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Watsonville First United Methodist Church Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida de Watsonville

Watsonville, CA

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

January 6, 2021

“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

Tagged With: Building Faith Brick by Brick, Circuit Rider Newsletter, New Lego Sunday School via Zoom, Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida de Watsonville, Sunday, watsonville first united methodist church

Online Worship Schedule

December 21, 2020

Online Gatherings are available anytime on our Facebook or YouTube pages!


Tagged With: Advent, advent 2020, Christmas, Christmas 2020, Epifania, Epiphany, Getting ready for Christmas, Online Gathering, Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida de Watsonville, watsonville first united methodist church, Worship Schedule 2020

A Generous Undertaking

November 25, 2020

“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

Tagged With: Advent, Advento, Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida de Watsonville, watsonville first united methodist church

National Night Out 2020 Went (Mostly) Virtual 

October 25, 2020

 
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! 

Tagged With: Community, community of watsonville, National Night Out, national night out 2020

Politics is Not a Dirty Word (Usually)

October 25, 2020

“Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no.  Anything more than this comes from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37

I’ve always figured that politics was strictly taboo in a church setting, didn’t you?  We United Methodists are a free-thinking and definitely non-partisan denomination that welcomes just about everybody into the fold.  Our mission is making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, and we’ve been working on it as a congregation here in Watsonville since we started on the banks of the Pajaro River back in 1852.  Unlike others, we’d never in a million years—at least in my lifetime—tell you how you must mark your ballot.

So, what does politics have to do with our faith, anyway?  A lot! 

I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but here’s what historians say.  The people called Methodists have been actively involved in social and political matters from their founding in 18th century England.  Methodists were among the primary advocates for the abolition of slavery across the British Empire, the organization of labor unions to protect workers from dangerous working conditions, the ending of the debtors’ prison system, and the creation of new systems of care for poor children.  (umc.org)  Cool, huh!?

Given this heritage, we Methodists have continued to advocate for other social or political issues since that time – women’s suffrage (i.e. right to vote,) temperance (abstinence from alcohol,) civil rights, health care and care for the environment, to name a few.  In other words, believers like us have been stirring up political trouble for a long, long time!   And I believe that’s a good thing.   

As one preacher puts it, politics, (or política in Spanish,) is about people and the relationships between people or groups of people.  Life itself is political, and there is virtually no decision we can make, nothing we can say, no action that we take that does not have political consequences, for we do not live in isolation from other people.  When I sneeze, my neighbor catches cold.  Or the coronavirus.   

Honestly, the way I see it, there’s no part of our lives that isn’t concerned with politics, one way or the other.  And when I say politics, I don’t mean mud-slinging or other vicious rhetoric.  I mean exercising our democratic right and privilege to vote our conscience.  In my mind, it’s another version of asking ourselves, “What would Jesus do?”  (WWJD)  

And maybe, just maybe, with this approach we can make this whole presidential election season better than it is. 

Let’s keep in mind the advice that John Wesley (founder of the UMC) wrote in his journal on October 6, 1774 in reference to the British Parliamentary elections held in the fall of that year: “I met those of our society who had votes in the ensuing election, and advised them, 1. To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy: 2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against: And, 3. To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.”

Sounds like a plan to me! 

As Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe, General Secretary, General Board of Church of Society of the United Methodist Church explains, “Voting is a matter of faith, citizenship and democracy.  It is a kind of prayer and faithful testament to the belief that every citizen bears a responsibility and equal right to determine the future of governance in society.” 

I think they’ve got it right.    

Shalom,

Pastora Robin 

Tagged With: 2020, vote, watsonville first united methodist church

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