January 8, 2023
Happy New Year, dear siblings of Lake Merritt and Lake Park United Methodist Church.
How is your new year going so far? I wish I could say that all is well with me but it’s been a rough start. How about you?
I spent about six hours at the Apple store and my cell provider last night to get my cell phone back so that I could receive and send text messages out but and am still not successful at it. What do we do without our phone functioning at 100% nowadays? I know, right? It’s been difficult but I’ve been telling myself that this is a first-world problem.
Reading the bible, have you ever asked yourself, “man, what did Jesus mean by that”? It’s difficult to understand what he meant! Well, in the new year, we are invited to think about the difficult words of Jesus that we often encounter in the scripture and we are invited to wrestle with the ancient text.
We will be using a book inspired by Amy-Jill Levine, a Jewish and a New Testament scholar, In The Difficult Words of Jesus, and she shows how these difficult teachings would have sounded to the people who first heard them, how they been understood over time, and how we might interpret them in the context of the Gospel of love and reconciliation.
The next seven Sundays, we will be reflecting on the Difficult Words of Jesus and this Sunday we will begin with Jesus’ saying to the young rich ruler, sell what you own and give it to the poor!
Please read ALL OF THE ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Hope Through Darkness: Art Exhibit
We would like to put out a call for submissions for our 2023 art exhibit: Hope Through Darkness
Please create an art piece for our exhibit and reception – it can be 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional visual art, a written piece, or any variety of performance art.
The exhibit and reception will be in the Edwards Room.
Here are some questions you may want to reflect on while creating:
What has given you hope during the pandemic?
How do you cope with adversity?
What gives you hope?
What is darkness to you?
Is darkness bad?
Submissions are due by February 28, 2023 and a reception is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, March 5. Please email vivianjromero@gmail.com with any questions.
Krishnan Dean Family Meal Train
Deepak and Becky welcomed baby Kiara Isabelle into the big wide world on 11/29/2022!
You are invited to give a little love to Deepak and Becky as they transition into parenthood!
Sign up here to help.
Meal Train for Judi and Wayne
Judi continues her treatment and we are adding more dates to the Meal Train to support them. We continue to keep their household in our thoughts and prayers. We love you, Judi and Wayne. Sign up here to help.
Want to be a part of the Audio/Visual team? Sign Up Today!
Please email Randi Hoy at the office office@lakemerrittumc.org to sign up and learn to operate the live stream program and PowerPoint.
LMUMC Choirs Information
To join the voice choir, contact the Music Director,
Jim Meredith jimmeredith@mac.com
To join the handbell choir, contact the Handbell Director,
Margaret LeWright margaretlewright@gmail.com
January 1, 2023
Happy New Year! 2023 is here! May God’s abundant blessings be with you today and this year.
John Wesley introduced the annual covenant renewal service for use by the Methodist societies in 1755. Every year, on or near January 1, the Methodists gathered to renew their covenant with God. The service is adapted from a Puritan ritual. It is a powerful time of self-examination and confession that culminates in the renewal of commitment to discipleship.
We invite you to join us for the Covenant Renewal service on January 1, 2023. Pastor Sunae and Mike are on vacation and Rev. Dr. Dale Tremper will be leading the Covenant Renewal Service. Thank you Rev. Dr. Dale Tremper for sharing your gracious leadership with LMUMC and LPUMC.
Pray with me:
“I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”
(A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition, Hymn 607)
Please read ALL OF THE ANNOUNCEMENTS!
The Death of Our Beloved Brother, Russ Aubry
It is with deep sadness that we inform you that our beloved brother, Russ Aubry passed into eternity this morning at 2am, December 28, 2022. Our beloved father, grandfather, husband, veteran, friend, and a man of deep faith loved his wife and family and served our country and our church in his loving grace. Russ loved life and has fought a good fight of love and faith in this world, finished his race and is home with his Creator God and Savior Jesus and with his beloved family in the eternal home. May Russ rest in peace.
Let us give God thanks for Russ’ life and witness and hold his family, especially Annette, close in our hearts and prayers. In our living and in our dying, we belong to God! (Romans 14:8)
Memorial Service arrangements to be announced.
Special Holiday Hours & Announcements
The church office will be closed on December 30 and January 2. Please stay safe during this holiday season.
