First United Methodist Church of Orange

The Forum Volume 85, Issue #5 May 2016

Have you ever wished the kids in your community could get away for summer camp, but know they can’t afford it? What about your staff…have they ever felt undue pressure trying get plans nailed down for the summer? Forest Home comes alongside your ministry to serve as a catalyst for outreach in your community through Neighborhood Day Camp. We bring an exciting weeklong camp for elementary-aged children to your location. The week includes 35 hours of unforgettable recreation, curriculum, worship experiences, and large groups facilitated by our highly trained staff in partnership with you and your volunteers.

This is an exciting time for the Ministry of FUMCO!

DATE: August 8th thru 12th, 2016 If you want to help Peter Joseph in the planning of this in any way, including fundraising, praying, publicity/advertising, being a host home, or being part of the welcoming team, please contact Peter Joseph either at peter@fumco.org or 714-532-6363 ext. 203.

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A Message from the Pastor “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…”

Eccles. 3:1 Dear Friends, As the month of May arrives delegates from around the world are traveling to Portland, Oregon to participate in a General Conference of the United Methodist Church. General Conferences are convened once every four years, and the dates for this year’s gathering are May 10-20. The General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church; the conference can revise church law, as well as adopt resolutions on current moral, social, public policy and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs - programs the will strengthen and enhance our ability to achieve God’s mission right here in Orange. It won’t be all “work” in Portland: one of the most inspiring aspect of General Conference is the beauty of the worship that takes place. The diversity of our rich United Methodist heritage represented in the delegates from around the world is truly awesome. One of our great strengths as United Methodists is that we are a “connected” church…individual congregations do not stand alone, but share a common ministry with one another that the circles the globe and brings the grace of God to the world through acts of mercy, compassion, justice, and (perhaps most importantly) prayer and worship. I encourage you to join me in praying for our Bishops and the delegates to the 2016 General Conference. We ask that God will guide and direct them, and strengthen our own ministry here in FUCMO by the work being undertaken in Portland this month. I also encourage you to check in at www.umc.org throughout the General Conference for tracking of the various issues being debated and links to live-streaming of worship and other sessions. In the meantime, we have some amazing work of our own to celebrate here in Orange. Potential graduates are coming into the home stretch at school, we have several baptisms and confirmands to celebrate, my friend Mathias from Ghana will be in our pulpit on Mother’s Day, and plans are in the works for several amazing new ministries this summer and next fall. It’s a joy to be sharing this time of ministry with you all…and to work for God’s kingdom together. Blessings, Pastor Bill

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Peter Joseph, Director of Discipleship Email: peter@fumco.org Cell: 714-473-8086 Office: 714-532-6363 x203

Matthew Chittum states in an article that I read "I am continually learning that the word choices we use when interacting with people make a big impact. First impressions are made quickly (usually within 30 seconds, stat taken from ), and like it or not, when it comes to religion our language can carry all sorts of baggage. As disciple-makers we should do our best to de-culturalize our words, a skill that requires much discretion and practice (Proverbs 25:11). 'Identifying our personal cultures – including our religious and nationalistic tradi-tions (this involves our language) – and keeping them from permeating new work is the single biggest hurdle we face' (Contagious Disciple Making, 20). " When I interact with people, my primary goal is to demonstrate God’s love. I often ask people, “How are you doing?” while trying to make good eye-contact and showing that I genuinely care. That does not mean eve-ryone is going to open up, but you would be surprised how many people are eager to have someone show concern for them. Most people will respond with a quick, “I’m Fine.” But then the trick is to follow up that question with a “How are you really doing? I would like to know.” Other favorite intro questions of mine in-clude, “How are you feeling?” “What are you thankful for?” “What’s been stressing you?” “How is your week going?” And, “Is there anything special going on in your life this season?” I have found that when I ask these types of questions people will many times engage in conversation. The key to it all is authentici-ty. You have to settle for yourself, “Is this a person I’m trying to convert?” or “Is this a person I genuinely care about?” There’s a difference. Disciple-making always respects the relationship development pro-cess. Remember, discipleship is about the relational. Once a conversation is established, I am often asked the question, “What do you do for a living?” Of course, I could answer that question in a traditional fashion by saying, “I’m a youth pastor, a director of disci-pleship, etc.” And, if I want the conversation to end quickly then I can use one of those respons-es. However, if I shift that answer to, “I help people discover relationship with God,” or, “I help people find answers to their spiritual questions,” I have found that it generally leads to more dialogue. As I talk to differ-ent merchants in the city of Orange, I am learning to do more of this. I learned this from watching Pastor Bill interact with the different shop keepers, and the response he would get. People have a tendency to want to identify with us by what we do, but as Christians we should be known relationally (by our love). Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35), which I preached on for my last 2 sermons here. When people ask you about your vocation, I encourage you to direct the conversation toward the relationships you are involved with, and to not just simply state a job title. We must always strive to make good first impressions. People can tell if you have an “agenda,” and they also know when someone genuinely cares. I know there are many ambitious Christians out there who are eager to share their faith, but please understand your interactions can do more harm than good. People are more interested in a relationship than they are your religion, and if things go south, it can take an additional 20 encounters to undo or change a bad first impression. Religion unfortunately has a bad rap in our culture with a lot of baggage, but if we are authentic with who we are, people will see ‘Christ’ in you. With that reali-ty in mind, let’s avoid speaking “Christianese,” and instead relate in a tongue everyone can understand . . . with love (1 Corinthians 13).

