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Watsonville First United Methodist Church

Watsonville, CA

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Ash & Dash

February 5, 2021

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Matthew 6:1

Missing in-person worship?  Missing us?  Missing Communion together in the same room, and now Ash Wednesday?  We’ve got you covered!  We are working out the details to offer you “Ash and Dash” – a COVID safe, drive through option for our church members, friends and neighbors who love Ash Wednesday like we do, and want to start out Lent with a bang.  Wear a mask and stay in your car, and we’ll do the rest, with genuine ashes burned from last year’s palms, and a Lenten take away bag to begin your Lenten journey. 

We miss you too, and let’s do something positive about it!

Here’s why.  What Barbara Streisand sang is true, that, “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world….”  Children instinctively know it, and we should remember it, too.  We need each other, and how.  Even in a pandemic; especially in a pandemic.  That’s what relationships are all about!  As Jesus says, “Children are at the very center of life in the kingdom.”  (Mark 10:15)  Oh, to have the perspective of a kid again.  We could learn a lot.     

In answer to the question, “When was our nation founded?”  One little boy wrote: “I didn’t even know it was losted!”  (James W. Moore)  Asked to describe the famous painting of Whistler’s mother, one student explained: “It shows a nice little lady sitting in a chair, waiting for the repairman to bring back her TV set!”  And then how about these interesting answers: “A horse divided against itself can’t stand”!  Or this one: “The death of Thomas Jefferson was a big turning point in his life!”

But here is my favorite: A little girl was asked to define the word “People,” and this is what she wrote: “People are composed of girls and boys and men and women.  Girls are nice.  Boys are no good until they are grown up and married.  My mother is a woman, which is a grown-up girl with children.  My father is so nice that I think he must have been a girl when he was a boy!”

Can I get an amen?!

People need people.  I need you and we need each other, at least, that’s one of the many reasons I belong to this church.  How appropriate that Ash Wednesday this February 17 marks the first step in our 40 day (plus Sundays) spiritual walk to Easter.  The question is, where do we find hope?  It’s all about strong, healthy relationships, beginning with Jesus of course, and on from there.  Believers like us know that being a Christian is a group effort. 

The forty plus days called Lent have changed over the centuries.  Traditionally, the experts tell us that Lent began as a time of purification and preparation.  Most people figure it’s a time to give something up and feel miserable, but we United Methodists don’t approach it quite that way.  Surprisingly, the word “Lent” originally meant “springtime,” and if you think about it, that implies a whole heap of possibilities: new perspectives, opportunities for growth, even change.  All good!

The only question is how to get there!  Won’t you join us in the journey? 

Shalom,

Pastora Robin

Tagged With: Ash Wednesday, church, Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida de Watsonville, sunday worship, Watsonville, watsonville first united methodist church, Worship

Online Gatherings!

June 10, 2020

Join us every Sunday at 10:00 am!

Tagged With: Online Gathering, online gatherings, sunday worship, watsonville first united methodist church

A Compass & Native American Ministries Sunday Online Gathering

April 25, 2020

Dear Ones:

We are excited to update you on our latest Online Gathering, slated to premiere this Sunday, April 26, at 10:00 am.  See the links on this website for easy access.  But I have a question first.  Do you have a compass? 

You know, one of those little dealies you might have used as a Boy or Girl Scout, to find your way around in the woods? 

These days, most of us don’t have an actual compass sitting around the house.  But there are plenty of ’em in the App store of your smartphone.  They’re free and easy to use, and they help us figure out the 4 directions: North, East, South and West.  

HINT: If you’d like to join me this Sunday, please use your compass to determine the directions at your home before we start.  There’s a special blessing in store for you, and you’ll be able to join right in.  

I’m also thinking maybe we need to make better use of our spiritual compass, too.   United Methodist Pastor Charley Reeb puts it this way: “A compass always points to magnetic north to help us travel in the right direction. The good news is Jesus gave us “true north” in his teachings. When we are lost and confused all we have to do is remember Jesus’ most important lesson and we can get on the right path again.”  That sounds good to me!

This week in our Online Gathering we celebrate Native American Ministries, one of the special offerings taken in United Methodist Churches to benefit Native people and their communities within our denomination.   But that’s not all.  My Native American friend Derrick Rainbow will be sharing a special prayer with us, too.  Plus, there’s beautiful music and messages brought to you by our Worship Team.  It’s definitely a group effort, and we hope you’ll come.  Can’t make it Sunday?  That’s okay too, as our Online Gatherings are posted on Facebook and YouTube, giving you plenty of time to find us.   See you soon!

Peace,

Pastora Robin

“It is time for humanity to reset our spiritual compass from self-centeredness to other-centeredness.” Bernice King

 

 

Tagged With: @watsonville1stumc, actividad familiar, adoración, children and youth, church, Community, evento especial, familias, families, family friendly, niños y jóvenes, Online Gathering, Primera Iglesia Metodista, special event, sunday worship, watsonville first united methodist church, Worship

Souper Bowl Sunday

January 30, 2020

Tagged With: Primera Iglesia Metodista, SOUPER Bowl, Souper Bowl de Cuidado, SOUPER Bowl of Caring, sunday worship, watsonville first united methodist church, Worship

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