Watsonville First United Methodist Church

Watsonville, CA

Join us for in-person worship this Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 10:00 am!

Please join us for in-person worship and the Celebration of Holy Communion this Sunday, October 3 at 10:00 am! The bulletin for this Sunday is available for viewing HERE.

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*[Our 10 am in-person Sunday worship in the Sanctuary requires masks for all. Please continue to practice 6 feet physical distancing whenever possible.]

This Sunday there will be in-person Lego Sunday School! First, children will be in worship. Following the Children’s Time and Special Music, the teacher, Joan Culbertson, will lead our children to the Nursery Room where Lego Sunday School will be held.

The fabulous guest singer, Vanessa Yearsley, will sing “Must the Winter Come So Soon” by Samuel Barber under the piano accompaniment of Marina Thomas.

The message for this Sunday will be based on the enigmatic sayings of Jesus in Luke 23:31(see below) that seems to have uncanny meaning for what humanity is facing today. Pastor John will be exploring the latest book, Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest, by Suzanne Simard who is a forest ecologist and the Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia. She sheds light on the vitality of the living system of forestry and how similar they are with human families and society. She has proven, beyond doubt, that trees communicate with each other — that a forest is a single organism wired for wisdom and care. It is a groundbreaking discovery that will make a paradigm shift in our consciousness that will make an impact on how we relate to nature and our planet. All of this turns out to be catching up with intelligence long held in aboriginal science.

Message: How Did We Lose Our Way & How Can We Find Our Way Back? Part 5) “What the Wisdom of the Forest Can Teach Us”

Gospel Reading: Luke 23:31 ~ What will happen when the tree becomes dry?

“26 As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. 28 But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Genesis 1:11-12 ~ God saw that it was good

11Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.

Isaiah 41:19-20  “I will put the cedar in the wilderness, The acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree; I will place the juniper in the desert Together with the box tree and the cypress, That they may see and recognize, And consider and gain insight as well, That the hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.”

Words of Meditation Hildegard of Bingen heard God say, I am the breeze that nurtures all things green. I encourage blossoms to flourish with ripening fruits. I am the rain coming from the dew that causes the grasses to laugh with the joy of life. – Hildegard von Bingen, the 12th-century German woman Christian mystic

Keep a green tree in your heart and a songbird will come. ~ Chinese proverb

For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry? 

~ Luke 23:31

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New Suggestion & Prayer Box Station!

Democracy is like love. It only works when everyone has a voice. ~ Carol Gilligan

Express yourself. You only live once. ~ Megan Rapinoe, American soccer star

Following the 9/11 terrorist attack, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was created. And their slogan was “If You See Something, Say Something.” Of course, it was to alert the public to be vigilant of any suspicious activities and things and report to authorities. Using that slogan of “If You See Something, Say Something,” I want to encourage you to use our Suggestion Box to share your thoughts and needs to help our church improve our product, the church of Jesus Christ. Our staff will review them carefully and respond to you thoughtfully. Here are some ideas for you to consider when using the Suggestion Box:

Worship Service: What do you like about worship and what can be improved?

Facility: [worship space, church ground, bathrooms, kitchen, Social Hall, meeting rooms, etc.] What do you see that can be improved?

Staff: [pastor, music, office, facility staff, etc.] How can we better serve you?

Program: [new ideas, Coffee Hour, Sunday School, VBS, Holy Walkamolies, Children and Youth Program, summer program, etc.]

Mission Outreach opportunities

In addition, the Suggestion Card has a “Prayer Request” for you to write your prayer needs. Our staff will pray together for your prayer needs and follow up with you if you need pastoral care.

I am a practitioner of Nonviolent Communication (abbreviated NVC, also called compassionate communication or collaborative communication). NVC is an approach to communication based on principles of nonviolence developed by Marshall Rosenberg. One of the founding principles of Nonviolent Communication is that when people don’t get their needs met, it leads to violence: violence to oneself(festering resentments that can lead to psychosomatic symptoms and even disorders) and violence to others(often in the hidden form of passive-aggressive behaviors or overt aggression).

As a result, the greatest contribution an individual can make to the community is taking responsibility for one’s needs. If everyone takes responsibility for addressing one’s needs, it increases the feeling of trust and safety in the community. Other people are not mind readers. This will require people learning to set healthy boundaries and communicate their needs. The world is a better place when people can communicate clearly, connect deeply, and interact safely together. Utilizing the Suggestion Box prayerfully and thoughtfully is a start.

Speak the truth in love. ~ Ephesians 4:15

All in the service of Christ,

John

National Night Out is on Tuesday, October 5, 2021!

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT is on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm. Come out and meet your neighbors and Watsonville Police Officers. You will also get to meet and talk with your local Council Members. There will be free food and drinks and plenty of entertainment for kids and adults. If you would like to volunteer at this event we need people to grill, cook and setup. If you want to sign up for any of these jobs please call the church office for more details (831) 724-4434.