Discipleship and Spiritual Formation

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U. M. Youth Fellowship

Sunday Fun Night Future Confirmands

Youth Fellowship for 6th – 12th grades

May 22nd 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Bowling at Irvine Lanes!

Cost: $7 includes pizza & drinks New Upcoming 6th Graders are invited

Confirmation Sunday Dear Church Family, On May 15, 2016, two of our young people will be confirmed in worship service: Colin McCullough, and Gracelyn Roney. I am so excited about the journey these 2 youth have begun in their faith walks. They have been meeting with me once a month since October of 2015, learning about the colors of the church season, about the founder of Methodism: John Wesley, the Fruits of the Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, the Season of Advent, the Season of Lent, the Season of Easter, the Means of Grace (prevenient, sanctifying justifying), our 2 Sacraments: Baptism and Communion, the importance of being servants for Christ in this world, and finally the Season of Pentecost. I am proud of what these 2 have accomplished, and they will be sharing their faith statements in worship service as well.

Continued on pg. 8

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Groups & Events

United Methodist Women

June Luncheon Meeting June 9, 11:30am, Messenger Hall

We will gather on June 9th for our final luncheon meeting before a summer break. Following a lovely lunch, we will learn from Dawn Reese about a wonderful program call “The Wooden Floor”, who aim is to Change Lives Through Dance. Their web page states: “We love dance. It’s powerful. It has the ability to encourage our youth to think differently about themselves, to push through obstacles, and emerge as strong and confident leaders. It’s why, when partnered with our academic, college preparatory, and family services, 100 percent of our graduates have finished high school on time and enrolled in higher education for more than ten consecutive years. Dance moves our youth. Forward.” Plan now to join us for an afternoon of fellowship, food, and learning more about a wonderful mission outreach.

Annual Rummage Sale July 25 – July 30, 2015

The time is drawing near for our GIANT Annual Rummage Sale. As most of you know, this is United Methodist Women’s largest fundraiser of the year, and proceeds from the sale go to help support Mission Giving in our country and around the world. You may begin bringing your items on or after July 3rd; please at this time only bring items that can be placed on the stage in Messenger Hall “behind the curtain”. Please no large items or furniture before July 25th. You may call Nancy Teigen or Neale Davis to schedule pick-up of large items during the week of July 25th.

Used Rummage Needed: Kitchen items, dishes, small appliances; jewelry, lamps collectibles, books, pictures, knick-knacks, toys, games/puzzles; pet supplies, sport and camping equipment, sleeping bags, tools and bicycles. Clean, gently used clothing (dresses, suits and jackets on hangers if possible); purses, hats, shoes; linens, blankets, holiday decorations, backpacks, suitcases, small area rugs; furniture in good condition, overstuffed chairs and couches must be on good, clean conditions – no rips or stains; baby furniture, etc. (The key criteria is – if you wouldn’t use it, don’t bring it.)

We Cannot Accept the Following: Magazines, console TVs, console stereos, very large heavy appliances or furniture, unframed mirrors, paint and chemicals, car parts, cosmetics and toiletries, food, office desks, hospital beds or equipment, drapes or window coverings and hardware, carpeting, mason jars, text books, library books, swing sets or large play equipment, organs, water beds, king-sized beds, headboard or mattresses. We can accept computers, monitors, printers, fax machines.

Reading Program Achievement With joy, we announce that the West District (of which we are a part) took FIRST place in reading the most books in 2015. Congratulations and keep reading.

Calendar May 7 11:30 a.m. Mother/Daughter/Friend Luncheon Messenger Hall June 7 9:30 a.m. Mission Team Meeting July 22-24 Mission U at Biola University July 25-30 Rummage Sale August Relax & Enjoy your summer!

