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Good newsjuly2016
1. First United Methodist Church of North Hollywood
GOOD NEWS
e-mail: nohofumc@pacbell.net
JULY 2016
facebook.com/nohofumc1 www.nohofumc.com
IN THIS ISSUE:
• Welcome Back Pastor
• Pets Unleashed VBS
• Summer Events
• Construction Update
GOOD NEWS is published monthly by
First United Methodist Church of North
Hollywood, California 91601
Phone (818) 763-8231
Minerva Carcaño
Bishop
Rev. James Powell
District Superintendent
Dr. Joey K. McDonald
Pastor
Congregation
Ministers
Jeff Thomas
Director of Music
Roger Eshleman
Organist
Nylean Rapinac
Administrator
Patty Kelsey
Director, Program Ministries
Jessica Renslow
Director, Outreach Ministries
The story of Jacob is found in several passages in the book of Genesis.
The basics are both simple and difficult. The simple part involves the
difficulty in conceiving Rebekah has. Then she is told in divine
conversation that she will have twins. They represent two nations in
conflict with the younger gaining the upper-hand. She gives birth to
Esau; however, Jacob is grasping his brother heel as they are born. Later
in the story Jacob takes advantage of his brother hunger to receive his
birth-right. Later still, Jacob tricks his father Isaac out of the blessing for
the firstborn. To make things interesting the name Esau in translation
could mean hairy or could also be interpreted as red which is close to the
meaning of the nation he would lead, Edom.
The difficult part of this passage is found in the story of Jacob. The
biblical narrative tells us this is a person who enters life trying to get an
advantage over his own brother. Gaining the upper hand on Esau isn
enough so he takes advantage of his father. In a later part of the story he
even tries to take advantage of God, Genesis 32:22-31.
How is it that God would take Jacob whose name meant e who tricks, he
who supplants and change his name to Israel which means, because he
has struggled with both humans and God and prevailed Biblical
theologian, Dr. Thomas Dozeman comments on this he story about
Jacob being chosen over Esau is not a story about divine destiny; it is a
story about divine grace. It is a story in which Israel looks at herself in
the mirror and at the people around her and concludes, ut for the grace
of God there I go. It is a story that underscores how there is nothing
inherent in the people of God to account for the gift of salvation. The
God of Jacob is a God of grace. Paul understood this and was moved to
say in writing to the people of Rome that he could do nothing good
without God’s help.
There are times when we think that faith is all about us, or that we
require no interaction from one another or even God for that matter to
be effective in our faith. At those times this story of Jacob serves as a
healthy reminder that our God is willing to be as graceful as necessary
until we understand, who we are and whose we are.
Your Friend and Pastor,
Joey
A NOTE FROM PASTOR JOEY
2. COME AND WORSHIP
The following Bible passages will be the basis for the 10:30 messages in July.
Please take time each week to read the selected passages.
July 3 For The Good Of All Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16
July 10 Since Then Colossians 1:1-14
July 17
July 24 TBA TBA
July 30 Pray This Way Luke 11:1-13
HIGHLIGHTS OF WORSHIP
June 5 - Today was the Third Sunday of Pentecost and Choir Recognition Sunday. We took a moment to
recognize the Choir for their dedication and hard work during the year. Patty Kelsey & Pastor Joey shared
some words of gratitude to our Choir, our Choir Director, Jeff Thomas, and organist, Roger Eshleman.
Pastor Joey’s sermon was based on Galatians 1:11-24 titled, “To Be Useful.”
June 12 - On the Fourth Sunday of Pentecost, Patty Kelsey shared a moment on forgiveness with the
children this morning, based on Luke 7:44, 47. Pastor Joey’s sermon was titled, “The Inclusive We,” based
on Galatians 2:15-21. Communion was served this morning.
June 19 - Today was Father’s Day and the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost. All the gentlemen in attendance
received a special gift. Pastor Joey’s Pastoral Prayer was in response to the tragedies of the past week,
specifically, Orlando’s mass murders. Gary Solt came down to accompany Jeff Thomas for special musice.
They shared “I Still Can’t Say Goodbye.” We recognized the Lake sisters today. Dianne Lake, graduated
from Yale and will be attending law school in a year. Her sister, Daniella, graduated from middle school
and will be heading to Notre Dame in the Fall. We also brought up Tara Varilek, who was in town after
spending two years in the Democratic Republic of Congo working for the State Department. Tara heads
to Washington DC on July 20th before flying to Nairobi, Kenya for another two years. Patty Kelsey shared
a moment with the children about giving our worries and cares to God, which was based on 1 Peter 5:7.
Norman Kelsey shared a message on Galatians 3:23-29 was titled “Welcome To Prayerville, Population:
YOU.”
