United Church Of Christ of La Mesa
5940 Kelton Ave La Mesa, California 91942
A thriving community of faith, the United Church of Christ of La Mesa is committed to spiritual & intellectual growth in an atmosphere of love. Our vibrant, celebrative worship sparks the imagination, encouraging us to dream big dreams then live them
phone: view phone(619) 464-1519
website: http://www.ucclm.org
email: publicity@ucclm.sdcoxmail.com
Pastors Rev. Dr. Bill Peterson, Interim Senior Minister
Worship Times
Sunday*
8:30am Contemporary Worship Service
10:00am Traditional Worship Service
Wednesday
6:30 pm Scriptures Study
*Communion
1st Sunday of Month
Church Description
BE EMBRACED BY GOD'S LOVE!
WHO ARE WE?
A thriving community of faith, the United Church of Christ of La Mesa is committed to spiritual and intellectual growth in an atmosphere of love and Our vibrant, celebrative worship sparts the imagination, encouraging us to dream big dreams then live them. We welcome ALL people -- tall, short, young, old, male, female, black, white, brown, yellow, single, married, divorced, widowed, gay, straight, Democrat, Republican, conservative, liberal, moderate -- from all walks of life, for we are ALL created in God's own image. We are a truly diverse congregation who love one another as God loves us.
WHAT DO WE BELIEVE? WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT?
We'll be glad to tell you but, before we do, you should know that we think how you live and what you do are far more important! You can usually tell what people believe by what they do -- and we'd like a chance to let your actions and our lives speak for us. God is still speaking and we believe, with the late Grace Allen, that we should never put a period where God has placed a comma.
WHAT WE DO?
Our Motto: "Doing together what we cannot do alone."
We Sponsor: Adoption Support Groups, After-School Tutoring, Bible Studies, Book Discussion, Charley Brown Children's Center, El Nido Apartments, Global Mission, Support Interfaith Shelter, Worldwide Missions, Religious Education, San Diego Ecumenical Council, Small Groups, Ministry Substance Abuse, Recovery Support Groups, Women's Fellowship Youth Group.
Mission Statement
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
As the United Church of Chirst of La Mesa we strive to: Love and understand the spirit of God as communicated through the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Grow with one another by accepting, supporting and loving through worship, served and fellowship. Demonstrate our faith through active involvement in our community and the world in all its diversity.
Statement of Faith
United Church of Christ Statement of Faith - adapted by Robert V. Moss
We believe in God, the Eternal Spirit, who is made know to us in Jesus our brother, and to whose deeds we testify:
God calls the world into being, creates humandkind in the divine image, and sets before us teh ways of life and death.
God seeks in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin.
God judges all humanity and all nations by that will of righteousness declared through prophets and apostles.
In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Lord, God has come to us and shared our common lot, conquering sin and death and reconciling the whole creation to its Creator.
God bestows upon us the Holy Spirit, creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ, binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues, and races.
God calls us into the church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to be servants in the service of the whole human family, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil, to share in Christ's baptism and eat at his table, to join him in his passion and victory.
God Promises to all who trust in the gospel forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace, courage in the stuggle for justice and peace, the presence of the Holy Spirit in trial and rejoicing, and eternal life in that kingdom which has no end.
Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto God.
Amen.
Toward the 21st Century: A Statement of Commitment
We, the United Church of Christ, look toward the twenty-first Century with anitcipation. We trust God's promises. We are eager to respond to God's call. We believe that God does have more truth and light yet to break forth from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
A Church attentive to the Word
By God's grace, we will be an attentive church. We commit ourselves anew to listen for God's Word in Holy Scripture, in our rich heritage, in faithful witness, and in the fresh winds of the Holy Spirit so that we might discover God's way for us.
We are claimed in baptism as children of God, disciples of Christ, and members of Christ's church. Through sustained Biblical and theological reflection on the challenges, confusions, injustices, mercies and possibilities that confront us, we hope to discern baptism's claim so that we might be the fiathful disciples these days require.
We want to remember whose we are. Therefore, we will be faithful in worship and study, attentive to the Word and nurtured at the Table. We will be a people of prayer.
We want to be faithful disciples. Therefore, we will relate our faith boldly to all of life's demands.
We want all people to know of God's gracious activity on our behalf. Therefore, we will share god's Good News so that God's way may be revealed, God's forgiveness received, and God's future affirmed.
A Church inclusive of all people
By God's grace, we will be an inclusive church. We commit ourselves to be a church for all people and, in Christ, we celebrate, affirm, and embrace the rich diversity of God's good creation.
We seek to be fully inclusive community of faith, sharing bread and cup with all who see, in Christ, the way to our common future. We believe that God desires our oneness with all people, everywhere, and we long for the day when we may all be one.
We acknowledge that we are far less inclusive than we are called to be. Therefore, we will intentionally reach our into the world and lovingly invite all to Christ, and to participate fully in the ordering of our common life.
We acknowledge that we sometimes find it difficult to accept the gifts that others bring. Therefore, we will seek to be open to those gifts, affirm them, learn from them, and, at the leading of the Holy Spirit, be transformed by them.
We acknowledge that the world in which we live is far more diverse than we have hitherto imagined. We celebrate this rich diversity. Therefore, united in Christ, we will reach toward it in anticipation of God's reign.
A Church responsive to God's Call
By God's grace, we will be a responsive church. We commit ourselves to be a church of justice and mercy and peace so that lives may be renewed, spirits revived, and worlds transformed.
