Our monthly Newsletter

1. First United Methodist Church of North Hollywood
GOOD NEWS
e-mail: nohofumc@gmail.com
April 2022
facebook.com/nohofumc1 www.nohofumc.org
IN THIS ISSUE:
• Holy Week Schedule
• Single Board Update
• UMW Reading Program
• Easter Weekend Events
GOOD NEWS is published monthly by
First United Methodist Church of North
Hollywood, California 91601
Phone (818) 763-8231
Rev. Grant Hagiya
Bishop
Rev. Melissa MacKinnon
District Superintendent
Rev. Steve Peralta
Senior Pastor
Congregation
Ministers
Michael McKenzie
Director of Music
Roger Eshleman
Organist
Nylean Rapinac
Administrator
Patty Kelsey
Director, Program Ministries
Tonya Peat
Director, Outreach Ministries
I find it strange that after four years of serving as your pastor, this
upcoming Easter will only be the second time that we have celebrated
together in person! Such has been the persistence of the COVID-19
pandemic…and I am filled with hope and joy as we begin the process of
emergence from that strange chapter in our lives.
This year, Easter really feels like emergence. Perhaps more than ever, I
can imagine what it might have felt like for Jesus to emerge from the hell
of his torturous death: the sweet smell of fresh air, the warmth of the
morning sun, and the relief that God had kept God’s promises. I am sure
that he wondered what would be next and how the disciples would
respond to his return; but he was confident that God would keep God’s
promises and that the work he had started would not die.
This Easter brings similar questions for us. Will our community and
neighborhood recognize us as life returns to normal? Will our hard work
connecting to the neighborhood resume in a powerful way? Will people
find a connection to God and meaning in the ministries and programs we
offer? Can we make space for newcomers in our small congregation?
You see, Jesus emerges from the tomb into a different world: a world that
has changed because of him and his resurrection. We emerge into a
world that is different and we have to ask, will it continue to be different
because of us? Will our resurrection make a difference in the world?
I am confident that if we remain faithful to embracing the rejected,
healing the broken, feeding the hungry, and reconciling people to one
another and to God, the world will be different. I hope you will join us
on Easter Sunday morning to proclaim that Christ is Risen! (Sunrise
Service at 6:30 AM and Traditional Worship at 10:30 AM) May our
worship draw us out of our tombs to the new life which is before us.
Peace,
Pastor Steve

2. April 3 Honoring Jesus John 12:1-8
At a party, shortly before Jesus enters Jerusalem, Mary is the only person in the room to respond appropriately to
the moment. She anoints him knowing he goes to his death.
April 10 Palm Sunday Proclaiming Jesus
Loudly and Proudly, Jesus will not be dissuaded or deterred. Jesus’ entry in Jerusalem and his
confrontation with the temple, with Herod, and with Rome is inevitable.
April 17 Easter Sunday Jesus Has Left The Tomb Luke 24:1-12
Jesus often taught about tough topics that people didn’t want to hear, like sin and repentance. He also taught that
God was patient…to a point. Do we listen to Jesus, or does our selective hearing discourage him?
April 24 Thomas Believed John 20:19-31
Thomas is remembered as the disciple who doubted, yet the witness of the scriptures is simple: Thomas believed.
Let us consider Thomas as a model of faith and discover how Jesus turns doubt into a faith worth proclaiming.
HIGHLIGHTS OF ONLINE WORSHIP
Tune in every Sunday for a brand new worship service!
We share on YouTube @nohofumc and on Facebook @nohofumc1.
Vocals - Michael McKenzie
Moment with Children - Patty Kelsey
March 6 - Temptation
March 13 - Mother Hen
March 20 - Fruitful
March 27 - God Loves Me
Scripture Readers
March 6 - Jesse Boone
March13 - Jonash Poyaoan
March 20 - Daniella Lake
March 27 - Jesse Boone
Luke 19:28-40
Pastor Steve’s Sermon Series: Get Out of the Way!
Sermon Titles and Scripture
March 6 - Tempting Jesus| Luke 4:1-13
March 13 - Scaring Jesus| Luke 13:31-35
March 20 - Discouraging Jesus| Luke 6:27-38
March 27 - Resisting Jesus| Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-32
Special Music - Michael McKenzie & Roger Eshleman
March 6 - Norman Kelsey | Give Us Clean Hands
March 13 - Michael McKenzie | Great is Thy Faithfulness
March 20 - Michael McKenzie | Oh the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus
March 27 - Shaun & Libeck Vieten|Lord, I’m Coming Home
We continue with our Lenten Series, “Get Out of the
Way!” We will continue to discover how people resisted
Jesus’ message of self-denial, love, mercy, and
compassion: sometimes, good people found themselves as
obstacles to Jesus’ teaching and ministry. Together, we
will do our best to identify how we obstruct Jesus, and
then get out of the way so we can follow.
Organist/Pianist - Roger Eshleman Call to Worship Response - Norman Kelsey

