November 2007
Congregational Community Church of Sunnyvale * 408-739-3285 * conglchurch@earthlink.net 1112 Bernardo Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 *

I just wanted to get my membership card replaced when the clerk at Costco saw that I was from a church.

“Congregational Community Church,” she said,” can I ask you a question?” I told her to go ahead and I would try to answer.

“Is salvation forever or can a person lose their salvation?”

I told her that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ (a quote from Paul’s letter to the Romans).

She sneered and said, “So you believe that a person cannot lose salvation.”

I responded, “I think we have different understandings of salvation.” I went on to tell her how salvation in the Hebrew scriptures, our Old Testament, was a word to describe someone who set you free from slavery, real physical slavery. Once you are no longer a slave, you are redeemed, you are free. What you do with your freedom may end you back into slavery.

“So,” she says speaking with a tone that says she is right “if someone says they have been saved and then they go out and do the things that we know make God mad (she gave a list) won’t God say He has had enough and turn away from them forever?”

“You are right if you are talking about the God of the Old Testament,” I answered “and the God we know in Jesus Christ knows us and loves us and can see into our hearts. We can turn away from God but God will not turn away from us. God will be there with us. Sure, we still have to face the consequences of our choices, the good and the bad. And God made us, we are God’s.”

She agreed that God knew us before we were born and already knew all that was in our hearts. She added that God had mapped out our lives for us. Well, I didn’t want to get in the question, “If God mapped out our lives then isn’t it God’s fault if we turn from God because God would have mapped that out?” I simply said, “Well, I don’t know about that. I do need to get some shopping done, so how about that card?”

I’ve thought about this conversation several times this week. I’m deeply aware of the differences between her church and our church. She comes from the “Shame and Blame” church and we come from the “Compassion and Justice” church.

The nature of God in the teachings of John the Baptist might be a Shame and Blame God. Many people who were raised in shame and blame families feel “at home” in a shame and blame church. How sad. They hear the Gospel read in their church but they still have not heard the Good News.

The Good News is that God’s realm, God’s kingdom, has come to Earth in the teachings and example of Jesus. It has broken in and as we live the way of Jesus the realm of God becomes “on Earth as it is in Heaven.” This realm we see and hear in Jesus is one where the persons who are oppressed are raised up. The non-person by society’s standard is equal to all others in this realm of God. It is a realm where you love your enemy even as you hold your dignity as a child of God. It is a realm of obedience to the God of Compassion and Justice.

The church of the Shame and Blame God tells us that we were bad, we will be bad again if we don’t watch it, and as long as we keep good by the church’s standards, we’ll be saved in the life to come. It also tells us with confidence that everyone who is not like us is bad. We have the answer. We are on the inside. We’ve got the ticket to heaven and only those who agree with us have the same ticket. And we must get you to sign on with our way of thinking because your future in heaven is at stake.

It takes a lot of personal responsibility to be part of a church of the God of Compassion and Justice. This God says, you are loved, you have always been loved, receive this love, fulfill your true potential as one whom God loves and love others - be compassionate to others, even your enemies - that justice may be for them as you would want it for yourself. Do it now in this life and in the life to come. There are no laws that rule this kind of life. It is beyond laws.

Love from this God of Compassion and Justice is extravagant and abundant. New life is offered to us and possible for us daily. We are not bound to the past. We are striving toward our potential living as children this God and helping all the children of God. In this way God’s will is done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Blessings, Pastor Gen

AND A CHILD WILL LEAD THEM...

Rebekah, a UCC Pastor’s kid from Connecticut, upon hearing of the arrest of UCC President Dr. John Thomas, wrote this letter, that we publish with her permission.
IMG SRC="nov2007/communicatornov076.jpg"> IMG SRC="nov2007/communicatornov077.jpg">
Dear Mr. President:
I am a twelve year old member of the United Church of Christ, and I have just gotten word that the president of the UCC has been arrested. However, I am not writing to complain of his arrest. I am aware that he was standing in a spot where protesting is not allowed. What I would like to complain about is the fact that you denied him entry to the White House, and did not allow him to deliver his anti-war petition. I signed that petition, Mr. President, as did my brother and my parents, and many, many other people that I do and don’t know. But one thing I know I have in common with those people is that, in signing that very petition that you refrained from even allowing to pass your gate, they have shown that they are against the war in Iraq. I am sure that you are aware of the negative feelings towards this war, but by denying the president of the UCC to enter with his petition, you as good as told me and all those other people that our feelings don’t matter. Even if you had simply glanced at the petition and exchanged pleasantries with our president, you would have shown you were at least willing to consider our thoughts. Now, we can only assume someone in the White House is too proud to even look at how many people are against this pointless war.

