Our church is unique because we cherish all persons, including those who feel unwelcome, overlooked, or excluded by other churches. If you are looking for a church home or a place for your wedding or other event, we invite you to come visit us soon. Whether you worship with us for just one visit or become a member of the church, we believe that you will have a fulfilling and positive spiritual experience here.

See News & Events for all the current happenings.

This Month's Scripture Readings

Information for this month will be in each week's View. See also the Worship & Services page.

The Language of God from United Church of Christ on Vimeo.

Shepherds Needed   First, I want to thank the many Shepherds who took such good care of their flocks for several years and needed to take a break this year.  We have lost a total of eight Shepherd/co-Shepherds and only gained four. Although most of you have already given great thought to your annual covenants this year and submitted them, I am asking you to consider becoming a Shepherd or co-Shepherd. We will be narrowing the responsibilities if approved by the Board and the community. Please give this prayerful thought and call Candy Dietsch if you have any questions. 

RUCC Youth Group Annual Service Trip:  It’s an exciting time to be in youth group! We’re in the initial planning stages of summer of 2012’s service trip! Parents and youth first met on January 8th to discuss ideas for not only this summer, but how (and when) we want summer service trips to look and happen every summer. Some ideas being considered for summer 2012 are:  the UCC’s National Youth Event in Indiana, a local work trip in Los Angeles or San Diego, or something completely different!

Epiphany Words are HERE!  Throughout the season of Epiphany--from now until February 19th--the basket of words is available for you each Sunday morning.  Select this word or let it select you, and use it as a guide, a nudge, a prod, a debate partner, a friend, as you travel the journey of faith throughout 2012.  May you be blessed...May you be a blessing!

A Night to Remember!  Author, public theologian and CST Trustee Brian McLaren joins Pastor/Stand-up Comedienne Jane Voigts and Bishop Grant Hagiya to discuss, "Where is the Church Going?"  Dean Philip Clayton moderates.  All are invited to what should be a highly entertaining and provocative discussion of trends in American religion and emerging best practices in ministry.  Feb. 12th, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Mudd Theater, Claremont School of Theology, 1325 N. College Ave., Claremont, CA 91711

Blessed by Sabbatical  RUCC is blessed by an abundance of fine leaders--pastors and laity--who will be assisting the congregation during this month of Pastoral Sabbatical. Preachers you can happily anticipate:  Bill Maury-Holmes (February 5).  Rev. Graff will return to worship and preaching on February 12. Pastoral OnCall needs will be met by a team of inhouse clergy: Bill Maury-Holmes, John Walsh, Bill Kintner, and Kraig Beardemphl.  If you have a pastoral need, best to call the church office and Wendy will direct you to the oncall pastor. If it is after office hours, please call Shepherd Area Leader Candy Dietsch, and she will be happy to direct you to the oncall pastor.  If you have any questions about the Sunday worship services, Worship Area Leader Carla Becerril will be your contact person. Finally, RUCC President Lora Hall is your "go-to person" for any churchy-type questions or general needs.  Be blessed!

RUCC Thin Places Pilgrimages 2012 Updated Info  All Pilgrims - Our first required discussion meeting will be on Sunday, February 12, at noon in the CE Area.  We will be discussing the book, The Heart of Christianity.  Next required meeting will be Sunday, February 26, at noon in the CE Area.  We will discuss the desert fathers and mothers by reviewing the two books, To Love as God Loves and In the Heart of the Desert.  Please read one of those in preparation for discussion and pilgrimage!  These pre-pilgrimage discussions will be about an hour in length.  Please note: ALL RUCC MEMBERS AND FRIENDS are welcome to these pre-pilgrimage book discussions!  The more the merrier!  We can all learn from one another and benefit from the reading, whether or not we are traveling far from home.  -- Rev. Dr. Sharon R. Graff, fellow pilgrim!

