A Liberal Church, Welcoming of All, Passionately Committed to Social Justice

The Pilgrim - March 7, 2010

Sunday Celebration Notes from Jerry Stinson
Celebrating God’s Love Every Sunday at 10 am.

This Sunday’s service should have fewer special elements than in the past two weeks – and thus it won’t last as long as those two services. We will have special music by Carlos Carlos and I will talk with the third of our confirmation students just before the Children’s Sharing Time.

In my sermon I will talk about the history of the One Great Hour of Sharing program and share some of my experiences with OGHS programs in Botswana and Indonesia. I think we can be very proud of what gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing accomplish in our world – and I hope this sermon will help all of us celebrate this important ecumenical effort.

SERMON: The Kind of Sharing in Which We Can Take Pride
The Rev. Jerry Stinson, preaching
LITURGIST: Christopher Bobo

On March 14, the Rev. Jerry Stinson’s sermon will be entitled “An Empty Locker and Shaya’s Home Run.”

 

Music on Sunday

This Sunday the Sanctuary Choir will sing “Ave Verum Corpus” by Javier Busto (born 1949 in Hondarribia, in the Basque country). He is a self-taught musician who has won numerous prizes for his compositions. His setting of this most famous text (most recognizable by Mozart’s beautiful rendition) features the sopranos with the melody and the altos, tenors and basses as the harmonic underpinning. The harmonies are more like smooth jazz than anything else, which lends a restful quality to the text. This short eucharistic hymn is said to have been written by either Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) or by Pope Innocent IV (1243-1254). The translation is as follows:
“Hail, true Body, born of the virgin Mary, who has truly suffered, was sacrificed on the cross for mortals, whose side was pierced, whence flowed water and blood: Be for us a foretaste [of heaven] during our final examining. O Jesu sweet, O Jesu pure, O Jesu son of Mary, have mercy upon me. Amen.”

- Dr. Leland, Vail, Minister of Music

 

In Sunday School

Theme: Open Invitation
Scripture Focus: Isaiah 55:1-9

 

In Adult Education in March
Sundays at 8:30 am in the Klar Rooms, upstairs in Pilgrim Hall
By Cathy Clay

Whenever a new member joins our church, Jerry reminds us that we have no creeds or dogmas required for membership at First Congregational Church. When we join, we make a commitment, we covenant, to walk together with other church members on a spiritual journey. In the interests of furthering that journey, I will lead us in the Adult Education class for the next three weeks in looking at ways various great thinkers and other religious traditions have defined/explained God/the divine. As we look at some of these ideas, I hope to foster a conversation among us to explore our own notions of God. We’ll address questions such as: Have you had a personal experience of the divine? What are experiences or times when you became more consciously aware of God, rather than accepting a socially imposed vision? What is your understanding of God? Where is God? Is God a who? If so, who is she/he/it? And how do (or would) we know the answers to these questions? I hope you will join us at 8:30 during the first three Sundays of March to share what is most important to you about your own spiritual journey.

The tentative schedule for the information that I will present to the class is:

March 8 – The views of God by St. Augustine, St. Anselm, St. Aquinas
March 15 – Descriptions of divinities from the Hindu Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita
March 22 – The Tao and Spinoza’s God

If you have any questions or suggestions, or if you plan to attend, please let me know. I will email material to you ahead of time so you can be thinking about it before Sunday. In any case, come and help expand this spiritual journey we take together by contributing your insights, experiences and point of view. The class meets at 8:30 a.m. in the Klar classrooms. Coffee is provided, child care is available, and you are welcome to bring your breakfast and a friend!

 

 

First Church Café and Board Meetings this Sunday
By Libby Tigner

This is a first Sunday of the month, and that means that lunch is served!  After church, head downstairs to the Dining Room, where a warm and yummy meal will be waiting for you, prepared by Brad Lara-Gagne of Bootstrap Catering.

Many of our church’s boards will meet this Sunday following the lunch. (Because many of their members are at the women’s retreat, the Board of Parish Life and the Diaconate will NOT meet this week.) Child care is provided for board meetings for those who sign up. Just sign up in the nursery when you arrive at church on Sunday, so that the child care workers will know whether or not they will need to stay.

 

One Great Hour of Sharing
By Lloyd Wright, Board of Outreach

Circle March 14 on your calendars. That’s the Sunday we will be taking the OGHS offering. This Lenten offering is a powerful testament to Christian love in action and demonstrates the potency of strength in numbers. The United Church of Christ, in concert with eight other denominations, raises more than $20 million annually. In 2008, our denomination alone raised $3,048.84 through OGHS. Less than 8% goes toward administrative costs.

