Friday, September 4, 2026 | |
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost,
September 6
In the late 1980's, Robert Fulghum published the book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, to the delight of some and the shaking heads of others. It turns out, there is always a market for a book that tells us how to be in the world, how to get along in society, or in community, or even within one's own family. You can draw a similar conclusion if you sift through scripture long enough, finding laws and codes and instructions on how to get along in the world our ancestors-in-faith inhabited. It seems there have always been questions, and that the answers have never quite answered all of them. I look forward to exploring this more on Sunday with you all!
-Erin Beardemphl
Scripture: Matthew 18:15-20, Romans 13:8-14
Last week's sermon: redlandsucc.org
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Love to Sing? Join the Choir!
Whether you’ve been singing for years, are looking for a supportive community of musicians, or have always wanted to give choir a try, there is a seat waiting for you!
No prior music experience? No problem at all. Our first rehearsal will cover choir fundamentals and the basics of sight-reading to get you comfortable. We are here to guide and support you every step of the way.
Rehearsal Schedule:
Kickoff Rehearsal: Wednesday, September 9 at 7:00 p.m. in Mosaic Hall
Regular Rehearsals: Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. in Mosaic Hall and Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary. There will be no rehearsal on September 16.
Come lift your voice with us! We’d love to have you!
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Make Some Noise: Jam Session Returns This Fall!
Looking for a relaxed, fun way to share your love of music? The RUCC Jam Session is starting back up, and we’d love to have you join the circle!
There’s zero pressure here—bring an instrument, bring your voice, bring a phone/tablet to look up tunes, or just come hang out, share a snack, and listen. For our kickoff night, our loosely recommended theme is Fall / Autumn (think "Autumn Leaves," cozy acoustic vibes, or anything that feels like September—or throw out whatever random song you feel like playing!). We pull up the chords online and simply enjoy jamming together.
Kickoff Dates: Thursday, September 10 & Thursday, September 24 at 6:00 p.m. in Mosaic Hall
Ongoing Schedule: 1st & 3rd Thursdays of every month at 6:00 p.m. in Mosaic Hall
Whether you're a seasoned player, a shower singer, or an official RUCC "jam hooligan," come make some joyful noise with us!
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Ring in the Season: Celebration Ringers Handbell Choir
Our bells have been tuned, polished, and serviced—and they’re ready for a fresh start this fall! The Celebration Ringers are kicking off rehearsals, and we are actively looking for new ringers to join our choir.
If you have a little bit of basic musicianship or note-reading ability (emphasis on basic!), handbells are a fun, collaborative way to make music and get involved in worship.
First Rehearsal: Wednesday, September 9 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary
Regular Schedule: Every Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary There will be no rehearsal on September 16.
Come check out a rehearsal and help us ring in a brand-new season of music!
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Bring Your Prayers
There is a prayer request sheet at the entrance of the Sanctuary before worship each Sunday. Please write down any prayers that you would like to have included in our worship. The prayers we have received in the office will be on the sheet already.
Prayer Requests:
- Prayers for adult children who are struggling and their parents.
- Prayers for David (Jo Ana Grant's brother) as he had heart surgery this week.
Ongoing concerns:
- Cynthia McGuigan
- Susan Matthews
Please send prayer requests to the office at office@redlandsucc.org
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Settled Pastor Search Committee Update
Here is an update from the Settled Pastor Search Committee. We want to you know that the search committee has been steadily working through the summer to find our next settled pastor.
Early on, we tried a new approach to finding prospective candidates. We divvied up geographic areas and went to the internet to look for UCC Open and Affirming churches whose pastors might be interested in RUCC. We contacted several via emails and phone calls and got some interest. While no candidates came forward, it was still good for us to undertake this active effort. We got to see what UCC churches and pastors across mainly the West Coast and Midwest are up to, and helped lend perspective to what we’re doing at RUCC.
Through the summer, we also received a number of profiles from the Southern California Nevada Conference of the UCC. We read through them all, and met to decide if there were any we wanted to advance. We did first interviews with several and did second interviews with a couple of candidates, but for a variety of reasons, we haven’t found someone we wanted to invite for an in-person visit.
We fully expect that more profiles will come to us this fall, and we’re hopeful and excited that some good candidates will come our way. We’re also determined and committed to continuing to do what’s necessary to find our next settled pastor.