3. It is time to order your Easter Lilies!
A gorgeous Easter Lily cross is erected in the chancel of the Sanctuary
every year. The lovely plants are given in memory and in honor of loved
ones and are $10 per plant.
The plants may be taken home following the 10:30 am
worship service on Easter Sunday, April 17th
Your Name ______________________________________ Phone Number ________________________
Please Circle One:
(In Memory) or (In Honor) of _____________________________________________________________
(In Memory) or (In Honor) of _____________________________________________________________
(In Memory) or (In Honor) of _____________________________________________________________
Total Number of Lilies Ordered _________ @ $10.00 per plant Total Due ______________

4. The LA County Department of Health has
relaxed many of the Mask Mandate
Requirements. In alignment with their
guidelines, masks are no longer required on
campus and are considered optional. We will
be staying abreast of the recommended
guidelines, and will keep you posted in the
event these recommendations become more
restrictive in the future.
We encourage people to take every precaution
to remain healthy and safe, including getting
vaccinated and boosted. We also will
continue to offer the wristbands which
communicate how you desire people to
interact with you, so we can honor each and
every one of our community as we make our
way through this transition as COVID
becomes endemic throughout the world.
You may notice that the roof on the building to
the east of the fountain courtyard (the science
building) is in the process of being re-roofed.
This represents the second phase of our re-
roofing of our campus. Please stay tuned-in as
we move into the next phase this summer! You
will have opportunities to help support the
efforts to keep our 73 year old campus in
working order.
You also may have noticed Miguel Martinez
working diligently around the campus, keeping
things clean and learning the in-and-outs of our
facility and community. He lives in Monterey
Park with his partner Rebecca and his grandson
Isaiah. He is a member of Monterey Park
UMC and we are fortunate to have him as a part
of our church staff. Please introduce yourself if
you see him and welcome him to our family.
Most Christians know the Lord’s Prayer by heart. But do we really understand and appreciate the
meaning and power of its words? Do we ever really stop to consider what we ask God every time we
pray it? We will complete our exploration of The Lord’s Prayer on Thursday, April 7th.
We have had fourteen people participate in the study, and newcomers are always welcome (even for
the last session)! You can join us in person (in the Hand-In-Hand room) or online (Zoom ID: 814 1016
2060, Passcode: 315564)
“The Lord’s Prayer: The Meaning and Power of the Prayer Jesus
Taught” by Adam Hamilton

