At the beginning of March,about 40 men from UPC went to Calvin Crest for the 17th annual UPC Men's Retreat. Every year this is a special time for many of the men of our church, and this year was no exception. The men who worked on the committee this year worked hard to envision some new ways  of relating to one another and to the task of discipleship we all share.  

       The theme was "Where Is The Fire," and one of the new things was to ha

the tone for the weekend. During the weekend itself, we spent a lot of time with Scripture, in personal and small group reflection, and there were great times of worship, group fun and laughter, and of course an afternoon of free time, to recreate in whatever way each man wanted. And for the second year, Dean Hodgson provided a wonderful meal that helped us enjoy the gift of taste, sight and fellowship.

       The question is, of course, did we find the fire? I received an email a couple of days after the retreat, and I would like to share it with you.  

Tedd,
     Just wanted to write a note to thank you and the committee for another meaningful men's retreat. Having been on the committee in the past, I know it's tough to anticipate what programs or format will appeal to "the brothers" each year.   

       Above all I see the retreat as a place and time to go and relax, share and be filled with God's spirit. I was ready for that after kind of a rough Friday. I always enjoy the music and the discussions are good... and thought-provoking, but... making the effort to find a NEW brother you maybe don't know well and share and open up is really what the weekend is about. We all have struggles and regrets - no matter our age or where we are in our Faith Walk. Just getting together and talking with others is helpful -  

especially men you can be open with and trust.  

      I remember a discussion with my roommates one evening when I realized "I'm not alone in how I feel (at this stage in my life)" - these guys have been there TOO, and can give me some insight. It's nice to have a trusting group of brothers you can share with and who will hold you accountable on things when necessary. I was glad to hear you announce the importance of involvement in a small group. No matter what comes your way in life, it's comforting to know you have people who care about you, share your faith and can help you sort things out.  

      Thanks again,

I sensed this was not an isolated response to our weekend. A number of  other men seemed to find the Fire, and I pray that the connections made, with one another and especially with the Lord, will carry on in the life of UPC  

as a whole.

Our staff assists our elders and deacons in shaping the life of our congregation, helping us grow in our love of God and extend that love to others.  This year, and next, three staff transitions mean we'll say goodbye to some treasured friends and colleagues, and enter into a whole new era of mission and ministry.  These are very important transitions and we have good leadership teams guiding us through them.  Below is a short update on those transitions:  

     Children's Ministry coordinator search

       Aimee Dillon has served as our Children's Ministry coordinator since May 2010.  She's brought energy and passion for children to her work among us.  Her last day with us is April 15. She is marrying her sweetheart, who is in the Coast Guard, and the beginning of their life together means an end to the partnership between Aimee and UPC. She's assisted our Children's Ministry team in expanding our ministry to families with young children -- especially helping to make nursery care available on a more consistent basis. She's also enjoyed creating special outings for our elementary school children and growing our fall Harvest Festival community outreach.

       Elder Jane Reid chairs a search committee made up of Donna Brady, Kathleen Smith, Wendy Warnes and a member of the Human Resources team.  We are committed to developing outstanding programs for the increasing numbers of young families, children and youth that are coming to UPC.  We want to help them find the community they seek as well as grow in their faith and quality of life.   

       Please ask God to give the team guidance as they seek the person who can help carry UPC into a new era of ministry and mission.  

    Office manager search

       Melissa Stephenson, who's served us faithfully and effectively for the last three years, will begin her student teaching assignment this summer.  She's completing her teaching certificate at Fresno State.  That means she's unable to continue working in this full-time position.  She has brought strong organizational skills to our congregation's administrative hub.  Not only does she manage the day-to-day affairs of the office, but she's developed strong relationships with members of our congregation.     

       Elder Bob Mitchell is heading up the search team that will find a replacement for Melissa when she finishes working for us on May 17.  Would you consider praying for this process, inviting God to give us grace to find a person who can become an effective partner for our leaders as well as all who walk in or call our office? 

     Associate pastor retirement and search

       Late in the spring or early summer of 2013, Pastor Tedd Lyons intends to retire.  We intend to honor him as our pastor emeritus -- which means he will retain a relationship with our congregation, though he'll have no formal responsibilities.  He has, however, told us that he intends to continue his vital ministry of pastoral calling on a volunteer basis.  This is good news for us.  Tedd has considerable skills as a pastor and experience as one who's walked through a lot of the ups and downs of our lives. 

        In order to bring someone into the associate pastor position, UPC will have a lot of work to do to make the transition smooth as well as to assess the state of our life together.  We must also determine the form the new associate pastor's ministry should take.  

