Upcoming Gatherings:
?4/27 – Youth Sunday School: We’ll continue our Bible & Boba series! Parents, please send your youth’s boba order to Lulu.
? 5/4 – Children’s Choir: The Children’s Choir will perform during the Children’s Moment. The 20-minute choir class will follow the Children’s Moment in worship, just before Godly Play/childcare.
? 5/4 – Youth Group: Join us at LMUMC from 12 PM – 2 PM for faith, food, and fellowship! RSVP to Lulu at office@lakemerritumc.org.
We are blessed by the many hands and hearts that came together on April 12th for the 10th Lift Concert. We hope to continue to uplift the theme that WE ALL BELONG as was so beautifully embodied in all the words, music, and movement! We invite you to join us in extending our fundraising campaign by sharing with your circles this crowdfunding campaign link to support our food ministries. We aim to raise $10,000 to continue the work of Lake Lunches and the Food Pantry. Through these food programs, we strive to live our shared values to live and love like Jesus, foster true connection and unconditional belonging and to make a difference for the most vulnerable among us. Our work continues!
“Sing the psalms, compose hymns and songs inspired by the Spirit, and keep on singing – sing to God from hearts full and spilling over with thankfulness.” Colossians 3:16 (The Voice)
The Worship Team would like to hear from YOU about what songs you would like to sing in worship. Drop a note into the suggestion box by the sanctuary door to let us know what favorite hymns you would like to sing again, and what praise songs fill your heart.
If you would like to submit an announcement for our weekly e-blast, please adhere to the guidelines found here. All submissions are due Wednesday by noon.
We begin a new worship series inspired by Rebekah Simon-Peter’s book, “Dream Like Jesus”. She offers insight borne from her own journey as she invites readers to reflect on the forgotten dream Jesus calls us to remember. Her book titles, “Dream Like Jesus!”
God is already at work in the world and we are called to dare to bring forth the dreams of Jesus. Have you wondered, “What is God’s dream for me? What is God’s dream for our church?”
We are invited to spend some time in prayer and meditation exploring the dreams God may be bringing to your awareness today. Frederick Beuchner said, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Siblings, what brings you deep gladness? How about our church? What are some of the world’s deep hungers? Finally, what resources does our church already sharing? What other resources could our church share more?
Let’s look at the intersections of these things. It may point to a vision. May we dare to bring forth God’s dream here and now. Amen.
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The Koroma family and friends at Lake Merritt UMC invite you to come and enjoy typical Sierra Leonean cuisine and support fundraising efforts for the Sierra Leone School Project.
MENU:
Sierra Leonean signature Jollof Rice
Chicken Pot Roast
Cassava Leaves & Rice
Ginger Beer
Akara
Sierra Leone Salad
Sweet Fried Plantains
etc.
DATE: Saturday, September 30, 2023.
TIME: 6PM-8:30PM
LOCATION: Lake Merritt United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall,
1255 First Avenue @ International
Oakland, CA 94606
FUNDRAISING FOR SIERRA LEONE SCHOOL PROJECT: Only about half of the population of Sierra Leone (in Africa) can read and write. This means that about half of the population is illiterate. The vision of the Sierra Leone School Project is to start a primary school in the town of Lungi in Northwest Sierra Leone. Funds raised will go towards building classrooms, buying furniture and school materials, paying teachers, and providing other necessary support to bring the Sierra Leone School Project to fruition.
DONATION: Please make donations to Lake Merritt UMC Church for the Sierra Leone School Project. May God richly bless your donation.
This Sunday is World Communion Sunday. On World Communion Sunday – United Methodists, in conjunction with other denominations and believers worldwide, participate in communion to recognize our unity in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. This universal and inclusive connection is the foundation of the special offering for World Communion Sunday.
We will be giving an extra mile giving. Your giving support racial and ethnic students in achieving their educational goals and transforming communities. In 2021, World Communion Sunday offerings awarded 242 scholarships and grants. Your generosity continues to provide scholarships, grants, mentoring and training for leadership development.
The United Methodist Church, the world and our communities are in a time of transition. Now, perhaps more than ever, we are called to extend healing and hope which will guide us to becoming a new creation in Christ. Through our gifts and support, we can invest in talented, qualified students from around the globe to transform the world as witnesses for Christ!
“The performance of the YMCO jazz orchestra and choral singers on the afternoon of October 8 represents a Grand Opening for “Lake Park UMC: A Place for Community”. Many thanks to all of the leaders of Lake Park who are making this possible. The members and friends of Lake Merritt and Lake Park will make this event a great success. Your help is needed to provide hospitality, direct traffic, set up and remove chairs from parking lot, serve food, guide tours of the facility, etc. Please distribute the poster and postcard as you see fit to friends and neighbors.”
– Rev. Dr. Dale Tremper
Blessings to you my brothers and sisters at Lake Merritt and Lake Park United Methodist church!
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
– Isaiah 9:6
What a wonderful time of year it is as once again we pause and remember the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I know the word “pause” might seem like an odd one to use during this time of year when everything about the season seems to be so chaotic.