So, having been insulted, yet not willing to give up, the president of the UCC asked admittance at the gate. Again, you denied him, perhaps not directly, but still refusing to admit him. Knowing he’d probably be arrested sooner or later, our president stood in the non-protesting spot, and protested. He knew he’d be arrested, and he didn’t care -- at least you’d acknowledge that he was there, if not read his petition. If you haven’t seen the petition already, I strongly urge you to do so. It’s better late than never. Perhaps when you see just how many people believe you are wrong about the war in Iraq, you will reconsider some of your future actions. If not, I just want you to know just how many lives, American and otherwise you are wasting, and that I believe you are only making enemies the longer this war goes on.

Sincerely, Rebekah Anderson

WHOSE FAMILY IS VALUED?

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

JUSTICE AND WITNESS MINISTRIES WITNESS FOR JUSTICE, September 10, 2007
by M. Linda Jaramillo, Executive Minister
submitted by Maxine Eggerth

I am privileged to be part of a large extended family. Living so far away means that I intentionally set aside time to visit them regularly. I am writing this during a two-week visit with my 90-year-old mother, siblings, children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins. This trip included the usual visit to Oregon, but with the added treat of travelling to New Mexico and Colorado to see my great aunt and many, many cousins.

Yesterday, while attending a family wedding in Colorado, I was awed as I looked across the church to see relatives ranging in age from recently born
babies to the elders who have guided our traditions for nearly 100 years. In many cultures, assimilation has affected us and some traditional values have been lost from one generation to the next. Thankfully, the one value that has not been lost is the significance of elders and children in family life. In yesterday’s wedding circle, the elders were cared for and the children were guided. Yesterday, as I watched adults interact with the children, I knew that we had something in common. We share a common family value: we want the best for our children.
My family is not so different from others across this country. While there are exceptions, most parents and parent figures want the best for their children. We want to provide shelter, good nutrition, education, and health care for our children. We want our children to be safe. A basic family value is giving our children all they need to survive. But, we want even more than that. We want them to thrive. The dream has been the same for generations of
parents who have immigrated to this country for hundreds of years.
In today’s religious and political culture, we often hear that family values are the cornerstone of a healthy society. However, in these descriptions, families are portrayed in a picture that leaves little room for diversity. While I do not agree with the narrow scope that defines families only in certain ways, I do concur that keeping families together is important for children. If this is our cultural value, we must ask a question. Whose children are
important and whose families are valued? Is it limited to only certain societies of former immigrants?
Most of us are members of immigrant families who came from countries all over the world in search of freedom and a better life for the children. I am grateful for the trials that my ancestors faced some four hundred years ago as they crossed the seas in search of better life not only for themselves, but for the generations that would follow. Yesterday’s wedding was an example of how a family valuing their elders and children is crucial to a healthy society.
If we hold family values as the cornerstone of a healthy society, how can we oppose fair immigration policies that will keep families together? If a healthy family is one that stays together to support its children, why are parents seeking a better life being deported and forced to leave their citizen children behind? Why are today’s immigrant families any different from those of generations past? If families were valued then, they must be valued now.

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Notes from our
Treasurer Mary Ruth Green:

September 2007 Income & Expenses

September YTD 07-08

Income 21,117 97,062
Expense 28,517 85,317
Net Income -7,400 11,745

September expenses include the payroll for both August & September. We are in good shape for this time of the fiscal year.

In October we have begun to sell some of the securities to finance the solar panel installations. The finance board suggested that we sell in three phases in hopes of catching the market at a high point on at least one of the sale times.

Impressions from our
Combined Church & PreSchool
Work Party October 20

Memorial Habitat Garden: Weeding.

Pre-school: Repainting Picnic Tables

and Benches with Redwood Paint.

Putting in Energy Efficient Light Bulbs.

Indoors: Preparing the Women’s Fellowship’s “Bag and Tag” Sale on Nov. 11

and the Stewardship Campaign.

KIDS IN CHURCH
submitted by Mei Wang

3-year-old Reese :"Our Father, Who does art in heaven, Harold is His name. Amen."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the christening of his baby brother in church, Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I wanted to stay with you guys."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One particular four-year-old prayed, "And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping." 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.' Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, " Ryan, you be Jesus !"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A father was at the beach with his children when the four-year-old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore where a seagull lay dead in the sand. "Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked. "He died and went to Heaven," the Dad replied. The boy thought a moment and then said, "Did God throw him back down?" ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A wife invited some people to dinner.
At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered.
The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"
COMMUNITY

PRE-SCHOOL NEWS

HELLO FROM COMMUNITY PRE-SCHOOL!

