Summer 2006

Thoughts from the Pastor's Study

One of the great reasons to go to the Annual Meeting of the Northern California Nevada Conference of the UCC is to hear the speakers. This year Professor Elizabeth C. Nordbeck, a Moses Brown Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Andover Newton Theological School spoke to us about covenant.

The seminary web site describes Dr. Nordbeck this way:;

"In her writings, lectures and work as a resource to national and international church bodies, Beth Nordbeck offers insights into the historical roots and precedents of today"s trends in American religion. Her interests range from the roots of Congregationalism in New England to ecumenism and new religious movements.

Her recent books address denominational consolidation and expansion in the 19th century and the history of Congregationalism in New Hampshire. In 2002 she published a history of the Massachusetts Council of Churches and "O God Tender and Just: Reflections and Responses after September 11, 2001". An ordained United Church of Christ minister, she is coeditor of Prism, the theological journal for the denomination. She joined the faculty in 1990 and served as dean for 11 years."

So, when she spoke to us, she brought her years of study as well as experience. Covenant, she reminded us, is something that we enter by choice. It is not a quid pro quo. It is historical and relational. It is active, requiring discernment and spiritual maturity. Covenant, she said, is a work in progress. She gave us four areas where covenant needs to be worked on and ten descriptions of what covenant is.

Four areas that Dr. Nordbeck identified as needing work are as follows:

1. We need to pay attention beyond our specific church. As Congregationalists we are thoughtful, reflective, and independent. And we are held together with other congregations in our covenant. We call this the United Church of Christ and we need to work on clarity in this and all our covenant relationships.
2. We need new ways to establish our covenantal ties. When the writers of the Salem Covenant put down their simple words in 1629, they all knew each other very well and were mostly related to each other. Unlike the writers of that early covenant, most of us joining the church do not share a lengthy history together. We have to work on the relationship between one another and between our churches. It is in relationship that we build trust and loyalty and these elements are essential before a covenant can be established.
3. We must shift our focus from diversity to unity in God's mission. Diversity is a step along the journey with Christ, not the end. Diversity must pull together in the service of the whole. We must strive for unity as churches, associations, conferences, and as a denomination.
4. We must work on a healthy realism and practicalism alongside the idealism of unity. In our efforts toward welcoming all, we must also be able to name "sin". There are expectations of how we will live together.

So, these were Prof. Nordbeck"s areas to be worked on.

On the next day, she gave us her ten descriptions of "what covenant is". Here they are in brief.

1. Covenant means getting to know one another. It is relational between persons, churches, associations, conferences, and the national setting.
2. Covenant has to do with the whole health of the UCC. If someone is only a critic of the denomination or of their conference, or their association, or even their local church, then it is not the right fit for them and they need to find another place to be.
3. Covenant has limits. There are limits to inclusivity that have to do with behavior, theology, and attitude. Covenant has boundaries. And the leadership of the church is responsible to maintain these boundaries.
4. In covenant apathy is as deadly as anger.
5. Covenant means renewing commitments periodically. It means renewal, reconsideration, and recommitment. This is true in relations to the wider church and in relation to the local church. It is a work in progress.
   
   Rev. Dr. Mary Susan Gast, conference minister of our Northern California Nevada Conference of the UCC, pointed out that this was true also with our by-laws. The by-laws were created to support the ministry of the churches, not the ministry of the churches to support the by-laws. If the ministry is not being supported, then the by-laws must be reconsidered, renewed, and then a way must be found to recommit to them and the ministry.
6. Covenant is about the church. It is about "who are we" not "who am I".
7. Covenant demands honest communication and intense listening.
8. Covenant demands openness to new occasions and new duties that require us to leave the way we have always done something for the way that we are being led to do something now.
9. Covenant requires that we share the burden for the health of our churches. It requires us to be involved in our denomination as partners.
10. (Which Prof. Nordbeck called the most important of all) Covenant is about "us" the whole church. It takes place in many settings but it is about all of us. If any part is not healthy the whole suffers.

In the discussion after her lecture, some listeners were overwhelmed with the energy and effort that covenant requires. Others struggled with the requirement of boundaries. Still others had moments of "Aha". Whatever the reaction, it remains that we are a covenantal church. We are not a dogmatic or doctrinal church. We are a covenantal church. Thus, deepening our understanding and relationship with covenant is critical to who "we" are.

Blessings,

Pastor Gen

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Community Pre-School News

Hello from Community Pre-school

We had a busy month.

• Connis Olson was selected to be the Director Recipient of the Sunnyvale Award for Excellence.    
• Our room 7 teachers, Maxine Au, Erica Bryant, Supranee Chammapun, Karen Golosman and Franchesca Smith received the award for best teachers in child care or pre-school program.
  
