The United Church of Los Alamos
 
 
 

United Chimes:  Vol. 40, No. 5, May 2004

Table of Contents
Front Page News
  From The Senior Pastor Search Committee
  Please Take Note
For Our Children & Youth
  Children’s Worship
  Nursery Coordinator
  Second Grade Bibles
  Nursery and Preschool Help is Needed
  Sunday Night Youth Group
Church News and Announcements
  Vacation Bible School
  Moms and More
  Recognizing Our High School Seniors
  Annual Review of United Church Staff
  Thank You for the Beautiful Sanctuary Flowers
  Highlights Refrigerator Calendar
  May Sunday Worship Themes
  Thanks for the Love Offering
  Church Attendance
  Church Bazaar
  Coffee Hosts for May
  Lunch Bunch Callers  for May
  All Church Camp
  United Church Mission Corner
  Reminders!
  Chimes Newsletter Deadline
  WCSS Circle Deadline
  Members of the Month
Prayers, Praises, Thanks and More
  Prayer Concerns
  Sympathy
  Prayer Letter
  Congratulations
  Chimes Neswletter on the Web
From Our Interim Pastor
  God's Pentecost Gift

As the time period of reviewing profiles comes to a close, our attention now focuses on finalizing a list of candidates to interview.  We have already sent follow up letters to 21 candidates asking for additional information, as well as sending 41 “rejection” letters.  While the committee work can be a bit exhausting, the search process has been a truly rewarding experience!  The faith journeys of many of the candidates are inspirational, and we look forward to the next step of learning more about them.

Thank you for your input on the selection process as well as keeping our church and us in your prayers.  As always, feel free to contact anyone on the committee if you have any questions or suggestions.

Committee Members:  Sandie Berner, Greg Boebinger, Mary Freese (Chair), Altana Gray, Jerry Grindstaff, Paul Mutschlecner, and Jennifer Schmierer.

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Please Take Note
The next CHIMES  deadline is Sunday, May 23rd, 2004 at 12:00 noon for  theJune 2004 issue.  Articles may be sent via email to: UCChimes@hotmail.com (note new email address) or put in the CHIMES Editor’s mail box in the Church Annex (room just outside the Church Office).

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May 9th  The Good Shepherd and the Wolf

May 16th  The Good Shepherd and the Lord’s Supper
               Last Day of Children’s Worship

Cathy Renfro is the coordinator for Children’s Worship.  Please contact her if you can be a storyteller or greeter (helper).

Sonday’s Kids will begin Sunday June 6th.  This summer program for children ages 5-8 is held during the summer, during the last half of the worship service.  Volunteers are needed.  Please contact Jean Picard at 662-2971 if you can help out.

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Nursery Coordinator
We are seeking an caring, organized and motivated individual to supervise our church nursery area.  This is a paid position involving about 5 hours weekly including Sunday mornings. The salary range is $10-15 an hour. The successful candidate for this position will be responsible for recruiting individuals to help with childcare in the church nursery and preschool areas on Sunday mornings.  He or she will make sure the nursery is open and ready on Sunday mornings and is a safe place for our young children.  For more information please contact Jean Picard, 662-2971. 

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Second Grade Bibles
Second grade Bibles will be presented to all second graders on May 16th during the 9:30 worship service.   Please call the church office, 662-2971 with the correct spelling of your child’s name as you would like it on the flyleaf.

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Nursery and Preschool Help is Needed
During the summer months we need additional help in the nursery.  We are looking for adults and youth 16 yrs and older to help during the 9:30 worship service.  This is a paid position. The salary range is $5-8 an hour. Please contact Jean Picard, 662-2971 or pick up an application in the church office.

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Sunday Night Youth Group
Come to the new youth group onSunday nights from 7-8:30 in Craig Hall.  All 7th-12th graders are invited to check out the new funktacular Craig Hall. 
See you there!