The Pre-School / Church work Party on October 20 was quite a success. We painted, sanded, glued and repaired 7 redwood picnic tables and 15 redwood picnic benches. Shaila Gadagkar, Thu Nguyen, and Franchesca Smith, all from room 8, Lucille and Mike Story and I helped with this whole process.

The Halloween Tailgate Party was great fun. It was a way for children to Trick Or Treat safely, and have fun showing off their Halloween costumes to friends.

November 5 through the 19th, the Pre-School families and teachers will be collecting items for the Sunnyvale Community Services Thanksgiving Food Program. The organization provides food to qualified low-income residents. There will be a collection barrel in front of the school office. Donations from all will be accepted.

The children will celebrate the Thanksgiving spirit by sharing food they made in their classroom. like cornbread or homemade butter, with another class. they do fingerplays and flannel board stories and finish with a Thanksgiving story.
recently, children enjoyed the parable Pastor Gen did about the Loaves and Fishes. The children acted out the story and learned about Halloween being the day before All Saints’ Day. Children especially liked marching to the song “When The Saints Go Marching In”.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Barbara Steinmetz (Director)

THE CHURCH VITAL-O-METER
(by UCCvitality.org)

This brief survey takes the pulse of your congregation. Like a pulse, it gives only a rough estimate of how strongly your “heart” is beating. For a more detailed picture and for congregational vitality resources, check out the Ready, Set, Grow Resource Modules on the uccvitality.org website.

Please rate your congregation on these items. Think of your congregation as not just the laity, but the entire mix, clergy, laity, staff.

This congregation is always ready to try something new

__ Strongly Agree
__ Agree
__ Unsure or Mixed
__ Disagree
__ Strongly Disagree

The current morale of this congregation is high

__ Strongly Agree
__ Agree
__ Unsure or Mixed
__ Disagree
__ Strongly Disagree

This congregation is strongly focused on serving the wider community beyond the congregation

__ Strongly Agree
__ Agree
__ Unsure or Mixed
__ Disagree
__ Strongly Disagree

This congregation makes a real difference in the lives of its members and their families

__ Strongly Agree
__ Agree
__ Unsure or Mixed
__ Disagree
__ Strongly Disagree
The members and pastor(s) share a clear vision, goals, or direction for their ministry and mission

__ Strongly Agree
__ Agree
__ Unsure or Mixed
__ Disagree
__ Strongly Disagree

Now, please self-evaluate your congregation on this overall scale

__ Very Vital
__ Vital
__ Somewhat Vital
__ Not Vital

Here’s how to evaluate your score:

Score each item with
Strongly Agree = 4,
Agree = 3,
Unsure = 2,
Disagree = 1, and
Strongly Disagree = 0.

Then add up the value for all six questions for a total score.

The total score theoretically can range from 0 to 24, though probably most will score above 12.


Score Congregational Vitality Ranking

24-22 Among the most vital congregations
21-19 Have many areas of vitality
18-16 Some vitality present
15-11 The church is surviving but not very vital
10-0 A vitality transfusion needed from the Holy Spirit!

Our Church Family’s Responses to the Question
“What does it mean
to live abundantly?”
as given in Worship Service on October 21
as part of the Stewardship Campaign

- making hideouts and making friends, playing chess and video games, having friends, playing checkers
- living with questions
- 1) grow in love toward life and people 2) grow in knowledge
- Family, Friends, Sunshine, Flowers, Love of God
- Family
- being loved by friends and family
- sharing gratefully
- living with purpose and meaning
- peace, love, happiness
- sharing my Talents/love/compassion with others, give overflowingly
- sharing kindness and concern with family and friends, having food and shelter and feeling protection of God
- love changes everything, be with people, be in the church for events, meetings, activities
- full of love and God - gratitude in my heart - realizing there is nothing I need
- loving, caring, sharing, making music, making friends, growing in knowledge by continued learning
- comfort
- sharing with others and able to learn something about other cultures and people, embracing causes of peace and justice
- abundant love
- happy
- living with gratitude daily, never ending joy, love & happiness, being generous, prosperity, helping others
- healthy, joyful, fulfilling
- having friends and video games
- recognizing and enjoying the good we have in our lives
- living with the friendship of family and friends
- sharing thoughts and works, God’s love
- having enough to share
- courage to have my first gig, to know when I’m ready
- 1) love of Christ, prayer and thanksgiving, 2) good health, 3) services in the name of Christ
- thanks, God!! living is great, every moment of it
- counting my blessings every day and being grateful!
- health
- basic needs met, appreciation, good friends, enjoyable activities

