Christ. Frank Schaefer

chose to stand with Jesus as

he extended love and care

to his gay son and his part-

ner. We should stand with

him and others who show

such courage and faithful-

ness.

At our 2013 annual conference

session you the lay and clergy

members of the California Pacific

Conference determined that you

would be biblically obedient,

excluding no one from our care

or ministry, and committing to

work to eliminate any barriers

that would prohibit anyone from

being included in our covenantal

life together or our witness to

Christ Jesus. You declared that

you were acting out of the belief

that God’s grace and love are

available to all persons. This

(continued on page 2)

I want you to know that on this

day following in the footsteps of

Bishop Kennedy and with the

support of his bishop, Bishop

Peggy Johnson, I invited the Rev.

Frank Schaefer to come and join

in ministry in the California Pa-

cific Conference. At this mo-

ment Rev. Schaefer and I have

agreed that he will enter into a

time of prayer and discernment

with his wife Brigitte and their

family about whether God is

calling him to life and ministry in

our conference.

While I recognize that our

brother Frank has been de-

frocked by those in authority in

his conference, I believe that

those who have acted in such a

way have done so in obedience

to the Book of Discipline of the

United Methodist Church, an

imperfect book of human law

that violates the very spirit of

Jesus the Christ who taught us

through word and deed that all

God’s children are of sacred

worth and welcomed into the

embrace of God’s grace. I be-

lieve that the time has come for

we United Methodists to stand

on the side of Jesus and declare

in every good way that the

United Methodist Church is

wrong in its position on homo-

sexuality, wrong in its exclusion

of our LGBTQ brothers and

sisters, and wrong in its incessant

demand to determine through

political processes who can be

fully members of the body of

01/01—Happy New Year!

Center & Church Office are

closed

01/02—All Center classes

resume

01/05—Epiphany Sunday,

worship at 9:30 a.m.

01/05—The Gathering at 6:30

p.m., an hour of meditation,

prayer, silence, scripture, and

music in the style of Taize

01/12—Worship at 9:30 a.m.

01/13—LAUSD classes are

back in session

01/15—Hawaiian District

meeting in Chapel Lounge

01/16—Messy Church, 5:00

p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

01/19—Worship at 9:30 a.m.

01/20—Center closed in

honor of Martin Luther King,

Jr.’s birthday

01/20—Dare to Dream small

group study, 6:30 p.m. in

Chapel Lounge

01/21—Ad Council at 6:30 p.m.

01/25—West District Visioning

Event, 8:30 a.m. to 12noon,

Wilshire UMC, all laity & clergy

invited

01/26—Worship at 9:30 a.m.

01/27—Dare to Dream small

group study at 6:30 p.m.

Bishop Carcaño’s Invitation to Rev. Frank Schaeffer

Dates to Remember . . .

La Tijera United Methodist Church &

Child Development Center Newsletter J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4 V O L U M E I V , I S S U E 1

“Faith is why

I’m here today

and faith is why

I made it

through.”

- Jonathan Anthony

Burkett

Messy Church:

January 16th

5:00 p.m. to

7:00 p.m.

Our theme this

month is

“dreamers!”

Our Bishop!

P A G E 2

“For a new year

to bring you

something new,

make a move,

like a butterfly

tearing its

cocoon! Make

a move!” -

Mehmet Murat Ildan

Dare to Dream Small Group Study

Messy Church . . . January 16th!

Bishop Carcaño (continued from page 1) decision of the conference was

challenged. As the presiding offi-

cer, I had the responsibility of issu-

ing a ruling of law in response to

the challenge. I ruled that the

conference had the right to ex-

press the hope of many in the

United Methodist Church that the

day will come when inclusion and

justice will be extended to all

God’s people. I further ruled that

the conference had the right to

give witness to the belief that the

United Methodist Church is in

error when it states that homo-

sexuality is incompatible with Christian

teaching. My ruling of law was upheld by

the Judicial Council of our denomination.

In inviting Frank Schaefer to come and

join us in ministry and witness, I am

choosing to stand with you and to lead

us in being biblically obedient.

I acknowledge that I do not have the

authority to restore the ministerial cre-

dentials that Frank Schaefer has lost.

