Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I my-self conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what he spirit is saying to the churches. – Revelation 3:20-22

perfecting our transformation to become his companion

Welcome to the ninth month of the year 2017. I am beyond grateful that God had taken incredible care of everyone in His fold, with all lives enfolding in His gracious household. Most of us are very aware of time flying faster than we anticipated; nevertheless, God’s care is never slowing nor abandoning us.

The short passage above says that He is waiting and knocking to be invited into our hearts. He is patient and persistent in trying to get through to us, not breaking and entering but knocking. Knocking here seems not banging like a physical door, but somehow nudging us in our common sense unless we realize that he is within reach. He gives us time to choose and decide and when open the door. Each time that we turn to accept him, something tells us to wait or not yet.

The Danish-American writer Jacob Riis discovered a secret for when nothing seemed to help in solving anything: he watched a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times or more, without as much as a crack appearing, until at last a single blow split the rock in two. Once it split, he knew it was not that one blow that did it, but all that had gone before. God was within us before we noticed it, nudging us until we cracked and openly accepted Him. Once we are under His powerful grace, we will not regret but instead be transformed and perfected in his companionship. Why? Because He delights in us and deeply loves us because we are in His image. He knows our hearts and knows the powerful goodness that He already embedded for a hopeful world. He had created us in His image, and decided that his creation was good, beau-tiful, and perfect. If we believe that we are created by Him, then why do we let Him stand outside, waiting to be welcomed back into our lives? We must be the most hospitable hosts for our Creator God. We should fully trust in Him, especially in times of struggle, and allow Him to take control of our lives. He is reexamining his handiwork daily; His spirit is the greatest motivator in our lives. Without air, we are nothing; without His Spirit, it is as if we are already dead.

We may be tired of hearing about our call to accept his calling, but God never tires of waiting. The tireless spirit of God still pleads with our individual hearts. Those who hear him will be seated with the Father on his throne. That is a promise that will never be changed. Peace and Grace.

Sebastopol United Methodist Church – 500 North Main Street, Sebastopol CA 95472

office phone: (707) 823-7971 – email: sebumc@sonic.net – website: sebumc.org

The APPLESEEDSEPTEMBER 2017 NEWSLETTER

Pastor Iunisi Tovo

caring support groupThis support group has been meeting for almost a year, sharing life experiences and providing support and encouragement to those attending. The group is seeking a day/time convenient to those interested in being a part of the group. There will be no scheduled meeting in September, and we look forward to getting some input from you. Contact Marlene Felsenfeld at...residence phone: (707) 242-7605 mobile: (808) 255-2343 email: marfels@sbcglobal.net

Our next meeting will be Saturday, September 9th, 10:00 a.m.

hosted by Dee Schilling in the church Chapel

October meeting will be on Saturday, October 14th

hurricane harvey reliefThose wishing to respond to the current devastation in

Texas and Louisiana caused by Hurricane Harvey may write a check to SUMC and designate

“UMCOR Advance #901670–Hurricane Harvey.” – THANK YOU –

golden ruleGolden Rule meets on the 2nd & 4th Thursdays of each month from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm in Epworthian Hall. We share a potluck meal and discuss religious and philosophical issues of mutual interest. For info please contact the church office.

• Next Meetings are September 14th & 28th •

from your mission teamSome members of both the Mission Team and our church community have been attending meetings of the West County Homeless Advocates at the Sebastopol Senior Center. We have learned that new residents who are homeless will be housed at Park Village Mobile Home Park on currently empty pads, in RVs connected to city plumbing, water, & electricity. This innovative effort will house Sebastopol-area homeless people at a fraction of the “average” cost of such a program. After the Rummage Sale, we were able to gather many household items for Park Vil-lage Household Start-Up Kits. Below is a list of items needed to create these kits. If you would like to donate to these kits, no matter how few items you have, please contact Vicki Amtower by email: roycestreet@comcast.net – or contact any member of the Mission Team.

items sought for start-up kits include:

