The Sixth Stage of Spiritual Growth: Abiding in Love

                                                                       by Dr. Chris Neufeld-Erdman  

Most people tend to think of a goal, even a spiritual goal as an ascent from a lower level to a higher one, as if one is climbing a ladder or a mountain.  There are biblical precedents for this. Jacob dreamed of a ladder between heaven and Earth.  Moses climbed Mount Sinai to meet with God.  So did Elijah. Jesus climbed Mount Tabor with his disciples and at the top was revealed as the supreme Lord in shimmering glory while all below was shrouded in mist.

            Chances are, you too have considered these stages of spiritual growth as steps on a journey into heightened intimacy with the Divine.You may be trying to climb the steps upward, exerting yourself spiritually in an effort to find the fullness of God.  On the other hand, you may not be trying at all because it sounds like too much work or your resist what appears to be some kind of spiritual elitism.

       These stages certainly can be thought of and experienced as an upward path.  But there are dangers in viewing the spiritual life as an ascent.  In our world, people tend to scratch and claw over one another to get to the top of the corporate ladder, or look down with a sense of superiority over those below them.Spiritual growth does require discipline and courage, but exertion and effort and self-will nearly always end in spiritual disaster.Remember, the effort to reach the heavens with the Tower of Babel was a colossal mistake of human hubris (Genesis 11).

            If Christ teaches us anything, it's that the way up is down, the way to greatness is through humility, the way to possess All is to let go of everything.

            Stage six, what I call "abiding in love," is the end point in the journey, the goal of the spiritual quest.  When you arrive here, you realize that you've not been traveling up but in, to the depths of your being; you've been traveling down, into the fullness of your humanity.  You've become a fully integrated person. 

       You've not reached some pinnacle of perfection; instead, you've become more fully the self God made you to be.You own who you are.You have nothing to prove to anyone else.You need nothing to make yourself feel successful or worthy or lovable.  You don't need a new car, a better house, another spouse.You accept what you look like.You embrace your idiosyncrasies.  You receive life as it is and have learned to let go of the woulda, shoulda, coulda's.Judging yourself and judging others is no longer a need.  And you're no longer bothered by the challenges that come your way or lured by opportunities you must take advantage of or lose out.You're not attached to things, not even your life.  There's an equanimity and a magnanimity that possess you.  You're free from everything that once held you captive.

       This doesn't mean that you're passive and don't care about things like injustice, or for your family or work.It means that your life is lived from an entirely different source.  You're abiding in the love of God.  And this means that you will more effectively right the world's wrongs and battle injustice and care for others than you did when there was still a lot of you, too much of your unhealed ego involved, to mess up even your best intentions.

       Abiding in love is the fruit of years of spiritual practice.  There's no shortcut to this experience of full union with God in Christ through the Spirit, nor is there any way for you to bring yourself here.  It comes to you.  You become "a partaker of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1.4) only because you've participated all along the way with the mischief of God at work in you -- through all your joys and sorrows.  You've finally become fully human, alive to love, and therefore a person in whom all the fullness of God abides (Ephesians 3.19). 

       This doesn't mean that you will live without suffering or frustration, temptation or even anger.  Rather, when you abide in love, you know how to sublimate your reactivity to such things.  You can redirect your spirit quickly and re-establish yourself in the current of God's love. 

       Gratitude, warmth, and wisdom are the chief characteristics of those whom God has brought to this final stage, a stage that is a taste of the eternal life that awaits us beyond death.  These "saints" are a healing presence to us all.   

Our plans for Advent and Christmas         Dr. Chris Neufeld-Erdman                                               

Dear Members and friends of UPC:       

Advent and Christmas can become so familiar that the season no longer makes us giddy with joy.  And yet, giddy with joy is what this season wants of us.  It wants to make us giddy because God -- sovereign and majestic, eternal and almighty -- is mindful of humanity at Christmas (Psalm 8.4).  That alone ought to make us giddy, but there's more. At Christmas, God's not merely thinking about humanity, God's being humanity. God with us, remember?  God in us, one with us!  Divinity and humanity woven together, and humanity made sacred in the weaving. That includes you, me, everyone. No one on the planet left out, forgotten, ignored. I worry that we might too easily ignore all this.

            To help you experience the giddiness that's appropriate during Advent and Christmas, I hope you'll participate in the worship services and activities that we've planned for you and for the wider community. Here's a short summary of what's coming in December (there's more detail in other parts of this newsletter): 

• Dec. 4, acclaimed women's choral group Soli Deo Gloria performs at 7 p.m. 
• The week of Dec. 4, several concerts will be offered by musical groups from Fresno Pacific University. 
• Dec. 11 at 8:30 a.m. worship, a special bell choir interpretation of the historic "O Antiphons." 
• Dec 11, our Christmas Fest in the evening. 
• Dec. 18, our children's pageant during a combined worship service at 9:30 a.m.; then in the afternoon, we will carol in the neighborhood. 
• On Christmas Eve, Dec. 24  we worship at 7 and 11 p.m. 
• Then on Dec. 25, Christmas Day, between morning and afternoon activities, come to a brief, simple service of readings, carols, and prayers, 11-11:45 a.m. 
• Finally, Jan. 1,  we will worship in a single service at 11 a.m. 