So many of God's people suffer. So many are maltreated. God's good earth cries out in pain. Our world needs those who will pursue justice, show mercy, and seek peace. That is the church we hear God calling us to be. We want "to join oppressed and troubled people in the struggle for liberation . . . and to work for justice, healing, and wholeness of life." [Quote from the UCC Statement of Mission]
We envision a world wherein "justice will flow down like might waters." Therefore, we will stand alongside those who hurt so tht the hungry may be fed, the excluded embraced, and the creation renewed.
We envision a world wherein mercy reigns. Therefore, we will heal the sick, encourage the wary, and support the dying.
We envision a world of peace for all people, everywhere. Therefore, we will be pacemakers so that hostilities and hatreds may cease and love, mercy, and justice prevail.
A Church supportive of one another
By God's grace, we will be a supportive church. We commit ourselves to strengthen Christ's body through renewed resolve and mutual support in our common ministries.
In the immediate days ahead, our servant church will face days of challenge. We will need dedicated pastors and teachers. We will need vibrant congregations. Only a people who share a common vision, who support each other whatever the cost, and who are committed, together, to strengthen Christ's church for ministry will be equal to the task. We want to be that church.
We believe that a vital church is a covenantal church. Therefore, we will be supportive of each other and accountable to each other.
We believe that a vital church is a sacrificial church. Therefore, we will give give sacrificially of our resources so that Christ's Church may be strengthened and God's people served.
We believe that a vital church is a "united and uniting church. " Therefore, we will seek to embody the oneness of Christ's church through ecumenical commitment, witness, and ministries in Christ's name.
About this testimony
In 1993, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ adopted this "Statement of Commitment" as the starting point for four "seasons" of churchwide theological reflection on the future of our community of faith as we enter the 21st century. The statement underscores that the UCC seeks to be a church where all people -- including those historically excluded by the Christian community -- can find a home.
For more information about the United Church of Christ, go to: http://www.ucc.org
Message from the Pastor
I Was Just Thinking…by Rev. Bill
The Season of Lent, 2012 at UCCLM
The season of Lent is a spiritual journey of prayer and discernment leading to the celebration of the Resurrection of Life in Christ. Lent begins early this year because of a decision that was made in 325 CE at the council of Nicea. Sixteen hundred years later we follow the same schedule: The Council of Nicaea set the date of Easter as the Sunday following the paschal full moon, which is the full moon that falls on or after the vernal (spring) equinox. (Talk about ‘we’ve always done it that way!’)
This year we precede the season of Lent with ‘Mardi Gras Sunday’ on February 19th in the tradition of those who decided to have their last party before the more somber time of Lent. That Sunday you are encouraged to dress up! Masks, beads, and an instrumental combo will lead us from ‘Just a Closer Walk’ to ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ at both services. At the conclusion of the services we will burn palm leaves to carry to the Ash Wednesday service.
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 22nd in a joint service of UCC Partnership Churches at Christian Fellowship Congregational Church UCC, in San Diego.
Then we proceed through the season toward Easter, following the theme “Planting Covenant, Growing Faith.” The Sunday themes will generally focus on the covenants of faith that brought us into being as a community of faith. The first Sunday of Lent, February 26th, we celebrate the Rainbow Covenant made with the people gathered by Noah. Our children will be planting bulbs and watching them grow toward the time of the Easter Resurrection on April 8th.
On Sunday evenings of the first 5 Sundays of Lent, we will gather for a simple soup supper at 6:00 PM followed by a ‘Lenten Spiritual Journey’ at 7:00 PM. At the first session on February 26th we will walk the Labyrinth to begin our journey. We will also have finger labyrinths available so all can be included in this meditation. A Lenten schedule will be available in early February.
As we enter into this season, a season determined by the onset of spring, I encourage you to take time for reflection, both on your faith and in the miracle of life that surrounds you. We are totally dependent on life on Earth coming back again every year, just as our faith is grounded in the renewal of life over and over again. Let us remember who we are in this season.
A Story Not Recorded in the Gospels
About 40 years after Jesus’ life, the band of his followers, known as the Jesus Movement, or people of The Way, were beginning to form the DNA of the church. Matthew was among them, teaching and writing what eventually became his gospel.
The church at that time was all about their differences: in ways to worship, who’s in and who’s out, ritual circumcision, leadership, and personal grudges. One day, Matthew overheard Aaron talking to Zebulon. Aaron was complaining about Timotheus. Matthew had heard these kinds of conversations before, and he realized that these conversations were harmful to his vulnerable church.
It was so important, in fact, that Matthew wrote it into the words of Jesus: “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.” (Matthew 18:15). He continued the conflict resolution process in the following verses (Matthew 18: 16-20): “But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
Recent biblical scholars say these are Matthew’s words alone, in part because there was no “church” in Jesus’ time.
What was Matthew’s point? Why did this kind of indirect speech hurt his church? Matthew didn’t say, but we can speculate. First, indirect speech could have been an expression of power by Aaron. It was more powerful to speak to someone else about a third party than to talk to the third party directly. If Aaron had talked directly to Timotheus, they may have settled the matter and it would be over. Then Aaron would have nothing more to talk about. This kind of power could have been undermining the hopes, dreams, and leadership of Matthew’s church.
