8

The

...Prayers for healing, comfort, and health

PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID THE LINK LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA 93534 THE LINK (USPS 370-870) PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY: LANCASTER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

LABEL

Time sensitive

Please Deliver by April 8th

Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m. ~ 4:30 p.m. Closed Saturday & Sunday (661) 942-0419

Footprints Christian Children’s Center Office: (661)942-0812

Sunday Worship Services: 9 a.m. Contemporary-Sanctuary 9:30 a.m. Hispanic Worship-Fellowship Hall

10:45 a.m. Traditional (Sunday School both services) 11:00 a.m. Chinese Worship-Fellowship Hall

1 p.m. Megumi Kai (Japanese)-Sanctuary “Messy Church” 3rd Thurs., 5:30 p.m.

BRING A FRIEND!

Visit us online: http://www.lancasterunited.org See us in action: under lancasterunited on Find us on:

MEMBERS (remain on list for 2 months) Bill & Mildred Baer, Carter family, Cash family, Cynthia Christensen, Roger Counts, Lyn & Earl Devore, Theresa El-wood, Steve & Cindy Farrand, Vicki & son, David Fisher, Robert Fromer, Don Gatlin, Judy Hamilton, Carol Harden, Novelette Harries, Bob & Alice Hart, Joe & Wilma Howe, Edmond Jones & family, Danny Larson, Jennifer Lawrence, John & Cathy Lee & family, Velta Mann, Steve & Connie McDougall, Jessie Miles & family, Paul & Martha Minnicks, Dot Norris & family, Dick Perry, Annabel Pond, Mary Rockwell/Smith & family, Juanita Rodriguez, Shirley Sayles, Marguarite Shirley, Patricia Shook, Joann Silas, Mary Snyder, Bill & Mercedes Taylor, Bettie Urbina, Richard & Barbara Urmanski, Carlos Valdez, Mike & Vicky Vogel & family, Dorothy Williams, Tom Williams, Woodell family/especially Benny, Robert and Jean Youngquist.

FAMILY & FRIENDS (remain on list for one month) Esperanza Beltran, Michelle Blankenship, Ernie Bridges, Bill Brod, Barry Brokov-

sky, Henchies Carter, Jeremy & Sarah Cervantes, David Eslick, Marcus Estevane, Russ Falls, Eddie & Liz Galvan, Chuck & Lori Goesch, Jacquin Gonzalez, Shane & Nicole Gray, Faye Hamilton, Ashley Hargrove, Hubbard family, Pat Johnson, Family of Terrie Johnson, Kelleher family, Marian Kohler, Lynn (Stanley) McClung, Marcy Meyer, Crystal Moore, Roy Padgett, Pastor David Parker, Sallie Phillips, Dennis Potts & family, Charles Reneau, William David Robinson, Sabryna & Andy Torres, Mary Anne Trout, and Mason Washington-Flores family. PRAYERS FOR THE MILITARY (Please let us know if no longer in the military.) James Bonds, Steven Bowling, Michael Boyles, Cassie Braden, Sean Brosseau, Ryan Burwell, Daniel Cabrera, James Canady, Monique Lyda Carswell, Roberto Cervantes, Allen Conard, Penelope L. Conard, Don Cordell, De Andrew Cordwell, Hallie (Day) Herrera , Eric Joseph Dettling, Michael Doyle, John Doyle, Adam Duncan, Baylor Eslick, Matt

Fishler, Kelly Fishler, Jessie Garcia, Paul Gillum, Dee Harrington, Max Houser, Porsha Girard-Harris, Tommy Holland, Trevor Humphries, Bryan Jobe, Travis Jobe, Tim Jorris, M. Todd Kelly, John Lara, Gilbert Linton, Marlynn Lomax, Matthew McDougall, Heather McDougall, Kevin McGalliard, Brian Meyer, William Michelson, Joshua Nardi, Branden D. O’Carroll, Hugh Oney, Joseph Perez, Kevin Raczon, Hannah Richard, Sgt. Abraham Ridgeway, Ruben Salgado, Justin Shelton, Naithan Sischo, Anthony Trujillo, Zonka Watson, Bryan Wuest, Ricki Yates, and Monique Young.

POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES

918 W est Ave. J

Lancaster , CA 93534 www. lancasteruni ted.org

1

Inside this issue:

The

Link The monthly

newsletter of LANCASTER

UNITED

METHODIST

CHURCH Vol. 61 Number 4

April 2017

Pastor’s Soundings 2

Youth, Sunday School 3

Messy Church, Silent Movie Night 4

AV/DV Mission Area News; Relay for Life 5

More Church News 6

LUMC Profiles: Randy & Katy Day-Davis 7

Holy Week 2017

Palm Sunday, April 9th — Palm Sunday brunch, hosted by Youth Group, 10-2 p.m., John Wesley Hall Palm Sunday Concert — 2 p.m. in the Sanctuary, featuring the LUMC Chancel Choir and Oliver Handbell Choir

Maundy Thursday, April 13th — 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary

Good Friday, April 14th, — 7 p.m. at Christ Our Savior UMC, Quartz Hill

Holy Saturday April 15th, 10 a.m.— 1 p.m. Messy Church Easter Egg Hunt and lunch! (see p. 3)

Easter Sunday Services — April 16th 6 a.m. Sunrise Service in Courtyard 9 a.m. Contemporary services in Sanctuary 10:45 a.m. Traditional service in Sanctuary

Registration is now open for our Cal-Pac

weeklong, overnight, Christian based camps

where children engage in worship, small group

activities, large group activities and games. They

can also participate in activities, such as

swimming, archery, ropes courses and many,

many more. Children grow in their faith, learn

leadership skills, grow their self-esteem, develop

inter-personal skills with peers and adults, make

life-long friendships and have fun.

Summer Camp is held in locations throughout

Southern California. Learn more about dates,

pricing, and locations at

www.calpacumc.org/summercamp!

Register Now for Summer Camp 2017!

Silent

Movie

Night on

April 22

Page 4

2

Pastor’s Soundings -- April by Pastor Terry

and how well the existing buildings

and ministries were kept up. People

“took their turn” when it came to lead-

ership and relied on the fact that there

would be others following them who

would continue the activities and pro-

grams of the church.

People today no longer support

that model. Churches are becoming

“Discipleship Oriented” and this is

seeing great results. They now ask

different questions: “Have you made

an intentional and serious decision to

follow Jesus?” “Having so decided,

where in your life do you need support

in living out that choice of faith?”

They also ask: “Are all of our

actions and decisions made in the

wisdom of God and with the

unconditional love of Jesus Christ?”,

“How can we better share the power

of a life lived in the Holy Spirit?”,

and “Are we willing to share our

lives as a living example of what

God is doing?”

This revised understanding

focusses on the call of Jesus to “follow

me” (Mark 1:17) and to command

“Go, …make disciples” (Matt. 28:19).

The mission statement for all

United Methodist Churches is “Make

Disciples of Jesus Christ for the

Transformation of the World.” Our

“Readiness 360+ group” is taking that

call very seriously and we putting

them into action.

Besides the Study and Prayer,

we’ve attended some Saturday

workshops both here in town and in

Santa Clarita. (The next one is April 29

and will be in the San Fernando Valley.

You are welcome to join us. Please let

me know of your interest.) We have

also come up with some ideas that

strengthen our disciple-making effort:

— We studied about prayer and

Have you noticed any difference yet?

As you may know, since last Fall,

leaders in our church have gathered

together in the “Readiness 360+” group

that meets after church almost every

Sunday. (Everyone is welcome!) They

have been thinking, praying and studying

on what it means to be a Christian today.

Everything around us is changing,

contributing to much turmoil and

dislocation in families. New technology

grabs our attention. Political decisions

have consequences reaching every level

of our life.