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Moms and More
Moms and More is a group of Moms who meet every Friday morning in the Church Lounge from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM for fellowship, food, to learn from speakers, to do occasional service projects for the church, and to support one another.  On April 23rd Gay Farley will speak about “His need-Her needs” and on April 30th, Tom Steward will give us some information about raising Boys.  (Those of us with just girls will need to attend too, because our girls will one day grow up to marry those boys.)  On May 7th, Marvel Harrison will speak about “Mind, Body and Spirit”.  While nothing is formally planned for May 14, I think that this day may be a good day for a service activity – I hear that an inventory of Grave’s Hall Kitchen is needed, or maybe we could help sort things at the Thrift Shop…   On May 21st, we will have a mom’s day out and moms with school age children will need this break as school activities are anticipated to be at a frenzied pace by this date - just drop your children off at the church and go and enjoy some time to yourself or with other like minded moms.  On May 28th, let us remind you that this is the beginning of Memorial Day Weekend and there is a good possibility that we will not meet.  So while everyone is in the midst of mentally switching from School activities to Summer activities, having your first cookout or visiting the pool, please take some time to remember all that have served our Country, Homes, and Freedoms with the sacrifice of their lives and those serving now, in your prayers.    We encourage anyone interested in participating to attend any of these meetings to help steer the group’s activity toward your interest and concerns. 

All are welcome, even if your children don’t need the child care provided as noted below.  Come join us. 

Childcare is always provided during Moms & More, and a $2.00 per child contribution is greatly appreciated. 

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Recognizing Our High School Seniors
Seniors!  Congratulations on this important milestone in your life.  On Sunday, May 23rd at 6:00 pm the United Church will recognize its high school seniors with a dinner in Graves Hall.  We will celebrate this important transition in the life of our high school students.  Students who have participated in the life of our church through their membership, attendance at youth activities or by attending our Mexico Mission Trip will be honored at this event.  We  encourage all seniors to attend with their families.  Please RSVP to the church office by May 21st if you are able to attend.

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Annual Review of United Church Staff
During May and June, each of our eight church employees (pastors, program directors and  support staff) participate in their annual performance review.  The review process provides a forum for the exchange of information about the staff of The United Church's job descriptions, responsibilities, plans for the next year, professional goals, and an assessment of the previous year's performance.  Each review panel will be led by a member of the Personnel Board with representatives from the particular church Boards that work most closely with the staff  employee.  Members of the congregation are invited to submit by email any relevant comments about the work of any of the staff to Brian Newnam, Personnel Board Chair.

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Thank You for the Beautiful Sanctuary Flowers
The altar flower committee wishes to thank the following for flowers in March and April: Greg and Karen Boebinger, Doug and Mary Venable (Hospice daffodils), Bob and Emily Nance, Gerry and Georgia Strickfadden, Howard and Joyce Grant, and Mark and Julia Mundt.

For Holy Week, the Palm Sunday arrangement was by Bunnie Newman and Margaret Hanson. The Easter Sunday flowers were arranged by Lynn Parker with members of the altar flower committee.  A special thank you for the additional Easter lilies provided by the members.

The Elders provided the palms and Easter flowers.  The members of the altar flower committee place the arrangements and candles for the Sunday services.  They also provide the flowers (fragrance  free) for Sangrey Chapel.  If you would like to help the committee, please notify Dorothy Crawford, chair.

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Highlights Refrigerator Calendar
 

May 2	2:30 pm	New Member Orientation in the Lounge
	6:00 pm	Stephen Ministry Continuing Education Topic: How to be an AssertiveChristian led by Bob Weeks
May 4	6:00 pm	Christian Board in Lounge
May 8	8:00 am	Trustees Work Party
May 9		Mother's Day
	6:00 pm	Stephen Ministry Supervision in Lounge
May 10	7:00 pm	Membership Evangelism Board in Lounge
May 11	6:00 pm	Christian Education Youth Subcommittee in the Lounge
May 12	4:00 pm	Sombrillo's Worship Service at Sombrillo
May 16	8:00 am 10:30 am	New Member Breakfast in Graves Hall Sacrements Class/Second Grade Bibles Presented to Second Graders during worship followed by the scarements class
May 18	6:30 pm 7:00 pm 7:00 pm	Finance Board in Library Elders Board in Lounge Mission Board in Room 115
May 22	9:00 am	Stephen Ministry Training Class Retreat
May 23	11:00 am 6:00 pm	Music Appreciation Sunday - Junior and Sanctuary Choirs will perform "Mass of the Children" at out 9:30 am service or worship. Puppet Show in Graves Hall Senior Appreciation Dinner in Graves Hall
May 24th  May 25th		Staff Retreat in Glorietta
May 25	7:30 pm	Executive Board in Lounge
May 30		Pentecost
May 31		Memorial Day - Church Office closed

