Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 3
"Looking for Shelter"
The word for our worship space - Sanctuary - reminds us that part of our faith experience is looking for shelter - finding some peace, some compassion, some love in the presence of God. In our Psalm text this week, the writer is claiming such an experience, trusting that God’s care is near and palpable. Where do we find God’s comfort and protection - and can we offer that as a community to others? Come join us for worship in person or online this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Rev. John H. Pomeroy
Scripture: Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
Last week's sermon: redlandsucc.org
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Sacred Saturday, May 2
This Saturday, May 2, Redlands UCC gathers for Sacred Saturday, a morning set aside for slowing down, reconnecting, and tending the spirit. This month, our time together will be part of something larger, as we join thousands of people around the globe for World Labyrinth Day. Individuals and communities will be walking labyrinths as a moving meditation for peace — creating a rolling wave of intention that passes from one time zone to the next.
Sacred Saturday begins in community at 9 a.m. in Mosaic Hall, before moving outside to the labyrinth. This is a time and place where we can listen deeply—to nature, to our souls, and to the Holy that meets us in stillness. Whether you’ve walked a labyrinth many times or are curious to try it for the first time, you are welcome to experience a practice that invites clarity, calm, and connection.
We will conclude around noon, carrying with us the wisdom the path has offered—knowing that our small circle in Redlands has joined a worldwide prayer movement for peace.
Please note, if you don’t wish to be present at all of Sacred Saturday, but do want to participate in the group walk for peace, you are welcome to come at 10 a.m. at the labyrinth. So that all are able to participate, we will also have lap and handheld finger labyrinths available for those with mobility concerns. There is parking on Olive Ave. and a couple of spots in the upper parking lot. You will especially enjoy that the area around the labyrinth has been recently re-landscaped.
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Upcoming Pastoral Transition
RUCC has calmly and courageously worked through pastoral transitions over the past four years. These changes always come with some grief, sometimes fatigue, and perhaps some anxiety. To this day, the faith community remains healthy and is acting as a supportive and healing presence in our wider community! We have much to rejoice in, despite the stress of change!
At the Board meeting Tuesday, Jake shared his letter of resignation from his position as Transitional Pastor. He will have postponed retirement for ten months and is ready to rejoin his wife and live life in a single location!
Jake will remain on his current schedule through the end of May, then work from home in June and travel out to lead worship and see us in person on Sundays except June 21 (his 38th wedding anniversary).
Jake will continue to offer pastoral care - in person (Sundays) or remotely (weekdays) - until his last Sunday and will continue to attend Area meetings and Board meetings to offer support where needed. Jake will be in touch with Veronica each week, even in June, to keep track of necessary administrative tasks, including employee evaluations and payroll.
We plan to celebrate our time with Jake after worship on May 31st. Stay tuned for more details next month in The View.
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Bring Your Prayers
During worship, we are trying something new for our prayers - there will be a sheet at the back of the sanctuary with space for prayer concerns and joys…please write LEGIBLY whatever you would like to share with the community that day, and it will be shared during our prayer time together. Prayers may be edited for length, and it helps if you identify the person’s relationship to our community.
Prayer Request:
- Prayers for Karyn Buchanan, daughter-in-law to Bill and Carol Buchanan, who has thyroid cancer.
- Prayers for world peace. We can always dream.
- Prayers for healing for Eli, who has broken both her wrists.
- Prayers for an end to the war in Iran and support for all families that have lost loved ones in the war.
- Prayers for a safe journey for Danny Anderson as he travels to walk the Camino de Santiago and scatter some of the ashes of his wife, Kimberly, on the coast of Spain.
- Prayers from Cynthia McGuigan for hip pain and for her mother, Mary Ann, in care.
Ongoing concerns:
- Tom Miller
- Bill Buchanan
- Ruth Jordan
- Mary Lou Haney
- Jon Herbert
Please send prayer requests to Pastor Jake at jake@redlandsucc.org
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Fellowship Sign-Up
There is a new “pen and paper” sign-up sheet to help with fellowship, hanging on the refrigerator in the kitchen. You can sign up to help with set-up or bring food. The Shepherds Groups are rotating for help with clean-up, so no need to sign up for that. I will continue to do a Facebook post on Wednesdays to drum up helpers as needed.
Best, Kim
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Note from Board President
Ever wish you could just have a chat with someone on the board about an idea you have or a concern for the church you'd like to share? Well, you can! Easily! I hang out in Micah Room in Mosaic Hall from 10:00 a.m.- noon on Tuesdays. Just stop by; I will be glad to see you!