Or, Matthew may have realized that Aaron’s indirect conversation with Zebulon would lead Zebulon to add to the story until Timotheus seemed much more of a ‘sinner’ than he actually was, known to the Greeks as “λανθασμένη κατηγορία,” or “a bum rap.” In the process, much of the church’s limited time and energy would be wasted, and the church would have been distracted from their purpose.
Finally, who would want to join Matthew’s church if the members were acting like Aaron? The church was there to share the ‘Good News’ with others, not to engage in Greek drama. We can only hope that Matthew’s teaching was followed 1,941 years ago. [Being a UCC church, we are all free to draw our own conclusions from this allegory.]
Peace,
Rev. Bill
The Advent of Peace
by Rev. Dr. Bill Peterson
How will peace come,
ending violence begetting violence?
Will there be a glorious declaration,
by a council of nations?
Not yet.
Will there rise strong leaders
speaking truth of peace?
Too soon they are lost.
Will we fight a great war
to end all war?
We did that.
More likely,
Peace will start with you and me
in our private, personal, spiritual lives;
in our homes and work places and schools.
When we decide to commit ourselves
absolutely
to justice without violence in any form;
When we declare ourselves peace-makers;
not dishonoring our forbears’ efforts,
but knowing now what makes for peace,
and what doesn't.
When you and I reconcile with our brothers and sisters,
coming to terms with that rage and resentment
that causes us to follow angry leaders.
Peace will come when enough of us listen for it
And share ourselves peacefully.
And then,
Peace will overflow into history.
© Bill Peterson, December 2011
I Was Just Thinking…by Rev. Bill Peterson
This is the first article I wrote for J & C in December of 2010. A few of you have asked for a rerun and I’ve added a postscript.
Parable of the Lime
In our back yard in Whittier is a lime tree that we nurtured into growth in hard soil 25 years ago. The tree had grown tired over the years, what with fighting off white flies, providing abundant fruit (juicy Barris limes), and the shock of being sprayed by helicopter-borne Malathion about 15 years ago, killing the ladybugs. Over the years, Lime had become dry and brittle. I put off digging it up because it was too much work, and I held out the hope that maybe the one green branch could still give up some limes. Gail, in her love for the birds, hung bird and hummingbird feeders on the grey branches, and set a bird bath beneath. The birds had a safe space to light in its branches. Before I had time to cut Lime down, a remarkable thing happened - a new green trunk began to grow right next to the old trunk! It was too close to be able to cut down the old tree without damaging the new. What greenery is left on the old growth now protects the new growth from the relentless sun. Gail pointed out, too, that the old roots have kept the hard adobe clay loose enough for water to flow through.
Lime speaks to me of our beloved church in this age. Those of us who have served the church for years have seen the aging, the graying, and some brittleness in our branches. But old branches are not useless. They provide the safe space for Creation to be held, they cultivate soil for new roots, and provide temporary protection for the new growth. Likewise, the new growth needs the old growth around for a long while, to remember that the cycle of life is far too brief, and to learn what fresh limes taste like. So it is, that the emerging church grows in the midst of the older church. Life is transforming itself into different ways of being.
The new tree is now giving its first harvest of limes. I take great hope from lime tree’s message: We depend on each other, and all are needed in their own way. Growth to growth, life to life. I also learned a great truth: When God is creating something new, be patient and let Creation do its work.
Peace,
Rev. Bill
Postscript
Three years into the resurrection of Lime, she is yielding an abundant harvest. The generative tree continues to be in evidence though, because its grey branches are still strong, and better able to carry the bags of Niger seed for the finches and two songbird feeders. Her roots must be strong and deep. Maggie the cocker spaniel escapes the heat in her shade. In the winter Lime will share her fragrance and attract the bees. It seems the purpose of Lime is greater than simply producing fruit. She is part of a whole, interconnected Life that inhabits the yard. In about a decade, I suspect, her new growth will begin to slow and turn grey, but become stronger. We can trust that the cycle will begin again, for it is in the nature of Life to recreate itself.
“Live your questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it,
You will live along some distant day into your answers.”
Rainer Maria Rilke
In Friendship Hall you will see a graphic representation of how the Spirit moves through a community of faith over the passage of time. Originally gathered as a community seeking friendship and a church home, you have moved through time led not only by your own relationships and inspiration but also by something beyond yourself. Call it God, or a creative process, or the evolution of an idea; it has led you thus far by faith. I would call it your Guiding Spirit, your Guardian Angel. Look closely at the work of art. Who could have thought this would happen? By what series of unlikely events did you become part of the story?
As the Apostle Paul writes in our recent scriptures, were we to depend only on our own ways, were we to operate on the ways of the world outside, we would not have a church here. What makes a church is the something-more at the center that guides us beyond our own ways. Always, we are on a journey, a quest, of the spirit. We are led by spiritual questions more than by answers. Soon, you will be hearing from people you have entrusted with questions that lead you forward in preparation for calling new leadership.
“What shall be our compelling, distinctive vision for the future?” Your Transition Team is asking this question. In their listening and their leadership they are seeking, through prayerful discernment and dialogue, the common threads that run through the fabric of this church; the DNA of this church as you evolve into new forms. Encourage them and support them. Participate when you are invited in living this question.
“What shall be the design of our leadership?” When a vision emerges, your newly reactivated Pastoral Relations committee and Personnel committee will seek a mission-driven staffing pattern of clergy and lay leadership for the future. Already they are beginning conversations with staff to learn what the work of the church is, and to improve the quality of both staff and lay leadership.