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May Sunday Worship Themes
 

May 2nd	Rev. Grant will preach on having  "Fish for Breakfast?" His text for that  sermon will be John 21:1-19.
May 9th	Rev. Grant will preach on "A Christian's Badge." His scripture today will be John 13:31-35.
May 16th	Rev. Grant will preach on "If We Love Christ." John 14:15-31 will be his scripture lesson.
May 23rd	Music Appreciation Sunday.  Our Sanctuary and Junior Choir’s will bring us an outstanding choral presentation called “Mass of the Children”.  It was written by John Rutten.
May 30th	Rev. Logan will bring our Pentecost Sunday message based on Act 2: 1-21

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Thanks for the Love Offering
Chris and I would like to thank you all for the generous love offering that was collected by the congregation and given to us on Sunday, March 21.  We were quite surprised by the size of the gift and have had fun just talking about what we might do with it without even spending any of it yet!  As was suggested to us, we'll try to think of something "fun" to use it on...although with a 2-year-old and a 1-month-old on our hands, we sometimes feel like we're having more "fun" than we can handle now!  :)  Thank you so much again, and we look forward to seeing you all around the church!

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Church Bazaar
The WCSS will sponsor the church bazaar on Saturday, November 6th from 9-1.  Anyone interested in helping should contact Jean Picard.  This wonderful event will help support the WCSS mission projects.

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Coffee Hosts for May
May 2nd:  Janet and Chuck Tallman

May 9th:  Rick and Judy Posada

May 16th:  Phyllis Foley

May 23rd:  Ken and Jan Sinclair

May 30th:  Pat Slentz

If you get to the church by 9:00, that should be time enough to have the coffee ready by 10:30.  Please let Mardel know if you run out of things.  Be sure to give the Elders room for preparing the trays for communion on those Sundays.  Many thanks!  Irene Powell

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Lunch Bunch Callers  for May
Lunch Bunch Callers for May are:  Linda Goforth, Betsy Comly, Rosemary Benton,   Virginia Stovall, Margaret Browne, Marlene Henins, Ginny Phillips and Myrna Strong.

If you would like to be included in Lunch Bunch but didn’t get into his year’s booklet, please remind me so I can add your name month by month.

Janet Tallman
Lunch Bunch Coordinator

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All Church Camp

What is all church Camp?
         Each Labor Day Weekend members of The United Church gather at the Ghost Ranch Conference Center
north of Abiquiu, New Mexico for a weekend of learning and fellowship. (This year’s dates are September 3-6)
What kinds of things do you do?
         The weekend is built around a series of three lectures and a worship service. (see this year’s lecture titles below)  The 90 minute lecture sessions include singing, a presentation by a speaker, and a question and answer time.  Nursery care and a children’s program are provided during the lecture times.  The remainder of the weekend is open for family time or participation in group activities.  Mid and Senior High activities are available.
What kinds of activities are available?
         Participants have the opportunity to share meals, go on hikes, swim, participate in organized sporting events, play board or card games, nap, read, visit the Ghost Ranch Labyrinth, explore the Ghost Ranch Museums, or engage in any other activities they choose.  There are some organized activities in which people can choose to participate, or families/ individuals can choose to spend time on their own.  Friday and Saturday evenings there are organized campfire times for all participants.  The campfires include singing, skits, talent shows and a closing worship.  All Participants are invited to be part of the program if they choose.
Where do participants stay?
        There are four options for participants:
                 Camp at Ghost Ranch 
                 Rent a room at Ghost Ranch
                 Stay at a hotel or bed and breakfast in Abiquiu (15 minutes away)
                 Commute from home (1 hour and 15 minutes or so)
        The largest number of people camp, the next largest number commute.  If you want to camp and do not have equipment the planning committee will help you borrow what you need.