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Outreach . . . Opportunities . . . Information Join us for one or more of these events!

Mother - Daughter -Friend Luncheon Saturday, May 7th at 11:30 a.m. in Messenger Hall

Join us for a catered lunch, great entertainment and many, many door prizes! Tickets are $17 each and can be purchased from Sandy Wilson.

Childcare will be provided if requested.

Men’s Lunch & Bible Discussion

Tuesday, May 10th at 12:15 p.m. in Messenger Hall This month’s speaker will be Rev. Dr. Mathias Forson.

All men and women are welcome!

Lady Twigbenders

Thursday, May 19th at 1:00 p.m. in the Fireside Room

Twigbenders May Dinner

The May Twigbenders dinner will be held on May 20, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. in Messenger Hall. The cost for the evening is $15.00 per person for members and $17.00 for non-members. Hope you can come and attend an enjoyable evening of fellowship, dinner and entertainment. Our entertainment for the evening will be “A Journey of a Lifetime” presented by Richard and Bonnie-Kay Vesely. RSVP: No later than May 16th to Margaret Davis (714) 637-0811 or Betsy Ross Miale (714) 532-5024.

Ruth Circle

Ruth Circle will meet Tuesday, May 24th at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Sandy Wilson (3034 N. Westhaven, Orane.) The co-hostess will be Mona Ward and Florence Towers will offer a devotion. The program will be a “Book Review” sharing of a few books from the UMW Reading Cart. Newcomers are always welcome! For more info call Mary Lou Taylor at 714-538-4778 or Marlene Cook at 714-633-2991.

Newcomers Fellowship

"Newcomers Fellowship Date Change! We will be moving our regular Saturday night gathering to a Sunday after-worship lunch. Our meetings for May and June will be combined on June 5th after service in Messenger Hall and we are excited to welcome the Lay Visitation Team as our hosts. If you have begun attending FUMCO in the last 2 years, please join us for lunch to learn more about this wonderful ministry. Please RSVP to the church office by Monday, May 30th. See you there!"

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A Few Notes from the

Leadership Team

This picture is of the new Shade Shelter and table in our play area. The shelter was provided by Family Promise volunteers. The wood fence in the play area was cleaned and restained by Larry Mamchur.

Jo Hanson will do a short instruction session on the use of the new defibrillator after church on May 15th. Many have asked for this instruction and we will be doing it this one time. The defibrillator was purchased for the church by our Methodist Foundation Group. Repair work has been recently done on the kitchen freezer, termite work done, fire inspection passed and carpet in the choir loft repaired. If you see anything that needs to be fixed or checked, please fill out a Facility Work Request Form and turn it in to the office. Forms are available in the office. We need all of us to help in keeping our church in the order we want. We would be happy to see any of you that would like to join us at a Leadership Council meeting. Meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. in the Library. Reminder . . . Gates are locked each evening at 10:00 p.m. and opened at 9:00 a.m. each morning. Jackie Hanson, Leadership Chair

News from the Finance Committee . . . Many of you have been asking how First UMC of Orange is doing financially. We are pleased to inform you that thanks to your support we have concluded the first quarter of 2016 in the black. Following is a breakdown of the income and expenses for January-March, 2016:

Income: $122,854

Expenses: $108,936

Difference: $ 13,918

Included in the expenses is 25% payment of the apportionment asking from the annual conference. As we did last year we are on target to pay 100% of the apportionment asking again. All bills are paid and we have money in the bank. Well done good and faithful stewards. The finance committee is thankful for your past financial support and look forward to your continued support through 2016. We will be providing these quarterly financial updates in the FORUM at the end of each quarter. Should you have questions regarding the church finances please direct your questions to Wayne Nash or Rebeca Espinosa-Rodezno co-chairs finance committee.

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Confirmation Sunday continued . . . The church will not be confirming these 2 on Confirmation Sunday, but rather the Holy Spirit will confirm its work in each of these teen’s lives on Confirmation Sunday. Join us for cake, balloons, and fellowship as we celebrate together the great work that God has done and is still doing in the lives of our young people-----May the Holy Spirit continue to bless you with the gift of faith and guide your lifelong journey with God. Bible Verse: John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth... I want to thank the parents and our mentors (Vince Cleveland, Jodi Roney Rodriguez, Stan Leland, Andrea Donahue, and Julie Roney) for partnering with us on this journey! Grace and Peace, Peter Joseph (M.Div), Director of Discipleship

Check out our Church Library! Thanks to Rosemary Meek and her granddaughter’s hard work and a lot of elbow grease our Library is all clean and organized.

