CONNECTIONS
UPUMC
• Dinner and Film, Joan of Arcadia, Wednesday, September 7, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• United Methodist Women meet Wednesday, September 7, 10am, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Staff-Parish Relations Committee meets Monday, September 12, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson hall.
• Administrative Council meets Monday, September 12, 7:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Outreach Committee meets Tuesday, September 13, 7pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Meeting Our New Neighbors in New Columbia, Thursday, September 22, 6-8pm.

THE LARGER CHURCH
• Candlelight Vigil in memory of GLBT Victims of Suicide, 6-8pm, Wednesday, September 7, LDS Portland Temple, 13600 SW Kruse Oaks Blvd, Lake Oswego, OR.
• Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors: Motto or Reality? 6-9pm Friday September 16 and 9am-4pm Saturday, September 17. Worship at Woodlawn UMC 1425 NE Dekum at 11am on Sunday, September 18.

THE COMMUNITY
• TCAP/PNA forum meets Tuesday, September 6, 7pm, Columbia Cottage.

FUTURE EVENTS, FOR YOUR CALENDAR
• All-Church Beach Retreat at Camp Magruder, Friday-Sunday, September 16-18, 2005.
• Meeting Our Neighbors at New Columbia, 6-8pm,Thursday, September 22.
• Charge Conference, Wednesday, October 19, 7:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
• Come to the Table, Community of Welcoming Congregations, 5-9pm, Saturday, October 22, Rose City Park Presbyterian Church.
• All-Church Homecoming Celebration, Sunday, November 13.

WEEKLY AT UPUMC
• Choir practices Sundays at 9:30am, Tuesdays at 6pm, Sanctuary.
• Men’s Group. Tuesdays, 10am, Narthex.
• Let’s Go Walking, Wednesdays, 1pm, Narthex.
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Narthex, Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 8pm, weekly.
• Overeaters Anonymous, Wednesdays at 7pm, Saturdays at 3pm.
• Peninsula CDC Youth Council, Mondays, 1-3:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.

THE NURSERY IS STAFFED DURING WORSHIP

PLEASE DON’T GO HUNGRY. WE HAVE FOOD IN OUR PANTRY, LOCATED IN THE HALLWAY LEADING TO ERROL STEPHENSON HALL, TAKE WHAT YOU NEED.

OPEN HEARTS, MINDS, AND DOORS
Not going to the beach retreat on September 16-18? Join people from UPUMC who are planning to worship at Woodlawn UMC at 11am, Sunday, September 18. The worship concludes a weekend conference built around the theme of Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors. Also watch for cable TV spots on the United Methodist Church during September, as the church enters the fifth year of a campaign to reach out to all of our neighbors.
NEW WEDNESDAY NIGHT SERIES
The Wednesday evening dinner and movie series will feature episodes of “Joan of Arcadia�, beginning on September 7.

The idea of God talking to a teenage girl might sound like a conversation stopper, but parents and teens who are fans of "Joan of Arcadia" say the television drama provides a weekly basis for discussions about faith, relationships and a host of other real-life topics.

Many TV shows aimed at teens feature the stereotypical popular, pretty girl, the jock and the outsider rebel character, or the shows are sex-obsessed, says Melissa Caldwell, director of research and publications for the Parents Television Council. The organization gave its seal of approval to the CBS show with a caution that it’s not suitable for younger children because of themes such as death and dying and sexuality.

"The main character, she’s not the most popular girl, not the prettiest girl or the smartest, but she has a close circle of friends," Caldwell says. She adds that almost every episode includes subject matter that could start a family discussion.

While the show takes a nondenominational approach, with no mention of Jesus or specific doctrines, the Rev. Christopher Robinson says it’s clearly coming from a Judeo-Christian, even prophetic, tradition. Robinson, a Catholic priest and professor of religious studies at DePaul University in Chicago, says the show does a good job getting young people to consider faith questions.

The show presents a complex view of a God who is with Joan but does not step in and miraculously make her brother walk again or fix her problems. For instance, Robinson says he was stunned to hear a line in one show that was straight from Thomas Aquinas, when God tells Joan the opposite of faith is not doubt but certitude.

"In a prophetic tradition, she’s praying by talking to God; she wrestles with him and she gets angry with him," Robinson says. "God is complicated, and everything doesn’t end up OK, but she has a relationship with God."
UMCOR RESPONDS TO KATRINA
As president of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), I am making this emergency appeal for United Methodists and their friends to supply Health Kits, bottled water and blankets for survivors of Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast. The need is desperate throughout the area devastated by the storm, especially among people who have been or are being evacuated from their homes.
The need for Health Kits is especially acute, according to Gwen E. Redding, director of the Sager Brown Depot of UMCOR in Baldwin, LA. The center is to the west of the major storm impact and did not sustain major damage. "We are getting calls from all over," Ms. Redding said, "and we do have kits on hand but not enough to fill all the requests coming from the Gulf and around the world."
A Health Kit contains specific items:
1 hand towel (15" x 25" up to 17" x 27")
1 wash cloth
1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized)
1 nail file or fingernail clippers (no emery boards or toenail clippers)
1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz and up)
1 toothbrush (single brush only in original wrapper; no child-sized brushes)
1 large tube of toothpaste (4.5 or larger, expiration date must be 6 months or longer in advance of the date of shipment to Sager Brown)
6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages
All items should be placed inside a sealed one-gallon plastic bag. No money, notes, religious or political literature, or other items should be placed in the kits. Kits may be shipped to: UMCOR Sager Brown Depot, P.O. Box 850, 131 Sager Brown Road, Baldwin, LA 70514-0850. Please also provide $1 per kit to cover distribution costs. This may be sent to Sager Brown to UMCOR Advance #982730, "Contain Your Joy."

While the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is beyond belief, what is not beyond belief is how United Methodists respond to the call for help. UMCOR is already mobilized and offering assistance. Let us pray for all those affected and let us give generously to support the massive relief efforts already underway.
In Christ's Service,
Bishop Edward W. Paup

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