June 26 - On this Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, we had a number of presentations, first was Deanne Cox
who presented Frank Rapinac with the UMW Special Mission Recognition Pin. Patty Kelsey shared
Vacation Bible School success with the congregation. All crew leaders and station leaders joined her
during the presentation and shared what the children learned during Pets Unleashed VBS! Deanne Cox,
Daniella Lake, Joe Forgione, Rachel Mottaz shared the project the kids worked on at VBS. We also
recognized two more graduates. Bryan Ancheta, who graduated middle school and Lisa Cheby, who
received her Master’s Degree in Library Sciences. Pastor Joey’s sermon, “Holy Transitions” was based on
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14.
Luke 10:38-42The Better Part
3. Mark Your Calendars!
Sunset Socials
Saturday, July 16th
Frozen Treat Social
Meet at 7:30 in our Patio
Friday, August 19th
DINNER
6:30 - 8:30 PM on the Patio
HAWAIIAN THEME
Dress in your tropical duds!
Enjoy the end of Summer...
Outdoor
Saturday, August 6th
Gather outside the Lounge
7:00 PM - Dinner
8:15 PM - Outdoor Movie
Star Wars
The Force Awakens
Pizza, Popcorn & Punch!
*Bring blankets, beach chairs or bean bags!
(chairs also provided)
We will walk to Rita s
on the corner of
Lankershim for a
small treat!
4. What’s Happening in July?
Saturday, July 16th - Frozen Treat Social! Meet
at 7:30 PM at the Patio and we will walk to Rita’s!
Sunday, July 10th- Mission Sunday! Bring
non-perishable foods for the Food Pantry. Peanut
Butter and Tuna requested. Please bring a few extra
dollars for your offering!
Tuesday, July 5th - Breakfast Club meets at
Magnolia Grille at 9:00 AM. Limit 8ppl. RSVP.
PB&J PROJECT
Thursday, July 16th
7:00 PM
Lounge
Please join us in making 150
sandwiches for the homeless &
hungry in our community.
Can’t make it but want to help?
Host a PB&J Project!
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
UPDATE
with Ken Ellis
Sunday, July 24th
Following worship in the Lounge
Ken Ellis will share his experience at this
year’s Annual Conference.
Including issues the church is facing.
Light lunch will be served.
Sunday, July 3rd
Welcome Back Pastor Joey & Sue McDonald!
SPRC will recognize Pastor Joey & Sue during 10:30 worship.
Friday, July 22nd - Tea Fellowship at Tea Elle C
Garden Cafe at 11:30 AM. Please RSVP.
Wednesday, July 27th - United Methodist
Women Boutique Workshop meet in the
Community Room at 9:30 AM.
Tuesday, July 5th
9:00 AM
Magnolia Grille
Limit 8 ppl. RSVP.
TEA FELLOWSHIP
Friday, July 22nd
11:30 AM
Tea Elle C Garden Cafe
26111 Bouquet Cyn. Rd.
Wednesday, July 20th - Ruth Circle meets at
7:30 PM. Location: ask Kathi Ellis.
Thursday, July 21st - PB & J Project meets in the
Lounge at 7:00 PM.
Sunday, July 24th - What’s Happening in the
UMC - with Ken Ellis. Following worship. Light
lunch provided.
Discovery Arts Donation Collection
Sundays in July & August
Bring art supplies and projects!
Box Decorating & Prep Day - Sat., Aug. 27th
Assembly Day - Sun., Aug. 28th
Kits go to children
who are too ill to
participate in group
programs.
5. By Lynn Yoshizumi
Eight years ago, United Methodists were asked to “Imagine No Malaria” and they have — raising more
than $68 million for a denomination-wide program to help eradicate the disease.
In May at Portland, OR, the General Conference 2016 endorsed the United Methodist Board of Global
Ministries “Abundant Health” campaign to reach 1 million children with life-saving interventions between
2017 and 2020.
For Dr. Olusimbo Ige, director of the mission agency’s Global Health unit, the campaign is a logical and
necessary continuation of the church’s successful impact on malaria prevention. That success included the
distribution of more than 2.3 million nets, covering about 7 million people and building an infrastructure
that includes 13 health boards, 300 renovated health clinics and some 10,000 health workers. The work
has directly benefited some 4.6 million people.
But, as Ige, a public health physician from Nigeria who has consulted with the World Health Organization
and USAID, pointed out, “Children don’t just die from malaria, they die from diarrhea and pneumonia.”
Her field experience taught her “the scale and the scope of services need to be expanded to reach the
priority diseases.”
In 2014, the Global Health unit surveyed bishops, the health boards and other partners and nonprofits
working in global health. About 5,224 responses were received from 59 countries. In this survey
international health challenges centered on maternal and child health, water and sanitation, hunger and
nutrition and access to healthcare. The top U.S. health challenges were mental health, non-communicable
diseases, substance abuse and aging and the elderly.