How shall we worship? Your Ad-hoc Worship Committee is courageously pursuing this question with you. As with the earliest churches of the Jesus movement, we seek ways of worship as a spiritual quest, for our worship is at our heart. Encourage these people. They have stepped up and in to a challenging situation. Follow their leadership through the process of spiritual discovery.
How shall we be together? As a whole church, led by your Church Council, you will address this question. It is the first question the Apostle Paul addressed in the infant church in Rome. On Sunday the 21st you began to respond to the question: with compassion, forgiveness, dialogue, hope, vision, generosity, and many more qualities. Remember, these are not the ways of the world, but a house of faith. Therefore, they require constant practice.
So walk up to the covenant at the center of the graphic and sigh your name – committing yourself to join in asking the questions – and living into the answers.
Keep the Faith,
Rev. Bill
(Note: Additional History Day article on Page 6)
We'll See…
There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit.
"Such bad luck," they said sympathetically.
"We'll see," the farmer replied.
The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses.
"How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed.
"We'll see," replied the old man.
The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.
"We'll see," answered the farmer.
The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.
"We'll see" said the farmer.
There’s certain wisdom in not anticipating or judging the outcomes of the changes in our lives. The changes that seem undesirable often don’t turn out so badly, and those changes we had hoped for may be a disappointment. The key, I think, in times of personal change, is to let life be life; to stay with what is more than what might have been or what may be in the future.
We sleep better when we end the evening thanking God for what has been today – all of it – and handing over our concerns for safe keeping while we sleep. Then we can wake up and decide which concern we want to carry, and which ones we will hand over to the Wisdom at the center of life.
Rev. Bill
Reflections not Recorded in the Gospels
I Was Just Thinking…
by Rev. Bill
Samaritan Woman’s Justice
He was so unassuming and wise,
And now I hear the occupiers murdered him.
What could be his offense, a crime worthy of death?
He simply asked me for water,
And then told of living water,
He seemed to know my soul,
As he knew of the five tribes he called husbands.
He shouldn’t have been talking to me,
A Samaritan woman with a voice.
Jews don’t come near us; they avoid our lands.
They think us impure.
Yet there he was.
As if I were an equal.
Could that be his offense?
Or, when he came into town and spoke directly,
As if accepting us beyond our history or bloodlines.
He even slept in our homes.
Or maybe his offense was the way he said
The time would come
When neither our temple nor Jerusalem
Would be the place to worship the Holy One.
How could one be dangerous
Simply for inviting all to his well?
Are there those who must defend our differences
To make themselves powerful?
We must speak out.
Barabas’ Regret
Why wasn’t it me?
As he hangs on that terrible cross,
Everyone knowing he was innocent
Of anything except
Perhaps,
Speaking truth to power.
I, on the other hand,
Never spoke the truth.
I live by the ways of deception and fraud,
Like most of them, if they were truthful.
Did they choose me because in me
They saw more of themselves?
“Crucify the one who exposes us”
They were saying.
“Eliminate the one who invites us to a path we will not travel,”
Because it is too risky,
And may cost too much.
But then he says
“Forgive them.”
Is he talking about me?
Is he releasing me from this self-crucifixion ?
The crowd falls silent as the words spread,
“For they know not what they do.”
We are left to live with this shame,
Or to accept his grace.
Is this what he means?
Pilate's Reverie
They wouldn't let him stay where he belonged
Down in that tomb
Where he couldn't stir up any more trouble.
It was all settled.
Even they agreed with me.
He couldn't be tolerated,
Not here, not now.
'Too much tension about religion these days.
'Too many foreigners around the city.
'Too many poor wandering the streets.
I have enough to handle.
(Besides, I couldn't have done it if they didn't let me.)
Now they claim he has risen from the dead.
Wonderful. Just what I need.
I expect a rebellion and I get a resurrection.
But . . . what if it’s true?
What will I do if he shows up here?
(My worst nightmare)
Crucify him again?
Negotiate?
Ask his forgiveness?
Worship him?
And what will they do?
© 2011 William M. Peterson
I Was Just Thinking...by Rev. Bill
Hell Froze Over
Hell froze over today.
The cows came home.
A thousand books were finished,
Garages were cleaned out, debts were cancelled,
Apologies and reconciliations, forgiving and forgettings,
Endings and beginnings, and endings again.
All that was to be one day
Happened.
The dreaded weight of what-will-be-one-day
Was lifted as all was done or forgotten.
Because hell froze over today.
The cows came home.
(c. 2011 William M. Peterson)
If you’re waiting for a sign, a signal, a call;
To forgive, to forget, to let it go,
Here it is.
In our scripture this week Jesus calls some of his followers
to leave their stuff and their past behind, and to join his adventure.
So it can be with us – a common adventure, trusting the future,
Depending on one another, settl
Happenings
1. Wow, What a Day!
2. Auction 2007
3. UCCLM recipient of 2997 Eleonore & Oliver Powell Award
4. UCCLM Youth Plan Mission Trip to Puerto Rico
6. 50th Anniversary Quilt
“Rising An What is bullying? Why does it happen? Has it happened to you? What can be done about it? Who can help – and how? These are the questions the young people of the United Now they are taking the next step – involving others in the UCCLM, an Open and Affirming church, is located at 5940 All are welcome! “…A “There's music to . . . “Got a lot (from Bye, Make that Enjoy the The
Above Bullying...”