 Thereafter we return to regular services at 8:30 and 11 a.m. 

Good news, bad news ... Bad news, good news     Pastor Tedd Lyons                                               

We have all been involved in this communication process. It is a way of making known something important. "I have bad news and good news. Which do you want to hear first?"

            Usually people say, "Tell me the bad news first." OK, here it is.

            Our Children's Ministry has noticed a decline in families with young children attending our first service. The children's sermon used to have 8-12 children come up to the chancel regularly. The children felt comfortable up there with those numbers. I can attest to the comfort level, because there were many times when the answers that they gave to questions were quick and often gave adults a smile (Art Linkletter knew what he was talking about). The Children's Sermon has been part of our worship for a long time, and many adults over the years have said it was meaningful to them. But with the numbers now down to sometimes three or even fewer, the children who come up seem less comfortable. It seems that it is no longer a necessary part of the interpretation of the Word in the first service.

            Now for the Good News. We have seen a significant increase in the number of young families with children attending our second service. In the last year we have baptized more than 10 children of members who attend the second service. These children, along with children from our neighborhood, are the most significant group in terms of numerical increases in our Children's Ministry. This trend seems to be continuing. More families with young children are attending the second service, and fewer are attending the first service.

            So there is a significant shift occurring in the life of our congregation, and Children's Ministry and Worship Ministry have concluded that the Children's Sermon in the first service is no longer necessary. But we want to be clear that families that have children and attend the first service will continue to have the full attention of Children's Ministry. This also means that we will have to continue to make efforts to connect families that attend second service with those who attend first service, for we are one congregation, and we are convinced that a multigenerational church is what the Lord wants us to be.

            I was extremely encouraged last week when I noticed one of our young mothers coming out of the Women's Bible Study that meets on Wednesday morning. This mom, who attends second service, has been enjoying Bible study with 15 more mature women who all attend the first service. More and more of these connections are what we are intent on encouraging.

            So, after Advent, we will no longer have a Children's Sermon in the first service. We will continue to watch, and if it seems that the numbers warrant it, the Children's Sermon will be brought back. At the same time we will continue to rejoice at the growth in our second service, and find ways to grow as a multi-generational congregation.  

Challenging times!                                               

Dear Members and Friends of UPC:
        We have heard many times about the mischief of God in our lives and in the
life of our congregation. We are excited to report that God is up to a lot of surprising goodness within our congregation and neighborhood. The Trunk or Treat was a huge success, the computer tutoring class had 30 children one recent week and we are seeing many new faces in each of our services.

       In addition to these blessings, an anonymous benefactor came forth with a
challenge to the congregation. As a result of Jim Gabel's report on the church's financial status and his challenge to meet this year's budget, our benefactor has challenged us to help meet our budget by pledging a dollar-to-dollar match up to a total of $4,000. The challenge will last until Dec. 18.
        If you decide to help, please designate the gift "in support of the year-end giving or year-end challenge." This will allow our financial secretary, Debby,  to properly credit your gift as part of the challenge.
        We are blessed to have such caring and giving members in our congregation.
As you prayerfully plan your giving for the remainder of the year, please consider including a little extra to meet this challenge. Thank you for your continuing generosity and blessings to you.

Jim Ayars, moderator, Board of Property and Finance 

Music and Worship: O come, all ye faithful!  

Youth Ministries: Christmas celebrations    

The month of November was filled with thanksgiving and fellowship. Not only did we finish our study of Genesis and begin to explore the time of the Judges,  we also had the opportunity to worship at the Christian Jam concert.

       December is promising to be just as exciting as November for the youth group as we get ready for -- and celebrate -- Christ's birth.

        Dec. 4 the youth group will be gathering as usual on Sunday night but instead of studying we will be tying fleece blankets to give to members of our congregation who are unable to worship with us every week.

          Dec.11 will be the youth's annual White Elephant Christmas party from

6:30-8  p.m. We'll exchange white elephant gifts, enjoy desserts AND fellowship.

          Dec. 18 we will be caroling with the congregation and delivering our Christmas blankets.

   For more information about events happening in December, feel free to contact Stephanie Wright at  Stephanie@upcfresno.org

Merry Christmas from the Youth!

Adult Ministries: Hallelujah -- The Bible and Handel's Messiah

For two more weeks in December, we will be able to enjoy excerpts from the oratorio masterpiece followed by a teaching about the passages used by Handel and lyricist Charles Jennens. We will have a chance for discussion.

  Dec. 4: Who Shall Abide the Day of his Coming?