Child health issues emerged as a common theme, Ige said. “Nutrition is as much a challenge here (in the
U.S.) as it is in other places,” Ige said. “Childhood obesity was named as one of the biggest public health
challenges of the 21st century.”
When the United Nations decided in 2015 to focus on child health, The United Methodist Church was
invited to participate. “We were one of the two faith-based organizations that said yes, we’ll pitch in,” Ige
said. The other faith-based group was World Vision.
“Abundant Health: Our Promise to Children” is affiliated with the United Nations program, “Every
Woman Every Child: The Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent’s Health.” The
campaign’s name and theme, Abundant Health, is taken from the Gospel of John 10:10: “I came that they
may have life, and have it abundantly.”
More information about the Abundant Health campaign will be presented in a future Good News.
6. WELCOME BACK
PASTOR JOEY & SUE MCDONALD
Staff Parish Relations Committee would like to welcome
back Dr. Joey K. McDonald to begin his 26th year at
North Hollywood First United Methodist Church!
SPRC will take a moment to recognize Pastor Joey on
Sunday, July 3rd, during 10:30 AM worship.
Cake will be served during coffee fellowship to celebrate!
Regarding our parking lots: The contractor
had initially expected this work to take a
week. Then they had scheduling issues with
their sub-contractor which extended another
week. The driveways were supposed to be
poured on Tuesday, 7/27, but a new public
works inspector did not agree with the first
inspectors approval and prohibited the
contractor from completing the work. This
new inspector has requested that the entire
sidewalk be replaced and a different
configuration for the north driveway. We are
trying to get the original inspector back in the
picture and review this with their supervisor
to clarify what really is needed. We have yet
to hear from them. I am reaching out to our
land use consultant to see if he can assist in
speaking with public works. We apologize for
any inconvenience.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
By Doug Eboch, Visioning Committee Chair
HIT THE MARK!
STEP UP AND PLEDGE!
STRIVE TO TITHE!
Who do you go to when you have a question,
concern or idea that is not necessarily pastoral?
Here’s a directory that may assist you:
Staff Parish Relations Committee (Staff)
Shaun Vieten
Trustees (Property)
Phillip Mottaz
Finance
Jim Tyree
Visioning (Ideas for our future growth)
Doug Eboch
Lay Leader(s) (represent laity)
Rhonda Scott & John Kent
7. OUTBACK ROCK VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
By Patty Kelsey
VBS was a day filled with music, games, Bible stories, projects and all around fun! Once again, we
transformed Boyer Chapel with wall murals, decorations and audio visual equipment and inspired kids to
“fetch some faith-filled fun” at Pets Unleashed! Our focus was on our key verse from 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all
your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” Our Bible point: Jesus Cares For Us!
Outback Rock Leaders
Patty Kelsey - Music & More
Rachel Mottaz - Projects
Deanne Cox - Bible Stories
Daniella Lake - Bible Stories
Muffett Brinkman - Games
Outback Assistants
Joe Forgione
Morenike Lake
Nylean Rapinac
Jonathan Ye
Elizabeth Ye
Amanda Ohly
Thank you to Hannah Ye, Sara
Nyaforh & Tonya Peat for lunch, to
Pastor Joey for your support, and the
set up and tear down crew, including
Sue McDonald.
During VBS, Rachel taught the kids how to make rag toys for
dogs. They were made with strips of t-shirt material and braided.
Toys will be donated to dogs at Tiny Loving Canines and have a
handwritten note from each child to the dog rescuer.
Noah Fetterman, working on his Bible
Stories project.
Pastor Joey shares with the
kids before saying a
blessing for VBS!
8.
9. Wishing you many blessings on your birthday!
Love, Your Church Family
July 1 Alexander Parnell
July 2 September Sucher
July 4 Betty Hogarth
July 5 Joyce Cunningham
July 9 Heemanshu Bhagat
July 9 Byron Hayes
July 12 Steven Ellis
July 12 Chris Koenigsaecker
July 13 Sage Doelitzsch
July 18 Francis Nyaforh
July 19 Andrew Merrill
July 23 DeAnne Hayes
July 24 Helena Walle
July 26 Wendy Neckels
July 28 Kevin Ellis
July 28 Roger Eshleman
July 28 Gary Solt
July 31 David Cox
Walter Pratt has been diagnosed with
esophageal cancer.
Teri Geiger was diagnosed with terminal
cancer that has metastasized. She is fighting
and undergoing chemotherapy.
Doug Eboch’s father, Edward, has entered
hospice care. Please also lift up Doug’s mother,
Sharon, during this difficult time.
