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The University Press
| October 2011 |
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"I am the vine. You are the branches.
... You can't produce anything without me."
John 15:5
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The First Epistle of University Church, Fresno
by Dr. Chris Neufeld-Erdman
Pastor Tedd serves as the Moderator of the San Joaquin Presbytery -- the representatives of our local PC(USA) churches. He asked me to write an epistle from UPC to the Presbytery (fashioned after the New Testament letters), which would be  read during Holy Communion at the September presbytery meeting in Madera. He wanted it to say something about who we are, what we're doing, and how we need prayer. Below is that epistle -- a snapshot of our life together at this point in time.
University Church, called by the Father, united to Christ Jesus, and sent in the power of the Holy Spirit,
To the Presbyterians scattered around the San Joaquin Valley, in cities and towns, in the foothills and on farms -- not one of us unimportant, none of us left out of this mission we've been given to make known the way to God to all people. No one excluded. No one unworthy. All of us beloved.
What love the Beloved has poured out upon us all in abundance! And what a wonder it is that we get to share together in inviting everyone to the Table, the Feast of Christ! Around us everyone's acting like the sky is falling, both in the church and outside it. Outside the church the political parties are sniping and cutting at each other, and inside we're doing pretty much the same. That kind of negativity is infectious. But we're keeping our hands well washed in the waters of baptism so we don't get sick along with them, and miss out on what the Lord Jesus has for us.
Baptism and Eucharist keep us washed and well fed on Christ, clean and healthy. What we want you to know is that the Great Commandment is what we're all about - -we're trying to be a place where the love of God and love of neighbor live at the heart of our life together. And so we'll need your prayers. Both Satan and our sins don't want this. So, pray that we'll live out what the Lord wants us to do and be right here where we're planted.
We're in the shadow of some megachurches that attract folks with their religious goods and services. And it's hard to compete with them. They're attracting lots of young people, who like the "bling." But we're getting some of their refugees. Young people who see through the veneer -- the golden calf Christianity -- and hunger for something more real, more holy, where God is more than an idea to be debated or a commodity to be consumed. When they learn that these churches bar women from serving in leadership, they usually come running. So, we're gathering them up and teaching them the faith, and our young adult ministry is growing. Pray that we can continue to reach the unchurched young people of Fresno.
Speaking of the unchurched, even the de-churched, we're learning that what people are really hungry for is direct personal experience with God. Our ministry of teaching the Prayer of the Heart through our Monday and Thursday night Centering Prayer groups, weekend workshops, and annual urban retreat is drawing lots of people who are turned off by institutional religion. They're finding Christ through prayer, not doctrinal argument.
And this kind of experience of prayer is not only evangelistic, it's missional. United to Christ in the Spirit, there's a rebirth of servanthood among us. We send teams annually to i nstall water purification systems in Southeast Asia. Some are pounding nails each Saturday at our Habitat for Humanity build. Others are organizing meal deliveries to the hurting, reaching out to share their skills with the elderly who need a helping hand, or making sure the lonely aren't forgotten and the poor in our midst have food or a referral to someone who can help. We also want to make sure this is a hospitable place for those who are burned out with the way the larger church has handled the sex wars.
So, pray that our life of prayer would deepen and broaden -- more and more people experiencing genuine intimacy with God, more and more people aroused by God to love and serve those around us.
With Christ inside us, his love compels us toward these things, and also to hold fast to our commitment to remain your partners in the mission and ministry we share. Come hell or high water, we are with you and trust you will stand with us.
Peace to all of you who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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Music and Worship: UPC's wonderful ensemble
As many of you may already know, UPC has been blessed for the past year with Richard Bergman, who has served as our worship coordinator since October 2010. Due to the recent change back to our fall worship schedule, Richard is no longer able to remain at UPC, since he also leads worship in another church out of town. As a result, there was a slight reconfiguration of job duties within our worship staff.
Elisha Wilson, our current Director of Worship and Music, will be directing our Connect service at 11 a.m. with a praise team, but since her job duties have increased slightly, she will be assisted by two of our current employees: Cactus Harris and Jose Correa.