  Dec. 11: For Unto Us a Child Is born

  Dec. 18 : No class. Don't miss the Children's Christmas Program at 9:30 a.m.! 

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Point to the Power of Genesis

This in-depth Bible study of the book of Genesis led by Walt Blore continues.

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Winter book study

Prepare for the winter book study,  which this year features "The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor" by Mark Labberton. This study will help initiate our theme, "Loving God, Loving Neighbor."     

Evangelism: Comfort and joy with carols       

Please join with others in our congregation as we share the Good News of Christ's Advent and birth as we go caroling Sunday, Dec. 18. There will be a group that will carol with our shut-ins at 3 p.m., and another that will carol in our neighborhood beginning at 5:30 p.m. If you have done this before, you know how meaningful it is. If you have not, join us for a time of great joy.

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Show your love

Do you need a new polo shirt and billed hat?  Why, sure you do! You do because 1) the price is right and  2) you get to advertise UPC in a subtle way.  

  The Evangelism Ministry will be selling polo shirts and billed hats featuring the UPC logo.  The shirts and hats will be offered in three colors: black, white and red. The logo will be another color so it will stand out.

  The price for the shirts will be about $15 and the price for the hat about $5 so for one "Andrew Jackson" ($20) you can purchase a set. Christmas is coming.  It might be a good stocking stuffer.  We will accept the payment up front and than place the order.  Delivery should be within a few weeks.  A size chart will be available to assist you in determining the correct size.  

   Stop by our table between Sunday services!    

Missions: Making strides to end hunger

Thank you to everyone who participated in the recent CROP Walk by walking or sponsoring a walker. Your generous spirit is an encouragement to all! Twelve walkers from UPC enjoyed a sunny three-mile walk in northeast Fresno surrounded by an energetic crowd of participants. Your efforts enabled UPC to contribute over $2,200 to help Church World Service address hunger around the world as well as in the Central Valley through our local Community Food Bank. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Kathleen Smith 

Southeast Asia Ministry: Pre-Thanksgiving serendipity

    On Nov. 9, Tout Tou Bounthapanya sent out an e-mail inviting folks to share a "luncheon" of Lao food after the Nov. 13 Lao worship service. She acknowledged that the late notice presented a challenge, and that the luncheon may be outside since UPC's Great room was in use for the annual Christmas Boutique.

       As it turned out, Sunday's weather was beautiful. Our Lao worshippers were soon filling a long table with two deep-fried turkeys and a broad array of attractive Lao dishes, salads, sticky rice -- and an amazingly delicious chicken-pineapple soup. As we looked around at the 20 or so people from our Lao congregation, our only concern was "Who is going to eat all this lovingly prepared food?"

       That concern was soon answered as the UPC ladies in charge of the boutique came out to join in this meal and Christian fellowship -- and this gathering attracted several folks as they came out of UPC's English language service.

        This proved to be one more serendipitous opportunity for our cultures to sit down, share a meal together, discuss recipes and continue to develop friendships. Our Lao language congregation has so much to teach us about the amazing gift of hospitality and breaking bread together as the Body of Christ.

Session Summary - Cindy Correia, Clerk of Session

The UPC Session met on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Here's a brief summary of the meeting and the actions taken:

1. The Session met with the newly-elected church officers, shared supper with them, and heard their faith stories as they answered questions based on the questions that they will be asked at their ordination/installation on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011.

2. The Session approved the date of Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, for the annual congregational meeting.

3. The baptisms of one adult and four children on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011, at the 11:00 service were approved. A later email vote approved the baptisms of two more children at the 8:30 service on the same day.

4. A resolution regarding the Pastors' Terms of Call for 2012 (salary/housing division for IRS) was approved, based on the amounts approved by the congregation on Nov. 6, 2011.

5. The Session approved the concept of building a columbarium on the church campus. The next step will be to form an ad-hoc committee of interested persons, in order to move the project forward.

6. The Session approved a proposed change to the UPC Bylaws that would reduce the minimum number of deacons from 21 to 18; the maximum number would remain at 30 deacons. The change will be presented to the congregation for approval at the Jan. 29, 2012, annual meeting.

7. The After-School Tutoring Program will be asking the congregation to purchase Christmas gifts (no more than $10 each) for tutoring children, which will be given to them during their annual Christmas party in December.

8. The format of the "Happy Birthday, Jesus" celebration following the single 9:30 a.m. Dec. 18, 2011, worship service will be a brunch potluck.

9. The time for the single worship service on Sunday, Dec.25, 2011, was changed from 11:15 a.m. to 11 a.m., which is the same start time as the single worship service planned for Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012.

10. Pastor Chris Neufeld-Erdman updated the Session on why the doves installation in the Sanctuary had not yet been moved. He felt that the congregation had not been sufficiently prepared for the removal of the doves, and that after Christmas, as part of the season of Epiphany and of the congregational practice of relinquishment, there would be a series of videos made where members of the congregation would speak about why the doves were important to them.

The breath of Life through music