor. She’s married with a 4 year old son.
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We offer prayers for Deby as she cares for her father in this difficult time.
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Pat Dornan and Linda Pereira continue to need your prayers of support and healing. Linda fell last week and hit her head but had no symptoms of injury until Thursday when she developed a severe headache and couldn’t walk. She was admitted to ICU and found to have two subdural hematomas in the brain. She was given medication to decrease brain swelling and today was able to walk. There is consideration to moving her to Redwood City for further treatment if improvement doesn’t continue.
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Robbie Robinson would appreciate your prayers.
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Helen Wysham welcomes your prayers for healing as she undergoes chemotherapy.
News
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Plans are underway for our 6th Annual Jean Eakle Silent Auction on October 25, 2014, 4-7 pm at the Point San Pablo Yacht Club, 700 W. Cutting Blvd. Art work, jewelry, arts & crafts, raffle, hors d’oeuvres, music and a whole lot of fun! Suggested donation $10. Letters will be going out soon to encourage local businesses to donate. We are hoping to raffle off dinners for two, gym memberships, gift certificates, etc. We plan to have items for sale as well as auction items. Do you have art work you no longer use? Do you knit, crochet, weave, potter, make jewelry, paint or sculpt? Would you like to donate to the auction? Can you recommend a contact person for businesses that may be interested in helping us out? Please contact Debbie Benko @ 510-517-6724 or DebBenko160@aol.com <mailto:DebBenko160@aol.com
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Good News! Rev. Frank Schaefer (Ret.) who had been defrocked after officiating at the wedding of his gay son, has been fully reinstated as a clergy in good standing by the North East Jurisdiction of the Methodist Church.
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Camp Liberty Update: With the current fighting and chaos in Irag, our Irani friends in Camp Liberty need your prayers and support. I am sure this is a harrowing time for them. News: Paramilitary forces from central and southern Irag have come to “Camp New Irag” (Camp Ashraf) and the buildings are being occupied by these forces. It is reported that Iraqi Prime Ministry agents are opening warehouses locked by the United Nations in 2012 to safeguard the belongings of the Camp Ashraf residents. Flatbed trucks have been seen loaded with warehouse items and automobiles belonging to Camp Ashraf residents now in Camp Liberty. Protests are being issued and pleas for assistance from the United States and United Nations are being made to have these belongings sent to the owners in Camp Liberty.
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Our missionary, Katherine Parker in Nepal, has sent an UPDATE . Hindus in Nepal have arrested Christian leaders and are being encouraged by Hindu political leaders visiting from India to outlaw conversion to Christianity. Hindu extremists in Nepal are apparently feeling threatened by the rapid growth of the Christian Church in Nepal. The Christian Church leaders have since been released. Katherine is currently safe and asking for your prayers in this difficult time.
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Pastor Dan will be attending the annual conference in Paris, France for the human rights of all people, including Iranians in Camp Liberty in Iraq, June 25- July 2 as a representative of our support of this cause.
Pastor Dan’s time away this summer:
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June 25-July 2 as above.
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July 9-19, Hymn Society Conference in Ohio.
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July 21-25 Journey Farthest Out Camp.
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August 11-20 Vacation in Hawaii.
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August 28-September1 Western Methodist Justice Movement Meeting at Lake Tahoe.
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The Administrative Board will not be meeting in July, The next meeting is Thursday, August 14 at 7 pm in Friendship Hall.
Generosity
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The Administrative Board met Thursday evening, June 12 We are having difficulty meeting our projected costs in the General Budget and have added a column called “How are we doing?” to keep you informed. Our General Fund receipts to date are $47654. Our budget need is $44,065. We are above budget by $3000 thanks to Junktique II. We count on your generosity to keep us funded and if you haven’t increased your giving, perhaps you would give it consideration. Junktique earnings met our budgeted expectation and Junktique II added some funds to help with the deficit. Summer is coming and attendance at church declines, as do our collection amounts. Have you considered mailing in contributions over the summer months?
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Imagine No Malaria Campaign: The United Methodist Church has partnered with other organizations to help stamp out malaria which is killing children at a rate of one every minute. UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) has donated 390,000 insect repellant bed nets to Sierra Leone. As you consider where you can give and make a difference consider this worthy cause.
As inspection of the three “Sunday School” windows started, it was determined that there is more dry rot than expected, raising the cost of the window repair. an Anonymous Donor is covering the entire cost of custom built windows, matching the windows in the church! Our gratitude and thanks to this person. The Building Funds will be used to repair and replace windows in the parsonage.
Events
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Sunday, June 29 (Pastor Dan away) Fran Smith will share her faith and speak about her experience at our CA/NV United Methodist Annual Conference.
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Saturday, July 5 at 2 pm we will have an informal Memorial for Marian Hawkins, who died last month. We will have coffee/tea and refreshments. Let Barbara Haley know if you would like to bring something (bahcats@sbcglobal.net). Come and share your memories of Marian.
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Vacation Bible School: August 4-8, 9-11:30 am in Friendship Hall. This is always a fun time with the children. If you would like to help or bring snacks let Jean Reynolds know at 510 734 3942 or sweetheart05@mac.com.
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Finance Committee Meeting is scheduled for Saturday August 9, 1:30 pm at Matt and Jennifer Foster’s home.1052 Hawthorne Dr., Rodeo.
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Labor Day Weekend: August 29 through September 1st 2014, Stepping Out in Faith, sponsored by the Western Methodist Justice Movement which advocates compassionate US immigration policies, fully inclusive UMC ministries, human rights in the Philippines, a just peace for Israel-Palestine, reproductive justice and more.
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Registration is open. Lake Tahoe, Zephyr Point Retreat Center. For more info and to register: wmjm.org
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6th Annual Jean Eakle Silent Auction: Saturday, October 25, 2014, 4-7 pm, Point San Pablo Yacht Club, 700 W. Cutting Blvd, Richmond. Donation at door $10. We will have arts/crafts for bidding; music and hors d’oeuvres to satisfy other senses and a good time! To donate or offer help, contact Debbie Benko: 510 517 6724 or DebBenko160@aol.com.
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Send submissions for FUMC News and Events to Barbara Haley, editor: bahcats@sbcglobal.net
