I recently came
across a wonderful poem written by, or at least credited to, the great
Afro-American poet/author, Maya Angelou.
It is entitled “Beautiful Christian Sister”, but I believe it speaks to
all Christians, perhaps beginning with women, but ultimately including men,
youth, and children too.
I these days of summer, when we sometimes take more time to
reflect on our faith lives while on vacations or times of rest and relaxation,
I offer this poem to you for your pondering.
May it touch your life and make you see yourself as a
Christian in new and more faithful ways.
Beautiful Christian Sister
A woman’s
heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to
find her.
When I
say… ‘I am a Christian’ I am not
shouting ‘I’m clean living,’
I’m
whispering ‘I was lost and now I’m found and forgiven.’
When I
say… ‘I am a Christian’ I don’t speak of this with pride.
I’m
confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.
When I
say… ‘I’m a Christian’ I’m not trying to be strong.
I’m
professing that I’m weak and need His strength to carry on.
When I
say… ‘I’m a Christian’ I’m not bragging of success.
I’m
admitting that I have failed and need God to clean my mess.
When I
say… ‘I’m a Christian’ I’m not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws
are far too visible, but God believes I’m worth it.
When I
say… ‘I’m a Christian’ I still feel the sting of pain…
I have my
share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.
When I
say… ‘I’m a Christian’ I’m not holier than thou,
I’m just a
simple sinner who received God’s grace somehow!
Blessings to you
in July and August!
Wanda
Teaching the Word...
JULY & AUGUST LECTIONARY TEXTS
Here are the
Lectionary texts for the month of July and August. Rev. Mello’s preaching texts are in Bold print. You are invited to read the texts ahead of
each Sunday service as you prepare to hear God’s word.
Psalm 24
July 19, 2009
Psalm 89:20-37
Psalm 145:10-19
Psalm 78:23-29
2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a
Ephesians 4:1-16
Psalm 130
2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, & 31-33
Ephesians 4:25-5:2
Psalm 34:9-14
1 Kings 2:10-12 & 3:3-14
Ephesians 5:15-20
Psalm 84
1 Kings 8:1-11, 22-30 & 41-43
John 6:56-69
WORSHIP
READERS NEEDED…
We are in need of our worship readers for the months of August & September. If you are interested in serving as a worship reader please sign up on the sheets in the Social Hall or speak to Rev. Mello. May you be blessed as you read God’s word in worship.
MID-SUMMER HOLY COMMUNION
We will be partaking of Holy Communion on Sunday, July 26, during our morning worship service. Everyone is invited and encouraged to join us as we gather around the table of the Lord to celebrate this holy meal.
WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY
We will be taking
a summer break from our formal Bible Study sessions on Fridays. You are invited to attend our weekly Bible
Study on Friday mornings at 9:30 AM
beginning again in the Fall on Friday, September 4, 2009. At
these studies we take a look at the scriptures for our Sunday worship service
and ponder their deeper meanings for our lives.
Everyone is invited to attend.
Touching the World...
You are invited to
give a gift for mission to our Assistance Fund.
We have been utilizing the money from this fund to help several people
with their rent and utility costs in the past few weeks; and we have used some
to purchase food gift cards from the Ranch Market for people in need. Thanks so much for your continued support of
this fund! Your gifts to this fund do
indeed help those in our community who are in need!
A DAY TO REMEMBER
Scott and Dianna Gurnett and the folks from the group called
“In His Wakes Ministry” are once again sponsoring an all-day water skiing and
water activities event for “at risk” youth from the Arvin and Lamont area on
July 27, 2009. The young people will
learn how to overcome their fears and uncertainties about swimming and water
skiing as they also learn about how much God loves them and walks with them in
their daily lives. Several adults from
churches in the area will serve as guides for the day and there will be a
culminating worship activity in the late afternoon.
Scott and Dianna are asking that we all pray for the success
of this event and especially for the lives of the youth who will attend! By the grace of God lives will be changed in
His wake!
If you would like to give a monetary donation to cover the costs
of this important event, please speak to Scott or Dianna, or simply send a
check to the church marked “In His Wakes” and we will see it gets to the
correct place.
Our next monthly Church Cabinet meeting will be on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 beginning at 7:00 PM.
CHURCH PICNIC
Mark your calendars now…We have scheduled our annual church picnic on July 19, 2009 at 6:30 PM. Our hosts this year are Verner and Birthe Stenderup. We will be serving chicken from El Pollo Loco. You are invited to bring a covered dish, salad, or dessert to share to make the meal complete. Also, bring your own table service and if you have a special lawn chair, bring that too. A cash donation will be taken that evening to cover the cost of the meat. Everyone is encouraged to attend this wonderful meal and time of fellowship to celebrate the summer and our family of faith.
WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP RUMMAGE SALE
The Women’s Fellowship is collecting “rummagable” goods and clothing for their rummage sale that will be held on one of the Saturdays in late August. If you have rummage to offer, please bring it to the church any Tuesday and the ladies will take care of storing it until the sale.
ANNUAL ICE CREAM SOCIAL
Our annual homemade ice cream social is scheduled for Sunday, August 17 at 6:30 PM here on the church lawn. Bring yourself and your neighbors and friends to this delicious event!
REMEMBER YOU CAN
FIND ALL OF OUR NEWS ON OUR WEBSITE: www.arvinucc.org
Check it out! And while you are on our website, take a look
at the additional sites that are listed there.
One of them connects you to our UCC Southern California
Church Family News…
As our world remains in a time of war, we ask that you
continue to remember in your prayers all of our young people serving our
country all over the world. Especially
pray for Jason Brand, John & David Phillips, Isaac Philips, Dylan Wakeland,
and Tracey Farris.
Please keep our homebound members in your thoughts and
prayers. Especially remember Lucille
Barkley at home.
REV. MELLO VACATION
Rev. Mello and Rodger
will travel to
If you are in need of
pastoral care, please contact Loyal and she will contact Rev. Diane Ryder who
is covering for Wanda during the time she is away. If the need arises for you to have a pastor
immediately, please feel free to phone Rev. Ryder at 822-4105 or on her cell at
972-3410.
OUR SYMPATHY
We extend our Christian
sympathy to Patti Spitzer at the death of her father. May the whole Spitzer family know that they
are in our prayers during this time of loss.
HOLY HUMOR
Here is some “Holy
Humor” to brighten your summer days!
A father was approached
by his small son who told him proudly, “I know what the Bible means.” The father smiled and said, “Okay, what does
the Bible mean?” “That’s easy,” said the
little boy excitedly, “It stands for Basic Information Before Leaving Earth!”
There was a very
gracious lady who was mailing an old family bible to her brother in another
state. “Is there anything breakable in
here?” asked the postal clerk. “Only the
Ten Commandments!” answered the lady.
A REMINDER…
The church is open and
operating all summer. God’s work does
not take a vacation! Please remember
your offerings this summer for the work of Christ’s church!