While Cactus will remain our organist at UPC, he will also be assuming the position of Worship and Music Assistant. He will be conducting the Men's Ensem ble, helping plan our Classic Worship services, and will assist Elisha in various other duties. Cactus is in his third year at CSU Fresno studying Music Education, and he's also a drum major for the esteemed Bulldog Marching Band. He proudly serves as a member of the music fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha, and he enjoys singing in barbershop quartets with his friends back home in Paso Robles in a group called, "Cactus and the Prickly Pears."
Jose Correa was hired in June as our Audio/Visual Specialist. As our audio and visual needs grow with the progression of our services, Jose has been moved into the position of of Audio/Visual Coordinator. He will be helping to coordinate the rest of the A/V staff, preparing slides for worship services, updating the website with the weekly sermon audio recordings and other various duties. Jose is in his second year at CSU Fresno studying civil engineering with a minor in music. In the fall of 2010, Jose was chosen to be part of an elite group of students from around the country to participate in an ongoing research project associated with NASA. His project is focused on the composition of calcium oxalate crystals under micro-gravity conditions, and how they form in space, both on the moon and on Mars.
Along with Cactus, Jose is also a proud member of the music fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha, and he plays trumpet in the Bulldog Marching Band, as well as the scholarship pep band called the Bulldog Beat.
We have two additional wonderful helpers in our audio/visual department. Matt Stolling and Stephan Squire have been serving us when we need extra help for our services. We often have special events here on campus for which they run sound and manage the building. Please give these guys a warm hello and thank them genuinely for all their hard work.
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Celebrate Bachtober!
Get ready for the passionate and exhilarating sounds of Johann Sebastian Bach all through the month of October. You won't want to miss our Classic Worship services. This "Bachtober" musical event will feature our own UPC Chancel Choir singing angelic Bach chorales, Cactus Harris on harpsichord, our talented pianist, Hailey Groves, Bach's cello suites transcribed for horn in F, the Fresno Pacific Brass Ensemble, and much, much more! Come join us in worship!
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Adult Ministries: Asking the hard questions about Christianity In October, we will be beginning a new six-week study of the book by the Rev. Timothy Keller titled "The Reason for God." Captured live and unscripted, pastor and author Timothy Keller me ets with a group of people over six sessions to address their doubts and objections to Christianity. Using literature, philosophy, real-life experiences, and the Bible, Keller and the group explore the truth of Christianity. Oct. 2: Isn't the Bible a myth? Oct. 9: How Can You Say There Is Only One Way to God? Oct. 16: What Gives You the Right to Tell Me How to Live My Life? Oct. 23: Why Does God Allow Suffering? Oct. 30: Why is the Church Responsible for So Much Injustice? Join us for this DVD presentation of live sessions struggling with these questions followed by our own wrestling with these questions. |
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Missions: Crop Walk...."There's enough for all"
It's that time of the year again. The annual Church World Service Fresno/Clovis Crop Walk will be held Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2:30 p.m. This year's host is Unitarian Universalist Church-Fresno, at 2672 E. Alluvial Ave. (between Willow and Chestnut).
Individuals and families are encouraged to participate in this fun (but not athletic) event. It would also be a great group activity. Maybe your Bible study, Sunday school, youth g roup, book club, etc. would like to walk together.
Walkers will receive a sponsorship form to collect donations. Donations can also be made online at via UPC's Crop Walk webpage at www.churchworldservice.org/goto/upcfresno. Twenty five percent of the funds raised will go to our local Community Food Bank. The remaining funds are directed to disaster relief in the U.S. and abroad.
Signups for walkers and sponsorship will continue until the day of the walk. Look for the table out in front of UPC after both Sunday services. For more information, contact Kathleen Smith.
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Southeast Asian Ministries: Reaching out, gathering in
The UPC Lao Fellowship continues to witness to the community in many important ways. Revivals bring Lao-speaking Christians from eight congregations toge ther to encourage one another and promote unity through worship, leadership training, study, and learning from one another how to serve the Lord locally and nationwide. Non-Christian friends are invited to share the joy of knowing God and growing a deeper understanding about God's love. This year we have participated in or hosted four Lao-language revivals. The next Men and Women's Revival will be in October.