Pastoral Sabbatical 2012  Yes, it is that time again!  We are completing our 10th year together as Pastor and Congregation, and thanks to your generous spirit, this means that it is time for another pastoral sabbatical of three months.  At my request, the Church Board recently voted to approve 2012 sabbatical time for me as follows: one month from early/mid January through early/mid February, and the two additional months to be taken in the summer.  I am most grateful!  The first month of this sabbatical (beginning January 10 and concluding with my return to worship and preaching on February 12) will be used for rest and for planning out the worship themes for the remainder of 2012.  This will be great fun for me to actually have time and space to prayerfully read the scriptures and ponder the worship possibilities for the whole year at one time.  For the two remaining months of sabbatical in the summer, we will have time to recruit a sabbatical committee to oversee the many details, etc.  This worked so very well in 2008 and I anticipate the same level of success this year!  Please consider if you would like to serve the church on the Sabbatical Committee...I guarantee it will be fun!  Given the short notice regarding the sabbatical's first month, I am assuming responsibility for arranging pulpit supply, the on-call pastoral care, and other anticipated needs.  Please let me know of needs and concerns asap--and also of ways that YOU and your considerable gifts can help meet these needs--and we will all do our best to provide for them.  Meantime, your prayers and thoughts are greatly appreciated as we enter, together, into another enriching sabbatical year.  --Rev. Dr. Sharon R. Graff
RUCC’s Annual Rummage Sale – is upon us!  Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 3rd from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.  Contact Paul Hodson to schedule a time to drop off items for the sale.  Call or see Opal Inman for additional details!

GUIDE DOGS OF THE DESERT CALENDARS are $10 dollars each and they make excellent gifts!  Kiko and Janie are featured in the month of January.  All proceeds from the purchase of these calendars go to the training of these dogs from the time they are puppies.  Contact Janie if you are interested in purchasing any of these calendars. 

Jesus: Then and Now – two day conference with guest speakers Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan.  These two biblical scholars will give four different lectures over the course of the event:   Lecture 1 – Telling the Story Now and the World of Jesus Then; Lecture 2 – The Kingdom and the Way; Lecture 3 – Good Friday and Easter; Lecture 4 – Following Jesus and American Christianity Today.  February 17-18, 2012 at Irvine United Congregational Church.  Call (949)733-0220 for more information. 

Ways You Can Help YouthHope  YouthHope, as many of you may know, is a local organization that helps at-risk and homeless youth in our community.  Members from RUCC cook and deliver meals for the youth two Thursdays a month.  YouthHope is also looking for volunteers to help sort and hang donated clothes at their drop-in center, located at the First Presbyterian Church.  If you are able to help, please check the YouthHope bulletin board in the hall by the choir room or in Covenant Hall on Sundays for ingredients needed for the meals being prepared by Beki Hill and her crew.  Please deliver the ingredients by the Tuesday before our Thursdays.  YouthHope needs donations of plastic forks, heavy duty paper plates and cups.  Please let Deb know if you are interested in donating these items.  If you are interested in volunteering for YouthHope, please contact Beki or Deb Austin-Brecher.

Chapman University’s 29th Annual Founders Day celebration will be held this year on March 23-24, 2012.  This year’s celebration will include guest speaker Dr. Amy Jill Levine of Vanderbilt Divinity School.  Professor Levine combines historical-critical rigor, literary-critical sensitivity, and a frequent dash of humor with a commitment to eliminating anti-Jewish, sexist, and homophobic theologies.  For questions, call (714) 997-6760 or email brink@chapman.edu  Come to learn, come for renewal, come to support!

2011 Youth Christmas Pageant Video   For those fortunate enough to be in church on Christmas Sunday, we were part of another incredible experience as the RUCC youth presented their annual Christmas Pageant. Complete with flying Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph driving an early model Toyota Prius, and a Shepherds' lunch at Jack in the Box, "Jesus & the 99%" was at once entertaining and deeply moving. Written and performed by the youth under the guidance of Holly Boyer, RUCC again showed an open mind to see the Christmas story through a different lens ... that of our own younger members. May they always keep it fresh and alive.  If you missed it, a video is now available online of the encore performance the youth presented on December 26th before a small live audience. Follow this link http://vimeo.com/35162899 to be amazed!