Gently used... • Dishes, cutlery, glasses, cups/mugs (sets of 4 preferred) • Serving bowls and plates; mixing bowls, baking dishes • Salt & pepper shakers, creamers, sugar bowls • Serving spoons and forks, spatulas, etc. • Placemats, cloth napkins • Containers for leftovers • Dish towels, pot holders • Small appliances such as toasters, kettles, coffee pots, smal microwave or toaster ovens, crock pots • Hand tools such as peelers, can openers, measuring spoons • Small-to-medium pots and pans • Dish drainers • Small brooms, dust pans • Small wastebaskets • Sponge mops, buckets • Bed linen, towels

New... • Sponges, scrubbers; dish soap (for hand-washing) • Household cleaning products; laundry soap • Paper goods (tissues, TP, paper towels, napkins) • Pens, pencils, paper • Current-year wall calendar

Thank you for helping our newest residents-in-need. Even a small donation makes a big difference.

Women’s Study Group

Our goal is to publish an updated Church Directory at the end of October. Please submit any changes to your contact informa-tion and membership status to the office soon! Thank you.

directory update in progress!

inter-church food pantryMany thanks for your for donations of packaged food, produce, and egg cartons this past month. Our monthly Communion Offering donation to-taled $97. During this gardening season, remember that the folks who use the Pantry are delighted to get fresh produce. Deliveries should be to the Inter-Church Food Pantry at 500 Robinson Road on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between 10am and noon. Any ques-tions? Please call Karen Bohn (707) 823-7963, or send email to: ekbohn@comcast.net

... That Lisa Vanderboom has a radio show called “Evolutionary Voices” on KOWS, 92.5 FM at 3 PM on the first Sunday of each month. You can listen to past shows on https://archive.org/details/EvolutionaryVoices ...

... That Charlie and Charlotte Fisher worked hard preparing the inside and out-side of Epworthian Hall for the termite tenting – they removed all the plants and items that needed to be cleared from the outside walls, a huge job!...

... That Gabe Yazollino is on the Analy H.S. basketball team and Sara Davidson is on the Analy H.S. volleyball team. Let’s support their teams!...

... That Pastor Iunisi’s father was a Pastor of a Methodist Church in Tonga; he was the first Tongan Wesleyan pastor to begin a Church on Lomoloma Island, which is part of the Lau Island Group. He was awarded with a Fijian Title “Chief of Vanuabalavu”.

... That Charlie and Charlotte Fisher celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a cruise, stopping at several cities in western Europe...

... That Vicky Ness is a professional freelance writer for national corporations and small local businesses alike. She has clients like Pottery Barn, Gump’s, the Redwood Empire Food Bank, and many others. You can see her portfolio at www.issuu.com/vkness ...

... That Marlene Felsenfeld’s first job out of college was as a computer program-mer. In those days, data and programs were entered using punched cards! ...

... That Dorothy Jennings saved the 100s of love letters written by her and Odie while he was overseas during World War II. She is able to read them today and recapture her feelings during those times.

Please submit your tidbits to the church office: attention Marlene F. or Ann R.

rummage sale success !!

Sebastopol UMC Family,We appreciate you and all your time and efforts toward making a success-ful event for our church. We received more donations than usual, we got more volunteers than usual, and we reached our financial goal! In addition to raising around $2,500 during the Rummage Sale on August 5th, addi-tional donations were added later; and with Golden Rule’s $750 contribution, we were more than able to pay for the termite tenting of Epworthian Hall on August 19th!

Thank you to all who donated from your stashes at home – Thank you to all who donated monetary gifts – Thanks to all who helped publicize our event – Thank you to those who helped after church on Sunday, July 30 – Thank you to those who brought refreshments for the vol-unteers – Thank you to all who came during the week before the sale to help sort, move, and price the items; what a monumental task!

Thanks to those who helped during the sale hours – Thanks to those who came to shop! And thank you to all who helped to pack the leftovers, load the truck from Redwood Empire Gospel Mission, and dispose of the items left behind. Whew!

Words cannot express our gratitude.

