May Greetings friends!

You might remember that for the season of Lent I followed the tradition of “giving something

up.” So I fasted from Facebook starting on Wednesday February 10th, until Easter Sunday. I

unexpectedly added to my Lenten “fasting” when I fell and broke my arm the last week of

February. I suddenly found myself unable to keep my typical pace and activity level. The two

experiences, giving up Facebook, and the broken arm, really impacted my life, my spirit, and my

perspective during the Lenten season. I must say the combo of these two things created an

enlightening experience. Last month, I reflected on my “giving up” Facebook for Lent. And this

month I would like to reflect on why the broken arm really changed my perspective.

First off, I recommend trying to avoid breaking a bone, ever! I hope you don’t have to go through

that! If you have, you know well the challenges such a thing can bring. The big thing that struck

me about my broken arm was that I was blissfully unaware of how much we use our entire body

for even the smallest of acts. From balance, to putting on clothing, to washing your hands, to

every sneeze, our bodies are a work of wonder where all the parts act in beautiful unison to

simply live. Even a simple fracture like mine quickly revealed just how dependent I am on my

left arm, to do any and everything. Our bodies are beautiful. And breaking my arm taught me to

tend to my body, strengthen it, protect it, nurture it, and not neglect it.

This experience also brought 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 to life in a very real and very personal way.

That’s the passage where the Apostle Paul speaks of the body and all the parts belonging to one

another, even and especially the less respectable parts. While he was speaking of the Church with

this metaphor, the real life applications to an actual body are not something I missed.

Finally, being “broken” is a humbling experience. Humbling because I needed to ask for help - a

lot. As a pastor I am usually on the other end of that equation. I am the one who gets asked to

help. I like helping others. It’s something I am good at. However, when you are broken, you have

to be the one doing the asking, the one receiving. And it’s hard! Simple tasks became

insurmountable problems when trying to do it all alone. This forced me to ask for help. This

forced me to come to the full realization that I can’t do it by myself.

I think that is the biggest lesson and most bountiful blessing, realizing I am broken and need help.

It speaks volumes of our relationship with God. We, as humanity, are most often broken and in

need of grace. We, as humanity, can’t fix ourselves and need help. This is where Christ meets us,

in the brokenness, working to make us whole. But also, this is where we, as persons of faith, can

step in when people ask for help. We can be the hands and feet of Christ. It might be easier for

me to help, but wow, when I need help, it is reassuring to know that it’s OK, and there are others

willing to sit with you, be with you, and help lift you up when you have fallen down. And thanks

be to God for all the ways Christ is that for us, and we can be that for others in Jesus’ name.

Blessings my friends,

Pastor Dave

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LETTER FROM PASTOR DAVE

SEASIDE UCC NEWSLETTER MAY 2016

SEASIDECOMMUNITY Phone: 310 375 4111 UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST SeasideUCC.org 22940 Ocean Ave Seaside@SeasideUCC.org Torrance CA 90505

May is Springtime. Avocados, strawberries and a host of other fruits are ripe and delicious, and, don’t forget grapes of the vine. All God’s creations. Seaside continues to be a large part of the Christian community. We have a wedding in October. Our Prayer Shawl, Book Club , and Sisters in Spirit all continue to meet monthly, along with the Seniors. Perhaps May is the month when we look homeward. As Sarah Ban Breathnach said, “With fresh eyes and a loving, appreciative heart, we reconsider our daily rounds.” Emily Dickinson said, “Home is the definition of God.” I hope this finds you all Happy and Healthy. God bless, Connie Sherman

WORDS FROM OUR MODERATOR, CONNIE SHERMAN

SEASIDE UCC NEWSLETTER MAY 2016

@SeasideUCC @SeasideUCC Seaside Community United Church of Christ

Seaside UCC SeasideCommunityUCC

WE LOVE MAKING NEW FRIENDS!

SEASIDE UCC NEWSLETTER MAY 2016

STRENGTHEN THE CHURCH

Strengthen The Church (STC) is a special mission offering to reimagine and build the future of the UCC. Shared at the conference and national levels, STC largely supports youth ministries and full-time

leaders for new churches in parts of the country where the UCC voice has not been heard.

On Sunday, May 22nd, Seaside will be receiving the Strengthen the Church special mission offering.

Directed to local conferences, local church ministries and the Stillspeaking ministry, Strengthen the Church gifts help

visions become reality.

Invest in the vision!

