9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. – Luke 2:9-11 Merry Christmas! I love the Christmas season. It’s filled with wonder unlike any other time of the year. Decorations come out of their boxes to adorn our homes for just this one month. Spirits soar as people get into the Christmas mood and dash away all of those “bah humbug” moments. Special food and drink come out of the woodwork. Peppermint sticks, gingerbread, and more turkey than you can shake a stick at! … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving 2020
Ten Things I’m Grateful For… In any list of gratitude, of course God will be at the top. Without God, none of the rest of this would be possible. But it’s good to get down to specifics once in a while and even though this is not an exhaustive list, here are ten things I’m grateful for this year: For our kids – Emma, Justin, Ethan, Tetsuo, Kazumi, Arlo, Cami, and Brandon. Thank you for just being you. Of all the people of our church who are feeling the effects of the pandemic, we have not been able to meet your needs most of all. For our staff – Naomi and Jill impress me every week. They have done so much to hold our church together and to keep coming up with new ways of doing things. I’m thankful for everything they do.For our Worship Team – Wow. We are … [Read more...]
Pastor Appreciation!
Our District Superintendent Staci let us know that October is Pastor appreciation month, and the SPRC planned a special thanks for Rev. Craig. We asked that as many people as possible attend zoom worship on 10/25. We also asked each person to prepare a sign to hold up for about 30 seconds saying thank you and/or what they appreciate about Craig. The SPRC met on October 14th to discuss the pastoral appointment for 2021-2022. After much discussion, prayer, and thoughtful deliberation, our recommendation to the bishop is for Craig to return. The SPRC is committed to supporting Craig and the congregation in nurturing a collaborative and grace-filled place where Christ's love can continue to flourish and grow. We look forward to working together with Craig for the glory of God and his … [Read more...]
Craig’s Corner 2020 October
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” – Matthew 6:33-34 This may be the most important election of our lifetime. This coming November we will have the opportunity to vote for who we believe best represents our country. I will be in prayer over this and I hope you will, too. Our elected leaders should represent the values and ideals we hold as a country. They should reflect what we hope to achieve. And hopefully, that person will understand that the United States is one among many nations and we are dependent on one another to make the world a better place. … [Read more...]
Online Giving Now Available!
BMUC has partnered with Tithe.ly to bring you online giving! We are excited about this new opportunity for our friends and church family. Now, you can give conveniently from your phone or online from anywhere at any time. We are working on continually improving your experience with BMUC and hope this will be a big addition to the "plus" column. We have two new ways to give: On your mobile device (phone, iPad, etc.) or online from your computer (laptop or desktop). To access giving from your mobile device: Download the Tithe.ly App from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android). Once you've downloaded the app, search for Berkeley Methodist United Church and just follow the prompts. If this is your first time giving with Tithe.ly you will be prompted to … [Read more...]
Join the Discussion Against Racism – Mon 7/20 and Tues 7/21
We are on a journey together. Most of us have been deeply affected by the move toward racial justice that has swept our nation. Our church in particular, having its roots in the Japanese-American community, understands better than most how racism can rear its ugly, unjust head. While we are encouraged to do something about it, at the same time we are challenged to look within and see the ways we might be perpetuating systemic racism. If you're interested in joining us on this journey toward self-discovery, we invite you to join us for a free event with Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be An Antiracist. Sponsored by the Prince George's County Memorial Library System, this will be broadcast on multiple social media outlets on Monday, July 20 @4pm. It says 7pm on the website, … [Read more...]
Craig’s Corner 2020 June
When are we coming back to worship? People are starting to wonder about when we will open the doors to the church building and welcome people in person once again. The short answer is…probably not for a long time. We all WANT to come and worship live and in person. We want to hug and shake hands with friends and family. We want to welcome new people into our church family. But sometimes our needs outweigh our wants. In this case, the need to love our neighbor by NOT meeting in person, the need to love our church family by NOT gathering together, the need to NOT be a viral hotspot outweighs our wants. By a lot. I know we will come back to worship live and in person one day. But it won’t be soon. When we do, there will be … [Read more...]
Please let us know your email address to receive the Homevisitor
ATTENTION! INFO NEEDED! Due to the current shelter in place orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in a lack of volunteers, it has become more difficult to produce and distribute the postal version of our Homevisitor newsletter. Given these circumstances, we intend to primarily communicate by email and social media, and only mail the newsletter to folks without email. If you are not receiving the Homevisitor by email, we probably do not have your email address. Please take a moment now to send us your email at bmuchurch@gmail.com . We will add you to our Homevisitor email email list. ( 1 Homevisitor email per month and memorial announcements.) If you like, we can also add you to our Yahoo group. Rev. Craig sends 1 update and prayer concerns email per … [Read more...]
K.I.T. Ministry – Keep In Touch!
Join our team! We need you to help us keep in touch with our folks - especially those who are not connected to social media. But for everyone who needs a bit of comfort, love, and attention. We are starting a ministry to help us stay connected better and to care for each other through letters, notes, and phone calls. If you can keep in touch with five people once a month using any of these ways, you are a great fit for our team. We just want to make sure we are touching base with everyone on a regular basis. We want to make sure no one is falling through the cracks. If you're already in touch with folks on a regular basis, we would love to know that, too. Just tell us who you are in touch with so we can include you in our network. That way we can pass information on … [Read more...]
Holy Week at BMUC
Due to the novel corona virus, events are to be determined. We will send you updates as they become available PALM SUNDAY, April 5, 2020 10:30 GOOD FRIDAY Friday, April 10, 2020 7pm by Men's Group. Please carpool for those who don't drive at night. EASTER Sunday, April 12, 2020 8:30-10am EASTER BREAKFAST – Come start your Easter with a yummy breakfast and fellowship, and help support the Youth and Church Retreat Funds with optional freewill donation. FLOWERING OF THE CROSS: Bring a flower or several to remind you of loved ones, and help to "flower" our cross. 10:30 a.m. WORSHIP & Young People's Message, Easter Egg Hunt for the kids EASTER REFRESHMENTS There is no assigned crew for Easter refreshments, so we request for people to bring some kind of finger food to share, if … [Read more...]