Our UPC members also meet together weekly to pray, study the Bible, sing, dance and plan the Lao-language worship services. We encourage all UPC members and friends to join us in worship at 11 a.m. On the first Sunday of each month we worship and participate in Communion with the English-speaking service at 11 a.m. Lao-speaking members of UPC also serve on many national and local boards and committees serving Southeast Asian-Americans in the U.S. and abroad.
Please keep praying for the Lao Partners travelers that will travel to install clean water in Laos in November.
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Lao Partners head back to Laos
UPC's Lao Partners is preparing to travel to Laos to install a Living Waters for the World clean-water system in the village of Ban Na Sang Pai. The people of Ban Na Sang Pai are preparing the site and readying the team of volunteers who will be trained to install and maintain the system and teach the community how to make the best use of the clean water that will soon be available. Our partner, the Lao Evangelical Church, has established a relationship with the village leaders and is acti vely working to build on the developing trust to create opportunities to share God's word of love and care with the people of the village.
Now we need YOU. We need you to pray for the preparations. We need you to sign up for the prayer team to hold all our teams in prayer while traveling and working in Laos. We need you to support the purchase of system supplies, education expenses, and miscellaneous in-country expenses. There is no gift too small or too large! As of the writing of this article, we still need to raise $4,500 to cover expenses. God will use all the resources we can bring to this ministry to help the people of Ban Na Sang Pai have access to a clean, healthy water supply. Make your checks out to UPC and mark them Lao Partners. If you have questions or want to sign up for the prayer team, contact Sandra Eaton .
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Youth Ministries: Fall is filling up!
The month of September was a good one for the youth group. We were able to spend time together over Labor Day weekend and gave a hand parking cars for the first Fresno State home football game. And we just moved on to the book of Exodus in our Sunday night Bible studies and filming sessions. Right now
w e are following the Israelites as they wander through the desert with Moses and learning about the new covenant God made with them, the Ten Commandments.
Looking forward, the month of October is apple-picking month, which means that Sunday, Oct. 9, after the 11 a.m. worship service, we'll head up the mount to pick and juice apples for some homemade apple cider. Bring a sack lunch or eat before coming. We will leave the church at 12:30 p.m. We'll eat dinner in Oakhurst on our way down. Please contact Stephanie if you are interested and need more details.
Have a wonderful October!
The UPC Youth!
If you have questions, contact Stephanie Wright.
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| Children's Ministries: Treating the neighborhood!
Lots of fun-scary car trunks are still needed to fill the UPC parking lot for our annual Trunk-or-Treat, Monday, Oct. 31, from 6-8 p.m.
We are asking for donations of wrapped candy beginning Oct. 16. There' s a sign-up list at the Children's Ministry table after Sunday worship to offer your car trunk, help with games that evening and donations of candy and cupcakes.
Please volunteer to take part in this fun way to reach out to our community and our UPC kids with an alternative to Halloween trick-or-treating. If you plan to attend this fun event, please sign up at our Children's Ministry table after Sunday worship or email Aimee Dillon.
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Congregational Care: Breaking bread together
Mark your calendars now! Sunday, Oct. 23, we're sharing a pot luck to celebrate fall. Our special guests will be the new-members class. It'll start 5 p.m. So fire up your stove and prepare to have a good time.
Her e's what to bring:
A-G: main dish
H-R: side dish
S-Z: dessert
We always could use some help setting up after Sunday school and cleaning up afterward. Sign-ups will begin Oct. 2 between worship services. See you there! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coffee hosts needed: Pour out your love We are in need of more coffee hosts to serve coffee between worship services. Come join the fun. If you are a single we can pair you up with someone. It's not hard to serve your fellow worshippers. Interested ? Call Kathy Scofield. |
| World Communion Sunday: Valley Presbyterians worship as one
On Oct. 2, World Communion Sunday, join with Valley Presbyterians in worship, fellowship and service. A multicultural worship service will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Visalia at 4 p.m. It will include a mass choir, including UPC choir members, and the sermon will be by Dr. Gary Demarest. After worship, we will work together, putting together hygiene kits to be used in mission work, and we will enjoy a potluck meal together. Gather with us!
