1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

The
Aldersgate
Press
April 2015 • Vol 20• www.AldersgatePA.org
• A Reconciling Congregation, open to all
SERVING YOUR CHURCH
Pastor: Rev. Roger Morimoto
[email protected]
Words With Rev. Roger
The Surprising Hope!
Working by yourself is often more grueling mentally than the
physical task itself. As the son of a gardener, this was one of
life’s lessons that I learned as my father would leave me at a job
site and head off to another.
Your AUMC Staff:
Send Sunday bulletin
information to:
Mimi Funabiki - bulletin editor
[email protected]
Submit newsletter articles by the
15th of the month to:
Brad Shirakawa - newsletter editor
[email protected]
Lori Wong does everything else
[email protected]
Sunday service starts at 10 am. Sunday
school available for toddlers through
12th graders.
Aldersgate United
Methodist Church
4243 Manuela Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94306-3705
ph: 650-948-6806
www.aldersgatepa.org
building
sharing
aldersgate
community
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One particular job involved clearing junipers from a large area.
It looked to be an all day affair - by myself. After an hour of this
laborious task, I was ready to quit… except I worked for my dad and there was
no quitting nor was there any arguing with him since he wasn’t even there. I
had no option but to drudge on with little hope of relief.
Then, a few minutes later, the owner popped out of the back door in his work
clothes armed with shears and tools. I told him that this was my job and he
didn’t need to do this work. He just waved me off and jumped right in and
starting clearing the junipers. My work picked up and we were done in less
than half the time I anticipated. It was a great feeling.
Afterwards, he brought out cold drinks and talked as I sat on a lounge chair
waiting for my dad to come.
Easter morning was that type of day for the followers of Jesus. No hope, only
despair and the drudgery of life ahead. Yet, as they returned to the tomb, their
lives would change in a moment of surprise - a surprising hope.
Often in life, we become downtrodden by the drudgery of daily living. Yet,
there are small moments where the Spirit breaks into our lives with something
that we did not expect. If we are paying attention, we will be open to receive
the hope that is packaged in these moments. It will always be a surprise. It
will always be uplifting. We have to be open to allow and to recognize the in
breaking of the Spirit.
This Easter, let God surprise and bring you the hope you need. Let us celebrate
life!
Roger
2
Easter Service
Sunday, April 5 • Youth please bring
a flower for the cross if possible. Families please bring two dozen filled plastic Easter eggs per youth.
Breakfast • 8 to 9:30am • Easter Service
at 10am, Children’s Easter egg hunt begins after service. After service will be
a finger food potluck, bring a fun dish
to share!
Bring the whole family to join us on Easter Sunday! The
flowering of the Easter cross returns, be sure your youth
are in service to participate! There will be fun Sunday
School activities for kids at all age levels.
Don’t miss special music during service, including the
Aldersgate choir, Melody King and William Copeland.
For you volunteers, cooking starts around 7:30am.
Saturday, April 18 • 9am • Be the
Match fundraising run to cure
cancer 5K/1K walk or run
Arena Green East – W. Santa Clara
St & N. Autumn St., San Jose.
It’s a walk or run, so all abilities
welcome! See Marice Shiozaki
for more info. The race course runs
along the Guadalupe Parkway.
We will have lunch together after
the race.
L*
Y*
F*
E*
Into The World
Hoops Fundraiser
Run by Youth Group
Sunday, April 19 • after service • Lunch
Our Into The World fundraisers continue as our youth will
shoot baskets to collect donations for Imagine No Malaria. The youth will try to make 100 baskets in 20 minutes.
You can pledge per basket made or pledge a flat donation.
For example, you can pledge 10 cents/basket. If the youth
make 100 baskets, your donation would be $10. Contact
Lauren Morimoto at [email protected] to sign
up or use the hallway sign up sheet. Parent volunteers are
needed, contact Mimi Funabiki.
Youth Challenge for the Adults
After the youth complete their baskets, they are challenging the adults to match or beat their score. Expect the
youth to dominate the adults!
Family Night
April 17 • 6:30pm • The Shift in Parenting: An Intergenerational Discussion
Even if you have not joined Family Night in the past,
come out for this intriguing discussion on parenting between parents whose children are now post college age
and parents who have children in high school or below.
Please RSVP to [email protected] so we know how
many to plan for dinner.
Reiki JAM- April 12 at 7pm
Healing Arts - April 13 and 27 at 7pm
Knitting Circle - Sunday, April 19, right after service
Want your Aldersgate news via email? Email Lori Wong and let her know.