Update on the Southern California Fires from our Conference Minister Mary Susan Gast at the UCC Northern California Nevada Conference Office, October 25, 2007

Dear Friends,

We are, of course, very affected by the news of the fires in Southern California where so many of us have family and friends and where the fire conditions are so similar to our own.
NCNC Disaster Response Coordinater, Rev. Melinda McLain, reports that "the United Church of Christ Disaster Response Ministry has already sent $100,000 to Church World Service to help with immediate relief needs. AND the UCC will be there for the long haul recovery. Your gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing are one of the best ways to be of immediate help."
As always when there is a disaster, 100% of the money that you send to the One Great Hour of Sharing Disaster fund will go to direct relief. Send checks to our Conference Office, made out to NCNC or to OGHS, with the designation Southern California fires and those dollars will be sent on immediately to Southern California. Or, if you prefer, you may go to the national UCC website <http://www.ucc.org/disaster> and click the "donate" button.
Melinda also advises, "If you are providing shelter for someone who is evacuated, be sure that they register with the Red Cross and let us know too." <revmelinda@earthlink.net> The Red Cross urges all those who have evacuated or who expect to evacuate to register their well being on the Red Cross Safe and Well website <https://disastersafe.redcross.org/), available at www.redcross.org. This Internet tool allows people in disaster-affected areas to register their well-being using several pre-scripted messages. Family and friends can then log on and search for registered individuals to learn of their whereabouts and safety. People without access to a computer or without electricity or connectivity can call the Red Cross (1-800-REDCROSS) for help registering, or contact a loved one to register on their behalf.
Rev. Jane Heckles and Rev. Dan Romero, Conference Ministers of the Southern California Nevada Conference send the following message: "National news tends to focus on the large homes of famous people and doesn't give a picture of what its like for the "regular people" of our communities. When a half a million people have been evacuated, it is hard to grasp the scale of the emergency relief work underway. Since 1 out of 3 families in San Diego County were evacuated, we know that hundreds of our own UCC families have been on the move. The stories of church-to-church and family-to-family support are quite remarkable and heart-warming. Incredibly, all UCC church structures are safe and have not been damaged. Our rustic camp site on Palomar Mountain has not been accessible yet. As of this time, only two ministers’ homes remain in the way of fire. As many as a dozen UCC families have lost their homes and expect that number to rise as people are let back in to their neighborhoods. Please keep the families on both sides of the border in your prayers."

********************************
Come join
our little choir!
All abilities welcome
- just drop in!
Choir practice is
every Thursday night
at 7:45 p.m.
and on Sunday mornings
at 9:30 a.m. before Worship
*******************************

Looking Ahead
- Please Mark Your Calendars!

This Sunday, November 4, will be our STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY. Please bring your pledge cards to church and welcome our guest speaker Roderick Young!
Lunch to follow Worship Service.

Women’s Fellowship Annual Bake Sale
November 11, 2007 after Worship
This year Women’s Fellowship will have a
White Elephant Sale
and a
“Christmas Gift Bag and
Christmas Gift Tag” Sale
along with their Bake Sale.

Everyone in the congregation is encouraged to contribute to the Bake and the White Elephant Sale!
Please talk to Lois Dillon or Betsy Pfluger if you have any questions.

***
Church Thanksgiving Lunch
on Sunday,
November 18, 2007,
after Worship

Please, bring your friends, relatives, or neighbors who would not have a Thanksgiving without being invited by you to join us!
And please bring the dish that for you means “Thanksgiving Dinner” (for Pastor Gen it’s cranberry sauce...!).
Please sign up in Shephard Hall!

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Gabriel’s Trumpet
10:30 a.m. for Sunday Worship Service and Sunday School
Children’s Sunday School begins after “Children’s Time” with the Pastor
11:30 a.m. – Fellowship (approximate time)
Chapel for Preschoolers Friday mornings 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Come join us!

Worship & Fellowship

Every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
(nursery & childcare provided)

Bible Study, Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.
Choir Rehearsal, Thursdays at 7:45 p.m.

Communicator Deadline

Deadline for the December 2007 / January 2008 edition of our Communicator is November 27, 2007.
We accept submissions of texts, photos & graphics at our office, 1112 S. Bernardo Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 or via e-mail (conglchurch@earthlink.net).
Office Hours: Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM