Children of Abraham Interfaith Prayer Service
Jewish, Christian, Muslim
We join together on the third Monday of each month to breathe God’s spirit of peace and cooperation into the world. Inspirational readings from the three religions descended from Abraham alternate with periods of silence for prayer and meditation. The location rotates monthly among worship sites. Please join us at our gatherings on the following dates:
August 18 5:30-6:30 p.m. SLO United Methodist Church
Congregation Beth David
10180 Los Osos Valley Road
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN WORSHIP
If you are interested in any of the following . . .
please contact the church office at 543-7580 or sloumc@charter.net
CHANCEL CHOIR
This is an adult choir that regularly sings at the 11 A.M. “Traditional” worship services as well as various special church gatherings. The all volunteer choir is comprised of dedicated members committed to excellence in church choral music and sings a wide range of choral repertoire to enhance the worship of God. The choir also enjoys loving fellowship and offers spiritual support to one another. Prudy Lovtang is current president of the Chancel Choir.
BEL CANTO RINGERS
The Bel Canto Ringers is a handbell choir which predates the disastrous fire in 2001. The fire destroyed all of the handbells (except for one solitary G4 bell that is sorely out of tune), all of the handbell equipment and most of the handbell music. With insurance money and generous donations to the handbell program, five octaves of brand new Malmark handbells and handchimes were purchased in 2002, along with bell tables, pads, miscellaneous handbell related items and replacement music. The Bel Canto Ringers continue to flourish under the baton of Chungsam Doh, Musical Director of SLOUMC. On Easter Sunday we look forward to ringing all five octaves in joyful celebration of the reopening of our new church facility.
The handbell program at SLOUMC is a growing program that welcomes newcomers at all levels of handbell ringing ability. We are especially good at teaching novices how to ring handbells. If you are interested in ringing with us or learning how to ring handbells, please call Ginny Rodgers at 784-0266 or Prudy Lovtang at 544-2120.
WEEK BEGINNINGS
In 1995, SLOUMC Pastor Nelson Stringer decided, with a small group of supporters, to begin a “contemporary” worship service in addition to the traditional service currently offered. He enlisted Rich Van Houten, guitar in hand, to help lead the singing. Rich had sung and played with Nelson and popular Methodist folk singercomposer Jim Strathdee at inner-city urban churches back in the ’60s. This contemporary service met first in the Wesley Building, then in the downstairs Chapel, then in the entryway of the old (pre-fire) church. Rich was eventually joined by several other SLOUMC guitarists. The service soon grew from just a few worshippers (one Sunday we had three!) to over forty.
When the church burned in 2001 and all worship services were moved to the Wesley Building, there was floor space to add a harpist! It was about that time that the group officially adopted the name “Week Beginnings.” This play-on-words name communicated not only that the music was a good way to begin the week, but also playfully deflected any criticism that the beginnings of their songs were “weak!” Since that time, Week Beginnings has welcomed into its fold several other instrumentalists and vocalists from the congregation. The group is happy to report that because (or in spite of!) their leadership, the contemporary service has continued to grow and thrive, in size and depth. The popular music version of this group of performers is known as BOOMERANG! This group plays around the area as well as for special UMC events
WORSHIP HELPERS
Each week there are opportunities to serve as ushers, greeters, liturgists, and communion servers. There are also opportunities to creatively prepare the worship space with flowers and paraments and operate the sound system and computer.
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