2016 CROP WALK TO END HUNGER

The 33rd Annual South Bay CROP Hunger Walk, on Sunday April 17th, was very successful and to date we have raised over $5,000!!! Not all our participants were actually able to walk on that date, but we want to recognize them by listing everyone’s name: Marsha Bannon, Patricia Flack, Lisa Hansen, Linda Knaus, Ken Katona, Sara Khalafi, The Lange Family, Dorina Lollino, Peg McCartney, Ricky Moriyama, Sara Morrison, Katherine Orlin, Ginger Simms, Karen Ury Twenty-five percent (25%) of the funds we raised go to local programs working to alleviate hunger and homelessness. The following agencies are helping in our own communities; they will each receive support from CROP this year: SHARED BREAD - REDONDO BEACH UMC FISH EMERGENCY CENTER - SAN PEDRO SHAWL HOUSE - SAN PEDRO TOBERMAN NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER - SAN PEDRO

Sincere thanks to each participant and to everyone who sponsored us so generously!

OUTREACH - PEG MCCARTNEY AND THE OUTREACH TEAM

SEASIDE UCC NEWSLETTER MAY 2016

FAMILY PROMISE

TUESDAY MAY 17, 2016 SIGN UP TO SERVE, FEED ETC.

SEE PEG MCCARTNEY TO SIGN UP!

OUTREACH - PEG MCCARTNEY AND THE OUTREACH TEAM

SPECIAL EVENT

UCC ANNUAL GATHERING! June 3-4, 2016 - Chapman University

If you plan on attending, please go to the link below to register. https://scncucc.churchcenteronline.com/registrations

SEASIDE UCC NEWSLETTER MAY 2016

MINISTRY NEWS AND UPDATES

SISTERS IN SPIRIT WOMEN’S GROUP

Friday, May 20, 2016 at 6:30 pm in the Church House

Once again we had a great gathering in April where we discussed an interesting topic, “Breaking Bad” … habits. It is always a positive move if we can eliminate some of those habits that slow us down, hold us back, and waste our time. Spending a little time figuring out how to do that can certainly help us in the long run.

In May we want to learn about the subject of becoming more mentally strong. Peg McCartney will introduce the topic for us. We will watch a TED Talks video by Amy Morin called, “The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong.” Everyone has the ability to build mental strength, but most people don’t know how. No matter what your goals are, building mental strength is the key to reaching your greatest potential. Amy Morin is a licensed, clinical social worker and psychotherapist who’s book on this topic is “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do.” Hope you can join us in May!

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY

We meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at 5:00 pm in the Church House. Are you keeping someone in prayer?? Do not hesitate to ask for a prayer shawl. We love to send out our gifts of healing love. If you need a prayer shawl, please contact Marilyn James at 310/325-7745 or any other member of the group.

THE GENEVIEVE KISER SEASIDE SENIORS CLUB

Our next meeting is at 2:00 pm,

May 26, 2016, at the Church House

SEASIDE BOOK CLUB will meet Monday, May 9, 2016

at 7:00 pm at the home of Harvey Eidinoff

Book of the Month for May The Custom of the Country

by Edith Wharton

Book of the Month for June The Boys In The Boat

by Daniel James Brown

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CHURCH LEADERS

MODERATOR Connie Sherman

PAST MODERATOR

Marsha Bannon

SECRETARY Dayna Kosinski

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Lynn Van Zandt

FINANCE

Scott Bannon

WORSHIP Angel Jimenez

FELLOWSHIP

Amber Cole

FACILITIES Lisa Hansen

OUTREACH

Peg McCartney

SEASIDE COMMUNITY UCC 22940 Ocean Avenue Torrance, CA 90505

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED DATED MATERIAL

The Good News is published monthly by Seaside Community

United Church of Christ. The church is located at the corner of 230th and

Ocean Avenue in Torrance.

Phone: (310) 375-4441

SENIOR PASTOR The Rev. Dave Sigmund

OFFICE HOURS:

Tuesday: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Wednesday: 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm Thursday: 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Friday: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

ADMINISTRATOR Yaya Barahona

Everyone is invited to join us for Worship on Sundays

at 9:30 am

SAVE THE DATE

MAY 5th Bad Girls of the Bible Starts - 10 Week Series

MAY 17th

Family Promise

MAY 22nd Strengthen the Church Offering

NEWSLETTER ARTICLE DEADLINE

If you have anything to share about our community, please send your updates and articles for the June edition to the office

by May 19, 2016 seaside@seasideucc.org