First United Methodist Church

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STUDY GROUP ON CHRISTIANITY'S FAMILY TREE
WEDNESDAYS IN MAY AT BOTH 10 AM & 7 PM in Asbury.

Pastor Hillary leads a Study Group based on Adam Hamilton's book "Christianity's Family Tree." Through video clips and discussion we will cover the history, theology and distinctive emphases of different Christian denominations and faith traditions . Come gain a new perspective on the diversity of the many branches of Christianity. Each class will cover a different subject so attend one or as many as you can!

THE FLAMINGOS HAVE LANDED!
Under the cover of darkness, a flock of 50 pink flamingos can land quietly on a front lawn without the owner knowing. For a donation to the Sierra Service Project, the FUMCSB youth, under the direction of Gary Pitney, will happily visit the yard of a person of your selection, and then remove the graceful decorations! Contact Gary Pitney by email at gpitney@cox.net. Don't miss out honoring your friends and neighbors while helping send the youth out this Summer on their service mission to an Indian reservation in Coarsegold, California.

GRADUATE INFO PLEASE
Graduation Sunday is May 20th and FUMCSB will honor this year’s graduates in the service and in the bulletin. If you or a loved one is graduating this year, please send a picture and graduation info to the church office before May 16th. You can also e-mail the info and JPG photo file to the church office at office@fumcsb.org. Please provide the name of the school, any plans following graduation, and degree and major for post-secondary information. We would love to share your big news!

50 DAYS OF PRAYER AVAILABLE ONLINE
Join with United Methodists around the world by using the daily prayer book, 50 Days of Prayer: Before and After General Conference 2012 which is available as a free download by going to:
http://50daysofprayer.upperroom.org/
and clicking on the title. Also available [for a small cost] are print-on-demand copies of this prayer book which was written by various church leaders and designed by the Prayer Team for General Conference. (The 50 days started March 16th but you can join anytime.)

FREEDOM WARMING CENTERS
FUMC is part of the Freedom Warming Centers (WC’s) in this community. The centers began in
December 2009 in response to three homeless deaths related to hypothermia, one who’s name was “Freedom.” Lynne Jahnke, M.D., a local physician, initiated a collaboration between local shelters, agencies and churches to open homeless warming centers in inclement weather.

Santa Barbara County has over 6,000 homeless individuals and families. Of those, at least 10% are chronically homeless. Existing public and private shelters cannot accommodate all of the homeless, and some, due to mental health and condition, do not meet admission criteria and are extremely vulnerable to extreme cold or rain. The WC’s will provide temporary overnight safe haven during episodes of inclement weather from December 1 - March 31.

Each participating congregation is assigned a week of the month during which they may be called to open their doors depending on weather conditions. This year, FUMC is responsible for 5 weeks: Dec 11-17, Jan 1-7, 22-28, Feb 12-18, March 4-10, and March 25-31. The WC’s have their own overnight paid staff. FUMC provides the Fellowship Hall, and a simple meal.

If you would like to be on the call list to assist with preparing and serving a meal, please notify Pastor Alan. If you would like to contribute to the cost of the meals, please send your checks to: FUMCSB, 305 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Kindly make checks payable to FUMC, earmarked “Warming Centers.”

GARDEN PRESCHOOL
For registration information, please call Heidi Casper at 451-5476.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL HOTLINE
FUMC Santa Barbara has a 24 hour/day, 7 day/week recorded message by Pastor Alan that is available to anyone who calls 805-962-5697! This form of spiritual care, nurture, and encouragement has its own dedicated line so your call goes directly to the recorded message.

LET'S RETHINK CHURCH
Rethinking church is about taking action. It is a wake-up call reminding us of the many needs of human beings, both in our own backyards and around the world. It is a call to action for all United Methodist to become involved together in a world bigger than one individual's reach.

A new generation of both seekers and believers is yearning for something more, something deeper, something relevant. It is a generation that believes actions speak louder than words.

In the first century, Jesus' ministry made his world rethink faith beyond the wall and doors of the Temple and synagogues. In the 18th century, John Wesley called people to rethink church and make the whole world our parish.

Today, we are challenging United Methodists to do the same - to rethink the way our church makes contact with the world. We're ready to help you do that. In addition to the resources available at our church as outlined above and in the various pages on this website, we suggest you also visit our newest link located at the top of our home page: www.rethinkchurch.org

RAISE MONEY FOR FUMC BY SURFING THE WEB, SHOPPING ONLINE
If you're looking for a search engine that benefits First United Methodist Church, Santa Barbara, consider iSearchiGive.com.

Here's what makes iSearchiGive.com so useful:

1) We receive exactly $0.01 per search - no hidden fees, no limits;
2) Donation checks are sent every month;
3) It's fast and free;
4) If you shop online, typically 2-4% of each purchase via iGive.com also benefits our church!
5) It's powered by iGive.com (a site that has been helping causes raise money online since 1997), so we know it's not just a flash in the pan!

See it for yourself at: http://www.isearchigive.com/?s=28&c=29062

Please help support all the wonderful missions at FUMC by using iSearchiGive every time you search and shop.

FIVE WISHES PAMPHLET AVAILABLE
The Office has received calls for the Five Wishes pamphlet as a result of the recent forum by Rev. Pam Washburn, Director of Spiritual Care at Cottage Hospital. We have made more copies and the pamphlet is available in the church office. It is important to consult with your physician on it. Pam encouraged everyone to use it as the starting point for very important conversations with family members around your “wishes” in an emergency.