SAVOR LIFE THIS LENT
This Lent, God beckons us toward deeper attentiveness of the divine presence in our midst. It gives life here, now. We encourage you to notice signs of beauty, kindness, mercy, and joy. And, we invite you to share them with others. There are lots of ways to do this, personally or publicly; we hope you will consider sharing some of them online and tag them with #savorlife and #westwoodumc. You can take a photo or write a haiku or sing a Psalm–there’s no wrong way to do this!
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SEEKING ARTISTS TO #PrayForLA
We are working with several other congregations in LA to create and display (on our campuses and online) art images and accompanying text as prayer stations for sharing grief during the Covid-19 pandemic. We seek artists to respond to words of prayer from our memorial service liturgy, and to the Covid-19 pandemic. This effort is inspired by the invitation to #PrayForLA, issued by the Crenshaw Dairy Mary. If you are interested in participating or knowing more, please contact Pastor Molly at molly@westwoodumc.org.
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GUEST SPEAKER – DR. MONICA A. COLEMAN
Sunday, February 28th (10am) via Zoom
Monica A. Coleman is Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Delaware. She spent over ten years in graduate theological education at Claremont School of Theology and Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Answering her call to ministry at age 19, Dr. Coleman brings her experiences in evangelical Christianity, black church traditions, global ecumenical work, and indigenous spirituality to her discussions of religion. Dr. Coleman is the author or editor of six books and several articles that focus on the role of faith in addressing critical social and philosophical issues. Her memoir Bipolar Faith shares her life-long dance with trauma and depression, and how she discovers a new and liberating vision of God. Her book Making a Way Out of No Way is required reading at leading theological schools around the country. Dr. Coleman speaks widely on navigating change, religious diversity, mental wellness, and surviving sexual and domestic violence.
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STAND WITH WORKERS AT CHATEAU MARMONT
You are invited to sign on to an advocacy campaign regarding unjust labor practices at Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, from Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE). CLUE advocates for workplaces that are free from abuse and that recognize and elevate the dignity and humanity of all people. Learn more and take action today, at www.bit.ly/pledgechateau.
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PEOPLE OF COLOR THEOLOGY GROUP
Sunday, March 7th (12pm) via Zoom
Led by Joe Aumentado, the People of Color Theology Group will be reading and discussing “The Black Trans Prayer Book“, an interfaith, multi-dimensional, artistic and theological work that collects the stories, poems, prayers, meditation, spells, and incantations of Black Trans and Non-Binary people. Here’s a link to a short video of J Mase III, one of the editors and contributors of TBTPB. Here, he speaks on the intersection of faith and social justice, and the spiritual realities of black trans people. Give it a watch if you’d like to learn a bit more about the book and the reasons for its creation. All are welcome and encouraged to join this fascinating conversation. For more information, contact Pastor Terence Hagans at terence@theloftla.org.
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PALM SUNDAY PROCESSIONAL – FILMING
Saturday, March 13th (10am) Westwood Church
Clear your calendars! All children and parents are invited to participate in the filming of our Palm Sunday processional, which will be used in our worship services on March 28th. Please meet at the Warner entrance, and wear Easter clothes if you like!
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MID-DAY PRAYER SERVICE
Tuesdays and Thursdays (12noon) via Facebook Live
In the middle of the day, we invite you to stop, take a deep breath, and join us for a few moments of centering scripture, reflection and prayer. Led from our beautiful sanctuary, Mid-Day Prayer is live at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon in the Westwood Church Community Facebook Group. Or, you can pray with us whenever you are able, later in the day. If you’re new to this group, go to www.facebook.com/groups/westwood.umc and click on the “Join Group” button at the top of the page.
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COMMUNITY UPDATES
We invite you to share updates about yourself with our Westwood UMC community to be included in this weekly church eNews–to keep us connected in this time of physical separation. (Please send updates to sabrina@westwoodumc.org.)
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PRAYER LIST
If you would like to be added to our church prayer list, please let us know via this online form. (You can indicate whether you want your name shared here in the e-news or just with our pastors.)
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Among the news of the week, there are two stories that I want to acknowledge here today:
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More than 500,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the US. More than 2.5 million lives have been lost to Covid-19 around the world. Every one of these lives is precious to God, and represents significant loss to our communities and families. I invite you to take a moment to pause, in consideration of this heart-breaking milestone.
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May God grant comfort to all who mourn.