Patty Little
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Welcome, New Children's Education Director
Please welcome Kara Tolan as RUCC's new Children's Education Director. Kara comes to us with a deep commitment to working with children and with a background that prepares her well for this role. She is a Mentone resident and homeschooling mom to four children. She has a passion for creative education and a deep love for family and the community. When she isn’t teaching, she finds joy in nature, creating art, and spending quality time with her husband, their kids, and their pets. She is excited to join the team and looks forward to supporting the children and families of RUCC!
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RUCC Book Group, this Sunday, May 3
The RUCC Book Group welcomes local author, David Salvaggio, to discuss his book, Restless Gold (Musings about CA Pupils and Other Verses), at their next meeting, this Sunday, May 3, after church at noon, in Founders Room. David is a member of RUCC, and everyone is welcome to join the group for this meeting.
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Next Chair Yoga, May 4
Jeanne Andrews is a gifted yoga instructor. We thank her for leading us toward health and wellness on Mondays at 10 a.m. in Covenant Hall. Give it a try! It is gentle yet effective. So good for your mind and body. Donations appreciated.
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Bible Study Monday, May 4
Please join us in Garden Room as we discuss the book of Ruth. We'll also be using the book Fierce by Alice Connor as a supplementary text.
Join us in Garden Room on Monday, May 4 at 7:00 p.m. First-timers welcome! For more information, contact Andrea Morics.
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RUCC Gift Card Users
Thanks for supporting the RaiseRight program. As a reminder, every time you participate in the RaiseRight program, by buying gift cards (scrip) or shopping online, RUCC gets a small rebate which goes into our General Fund and helps to pay our staff and expenses and fund our ministries.
Orders may be placed through the website at www.raiseright.com or the RaiseRight app – you must pay for it online (link bank account, debit card, or credit card) for your order to be submitted with the order this week. If you want to pay by Zelle, please let me know.
Upcoming order schedule:
Order May 19 for pickup Sunday, May 24
As always, if you have questions or need help with the program, just let me know!
-Jennifer Brainerd
As a reminder, here are all the ways to earn for RUCC while you shop.
Buy gift cards from RaiseRight and use them to pay for all your holiday expenses. Every gift card purchase from RaiseRight earns up to 20% back!
Shop online through RaiseRight—log in to your RaiseRight account (RaiseRight.com) , click through to shop directly on a brand’s website, and earn upon completing a purchase. Install the RaiseRight Earnings Extension to easily activate online earnings for a brand, buy eGift cards to pay for your online purchase, or both at once! Install Browser Extensions – Browser extensions are currently available for Chrome, Edge, and Safari for iOS mobile devices. If installed, these extensions will alert you when you go to a website that participates in RaiseRight and make it easy for you to activate RaiseRight rebates and purchase gift cards for that brand, raising money for RUCC. To install an extension go here: The RaiseRight Earnings Extension.
Dine locally—link a credit or debit card in your RaiseRight account to earn 5% every time you dine at thousands of restaurants nationwide and pay with your linked card while at home or traveling.
Book travel through RaiseRight—save and earn by booking hotels and car rentals using RaiseRight's travel site.
Bonuses – Check the week’s bonus rebates to make your shopping dollars go even farther for RUCC. Current bonuses include: Albertsons/Vons/Safeway, Bath & Body Works, DoorDash, Delta Air Lines, and many more. See all bonus rebate options here: https://www.raiseright.com/shop
eGift Cards – Remember, you can order eGift Cards at any time and receive them immediately (great for last-minute gifts). Through the RaiseRight app or raiseright.com website, you can buy eGift cards, available to you immediately, to use for online or in-person shopping or to send as a gift. For some eGift cards, there are options to have the eGift card sent directly to the recipient at a specified time. Otherwise, you can take snapshots of the eGift card in your “wallet” and give it to the recipient.
| | Blood Drive, Wednesday, May 13 | | Contact Kerry Dunn if you have any questions. | | RUCC Lunchtime Study Series | | Copies of past and future readings are in the office for your convenience. | | The kids and youth had an amazing time clearing and planting in the kids' garden plot! Their goal is to grow a salad garden and they can’t wait to share their harvest! | |
Pilgrim Pines 2026 Summer Camp information
Please see the attached flyer for Pilgrim Pines 2026 summer camp information, including dates and fees.