On another note, one of our committee members, Nick Mineo-Wells, decided to leave our committee this summer. Nick was an exemplary member of our group. He was diligent, thoughtful, kind and reasoned. He always made good contributions and was not afraid to say hard things. We value and appreciate all of his work and understand completely why he wanted to find more time for his busy work and family life. Thank you, Nick, we miss you!
Patty and the Church Board will take on the task of finding a replacement, and we’ll keep you informed about that process.
Finally, as we head into the fall, please lift up all of the members of the search committee. We remain committed and optimistic, and our committee is working efficiently and effectively, but it is a challenging process. We’ve had many moments of hope and excitement but also have had to face moments of disappointment and discouragement. Throughout, I can say that we have all poured our time, energy, and heart into making it work well. And this is what makes us confident that we will succeed in finding a settled pastor.
Sophia Beardemphl
Lisa Dewey
Pam Dunn
Kathy Economen
John Hoeger
Keith Osajima
Julie Phillip
Jules Rattray
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RUCC Parking Lot will be Closed September 14 through September 19
The RUCC parking lot will be closed September 14 through September 19 to allow for scheduled parking lot work.
During this time, the building will not be accessible from either the lower or upper parking lots. If you need to access the building during this period, you will need to enter through the lower garden. Please use extreme caution when walking through the grass and garden area.
To ensure the project can be completed safely, efficiently, and without unnecessary delays, all regularly scheduled meeting groups will be asked to postpone their meetings during this week.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to complete this important project. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Church Office.
Thank you for your cooperation.
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Sacred Saturday is tomorrow, September 5
As fall approaches, many of us begin to turn inward for a season of reflection and contemplation. Sacred Saturday offers time and space for each of us to do that in community and individual silent time. Come and take a break from the work and worry of life.
We will gather Saturday, September 5, from 9 a.m. to noon, beginning in Micah Room of Mosaic Hall.
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Caring for Our Church Home: Building Use & Clean-Up
Our church building is a shared space, and we are grateful for the many groups, ministries, and activities that take place throughout the week. With so many people using our facilities, it is important that each group does its part to leave the space ready for the next person.
Please remember to clean up after your group meets. Before leaving, take a few minutes to:
- Return tables, chairs, and other furniture to their original arrangement.
- Dispose of all trash and recycling in the appropriate containers.
- Clean up any food or beverages, including spills and crumbs.
- Return kitchen items and supplies to their proper places.
- Remove any decorations, signs, or materials your group brought into the building.
- Check the room and surrounding areas to make sure nothing has been left behind.
- Leave the space in the same condition—or better—than you found it.
Our staff works hard to prepare the building for worship services, meetings, rentals, and other scheduled activities. When groups do not clean up after themselves, additional staff time is required to reset and clean the space, taking time away from other important responsibilities.
Please help us care for RUCC by taking responsibility for the space your group uses. A few extra minutes at the end of each meeting makes a big difference and helps ensure that our building remains welcoming, clean, and ready for everyone.
Thank you for helping us be good stewards of our shared church home!
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Bible Study, Monday, September 7
Our upcoming session on September 7 will focus on the New Testament women of Paul's ministry in the early church. These women, including Priscilla, Phoebe, Lydia, and Rhoda, were indispensable to the foundation of early Christianity.
Please join us in the Youth Room on Monday, September 7 from 7-8:30. The specific scripture readings discussed will be:
Acts 18, Romans 16, Acts 16, and Acts 12.
First-timers welcome!
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Next Chair Yoga, Monday, September 7
Monday morning never felt so good! Ask anyone who goes to Chair Yoga on Mondays at 10 am in Covenant Hall. Jeanne Andrews, a certified yoga instructor, helps us stay fit, gain strength, and work out the kinks. Come join your friends. Donations appreciated.
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Book Group meeting September 6
The RUCC Book Group will be reading The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, and discussing it at the next meeting on Sept. 6 after church, at noon, in Founders Room. The presenter will be Charletta Campfield.
“PULITZER PRIZE WINNER NATIONAL BESTSELLER This follow-up to The Underground Railroad brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys unjustly sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.”
