“Pastor’s Letter Lent 2022”

March 13, 2022 |   |  Newsletters

“Pastor’s Letter Lent 2022”

While in Middletown New York serving the North Congregational Church, UCC, the 911 attacks against the World Trade Center Occurred.  I could see the flume of smoke from the front steps of the church. Mid-morning, the Director of the Head Start Program which rented space from the church came to me and asked that I open the sanctuary to her staff. As we spoke, I made the decision to have a worship service at noon that infamous day. I chose Psalm 46 as the heart of my sermonette that day. This past week we have been witnessing the horrific attack of the Ukraine.  Civilian targets have been decimated and many civilian lives lost.  The war wages onward. Today we must again look to the psalmist as written in Psalm 46.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

The word Selah found within the Psalm means “Pause.” Today, we must pause as we enter the season of ‘Lent’ a time of preparation. As we journey forward, we must pause and acknowledge that the current situation, around the globe, specifically in the Ukraine is in tumult. (A state of chaos trouble and upheaval.) We as Christians, followers of a Loving God, must pause opening our hearts as we pray for peace. Pause as we pray for the innocent. Pausing and praying for God’s peace and love to prevail. We must pause and pray as did the followers of Jesus at the time of his arrest as attested to in the scriptures.      

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Tim Woodard

Pastor’s Fall Letter 2021

September 19, 2021 |   |  Newsletters

Pastor’s Fall Letter 2021

Dear Church Family and Friends,

I wish you greetings in the name of our Holy God.  Here it is mid-September, and our formal season of summer is coming to a close.  Thus, we are beginning to look toward Fall and all it brings!  Even as the Virus from the pandemic, with all its variances, which continue to plague us and the world, we lift our eyes to the programs and times of worship we can fulfill and make available for us all.  In so doing we shall continue to reach out to our neighbors, especially those forty new families that shall make their homes next door to us, as the builders continue to rapidly build their new homes. 

As we turn toward the upcoming months, this season, we shall endeavor to incorporate music which uplifts our spirits while praising our God.  We will continue to expand our music program as ‘safety’ for ALL improves.  We give thanks for all that our Music Director and Lead Musician, as well as the team of volunteers that greatly enhance our musical accompaniment program.  Thank you one and all!  

We continue to urge safety for ourselves and others as we encourage folks to be get vaccinated and to also wear masks during our times of worship. We join together in our prayers for the health and wellbeing of all who have been and are affected by the pandemic.  We call upon our Awesome God to be with us all during this turbulent time! 

As the season continues its transition, we shall turn our hearts and minds to the ‘Majestic’ beauty of God’s creation.  When we together study the lessons of the scriptures we are reminded of God’s faithfulness.  Let us allow Hope to live in our hearts as the presence of the Living Spirit of God guides us ever forward.

May God’s Blessing be upon us one and All!

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Tim Woodard

“Pastor’s Letter June 2021”

May 24, 2021 |   |  News and Announcements, Newsletters

“Pastor’s Letter June 2021”

Greetings, members, and friends of the Riviera United Church of Christ.  Here it is June already and so, so much has transpired in our Country and around the world that it is hard to grasp it all at times!  For most of us, much has also occurred in our personal lives also!  Here in our church family, we have lost members, old time members, and we have lost an active member of our congregation to the Covid-19 virus.  It has been a trying and hard six months for a great many.  Yet, no matter where we are on this journey of life, we all need to face its realities: hardship, frustrations and yes, even grief at times.  Still, we must continue to accept life on life’s terms!  Thankfully, we do not do this alone, and we have not!  God has been with us every step of the way.  Carrying us when the going has gotten truly difficult.  If you are not feeling God’s presence in your life, please reach out to someone to talk with; reach out to me, your Pastor.

We each need to be selfish in our ‘self care’ as it pertains to our personal needs; this includes our ‘spiritual life’, our ‘relationship’ with our understanding of God.  Prayerfully, I pray each of you have been taking advantage of our effort to make our Sunday worship services available to you.  This is being done, live, and on-line, as-well-as on our website at rivieraucc.org.  This needs to be our ‘First Priority’ for our needs as faithful members, friends, and for our visitors each week.  Our relationship with our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer is crucial and needs to be our focus daily.  It is only from this ‘footing’ that we shall have the ‘intuitive’ sense as to how to effectively ‘’pass-on’ our gift of faith to others.

We continue to need to return to our basic rudiments of faith, turning to our God in prayer, seeking direction and new hope for the future.  Also, we continue to need and rely upon the teachings of Christ and the strength of the Holy Spirit – to give us ‘new spirit’ and ‘new energy’ to push forward with our journeys of faith – well into the future!  May the Spirit of Christ and the Love of God sustain you each day.  Amen.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Tim Woodard

“Pastor’s Letter January 2021”

January 3, 2021 |   |  Newsletters

“Pastor’s Letter January 2021”

Happy New Year!  Welcome to the year 2021!  Let us look to this New Year as an opportunity to do new things, thereby expanding our ministry outreach to those around us! 

Let us, together, look to the year ahead with new hope and optimism!  It will not be an easy transition into our future, we know this.  Yet we must look to all we still have and what can still be in our future.  The tragedy of the human loss due to the pandemic and the heartache caused by economic upheaval, has changed our lives and how we gather to worship our God!  The divisiveness within our society has threatened to erode our way of life as a free democracy.  Let us, members, and friends of Riviera United Church of Christ, not allow the turmoil that has besieged us and our neighbors and our works as a community of faith, let us not allow this turmoil to further damage our ministry into the communities we serve.  Let us return to our basic rudiments of faith, turning to our God in prayer seeking direction and new hope for the future.

We turn now to the teaching of Christ and the strength of the Holy Spirit to give us new spirit and new energy to push forward into this New Year!  May God’s grace and mercy be upon us as we seek to be the living body of Christ in the community we serve! 

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Tim Woodard