Saturday Morning Excavating Jesus: Kingdom Building in Galilee
Saturday Evening Excavating Paul: Christ versus Caesar in Stone and Text
Sunday Afternoon Digging the Gutters of Antiquity: Paul and Sexuality

Speaker is Dr. Jonathan L. Reed, Professor of Religion, University of La Verne, and director of the Sepphoris Acropolis Excavations in Israel.  He holds a PhD in New Testament from Claremont Graduate University and has participated in archaeological excavations for the past two decades. Reed is the author of numerous scholarly articles and two books.  His books are available in the church library.

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United Church Mission Corner
Month of March 2004

 Disbursement of funds for the month of March was made by the Mission board in support of some of the missions benefiting from its regular support: Casa Gloriosa, Cook College, Hope Pregnancy Center, Near East School of Theology and Pan American Mission. 

 Here is an outline of some of those missions:

 -Casa Gloriosa is a non-profit organization that houses infected and affected children with HIV/AIDS. Ken and Johna Reeves founded it in 1996. Over the last 6 years, 31 children, 5 men, and 30 women have lived at Glory House. The Casa Kids family extends to include more than 60 children.

 - Cook College and Theological School has been educating, enabling and empowering Native Americans for Christian leadership since 1911.  The United Church of Christ has been associated with Cook College since the 1940’s. There are currently 6 UCC students on campus.

 - Hope Pregnancy Center is a crisis pregnancy center providing counseling and guidance to individuals in need.

 - The Near East School of Theology (NEST) is an interdenominational Protestant theological  seminary, serving the Evangelical churches of the Middle East. In recent years it has also accepted  English-speaking students from Africa and is able to accommodate international students who have a special interest in biblical and Islamic studies in a Middle Eastern context. Dr. Mary Mikhael is the seminary's first woman president. The Ann Weir Fund, established by the Rev. and Mrs. Weir in the name of their daughter, helps women pursue degrees in theology and Christian Education.

 - Pan American mission. The Stendal family is operating a Christian radio station in the eastern plains of Columbia and provides spiritual help to Government and guerrilleros alike. Stendal’s latest mission is to reach out and provide books and Bibles to villages that have been cut off from civilization by the on-going civil war.

Month of April 2004

Disbursement of funds for the month of April was made by the Mission board in support of some of the missions benefiting from its regular support:  Moravian Church, Waterlines, Widows' Friend (Friends of Bangladesh), Los Alamos Young Life and Kairos New Mexico.

The following is an outline of some of those missions:

- Moravian Church (http://www.moravian.org/) The Moravian Church has stood for basic religious principles for more then 500 years.  Through these years the church has often put into written form the precepts of its faith and practice in what is known as the "Covenant for Christian Living."

- Waterlines is a non profit charitable organization helping set up small scale water systems and drinking water projects around the world.  Last year’s projects amounted to over 78 in countries like Kenya, Panama, the Philippines, Mexico among others.  Waterline is supported by private donations, members of churches, temples and foundations whose contributions allow material to be purchased for holding tanks, distribution lines and spring protection.  All funding goes to the water project itself, no portion is taken out for overhead.

- Widows' Friend (Friends of Bangladesh) Is a shelter for widows and children in Bangladesh providing food, shelter and education for fatherless families in need.

- Los Alamos Young Life (http://home.att.net/~yllosalamos/)
Young Life is a Christian outreach ministry to Junior High and High School students. Young Life, which began in 1941, is a non-profit organization committed to making an impact on kids' lives and preparing them for the future. Young Life leaders model trust, respect and responsibility to their young friends, and they do it within a meaningful context, within the context of a teenager's world.  Young Life provides healthy, creative fun, from weekly clubs to seasonal camping experiences to daily outings with leaders.

- KAIROS New Mexico (http://www.kairosprisonministry.org) is a program that has for it’s goal to encourage incarcerated individuals to recognize God's presence in their lives and to carry that presence with them upon release to assist them in becoming contributing members of society.

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Reminders!
Liturgists for May:  Lisa Reader, Nona Bowman, Jenna Tonelli, Laura Erickson and Marilyn Robbins.

Greeters for May: Gay and Thurman Talley, Dave and Mary Lu Breshears, Youth, Bob & Susan Tonelli and Bob and Wilma Cowan.

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Chimes Newsletter Deadline
June 2004 deadline is Sunday, May 23rd, 2004

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WCSS Circle Deadline
 

Circle I	Tuesday, May 11th, 9:30 am at 250 E. Alameda in Santa Fe	Kitty Russell, hostess
Circle IV	Tuesday, May 11th, In the lounge at 1:00 pm	Virginia Emelity, hostess
Moms & More	Every Friday, 9-11 am, with nursery provided	Lounge

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Members of the Month
       This month’s column is to honor all the children and youth of United Church, past and present. I’ve worked with too many of them to mention each by name, but it has been a pleasure to get to know them and work with them over the twelve years that I have been a part of the United Puppet People. When UPP first started working with youth puppeteers, it was because we needed someone to do small parts. But that was just the flame we needed to ignite our souls.
        From there, we started working more and more with the youth, giving them a chance to give a message. This was uncomfortable at first, because we didn’t know what to expect or who we could rely on. Jesus wiped that doubt from our minds the first time we had a puppet festival and let the youth do everything. It boggled my mind what even the smallest child brought to the program. Their enthusiasm, energy, and insight brought me to tears. Really. On the Sundays they performed and I was part of the audience, I cried because they were so good and the message as clear as if I’d performed the show myself. It was just what I needed to light my life.
        When John Charles and I started working with the youth to give a show, we were enlightened by the fish story. You know the one. Give a guy a fish and he eats once, teach him to fish and he’ll eat forever. We knew that, with our performances over the years, one or two of the children probably got the message we were offering, but we wanted to reach more of them. I shared with John the tremendous healing and spiritual guidance I’d gotten in my life from being a puppeteer over the years. Sometimes when I was the most troubled, just practicing these songs and listening to the script over and over gave me what I needed. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
        Thank you for letting us teach your children to fish. I know that as they perform these shows, they see the words with their eyes, hear them with their ears, and sing them with their voices, and it gets into their hearts. I know this to be true, because it did for me every time. Somehow, The Lord knew what I was hungry for, and he fed me. Just as he is feeding them. I still hum and sing songs that I’ve learned over the years, and dwell on the spiritual growth it gave me.
        I’m proud to work with the youth of United Church. I’m also glad that they put up with me and were patient with me while Jesus taught me how to work with them. I know that he’s working in their hearts and lives just as he did mine, and I trust that he is feeding them, if not now, then through their memories, what each of them needs or will need in their future lives. I find more and more that I see my role as the person who brings them the song and give them an idea, and then I just show up and God does the rest. These kids are fabulous because of him.
        Parents, I’d like it if you’d tell you children about this letter. If they have the patience, let them read it. If not, read them this part.
        United Puppet Juniors, thank you for changing me.
        Thank you for helping me see the world differently.
        Thank you for putting up with me.
        Thank you for inspiring me to work harder for you.
        Thank you for bringing me a fish.
        Thank you for making me cry.
        Keep up the good work. 

Wilma Durham

Nan Fife

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Sympathy
Prayers for Georgia Strickfaden and family upon the death of her mother, Georgia Wilder

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Prayer Letter
To receive the Prayer Letter please contact the Church Office at 662-2971 or email at UCoffice@losalamos.org

It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
Acts 3:16b

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Congratulations
Jennifer and Christopher Olsen are proud parents of a baby boy, Malcolm William Olsen from Jemez Springs, NM.

Chris and Deborah Worley are proud parents of a baby boy, Ryan Christopher Worley.

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Chimes Neswletter on the Web
Now available on our WEB site!  If you prefer not to have a hard copy sent to you, opting to read the CHIMES on the web monthly, please e-mail us your request at: UCoffice@losalamos.org  or call the church office at 662-9721.

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