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Register Now for Compassion Week 2020

Posted by Robb Serna on Wednesday, September 9th, 2020 in All Church, Serve & Social Justice

It’s time to check out this year’s Compassion Week projects and sign up! Compassion Week is scheduled this year for October 5-11, and there are more than 120 projects arranged for all ages and abilities. Visit the Compassion Week website to browse the available options and register for one or more opportunities.

Project focuses include creation care, human trafficking survivors, those who are hungry or unhoused, the elderly, the incarcerated, and more. There are virtual learn-and serve opportunities, materials for take-home sewing and crafting projects, and (socially distanced) on-site options. You will be sure to find something to suit you.

With so many virtual projects and opportunities, Compassion Week is not limited to Bay Area residents! Invite your friends to do a project with you, no matter where they live.

Caring for the Most Vulnerable

Posted by Robb Serna on Friday, March 20th, 2020 in Serve & Social Justice

“What can I or my kids do?” “What is the church doing?” In theses challenging times of sheltering in place, many of you are asking our Bold Service and Social Justice Team for suggestions regarding how to care for the most vulnerable in our community. Thank you for your compassion for our neighbors! We are pleased to share a resource that will help us identify what we can do.

On Tuesday, March 24, at 1:00pm, you are invited to join a Zoom call on “Caring For The Most Vulnerable During Challenging Times.” COVID-19 has shaken all of us, yet we know that some on the margins of our community are the most threatened during this outbreak. Rabbi Jon Prosnit, Congregation Beth Am, and Tom Myers, CEO of Community Services Agency (CSA), will lead a conversation about how we respond to our most vulnerable during times of crisis. CSA has been serving the most vulnerable of Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills for over 60 years.

The Gift of a Cup of Coffee

Posted by Robb Serna on Monday, January 20th, 2020 in All Church, Serve & Social Justice

Would you share your smiles and good will with early churchgoers by joining the Early Java Joy team? There are open positions to help host the 8:00am coffee hour on Sundays. It is an easy task that is also an important ministry to our congregants.

Food Service staff prepares pastries and coffee; you set the table and greet people as they arrive. The Early Java Joy team works in pairs and arrives at church at about 7:30am. At least four new hosts are needed, as the previous hosts have moved on to other church involvement.

Additional hosts are also needed before and after the 10:00am worship service.

Please call Linda Nordmann (650-948-1083) or Jan Grace (408-725-1632) if you’re willing to join our coffee ministry team.

Congregational Care Ministry Seminar, March 13–14

Posted by Robb Serna on Thursday, December 5th, 2019 in Adults

Congregational Care is critical in every local church, and no one person can address all the hurt of a congregation or community. LAUMC’s Congregational Care team is sponsoring a comprehensive two-day training seminar on Friday and Saturday, March 13–14, 9:00am–4:00pm each day. The seminar will be led by the Rev. Karen Lampe, a renowned expert in congregational care ministry, to train volunteers to become partners in ministry with pastors and staff to provide care for a congregation. Leaders at other local churches are invited to participate as well.

Rev. Karen Lampe served as the executive pastor for congregational care at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection for 12 years, creating a model of care that empowers lay people to become Congregational Care Ministers (CCMs) who work alongside their pastors. Karen has authored two books and has taught this model of care to churches throughout the U.S. She believes that care is the heart of the church, no matter what size the church is, and when churches can do this part well, it draws people to their faith community.

Space at the seminar is limited, so early registration is encouraged. The cost is $50 per person, which covers training materials plus breakfast and lunch on both days.

Little Hands, Big Hearts Christmas Craft Faire, Dec. 8

Posted by Robb Serna on Sunday, November 24th, 2019 in Children

LAUMC’s Children’s Ministries and the Children’s Center Preschool will be hosting a craft-making faire on Sunday, December 8, at 11:15am in the Children’s Center. If you remember Creekside Christmas from previous years, we will be bringing back some beloved crafts and also introducing some new favorites! Children and their families will get into the holiday spirit and have fun creating beautiful Christmas keepsakes and gifts, decorating cookies, and donating unwrapped toys to children in need.

Creekside Christmas alumni, would you like to share your crafting expertise? Contact Michelle Caudle to volunteer at a craft table or help out in another way.

Compassion Week 2019 Highlights

Posted by Robb Serna on Tuesday, October 22nd, 2019 in All Church, Serve & Social Justice
Compassion Week logo

For the seventh year in a row, LAUMC suspended regular worship services for one fall weekend and instead offered opportunities for congregants to put their faith into action through participation in a range of service projects. By all accounts Compassion Week was once again a resounding success. Over the course of the week:

  • More than 2,000 volunteer positions were filled
  • More than 100 service projects were covered
  • Participants addressed a range of needs, including feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, visiting prisoners, ensuring safe and affordable housing, cleaning up the environment, assembling hygiene kits, and being in dialogue with our neighbors

The partnerships formed this year with Los Altos Community Foundation and several other faith communities expanded our reach and contributed to the higher participation rates this year. The week ended with a joyous celebration dinner and worship service in Creekside.