“A place to explore the intersections among science, art, culture, healing and spirituality.”
Intuitive
Meditation
and Grounding
Workshops
Tuesdays, April 14, 21, 28
& May 5
7:30pm to 8:30pm
Suggested Donation $40
Proceeds support CSL
Join Tammy Langowski in
a four week session introducing meditation through
breathing, grounding and
guided imagery. Learn to release unwanted energy by replacing your aura with a loving intentional vibration and develop your intuitive abilities.
The third or fourth session we will experience
meditating to a background of peaceful music &
sounds. Dress comfortably, bring a water bottle
-and an outer wear (e.g. sweater or sweatshirt) as
one can get chilly while meditating.
OM
GROUP
Learning About Chakras
Sunday, April 19 • 7pm • Here at AUMC
The Open Minds group will be learning about
Chakras from Alice Phipps. Alice is currently
earning an M.A. in transpersonal psychology and
has practiced astrology for more than 20 years,
finding intersections within tarot, mythology,
Jungian theory, Kabbalah and Chakras. Alice
may touch upon some of these other traditions as
she shares her wisdom on Chakras.
3
Art
Experience
Saturday, May 2 • Concurrent with
our Aldersgate Spring Bazaar, free
will donation • you may join any or
all of the workshops*
CSL presents The Experience of
Art, a series of four hands on workshops in four different artistic forms:
(1) A free writing/poetry workshop,
movement-based practices, group
drumming and group painting. Each
45 minute workshop experience is
intended to give participants a taste of the particular artistic expression. The Experience of Art is an excellent opportunity for both novices and seasoned practitioners to tap into the creative side of their
spiritual lives.
11am Free-Writing/Poetry: Tap into your inner poet! Learn the art of
free writing to conjure stories and memories with poet, educator, and
CSL director Brynn Saito. Together, we’ll engage in writing exercises
to heighten and expand your poetic consciousness.
12pm Movement-Based Practices: Connect your mind, heart, body,
and spirit through a series of easy experiential exercises with seasoned
artist and performer, Coke Tani. Unlock the wisdom of your own body
and ease stress in a playful and safe environment.
1pm Group Drumming: Drums, present in every culture's history,
follow the path of rhythm in connecting to spirit, community, and the
greater elements of nature. Join us in grounding our energy, releasing
tension, and inviting joy to the community through drumming with
composer and expressive arts therapist, Sekayi Edwards.
2pm Group Painting: Have you always wanted to paint but did not
know where to start. This is your opportunity! Patti Iseke will lead
the group step by step through a painting exercise. In the end you will
have a finished painting, uniquely your own!
*Sign-ups are being taken to help with planning but we hope to take
all interested on the day of the event. To sign up, please email Rev.
Roger at [email protected].
4
5
Dance and
Music Highlight
Senior Lunch
Kacey Ura’s jazz dance was part of the entertainment for the Senior Appreciation Lunch. Ura has
been dancing with her studio for seven years,
and this will be her third year competing. She
also dances hip hop, ballet, tap and lyrical.
Gordon Sasamori, Christina Sasamori, Atsuko Nelson and Gayle Uriu sing with the AUMC choir.
Matthew Yu preps a note for
one of the seniors.
The youth bopped their way through a Japanese language tune.
The Art of the
District Supervisor to Retire
Rev. Kristie L. Olah, District Superintendent for Aldersgate UMC,
will retire on September 1.
Internment
"Kristie has given outstanding leadership as a District Superintendent and as Dean of the Cabinet. She has led the development of
the El Camino Real District," Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr. said.
"Under her leadership, numerous new congregations and new language ministries have been developed."
Olah began her service under Bishop Beverly J. Shamana in July
2008 and has been a great friend to Aldersgate over the past seven
years.
Olah says there are joys and challenges in supervising the 88 diverse congregations that make up the El Camino Real District.
"I am passionate about helping each faith community, in its own
unique context, to prayerfully seek out and live God's call to be
disciples and invited others into a life of grace and hope through
Jesus Christ," she said.
Rev. Kristie Olah
“As I enter the retired relationship, I look forward to continuing to
serve in ministry as a volunteer, especially in the areas of leadership development, discipleship, and consulting with local churches."
Prior to serving as a District Superintendent, Olah pastored St. Andrew's United Methodist Church in Palo Alto, was
Minister of Discipleship at Los Altos United Methodist Church, and Senior Pastor of the Good Samaritan United Methodist Church in Cupertino.
