Friday, November 21, 2025

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Worship at RUCC

Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost, November 23

"Defining Experience"

Throughout our lifetimes, we have experiences that shape us - experiences that resonate with us as we progress in our relationships and careers. Our text for worship speaks of such an experience as a faith matter, as a step on a spiritual journey. What has changed and guided us in our lives - and can we identify God as a part of those experiences? Come join us for worship as we consider how the Spirit moves in and through the choices of our lives.

First Reading: Rainer Maria Rilke

Scripture: Luke 1:68-79

Last week's sermon: redlandsucc.org

Caring for Each Other

In our thoughts and prayers:

Prayers for Dee Hodson, who passed from life to Life this week, and prayers of thanksgiving for Paul and Sondra, who have offered loving care to their mother.
Georgia Sforza requests prayers for her brother-in-law Dean Huebert and his family as they address his recent bladder cancer diagnosis and upcoming treatment.
Prayers for healing for the brother of Coralyn Finlayson, who has suffered a stroke.
Prayers for Cynthia McGuigan for test results.

Ongoing concerns:

Tom Miller
Floyd Orr
Carl Parish
Bill Buchanan

Please send prayer requests to Pastor Jake at jake@redlandsucc.org

Transitions

Church Kitchen Remodel & Temporary Closure, January 2026

We’re excited to share that our church kitchen will be undergoing a remodel! This work will help us create a more functional, welcoming, and safe space for future meals, ministries, and community events.

Please note that the kitchen will be completely unavailable during the renovation period. As you plan upcoming events, meetings, or gatherings, keep in mind that no kitchen facilities—including sinks, appliances, dishwashing, or food prep areas—will be accessible.

We’ll provide updates as the project moves forward and will let everyone know as soon as the kitchen is back in service. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding during this time!

sacred saturday gathering in micah room mosaic hall

Groups & Gatherings

Next Chair Yoga, November 24

Chair yoga will continue on Mondays at 10:00 a.m. until the end of the year. All ages are welcome.

We are blessed to have Jeanne Andrews, certified yoga instructor, hold an introductory chair yoga session for the church family.

Covenant Hall. Kid-friendly. Donations accepted.

Mah Jongg Training for church members

Would you like to play Mah Jongg at RUCC with a fun and friendly group of RUCC members? This is a fun and challenging game, as well as a great way to enjoy time with wonderful people. Contact Claudia Tolar for lessons beginning immediately.

Game and Conversation Night, November 29

Some people just can’t wait till January for Game and Conversation Night! Back by popular demand, Game and Conversation Night will be Saturday, November 29, 5:30 p.m. A sweet treat will be served.

Ricky and I would like to pass the baton to new hosts. If you are interested in organizing and hosting game night about once a month in 2026, could you contact me? - Ginny Cruz

Book Group Sunday, December 7

The RUCC Book Group will next meet on Sunday, Dec. 7, at noon in Founders Room, to discuss the book, Madame Sorel’s Lodger, by Tracy Wise. Judith Ashton will be the presenter.

This beautifully written, immersive novel would be enthralling even if you didn't know the identity of the "The Artist" (Van Gogh, but we're never told this directly). Wise evokes the setting of a small village and invites the reader into the daily life of the reclusive painter who has arrived and whose presence will, as they say, change everything. The familiar signposts of Van Gogh's story are perfectly integrated into the narrative but yield unexpected new insights and some "ahas." Wise's cast is very intentional—each character comes vividly to life… This is a book you'll want on your shelf to dip into again and again. She takes a story about life we thought we knew and turns it into something deeply personal...which is also something universal. I can't wait for her next book.

(Goodreads review)

Children and Youth

Open position at RUCC, Children's Education Director

Link:https://redlandsucc.org/connect/job-openings/job-posting-childrens-education-director/

Olvera Street All-Church Train Trip, November 22

Ornament making, December 6

Christmas Play, December 21, actors needed

Helping Hands

Caring for Kin

In the month of November, we are collecting arts and crafts items for Peppermint Ridge. Requested items include acrylic paint, canvases, construction paper, heavy-duty paper, markers, acrylic markers, colored pencils, crayons, coloring books/sheets, Play-Doh, air-dry clay, ribbon/yarn, and glue. Other helpful items include jigsaw puzzles (less than 300 pieces), simple board games, and paper plates.

RUCC Angel Tree Donations Sunday, November 16, through December 7

The RUCC Angel Tree Donations run from Sunday, Nov. 16, through Dec. 7, the last Sunday to donate. The recipients will be: Youth Hope, Redlands Family Service, and a pastor- designated family.

1. Take an envelope off the tree.

2. Mark the recipient(s) on it, and put your money or check (made out to RUCC) inside.

3 Turn it into the offering plate during the church service.

4. You can also choose to give on Realm or at the Scrip table.

Your gift will be used to buy food cards for those facing food insecurity this holiday season, and help their lives shine a little more brightly.

Social Justice

Racial justice message

The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proposed rules to narrow key anti-discrimination protections under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. Specifically, the proposal would eliminate “disparate-impact” liability. This legal tool lets people challenge lending or credit practices that disproportionately harm certain racial or gender groups, even if there’s no explicit intent to discriminate.

Source:https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/us-consumer-finance-watchdog-proposes-ending-key-anti-discrimination-2025-11-12

Environmental justice message

In the mid-1990s, the sound of chainsaws echoed through the forests of [the] Solomon Islands as commercial logging swept across the country. … Rivers once crystal clear turned brown with silt, and the forest songs of birds and insects faded into silence.

When whispers began that [the island of] Tetepare might be next, the people of Western Province felt they were facing more than an environmental threat. Tetepare was tabu – sacred ground, home to ancestral gardens, burial sites, and memories etched deep into the soil. … “To lose Tetepare would have been like losing part of ourselves,” [says Katy Soapi, the first woman from Solomon Islands to achieve a PhD in natural sciences] “It wasn’t just about trees anymore, it was about identity and heritage."

Soapi joined others to resist logging and dedicated her spare time to the movement. Their fight paid off and … today [Tetepare] remains one of the last untouched places in Solomon Islands.

Source:The scientist who helped win the fight to protect a sacred piece of the Pacific, Sera Sefeti, The Guardian, 11/14/2025

The Wider Church

Know Your Rights, December 4

Join us Thursday, December 4, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. to hear from attorney Marjorie Barrios about:

ICE enforcement at the local, state, and national level, including developments in ICE's enforcement actions at businesses
The current state of common USCIS applications (family, petitions, asylum petitions) and Temporary Protected Status terminations
The current status of enforcement at USCIS offices for beneficiaries.

The Immigrant Justice team welcomes your help. We are reaching out to Redlands businesses to raise awareness and spread the word about a "Know Your Rights". If you are interested, Sara Schoonmaker will have lists of businesses available.

Know your rights flyer