Lay Visitation Team Mona Ward Betsy Ross Miale Helen Huston Ken Martin Jackie Hanson Wayne Nash Joyce Claussen

Lunchbags for the Homeless Thanks to your generous donations our lunch bag program is doing great! Of course that means we need more food donations than ever! Items needed to fill the bags include: Vienna sausage, Beanie Weenie, granola bars, box juice drinks, individual applesauce or fruit cups, small boxes of raisins, cheese & crackers and peanut butter & crackers. We can also use napkins, plastic spoons and brown lunch bags. All donations, large and small, are greatly appreciated. Please place your donated items in the specially marked collection bins in the Narthex on Sunday mornings or bring them to the office during the week.

“When did we ever see you hungry and feed you . . . whenever you did one of these things

to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me - you did it to m

- Matthew 25:38-40

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May Birthdays 1 Sushma Corbin Gohil Alycia Roney 5 Chris Simpson Judy Sturgeon Deron Tidball 10 Bob Anderson Lynne McFarland Mike Short Jeanne Tibbets 12 Carolyn Kessinger Joe Tardie 17 Bob Meyer Jeanne Nelson 18 Tim Connell 19 Jessica Sanchez 21 George Longyear 22 Margie Burch 26 Lois Morgosh 30 Jane Carmichael

Anniversaries

Prayer & Praise Requests Anita Kelly is asking for prayers for her nephew, Leo,

who has heart problems. Prayers for Dick Paulson who had hip replacement

surgery on May 2nd and for Katie Ramaley who had surgery on May 3rd

Prayers for Earl Fleck who was jus diagnosed with leukemia

Prayers for the Longyear/Simpson/Connell/Sleenhof/Alden families after Sarah Longyear, the 19-year old granddaughter of George Longyear, ended her life. Prayers are requested especially for Sarah’s parents (Rick & Sally) and brother (Christopher).

Prayers for Sylvia Coussa and Family after the pass-ing of beloved church member Albert Coussa.

Prayers for our shut-ins, the homeless, the hungry, the sick, the lonely, the unemployed, our military so far from home and all the others not mentioned, but known in our hearts.

6 Joe & Beth Meersman

Nancy Bjorkland, Diane Brown, Ken Brown, Margie Burch, Virginia Eaton, Jay Farrell, Bonnie Goodrich, Ramona Kemp-Blair, Mary McKenerick, Jackie McCracken, Carol Nameth, Shirley Somers, Freida Stevens, Patricia Stone, Rita Suthers, Karla Turner, Betty Wisely

Pray Without Ceasing

Joys . . . Concerns . . . Celebrations

Lord, in your Mercy, Hear our Prayers

Dear Church Family, Thank you all for your prayers, cards, calls and visits during Charles illness and passing. Your kindness, love and friendship has helped to sustain us through this difficult time in our lives. My family also wants to express their sincere thanks to you for your love and friendship to me. We want to extend a special thanks to Pastor Bill for his prayers, visits and calls. It’s truly a blessing to have such a loving, caring church family. Thank you again. God Bless, Katie Schroeder and Family

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Outreach Ministries of First UMC, Orange

FAMILY PROMISE Casey Crosbie, Exec. Dir. 714-353-0428 FUNCO

Parent operated child-care Becky Billingsly, Coordinator 714-944-7156

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Orange Co. Central 714-556-4555 Meets Monday and Friday evenings in room 205 NARANON

Meets Thursday evenings in room 205

161 South Orange St. Orange, CA 92866

Phone: 714-532-6363 Fax: 714-532-5496 www.fumco.org

Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Sunday Morning Schedule 8:30 a.m. ......... Choir Rehearsal 9:00 a.m. .. Adult Sunday School 10:00 a.m. ..... Coffee/Fellowship 10:30 a.m. .................... Worship

Sunday School for ages 4-6th grade following the

Word for Children.

United Methodist Youth Sunday Fellowship

5:30 - 7:00 p.m. see page 4 for schedule

Office Staff Telephone Extensions: Dial 532-6363 and extension: Pastor 201 Rev. Bill Johnson

Programs 203 Peter Joseph, Director of Discipleship

Mike Short - Director of Music Sylvia Coussa - Bell Choir Director Joe Schubert - Organist

Administration 204 Karen Mendoza, Office Manager 216 Carol Rathbun, Communications Secretary

The deadline for the next edition of The Forum will be May 21st

Give yourself a break each day and listen to the devotions recorded for YOU!

DIAL-A-DEVOTION 714-532-6363 ext.6