—Amazon review
"One of the most gifted novelists in America today." —NPR
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AA meeting location for September 11
The Friday night women's AA will be meeting at an alternative location due to the parking lot closure. Contact Judith Turian for the address.
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Baby Shower, Sunday, September 13, for Zoe and Sophia
Please join us for a baby shower for Zoe and Sophia during fellowship time after church on September 13. We are excited to celebrate with them! For those who want to give a gift, here is a link to their registry:
https://my.babylist.com/zoe-petersen?session_synced=true
Note: There are also options for the baby's college fund and for gift cards.
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Mark Your Calendars! Art, For Heaven's Sake! 47th Annual Show October 16, 17, and 18, 2026
“The Art Show” – You hear this quite often in conversation around our church. In case you were wondering what it is all about, here you go.
Art, for Heaven’s Sake! Fine Arts Festival is a three-day annual art festival on the grounds and gardens of the Redlands United Church of Christ. The Redlands United Church of Christ holds this event to support the arts and the community.
This premiere art festival of the Inland Empire features 72 artists and crafters representing a wide variety of media, including acrylics, photography, watercolor, oils, stained glass, jewelry, pottery, and metal sculpture.
In addition to original art, the festival offers a craft boutique, a fabulous food truck experience, incredible music, and artist demonstrations. A gala “Meet the Artists” reception open to everyone is held on Friday evening to open the show.
This is one of the biggest fundraisers for our church, but it doesn’t magically happen. The members and friends of our church make it happen, so mark your calendars and watch for upcoming information on how YOU can be a part of making this premier event a huge success.
| | Save the Date for Children and Youth activities | | QUESTIONS? Contact Kara Tolan or Kathy McCool in Education. | |
Caring for Kin, September 2026
In the month of September, we'll be collecting shelf-stable food and snacks for Youth Hope. Youth Hope is a non-profit in Redlands that helps unhoused and at-risk youth by providing food, education, job training, and housing. The organization provides snacks and meals to youth on-site at their center as well as food for families to take home with them. Following are the items they specifically requested:
- Pasta and sauce
- Cereal
- Peanut butter and jelly
- Canned foods (e.g., meats, fruits, veggies, beans, soups)
- Granola bars
- Fruit cups
- Snack-size bags of chips ("hot" varieties are the youths' favorites!)
Thank you so much for your generosity to our siblings in need!
Diana Steele-Jones
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Lost & Found Reminder
Have you misplaced a jacket, water bottle, dish, umbrella, or another personal item? Our Lost & Found box, located in Covenant Hall, may have what you're missing!
We invite everyone to take a few moments to look through the Lost & Found and claim any belongings, to help keep the area organized.
If you have any questions, please contact the Church Office. Thank you for helping us keep our shared spaces tidy!
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Racial justice message
A voting‑rights and racial‑justice march in Washington, D.C. this week, drew hundreds of people to the Lincoln Memorial to protest recent changes to voting laws and redistricting that civil‑rights groups say weaken Black political representation. The rally — called “Defend the Vote” — was organized by Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III and intentionally echoed the 1963 March on Washington. Speakers warned that a recent Supreme Court decision has allowed Southern states to redraw congressional maps in ways that dilute Black voting power, making this year’s march feel especially urgent.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/march-on-washington-voting-civil-rights-redistricting-a78df0381fb110d2ec6a5389ca45123d
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Social Justice - Our Faith Our Vote campaign
"The Our Faith Our Vote campaign asks the church to answer the call of 1 John 3:18 to “let us not love with words or speech, but in action and in truth,” by “voting with love.” Vote with love for creation, for our neighbors both here and abroad, for a just peace, for repair and reconciliation of the brokenness of our nation. And encourage your family, friends, and community to do the same."
- from the UCC Our Faith Our Vote campaign
- RUCC social justice team
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Environmental justice message
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In July, the Bureau of Land Management approved a permit for Los Angeles-based private water company Cadiz to convert a 220-mile gas pipeline that runs across the Mojave Desert into a water pipeline. Officially named the Mojave Groundwater Bank, the project plans to pump extracted water from the Fenner Valley Aquifer System in California's eastern Mojave Desert to "underserved" communities in the Southwest.