Sign Up Now for Compassion Week 2019

Posted by Robb Serna on Saturday, September 21st, 2019 in All Church, Serve & Social Justice
Compassion Week logo

Compassion Week is almost here! The planning team has organized more than 100 projects, offering something for everyone, regardless of age or abilities. Available service projects address a range of local and global needs, including hunger, homelessness, education, environmental preservation, veteran support, and social justice issues. Pick one or more projects to serve September 30 – October 6, then come back to worship and eat dinner together on Sunday, October 6, 5:00–7:00pm, in Creekside. (There will not be morning services that Sunday.)

This year, Compassion Week is presented in partnership with Los Altos Community Foundation, Christ Episcopal Church, St. Nicholas and St. Williams Catholic Parish, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Grant Road. Our partners will be hosting some Compassion Week projects at their sites, in addition to projects held here at LAUMC and at various organizations around Silicon Valley. There are also projects that can be done on your own, either at home or with your small group—look for the “Anytime” project for instructions.

Visit compassionweeklosaltos.org to check out the projects that are scheduled and sign up. You may also sign up in the Redwood Room this month between Sunday worship services.

After you have served in one or more Compassion Week projects, come share your successes and stories at the Compassion Week Celebration, a worship service and dinner at LAUMC on Sunday, October 6, 5:00–7:00pm. Meet other volunteers and some of the organizations served, enjoy live music and a slide show, and eat dinner together. The suggested donation for the dinner is $10/adult and $5/child. Please register online so that the organizers can get an advance head count to plan sufficient food quantities and seating.

Change for Change, Sept. 22

Posted by Robb Serna on Monday, September 16th, 2019 in Give, Serve & Social Justice

The New Covenant Choir invites everyone to participate in its annual “Change for Change” collection. Bring your spare change to church on Sunday, September 22, and drop it in the collection bucket in the Narthex. The collected change will go to Salinas First UMC’s prescription medicine program, which helps homeless clients afford medications that are critical to maintaining their health.

Children’s Community Sunday, May 5

Posted by Robb Serna on Monday, April 15th, 2019 in Children, Serve & Social Justice

You are invited to a “Little Hands/Big Hearts” Children’s Community Sunday on May 5, 11:15am–12:45pm, to work side by side with children in hands-on service activities focusing on helping soldiers. Please come for an uplifting sing-along led by Pastor Dirk, refreshments, and community service projects. There will be activities that all ages can participate in, including making care packages and writing cheerful cards.

Leading up to the event, our Children’s Center Preschool is collecting items to make Care & Comfort Kits that will be inserted in the soldiers’ care packages. You are welcome to donate any of the following: individually wrapped packets of gum, lollipops, Skittles, Corn Nuts, small cereal boxes, instant drink mix packets, or travel-sized containers of deodorant, lip balm, tissue packs, hand sanitizer, and nonaerosol sunscreen bottles. Bring the requested items to the Children’s Center Multi or order any of the items via the preschool’s Amazon wishlist. Thanks!

Puerto Rico Hurricane Recovery Trip, Feb. 2019

Posted by Robb Serna on Monday, October 22nd, 2018 in Serve & Social Justice

Hurricane Maria, one of the most powerful hurricanes in history, devastated the island of Puerto Rico in 2017. Puerto Rico’s residents continue to face a long and challenging recovery. Any interested adults (18 years and older) are invited to join a Volunteers in Mission trip February 15–23, 2019, to assist in the rebuilding effort. The team’s assignment will include a variety of construction tasks, with specific details disclosed closer to the time of the trip. 

The registration cost is $500, which includes meals, lodging, insurance, and transportation, plus an additional $425 to $800 for air travel. The Methodist Church of Puerto Rico (MCPR) has arranged for teams to stay at a retreat camp or a local church. Conditions will be somewhat rough—little or no electricity, no air conditioning, and no hot water (drinking water and meals will be provided). A pre-trip meeting will be held on Sunday, January 13, 2019. Registration closes on December 15. 

The team will be led by Leslie Carmichael of Los Altos UMC and Steve Elliott of Asbury UMC in Livermore; both are very experienced team leaders and co-leaders of the California-Nevada Conference Team to Puerto Rico in March 2018. For more information or to register for the trip, contact Leslie (650-468-7890).

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