  The ceremony was attended by Morgan and Barbara Myers and several teachers and some of the room 7 students and parents. They received certificates and flowers from Sunnyvale Child Care Advising Board, and Barbara and Lucille gave them a small photo album for them to put their many school memories.
• The children have enjoyed the chapel stories that pastor gen has given.
  The butterflies and the waterfall with the many frogs and colorful butterflies have been enjoyed by all the children.

We are continuing to take photos of the children and teachers to be presented at chapel sunday on June 11th at 10:30.

I look forward to meeting all of you when we highlight community pre-school in shephard hall after church.

Summer registration is still open, and our Zoo Phonics Tutoring Program is proving to be very popular.

We have a few openings left in our fall pre-school classes, and several classes have waiting lists.

Many prospective parents say they heard about our program from friends. It is a tribute to all of our teachers to be remembered with fondness by so many children in the community.

June 3rd will be our annual picnic.

There are many activities for the children, including face painting, necklace stringing and a ventriloquist show. I would like to invite all of the members of the church to attend, Saturday June 3rd from 11:00-1:30.

Barbara Steinmetz
(Director of Community Pre-school)

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Kids and the Bible

Submitted by Christel Fliss

Did Noah fish?

A Sunday school teacher asked, "Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the ark?"

"No," replied Johnny. "How could he, with just two worms."

The Good Samaritan

A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead. She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama. Then, she asked the class, "If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?"

A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, "I think I'd throw up."

Story of Elijah

The Sunday school teacher was carefully explaining the story of Elijah the Prophet and the false prophets of Baal. She explained how Elijah built the altar, put wood on it, cut the steer in pieces, and laid it upon the altar. "And then, Elijah commanded the people of God to fill four barrels of water and pour it over the altar. He had them do this four times."

"Now," said the teacher, "can anyone in the class tell me why the lord would have Elijah pour water over the steer on the altar?" A little girl in the back of the room started waving her hand, "I know, I know," she said, "to make the gravy!"

Lot's wife

The sunday school teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Johnny interrupted, "My Mom looked back once when she was DRIVING," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned into a telephone pole!

Higher Power

A Sunday school teacher said to her children, "We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. but, there is a higher power. Can anybody tell me what it is?"

One child blurted out, "Aces!"

Sunday School

Nine year old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school. "Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then, he used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved."

"Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked. "Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!"

The Lord is My Shepherd

A Sunday school teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible, Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the verse. Little Bobby was excited about the task. But, he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Bobby was real nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my shepherd and that's all I need to know!"

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Spiritual Refreshment from Mei Wang

Daily Prayer used by Workers at Mother Teresa's Orphanage, Calcutta

Dearest Lord, may I see you today and every day, in the person of your sick, and whilst nursing them, minister unto you.

Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive guise of the irritable, the exacting, the unreasonable, may I still recognize you, and say, "Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you."

Lord, give me this seeing faith, then my work will never be monotonous. I will ever find joy in humoring the fancies and gratifying the wishes of all poor sufferers. Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation, and its many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it, by giving way to coldness, unkindness and impatience.

And, O God, while you are Jesus my patient, also to me a patient Jesus, bearing with my faults looking only to my intention, which is to love and serve you in the person of each one of your sick. Lord, increase my faith, bless my efforts and work, now and for ever more.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

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Crop Walk

Our church responds to our community and world when there is hunger. Seven adults from our congregation walked in the CROP WALK on Sunday, April 30, and at least fifteen others participated as donating sponsors.

There were also non members who donated, and we raised a total of $945. This kind of concern for others is, to me, an important part of being a Christian.

I appreciate all the support given this worthy cause.

Bonnie Harvey

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Happiness is Something you decide on ahead of time

Submitted by Ted Carlson

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o"clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mr. Jones, you haven"t seen the room; just wait."

"That doesn"t have anything to do with it," he replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn"t depend on how the furniture is arranged ... It"s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It"s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice: I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I"ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I"ve stored away. Just for this time in my life."

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you"ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank. I am still depositing.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.

2. Free your mind from worries.

3. Live simply.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less.

Put God in the center
and all things will come together!

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Looking Ahead: Please mark your calendars

Click to go to the calendar.

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Deadline for the Next Issue

Deadline for the September 2006 Communicator is Aug. 25, 2006.

We accept submissions of texts, photos & graphics at our office, 1112 S. Bernardo Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94087, Thursdays and Fridays 9:30 am - 2:30 pm or via e-mail (conglchurch@earthlink.net).

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