Cadiz claims that the pipeline - which runs through Mojave National Preserve and Mojave Trails National Monument - will provide "clean, reliable, and affordable" water to more than 40,000 people on the front lines of climate change.
Environmental organizations and tribal groups, however, have long warned that letting a private company extract water from the driest desert in the United States will deplete the Fenner Basin and put the iconic landscape of the Mojave Desert at risk.
The company plans to extract 16.3 billion gallons per year from the Fenner Basin - about 25 times more than the aquifer can replenish, according to surveys from the National Park Service and US Geological Survey. As temperatures rise due to climate change, recharge rates are expected to decline even further. Groundwater extraction could be detrimental to desert springs that rely on aquifers, particularly when the extraction rate exceeds the aquifer's ability to replenish itself.
Cadiz's plans to tap the Fenner Basin pose a serious threat to Bonanza Spring. Desert springs support 22 percent of the total vascular plant diversity in the California desert. Plants are especially important in desert environments; they help cool temperatures and reduce direct evaporation as well as provide essential food and habitat for wildlife. In other words, wildlife need plants, plants need springs, and springs need a healthy aquifer.
"You start pumping water out of the groundwater and you're depleting water from the surface. Because there is not enough groundwater now to supply surface water," said Charming Evelyn, the chair of the water committee at Sierra Club's Angeles Angeles Chapter. "That means no one is getting water, not just humans. Our four-legged, two-legged friends, our birds. No one will be getting water because there will not be surface water at Bonanza Springs."
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Community Creation Service, Sunday, September 13
All are invited to attend the Community Creation Service, Sunday, Sept. 13, at 4:00 p.m. at Vine Street Community Park at First Presbyterian Church.
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Third Quarter Donations for Wider Ministries
In the third quarter of 2026, RUCC Wider Ministries sent a donation to Southpaw Rescue. Southpaw Rescue is a nonprofit based in Southern California dedicated to recover abandoned dogs (and other pets) along Highway 38, in mountain campgrounds, and near homes in the San Bernardino Mountain Communities. They partner with other like-minded organizations and individuals to rescue animals in need. They provide foster homes and medical care before ultimately finding these distraught and abused pets the right forever home. With the hope of one day seeing a world where animal cruelty no longer exists and all animals have a safe home, Southpaw Rescue seeks to work with shelters, individual rescuers and law enforcement to magnify our impact on rescuing animals from abusive and neglectful circumstances.
https:www.southpawrescue.com/
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Bless & Be Blessed is a space for our church family to share new or gently-used items they no longer need. Whether you’re looking to pass something along or find something useful, this is a simple way to care for one another and practice good stewardship within our community. Contact the office or send the information to the View when you have an item to offer or an item you need.
Free Items
2 rollators (1 used twice, 1 new)
Aluminum walker (brand new)
Trapeze for hospital bed (brand new)
Bedside Commode (brand new)
Contact Sue Kirkhart
| | Battery-operated mower - free. contact Andrea Morics. | |
This week at RUCC
Saturday, September 5
- 9:00 a.m.- Sacred Saturday
Sunday, September 6
- 9:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Kids' Zone
- 10:30 a.m.- Sunday School (kids start in Sanctuary)
- 10:30 a.m. - Worship in the Sanctuary
- 12:00 p.m. - Book Group
Monday, September 7
- Office Closed - Labor Day
- 10:00 a.m. - Chair Yoga
- 3:00 p.m. - Church Growth Meeting
Tuesday, September 8
- 12:00 p.m. - Private Funeral
- 12:30 p.m. - Worship Area Committee meeting
- 7:00 p.m. - Stewards meeting
Wednesday, September 9
- 1:00 p.m. - Mah Jongg
- 6:00 p.m. - Bells practice
- 7:00 p.m. - Choir practice
Thursday, September 10
Friday, September 11
- 4:00 p.m. - Private Funeral
Saturday, September 12
- 10:00 a.m. - Education apple picking
Sunday, September 13
- 9:15 a.m. - Kids' Zone
- 10:30 a.m. - Sunday School (kids start in Sanctuary, then Mosaic)
- 10:30 a.m. - Worship in the Sanctuary
- 12:00 p.m. - Environmental meeting
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Upcoming Dates to Remember
- September 14-19 - Parking lot renovation
- October 16-18 - Art, for Heaven's Sake!
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