Thanks be to God. – from the Rummage Sale Committee: Julie Barbic, Marlene Felsenfeld, Susan Kinder, Barbara Stranzl, Vicky Ness, Vicki Amtower; & Pastor Iunisi.

september worship leadersSeptember 3rd – Pat Schoch

September 10th – Matthew Witteman

September 17th – Dee Schilling

September 24th – Beth Wakelee

more mission team newsUMCOR SUNDAY IS SEPTEMBER 17

We will be taking an offering on September 17 for the ad-ministrative costs of United Methodist Committee on Relief. Since the administrative costs of UMCOR are paid by this special offering, every penny we send to a project goes to that program - 100%. In other words, when we send money to help an area recover from a disaster, or give to a special UMCOR advance special project, or send UMCOR kits, nothing is subtracted for administration. Learn more at umcmission.org; there’s lots of information on the internet.

Many folks from our congregation have worked on di-saster teams called VOLUNTEERS IN MISSION. They have helped build a Methodist camp at Shasta Camp, painted a parsonage in Lake County, rebuilt houses in Kansas, New Orleans, Mississippi, and Alaska, and worked in Nicaragua and Chile. These are just the ones I can remember. It’s UMCOR that is ready to or-ganize those trips, recruiting and training teams. The United Methodist VIM teams are famous for being the “first in” and the “last to leave” after a disaster. I’ve been part of several of these teams and the experienc-es were the highlights of my life. That’s why I plan to support the special offering on September 17.Karen Bohn, Mission Team

The next meeting of the worship team will be on Friday, September 8th at 1:00 p.m. in the Chapel (Old Fireside Room).

litter clean-up event in september

The Highway 12 Litter Clean-up Project continues with a work day on Saturday, September 9th at 9:15 am. We meet at the Chevron station at the West end of Highway 12. Please contact Paul Schoch for more info, 707-823-3889.

finance committeeSunday, September 10th

11:45 a.m.(after church service) • in Classroom 2 •

around the corner from the Office

“be positive” rocksAs you may have seen in the weekly Bulletin, our Sun-day School kids are involved in a great new project – painting positive thoughts on rocks and placing them around Sebastopol to being positivity and encourage-ment to our community! Want to help? Contributions of supplies such as palm-sized smooth stones (river rocks), non-toxic bright neon paints, brushes, and pos-itive sentiments are very much appreciated.Thank you for your support – Lydia & Kaci

Thank you to everyone who donates money, food, and/or time to help with Saturday Table – your important contribu-tions directly help hungry people in our community.

• September Saturday Table is 9/23 • • October Saturday Table is 10/21 •

scrip sales support seb umc!

SATURDAY TABLE

• Friday, September 1, 2017: Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b; Exodus 3:16-22; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12OR Psalm 26:1-8; Jeremiah 15:1-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12

• Saturday, September 2, 2017: Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b; Exodus 4:1-9; Matthew 8:14-17OR Psalm 26:1-8; Jeremiah 15:10-14; Matthew 8:14-17

• Sunday, September 3, 2017: Proper 17 (22)• Monday, September 4, 2017: Psalm 83:1-4, 13-18;

Exodus 4:10-31; Revelation 3:1-6OR Psalm 17; 2 Samuel 11:2-26; Revelation 3:1-6

• Tuesday, September 5, 2017: Psalm 83:1-4, 13-18; Exodus 5:1-6:13; Revelation 3:7-13OR Psalm 17; 2 Samuel 11:27b-12:15; Revelation 3:7-13

• Wednesday, September 6, 2017: Psalm 83:1-4, 13-18; Exodus 7:14-25; Matthew 12:22-32OR Psalm 17; Jeremiah 17:5-18; Matthew 12:22-32

• Thursday, September 7, 2017: Psalm 149; Exodus 9:1-7; 2 Corinthians 12:11-21OR Psalm 119:33-40; Ezekiel 24:1-14; 2 Corinthians 12:11-21

• Friday, September 8, 2017: Psalm 149; Exodus 10:21-29; Romans 10:15b-21OR Psalm 119:33-40; Ezekiel 24:15-27; Romans 10:15b-21

• Saturday, September 9, 2017: Psalm 149; Exodus 11:1-10; Matthew 23:29-36OR Psalm 119:33-40; Ezekiel 33:1-6; Matthew 23:29-36