Interactive Forum Hosted by the Youth of UCCLM
Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM) have been brainstorming on Sunday mornings,
questions which sprang from class assignments, observation, personal encounter
and the recognition that different school districts approach the problem differently
– some aggressively, some only in response to specific incidents.
discussion. At 10:00am on Sunday, May
27, 2012 the Youth of UCCLM will host “Rising Above Bullying…,” an interactive
forum featuring open dialogue, role-playing and video clips. They invite you to join them and the members
of their church for this special service - and to play an active role in the
conversation.
Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org). “Rising Above Bullying…” will be presented in
the church’s Friendship Hall.
Lot of Singin’ to Do” - Pacific Men’s Chorale in Concert
play,(You know it, you know it!)
Places to go, people to see!
Everything (Yeah!)
For you and me!
of livin’ to do!”
Bye irdie)
“a lot of singin’ to do” and you have the celebrated songsters of the Pacific
Men’s Chorale in concert at the United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM). Led by Christopher Allen and accompanied by
Valerie Victor, the Chorale will present music ranging from “Black is the Color
of My True Love’s Hair” to “Ching A Ring Chaw,” “Joshua!” and “Feeling Good.”
music of Vivaldi (“Et in Terra Pax”) and Blind Gary Davis (“Keep Your Lamps!”)
and songs from Bye, Bye Birdie and Les Miserables, along with “My America,”
“The Sound of Pipe and Drum” and “Bring Him Home.”
concert will be at 7:00pm, Friday, May 18, 2012 in the church sanctuary. UCCLM is located at 5940 Kelton Avenue, La
Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org). All are welcome! A free will offering will be taken.
PTSD Awareness Adventure 2012
Sharing the Story of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:
Across the US by Bike - La Mesa, CA to White River Junction, VT in 117 Days
At 9:00am, Saturday, March 10, 2012 the people of the United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM) will bless and send off US Army veteran and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) sufferer, Tom Skinner and his son Parry on a cross-country bike ride to raise awareness of PTSD. Accompanying them as they travel from La Mesa to White River Junction, VT, home of the National Center for PTSD, will be Scrubbs, Tom’s service dog. The 117 day journey, much of it on Old Highway 66, is commissioned by UCCLM’s Welcome Home Ministries and will provide Tom opportunities to share his presentation, “What Comes after Welcome Home” at colleges, universities, churches and veterans’ organizations throughout America. His mission is to use his experiences to help other veterans understand and recognize the signs, symptoms and effects of PTSD, and then to help them find the resources they need to cope with its effects and live happy productive lives.
Bike riders from the community are invited to join in a send-off ride (UCCLM to La Mesa’s City Hall then to Performance Bicycle on La Mesa Blvd and back to the church). The staff of Performance Bicycle will be in the church parking lot from 8:00 through 9:00 am to offer free tune-ups for cyclists accompanying the Skinners on the send-off ride.
Learn more about Tom, Parry, Scrubbs, PTSD and the Awareness Adventure at http://www.understandingPTSD.org.
We invite you to share the grand sendoff with us. UCCLM is located at 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa 91942 (619-464-1519, office@ucclm.sdcoxmail.com).
UCCLM Presents Covenant of Grace, a Lenten Cantata
The Chancel Choir of the United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM) invites you to experience the compelling beauty of Joseph M. Martin’s cantata, Covenant of Grace, at our 11:00am worship service Sunday, March 25, 2012. Covenant, a testimony to God’s faithfulness and redeeming work, celebrates with stories, hymns and anthems the promises made to Abraham and David and their fulfillment in Christ Jesus.
All are welcome! UCCLM, an open and affirming congregation, is located at 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org).
Lenten Programs, United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM)
A Spiritual Journey Leading to the Celebration of the Resurrection of Life in Christ
Sunday Morning Worship Services, February 26 – March 25
9am Service (Friendship Hall)
11am Service (Sanctuary)
Drawing on the teachings of the Old and New Testaments, The Koran and Buddhism, the services will follow the theme “Planting Covenant, Growing Faith” with sermons centered on “The Rainbow Covenant,” “Abraham’s Covenant,” “Covenants of Living Faithfully,” “Creation’s Covenant” and “A New Covenant.”
Sunday Evening Lenten Programs, February 26 through March 25, 2012
Starting with the ancient tradition of walking the labyrinth, participants will immerse themselves in five spiritual disciplines:
February 26 – “Walking the Labyrinth”
March 4 – “Moving to the Center and Living There”
March 11 – “Many Pathways of Faith”
March 18 – “Guided Imagery Prayer”
March 25 – “Music of the Spirit”
Each Sunday’s program will start with a simple soup supper at 6pm (Friendship Hall).
Holy Week-Easter Services
Holy Week, the seven days beginning with Palm Sunday that pave the road to Easter, is the most solemn week in the Christian Year. Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday - and Easter Sunday, each a step in our journey with Jesus, draw us into the very heart and soul of our faith.
Palm Sunday, April 1
9am Service, Friendship Hall; 11am Service, Sanctuary (Theme – “Covenant of the People”)
Maundy Thursday, April 5
6pm – Stone Soup Supper (bring cooked vegetables for soup)
7pm – “Tests of Faith,” a service of dialogue and prayer in Friendship Hall
Good Friday, April 6
Noon – “Absence and Anticipation,” a service of restoration in the Sanctuary
Easter Sunday, April 8
10am Service – Sanctuary (Theme – “Life Rising”)
The people of UCCLM invite you to join them on the journey. The church is located at 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org). UCCLM is an Open and Affirming Congregation – ALL are welcome!
