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~ Psalm 100 ~
As we sit here in our apartment under the Covid quarantine, and unable to leave the room to visit family and friends, we find comfort in God’s love and listen to his council. We have time to spend resting, listening, and reading about the prophecy of the birth of Jesus and teachings. This is the season we call Advent. He taught us through psalms and parables. His teachings have been carried on until the present day and will continue forever. Jesus tells us not to be afraid, that he will be with us always. Love and mercy will be with us always. Love and help your neighbor, not only those that live next door, but those whom you don’t know. Rejoice and be glad.
Prayer for Advent Hope (Joyce Rupp, O.S.M.): Gracious God, we pray for the part of us that needs God’s light of hope to shine more fully within it. Amen.
Donn and Ruth W., United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz
“Let all that you do be done in love.” ~~~1 Corinthians 16:14
The gathering of family and friends at any time gives you the feeling of belonging and feeling loved.
When growing up, my family and friends visited during Thanksgiving and the Christmas season.
We always went to church on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus.
These seasons, especially, give us hope, peace, joy and love to help us know we have support throughout the coming year from family, friends and the love of God.
Prayer for Advent Hope (Joyce Rupp, O.S.M.): Gracious God, help us to look for hopeful ways the Divine Light is evident in our lives. Amen.
Pauline T., United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz
Preparing the Way for Christmas with Advent Calendar 2020
Thanksgiving Weekend as we start to “Get Ready”
“. . . What does our Creator God require of you . . . to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God.” ~~~ Micah 6:8
We are excited to announce that in this Pandemic Year, as we ready ourselves for Christmas, we will join with the United Methodist Churches in our area to walk with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. Just as Joseph and Mary needed to travel for the Census in that year, so we have completed our census, and now in this unusual year, we look once again with hope, peace, joy and love to the birth of the Light of the World, Jesus! We are so in need of healing … from the pandemic, from racial strife, and from all the forms of injustice that continue to plague our communities, our nation, and our world.
We invite you to journey with us, beginning on December 1st through Christmas, as we share an Advent Calendar from our hearts. Each day there will be a meditation that will speak to our journey toward new life.
Join us, won’t you, as we prepare room in our hearts, our lives, and our world, for the one who taught us to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with God. Each congregation will share this Advent Calendar; please check with the United Methodist Church in your community.
Gracious God … we pray for your light to shine in and through our lives. Empower us to make room for the gift of life in Jesus and empower us to open our hearts to love our neighbors as we love you. Amen!
Pastor Jay, Santa Cruz, on behalf of Pastors Clyde (Boulder Creek), Gabe (Aptos), Hwapyoung (Gilroy), Karla (Hollister), Patrick (Morgan Hill), and Robin (Watsonville).
“I will praise God’s name in song and glorify God with thanksgiving.” ~~~Psalm 69:30
I give thanks in this 2020 pandemic season of life. I remain prayerful for those who are suffering loss and grieving, as we find this year to be hugely stressful in so many ways. Still, I am grateful for my health, for the congregation with whom I serve, for the ability to continue to work and serve, for savory and soothing homecooked meals, and for the safety of living in a comfortable parsonage with my family.
With everything that has made this such a chaotic year, I am thankful that we can begin to address the larger issues in our world that cause racial strife, inequality, poverty and homelessness, and other injustices that keep us from living in peace. As I find places of gratitude in this year, I am reminded to thank God who offers us everything that is needed.
I am fortunate to have a place I can call home, and a simple family lifestyle that provides a loving and calm spirit of generosity. We have been blessed in the last week to expand our welcoming home to Lily, a 7-year-old Rat Terrier whom we adopted from the SPCA of Santa Cruz. Lily has some hearing loss and barks at inanimate objects, but she has been embraced into our household by another adoptee, 10½-year-old Benji, a loving Bichon Frise-Poodle. We are blessed indeed, even in times such as these! We are a family, privileged to live in a neighborhood with a park where walking (even with busy traffic patterns!) gives us a greenbelt for outings as we shelter-in-place (see the accompanying picture).
This year, even with all that pains in our community, state, nation, and world, I can join the Psalmist to sing and glorify God with thanksgiving…even as I continue the strenuous work of helping to create an environment where justice, peace, and kindness thrive! How might you be able to share glory to God, even in a time such as this?!
~~~pastor jay
Welcome to the United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz! We are pleased to have you exploring our Website! Our Small Groups offer spiritual enrichment opportunities, as well as support. Please join us to explore and deepen your spirit! YOU are welcome here . . . .
To connect with us while our church building is supporting unhoused guests of the Faith Community Shelter, simply send us an email on our Contacts Page, so that we may answer any question you may have during this time of Sheltering In Place….
Welcome to the 2020 California-Nevada Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church! We meet each year as United Methodists to review and envision the ministry we are called to serve by God.
All information for this Conference will be available to you by accessing the Conference Website by placing the following address in your browser: https://cnumc.org
Once you are on the CNUMC.ORG website, look for the graphic (printed at the top of this page); you will find the Annual Conference information on the right side of the website.
Events and Worship Services will be “Livestreamed”. View the livestream from the comfort of your home! We have provided the schedule of events (see link at the bottom of this page) for your convenience.
On Sunday Morning at 10:30 am, please join the entire Annual Conference in Worship. This service will include the Ordination and Commissioning of a number of new clergypersons.
Please note that we will not be offering our regular Zoom Worship Service at 10:45 am this Sunday (September 20th), but we will return to our regular Zoom Worship next Sunday, September 27th.
If you have questions, please contact us through our website (https://umcsantacruz.org).
Click in the link below to view the schedule for the 2020 Annual Conference.
We are (re)starting our Walking Small Group on Wednesdays at 1 pm.
Each week we will be exploring new areas … so contact us by noon on Wednesdays on the contact page of our website!
May other Small Groups are available…just let us know of your interest!
We walked on August 5th around Arana Gulch.
On August 12th, we participated in a gentle hike-walk up the DeLaveaga Trail. (See photo above)
We had planned to walk in Schwan Lake Park behind Simpkins Pool on 17th Ave.on August 19th, but with the fires in our county, and the Ash Rain that was falling, we are postponing this walk until (hopefully) August 26th.
Loving Health to you … join us as you grow deeper on your spiritual journey!
Pastor Jay