Sunday, August 10 ~ Rick Sforza preaching ~ "No Kinship, No Peace"
This Sunday’s sermon explores the importance of listening to God, to oneself, and to marginalized voices in our communities. It calls on the congregation to embrace kinship and collective action, and reminds us that true justice and peace come from standing with the voiceless and vulnerable. Through shared strength and compassion, we'll continue advocacy and support, grounded in faith and community.
Scripture: Proverbs 31:8-9
Rick Sforza and his wife, Georgia, have been members at RUCC for many years. Rick is a retired photojournalist and served in the U.S. Navy and Air Force. They have three grown children who are partnered/married along with two adorable and energetic grandsons.
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Search Committee
Please share our settled pastor listing with anyone you feel may be interested. The Search Committee members are Sophia Beardemphl, Lisa Dewey (chair), Pam Dunn, Kathy Economen, John Hoeger, Nick Mineo-Wells, Keith Osajima, Julie Phillip and Jules Rattray.
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Pastoral coverage for August
With Joe having left and Jake not starting until September, we have a gap in pastoral coverage during August. If you have a need for pastoral care, please first contact your Shepherd Group Leaders, listed below. If you aren't sure which group is yours, you can log into Realm, or you can ask Shepherd Area Leader Maegan Hill or Veronica in the church office.
Hopefully your shepherd group can provide the support you need. But if more help is needed, the Revs. Erin Beardemphl and John Walsh have volunteered to offer that support for the first and second half of August, respectively. Your Shepherd Group Leader will help facilitate in any case.
- Group 1 - Barbie and Loring Fiske-Phillips
- Group 2 - Scott Mong or Joette Orman
- Group 3 - Cid Breyer or Maryn Mineo-Wells
- Group 4 - Maegan Hill or Jayne Miller
- Group 5 - Heather Abushanab or Judith Turian
- Group 6 - Kevin and Dawne Simmons
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In our thoughts and prayers
- Prayers for the loved ones of Martie Nowland who passed away on August 5. Martie is the mother-in-law to Judith Turian’s daughter.
- Prayers requested for Beki Hill's son Travis.
- Prayers and best wishes for Rev. Joe Zarro who will be serving as Interim Senior Pastor of Barrington Congregational Church of Rhode Island.
- Cynthia McGuigan has been hospitalized and could use our prayers for healing and strength.
- Teri Hilker was hospitalized and could use prayers for strength and the ability to get back to church.
- Prayers for Sue Wallace who is home with a care regimen after being hospitalized for tests.
- Prayers for Sue Hammond who is experiencing some health challenges.
- Ongoing prayers for Mary Lou Haney, and her daughter and caregiver Jennie, and Jennie’s fiancé Patrick.
- Prayers for congregations whose members have special concerns about ICE raids, even at their church services. Prayers for their safety, and prayers for our ability to be allies in support and solidarity.
- Every week we pray for the victims of violence and oppression around the world. This week, we pray for the victims of gun violence, which is now the leading cause of death among teenagers in the United States according to the CDC. Last year, 1,400 children died from gun violence. Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Ongoing concerns:
- Jerry Andrews
- Ron Bickford
- Tim and Ida Blakely
- Bill Buchanan
- Judith Gregory
- Floyd Orr
- Paisley Parcell
- Carl Parish
- Dee Dee Seek’s great grandson Jaxson
- Tom Miller
- Michael White
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Caring for Kin
During August, we are collecting new, unopened toiletries and feminine hygiene supplies for Angels' Closet. Angels' Closet provides toiletries and clothing items to middle school and high school students in the Redlands area. Let's help them get the school year off to a great start!
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Blessing of the Backpacks and Susi Jacobsen Celebration
We have a very special pair of events during Children’s Circle this Sunday, August 10.
Blessing of the Backpacks: Kids! Bring your school backpacks to church for a special blessing—start the school year with a blessed backpack, and it will surely be your best year yet!
Susi Jacobsen celebration: Sadly, August 10 is Susi’s last day as our fearless leader of Children’s Education. We will celebrate her all morning long during Children’s Circle and Sunday School time.
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Parent Kick-Off Meeting, August 17
Parents and caregivers are invited to a kick-off for this year's Children and Youth Program on Sunday, August 17, at 11:30 in Founders Room. For more information, please contact Andrea Morics, Jules Rattray, or Kathy McCool.