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All Men: Work AND faith
"All Men" is a dinner gathering on the thrid Thursday of the month for all men. This month, it's Oct. 20. We meet from 6-7:30 p.m .in the Great Room for dinner and a program. A nominal donation for the meal is requested. This month our speaker will be Jim Ayars. Jim is a member and elder at UPC, and has worked on water conservation projects all over the world. Come and hear how Jim considers his work as not just a job, but a calling of faith. |
University Presbyterian Women: Big plans
All women are invited to the October meeting of the Presbyterian
Women. We will gather in the Great Room at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday,
Oct. 11 for light refreshments and fellowship, an inspiring
program and our monthly business meeting. Planning will continue for the Fall Boutique, which will be Nov. 12 and 13. Proceeds from the boutique go to our various mission projects, including Living Waters for the World, Evangel Home, FIRM, Randy White, Earth Angels and several others. Come join us! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clean out your closets for annual boutique Have you done your fall cleaning yet? Presbyterian Women welcome your "gently used treasures" for our White Elephant Sale at the boutique. We are also looking for hand-made goods, baked goods, jams and jellies. Bring your special donations to the Great Room from Wednesday, Nov. 9, through Friday, Nov. 11 . Thanks for your support....and be sure to come shop on Nov. 12 and 13!
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GALS keep it together
Ladies, follow up on the fun times and connections you made at the Women's Retreat by attending GALS' Night on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Great Room. We have planned a fun evening of Bunko and would love to see you there!! No experience necessary -- just a desire to have a good time with your sisters-in-Christ. |
 STARS talk with Pastor Tedd
STARS (Seniors That Are Really Special) will meet on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 1:30 p.m. for "Conversation with Pastor Tedd." Bring any questions or topics you'd like to explore with Pastor Tedd and we'll enjoy a lively, informal afternoon talking over homemade pumpkin pie. All are welcome to join us. |
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"Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it."-- Deuteronomy 24:15
"Biking 200 miles seemed a small price to pay for such a just cause as this," said Bob Forbes, an elder at First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota, Fla.
Seven bicyclists took such a pilgrimage to the headquarters of a major grocery store chain on behalf of better pay for tomato pickers.
Read about the efforts of one partner of the Presbyterian Hunger Program's Campaign for Fair Food at pc(usa)justfood
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The "Thank you" Corner
Honoring UPC friends who make a difference
This month's "Thank You" goes to Kathleen Smith
From Pastor Tedd Lyons
Kathleen Smith is a wonderful servant. She offers her gifts in many ways, some of which, like giving excellent children's messages, are well known. But she has been doing something which is known only to a few people, mostly the elders who meet on Session. The Session enjoys a meal together to begin their meeting each month. The meal is provided by one or two of the elders. Kathleen has been volunteering to help whoever is responsible for the meal, and then does the clean up after the meal so that the elders do not have to. This is very much appreciated.
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ATTENTION!
Fall church workday!
Please set aside the morning of Saturday, Oct. 22 -- 8 a.m. to noon -- to help us spruce up
the UPC campus.
We will clean gutters, paint ceiling tiles, prune the base of trees and more.
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1 Stanley memorial service
Fresno St. game, 6:15
2 Communion
Majesty Theater pageant
rehearsal, 9:30 a.m.
3 PW work day, 9:30 a.m.
4 Deacons, 7 p.m.
7 Women's Retreat
Fresno St. game, 6 p.m.
8 Women's Retreat
11 PW 9:30 a.m.
Session, 6 p.m.
15 Fresno St. game, 7 pm
16 Majesty Theater
pageant rehearsal,
9:30 a.m.
17 PW workday, 9:30 a.m.
18 Prayer & Healing,
6 p.m.
19 Stars, 1:30 p.m.
21 Clippers, 6:30 p.m.
22 Church work day, 8 a.m.
25 Ministries, 7 p.m.
27 GALS' Night, 7 p.m.
30 Evening prayer
service, 7 p.m.
31 Halloween Trunk or
Treat, 6 p.m.
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Deadline for November newsletter is Oct. 15. Please email articles to Sarah Nettels and Melissa Stephenson or leave written articles in the newsletter mailbox in the UPC office.
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