       Toward that end I will work with our Session this spring to form what I'm calling the New Era Working (NEW) team.  That team's work will provide an assessment of our strengths and weaknesses, envision the direction our ministry to families, children, and youth ought to take, and recommend a staff design that includes a revised associate pastor position description as well as any additional support staff positions necessary to advance our ministry.

      The NEW team's assessment will form the background from which it can write a draft of our congregation's Church Information Form (CIF), which the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee will use in early 2013 as the basis for position recruitment beginning in mid-2013.

         So, here's another important matter for you to hold in your heart and in prayer.  Please ask God to give us the wisdom we need to take advantage of the strengths of the past, building on them with new energy and vision. 

Each year during Easter we remember the Father's gift to us in the life, death and resurrection of his son, our Lord Jesus Christ -- the beginning of the good news about Jesus.

     Our evangelism discussion group is continuing to meet each Sunday between services in the Fireside Room to explore what it means to be a people of the good news. Through the Holy Spirit we are learning that we all possess a piece of the mystery that is the good news in Jesus Christ which is lived out in the context of our shared lives; and that we can only come to the full understanding of the Gospel message through community, through the sharing of our lives with one another.

In the end, evangelism may simply be the sharing of Christ in us with those that slumber in the spirit and introducing the poor in spirit to the saving knowledge of Christ in them, the hope of glory -- everlasting life in the family of God.

      I am discovering in my studies that there may be two competing gospels in the New Testament: the gospel about Jesus and the gospel of Jesus. So in my effort to follow Jesus and understand his great commission to go preach the Gospel to all nations, it has become important to me to understand which gospel He was referring to.

     Of one thing we can all be sure, we are all called to share the good news; and we cannot do that effectively until we understand what that means. If you are interested in this area of inquiry please come and join us, and please feel free to write or phone me if you would like to know more about this important work.

Jim Brannan, elder for evangelism 

• Point to the Power of Genesis: Walt Blore will continue to lead this in-depth study of the book of Genesis.
• "The Prodigal God": We are starting  a compelling study of the parable of the Prodigal Son with the Rev. Tim Keller. In this six-session DVD study, Keller points out his belief that it is not right to single out only one of the sons as the sole focus of the story. "Even Jesus doesn't call it the parable of the Prodigal Son, but begins the story saying, 'A man had two sons.' The narrative is as much about the elder brother as the younger, and as much about the father as the sons. And what Jesus says about the older brother is one of the most important messages given to us in the Bible. The parable might be better called the Two Lost Sons."

Session Summary for March  

The UPC Session met on Tuesday, March 6. There was no regular Session meeting held in February. Here's a brief summary of the meeting and the actions that were taken:

-- The Clerk of Session recorded an email vote by the Session approving the recruitment for a Children's Ministry coordinator, including forming the search committee, recruiting and selection for recommendation to hire. The members of the search committee will be Donna Brady; Kathleen Smith; Wendy Warnes; Elder Jane Reid, chair of Children's Ministry; and either Jane Middleton or Melissa Manion, representing the Ministry of Human Resources. The current Children's Ministry coordinator, Aimee Dillon, will be leaving in April.

-- The Session approved setting aside the Session guidelines regarding limiting the participation of ministry team members to three (3) consecutive years in the case of Southeast Asian Ministries, in order to provide temporary flexibility for this specialized field of UPC's ministry.

-- The following additional 2012 ministry team members were approved:

•     Southeast Asian Ministries: Sandra Eaton.
•     Adult Ministries: Kent Clark, Rob Morgan and James Swanson.
•     Worship and Music: Donna Lee Zimmerman.
•     Children's Ministries: Anne Klapste, Lisa Leeds, Ann Morgan and Elizabeth   Morgan.
•       Youth Ministries: Judi Tapia.

-- Elder Cordie Qualle was approved as the non-Session elder on the 2012 Nominating Committee.

-- The following fundraisers were approved:

•      The Presbyterian Women will be accepting donations for Mother's Day cards to benefit Healthy Women Healthy Families, a project of the PC (USA) International Health and Development office. The cards will be available for two Sundays prior to Mother's Day, May 13.
•      Southeast Asian Ministries will be raising funds to help our brothers and sisters of the Lao Evangelical Church, whose largest church in Laos, the Nakham Church, was destroyed by fire on Feb. 16. Nakham Church is the national headquarters for the Lao Evangelical Church.

--  The Session approved an Easter Mission trip for the youth to Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center in Lake Tahoe, Nev. The trip is planned for March 31- April 5.