What follows are but a few examples of OGHS funds at work. When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, OGHS was there providing humanitarian assistance and rebuilding desolated communities. In Guatemala, offering funds have been used in small villages to build simple greenhouses for the growing of vegetables, improving people’s diets and incomes. Long-term recovery continues in Pallemala, Sri Lanka and throughout the region to help those affected by the 2004 tsunami through the building of new homes.

The church exists to serve the world. The One Great Hour of Sharing offering is a luminous example of doing just that.

 

Be Part of the Wonderful Experience 60-some Members Have Enjoyed the Past Several Months - Sign Up for a Getting to Know You Group!
By Tim Bolton

It's fun ... it's warm and rich ... it's absolutely painless ... it's a First Church experience. Attend three sessions of two hours each where eight people share in some simple activities that are comfortable and rewarding and enable each person to get to know the others. How nice to then be able to see folks at church, smile and share a greeting etc. on Sunday morning and at other church activities. That's all it really is ... getting to know others.

The date for the first session is set, and at the first meeting the participants decide when they would like to have the other two meetings. The third meeting is a potluck. We've had several people who are signing up to do it again with another group because it was so rewarding.

There will be three groups starting in April: Sunday the 11th after church, Wednesday the 14th in the evening, and Sunday the 18th after church. Each group will consist of four people who have been members or attendees for less than five years and four people who have been members or attendees for more than five years. Sign-up boards will be in the courtyard after church. Please stop by and do something really nice for yourself. You'll be truly enriched by it!

 

Bored with Not Being on a Board?
By Martha Duncan

Well, it's March already and you're regretting the decision not to serve on a board this year. Well, you are in luck because Board of Parish Life has openings! We are a fun (but very small so far) group that is planning such things as the Easter Breakfast, Church Picnic and Christmas Dinner. If you're interested in joining us, just send me a note at marthad916@gmail.com or call me at 562-423-8893. Our next meeting will be on March 28.

 

Calling All Writers
By Libby Tigner

Last Saturday, 25 people attended a writing workshop led by Ray McGinnis in which we learned about how to use poetry as a way to deepen our spiritual and emotional awareness. We played with words, asked ourselves questions, and shared with one another some of what we’d written. It was fun, it was moving, and it was a great way to get to know one another in a deeper way.

Are you interested in being a part of either an occasional or an ongoing writers group? Nancy Himmel, a member of our church, a writer, and one of the participants in last Saturday’s workshop, would love to hear from you. If you’d like more information or would like to be involved, please contact Nancy at nancy@colorfulsky.com.

 

New Electronic Keycards
By Ruth Warkentin

In order to improve security, we are issuing new electronic keycards for the church. All existing keycards will stop working after Monday, March 8. To turn in your old card and get a new one, please contact Ruth in the office: office@firstchurchlb.org or 562-436-2256 ext 221.

 

National Gathering of the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns

Early-bird registration for National Gathering 2010 in San Diego, CA, is now open. The Planning Committee is hard at work finalizing the agenda, and we think this is going to be the best Gathering ever. Don't miss it!

Gathering will take place in San Diego, CA, July 14-17. Early-bird registration is available for a limited time for just $99 per person. Early-bird registrants will also receive a complimentary one-day pass for the San Diego Trolley, which has a stop across the street from the hotel. Register now here.

Come this year and reconnect with friends from across the country. Are you a member of a newly declared ONA congregation? Come to get tips on how to more fully incorporate ONA into your local church. Wondering how to encourage other congregations in your Association to consider the ONA process? Come and talk with UCCers from across the country and share ideas. More information about programming can be found at www.ucccoalition.org/programs/gathering/.

Everyone will go home energized and full of ideas on topics such as church growth and inclusiveness, advocacy and empowerment, reaching out to LGBT youth and young adults, etc.

Reserve your spot at a reduced early bird rate! To RSVP, click here. We look forward to hearing from you!

 

Church Table at Benefit Dinner
By Jerry Stinson

The Rebuilding Alliance is a non-profit organization that seeks to rebuild war-torn Palestinian communities in an effort to make them safe. In partnership with Combatants for Peace they built Abir’s Garden: A Safe Place to Grow and the Anata Girls’ School. In partnership with the Rural Women’s Association of Al Aqaba they built a kindergarten and a library. They built a home for the family in Gaza whom the late Rachel Corrie sought to protect when she was killed. In Gaza they built a community center at a soccer field.

On Saturday, April 24 from 6 to 9 p.m., the Rebuilding Alliance will hold its second Annual Peacemakers Dinner at the Red Rock Chateau in Silverado Canyon in Orange County. The guest speakers will include:

• Cindy and Craig Corrie, the parents of Rachel Corrie. Ever since Rachel was killed by Israelis, Cindy and Craig have worked for peace and justice in Palestine and Israel.
• Brian Baird, a member of Congress who just visited Gaza to see for himself the devastation after Israel’s invasion. He is a clear advocate for Palestinian and Israeli human rights.
• Professor Richard Falk, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Palestinian Human Rights.

