Please join us for in-person worship on the Father’s Day Celebration, June 19 at 10:00 am. There will be special goodies to celebrate Father’s Day during Coffee Hour. The bulletin for this Sunday is available for viewing HERE.
Please join us every Sunday for in-person Worship at 10am. *Masks are optional. We follow local, state, and federal guidelines. You can also worship online by going to our website “watsonville1stumc.org” and click YouTube or Facebook. It will be uploaded on Sunday afternoon for your viewing.
Father’s Day Celebration
Sunday, June 19, 2022, 10 am
This Sunday is the In-Person Lego Sunday!
First, children will be in worship. Following the Special Music,
the teacher, Joan Culbertson, will lead our children to the Nursery Room.
Children’s Time “Three Ways God Answers Our Prayers” Pastor John
1. Yes!
2. Not yet.
3. I have a better idea.
Special Music Monday In the Mountains by Brandon and Trisha Kett
[This song was written in 1981 by California folk singer-songwriter Kate Wolf. Kate was from the Sonoma County area and wrote over 200 songs in her short 44 years of life. She died of leukemia in 1986. Her most well-known song is “Give Yourself to Love.” “Monday in the Mountains” speaks of the many worries and risks in life and suggests you can break free of problems with the love from those around you.]
Message The Real Strength of the Father: Rev. John Song
“A Christian Response to Gun Violence”
We are living in a precarious time. So far, the American public has heard three of the five bipartisan January 6 hearings. We are learning how the former president and his supporters came precariously close to dismantling our young democracy if not for a few key principled Republican actors inside the White House. As we head into celebrating our Independence Day, we are facing an existential threat to our democracy.
The other day during The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the host was interviewing two former Washington Post journalists, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, for the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking 1974 non-fiction book, All the President’s Men. These two journalists investigated the June 1972 break-in at the Watergate Office Building which brought to light the political scandal of President Richard Nixon which resulted in his resignation. In the light of the Jan. 6 hearing, the host Stephen Colbert asked a point-blank question to them, “What is the chance of the American experiment in democracy surviving?” Their answer was prescient. “Our young democracy has a chance of surviving only if the public is willing to look at the truth and act accordingly.” We can’t fall asleep on this. We all need to stay awake.
Price of liberty is eternal vigilance.
~ Thomas Jefferson
On this Father’s Day, we will take this opportunity to explore what the real strength of the man looks like as opposed to “toxic masculinity” that is being propagated by the gun manufacturers as seen below.
After a series of recent deadly mass shootings in the United States, our children and the public are crying out to make going to schools, markets, churches, and public gathering places safe for all. How can men play an important role in protecting our women and children, not with guns, but with hearts and courage to do the hard and difficult things that will actually keep our children and everyone safe from the scourges of gun violence.
Finally as Christians, what is the right social stance and action we need to take to meaningfully address the gun violence epidemic in America?