Rev. Staci Current will succeed Olah.
"Staci Current is a dynamic and passionate leader," said Bishop Brown. "She will be an excellent successor to Kristie
Olah. Both of them share a passion and energy for ministry with the multi-ethnic communities of this diverse district."
Current is a native Californian born in Hollywood and reared in the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos.
"I am very excited to be in ministry with the people of God in The El Camino Real district! I am confident that we will
continue the great kingdom work that has already begun as we grow into a bright future together," said Current.
Current earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and International Relations from Spelman College in
Atlanta, Georgia. She is a 1998 graduate of Claremont School of Theology (CST) earning a Master of Divinity Degree.
Beyond the local church, Current serves on the Faith Advisory Board of the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer
Center at University of California, San Francisco, a mentor for five candidates for ordained ministry, and served as the
Chairperson for the California-Nevada Annual Conference Commission on the Status and Role of Women.
Aldersgate UMC Bazaar
Art Gallery, featuring
Shizue Matsushita’s
Internment wood carvings
Saturday, May 2
11am to 4pm
www.aldersgatePA.org / 4243 Manuela Ave, Palo Alto
near Gunn High School
Aldersgate
UMC
Bazaar
Special Gifts
up to March 15
In memory of
Alice Oku
Tosh Tsubakimoto
Sue Nakamura
M/M John Pennebaker
Tomoko Ozawa
Lee Ozawa
Jim Nakamura
M/M Mits Uchida
Atsuko Nelson
In memory of
Aya Hyde
M/M Harvey Wong
Saturday, May 2
11 am to 4 pm
Bento • GREAT Teri chix • Manju • Udon
Collectibles • Crafts • Our Art Gallery
will include Modern & Internment Art
4243 Manuela Ave Palo Alto
www.aldersgatePA.org
In memory of
James Shizuru
Sue Nakamura
M/M Steve Murata
Diane Hutchinson
M/M Gordon Sasamori
Grace Kozen
R/M Lloyd Wake
M/M Barry Horowitz
M/M Edward Sickel
Atsuko Nelson
M/M Tim Montagne
Jeanne Shizuru
Judith Shizuru
Kimi & Mary Tsukushi
Sachiyo Yamasaki
B.Y. Nakano
Tomoko Ozawa
M/M Sam Motooka
D/M Mare Shibuya
M/M Chris Robinson
Mary Murata
M/M Larry Toy
D/M Harry Hatasaka
Jim Nakamura
M/M Harvey Wong
In memory of
Harry Takamoto
M/M Mits Uchida
Lily’s birthday
D/M Mare Shibuya
Youth fund
Satoko King
Kitchen Fund
David Nakamura
Healing Arts
M/M Harvey Wong
Building Fund
D/M Dale Uriu
M/M Mits Uchida
Grace Kozen
*Building Fund
+Youth Fund
** Koyukai Fund
ARI to Visit Aldersgate
John Hoover, Executive Director of
the AFARI (American Friends of
Asian Rural Institute) will be visiting
the area from April 21-29. He will be
sharing with us on Sunday, April 26.
HELP NEEDED: If you can volunteer your home to host during this
week, it would be greatly appreciated,
preferably two consecutive nights, including breakfast. Contact Rev. Roger.
An extra vehicle Hoover can use while
in the area would also be helpful.
ARI has been one of Aldersgate’s projects for several years and is
dedicated to training grassroots rural leaders from the most marginalized parts of the world. The aim is to facilitate self-development of rural people in order to build a just and peaceful world.
Phone Directory
to be Updated
Had a change of phone, email or address?
Please contact Brad or Rev. Roger. The new directory will be out shortly.
Special Thanks!
Thank you to Team B for providing refreshments
through the month of March.
A special thanks to those who help out every week
with the little things that keep the church running.
Our thanks to the newsletter crew and Sunday service offering counters. FIG (Fix It Group): fixing
and maintaining things at the church.
Ogasawara Landscaping: keeping the grounds
groomed each week. Satoko King for coffee supplies & Lori Wong for buying church supplies.
Youth Summer Camps
Junior High Camp (July 5-10) and Asian American Camp (July
26-31) are nearly here, go to njaumc.org for more info. Do it
today!
Bazaar Collectibles
Unsure what’s collectible and what’s junk? Check with Chris
Morimoto!
www.AldersgatePA.org www.AldersgatePA.org www.AldersgatePA.org