Watsonville First United Methodist Church

Watsonville, CA

UMC Clergy Statement of Solidarity January 6, 2021

We, as United Methodist Clergy in the Central Coast area of California, stand in solidarity against today’s violence at our nation’s capital, and hereby reaffirm the statement of Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, General Secretary of the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church:

Today is when the Congress of the United States certifies the votes of the people. This duty fulfills Congress’s constitutional role in the democratic process.

The peaceful transition of power is a pillar of representative democracy.

Even as we affirm the right to peaceful assembly, nothing must disrupt this democratic process.

We condemn the rhetoric from leaders inciting violence and division. We call on all to work for justice and the common good of the country and our democracy.

We continue to pray for the healing of our nation. Join [us] in praying these words from the Prayer in a Time of National Crisis (from the United Methodist Book of Worship, # 517):

May leaders be led by your wisdom;
May they search your will and see it clearly
If we have turned from your way,
Reverse our ways and help us to repent.
Give us your light and your truth, let them guide us;
Through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of this world, and our Savior.
Amen.

We also reaffirm the message of Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño of the California-Nevada Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, who professed:

On this Day of Epiphany, Christians remember that the Magi guided by a divine light visited the Christ Child bearing gifts and their souls.

Let us pray for the divine light of Christ to manifest the fullness of his righteousness in this our moment of darkness.

The protests against the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris that have escalated to violence at the US and at the California state capitals are truly an expression of darkness based on deception and fear-mongering.

As people committed to a civil society and a democratic process of governance, this is not the way to express differences of opinion. It certainly is not the way to be as people of faith.

Let us pray for our broken society and recommit to being followers of Christ who is the Light of the World.

Gabriel House (Aptos),

Clyde Vaughn (Boulder Creek),

Luke Ham (Carmel),

Patrick Davis (Morgan Hill),

Hwapyoung Kang (Gilroy),

Karla Lundin (Hollister),

Angel Rivero (Marina),

Sanghyun Lee (Marina),

Steve Lundin (Salinas),

Jay K. Pierce (Santa Cruz),

and Robin Mathews-Johnson (Watsonville)

 

Building Faith Brick by Brick…New Lego Sunday School via Zoom

“Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 

Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” 

When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 

He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” Exodus 3:1-6

In the fall of 2016, our former intern Sydney Ota (who is now a college student entering nursing school,) with my support successfully launched Lego Sunday School for the kids at church, many of whom had never been exposed to Scripture.  The curriculum is based on Building Faith Brick by Brick, by Emily Given, a dynamic and innovative approach to teaching Bible stories and Christian faith to children from kindergarten through fifth grade.  Sydney ordered our needed Lego bricks and other supplies for us, and recruited participants.

The concept is simple; hear a bible story, such as Moses with the burning bush, and then make it out of Lego bricks.  And they did!

Fast forward to 2021, and we’re still in the midst of this pandemic.  With the vaccines coming, we see the light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel is long.  How do we reach our youngsters and teach them our faith in this radically new context?  I can tell you!  We’re hoping to launch our own Zoom version of Lego Sunday School.  The weekly “events” will be short enough (we hope) for young attention spans, and we invite everyone with children this age to sign up.

How can you help?

To experience the full range of creativity, we will need large quantities of Lego pieces.  We are looking for hand-me-downs from families, online auction sites, etc.  Ask your kids and grandkids if they have a set to give, or donate the funds to purchase them.  Lots of extra body parts/people/figures are definitely needed, too.  Each child will be given a “baseplate” to build on, and a bowl of Lego bricks with which to build their creations, and once we settle on an agreed upon time, we’ll be ready to go.  We pray this effort will help foster an environment that invites a deepening relationship with Jesus by the children as well as the youth helpers we’ll supervise to teach it.

By God’s grace, it sounds like a win-win situation to me!

Shalom,

Pastora Robin

A Generous Undertaking

“Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.” 2 Corinthians 8:7
 
Don’t let it be said that the members of this church, when it comes to giving, stop at nothing. 
 
Of course, we’ve got to keep an eye on things around here; you never know what might happen. I heard that Leadership Circle might also consider sending a letter to parishioners who didn’t watch our Consecration Sunday Online Gathering, or who haven’t filled out a 2021 pledge card yet—either a printed one or the new online version.
 
This is what it might say: “Dear Members and Friends: We missed you on Pledge Sunday. Since you were not present to fill out your pledge card, we’d like to make it easy for you. We’ve gone ahead and completed a pledge card in your name. Thank you for being so generous. Signed, Leadership Circle.”
 
Remember my friends that generosity is a mark of God’s people. Not everyone can give regularly, and that’s ok. But if you can, be sure to do it with joy and thanksgiving.
 
It is said that there are ten reasons for pledging. (Jorgen Lissner) Number 1, it’s an act of faith performed for the sake of personal integrity and an expression of a personal commitment to the more equitable distribution of God’s resources. Number 2, it’s an act of self-defense against the mind—and body—polluting effects of over-consumption and greed.  
 
Number 3, it’s an act of independence from the achievement neurosis of our high-pressure, materialistic society. Number 4, it’s an act of solidarity with Christ’s people everywhere. Number 5, it’s an act of sharing with others what has been given to us.  
 
Number 6, it’s an act of celebration of the riches found in creativity, spirituality, and community. Number 7, it’s an act of loyalty, given from a deeply held sense of love for our church and community. Number 8, it’s an act of anticipation of the many ways we can work together in ministry and mission when we pool our resources.  
 
Number 9, it’s an act of advocacy to begin to change the economic fate of our brothers and sisters who are in such dire need. Number 10, it’s an exercise of following God’s vision, and to go where we should go as a community of Christ.
 
As one preacher so aptly described, “Every time I come to church,” she said, “I turn just a little. I turn toward who I was meant to be. Just a little more of who I really am and where I am supposed to be headed.”  
 
You my friends are headed in the right direction, and I am so grateful. Thank you for your generosity! Praise God from whom all blessings flow.  
 
Shalom, 
Pastora Robin

National Night Out 2020 Went (Mostly) Virtual 

 
Despite the many challenges and hurdles we’ve faced this year from COVID-19, the City of Watsonville at Pastor Robin’s urging still found a way to bring National Night Out (NNO) to our community.  Usually held on the first Tuesday in August, this year the event was moved to Tuesday, October 6th.  City staff led by the Recreation Department, with help from several local school principals, offered a series of online public safety videos.  
 
Watsonville PD gave an inside look at how their K-9 unit is trained to sniff out the bad guys, how advanced technology is being used to keep officers safe during some of the most dangerous situations, and the dos and don’ts for pedestrians and drivers.   In addition, the Fire Department offered an exclusive tour of Fire Station 1, including a peek at one of the largest fire trucks you’ll see around town.  An online quiz for the kids resulted in many gifts and prizes.  
 
Over 2,500 people viewed this video series across the city online platforms. 
In addition, our church jumped in to offer 200 free “to-go” homemade Mexican dinners that night in a drive-through giveaway to some of our neighbors and friends, assisted by officers from both the Watsonville Police and Fire Departments.  What a great opportunity to serve our community!