Only a board of ordained ministry can

recommend such a reinstatement of

credentials, and only the ordained clergy

of an annual conference can determine

whether a person will be cre-

dentialed for ordained minis-

try. What I can do, however,

is invite and welcome others

to love and serve Christ Jesus

among us, accompany those

who choose to be faithful, and

exhort us all to be biblically

obedient. This I will do for as

long as God gives me breath.

Your Sister in Christ,

Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño

dreamers—Joseph and his

many colored coat. We will

end our time together by shar-

ing a meal.

At Messy Church, you don’t sit

quietly while you hear about

stories from long ago—you get

to create, dance, pretend,

make noise, and laugh!

Tell a friend—bring a friend!

ALL are welcome here!

Thursday, January 16th

from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

- it’s Messy Church

At 5:00 p.m. we gather to-

gether for snacks and games.

We will explore craft activities

that support our theme for

January: Dreamers. After

our craft time, we will have a

time of celebration with singing

and January’s story about

You can register for Messy

Church now—go to our

website, click on the Messy

Church page, and fill out

the registration form on

line!

learn how to develop a life

mission statement that helps

them fully commit to a God-

directed lifestyle.

Chapters include:

Dare to Dream-wake up to

God’s dream inside you.

Discover Your Identity-you

were created with a purpose.

Your Burning Bush-be aware

of those illuminating God mo-

ments in your life.

Lose Your Big Buts-allow

God’s strength to be displayed

in your weakness.

What’s in Your Hand-identify

& utilize the ordinary gifts that

God has given you.

God’s Dream-discover a

dream for your life far greater

than your own.

Our small group study will

meet on Monday evenings at

6:30 p.m., starting on Mon-

day, January 20th and con-

tinuing through Monday,

February 24th. If you are

interested in joining in this

book & DVD study, email Pas-

tor Lyda!

(Lyda@latijeraumc.org)

Are your goals for the New

Year too small? Are you living

the “just get by” plan? Or is

there a greater “God dream”

for you that, if lived to the

fullest, could permeate and

inform every move you make?

Dare to Dream is a startling

and inspiring new program by

popular author and pastor

Mike Slaughter that draws on

the Bible and a lifetime of min-

istry to help us discern God’s

dream for us and learn how to

live it out, prayerfully and en-

thusiastically. Participants will

DON’T FORGET TO

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

AND CHECK OUT OUR

“NEWS & EVENTS”

PAGE !

L A T I J E R A U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T

Vision Forward! Let Your Voice Be Heard!

P A G E 3 V O L U M E I V , I S S U E 1

On Epiphany Sunday, January 5th in our

morning worship service, our Bishop

and the Mission Vision Discernment

Team request that all of our churches

participate in a common experience

together. La Tijera UMC will join

United Methodist Churches all over

Southern California, Hawaii, Guam, and

Saipan in a step of discerning God’s will

for our California Pacific Annual Con-

ference for the next 3 to 5 years.

We know that God is present in our

lives and that the love of Jesus Christ is

working through us, changing us, chal-

lenging us.

Our participation in this time of dis-

cerning God’s will is crucial to us as a

world-wide church because our congre-

gations are the reason the whole

United Methodist denomination exists.

You are the followers of Jesus who

make faithful living, grace-full ministry

and outreach real in the world.

We are called to share God’s inclusive love

through our words, our works and our ac-

tions.

This is an opportunity to have your voice be

heard in discerning the future of our confer-

ence. I invite you to reflect on the three

questions that we will answer in worship on

January 5th. Each answer to these questions

from all of the United Methodist Churches

will be sent to our Bishop and to the Mission

Vision Discernment Team. Here are the

three questions each of you have been asked

to respond to:

1. Who is Jesus Christ to you?

2. Finish the following statement: My walk

with Jesus could be immeasurably im-

proved if the church would only …

3. What is your hope for today and for

future generations?

If you will not be in morning worship on Janu-

ary 5th, you are welcome to email me your

responses on or before the 5th. This is an

opportunity for everyone in our congrega-

tion to have a voice and to participate.

“Prayerful discernment of God’s vision for us

is critical to our faithfulness. It will take all of

us listening for God’s voice to know where

God is leading us.”

Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño

Messy Mission! All church families and

friends (that’s you!) are invited to put together

“Blessing Bags!” Blessing Bags are ziplock bags

filled with useful items for our homeless brothers

and sisters. I got this idea from Kris Quartermis

on Facebook—it’s awesome! Here is a list of

things to go into a Blessing Bag:

Chapstick; tissue packets; toothbrush & tooth-

paste; comb; soap; small size shampoo; trail mix;

granola bars; crackers; gum; bandaids, mouth-

wash; hand wipes; socks; a packet rain poncho;

and coins or a predetermined money amount

($5.00)

The Blessing Bags are to be kept in your car and

handed out when you see someone who looks

like they could use one. It’s a simple way to help

someone out—put them together with your

kids—what a great way to learn about caring for

others.

Blessings Bags will be put together each month—

if you would like to donate any of the items listed,

please drop them off in the church office! To-

gether, we will be a blessing!

Helping Out in Messy Church & Sunday Church!

“For last year’s

words belong to

last year’s

language and next

year’s words await

another voice.”

- T.S. Eliot

Pictures from Messy Christmas!

P A G E 4

IMPORTANT: Do

we have your email

address? If you are

not receiving the

newsletter via email,

please print your

email on your child’s

sign in sheet and

notify the teacher so

we can update our

records!

For more

pictures of

the Christmas

party, go to

the Center’s

Facebook

page and

click on the

photo album!

Infant I

Infant III

Mayola’s Corner Another year has passed and

it is time for us to begin our

journey into the year 2014

with new hopes and dreams.

As I think back on the year, all

I can say is, “Thank God.”

The year 2013 had so many

hardships and devastations for

many. I only hope that ven-

turing into a new year will

bring peace, joy, happiness,

and success for all.

La Tijera has been able to

uphold its promises to give

you quality care at the lowest

prices that we can. My re-

quest is that everyone con-

tinue to support us in our goal

by becoming involved with

fundraising and Center func-

tions. In the year 2014, let’s

get a parent group together

to discuss good parenting, or

start a fitness program for

children and ourselves to

promote health, or what

about a health fair? The pos-

sibilities are endless!

We want to give special

thanks to Michael & Jia-Ann

(Brad Li’s parents) and all of

you who have supported us

throughout the year for your

generous donations. Who

will be next? Don’t forget, all

donations are tax deductable.

Each dollar we raise is a

dollar we can use to help

keep tuition costs down.

We know you have many

choices for childcare, but

we hope that you will con-

tinue to allow us to fulfill

your childcare needs. We

appreciate you! We wish

you many blessings for the

new year.

more independent and in-

teracting with others. We

will be having three new

families and friends joining

Infant III—Maya Saif Feisal,

Adelyn Bolton and Blythe

Elues. We hope they have

a great experience with us!

Happy birthday Tyler Bant.

Welcome Infant III—we hope

you had a wonderful and safe

winter break. We are looking

forward to seeing old and new

children and families return.

The teachers would like to

thank the parents for their

thoughtful holiday spirit.

The children are being more

self-expressive and being

We hope the New Year

brings many new experi-

ences to Stage III at the

Center!

- Teachers Chestina, Lupe

& Bernice

Declan, wow! Way to go guys

and congratulations as you

move to Infant II—we are so

proud of you!

December has been a fun

month with lots of surprises

and enjoyable times. We’re

looking forward to a New Year

filled with more fun and excite-

ment as our youngest children

continue to blossom and grow.

Thank you parents for all your

kindness at the holidays and

special thanks to Alessandra’s

family, Carol and Andy, for the

bleach donation—it’s well

needed!

Love, Infant I

Happy Winter from Infant I!

Infant I has welcomed a new

group of babies this month!

Here in December is Tyler

and Alessandra! And coming

this month, we have Layla,

Josie and Riley—a big welcome

to you and your families!

We also give a fond adieu to

Mackenzie, Sofia, Dominic, and

L A T I J E R A U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T

Infant II P A G E 5 V O L U M E I V , I S S U E 1

Welcome back and Happy New Year! It

was a busy and fun holiday season. We

hope that everyone had a beautiful holiday

with family and friends.

Thanks to all the parents for the beautiful

gifts and treats that we received this Christ-

mas. The staff really appreciates your gener-

osity. Thanks to all the families and friends

who attended our Christmas party—we

hope you enjoyed it!

We say goodbye to Adelynn, Blythe and

Maya as they transition to Infant III. We will

miss them. Welcome to our new friends

Sofia, Dominic, Declan, and Mackenzie—it’s

great to have you in our class!

Our curriculum for January is: Letters M,

N, O; color blue; numbers 9 & 10; the dia-

mond shape; winter and winter animal

theme; Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday.