May be an image of 2 people and people smiling
Photo from National Night Out 2019
May be an image of 1 person and smiling
Photo from National Night Out 2019

How Did We Lose Our Sense of Living Here on Earth?

October 2021 Monthly Column for the Pajaronian Newspaper by Rev. John Juno Song, Pastor of Watsonville 1st UMC

We have reached a place as a human race that the bridge can only be crossed all together. – Unknown

We are living in an unprecedented time of change and upheaval. Every night when I turn on the evening news, you would think the world is going to hell in a handbasket. In the backdrop of global pandemic that is not abating, wildfires are ravaging through the western states, severe drought is making it unsustainable for some farmers to continue their generations of farming, floods and hurricanes deluging eastern and southern states, more unstable and volatile weather patterns plaguing our planet, increase in number of migratory movement of people because it’s impossible to live where they are, crisis at the border… Do I need to go on with the list?

How did we lose our sense of living here on Earth? How did we become so alienated and estranged from everything else alive? How did we get convinced that we’re the only species worthy of extending the sacred to? How can we find our way back?

At this particular juncture in time, there’s a real sense of uncertainty about where humanity is going. From my perspective, all this is happening because humanity has lost its way from God’s vision for the world. There is a battle for the soul of humanity going on between the “Kingdom of God” and the “Kingdom of Caesar”. The 15th century Spanish mystic, St. Ignatius of Loyola, described the root of human discontent, dis-ease, and problems as “Being out of an alignment with God’s deepest desire for your life.”

John O’Donohue (1956-2008), the late Irish poet-philosopher, wrote a book, Anam Cara (“Soul Friend”). The book delves into deep insights into the heart of Ireland’s Celtic spirituality. Ireland is known to be a place of many “thin places” where people experience transcendence and living spirit in things and places. He wrote, “The modern disease stems from humans who have lost connection to the earth and the lives of people no longer guided by the rhythm of nature.”

John O’Donohue was very concerned with the advent of technological explosion, ever more increasing dependency on technology and becoming overly wired up-to-kazoo. He witnessed how humans are losing their way in life. He argues, in the past, people got their inner cues from being in touch with the natural rhythm of nature, earth, and our own heart beats. The urgent question for our time is “How can we reconnect ourselves to the earth and return to the natural rhythm of the earth again instead of getting our cues from the electronic world?” 

We now have a new vocabulary, “Screen Addiction”, which is creating a potent new source of stress for people. Many people wake up and immediately look at their smartphones and check their email or social media. Then they remain glued to their phones throughout the day, staring at them while they eat, sit at their desks, socialize and lie in bed at night. 

Studies have linked constant exposure to screen time and social media to a spike in anxiety, depression and other mental health issues, especially in adolescents and young adults. I’m not pro or anti-technology, but I think for many of us we’re using it in ways that are harming us.

It’s already having deadly consequences, especially to our young. In South Korea, there is an explosion of popularity of internet cafes in the basements of shops. It made the headlines when they found three dead young kids in the internet dungeon who starved themselves for several days playing internet video games. They were so engrossed playing video games that they didn’t notice that they were dying of dehydration and hunger.

When I was traveling through the Midwest a few years ago, I met a wise woman, an icon artist from Wisconsin. As we were having a conversation around things that are plaguing our modern world, she told me, “We all need to slow down, breathe, and grow a garden in a little patch of land which should be given to everyone.”

I think we all need to take frequent screen breaks, practice spirituality of unplugging, and reconnect with nature and the earth. Maybe then we can move together towards saving this one and only precious planet that we call home.

Join us for in-person worship this Sunday, September 26, 2021 at 10:00 am!

Please join us for in-person worship this Sunday, September 26 at 10:00 am! The bulletin for this Sunday is available for viewing Here!

*[Our 10 am in-person Sunday worship in the Sanctuary requires masks for all.
Please continue to practice 6 feet physical distancing whenever possible.]

This Sunday is the In-Person Lego Sunday! (It will be held every 4th Sunday of the month.)

First, children will be in worship. Following the Children’s Time and Special Music, the teacher, Joan Culbertson, will lead our children to the Nursery Room where Lego Sunday will be held.

Children’s Time “Frog Lives in a Rock” Pastor John A Story from India

Layla Dias & Aidan Santa Cruz, music students from Cabrillo College, will sing “Colors of the Wind” from Disney’s Pocahontas.

Special Music Colors of the Wind Layla Dias & Aidan Santa Cruz
From Disney’s Pocahontas

*Children may now leave for Lego Sunday with the teacher Joan Culbertson held in the Nursery Room

At this particular juncture in time, there’s a real sense of uncertainty about where humanity is going. Pastor John will attempt to answer the urgent questions of our time:
How Did we Lose Our Way and How Can We Find Our Way Back?

Message Panentheism: The Incarnational Worldview
Part 4) “I Didn’t Know God Was In This Rock!”