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by Pastor Gen Heywood
Our Annual Gathering of the Northern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ looked like it might be a light work gathering. We had only the Budget to pass, a change in the bylaws to make, a position statement to adopt on affirming diversity/multicultural education in our public schools, a response to the May 26, 2009 California Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, and lastly the affirmation of the Conference Leadership.
And we had many people, churches, and area organizations suffering under the downturn in the economy. The problems facing California were not made overnight. The problems facing the country were decades in the making. The problems evolved out of what we have done and what we have left undone. And tragically, these economic problems are not just bringing suffering to us locally. These problems affect others around the world. The most
severely afflicted are again the poorest and most vulnerable among us.
Dr. Bernice Powell Jackson, North American President of the World Council of Churches, brought us messages of challenge to be the prophetic voice in our communities today. She spoke of the importance of doing the difficult work to bring about justice. She reminded us of the hard work to be the voice to do what is right in response to the issues of our day: healthcare for all, quality education, marriage equality, the ending of wars, and much more. She read the quote from the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. which he spoke in concern about the Vietnam war.
“On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expedient?
And then expedience comes along and asks the question, is it politic?
Vanity asks the question, is it popular?
Conscience asks the question, is it right?
There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right.”
(Martin Luther King, Jr., Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution, Sermon delivered on Passion Sunday, Mar. 31, 1968, in: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., p. 268.)
When Dr. King preached those words, he spoke as a pastor to other Christians. He called them to act on what was right as it was discerned in the compassionate love of God.
This compassionate love of God is not a door mat love. This is the love that knows us and has the courage to love us fully. To be that love in the world, we need a prophetic voice.
“The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.”
(Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963, page 47.)
To gain our prophetic voice as people of faith is to speak with the voice that has compassion - that loves others as we love ourselves and holds that God seeks for us to live by a more excellent way. See the vision of God. See the Beloved Community gathered together living as the conscience of our wider communities and our nation. See that vision and prophesy.
Blessings,
Pastor Gen
Please note:
Pastor Gen will be on vacation
and study leave
starting June 15 through July 19.
Worship Services during this period:
June 21:
“The Shack” book study group
June 28 - July 19:
Several Angels
in conversation
with Rev. Ina Bork
Update on Community Pre-School-
The most recent letter to parents and staff:
June 10, 2009
Dear Community Preschool Parents,
Teachers, and Staff,
Here is a brief update to keep you informed as summer approaches.
1. The preschool program will operate, as planned, till mid June 2010 and the child care classes will operate, as planned, till end of August 2010.
2. We continue to operate the Preschool throughout the entire academic year 2009/10 or till a new owner steps in - whichever comes first.
3. We will continue with the play based curriculum and the teacher/children ratios in the academic year 2009/10. We will insert this condition into the contract with the buyer.
4. We intend to have a broker contract signed by end of June, have the offering package available by end of July and have a buyer contract signed by February 2010. We will work with the new owner to create a seamless transition.
As you know, the Community Preschool has been a success story since it opened 41 years ago with a very attractive site, a highly valued curriculum and a professional staff. As we transfer the ownership of preschool, we empathize with all parents and staff members as this change brings with it some uncertainty. We seek to ease that uncertainty by keeping you informed of significant developments. Our preschool provides a wonderful experience for children and their families. We thank you for your love for the school and for the teachers.
If you are leaving for the summer break, we pray that your travels may be safe and full of fun. We look forward to seeing you again in the fall. If you have questions or would like to receive the offering package, when available, please contact our director, Barbara Steinmetz.
Sincerely,
Darryl Alford,
Church Council Moderator, June 2009 - May 2010
2009 Annual Gathering a Great Success!
Bearing Our Burdens, Encouraging One Another
by Meredith Jackson, President, Conference Council
The Northern California Nevada Conference Annual Gathering at Asilomar was a blessed opportunity for over 450 people to gather in worship, workshops, discernment, and the Annual Meeting (for business). Exploring the theme, Bearing Our Burdens, Encouraging One Another, we welcomed Rev. Dr. Bernice Powell Jackson as keynoter as well as several other special guests from local and national settings. Farewell wishes were given to Rev. Jo Siders as she retires from her position as Associate Conference Minister and we greeted Rev. Marty Williams as the new Associate Conference Minister for Mountain Valley and Sequoia Associations. Several business items were considered and all passed in the business session of Annual Meeting. Delegates were given the opportunity to attend discernment sessions before voting to have their specific questions and concerns answered. The following are the business items that passed at the meeting. Look for a more comprehensive report on Annual Gathering in the next edition of the Pacific.