All of our crafts and arts will support our

themes and curricula.

Hooray to Varsha and Aarya who started to

walk and to Alice who started to take some

steps. We are proud of you all! Happy

birthday to Declan 1/23; Sofia 1/24;

Mackenzie 1/21; and Dominic 1/21.

All the best or 2014!

- Teachers Rosy, Lauren, Marisol & Shay

last names, and winter weather

words.

Thank you parents for your won-

derful gifts!

- Teacher Mary

We wish you a Happy New Year

2014! May God bless you all with

abundant love, care and bring great

joy, peace and good health to eve-

ryone throughout the year.

In January, our children will be

engaged with creative, hands-on

learning experiences to broaden

their views and ideas.

They will be practicing writing the

alphabet, numbers, their first and

We would like to welcome every-

one back from your relaxing winter

break.

This month we will learn about the

four seasons, what to expect for

each season, and how to dress for

them. We will continue learning to

trace and write our names, count-

ing to 20, and colors (white, gray,

blue & pink). We will also be cele-

brating the life of Dr. Martin Luther

King, Jr.

- Teachers Sharon & Suzy

Preschool

Transitional Preschool

The Dessert Table!

Santa!

Christmas Party!

seph became a channel of God’s grace in

the world. This earthly and probably con-

fused man became a voice of God. He

listened to and honored his dream. He

moved beyond the controlled rationality of

his mind.

And speaking of controlled rationality of the

mind, let’s take a look at our own La Tijera

UMC. Looking at La Tijera rationally, we

shouldn’t be here. We fit the profile of an

aging, diminishing church. In fact, we were

TOLD we were an aging, diminishing church

that would probably close! And look—we

are still here and vital!

I believe that La Tijera UMC is able to raise

significant funds for suicide prevention and

awareness programs, feed the hungry

through the LAX Food Pantry, start new

ministries on campus like Messy Church,

fight loudly and proudly for full inclusion of

our LGBTQ brothers and sisters in the

United Methodist Church and beyond, fight

for justice and change in the world because-

we are dreamers! Dreamers of God’s vi-

sion and listeners of God’s voice calling us

to be the hands, feet, eyes and heart of God

According to tradition, Joseph, earthly

dad of Jesus, was an older carpenter and

the strong, silent type. Not really a big

time player in the drama of God’s hu-

man birth. But Joseph was also a

dreamer—a righteous man who trans-

formed everything by taking his dreams

seriously.

Instead of having Mary stoned to death,

which was the punishment for a be-

trothed woman who slept with another

man, compassionate Joseph decided to

quietly dismiss Mary as his wife. What

didn’t occur to Joseph was that there

was another way to be righteous and

compassionate—the way of mystery,

the way of surprise, the way of accep-

tance, forgiveness and grace. Joseph

couldn’t imagine how God could be

present in such a difficult and embar-

rassing a situation as Mary’s pregnancy.

So God had to help him. In the deep

darkness of dreams, God came to Jo-

seph—God spoke to Joseph in a dream.

God tapped into Joseph’s intuition and

irrational truth. God changed Joseph,

and because God changed Joseph, Jo-

right here on earth. We are dreamers

and we are putting our dreams into ac-

tion. The dreamers are still here and are

making a difference in the church, the

community and the world. Dreams are

the way we discover God’s image that

rests inside each one of us. Our

dreams—waking dreams, sleeping

dreams—are spiritual windows into our

souls. We are partners with God.

And so, Joseph dreamed. Joseph

dreamed and discovered that he could

behave in a new way. Joseph’s dream

didn’t give him rational answers, but

instead gave him inspiration. Joseph’s

dream invited him, a rational practical

man, to become a partner with God in

mystery. Joseph responded to his faith

with courage and hope.

Christmas is not about fact or fiction.

Christmas is God’s dream becoming

flesh. Christmas is God’s invitation to

each one of us to see the possibilities of

the world’s healing. To sense the imagi-

nation of God’s love—an imagination and

love that can make all things new.

www.latijeraumc.org

7400 Osage Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90045

Church phone: (310) 649-6267

Center phone: (310) 641-4173

Lyda email: lyda@latijeraumc.org

Mayola email: mayola@latijeraumc.org

La Tijera United Methodist Church

& Child Development Center

From Lyda . . .

We are a Reconciling Church!

ALL are welcome here.

We’re on the web! Latijeraumc.org