• Sunday, September 10, 2017: Proper 18 (23)• Monday, September 11, 2017: Psalm 121; Exodus

12:14-28; 1 Peter 2:11-17OR Psalm 119:65-72; Leviticus 4:27-31; 5:14-16; 1 Peter 2:11-17

• Tuesday, September 12, 2017: Psalm 121; Exodus 12:29-42; Romans 13:1-7OR Psalm 119:65-72; Deuteronomy 17:2-13; Romans 13:1-7

• Wednesday, September 13, 2017: Psalm 121; Exodus 13:1-10; Matthew 21:18-22OR Psalm 119:65-72; Leviticus 16:1-5, 20-28; Matthew 21:18-22

• Thursday, September 14, 2017: Psalm 114; Exodus 13:17-22; 1 John 3:11-16OR Psalm 103:8-13; Genesis 37:12-36; 1 John 3:11-16

• Saturday, September 16, 2017: Psalm 114; Exodus 15:19-21; Matthew 6:7-15OR Psalm 103:8-13; Genesis 45:1-20; Matthew 6:7-15

• Sunday, September 17, 2017: Proper 19 (24)• Monday, September 18, 2017: Psalm 77; Joshua

3:1-17; Hebrews 11:23-29OR Psalm 133; Genesis 48:8-22; Hebrews 11:23-29

• Tuesday, September 19, 2017: Psalm 77; Nehemiah 9:9-15; Romans 14:13-15:2OR Psalm 133; Genesis 49:29-50:14; Romans 14:13-15:2

• Wednesday, September 20, 2017: Psalm 77; 2 Kings 2:1-18; Mark 11:20-25OR Psalm 133; Genesis 50:22-26; Mark 11:20-25

• Thursday, September 21, 2017: Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45; Exodus 15:22-27; 2 Corinthians 13:1-4OR Psalm 145:1-8; Nahum 1:1, 14-2:2; 2 Corinthians 13:1-4

• Friday, September 22, 2017: Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45; Exodus 16:1-21; 2 Corinthians 13:5-10OR Psalm 145:1-8; Nahum 2:3-13; 2 Corinthians 13:5-10

• Saturday, September 23, 2017: Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45; Exodus 16:22-30; Matthew 19:23-30OR Psalm 145:1-8; Zephaniah 2:13-15; Matthew 19:23-30

• Sunday, September 24, 2017: Proper 20 (25)• Monday, September 25, 2017: Psalm 119:97-104;

Exodus 16:31-35; Romans 16:1-16OR Psalm 106:1-12; Genesis 27:1-29; Romans 16:1-16

• Tuesday, September 26, 2017: Psalm 119:97-104; Numbers 11:1-9; Romans 16:17-20OR Psalm 106:1-12; Genesis 28:10-17; Romans 16:17-20

• Wednesday, September 27, 2017: Psalm 119:97-104; Numbers 11:18-23, 31-32; Matthew 18:1-5OR Psalm 106:1-12; Isaiah 41:1-13; Matthew 18:1-5

• Thursday, September 28, 2017: Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16; Isaiah 48:17-21; James 4:11-16OR Psalm 25:1-9; Ezekiel 12:17-28; James 4:11-16

• Friday, September 29, 2017: Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16; Numbers 20:1-13; Acts 13:32-41

Daily Readings for september 20171 / 6 0 2 1 / 6 0 2 1 / 6 0 2

sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday

xx xx xx xx xx 1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30submissions for october appleseed due today!

• please refer to newsletter for more information about events, or call office •

Golden Rule

Golden Rule

UMCOR Sunday;

Ad Council Mtg

Saturday Table

Hwy 12 Clean-up Day;

Women’s Study Group

Worship Team Mtg

Finance Committee Mtg

please

send in your

directory

updates!

Mission Team Mtg

Epworthian Hall during fumigation. Photo by Len Felsenfeld.

Sebastopol United Methodist Church 500 North Main Street, Sebastopol CA 95472

office phone: (707) 823-7971 email: sebumc@sonic.net website: sebumc.org

september 2017