How is the church of Jesus Christ

going to respond? What will the United

Methodist church look like in 10, 15 or 20

years?

With these questions in mind, our

leaders and others have been reading

DiscipleShift by Jim Putman et. al., along

with Missional Renaissance by Reggie

McNeal (both are available on Kindle and

at the church if you wish to read along.)

The major theme of these two books is

to understand that the future of the

Christian movement is to change from a

“membership” orientation to a

“discipleship” orientation.

In the past, an emphasis was put on

having new people join the church, get

involved in various ministries and

committees, and shoulder their fair share

of obligations: volunteer and financial.

This approach depended on seeing a large

number of people coming to the church

and seeking many things: a moral

education for their children, new friends

and acquaintances for themselves, a

quality youth and/or music program,

and/or serious mission ministries that

help others.

Membership was measured by how

many people came to Sunday worship,

how much money was collected,

learned that we can do much

more than offer a list of needs

(sometimes called “Talking at

God”). We can stop talking and

quietly listen to God, we can talk

with God about the condition of

our own souls, we can be with

Jesus Christ more and more each

day in an intentional way.

— A Sermon series and worship

time focused on Discipleship

starting with the “Real

Discipleship Survey”

(www.lancasterunited.org),

— Identifying the six major

facets of a life that is following

Jesus: Opening to Jesus,

Obeying Jesus, Worship,

Service, Generosity, Hospitality.

— Our Spring Stewardship

Drive will feature a “ministry

showcase” that will lift up each

ministry and give us all an

opportunity to talk about and

ask questions about them.

— We are encouraging our

church to move from “Program

Development” to “People

Development”.

— We are moving away from

“Measuring activities” to

“Helping People Grow.”

— We are seeing ourselves as

“Kingdom Oriented” rather than

“Church-focused.”

This last change in perception

is both very exciting and very

difficult to accomplish. In some

ways, the United Methodist

church is exceedingly well suited

for this shift. We have always

been respectful and aware of

other churches likewise seeking

to do God’s work. (cont’d p. 3)

7

Help! VAN DRIVERS NEEDED!

This is a special ministry that

provides transportation to folks

in need. If you feel a calling to this

ministry, please call the church

office at 942-0419.

LUMC Profiles: Katy Day-Davis and Randy Davis

Church Calendar Now Online

Master Calendar of LUMC is now available on the

web for all to check the availability of dates and to

request a date. It’s found at:

www.lancasterunited.org/LUMCCalendar.

A link to the request form is also found there.

(Anthony now lives in Mojave and

works in Tehachapi.)

Upon discharge from the Army, Katy

became a Civil Service worker for the

Army. She and Anthony moved back to

Lancaster in 2005. Katy now works for

the Air Force Contracting Office and,

while on assignment to NASA, she met

Randy Davis.

Randy was born in Oregon, but grew

up in Ventura, where and his brother

loved building and fixing things, which

they still do to this day. His father

served in the US Navy.

Randy and Katy became good friends.

Katy said she fell in love with

Randy’s faith before she thought of a

relationship beyond friendship — then

love bloomed. The couple married at

LUMC on August 15, 2015. Randy is an

active Catholic; he and Katy frequently

go to two worship services on Sunday.

Besides their home in Lancaster, they

maintain a condo in Ventura since they

Katy Day-Davis and Randy Davis will

gladly deliver, to a person of your choice,

a bouquet of purple and white flowers,

arranged in a purple toilet , emblazoned

with the words “Flush Away Cancer.”

This, of course, is one of the fundraiser

for the upcoming Relay for Life. They are

passionate about doing what they can to

fight cancer. Both have been impacted

by the disease — Katy as a cancer

patient, and Randy, whose first wife and

father both died of cancer.

Katy was born in London, England,

where she lived until the age of eight.

