News - First United Methodist Church

COVID-19

Posted on Mar 5, 2020 in Uncategorized |

FUMCCV Friends and Family,

With the recent news of COVID-19 in the United States, we wanted to take a moment to provide comfort and encouragement. Anxiety thrives on uncertainty, and as the coronavirus spreads, our unanswered questions can make us feel vulnerable or fearful. “Will it come to my community?” or “Am I at risk?’ The U.S. public health system as a whole, has largely held up to many of the most dire global outbreaks in recent years, including SARS, Zika, H1N1 and Ebola.

The basics here have not changed. “Keep Calm and Wash Your Hands” remains good advice. The most effective things we can do to stay healthy are to cover coughs and sneezes, wash hands with soap thoroughly and frequently, and stay away from people showing symptoms.

Bishop Grant Hagiya sent out a message to church leaders last week, and we thought it would be prudent to share with you here as well.

Bishop Hagiya’s Message on Public Health

We have all been consumed by the rapid spread of the Coronavirus and its growing implications for our daily lives. We cannot downplay the importance of being prepared and not reacting with panic or fear.

As a spiritual body, we need to remember that fear turns people toward sin. Anytime we scapegoat a certain people (e.g. Asians where the virus seemed to originate), we are guilty of practicing such sin. Our response to victims should not be ostracizing and shunning them, but it should be to have compassion and care for them.

As the California-Pacific Conference, we are looking into a number of different scenarios as well as our options in response. Personally, I believe we should follow the old adage: “Expect the best, prepare for the worse.” Part of our preparation has been talking with our own Disaster Response Team, one of the best in the nation.

For now, please consider following the advice in general being given by our own American medical authorities:

Seek immediate medical intervention if you develop flu like symptoms
Stay home if you are not feeling well, and especially if you are coughing
Wash your hands on a regular basis and use hand sanitizers as an alternative
Sanitize those areas with which you have a lot of contact

Most importantly as people of faith, let us pray for those who have contracted the virus and for our worldwide population that the virus will be contained. Let us turn to our God in faith and let us not succumb to our fears and anxieties.

Be the Hope,

Bishop Grant J. Hagiya

Los Angeles Area Resident Bishop

The United Methodist Church

Here’s what we are doing at FUMCCV to prevent the spread of germs and illnesses:

Elbow bumps or other non-physical greetings during the passing of the peace
Increased availability of hand sanitizer in common places – narthex, entrance to Fellowship Hall, church office, etc.
Increased signage about appropriate hand washing procedures.
Thorough cleaning of common spaces, including worship spaces, using disinfectant cleaner.

If you would like more information about the coronavirus, you can check out the CDC website. We pray that we are able to surrender our fears and anxieties to God during this season of Lent and beyond.

Sincerely,

First United Methodist Church of Chula Vista

Mar '20

Fundraising and Self Care

Posted on Mar 4, 2020 in Uncategorized |

Mar '20

Fundraising & Self Care — what a deal!!

Tony and Leeco Nguyen, members of FUMCCV, have offered us a great opportunity. They own ProfessioNAIL, located at 1351 Medical Center Dr # C, Chula Vista, CA 91911 and have given us 100 gift certificates to sale with 100% of the proceeds going to the church to support Summer Camp Scholarships. Each certificate is valued at $20 and good for a pedicure, or you can pay an additional fee at the store for services that cost more than $20. You can purchase the $20 gift certificates in the church office during the week or on the quad Sunday morning. These make great gifts for Easter, great gifts for self care and you are literally assuring that more kids get the life changing experience of Summer Camp. Certificates will be for sale through the month of March. Contact the church office for more information.

Feb '20

Lent Prayer Calendar

Posted on Feb 26, 2020 in Uncategorized |

Feb '20

Although this Prayer calendar is intended for use throughout the months of March and April, a large portion of that time is during Lent or the period leading up to Jesus’ Passion, trial, crucifixion/death, up to Easter Sunday when we celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection.

Lent 2020 runs from Ash Wednesday, February 26 to Easter Saturday, April 11.