5. We are proud and appreciative that Kathi Ellis, Judy Palmer, Hanna Sack, Jodi Smith, Wendy Welch and Lynn
Yoshizumi read 5 books, at least 1 book in each of 5 categories: Education for Mission, Leadership Development,
Nurture for Community, Social Action and Spiritual Growth. Hanna Sack read 2 books in each category which
earned her a Level II certificate. Some of you may remember when we won the district prize probably more than
10 years ago, we received a banner that we could display until a new Reading Program winner was named. At this
time people are hunting for the North District Reading Program banner. We hope it is found soon.
The purpose of the Reading Program is to help us better understand and participate in God’s mission today, to
increase sensitivity to all human beings, to explore contemporary issues, and to enhance and act on self-knowledge.
The books in the Reading Program are selected by United Methodist Women directors and members who gather
for a weekend to evaluate the hundreds of books recommended and to create the final list. At least 2 of the 3
committee members evaluating a book must give it a “yes” vote for the book to make the final cut for consideration.
A book enters the Plan and remains for the next 5 years so you don’t have to read everything right away. When the
5 years are gone, the book ages out of the program and put it in the regular part of the library. However, with the
pandemic any book that entered the program in 2015 or later is still active in the program.
There is a special section of the library in the Lounge where the Reading Program books can be found, but we
haven’t used the Lounge for over 2 years. I have put 5 or 6 books from each category in an empty cabinet in the
Hand-in-Hand room. If you would like to look over the books in this Mini Library or the big library in the Lounge,
please see me during the fellowship time after the church service and I can open these rooms for you.
There is so much more to tell about the Library and the Reading Program. Talk to me in person or wait for my
next article in The Good News.
By Lynn Yoshizumi
Some of you may remember that I used to promote the United
Methodist Women Reading Program but then the pandemic came along
and there wasn’t much happening.
.
During 2019 six of the United Methodist Women read enough books to
fulfill the requirements and earn a certificate representing that
accomplishment. As NoHo FUMC’s Reading Program chair, I submitted
6 Reading Program report forms. Unfortunately those reports never
reached the Reading Program chair for the UMW north district. No
harm done. I was informed I could submit those forms for the 2020
Reading Program. Somehow in the middle of the pandemic, with no
reminder, I neglected to submit the report forms in December 2020.
Still no harm done. Since none of the books read had aged out of the
Reading Program. I could submit those forms for the 2021 Reading
Program.
That is what I did and our UMW group was the big winner. We had 12
active members and 6 readers. Because the calculations are based on the
percentage of readers, rather the number of readers, our 50% reading
percentage was the highest in the North District.

6. A Note from Pastor Steve
Traditionally, Holy Week begins with Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and follows Jesus
through the last week of his ministry. We spend time in the temple, at the home of Mary and
Martha, in the Upper Room, the Garden of Gethsemane, and of course, the hill of Calvary. It
finishes in the garden, outside the tomb, in the glow of resurrection. You will have an opportunity
to observe Holy Week through a mix of in-person and virtual experiences and our second year of
“Holy Week In-A-Box.” Here is the schedule:
April 10th
Palm Sunday Observance
10:30 AM in the Sanctuary (receive your Holy-Week-In-A-Box)
April 14th Maundy Thursday Observance
A Service of Foot washing & Communion at 7:00 PM in the Sanctuary
April 15th Good Friday
Online Stations of the Cross (All day)
Worship at 7:00 PM in the Sanctuary
April 16th
Children’s Easter Celebration
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM in the parking lot & egg hunt in the Courtyard
April 17th Easter Sunday Worship & Celebration
Sunrise Service at 6:30 AM in the Courtyard
Continental Breakfast following
Easter Worship at 10:30 in the Sanctuary
Join us as we
journey with
Jesus

7. Easter
Easter
NO H O F U MC
Fun Easter Activities! Bounce House!
DJ & Dancing! Egg Hunt at 11:30AM!
SATURDAY, APRIL 16TH
10:30AM-NOON
FESTIVAL
FREE
OUTDOOR
EVENT
4832 Tujunga Ave. NOHO 91601 | www.nohofumc.org
CHILDREN'S