Yet, I believe it is relevant and important for us to “pause” and keep our minds and eyes on the Jesus!
The first Christmas night was busy, hectic, noisy, and heavy trafficked due to people traveling to their hometown to register for the census! In their midst, we see that some people brought their hearts to bow before a little baby in a manger and brought him excellent gifts.
Let us take a ‘pause’, ‘be still’ and say, “O, Come Let us Adore Him. O, Come Let us Adore Him”.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem. But today, he wishes to be born within your heart. This Christmas season receive the greatest gift that can ever be given. Open your heart and let the One who was born in a stable in humility, died on a cross in love, and rose from the dead in power, enter in to your heart!
This Christmas Eve, six of our circuit churches are joining together at Twin Towers UMC in Alameda at 5:30pm for a joint candlelight worship service. The worship service will be live steamed and please see the link below. Come and let us worship Jesus Christ!
Christmas Sunday morning worship, we will be gathering virtually in the Spirit of our living God. LMUMC and LPUMC kids and adults have created a Christmas Pageant message as we reflect Immanuel God with us. We are truly blessed by their deep reflection and their story of God with us. Gather your whole family on Christmas day to worship after opening their Christmas gifts with hot cocoa or Eggnog. The worship is filled with songs, prayers, and Christmas pageant message and is only 20 minutes!!! Isn’t that amazing? It will fill your spirit! Come and let us adore God.
The worship link for the Christmas Sunday morning is sent via an Eblast and it is also found in our church website, www.lakemerrittumc.org under the Worship Link. The Christmas Eve Live Streaming link is here: https://www.embracechurch.org/live
Come and let us adore Him!
May the wonder of Jesus Christ’s love for you and his saving grace renew and refresh you in your heart and in your family during this Christmas time. May you experience the power of Christ’s birth anew this season. May you be blessed with peace and joy through this Christmas season and into the coming year.
Christ is born! Rev. Sunae Cho
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. – Psalm 136:1
Dear my beloved Lake Park and Lake Merritt church family, I bring you greetings with Shalom of God.
It’s been a busy few months at Lake Park and Lake Merritt United Methodist Church! I spent some time being still in the presence of God this morning, and your faces passed through as I was still before God and I felt so blessed to have all of you in my life.
I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is just two days away! Thanksgiving is a time of reflection, looking back at the year and thanking God for bringing us through it a little stronger and a little wiser. It is also a time to count our blessings. Some of us may have had a difficult year battling cancer, COVID 19 infection, and other health challenges, while others have found much success in their endeavors. It is through the grace of our God that we are able to consider the lessons we have learned and the experiences God has given us, and to allow them to deepen our relationship with our loving God.
My new appointments at Lake Park and Lake Merritt have been a great blessing. As I shared this past Sunday, you are my blessing cup! We are growing and deepening our faith together and collectively we are experiencing challenges that are stretching our faith in action to navigate our world where oppression, violence, hate against LGBTQ siblings and other races and inequality continue. My heart is heavy but I know God is on the move through us in the world bringing God’s kin-dom.
This week, we are witnessing God’s kin-dom here at Lake Merritt. This morning at 830am, the Thanksgiving Turkey Prep crew arrived and prepared fourteen turkeys and they are all wrapped and ready to be cooked tomorrow. At 9am, 100 salads, hot turkey meals, water bottles, pies, shirts, and a reusable bag for the Lake Lunch was delivered to us from the city of Oakland. Our Lake Lunch Crew and community volunteers including children and youths arrived at 11:30 am and they joyfully went out to serve and distribute our unhoused siblings the hot lake lunches, essential items, their smiles and most of all, God’s love. It was a good day at Lake Merritt UMC.
Our table grows each time God opens our resources and we share them with our community in need. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” We have decided to stick with love and live in such ways to reflect the kind of society that Jesus envisioned.
It was great timing, as I was walking out of the Stark Hall, my Spotify was playing “I’ve decided to follow Jesus” and so I joyfully sang …. “I’ve decided to follow Jesus.”
The holiday seasons can be a difficult time for some of us. Let us be compassionate to ourselves as well. Take a day of rest. A day where you can move more slowly, eat healthy but…, exercise if you wish and do something that refuels you. A day with people you love… who will make you laugh and sit with you in silence. Then perhaps for some introverts, just some time alone. Dear friends, let us continue this journey of love and service together with renewed joy and strength. Spend some time to give thanks to God for his love and goodness for us and for all his creation.
I promised to send you the video that did not play during the worship service. The video is from the Skit Guys and is called, “How Big Is Your Table?” The video file is too big to attach here but Mike, my husband, was able to edit it in Facebook worship from this Sunday. Here is the link, https://www.facebook.com/LakeMerrittUMC/videos/1541201969639994 and it begins at 20:29 to 24:22. Enjoy watching.
Also there was one prayer request from our online community during worship from Sia Linda which was emailed by Don Weingarten, “Praise be to God that I moved yesterday. The moving truck tire blew on the road, but God is good and has provided and we are safe. Thank you for your prayers church”. Grace abounds. Have a great Thanksgiving week and see you this Sunday.
With many gratitude,
Pastor Sunae