A Word from Rev. Karen

Transformation and Transfiguration

Dear CUMC friends in faith,

This Sunday we celebrate the Transfiguration of Jesus -- a time when a few followers of Christ saw him in a new light.

We also conclude our "God is Holding Your Life" worship series with a focus on Psalm 50, which tells of a Creator who shines from the rising of the sun to the setting of the sun and comes to meet us.

We focus on the light of Christ alive in our lives as we prepare to enter the season of Lent.

It sometimes feels as if we have been living a year-long Lent of sacrifice, giving up time with beloved ones, time with one another.

This newsletter is filled with opportunities to worship, connect, and learn during Lent.

Our worship series in Lent -- Holy Vessels -- focuses on healing. We work for healing in our own minds, bodies, and spirits so that we are prepared to work in our communities for healing around so very many needs.

Our worship begins on Feb. 17 with an Ash Wednesday worship service live on Zoom. See details below about items to gather as we join together in worship from our homes.

On Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Feb. 16, we will also gather on Zoom for our traditional Pancake Supper. Join this fun time of fellowship for all ages with or without a plate of pancakes.

As we prepare our hearts and minds and souls for a Lenten journey, may our Divine Creator grant us strength and peace, and may our lives be healed and transformed in unexpected ways.

In prayer and care,
Rev. Karen
 

Ash Wednesday Worship

Ash Wednesday Worship
Wednesday, February 17 at 7:00 p.m.
This year we will join in worship live on Zoom to reflect on our mortality and engage ritual actions to commemorate Ash Wednesday.
Gather these four items:

• a small container of soil from a plant in your home or from a nearby landscape -- to represent EARTH

• a cande -- wicked or flameless -- to represent FIRE

• your own breath -- to represent AIR

• a bowl or cup of water -- to be WATER

We will join in prayer and scripture and reflection, and then we will join in a ritual action of remembrance that we are dust and to dust we will return. From our first breath to our last, we long to live as Christ calls us.

SAVE the Date: Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

Virtual Pancake Supper 
Tuesday, February 16
Zoom link will be sent Tuesday morning

Virtual pancakes won't taste the same as the ones our youth cooked and served last year, but flip your own and join the fun of a virtual pancake supper. All ages are welcome at all times or for the whole time.
Here is how the evening will progress:

• 5:30-5:40 p.m. Pancake contest - Bring your most creative shapes or most gourmet toppings; or share a family pancake story.

• 5:40-5:50 p.m. Mask Parade - Craft a Mardis Gras mask and wear it as we feature each household in a virtual mask parade.

• 5:50-6:10 p.m. Sierra Service Project (SSP) Focus - Joseph Makunga will offer background on SSP, and we will be counting on you to share tales from past SSP trips.

• 6:10-6:15 p.m. Closing Prayer with MYF benediction.

A Lenten Dismantling Racism Study

Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman
Claremont UMC's Dismantling Racism Committee invites you to a six-week study during Lent of Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman. This will be a one-hour, Lenten Study via Zoom, beginning on Sunday, February 21 at 11:00 a.m. (The zoom link will be sent by a separate email closer to the first class.) Please buy this short, powerful book, available on Amazon, or your favorite book retailer. Let's read together; let's reflect on what this wise prophet is saying to the disinherited and to all of us today. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi learned from him. There is a powerful voice that comes through from the disinherited that we need to hear.

Blessings, CUMC's Dismantling Racism Committee

You're Invited to Watch: "The Black Church: This is Our Story. This is Our Song."

CUMC's Dismantling Racism Committee invites all to watch this two-part PBS Documentary on Wednesday and Thursday, February 17 and 18 at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern Time--Check Local Listings). Click HERE and HERE to see trailers and clips of the documentary. Click HERE and HERE to learn more about this amazing rich opportunity.

Special Adjourned Charge Conference Now in March

Our adjourned charge conference to consider the 2021 budget has been rescheduled for Tuesday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. All are invited to attend virtually. We'll send out  the Zoom information closer to the date.

Virtual Conversations with John Cobb

This Sunday, February 14: What Are WE Saving?   

We’ve been following John Cobb’s thought on Salvation: Jesus’s Mission and Ours. The final session on February 14 is the “come to Jesus” moment! What difference will we make in our commitments as disciples of Jesus in this early 21st Century? What are we saving in our partnership with Jesus’ Abba?

We are located in many different communities, but we have come together with folks in specific faith communities (Claremont United Methodist Church, the Church of Our Common Home, and others) to ask “What Are WE Saving?” Dr. Cobb will present live options where we can make a difference—globally, nationally, in the Pomona Valley, and in The United Methodist Church. How will we respond?

If you have specific questions you’d like John to address in our last session, you may send them to jcobb@ctr4process.org.

The Zoom link for the class will be included in the Saturday "Where to Find Worship" email. Thank you for not sharing the Zoom link on social media.

~ Rev. Ron Hines

"Life Goes On" Returns

Part of the human experience is facing all kinds of challenges, dealing with loss, and working our way through grief that at times can threaten to overwhelm us. In the last 12 months, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us with even more sadness. We need the comfort and support of our faith community. As in the past, Life Goes On responds to this need by offering support, comfort, and objective information in a safe and confidential setting.

Life Goes On resumes its monthly gatherings – this time via Zoom – on Wednesday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m. by considering the theme of Sadness and Resilience in the Time of COVID. Each gathering begins with prayer and a short presentation, followed by small group discussion of whatever feels important to the participants. Watch for the Zoom link the week leading up to February 24th.  All are welcome.

Life Goes On will continue on the fourth Wednesday of the month through the spring. You may drop in as your schedule allows. If you have questions, please contact Paula Hui. If you need Paula's contact info., email the CUMC office at info@claremontumc.org.

You're Invited to a Virtual Hymn-Sing!

The CUMC Sanctuary Choir will be doing a hymn sing on the second Thursday of every month from 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. Everyone is welcome to join. If you have a hymnal at home, make sure to have it handy. Watch for an email to come with the Zoom link.

A Musical Meditation from Katie

The hymn for this week is "Shine, Jesus, Shine" found in The Faith We Sing, no. 2173.

Click HERE and enjoy!
~ Katie Franklin Ledsinger

We Are Praying For...

If you have someone you would like Claremont UMC to keep in prayer, and list on our prayer list, please email Jessica, prayers@claremontumc.org. Please indicate whether they are to be listed on the public prayer list, or kept private.

Please pray for these dear ones on our prayer list, HERE.

Claremont UMC Website

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