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

The Pilgrim - July 18, 2010

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

This Sunday’s service will focus on justice for immigrants and on the sacred tradition of “welcoming the stranger” which is at the heart of Judaism and Christianity. Our liturgy will speak of the American heritage of pluralism and welcome. The Rev. Robert Stapp will teach us a new hymn that relates to immigration justice. The Rev. Dan Romero, our former Conference Minister, was going to be our guest preacher, but we have rescheduled his visit to First Church to sometime in the fall of this year or early next year. So instead of Dan preaching, I will look at biblical and theological affirmation in relation to immigration. Elsewhere in this newsletter, you can also read about our special forum on integration.

Immigration has become a very hot topic in American politics. Come and help us reflect on what our faith has to say in relation to the immigration debate.

SERMON: Biblical and Theological Affirmations in Relation to Immigration
The Rev. Jerry Stinson preaching
READINGS: Exodus 23:9 and Leviticus 19:32-34
LITURGISTS: The Rev. Libby Tigner and the Rev. Harold Sutherland

 

Music on Sunday

On this Immigration Justice Sunday, the choir will perform an original composition by our very own Heather R. Chambers. “One World” was first performed in the fall of 2005 on September 11 by the Sanctuary Choir. Like many other great works of art, this piece evolved over a few years. Heather wrote the words in 2001, came up with the music in 2002, and arranged it for eight-part voicing in 2004. The piano accompaniment was done by Stan DeWitt in June of 2005, and the choir had the great pleasure of premiering it just a few months later. I felt it was an appropriate anthem for this Sunday based on the poetry. The last verse and chorus lyrics are as follows:

For God is love, and Love is living, and all God wants is for the World to get along.
And so we pray that Love will guide us toward a unity that peace will help make strong.

There’s just one world, far as we know, and no one’s land is better than all of the rest.
We share this time, and we can grow to know that God has truly the whole world blessed.

And for this week’s special music, a female quartet comprised of Lisa Bode Heard, Heather Chambers, Melody O’Keefe and I will sing a great arrangement of “Ave Maria” by Curtis Heard.

- Tracy Halter-Balin, Interim Director of Music

 

In Sunday School

Theme: Word and Work
Scripture Focus: Luke 10:38-42

 

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

Jerry Stinson’s five-week course on “The Heart of Islam” continues this Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. Those who have the book for the course are encouraged to read pages 113-199.

 

 

Forum This Sunday: What's All This Fuss About Immigation?

The Rev. Harold Sutherland has thirty years of experience in working on refugee and asylum issues. He currently works on immigration issues for the Department of Homeland Security. As our national political leaders talk about immigration reform, Harold will lead a question and answer forum about immigration after our service this Sunday.

 

Church Tour This Sunday

Members of the Church History Ministry Team will lead a tour of the church facility this Sunday after the service. Please meet in the Koinonia Room.

 

Special Service on July 25 Celebrating the ADA
By Jerry Stinson

On July 25, we will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The liturgy for the service will focus on disability awareness. The sermon will be a conversation between Jerry Stinson and Cynde Soto, Jerry Kulhavy, Lillibeth Navarro and Lillian Schase about their experiences as people living with disabilities. Cynde Soto and others from the Beachwood chapter of Californians for Disability Rights will lead a special forum after the service looking at sensitivity and disability etiquette. You will want to be in church for this special Sunday!

Lillibeth Navarro (L) and Cynde Soto (R) were arrested on July 17, 2009
at the home of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a protest
against cuts to social services that aid people with disabilities and the poor.

 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!
Angels Game on August 29
By Libby Tigner

Join First Church friends for a day in the ball park. Eat hot dogs! Sing! Do the wave! And, oh yeah, watch a baseball game!

We have 25 tickets for the August 29 Angels-Orioles game at Angels Stadium in Anaheim. For $20, you’ll get a ticket to the game (Terrace Box) and a voucher for a hot dog and a soft drink. Individually priced, these seats sell for $28, so we are getting a great deal! The game begins at 12:35 p.m.

Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. You can reserve a ticket by sending an email to Libby at ltigner@firstchurchlb.org. You can pick up your tickets at church once you’ve paid for them; tickets not paid for by August 15 will be released.

So grab your baseball cap and invite a friend, and let’s go!

 

Calling for Investigation into American Uses of Torture
By Jerry Stinson

Last month, we held an important interfaith forum at First Church looking at American uses of torture. The next day, on June 7, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) released a report providing evidence of unethical and illegal medical experiments on detainees. Two days later, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture joined PHR and other human rights organizations in asking the federal government to initiate a formal investigation into the alleged violations of U.S. laws protecting human research subjects.

If you click on the following link, you can watch a three-minute video about this important justice issue that features Rev. Ed Bacon of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena. That video will direct you to a website where you can send the president, your senators and your congressional representative emails asking for a formal investigation into our uses of torture. A few years ago our Church Council voted that First Church would join the National Religious Campaign Against Torture – if many of us send these emails (I have already sent mine), that will be one way we can honor our commitment. Click here to watch the video.

 

New Member
By Jerry Stinson

Paul Bogdan grew up in Buffalo, New York where most members of his extended family still reside. He was raised in the Roman Catholic Church and attended parochial schools. He studied at several colleges, ultimately getting his bachelor’s degree from Buffalo State College and his master’s degree in education from Buff State College.

From an early age, he felt a real calling to be a teacher. Teaching isn’t just a job for him; it is a calling. He did some substitute teaching in New York, and then moved to California in the 1970s and became a junior high math teacher here in Long Beach.

As computer technology began to develop, Paul became fascinated with computer programming, and he sought advanced education in the computer field and also began to use computer technology at school. He said he found computer programming to be more than just a science; it is an art.

He and his wife Sandy moved back to Buffalo, and there he went full-time into data processing and computer programming. They next moved to Oregon where he did a lot of computer work, designing programs for a district attorney’s office and several state agencies. After another return to Buffalo, Paul came to Long Beach about a year and a half ago.

He is serving as a substitute math teacher in Long Beach secondary schools, while Sandy, a portrait artist, seeks employment. They live half a block from the church on Cedar Street. Paul thinks God had some role in the finding of that apartment so close to this church where he immediately got involved in many of our programs. He says he was drawn to First Church because there is so much spirituality to be found here. Paul is already an active volunteer at the Sunday Drop-In Center and he faithfully attends the 8:30 Sunday adult classes. He and Sandy regularly sit up on the balcony during our services.

Paul has some interesting hobbies. He likes flying two-line kites, fishing and engaging in Chinese knot tying.

Paul and Sandy have served as foster parents, and they adopted two of their foster children. Daniel is now in college and lives in New York City, and Nicholas is here in Long Beach with them and will be a senior next year at Cabrillo High School.

 

An Invitation from Karen Miller

At 5 p.m. on Sunday, August 1, the Orange County Interfaith Committee (OCIC) to Aid Farmworkers will hold its semi-annual dinner. We are celebrating our 45th year of existence.
We meet twice a year, once in summer, when we hear from a representative of the National Farmworker Ministry, and once in winter, when we hear from a representative of the United Farmworker’s Union. These dinners help raise funds for the two institutions, provide fellowship time for folks who actively support actions in aid of farmworkers, and introduce their activities and goals to new volunteers.

I’ve been a member since moving to Orange County in the 1980s. I am going to the dinner, and I invite you to call me at 562-431-0578 or e-mail me at ggkaren@aol.com to arrange for carpooling. I can carry three passengers. For more information about the OCIC, click here to read our newsletter.

 

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.

 

 

Parish Concerns

Your thoughts and prayers are requested for Matt Balin; Tim Himrod (Laura McCrary's grandnephew); José Sánchez-H.; Robert Wilson (Paul Bogdan's friend); Emily and Nick Melzian (Deanna Melzian's children) upon the death of their father; and Neil Weikle (Joe Ernst's friend).

In the armed forces: 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 the 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.

 

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