Ready or Not: Disaster Survival Seminar
Presented by Delta Kappa Gamma Society
at the
The United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM)
Are you prepared for disaster? Equipped for survival? Know what to do, what to have ready to use in the event of a flood, tornado, hurricane, earthquake or volcanic eruption? In the face of nuclear, biological and chemical hazards? An epidemic? Problems caused by our crumbling infrastructure? Terrorism?
No? Susan Conniry and Tom Beasley, authors of Ready or Not: A Disaster Survival Handbook, can help.
Delta Kappa Gamma, an international society for women educators, invites you to meet Susan and Tom, who will share their preparedness expertise in a seminar covering such survival topics as shelter, water, fire, food, sanitation, first aid and essential supplies for home, “grab and go” pack and car.
The seminar will be held at 9:30am, Saturday, February 11, 2012 at the United Church of Christ of La Mesa, 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org). A continental breakfast will be served at 9:30, followed by the authors’ presentation at 10:00.
No charge. Please RSVP by February 8 – to Patty Bender, 619-463-3385 or pbenderec@aol.com.
Christmas Week Services at the United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM)
7:00pm Christmas Eve - Come…Worship with us…Celebrate with us…Await the coming Babe of Bethlehem with us…A coffee and cookies gathering will follow.
10:00am Christmas Day…Share the beauty and warmth of this season of joy as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Everyone welcome!
UCCLM, an Open & Affirming Congregation, is located at 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org).
UCCLM Presents “Tapestry of Light” - A Celtic Christmas Celebration
The Chancel Choir of the United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM) invites you to rejoice with them in the music of Christmas – traditional carols from the British Isles, angelic acclamations and delicate lullabies woven together with the scriptures and stories of the season into the wondrous “Tapestry of Light,” a cantata by Joseph M. Martin. A Celtic consort of flute, violin, cello, percussion and piano will accompany the vocal ensemble.
“Tapestry” will be presented at the 11:00am service on Sunday, December 18, 2011. All are welcome. UCCLM, an Open and Affirming Congregation, is located at 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org).
Pacific Men’s Chorale Presents Christmas Concert at UCCLM
“Jubilate Deo…Shout with joy to God.” Heeding the opening charge of Psalm 65, the celebrated songsters of the Pacific Men’s Chorale will share the glorious music of Christmas in a concert in the sanctuary of the United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM) at 7:00pm on December 9, 2011. Directed by Christopher Allen and accompanied by Valerie Victor, they will sing such beloved favorites as “Adeste Fideles,” “Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella,” “Enatus Est Emmanuel,” “On This Shining Night,” “Silver Bells,” “Still, Still, Still” and “Some Children See Him.”
Come, celebrate the season with them. Bring your family, neighbors and friends. The church is located at 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org). A freewill offering will be collected.
Fair Trade Holiday Sale at UCCLM
Mark your calendars! The youth of the United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM) are once again hosting a Fair Trade Holiday Sale in the church’s Friendship Hall. Handmade gifts - jewelry, kitchen and decorative items, accessories, food, etc. - from around the world will be featured, along with crafts and food items offered by church members and, special this year, the Hmong crafts of “Mama” Houa. And, if we don’t have exactly what you want, a SERRV catalog will be available to use. A marvelous opportunity to shop for gifts that give back to our community and the world, the sale will be held Saturday, November 19, 2011 from 10am to 4pm and Sunday the 20th between church services (visitors are welcome to attend the 9am contemporary service and/or the 11am traditional one).
UCCLM is located at 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org).
UCCLM Celebrates World Communion Sunday
On Sunday, October 2, 2011, the people of the United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM) will join with Christians throughout the world in remembering with bread and cup that they are part of a whole - a global community of faith. You are invited to celebrate with us. We are an Open and Affirming congregation - all are welcome! 9am Contemporary Service; 11am Traditional Service. 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org).
Charley Brown Fall Festival
Bring your little ones to the Charley Brown Children’s Center’s Annual Fall Festival for a ghoulish good time! Featuring a costume parade, door prizes and children’s games and activities, the festival will run from 6:00 to 7:30pm (parade at 7:15), Friday, October 28, 2011. There’s something for everyone and fun for all – and no charge for participation! Pizza, drinks, popcorn and baked goods will be offered for sale. A community service of the United Church of Christ of La Mesa, the Center is located at 5921 Jackson Drive, La Mesa, CA 91942.
UCCLM E-Waste Recycling Program
Got E-Waste? Obsolete computers, monitors, laptops, TVs, printers, cell phones, faxes, VCR & DVD players, stereos, cameras, etc. (working or not) cluttering your closets? Taking your car’s rightful place in the garage? Here’s your chance to “clean house!”
Load ‘em up! Bring to the parking lot of the United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM), 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 between 10am and 4pm, Saturday, October 8, 2011. No drop-off fee. Proceeds benefit the church and Mother Earth!