8. HELP AND HOPE ON THE
JOURNEY FROM UKRAINE
By Christie R. House
March 28, 2022 | ATLANTA
The number of refugees from
Ukraine seeking safety continues to
increase. As the Central and
Southern European UMC
communicators describe it: “These
are not simply ‘streams’ or ‘waves.’
They are an unimaginable number of
individuals, each with their own
identity and history, who have set out
to seek protection and refuge in a safe
place.”
A safe place of welcome greeted a
family from Ukraine with an infant,
born en route after they crossed the
border into Poland.
Two days later, they arrived in Warsaw, where they were taken in by the United Methodist church there. The
church’s pastor reported to the episcopal office that the parents named the newborn Miroslava – “the peace-loving
one.”
Stories like this emerge every day in European countries bordering Ukraine. The United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates 3.7 million Ukrainians have fled as refugees into neighboring
countries, an overwhelming number of which are women and children. Of these, more than 2 million have taken
refuge in Poland and more than half a million in Romania. There is less certainty in the West about how many
Ukrainians have crossed into Belarus or the Russian Federation and what happens to them after they leave
Ukraine.
A congregant response
Response to the war in Ukraine has pulled together networks of churches and nongovernmental (NGO) and local
civic organizations in new ways. The Central and Southern Europe Episcopal Area funded locally hired
coordinators to help with some of the humanitarian and resettlement activities of Methodist churches in various
countries. UMCOR sent relief grants to the Central and Southern Europe office for churches offering help to
refugees in Slovakia, Poland, Romania and Hungary.
The UMC in Romania, though small in size, has taken a leading role in welcoming and situating refugees.
Cooperating with other faith communities and with NGOs, the church has hosted guests from Ukraine, many of
whom are passing through to relatives who live further West. But for those who have no relatives waiting, United
Methodists have found space with other churches and organizations for long-term placements. They’ve worked
with local restaurants to provide meals for their guests and taken several loads of food and supplies to Ukraine as
well.
UMCOR will help with the church’s latest project to hire a psychologist and a lawyer, both Ukrainian, to assist
refugees with trauma and resettlement. UMCOR will also help to increase the capacity of the Romanian UMC to
provide housing, food, psychosocial assistance, as well as community building and social integration.
Newborn Miraslava rests quietly with her family in Warsaw, Poland, cared for
by United Methodists who opened their church to Ukrainian refugees.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE POLISH UMC

9. Support for UMCOR’s ongoing efforts to offer help and hope to
refugees from Ukraine can be given through Advance #982450.
Children from an orphanage in Kyiv, Ukraine, look forward to dinner with United Methodists in Sibiu,
Romania, after a 48-hour ordeal in which they narrowly escaped abduction. PHOTO: COURTESY OF
THE ROMANIAN UMC
Two long-time UMCOR partners, ACT Alliance (Geneva) and the International Orthodox Christian Charities
(IOCC), have received or are in negotiation to receive major UMCOR support for a variety of efforts. UMCOR
is working to provide safe spaces for women and children, safe and reliable transportation, and dissemination of
information to help women and children recognize and avoid situations that expose them to abuse and trafficking.
United Methodists in Sibiu, Romania, can attest to the importance of this kind of support. This story comes from
the Rev. Cristian Istrate, whose UMC congregation raised funds to help a small orphanage in Kyiv, Ukraine,
travel with children across the border into Romania earlier in March. His church prepared space and was ready to
welcome them. The pastor received word that the van carrying the children, the director and two other adults had
crossed the border.
However, at that point, they were handed over to another driver, one who had not been vetted. He refused to
continue the trip to Sibiu and instead, headed back toward Ukraine. The Methodists, worried when the van did
not arrive, called the Romanian authorities, who said the driver stated he was handing the children over to
another person who would take them to Italy.
The church in Sibiu alerted the Ukrainian consulate in Romania, which arranged for the van to be stopped before
it left Romania. There was nothing the adults traveling with the children could do, and by the time they reached
their hosts in Sibiu, 48 hours later, the women were greatly traumatized. But they reached safety and have been
cared for by this congregation and their supporters. In the evil and upheaval of war, those who mean harm also
congregate, but that is why the broader actions taken by UMCOR, IOCC and ACT are so important.
To read more, you can go to umcmission.org and get details on how UMCOR and United Methodist Churches in
Europe are coming together to make a big difference.