Conference Goal Budget: “The 2009 Annual Meeting of the Northern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ adopts a Goal Budget for year ending June 30, 2010, for the General Fund, in the amount of $1,098,000.”
Acknowledging a recent decline in local churches’ giving to UCC Share, the Goal Budget did not move staff to just compensation and only included at 3% cost of living adjustment. Churches are encouraged to support the Goal Budget by moving towards becoming Covenant Keepers (giving 10% of expenses to UCC Share). Individuals are encouraged to support the Goal Budget by giving to the $100K Run.
Commitment to Sustaining the Ministries of the Conference: The Annual Meeting affirmed directions for the operation of the Conference, acknowledging, among other operations, that “shortfalls in income will result in reductions in the ministry provided by the Conference”. The Administrative Affirmation also
called on local churches to increase their support of the Conference by continuing to move towards becoming Covenant Keepers (giving 10% of expenses to UCC Share), giving at least $63 per member through UCC Share in the coming fiscal year, and increasing giving to UCC Share by $9 per member by December 2009. Individuals are encouraged to contribute to the $100K Run and remember the church in their wills.
Bylaws Change: In order to bring the Conference Council to the same guidelines as committees of the Conference, the size of the Conference Council was increased by two (2), and “Four voting members positions must be reserved for persons who are thirty years of age or younger when affirmed.”
Position Statement Affirming Diversity/Multicultural Education in Our Public Schools: The Annual Meeting approved a position statement supporting diversity and multicultural education, particularly in public schools. A portion of the statement reads, “In particular, we believe diversity education should include persons of all races, ethnic origins, faiths, abilities, sexual orientations and gender identities, and their families”. The statement is being prepared to be sent to General Synod.
Response to May 26, 2009 California State Supreme Court Ruling on the Constitutionality of Proposition 8: In this Administrative Affirmation the Annual Meeting reaffirmed the Conference’s commitment to marriage equality and called upon “our Conference Council to act with our churches and their leaders as prophetic witnesses to the larger community advocating for the right of all couples to marry”.
As implementation of this action, a Ministry Network for Marriage Equality is being formed. If you are interested in serving on this network, please contact Rev Sophia DeWitt (Sophia_dewitt@att.net [1]).
Affirmation of Conference Leadership: The Annual Meeting affirmed leaders for the positions of Moderator (Rev. Sophia DeWitt), Vice Moderator (Rev. Stephen Glauz-Todrank), Conference Council, Committee on Ministry Sections A & B, and the Outdoor Ministries Committee.
For more information go to our conference web site at http://www.ncncucc.org/story/2009-annual-gathering-great-success
News from our Women’s Fellowship - News from our Women’s Fellowship - News from our Women’s Fellowship - News from our Women’s Fellowship - News
SPRING TEA PARTY
SUNDAY, May 3 2009
Submitted by Sue Wilson
Hip Hip Hooray!
There are many to thank in making the Women’s Fellowship Spring Tea a wonderful success.
We would like to sincerely thank our brothers in Christ for their very able serving of our guests. You have heard of what a success our event was. Your sisters in Christ say “ Thank You - Good Job!”
The proceeds
of $1504 (!!)
shall benefit
these two charities:
Rain or Shine
New Orleans 7th Ward
Community Garden
and
News from our Women’s Fellowship - News from our Women’s Fellowship - News from our Women’s Fellowship - News from our Women’s Fellowship - News
COMMUNITY
PRE-SCHOOL NEWS
GREETINGS FROM
COMMUNITY PRE-SCHOOL
We are wrapping up the school year. Many classes had Mother’s Day Tea’s with their Mothers or Grandmothers. One class put on a play called The Hungry Caterpillar, another class made pot holders with their hand print on it. Some classes planted flowers for their Mother's Day gift.
The teachers celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week in a big way. Many parents organized this with bringing flowers and small gifts and breakfast treats during the week. The teachers were treated to an elaborate luncheon on Friday. The staff certainly felt the warmth and love that the parents and children felt for the Community Pre-School Staff.
The Annual School Picnic was quite a success. I want thank the church members Betsy Pfluger and Mary Millsap for coming and enjoying the festivities at our Picnic. Also, it was a pleasure to see Pastor Gen and her two children at the picnic. Darryl Alford and I visited various activities during the picnic and took pictures, capturing the children and families and teachers enjoying the picnic food and activities.