Pastor Sunae and Mike will be on vacation from December 26 through January 1. They are spending some time with their children and Sunae’s parents.
Reverend Dr. Dale Tremper will be preaching on January 1, 2023. We give thanks to God for Rev. Tremper’s presence and for sharing his leadership with us. Thank you, Rev. Dale Tremper.
Meal Train for Judi and Wayne
Judi continues her treatment and we are adding more dates to the Meal Train to support them. We continue to keep their household in our thoughts and prayers. We love you, Judi and Wayne. Sign up here to help.
Hope Through Darkness: Art Exhibit
We would like to put out a call for submissions for our 2023 art exhibit: Hope Through Darkness
Please create an art piece for our exhibit and reception – it can be 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional visual art, a written piece, or any variety of performance art.
The exhibit and reception will be in the Edwards Room.
Here are some questions you may want to reflect on while creating:
What has given you hope during the pandemic?
How do you cope with adversity?
What gives you hope?
What is darkness to you?
Is darkness bad?
Submissions are due by February 28, 2023 and a reception is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, March 5. Please email vivianjromero@gmail.com with any questions.
Connectional Ministries invites you to be a part of the Food Ministry!
We have just under $5000 to raise before the end of the year! Please help with a donation of any size and invite your friends to do the same!
Together, let’s reach our goal of $10,000 towards a hunger-free community!
Donations large and small add up to making all of this possible:
- 20,000 lunches served a year to the unhoused or marginally housed.
- 5,000 grocery bags shared a year to county residents through a monthly food pantry.
- Nearly 50 hygiene kits shared weekly and seasonal goods likes socks, scarves and beanies
- Over 1,000 volunteer sign-ups, contributing over 2,500 volunteer hours of all ages
RAIN OR SHINE, food is served! All of this would not have been and is not possible without the faithful efforts of so many and the vision we share that all deserve a healthful life in spirit and body.
It takes a village to keep it all running… Check out the many ways you can lend your help and expertise. Sign Up Today
For more information, contact: liftconcertoakland@gmail.com or 510-465-4793
Want to be a part of the Audio/Visual team? Sign Up Today!
Please email Randi Hoy at the office office@lakemerrittumc.org to sign up and learn to operate the live stream program and PowerPoint.
LMUMC Choirs Information
To join the voice choir, contact the Music Director,
Jim Meredith jimmeredith@mac.com
To join the handbell choir, contact the Handbell Director,
Margaret LeWright margaretlewright@gmail.com
December 24, 2022
Combined Christmas Eve Candle Light Service at Twin Towers United Methodist Church on December 24th at 5:30PM
Join us for a joint candlelight worship service with Buena Vista UMC, Chinese Community UMC, Embrace Church, Lake Merritt UMC, Lake Park UMC, and Twin Towers UMC. Parking is free after 5PM in the public parking garage. Meet at 1411 Oak Street, Alameda, CA, 94501.
For those joining online, here is the direct link to join the Christmas Eve Candle Light service live. The broadcast will be live a few minutes before 5:30 pm on December 24.
December 25, 2022
Sunday Worship
Joint Lake Merritt and Lake Park UMC Christmas Sunday Virtual Service, ALL DAY beginning at 10:15am, Sunday, December 25th
Christmas Sunday service is virtual only and no In-person gathering. We proudly present a Christmas Pageant message directed and created by Susannah Wood.
Join us virtually as we sing Christmas Carols, pray, and reflect on God’s incarnation in Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas! Christ is born!
Here are the direct links for Facebook and YouTube.
Or go to our church’s website and go to Worship Links. There you will find both links to the Christmas Sunday morning worship.
Many thanks to our children’s Sunday School and our members, choir, our music director Jim, and the Worship Vitality Team for creating our meaningful Christmas Sunday worship. Many thanks to David Tavernier and Michael Cho for creating the virtual worship video.
Join us as we worship God together. May God bless you richly today and always.
Join us in person or via YouTube or FaceBook Live.
Bulletin Link
12.25.2022
You may give your Tithes & Offerings by mail or click here.
To join Sunday Worship via Facebook, log onto your Facebook account and search for the ‘Lake Merritt United Methodist Church’ page or click here.