If there is enough interest among our members, First Church will buy a table for this very special event. The cost is $50 a person and we need ten people to fill the table. Kay and I will be attending. If you would like to reserve a seat at our table please let me know by phone at 562-436-2256, extension 230 or by email at revjstinson@verizon.net.

 

Update on Anti-torture Progress
By Dale Whitney, First Church Representative to the National Religious Campaign Against Torture

By the time you read this, you may have noticed that the "Torture is a Moral Issue" banner is once again flying on the church belltower. It was taken down at Christmas time, but there is still reason for it to be there during this season of Lent and beyond.

As you may remember, just over one year ago, on January 22, 2009, newly-inaugurated President Obama issued two important statements: one that the US would seek to end its use of torture as an instrument of national policy, and another that the prison at Guatanamo Bay in Cuba would be closed in one year. Neither of those worthy goals has been attained; in fact, some would say very little progress at all has occurred - efforts to even chronicle the extent of torture employed by the last administration have been almost completely stymied by Congress, and Guantanomo is still open, despite such things as a recent lengthy article in Harper's, claiming forcefully that a special "torture hut" existed and still exists there.

Nevertheless, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), of which First Church is a member, soldiers on. In fact, they have increased their workload not only to get our government out of the torture business in its treatment of detainees in the "War Against Terror," but they have also decided to fight against the use of torture in our prisons and in foreign countries as well.

The latest information about this issue can be found at www.tortureisamoralissue.org. I would encourage all interested parties to go there for the latest on what is happening here.

 

Jesus Seminar on the Road in Our Neighborhood
By Jerry Stinson

The Jesus Seminar on the Road program will be coming to Irvine United Congregational Church on April 16-17. The focus will be on “The Fifth Gospel: The Gospel of Thomas and the Wisdom of Je-sus” and will feature biblical scholars Milton Moreland and Stephen Patterson. The event begins with a Friday night lecture and then with workshops and lectures on Saturday. There is a flyer about the event on the Third Street landing or you can find all the details at this website: www.westarinstitute.org/Events/JSORs/irvine2010.html.

 

Taizé at St. Luke's

St. Luke's Episcopal Church will hold a St. Patrick's Taizé service on Tuesday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. St. Luke's is at the corner of Seventh St. and Atlantic Ave. in downtown Long Beach.

 

Associate Minister Away

Libby Tigner, our Associate Minister, will be at the Women’s Spirituality Retreat this weekend.  Beginning March 8, she will begin a 2-week vacation. Libby will be back in the office on Tuesday, March 23.

 

Pilgrim Deadline

The deadline for submitting items for inclusion in the newsletter is Friday at 12 noon for the email going out the following week. Due to the new email format, it is no longer necessary that items be submitted as attachments; they may simply be included in the text of your email.

 

 

The Church Mouse has heard ...

... At the 3.1-mile Los Alamitos Race on the Base on February 28, Clayton Heard placed 38th overall out of 546 runners. Bryce King was 13th and got a medal for his age group, while Randy King was happy to finish. Way to go, Clayton, Bryce and Randy!

 

Parish Concerns

Your thoughts and prayers are requested for Art Brewster (Teri Brester's husband); Johnny Cheng; Ed Reeves; and Catherine Hanna and her family.

In the armed forces: Daniele Ware (Karen Miller’s granddaughter, stationed in Iraq) and Laura Anderson (Kathy Young's niece, stationed in Bahrain).

Names on the Parish Concerns list appear in two consecutive editions of the newsletter. Those in the armed forces serving in combat zones are listed until they come home. To put someone on either list, put a note on the Parish Concerns board on the Third Street landing or contact Ruth Warkentin in the church office.

 

Becoming a Member of First Church

Whether you have been attending for a few weeks, a few months or several years, we would like you to consider becoming a member of First Church. When you are ready to take that step, please call or email Rev. Jerry Stinson at 562-436-2256, ext 230 or revjstinson@verizon.net.

 

Online Calendar

Don’t miss out! Check the online church calendar at www.firstchurchlb.org/calendar.html for details about all church events. You can use the online calendar to email invitations to friends to church events and to set up emailed reminders to yourself. Just click on any event to see information about it.

 

The following information is paid advertising. To place an ad in this newsletter, please contact Ruth Warkentin in the church office.

 

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First Congregational Church - 241 Cedar Avenue - Long Beach, California 90802
562-436-2256 - Fax: 562-436-3018 - E-mail: office@firstchurchlb.org