Homecoming/Christian Education Sunday
United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM)
Homecoming Sunday, a much loved annual event of the United Church of Christ of La Mesa, will be held at 10:00am, September 11, 2011. Kicking off an exciting new season of Fall programs and classes, it is a day to welcome and connect with friends old and new, celebrate the return of the Chancel Choir and honor UCCLM’s young people and teachers. A reception in Friendship Hall will follow the worship service.
We invite you to check us out. You’ll receive an extravagant welcome at “The Church Where the Front Pews Fill First!”
The church is located at 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org.)
Celebrating a Summer of Poetry and Faith
“Poetry is frosted fire,” declared J. Patrick Lewis, the U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate, who, by “celebrating the love of language,” seeks to “start fires in the minds of children.”
The worship of the United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM), has a similar goal – stoking the fire of faith. This summer (July 17 through September 3), both our 11:00am traditional and 9:00am contemporary services will feature poetry, employing the richness of its language to complement scripture, music and message and create a worship experience in which, in Terri Guillemets’ words, “…your prayer can be poetry; poetry, your prayer.”
All are welcome! Come as you are – casual is great! - to either service (and the shared Friendship Hour between them). The church is located at 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org).
La Mesa, California and UCCLM – Reliving Shared History
Sunday, July 31, 2011
A brand new housing development, scores of young families starting new lives far from home and friends and a fledgling church which held services in its recently ordained pastor’s living room - that was, for many, life in the northwest stretch of La Mesa, California, the part now ZIP-coded 91942, in the 50s.
Those young parents are now grandparents and great-grandparents and the community they built thrives, as does their house of worship, the United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM). They have a great story to tell, a story of continuing community involvement, growth, inclusiveness and extravagant welcome!
The people of UCCLM, including several of its founding members, invite you to join them for a special worship service at 10am Sunday, July 31, a service in which memories of the church and the city of La Mesa will be shared, among them the establishment of Charley Brown Children’s Center, the building of the present church and the congregation’s roll in acquiring sidewalks, community medical transportation and a hospital.
The church is located at 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org
UCCLM Presents a Celebration of Song
“With a voice of singing declare ye this, and let it be heard, Alleluia.”
Celebrating the joy of song, San Diego’s Pacific Men’s Chorale, directed by Chris Allen and accompanied by Valerie Victor, will appear in concert at the United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM) at 7:00pm, Friday, June 10, 2011. They invite you to come celebrate with them.
In addition to Martin Shaw’s “With a Voice of Singing,” their offerings will range from “Toccata of Praise” to “I Got Shoes” and from “I Only Have Eyes for You” to “Shall We Gather at the River” and “There’s Nothing Like a Dame.” A free will offering will be collected.
The church is located at 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org).
Youth Sunday – Sharing Our Stories, “Doing Church” Our Way
It WON’T be your grandmother’s worship service. It WILL be creative and meaningful, reflecting the personalities, interests and points of view of the young people of the United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM). And, in keeping with the congregation’s tradition of cherishing the best of what has been, is and is “in the works,” it will feature their stories of faith, friendship and service – and their dreams. “Sharing the limelight” will be UCCLM’s new Children’s Choir - and “a number of fun surprises.”
This special service will be held in the church’s Friendship Hall at 10am, May 22, 2011. All are welcome!
UCCLM is located at 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org).
An Altar in the World – New Book Study at UCCLM
Walking…working…paying attention…encountering others…In An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith, Barbara Brown Taylor introduces readers to the sacred in daily life; the beauty and wonder in ordinary sights, sounds, contacts and tasks; the joy of living with purpose and being present to God.
Join the members of the Sunday Morning Live study group in reading Altar and “encountering God far beyond the walls of the church” – 9:15am, Sundays starting April 17, 2011, in the Library at the United Church of Christ of La Mesa, 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org, office@ucclm.sdcoxmail.com).
Everyone welcome!
Exploring the Bible, UCCLM Style
Got questions about the Bible? Explore them with others desiring to delve into historical, cultural, linguistic and theological aspects of “The Good Book.” Examine multiple translations; consider applications of scripture to daily life; gain insight from the thoughts, questions and doubts of others – “old hands” and “newbies” alike – and from role-playing and other creative approaches.
Join Rev. Dr. Bill Peterson and the people of the United Church of Christ of La Mesa each Wednesday at 6:30pm. Everyone is welcome. Bring your Bible (any version), your ideas and your questions. The church is located at 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619-464-1519, www.ucclm.org, office@ucclm.sdcoxmail.com).