10. April 4 Tanna Havlick
April 5 Andrew Shuford
April 7 Tara Varilek
April 13 Lisa Cheby
April 15 Debbie Coyle
April 15 Tonya Peat
April 16 Gail Acosta
April 17 Cliff Rogers
April 19 George Peters
April 23 Brian Ellis
April 24 Jim Tyree
April 27 Letha Watts
April 28 Mark Hannon
April 30 Charles Minetree
April 30 David Varney
• Pauline Long's son, Eric, passed away, sin early March. He was
found on 3/5. Prayers for the Long family during this sorrowful
time.
• Bill Varney fell and broke his hip. He is recuperating, following
surgery and is keeping his spirits up. Bill says he is grateful that
God has blessed him with time on this earth.
• Jeff Thomas' brother, Isaac, is facing very serious health issues.
• Please lift up Byron and DeAnne Hayes. DeAnne was diagnosed
with Alzheimer's.
• Tiffany Valentine and her daughters, Penelope (14) and Jaelyn (12) are in need of powerful prayers. Penelope
has mental health issues and acting out with self harm. Jaelyn is also depressed about her sister and lonely.
Tiffany is juggling work and discerning what steps to take to help her girls. She yearns for a relationship with
Jesus now and is searching for a church in Las Vegas.
• Roger Eshleman's sister, Joan Velde, is home and recuperating after a bout of pneumonia. Prayers for Joan, as
she continues her cancer treatment.

11. WORSHIP LECTIONARY & LITURGICAL COLORS (Year C)
April 3 Fifth Sunday in Lent. Purple.
Isa. 43:16-21; Ps. 126 (UMH 847); Phil. 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8
April 10 Palm/Passion Sunday. Purple.
Isa. 50:4-9a; Ps. 118:1-2, 19-29; Ps. 31:9-16; Phil. 2:5-11; Luke 19:28-40; Luke 22:14-23:56
April 14 Maundy Thursday. Purple.
Exo. 12:1-4, (5-10) 11-14; Ps. 116:1-4, 12-19; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35
April 15 Good Friday. Black | None.
Isa. 52:13-53:12; Ps. 22; Heb. 10:16-25; John 18:1-19:42
April 17 Easter Sunday. White or Gold.
Acts 10:34-43; Ps. 118:1-2, 14-24 (UMH 839); 1 Cor. 15:19-26; John 20:1-18; Luke 24:1-12
April 24 Second Sunday in Easter 2022. White or Gold.
Acts 5:27-32; Ps. 150 (UMH 862); Rev. 1:4-8; John 20:19-31
Sunday Worship Services are Posted Online Saturday Eve| Worship In-Person at 10:30 AM
Join us online via Facebook @nohofumc1 or YouTube @nohofumc
Communion will be served, in-person, on April 3rd during worship.
Holy Week is April 10th - 17th
Easter Worship Services In-Person & Online
6:30 AM in the Courtyard Patio | 10:30 AM in the Main Sanctuary | Online @ Youtube
Please have your articles for the Good News to the church office by April 17th for the May 2022 publication
or email them to pattyfumc@gmail.com
If you no longer wish to receive this publication, please contact the church office
or return this address label noting that we are to discontinue sending it. Thank you.
POSTMASTER - Please send changes of address to:
First United Methodist Church of North Hollywood
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601
“NoHoFUMC is a community that practices the all-inclusive and transforming love of God as modeled by the life
and ministry of Jesus Christ. We celebrate our diversity in race, ethnicity, marital status, sexual orientation, gender
identity, age, gender, ability, citizenship, and socioeconomic status. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we welcome all people
into the full participation of the life of the church.”