The family then traveled to several

places before being assigned to Edwards

AFB, where her father retired from the

military. A move to Lancaster allowed

Katy to attend and graduate from

Antelope Valley High School, where she

was involved in volleyball, basketball,

and track. She ran the 400 meter and

became na expert in discus and shotput;

in fact, she became the CIF champion in

discus two years in a row. Her mother

believed in the adage that “Idle hands

are the devil’s workshop,” so Katy and

her siblings were always involved in

sports, church, school, and family

activities.

After graduation, Katy attended

Antelope Valley College, where her

cheerleading coach was Donna Horn.

She then enlisted in the US Army, where

she served for 10 years at 10 different

posts. Her son, Anthony, was born at

Fort Hood, TX. During her

assignment to Fort Irwin near Barstow,

they were able to visit Katy’s parents in

Lancaster most weekends and Anthony

was baptized at LUMC at the age of four.

visit and care for Randy’s mother

frequently.

Katy has participated in Relay for

Life, a major fundraiser for the

American Cancer Society for eight

years; five of those years she has

been captain of the LUMC team. Katy

was diagnosed with bladder cancer

in 2008 when a softball size tumor

was discovered. Fortunately, the

tumor had not invaded the bladder

wall, and the tumor was removed.

The cancer returned in 2016, when

two new tumors were discovered

and removed. Katy does not hide

from problems, she confronts them

and does what she can to solved the

issue. You can help by joining the

LUMC Relay Team.

Katy loves her LUMC family,

especially the many women who

have been her mentors during her

faith journey. They truly have taught

her about the love of Jesus. She loves

attending worship with her mother,

Terry Day. Katy, with her boundless

energy, has been involved tin the

Prayer Team, Worship Council,

Trustees, Pumpkin Patch (where

she worked with Chuck and Kay

Engram), Disciple classes, the Five-

Alive team, Hanging of the Greens

(she brings her wonderful chili to

keeps to workers going), Capital

Campaign, coffee co-host with her

mother, and the SPARKS program.

Occasionally, she and Randy do

have some spare time. One of their

favorite activities is to go RV

camping with friends, which they

do at least once a quarter.

by Shirley Sayles

6

MORE LUMC NEWS

Need a ride

to church?

Call the church office to get on

our van pool list.

942-0419

Submit Prayer

Requests ONLINE!

bit.ly/quR8TE

ALL CHURCH COMMITTEE MEETINGS Tues. 4/4 7:00 p.m. Nominating Committee Conference Room

Thurs. 4/6 4:30 p.m. Worship Committee Grand Foyer

Thurs. 4/6 7:00 p.m. Trustees Conference Room

Tues. 4/11 7:00 p.m. SPRC Conference Room

Tues. 4/18 6:30 p.m. Stewardship/Finance Conference Room

Tues. 4/18 7:30 p.m. AD Board Conference Room

There’s a place for YOU….. You belong here!

Coffee with the Pastor - 1st and 2nd Thursday of the month @ 7 p.m. in the Grand Foyer. Pastor Terry and Donna Horn would like to invite you to "Next Step in Your Spiritual Journey" in learning more about our church family. This is designed to explain who and what we are as a church. Call church office to R.S V.P. 661-942-0419.

Centering Prayer —Led by Joanne Van Hook, 2nd & 4th Tues. 6:30 p.m. @ her home.

And much more! Visit our church website for info: http://www.lancasterunited.org

H&R Block Nonprofit Referral Program Hi. I am the church Treasurer for LUMC. I also

prepare taxes for H&R Block. I wanted to let you

know about H&R Block’s Nonprofit Referral

Program. H&R Block will donate $20 to the church

for every new client that uses the church’s referral

code. If you have your taxes done at H&R Block,

please give your tax pro this referral code, then H&R

Block will donate $20 to the church.

Referral code: 40010001090562.

Call if you have any tax questions, I’ll be happy to

help you. Please call me at 661-917-7735.

