This Sunday: "Fabric, Thread & Stitching Love"

I’m excited about our text and topic this Sunday! Not that I'm not excited on other Sundays, but this particular morning we’ll hear the story of Tabitha being raised by Peter in our lectionary text from Acts. I'm not only excited because it's such a rich and inspirational story, but it is also a scripture that somehow, as far as I can remember, I've never preached on before! 

Tabitha was a nurturer and a caregiver; a woman of resource who prepared garments for many in her community, most likely widows and others in need. Her death was significant for the church, which is why so many approached Peter and asked for a miracle. 

There's a lot to talk about in regards to Tabitha's spirit of care, the church's belief in God's healing, and how Tabitha lives on today as we are inspired by her generosity. It's also especially fitting for Mother's Day!

We all have received care in various ways. We will give honor to those who nurture this Sunday. For some that is a mother; for others, it is a teacher or mentor or friend. Let’s make this a day we remember not only our mothers and those who have cared for us as mothers, but also how we are woven together as a community by the sharing of gifts and the offering of care to one another. Let us celebrate the family that we have become and are becoming in Christ.

Pastor Christian

Another Great Fresh Start Saturday!

Fresh Start Saturday was bustling last weekend! Thirty-nine guests were fed a hot breakfast and invited to join other activities taking place on our campus. Many availed themselves of showers and hygiene materials that were being distributed. Others "shopped" for new socks, underwear and sunhats that were donated specifically for this purpose, as well as gently-used clothing. Transit passes were handed out and prayers were offered to anyone seeking spiritual support.

As always, Fresh Start happens because so many people volunteer and donate supplies for this ministry. Also true, however is that the lines between the "neighbors in need" and the "neighbors who feed" are blurred as brothers and sisters gather to share friendship, food and time together. Thank you to Diana Larsen and Ron Beierle who head up our wonderful team of volunteers!  The next Fresh Start will take place on Memorial Day Weekend and travel plans may affect our number of available volunteers. If you'd like to participate, contact Diana.

Dining Out For a Good Cause

On April 28, The LGBTQ Community Center held its 16th annual Dine Out for Life program to raise money for the Center's AIDS Treatment and Prevention Programs. Participating restaurants, bars, coffee houses and night clubs donated 25 percent of all the day's proceeds to this worthy cause. Pastor Christian treated staff members and key volunteers with LM1 at two participating La Mesa restaurants, Public Square and Surf Rider Pizza. Somehow, food and drink just taste better when the company is good -- and the cause is great!

United Women in Faith Meeting 

The UWF meeting for May was a packed house when LM1 and Foothills UMC held a joint gathering in our social hall May 4. What topic was important enough for this combined meeting? Our own Lynn Parsons shared about the problems of rising poverty and increased housing insecurity in both of our church's backyards of La Mesa and East County. Those in attendance were shocked to learn that nearly 2,000 households near LM1; 350 households near Foothills and almost 2,300 additional households in our combined communities exist in extreme poverty. It was also sobering to learn that 2,500 children in our area school districts are identified as homeless.

Not content to simply acknowledge the problem, the attendees of the combined meeting brainstormed ways to walk alongside these families and change their circumstances. Lynn challenged the audience to discuss what our churches are doing to address these problems, both in the short and long terms. Finally, those in attendance discussed what can be done to work with those in need as opposed to short-term charitable solutions that don't address the root problems.

If you'd like a copy of the PowerPoint presentation Lynn shared, contact the church office. 

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Also taking place at last week's meeting, the United Women in Faith honored Sue Tolivar as the "Quiet Disciple" of the year in recognition of her service at home, in the church and in the community.

Sue serves with our Children's Center, Days 4 Girls, Prayers & Squares and is the treasurer for UWF. Shown here with UWF President, Lois Knowlton -- we're happy to add our congratulations to Sue. Thank you for all you do for so many!

 

Volunteer With Project Homeless Connect

Crisis House is looking for volunteers to be docents for Project Homeless Connect on Friday May 13th between 9am and 2:30pm. The event, which will take place at Ronald Reagan Community Center in El Cajon is a "one-stop-shop" of necessary services and assistance for those facing housing insecurity. (Think medical assistance; vision services; legal advice; transportation options; haircuts; nutrition support; psychological advice -- so many daily needs that we can take for granted.) The docents assist guests by directing them to the appropriate providers and walking alongside them during the process. To volunteer, email Anna Marie Piconi Snyder.  

"Pressing Onward" Stewardship Campaign (May 15 - June 5)

Two words that can drain the spirit out of a congregation are "stewardship" and "campaign," but this won't happen to us! In fact, I believe that over our time sharing our hopes, dreams and excitement for the vision and future of LM1 together we will be both inspired and energized about how we will be investing in the ministries of the church.

The conversations we will have around stewardship will be less about the church’s need for money and more about the world’s desperate need for what the church has to offer and what we have to say about money, possessions, and generosity. Without the church—without our church—all the world will hear are the messages we are bombarded with every day about getting more, spending more, consuming more and about how accumulation of money will make us happier and more loved! 

There is no better time than now, as we move out of our "pandemic fog" into a new way of being the church and understanding how we support and invest in it to proclaim our counter-cultural message about possessions and money. We are at an exciting place in the life of the church, where we can acknowledge the past and what got us here, but focus more on the future, pressing onward toward the next horizon. LM1 has a vibrant and vital future that will contribute to the transformation of our neighborhood and the world. Let's press onward together.

Teacher Appreciation Week at the Children's Center

Create Lanterns AND Eat Ice Cream!

La Mesa First is excited to partner with Claudia Erickson and Unplugged Village for a great community event. Members of the church, the Children's Center and friends in the neighborhood will be invited to decorate paper lanterns for display in our labyrinth courtyard. This will be followed by an ice cream social under the stars to enjoy our creations hung beneath the lights.