Hanna Sack has healed quickly after hip
replacement surgery. Doctors were impressed
with the speed of her recovery!
Are you or your loved ones in need of prayer(s)? You can send the church your
prayer requests one of three ways: Call the church office at (818) 763-8231;
Email us at nohofumc@pacbell.net or leave a written note in the prayer chapel.
Norman Kelsey’s uncle, David Vail, has had an
ongoing fight with bladder cancer. He recently
discovered his cancer has metastasized.
Ed Zung needs continued prayers as he
continues to figure out how to deal with his
digestive issues.
Betty Hogarth’s son-in-law needs continued
prayers as he undergoes chemotherapy.
Pattie Rogers requests prayers for her son,
Matt, who has been dealing with severe
depression.
Pray for our nation, the world, our leaders, our
church, our Pastor and the UMC as a whole.
Deanne Cox is officially on the kidney
transplant list at Keck USC. She is continuing
to self administer her peritoneal dialysis at
home every day.
10. Reflections
Dr. Joey K. McDonald
Reflections are part of the weekly bulletin inserts for worship. This writing was originally from June 10, 2007.
Dr. McDonald’s sermon was titled “An Explanation, Not an Excuse” based on Galatians 1:11-24.
Think for a moment about the difference between an excuse and an explanation. An
explanation describes, discusses or defines an event or action. An excuse seeks freedom,
forgiveness, or some type of distance from an action or event. To illustrate: in the third grade
I went to school without my math homework. When asked by my teacher, Mrs. Wright, where
my homework was, I told her that I was not able to complete it because my dog had eaten my
math book. Not the homework, but the actual book. What I told the teacher was in fact true.
The dog did indeed eat the book. However, it took a couple of hours and a good deal of
peanut butter for her to do so. Not only did the excuse not hold up, but I still have vivid
memories of my mother’s anger and how many months of extra work I had to do to earn what
that textbook cost.
In Galatians 1:11-24, the Apostle Paul writes to members of the early Church seeking to
encourage them in faith and practice. He is trying to explain the power of the Spirit at work
supercedes and perhaps even confounds human intellect. He shares that his own life is an
example for being careful about putting too much trust in the work of the mind, to the neglect
of the work of the Spirit. He reminds the readers that he achieved much at a young age in
Judaism as a reader and follower of the Law. At first it sounds as if Paul is excusing his
previous life as rigid, adherent to the Law and a persecutor of the early Christians, but a close
look reveals he is simply explaining how the real gift of his work in faith was not because of his
great thought and interpretation, but a direct result of God’s goodness. More specifically, the
goodness known in Christ. Paul wants to make it plain that what he knows, what he preaches,
what he teaches, and especially what he seeks to live, come not from himself. Rather these
things are gifts of grace from Christ shown to us by the Spirit.
Paul knew from personal experience that the call of God is a strong one and that the human
heart and mind can be stubborn. Paul, like so many of us today, sought to make his own way
in ministry rather than going God’s way. It wasn’t until Paul encountered the Spirit of the
living God in Jesus that he truly accepted there may be a way different than his. In the grace
of Jesus, Paul ran out of excuses.
11. OPPORTUNITIES FOR WORSHIP
July 3 Seventh Sunday After Pentecost. Independence Sunday. Green.
2 Kings 5:1-14; Ps. 30 (UMH 762); Gal. 6:(1-6), 7-16; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
July 10 Eighth Sunday After Pentecost. Green.
Amos 7:7-17; Ps. 82 (UMH 804); Col. 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37
July 17 Ninth Sunday After Pentecost. Green.
Amos 8:1-12; Ps. 52 or 82 (UMH 804); Col. 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42
July 24 Tenth Sunday After Pentecost. Green.
Hos. 1:2-10; Ps. 85 (UMH 806); Col. 2:6-15 (16-19); Luke 11:1-13
July 30 Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost. Green.
Hos. 11:1-11; Ps. 107:1-9, 43 (UMH 830); Col. 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21
Sunday Worship Services at 10:30 AM in the Main Sanctuary
Children’s Sunday School meets at 10:30 AM in the Community Room/Nursery
Children’s Time every 2nd & 3rd Sunday at 10:30 worship.
Communion will be served on Sunday, July 3rd.
8:15 AM Worship Services in Boyer Chapel
July 3- Pastor Joey July 10 - Norman Kelsey
July 17 - Patty Kelsey July 24 - Sandra Smith July 30 - Sandra Smith
Please have your articles for the Good News to the church office by July 17th for the August 2016 publication
or email them to pattyfumc@gmail.com
If you no longer wish to receive this publication, please contact the church office
or return this address label noting that we are to discontinue sending it. Thank you.
POSTMASTER - Please send changes of address to:
First United Methodist Church of North Hollywood
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601