We are currently enrolling children for our summer pre-school program. Summer school will be three sessions, each with a three week interval. Some of the fun activities planned will be: Room 5 will explore and learn about the rainforest , some rooms will set up a tent in their classroom. Mrs. Judy, our music teacher will be providing the children with music and movement and some science activities this summer in Room
We are still taking enrollments for our 2009 -2010 school year. I have had many parents who are concerned if the school will have the same kind of program and same kind of low ratios we
have had in the past. It is most important to the parents that the superior staff that we have now, remain as the teachers at the school and continue their employment at Community Pre-School as requested by the families that we serve. I hope the Church congregation realize the importance of keeping all three of these requests in mind. You can not adequately serve the Community Pre-School families, unless all three of these requests are honored.
I keep all of the members of the church in my thoughts and prayers to make the right decisions for the Parents, Children, Teachers, and Church Congregation. If any of the church congregation would talk to the Director of the school, I would be happy to meet with you.
Sincerely,
Barbara Steinmetz
(Director, Community PreSchool)
Pictures from the May 16
PreSchool Picnic
WITNESSFORJUSTICE
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
JUSTICE AND WITNESS MINISTRIES
“Witness for Justice” is a regular publication by the Justice and Witness Ministries of the national setting of our UCC.
(To be found at www.ucc.org/justice/advocacy_
resources/witness-for-justice/pdfs)
This particular issue was brought to our attention by Maxine Eggerth.
WITNESS FOR JUSTICE #426
June 1, 2009
WE ARE ALL COMPLICIT
Rev. Catherine Rolling
Environmental Justice
Program Assistant
I was told once by a dear friend, a person of color, that I, as a white person, would have to do my own soul-searching around racism in my history (personal and national) but that at this moment I could also make the wise decision to move forward and make a difference by becoming aware of and believing and acting on what is going on around me.
As an environmental minister, I offer the same advice. Learn the effects of climate change, but don’t dwell on why we didn’t know this earlier or how guilty we are for not having done enough to stop it. Don’t spend too much time trying to prove we didn’t do it and rationalizing that we don’t have to change. Let’s not get caught in the usual “What I do won’t make a difference anyway.” We are all complicit.
Even if we don’t think we are to blame, the planet is heating up to the detriment of all. We are at 389 parts per million of CO2. Less than 350 is what is needed for sustainable life on earth. Though vulnerable people throughout the world are already suffering from lack of water, from lack of fertile land that will provide them food, from storms and floods that have raised our waters higher than ever before, or from
disease caused by climate change, maybe you have not been affected yet. You will be.
It is hard to make changes toward a more sustainable life style. In Oregon, I had been driving two blocks to work because it was a habit. Now in Cleveland I walk almost a mile. I find it very satisfying. My vehicle stays home most days. Simple actions are counter-cultural now, but they were fairly normal for many of our parents and grandparents who grew up before and during WWII. My parents lived through rationing. In those days, you could only have so much gas or sugar, not all you wanted. People had victory gardens and canned their own food. People were united for a cause. We have a cause right now. It is time to bring cooling to the planet so that all may live. We are not morally allowed to have every thing that we want or are told we want. We could live with less.
The society has given us a wrong turn and we think it is normal. We in the U.S. want to be independent. Our freedom could come from disagreeing with the messages we receive that tell us how much we need. We can make up our own minds. Making a few changes could be very liberating. Let’s start with four.
• Try public transit, your bike, or walking just one day a week.
• Buy local food or grow your own.
• Sign up for renewable energy.
• Ask your legislator to support the clean energy economy.
The tragic starving we see on TV is connected to the way we in the U.S. choose to live. Consider the big picture. What we each do affects the entire earth, for we are all connected. Let us choose to be less complicit.
Recipe Corner
This Month:
From Diane Steele’s Kitchen
-Taco Lasagna-
as presented
for a recent Fellowship Hour
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup water
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Mexican diced tomatoes, undrained
6 flour tortillas (8 inches)
1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
In a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
Add water and taco seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes.
Stir in the black beans and tomatoes. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Place two tortillas in a grassed 13-in.x9-in.x2-in. baking dish. Spread with half of the refried beans and beef mixture; sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining tortillas and cheese.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
Yield: 9 servings.
Gathering
of the Waters
  
If you are traveling this summer - be it as far as Lake Inari or Androscoggin River or as close as Stevens Creek - please be sure to bring home some water for our “Gathering of the Waters” ceremony on Recovenanting Sunday, Sept. 13!
And please also let us have some digital pictures of your destinations for our slideshow!
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Communicator Deadline
Deadline for the September 2009 edition of our Communicator is Tuesday, August 25, 2009.
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: Tuesdays - Fridays 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
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