Best wishes, Susan Zahn

Scholarships for High School Seniors Available

LUMC gives out two, $500.00 scholarships every spring to graduating high school seniors who are going to college in the fall. The Centennial Scholarship is for students attending AVC in the fall. The Second Century Scholarship is for members of LUMC, or other local Methodist Churches who are attending any college in the fall. Students must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher; deadline for submitting the application (which is available in the Grand Foyer or church office) is April 1st. Contact Karen Coy for questions.

If you would like to receive a visit from a Home Communion minister, please

contact the LUMC Office, so that you may be added to the visitation list.

3

Sundays @ 10:45 a.m. — Hangout in Room 16

by Pastor JasonFamilies and Youth (MS/HS) Students)

For the latest happenings with the youth group, check out Room 16 on Facebook!

http://bit.ly/2cs46i4 Features up-to-date calendars, forms, and current discussions!

April S.P.A.R.K. News On March 26th, we began a rotation on “The Last Supper” leading up to Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. The workshops are:

The Bible references for this rotation are Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-25, and Luke 22:7-20. Perhaps you can share these verses around the dinner table and talk about the importance of Communion, our faith family’s special meal. In conjunction with this study we would like to try a new process for Communion Sundays, usually the first Sunday of the Month. Our hope is that this process will reinforce the importance of this sacrament as we remember Jesus together. As has been our tradition, we will bring the children over from SPARK to participate in Communion. We will sit on the left side of the sanctuary close to the center aisle. As you come up the aisle to take Communion, stop to pick up your child so that they may participate with you. Your child will then remain with you until the end of the service. When you sign your child in on that morning you will also be signing that following communion your child will remain with you. Mark your calendars — the children will be singing Easter Sunday at both the 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. services.

March 26 — Cinema April 2 — Art April 9 — Palm Sunday

April 16 — Easter Sunday April 23 — Easter Story April 30 — Five Alive Mission Project

(Soundings cont’d)

However, that has often led us to a passive approach that has waited for people to seek us out and to be attracted to

our church. This “Attractional Model” assumed that people will turn to the church when confronted by a spiritual,

parenting or loneliness need. That is no longer the case. While a few people still follow this decade old pattern, most

of the population does not. We need to be both ready and actively offer the deep loving relationship with Jesus Christ

that we experience here so strongly at Lancaster UMC. With that in mind we’ll soon be talking about how we can

become more intentional in our faithful lives when it regards to helping people on their spiritual journey. We’ll be

defining the roles of faithful people willing to help others on their spiritual journey For example:

Sponsor: Not only someone to stand with them at Baptism & Membership time, but a trained and knowledgeable

companion for their journey.

Spiritual Friend: Someone familiar with the many ways of prayer and other opportunities out church provides,

helping them out and pointing them in the right direction. They “coach” others into a deeper journey as a disciple of

Jesus.

Spiritual Director/Pastor: Someone trained and experienced in ways to help new friends, Sponsors, and Spiritual

Friends become better disciples and followers of Jesus. This is someone who regularly offers workshops and classes

and who counsels others along their spiritual path.

As you can tell, it takes a conscious effort to look at the task ahead for our church. However, it is an exciting and

hopeful development in that it results in deeply faithful and loving people. It is my prayer and hope that many of you

will join us as we seek the Kingdom of God unfold around us. You are welcome to our Sunday luncheons and also to

our upcoming Saturday workshops, April 29 and June 10.

What scripture has stayed with you this week? What have others learned about Jesus Christ because of you?

How goes it with your soul?

Grace and Peace,

4

LUMC News

GRIEF GROUP BEGINS AT LUMC Lancaster UMC hosted its first meeting of Grief Group on Tuesday, February 28th. Meetings will continue for the next few weeks, with the option of continuing later on. The group is facili-tated by Pastor Terry and Dr. Karen Coy.

In the announcement, Pastor Terry explained, “From personal experience, I know the many times of grief and the lingering nature of losing someone close. We have a number of people ex-periencing grief and the loss of someone close to them. Dr. Karen Coy and I are bringing a num-ber of people who have experienced loss together. Such a group will see how a prayerful, uncon-ditional love can be of help.”

