News and Announcements

The following is a collection, by date, of church announcements, opportunities, and fellowship.

May, 2011

SUPER SATURDAY 2011 - A Day of Church-Wide Community Service!
by Rick Schlee

A gloriously beautiful weekend morning greeted over 60 members of First United Methodist Church of Pasadena for our 2011 SUPER SATURDAY on April 16!  Our numbers may have been fewer than the past couple years, but eager enthusiasm was evident by the dozens of smiles on volunteers’ faces as we started the morning out right enjoying a delicious breakfast prepared by several ladies, including Elaine Enzminger (past Chair of the Missions, Peace, and Justice Committee), Priscilla Baca, Shirley Lohr, Tricia McRae, and Ann Zeiss.  Following the hardy breakfast of mini-quiches, sausage, juice and coffee, fruit and pastries, Reverend Allison Mark led us in initiating our 2011 Super Saturday of Community Service with a commissioning of our volunteers in front of the Church to go forth into the Community with good words and deeds to participate in various outreach projects.

Youth and adult volunteers immersed themselves in varied missions activities preparing and distributing about 100 sack lunches for the homeless; creating 75 unique, home-made cards for our military service men and women; packaging nearly 50 hygiene kits for the homeless; and stuffing almost 30 Teddy Bears to be distributed to children as comfort animals by the Fire Department.  Our thanks to Mary-Ann Spahn,  Nancy Waite, and Ann and Stephen Burke for spearheading the sack lunch brigade, and kudos to Pam Marx and the Arts Committee, Jami Carrera, and Barbara Gorton for overseeing the arts and crafts activities for the cards and Teddy Bears, as well as the hygiene kits.  Pat Mann and several ladies worked through many, many boxes of photographs to organize Church Archives, and Ruth MacPherson led a dedicated group of bibliophiles in the Church Library.

A large contingent of youth and adults (too many to name individually, but thank you all!) volunteered at Learning Works to help with cleaning-up and painting a new facility recently donated to the Charter School.  And much-appreciated donations of baby and school supplies were also collected for Learning Works students and their infants.

To all of you Volunteers who gave so generously of your time and energy during this year’s successful Super Saturday, a very heartfelt Thank You for a Super Job!  Peace and blessings be with you all.

Life-Planning Opportunity

The Pasadena Methodist Foundation received a gift some years ago of a crypt for two caskets at the Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena.  It is a lovely site located in the foothills. We believe the gift was intended to be a resource for the Foundation in its efforts to carry out its various missions and goals.  Accordingly, the Foundation wants to make the congregation aware of a purchase opportunity for anyone engaged in this type of life-planning process.  If an individual was interested in making such a purchase, the added benefit would be adding to Foundation resources which play a vital role in the life of our church.

The crypt is what is called a companion crypt, meaning that it holds two caskets, positioned head to toe.  The crypt is located in the B level of the wall; this means that it is in the level second from the floor and that it slides out about waist high.  B level is the cemetery’s most popular and its stock of these crypts is sold out.

Generally, crypts of this type, but higher on the wall, are currently selling for $9,100-$9,800.  There are very few still available.  The cemetery sales representative estimates that the retail price of crypts sold between private persons is somewhat less than the price quoted by the cemetery.  Transaction costs charged to transfer title are $250.  The Foundation would like to receive an offer of about $8,000, plus title costs, but is willing to discuss other offers.  All proceeds benefit the Foundation and its support of the church.

If any member of the congregation is involved in planning that would include a crypt purchase, please feel free to contact the Foundation for further information.  If you are aware of friends who might have such a purchase interest, please let them know.  For further information, contact Sue Clairday at the Foundation, who can be reached through the church office at 626-796-0157.