May 2023 Newsletter
One of my favorite churchy songs to sing this time of year is “Every Morning is Easter morning” - it’s not quite a hymn and it isn’t really contemporary, so I don’t know how to categorize it, other than to say “churchy.” But I always find myself singing it in the weeks after Easter Sunday.
Ev’ry morning is Easter morning
from now on!
Ev’ry day’s resurrection day,
the past is over and gone!
Goodbye guilt, goodbye fear, good riddance!
Hello God, Hello sun!
I am one of the Easter People!
My new life has begun!
-Richard Avery & Donald Marsh
One of the verses talks about being surrounded by bad news all the time, and certainly we can relate, but living as Easter people reminds us there is good news to be heard; good news to share! And as we reflected on Easter Sunday, we are called to see the emptiness, bear witness to the darkness, but called to live in the light and share that light with the world. So that’s our task: to live as Easter people acting with love and shining light in dark and empty places. And as my favorite song reminds us, we’re Easter people all the time, because every day is resurrection day!
That said, reflecting back on Easter Sunday brings a smile to my face! It was such a glorious day with the music from our chancel choir, the lilies filling the sanctuary with their sweet scent reminding us we are alive and blooming, and the flowered cross transformed from death to life by our own hands! Jenna McCarty created a truly remarkable and transformational piece of art from the contributions of thoughtful reflection and intention made by each of you as we contemplated each of the Four Agreements, in the culmination of our Lenten series, “A Covenant of the Heart.” She explained her process on Easter Sunday and the artwork remains on display in the sanctuary. The delicious brunch featuring our mad- to-order crepes made the day extra special! There were so many reasons to celebrate but I found it particularly powerful to see all of you, all of us, living as the resurrected body of Christ holding the tension of the hard and painful along with the joy and celebration as we sang our Alleluias together! The Easter season continues until we arrive at Pentecost which we’ll celebrate on the final Sunday of the month, May 28th. Join us as we mark the day with “Pancakes on Pentecost” brought to us by the Membership Ministry in connection with Hospitality. Don’t forget the color of the holy day is red!
I’ve been so proud of our church and the way we continue to live out our ministry as an Open and Affirming Congregation. Last month we held both “Read with Royalty” and “Broadway Bingo” featuring local drag queens. Each event was so special and fun in its own way. It was heartwarming to see so many children and their families come out for the story time. There were lots of our own IUCC families and lots of community members that joined us. It was a really special day! Broadway Bingo was not just a fun-raiser, but also a fundraiser! It was a sold-out event that truly delivered in fun, delighting us in the hilarious performances as well as the competitive bingo rounds! It was great to see so many new faces along with our usual suspects enjoying a great evening together! Since it was our first time, there was a lot to learn, but it met and even exceeded its goal and brought in over $1000 to our general budget. Many thanks to our Diversity and Inclusion Ministry for both events and especially to Pastor Craig and Pat Sauter and their team for doing the heavy lifting that transformed Plumer Hall for our very first drag queen bingo night!
April was an exciting month with 5 Sundays: Palm Sunday, Easter, Earth day and youth Sunday and a focus on our Stephen Ministry. Each day was special and unique in its own right! I was particularly excited to have Liz Savage, president of the Orange County Beekeepers Association present to share about local bees and urban beekeeping and teach us all about those hard working bees and their female-led communities. Youth Sunday featured our kids in a really adorable and cute puppet show which affirmed and illustrated our official United Church of Christ designations. The youth always delight and open us up to the Spirit among us. I hope you felt inspired learning about our Stephen Ministry and may consider a relationship with one or even becoming one! What a month filled with ministry! And on top of all that we received two new members into our ministry: Rachel Humphreys and Setayesh Karimi!
As we head into May we have a lot to look forward to as we celebrate Mother’s Day, hold our annual meeting and celebrate new leadership, and of course, celebrate Pentecost! I’m looking forward to hosting an orientation into Progressive Christianity for those who are newer to our church or who are interested in an introduction to find out what Progressive Christianity is all about. There will be three sessions via zoom on Wednesday nights at 7pm: May 17, 24, and 31st.
I hope this month brings you the joy of spring, as we continue to blossom along our journeys celebrating every day as resurrection day!
With you along the journey,
Pastor Sarah