Pilgrim Pines flyer
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Caring for Kin in May
In May, we'll be collecting supplies for Redlands Animal Shelter. Please see below for a list of their most needed items. They also have an Amazon wish list with specific items. In addition to using these supplies at the shelter, they offer them to community members in need once a month.
Canned and dry dog and cat food
Dog and cat treats
Toys
Cat litter
Potty training pads
Collars and leashes
Inflatable cone collars
Bleach
Dish soap
Towels and blankets (used but clean OK)
Thanks for your ongoing generosity.
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Racial justice message
In just the past week, courts, policymakers, and federal officials have taken concrete steps to weaken protections that address racial inequality in voting, education, and civil rights enforcement. These are not isolated decisions—they are part of a coordinated effort to dismantle the legal tools used to challenge systemic discrimination, while reframing those tools as the problem. Left unchallenged, these changes will reduce political representation, limit access to opportunity, and make inequality harder to prove and harder to remedy. This moment demands more than awareness. It requires organized response, public engagement, and sustained pressure to protect and rebuild the structures that make accountability possible.
Source: https://racism.org/articles/133-latest-this-week/12873-april-6-2026
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Environmental justice message
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We’re excited to share that California Interfaith Power & Light (CIPL) is featured in a new PBS special episode of Climate California, "Unity?", which explores how communities are bridging divides to work together to protect our environment. At just 25 minutes long, it is a powerful documentary that highlights collaboration, shared values, and hope in action across California.
The episode includes a faith segment featuring CIPL’s Southern California Director, Bekah Estrada, board member William Morris, and members of our LA Faith and Ecology Network. They all speak beautifully about our work together and how their faith inspires them at an outdoor dinner and prayer service.
It is a meaningful opportunity to see faith communities uplifted within a broader conversation about bringing diverse groups together to protect our environment and build a more connected, climate-resilient future.
I hope you’ll watch it and share it with others.
Watch the PBS special here: https://www.pbs.org/video/unity-sunjfq/
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Wider Ministries Second Quarter 2026 Donations
In the second quarter of 2026, RUCC Wider Ministries donated to the UCC Hawaii flood emergency appeal.
In late March 2026, Hawaii experienced back-to-back storms known as Kona lows that caused severe flooding across the Hawaiian Islands. This flooding represents the worst flooding that Hawaii has seen in more than 20 years. The Governor of Hawaii estimates the damages from these storms at over $1 billion, including damage to airports, schools, roads, homes, and a Maui hospital in Kula. While the immediate threat of further flooding has passed, the long road to recovery is just beginning. The Global Hope Team is in regular communication with the UCC Hawaii Conference staff. At this time, we are working to connect response resources with communities in need – this includes coordination with Church World Service and the potential deployment of clean-up kits.
We know that at least three local UCC churches in Hawaii are in communities directly affected by the flooding. We are also aware of several other UCC churches that have made their spaces available as shelters. https://support.ucc.org/hawaii-flooding-2026
| | 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. | |
This week at RUCC
Saturday, May 2
- 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. - Sacred Saturday (World Labyrinth Day)
- 9:00 am - 10:00 a.m. - Personnel Meeting
Sunday, May 3
- 9:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Kids' Zone
- 9:30 a.m. - Seekers Group (social time 9:15)
- 10:30 a.m.- Sunday School (kids start in Sanctuary)
- 10:30 a.m. - Worship in the Sanctuary (Fifth Sunday of Easter)
- 12:00 p.m. - Book Group
- 12:00 p.m. - Grounds Committee
Monday, May 4
- 10:00 a.m. - Chair Yoga
- 7:00 p.m. - Bible Study
Tuesday, May 5
- 11:30 a.m. - Artist Group
Wednesday, May 6
- 11:00 a.m. - Listening for God Discussion Series
- 1:00 p.m. - Mah Jongg
- 6:00 p.m. - Bells Practice
- 7:00 p.m. - Choir Practice
Thursday, May 7
- 6:00 p.m. - Jam Session with David Wells
Friday, May 8
- 6:30 p.m. - Search Committee meeting
Saturday, May 9
- 9:00 a.m. - Search Committee meeting
Sunday, May 10
- 9:15 a.m. - Kids' Zone
- 9:30 a.m. - Seekers group (social time 9:15)
- 10:30 a.m. - Sunday School (kids start in Sanctuary)
- 10:30 a.m. - Worship in the Sanctuary (Mother's Day Sunday)
- 12:00 a.m. - Environmental Meeting
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Upcoming Dates to Remember
- May 16 - Education- Clean-up service project and pool party
- May 23 - Game Night
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