LAUCC FRIDAY POS
September 25, 2026
Dear Los Altos UCC & Friends,
I’m looking at the stack of books on my desk – ranging from themes of immigration and scripture, visioning for the corporate world (recommended by one of our conference ministers), a book on living through the effects of trauma, (this will be our January book study, “Joyful Anyway”).
There’s a theological journal as well as an article entitled, “The Pastor’s Role in Vision-Based Leadership” and of course, my Bible. All of these have come to my desk for different reasons.
Each book and article reminds me of how varied life in general really is; because we’re all in such different places on the journey. We’re all navigating through different challenges, celebrating different joys, all the while discerning where God is in each and every one of these moments.
It feels like we’re all searching and based on the spectrum of the stack of book’s subject matter, it feels like I’m searching as well.
Searching for stories of comfort, empathy through expressions of lament; seeking someone to join us in our righteous anger or our righteous grief, our tears in general; searching for stories of hope, for healing.
Searching for stories about the beauty and power of a community that does great things. On the quest for guidance and wisdom for the wildernesses of life and comfort for when the journey feels lonely and isolating.
Most of all, it feels like I’m searching for ways to be a witness of the Living God who speaks through our sacred texts, through literature, through the lives, stories and legends of saints both past and present, seeking meaning for our world, strength and courage to forge ahead.
I pray in the wanderings of my own journey, for the wanderings and wonderings in yours as well, may we find the ways that God’s love not only speaks but lives through stories, and the wisdom we can glean that helps us to live as sacred expressions of God’s love just the same.
With Christ’s Blessing,
Pastor Kyle
September 18, 2026
Dear Los Altos UCC & Friends,
This Sunday, we officially kick-off our Stewardship Season!
Rev. Norma Desaegher will be sharing a powerful and inspiring message this Sunday during worship.
I hope you’ll join us for what will be an important word about what it means for us to give of all that God has given us.
Then, Sunday, October 4, during worship we’ll celebrate as we place our pledges into the offering plates.
With Christ’s Blessing,
Pastor Kyle
June 26, 2026
Dear Los Altos Friends,
We are reminded of that verse from Ecclesiastes 3, “To everything under heaven there is a season…” As we prepare for Cindy’s last day this coming Tuesday, we recognize that this too is a new season. It’s a season of endings and beginnings for both Cindy, and for the life of Los Altos UCC.
Cindy, we have been blessed by so many years of service for all of the memories. Thank you!
It’s a unique time and often a sensitive time in the life of a church when any member of the team transitions out of any role. We have the gift of a strong leadership and congregation here at Los Altos as we experience this transition together.
Though this does mean that there will be some changes:
Weekly Email
The weekly email deadline for articles and announcements will be on Wednesdays by 9am.
The weekly email may start to look a little different over the next couple of weeks as well. In that, I’m interested in finding out from you what information is helpful for the weekly email?
Office Staff Update
Also, to give you an update, we have posted the office administrative assistant position online and are receiving applications. The personnel team will then carefully consider the applications and resumes as we discern who God is calling for us.
Volunteer Help Needed
In the meantime, we are also seeking some volunteer support throughout the week to sort through mail, answer phones and answer the door until we find our next office staff.
If you have some time you would be willing to commit even a couple hours every once in a while – we are generally looking for folks for a couple hours between 9am-2pm during the summer. We thank you in advance!
There will be more information to come in the coming weeks as things continue to unfold.
I thank you for your patience as we navigate this transition time and as always, if you have any questions, you are welcome to call, text or email.
With Christ’s Peace,
Pastor Kyle
June 19, 2026
Dear Los Altos Friends,
A couple of thank yous I’d like to offer to Rev. Norma Desaegher for leading worship and preaching on Sunday!
Thank you to Stephen for being available and providing pastoral support while I was on vacation.
Thank you to Jackie and her continued leadership caring for this incredible campus we have.
And thank you to Cindy for keeping the ship running smoothly.
I had a restful time away and am grateful. Though it’s given me time to start looking ahead.
Sermon Series
This Sunday, I’ll be starting a sermon series on Mark’s Gospel and I’m calling it, “Power, Prophets and Prose”. Then in August we’ll have another series, “Messages from Musicals” where we’ll hear what how the Bible speaks to us through musicals like Hadestown, Dear Evan Hansen, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Sound of Music & The Outsiders will have to share with us.
Beach Communion
This will start on Sunday, July 12 at 7am.
Long Beach Municipal Band @ Whaley Park
Join us on June 23 & June 30 as LAUCC gathers to enjoy the music from the Long Beach Municipal Band – right in our backyard…front yard technically at 6:30pm for a night of music and fellowship from so many talented musicians in our community.
May 15, 2026
Greetings LAUCC,
I wanted to offer a bit of an LAUCC, living history moment.
Last Wednesday in the flurry of cleaning up the youth room to prepare for tours for Steve and Kate’s Camps, we had a couple visitors, artist Frank E. Cummings, III, born in 1938 and his neighbor.
For those who have been around a long time, you may remember that Mr. Cummings was one of two students at CSULB selected to design the cross at the front of our sanctuary. As I learned from his neighbor, apparently Mr. Cummings did not actually have a photo of the cross, this piece he did for us all those years ago in his collection.
From what Frank was saying, there is another similar but smaller version of the cross and crown for RHF (Retirement Housing Foundation) and that was going to be his next stop.
He shared about his time at Cal State Long Beach, his time as a student and professor at Cal State – Fullerton. He has had work exhibited at the Long Beach Museum of Art. Several of his pieces are held by The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
There are times when you meet someone, and you start listening, and just listen to their stories, their lives and it feels like you could sit and listen for hours. This was one of those times.
I am grateful for Mr. Cummings’ generosity in sharing his gifts and his art with us. I’m grateful for his time and for getting to learn more about his life and his work.
I’m also glad that he now finally has photos of this piece of art of his for his collection.
With Christ’s Peace,
Pastor Kyle
May 8, 2026
Greetings LAUCC,
This Sunday is Mother’s Day. A day that was created to celebrate all those who are, and have mothered and been mothering to us, regardless of who that person or those people were, are, or might still be.
Admittedly, it can be a bit of a mixed bag for many folks.
Some have lost mothers either to time, geography, legal status, or emotional distance. Some have and may be struggling to become mothers; while many are our biological mothers, some moms are adopted into the family or they themselves have adopted; some are step-mothers, maybe they’re aunts, close family friends that have been the mothering and caring adults in the lives of those around them.
And so on this day, we do two things:
We celebrate with joy all of the mothers in our lives!
-AND-
We also acknowledge and pray for all who may struggle this day.
With Christ’s Peace,
Pastor Kyle
May 1, 2026
Greetings LAUCC,
Thank you all for joining us for a wonderful celebration with Malamalama Fou and Mafutaga o le Alofa!
I offer thanks to Pastor PK for his all too important words of remembering what love in action looks like! Thank you to the Malamalama Fou community for the gifts of music from their choir.
I also offer a special gratitude to Pastor Ina for his meaningful prayers and to Mafutaga o le Alofa for the incredible lunch provided following the service.
It was an incredible morning of sharing in worship & prayer, hearing the choirs from every congregation and for the fellowship following the service.
I believe that this was the first of many more worship services and gatherings together.
And then this Sunday, we have another special celebration as we join with the United Church of Christ, namely the Southern California-Nevada Conference as we lift up and honor PAAM (Pacific Islander Asian-American Ministries) Sunday where Rev. Norma Desaegher will be preaching!
Blessings to you all this week,
Pastor Kyle