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Quarterly meeting held last Sunday
RUCC held a quarterly meeting on Sunday, August 3, 2025. This was an opportunity for the board to share with the congregation the progress made so far this year on the goals the board set in February. It was also a chance for us to reflect on the overall state of the church, which is healthy, vibrant, growing, and in transition. The board had some major tasks to complete that were unanticipated when the goals were set. These included updating the church profile, creating a search committee for a new settled pastor, and finding an interim pastor to support us while we search.
The board members reported the progress each area had made on the original goals in the first half of the year, and every area is doing well. One notable piece of good news is that we are better off financially than anticipated at this point in the year. Well done, RUCC!
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Seekers group begins a new book discussion
The Seekers group has decided to postpone its next meeting to Sunday, August 17, when they will start discussing The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World's Religions by Wayne Teasdale. If you’re interested, the group meets Sunday mornings in Founders Room at 9:15 for social time, with discussion of the book starting at 9:30, and all are welcome.
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Bible study
The Bible study group continues Monday, August 11, after a brief summer hiatus. The group is currently using Marcus Borg’s Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written.
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RUCC book group
The next RUCC book group meeting will be held this Sunday, August 10 in Founders Room, after church around noon. The selection to be discussed is The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys, and the presenter is Rosemary Tuohy.
“Sepetys and Sheinkin deftly weave the desperate urgency of the days before the Blitz with the real history of geniuses like Alan Turing who bent their brilliance to stop Hitler."—The Christian Science Monitor review
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Racial Justice Message
"America was indebted to immigration for her settlement and prosperity. That part of America which had encouraged them most had advanced most rapidly in population, agriculture and the arts."
- James Madison, fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817, popularly acclaimed as the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.
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Environmental Justice Message
The Trump administration has asked NASA employees to draw up plans to end at least two major satellite missions, according to current and former NASA staffers. The data the two missions collect is widely used, including by scientists, oil and gas companies and farmers who need detailed information about carbon dioxide and crop health. They are the only two federal satellite missions that were designed and built specifically to monitor planet-warming greenhouse gases.
Source: “Why a NASA satellite that scientists and farmers rely on may be destroyed on purpose,” Rebecca Hersher, National Public Radio, 8/4/25
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UCC Media Justice Ministry
The internet moves fast. And in that rush, it's easy to share something before we've taken time to ask: Is this actually true? Misinformation doesn't just cloud our feeds—it harms people. It damages communities. And it makes the internet a harder place to trust.
In a new blog post, UCC Media Justice board member Marti Pascale Weston—a lifelong educator—offers a thoughtful reflection on what she calls "information disorder," a term used by experts to describe the tangle of false, misleading, and manipulative content we face every day online.
From basic fact-checking to understanding how an author's authority and intent shape the messages we consume, Marti reminds us that we're not powerless in this moment. And faith communities, rooted in truth and care, have a role to play in helping build something better. Read Marti's blog now.
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This week
Saturday, August 9
Sunday, August 10
- 9:15 a.m. - Kid's Zone
- 10:30 a.m. - Summertime Sunday School
- 10:30 a.m. - Worship in the Sanctuary (Blessing of the backpacks, Retirement celebration for Susi Jacobsen)
- 12:00 noon - Book group in Founders Room
Monday, August 11
Tuesday, August 12
- 11:00 a.m. - Munch & Muse, Covenant Hall
- 7:00 p.m. - Stewards, Founders Room
Wednesday, August 13
- 1:00 p.m. - Mah Jongg, Mosaic Hall
Thursday, August 14
- 11:00 a.m. - Worship Area Meeting
Friday, August 15
- 7:00 p.m. - Women's closed AA meeting
Saturday, August 16
Sunday, August 17
- 9:15 a.m. - Kid's Zone
- 9:30 a.m. - Seekers group (social time at 9:15)
- 10:30 a.m. - Sunday School
- 10:30 a.m. - Worship in the Sanctuary
- 11:30 a.m. - Parent kick off meeting for children and youth programs
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Upcoming Dates to Remember
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August 20 - Immigration Justice meeting in Founders Room
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September 2 - Rev. Jake Pomeroy begins as Transitional Pastor
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September 20, 5:30 p.m. - Game and conversation night—more details in future issues of The View.
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