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As more of us are vaccinated against this virus, I pray for all those who are still vulnerable; for communities of color with disproportionately low vaccination rates in our own LA area, for essential workers yet to be vaccinated, for the more than 130 countries that have yet to administer a single dose of vaccine.
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This global pandemic has demonstrated how interconnected our world is; it has also revealed the devastating cost of inequities in access to health care and resources.
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The second news story I wanted to write about today is in regards to our United Methodist Church. Yesterday, it was announced that our General Conference, originally scheduled for 2020 and postponed until this August, has been postponed to August of 2021. The General Conference includes delegates from many parts of the world, with unequal access to technology; this makes virtual gathering impossible. (There will be a very short virtual gathering in May this year, to consider allowing a paper balloting process on a very small number of proposals that enable approval of some administrative work in this meantime between in-person meetings.)
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It’s disappointing that this further delays any opportunity to formally end the anti-LGBTQ policies of our church, or to consider proposals like the Protocol for Separation that was proposed in January 2020.
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I am, however, heartened at faithful and important work that continues: our congregation, our California-Pacific Annual Conference, our Western Jurisdiction, and growing networks in the broader church continue to live into values that celebrate ministry with all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. So far, a brokered moratorium on enforcing the anti-gay policies adopted in 2019 has held for the whole church. Simultaneously, movements for a more inclusive church continue to grow. I continue to be personally involved in strategic work within our Annual Conference, as well as with the Resist Harm movement and other national strategies, and am grateful for our congregation’s support of this work.
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Even more, our churches have been involved in critical missional ministry in lots of other ways, including by helping meet the needs of our diverse communities during the coronavirus pandemic, and working to dismantle white supremacy in our churches and communities. We will continue to do the work of the church, by living out our call to build beloved community in the world. I am grateful to be able to do this together with sibling congregations in so many places, knowing that the best parts of our connection continue to sustain faithful ministry for the sake of love and justice.
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In the midst of so much grief, harm and challenge, I continue to pray for you, as well; I am grateful to get to be a part of this congregation together with you, and in connection with so many others through all the diverse places where churches gather.
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grace and peace,
Pastor Molly

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COVID-19 ASSISTANCE
We are in the midst of unprecedented and uncertain times, and we know that a lot of us will face unforeseen circumstances and needs over the next few months. As a church community, we are committed to supporting our members, especially in times like this. As part of that commitment, we are making funds available to meet needs that have surfaced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you find yourself needing assistance during this time, please let us know by filling out this Google Form or reaching out to Pastor Molly Vetter at molly@westwoodumc.org. This invitation extends to your communities as well—if you know of anyone in need, we want to try and relieve that need as much as possible.
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WATCH THE SUNDAY SERVICES ANYTIME
Did you know? You can watch our online worship services anytime! If you use Facebook, you can find them on our pages for Westwood Church and The Loft. You do not need to sign in to Facebook to watch, though you will have to click through several pop-up windows inviting you to sign in. Watching on Facebook on Sundays at 10am gives you the opportunity to see who else is watching, and comment in real time. Plus, watch videos anytime later, and you can see videos from previous weeks because they remain on our Facebook pages. If you do not use Facebook, you can also view them through our website at www.westwoodumc.org/livestream. Whether you watch on Sunday morning at 10am or sometime later in the week, you can view the videos directly on our website each week. Additionally, you can also find videos from the past few Sundays on YouTube. If you’re having trouble getting the videos to work, please reach out for help. It’s a great excuse to call a friend from church! We’re glad to help, too; our ministry assistant, Sabrina Simmons, is available by email at sabrina@westwoodumc.org on Sunday mornings or during her regular work hours (Tuesday-Friday).
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HOW TO USE ZOOM VIDEOCONFERENCING
To use zoom, you can download the app for free from the app store on your android or iOS device. You do not need to create a Zoom account to join a meeting. Once Zoom has been downloaded, go back to the e-news and click the link we provided in the descriptions above. You’ll want to be sure to connect audio and/or video so you can hear and see everyone, and then select “join meeting.” Please note: If the host hasn’t started the meeting yet, you’ll be sent to a virtual waiting room. Once the host has logged in to begin the meeting, they’ll enable the folks in the waiting room to join. Here’s a link with the above info if that’s easier. You can also contact Sabrina Simmons at [sabrina@westwoodumc.org](mailto:sabrina@westwoodumc.org) for assistance.
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