Connections is a weekly publication connecting the people of Central United Methodist Church with programs, updates and informative articles.
COLUMBARIUM UPDATE
Central’s Columbarium is a peaceful place that continues to serve an important purpose for our congregation and community as a whole. Since its establishment more than 18 years ago, the Columbarium serves as a resting place for the remains of loved ones as well as a haven of peace to remember those who have given so much depth of meaning to our lives.
This serene area is in constant need of care and continuing improvements. The Board of Trustees approved the removal of the broken fountain and it will be replaced with a circular planter which will coordinate with landscape improvements being planned just south of the Columbarium. This will add to the natural beauty already exhibited with the mature Japanese Maple trees. The concerns with continuing with a fountain were the high cost of maintenance, water conservation and liability considerations. New plaques will be installed to recognize contributions made by family members in remembrance of loved ones.
Recently on one of our visits to the Columbarium, we had the opportunity to speak with a young woman who regularly visits and places flowers at the memorial wall where a plaque memorializes her father. She was so appreciative of having this special place to come and reflect on the life of her dad and the impact he had on her path. It was a wondrous reminder of the ministry of the Columbarium and why we continue to work to keep it the beautiful sacred space it was intended to be.
If you are interested in learning more about the Columbarium, reserving a niche or having a memorial plaque placed, please contact Susie in the church office. Elise and Lyndon Low
LANDSCAPING PROJECTS
The Central Garden
Last March the Board of Trustees approved my request to convert the grass area (fronting the Columbarium) into a California native garden. What is a native garden and why convert it into a native garden.
A native garden is a garden showcasing the plants that are endemic or indigenous to a given area. The vegetation that will be in the garden will be adapted to specific temperature precipitation and soil conditions of our state. Maintaining this type of garden will be cost effective since it will not require too much water. These plants are drought tolerant. Also, these plants will provide “food” for our pollinators. Our garden will be part of the conserving the population of our beneficial insects. Fertilizers will not be used to amend the soil since these plants grow in this type of soil naturally. Lastly, pesticides will not be used since these plants will attract beneficial insects that will control the pest population.
The objective of our Central Garden is: (1) to beautify and to display our state’s native flowering plants, (2) to provide the children of Central Methodist Nursery School, the children of Godly Play, and church members to experience the joy of having a garden and gardening, (3) to provide a “nature” area for children to learn about plants, insects, and to become familiar with the names of the native plants, and (4) to help sustain the population endemic pollinators.
If you are willing to volunteer your time and effort to help with this project and share your enthusiasm of gardening, please contact Isabel Cuerpo at [email protected]. Isabel Cuerpo
Volunteer Gardeners
Signe Holly and Carol Willson spend several hours a week maintaining garden areas on a campus. They can be found working planting flowers in the garden by the bench at the base of the ramp, watering the plants found in the Atrium and most recently pulling out dead plants and preparing the soil for future plantings found in the three large planters by the office.
Also, Jaime Spaulding and Richard Larrouy have worked on several different gardening projects around the campus. WE might call them on call gardeners.
There are other garden spots on our campus that are need of loving care; the planters under the Pacific Avenue sign board, the area alongside the parking lot near Central Park needs weeding and others. If you are interested in helping with one of these projects, please talk to Don Smiley.
Rocks from the Columbarium
Since the fountain has been removed from the columbarium the trustees are offering the stones to anyone who might like to have some for their yard. They are available on a first come basis and are inside the dumpster area. Feel free to contact Don Smiley at 209-608-2165 for the combination to the lock.
WAKING UP WHITE FIRST DISCUSSION TONIGHT!
The reading group for Waking Up White has our first meeting tonight (June 9) at 5:30 p.m. We will get acquainted and discuss Robin DiAngelo’s video “Deconstructing White Privilege” (available on our Facebook Page) Next Tuesday, we’ll discuss the first 26 pages of Debby Irving’s book. If you’d like to join, please e-mail Jan for the ZOOM link.
FAITH ACTION TABLE
Just before the shelter in place occurred the members of the Faith Action table had created two information tables, one in the Knoles Building and the other in the Narthex. The table was meant to help acquaint the congregation with various paths toward living out a ministry of justice and service. Since we are not in our buildings the Faith Action Table committee will place an article in Connections once a month.
Our nation is struggling to heal the open wound of institutional racism. At the June 6th clergy-led rally at Martin Luther King Plaza, Stockton’s mayor, police chief, and sheriff invited us to engage with them to make policing here more humane and our community more just and peaceful. While Stockton has made progress, we still have a way to go.
The website: https://8cantwait.org tells us about eight policies that cities can adopt that are shown to reduce the use of force by police while making law enforcement more effective. Stockton has enacted four of these policies. We require de-escalation, warning before shooting the duty to intervene, and the exhaustion of all alternatives before shooting. The four policies Stockton has not yet adopted are:
- Ban chokeholds and strangleholds
- Ban shooting at moving vehicles
- Develop a Use of Force Continuum
- Require comprehensive reporting
We can start this conversation by either calling Mayor Michael Tubbs at 209.937.8499 or emailing him at [email protected]. Gloria Fearn for the Faith In Action Committee
SPEAKING OF FINANCES…
Thanks to the consistent contributions of Central members and friends, we have paid our bills in full during this time of Shelter in Place. We spent extra funds in some areas, including digital camera and recording equipment; supplies for when we can gradually reopen our buildings (hand sanitizer dispensers, special cleaning supplies); we had the Sanctuary carpets and pews cleaned and sanitized.
We have saved money in some other areas: heating and cooling; paper and printing, since we are mostly on-line; professional expense reimbursement like mileage.
Our income in some areas has decreased, understandably: loose offerings, building use income.
Our income in the most significant areas, pledges and recurrent donors, has remained strong. When our new database is fully on board, we will share a mid-year financial report in more detail. In the meantime, we are grateful to the faithful financial support of so many of you.
In addition to giving to the general fund, Centralites have donated generously to special offerings, including United Methodist Committee on Relief, Peace with Justice, Emergency Food Pantry, Heifer Project, Cleveland Initiative, and more. Our ministries reach literally around the world.