The group is open to all in the Antelope Valley — they need not attend Lancaster UMC. The group will use prayer and also reflect on the Bible's insight into grief. Please spread the word! (Additional groups may be formed for different days and times based on interest)

Silent Movie Night!

The General (1926)

starring Buster Keaton

Saturday, April 22, 7 p.m. in the LUMC Sanctuary

Featuring Ken Rosen on organ

Free admission; all donations benefit the

Friends of the Moller Organ (FOTMO)

for the upgrade of

the LUMC Sanctuary Organ.

EASTER EGG HUNT AND LUNCH

Saturday, April 15th, 10 a.m.—1 p.m.

Doors open at 10 a.m. for crafts and walk-in

petting zoo. The hunt begins at 11 am.

Bring your friends and a basket.

(Not in a basket. That would be awkward. )

Come ready to celebrate God, the giver of life, and

Jesus his Son!

Children aged 1 to 11 years may participate in the hunt.

5

News from LUMC, AV/DV MISSION, CAL-PAC

Hispanic Ministry Schedule: Spanish Language Worship: Sundays @ 9:30 a.m. Groupo de Artes y Amistad (en Espanol) Crafts Group (in Spanish but all are welcome!)

Tarde /Afternoon— Jueves /Thursdays—time: 10 a.m.—Noon

Lí der: Maria Salcedo Para mas information, llame. 661-942-0419

Pastor Sergio Camacho, has been volunteering to help us initiate a Hispanic Outreach:

Biblia y Fe (en Espanol) Bible and Faith Growth

Weekly Prayer and Praise with Dinner (Fridays, 5-8pm in the John Wesley Hall)

Chinese Ministry Schedule:

Chinese Language Worship: Sundays @ 11 a.m. — Lunch following Worship 12:15 p.m.

Bible Study (Chinese): Wed. @ 7 p.m. Leader: Pastor Ray Sung, Dining room.

Chinese School: Fri. @ 8-10 a.m. —where Adults and Children learn Chinese. (Up Stairs in Church Office)

Sign up to be a Coffee Host!

We are looking for individuals who would like to sponsor coffee and light refreshments after Sunday services.

If you would like to participate in this hospitality outreach, please contact either Cathy Swords or Debi King.

JOIN OUR TEAM TO FIGHT CANCER! Relay for Life 2017 LUMC has had a successful team for several years participating in the American Cancer Society (ACS) Relay for Life Walk. This year, our team will be walking from 29-30 April at Quartz Hill High School. Here are some ways you can help us be a success: • Volunteer to walk around the track for 30 minutes or an hour (we have at least one member of our team on the

track for 24 hours)

• Purchase a team t-shirt. We are using the "Benny Strong" t-shirts for our Team shirts this year!

• Commit to be a team member that collects donations/sponsorships to raise money to help ACS find a cure for cancer

• Donate to honor a friend or family member who had to fight cancer

• Sponsor the Flush Away Cancer Potty for $50. Have it placed in someone’s yard for awareness and support.

• Participate as a group, (i.e., Choir, Praise Band, Birthday Club, Youth Group) and see which group can get the biggest donation

• And, most importantly, pray for our LUMC team to be present, to be filled with grace, to make a difference, and to focus our efforts that bring HIM glory.

We, as a family of faith, have lost several saints to cancer, we are walking with members who are currently fighting (like our Benny) and we have several survivors as well. Let’s help to honor each of them by volunteering to participate in at least one way this year. Please prayerfully consider being a part of this HOPE for a CURE. The Relay community has seen the presence of our church in support of this effort. We can disciple to those who relay who can really use the outpouring of love from our congregation. Our team captain is Katy Day-Davis, a cancer survivor herself. Please see her after service in the Grand Foyer or call her to sign up at (661) 575-7581.