This Prayer Calendar runs from March 1, 2020 through April 30, but our theme is a Lenten one, as we examine why Jesus came to be among us, and what was the purpose of His death and resurrection.

There are Sunday and weekly Bible readings, and 6 activities per week of March and April. Read the Bible reading each day of the week, and pray about how you can be a witness of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection to others.

How to use this Prayer Guide

Read the Bible reading each day of the week and pray about how you can be a witness of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection to others.

The activities are guidelines and can be substituted or adapted, and done in any order during the week in the spirit of loving each other, our neighbor, and the stewardship of God’s earth.

Click the link below to download a PDF of the Calendar!

Prayer Calendar for March_April 2020

Feb '20

March Pathway

Posted on Feb 26, 2020 in Uncategorized |

Feb '20

Click the link below to download this month’s newsletter!

March Pathway 2020

Math Tutorials

Posted on Feb 20, 2020 in Uncategorized |

One of our church members, Diane Hirakawa, will be hosting free math tutorials for the next four Sundays. These overviews are specifically designed for parents of 5th, 6th, and 7th grade students, though students are also welcome.

Dates: February 23, March 1, March 8, and March 15

Time: 4:00pm-5:30pm

Place: Discovery Center, FUMCCV

For questions or more information, please contact Diane Hirakawa at dihirakawa@yahoo.com or 619-206-8837.

Ash Wednesday – February 26

Posted on Feb 5, 2020 in Uncategorized |

Each year the Season of lent begins with Ash Wednesday. It is a time of repentance, recognizing our mortality and aligning ourselves with God for the Lenten journey ahead. We call it Ash Wednesday because the Christian tradition is to mark our foreheads with ashes of repentance. This year there will be three opportunities for you to receive the imposition of ashes.

Guided Prayer Times

7:00 AM – 7:30 AM, 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM

Chapel

These are a guided time of prayer, not a service. When you enter you will pick up a prayer guide, take as much time as you like, and then step forward for the imposition of ashes. You might stay five minutes or 30 minutes.

Ash Wednesday Service

7:30 PM – 8:15 PM

Sanctuary

This is a 45 minute service including music, scripture, a homily, and concluding with the imposition of ashes. It is a beautiful, quiet, somber service and the perfect way to begin your Lenten journey.

GriefShare at St. Paul’s UMC

Posted on Feb 5, 2020 in Uncategorized |

Throughout life we will all experience grief. One of the greatest myths about grief is that “time will heal.” This is not true, as uncared for and unresolved grief will only fester over time. It is important to care for our grief, working through the stages. Only then will we emerge from the other side as healthy people. A quick synopsis of the stages of grief looks like this:

            Denial: “This can’t be happening to me.”
            Anger: “Why is this happening? Who is to blame?”
            Bargaining: “Make this not happen, and in return I will ____.”
            Depression: “I’m too sad to do anything.”
            Acceptance: “I’m at peace with what happened.”

Do you see yourself in any of these statements? Have you experienced a significant loss recently? Maybe it is time to pay some attention to your grief.

Beginning March 2, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Coronado will provide Griefshare from 6:30-8:30pm on Monday evenings in Room 201. This 13-week small group experience is designed to help you through your grief and give you some coping tools for future grief.

Registration: $20 (includes workbook); scholarships available.

In addition, we are looking for 2-3 individuals or couples who would be interested in serving on the GriefShare Support Team.

For further information, contact Melinda Stenberg at dr.melindastenberg@gmail.com or (619)318-8175.

St. Paul’s UMC

700 D Ave, Coronado, CA 92118

Valentine’s for San Ysidro Students

Posted on Feb 5, 2020 in Uncategorized |

This Sunday, February 9th, we invite the congregation to write a “Love Note” in service for a housing insecure student in the San Ysidro School District. The Missions Team will be delivering the “Love Notes” and Subway meal cards to the District Office on Monday just in time for Valentine’s Day. A few encouraging words can warm a heart!

February Prayer Calendar

Posted on Jan 31, 2020 in Uncategorized |