POTHOLES, DETOURS AND TOOLBOOTHS: Stepping-Stones on the Road to Faith
Mary Domb Mikkelsons Monthly Column In Joys & Concerns
Potholes, Detours and Tollbooths: Stepping-Stones on the Road to Faith
...a monthly column of poetry, prose and personal perspective
by Mary Domb Mikkelson
Make Way! In Matthew 22:15-22 an unholy cartel of Pharisees and Herodians sets out to trap Jesus, to inveigle him into either discrediting himself with his followers by supporting the payment of taxes to Rome or, conversely, to label himself a revolutionary - and subject to immediate execution - by challenging them. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?” But Jesus was not to be ensnared. “’You hypocrites,’ he said, ‘why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.’ They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, ‘Whose image is this? And whose inscription?’ “‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. “Then he said to them, ‘So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’”1 Those coins, much hated by the Jews, kept Caesar always present, a constant reminder of subjugation and a denial of the presence – and preeminence - of God. One interpretation of Jesus’ response is that what goes to Caesar is only what is already his and, in the Jews’ eyes, worthless; what goes to God is all that one is and has, one’s very self – a self made in God’s image. The radical, subversive Jesus at work. An ancient Jewish midrash holds that wherever a man goes, he is preceded by a host of angels proclaiming, “Make way for the image of God.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu added that “an angel walks in front of every person, no matter man or woman, young or old, straight or gay, black or white or brown, Jew or not” and added, “…we forget this…about others…about ourselves.” As I thought on this my mind wandered to recent headlines – the killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida, in particular, and of Shaima Alawadi so close to home in El Cajon, but also the continuing slaughter of innocents in war zones, homes and streets throughout the world; attacks on gays and women’s rights; the tasteless (a far too mild adjective) e-mail condemnations of people and things political (or religious or…); sex trafficking; the battles over health insurance and immigration policy; even – or maybe especially – the denigration of another’s God and separation from those who believe differently. So many images of God for whom others have not made way. What, I found myself wondering, might the world…the church…our lives be like if we made way for God’s image in everyone. We might see God in the youth seeking a job, the immigrant seeking a future – and find a way to help, letting them discover God in us. We might see God in the homeless man “working the sign” at the stoplight near our home and, as Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote about the man starving in Capri, know “his hunger as my own”2 – and, by not turning away, free the God in ourselves. We might find God in the countenance behind the hijab or touch the face of God when we “pass the peace” with the thorn in our side. We might reveal God by being “pro” rather than “anti,” bringing God’s image to bear on matters of peace, justice and equality. Showing forth the image of God, we might fill emptiness with hope, darkness with light, life with love. Why, we might even, in the words of the late Rev. Archie Hargraves,3 recognize that as we are in the presence of God “it is past time for squabbles, past time for holding onto the slights and hurts that come our way as we seek to be the church…past time for holding onto things just because we’ve always done it that way or because we’re afraid to love as God calls us to love.” And, by doing so, illuminate the face of God on the body of Christ. In “The Tragedy I Preach” by the Canadian metal band Kataklysm the lyrics remind us to “Make way…for all the dreams that can be held. Make way…for all minds that can be fed.” Seems to me those two say it all. Do them and, again in the words of Edna St. Vincent Millay, “The soul can split the sky in two and let the face of God shine through.”4 __________ 1 Quotes from The Holy Bible, New International Version 2 “Renascence” 3 Presbyterina minister, New Jersey - from his last sermon at the Presbytery of Newark 4 “Renascence”
Rev. Bill’s column on “Passing the Torch” (March 2012) has been sticking in my craw - not because it upset me; quite the opposite, in fact, as a comment of mine initiated it. “Growing our own successors” is a topic dear to my heart.
But…
All of the help and preparation in the world won’t produce a truly involved successor - or church - without the yeast of passion. And passion, it seems, when it comes to our faith and our relationship with God, is harder for us to share.
It’s easy enough for me, for example, to do thirty minutes on why the science fair is the greatest thing since sliced bread - or should I update that to “since gene therapy?” It’s equally easy to share my excitement about writing and what it gives me. I’m getting better at making known that which fuels my passion for God and God’s church, but talking about it face to face? Sharing the story of my faith journey? In Sunday school? In Church? With visitors?
A recent meeting led by Rachel Held Evans, a vital voice of the Millennial and Gen-X generations, encouraged me to examine matters more closely. Millenials and Gen-Xers are notable for staying away from church in droves. From church, yes, Evans stressed, but not from seeking God. They are eager, she declared, for those who have found faith to share it; to speak of it with passion; to claim, live and communicate their connection with God; to, in effect, “plunge into the promise of God and come up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he said.” (Romans 4:20, The Message).
Kenneth L. Samuel, pastor of Victory for the World Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia, expressed my struggle well when he prayed, “Dear God, please help me to love you and your mission personally and publicly; outwardly and inwardly; verbally and viscerally. Help my actions and my intentions to be pleasing in your sight. Amen.”
Personally, inwardly, viscerally, I mused, that’s easy. You’ve got it, God. But publicly, outwardly, verbally?
The word testimony raised its head. I thought briefly of Nicely Nicely. Remember him? Remember the dozen “genuine sinners,” gamblers all, Nathan Detroit dragged to Sister Sarah’s mission in Guys & Dolls? Asked to offer “testament,” they reluctantly rattled off a few stock and patently phony phrases - “I’m a gambler. I know it’s wrong. I won’t do it again.” All but Nicely Nicely, whose testimony was the rousing “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.” No more sincere but a wow of a song! He, at least, got the idea; shout it out, brother!
I’ve been in churches where public testimony is standard operating procedure - LDS wards, for example, where the truth of the faith is routinely affirmed. Old-fashioned tent meetings, too, where gratitude for God’s works (“He took away my craving for drink; praise God!”) resound. Effectual …but not, I think, for me.
And yet, I’m the gal who came to UCCLM happy to claim an intellectual faith – then slipped through a thin space and connected with God. My journey has been anything but dull! But how to share it in…in, I almost said, appropriate UCC fashion? Whoa! Think, Mary…what’s that old saw about “If you’ve seen one UCC church, you’ve seen one UCC church?” Keep it in mind!
What, I wondered, would…should...our testimony to seekers be?
I had no more given voice to the concept of testimony than it was everywhere.
Quoting John 1:34, “I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God,” Ron Buford of Boston’s Old South Church, wrote “You, too, have holy moments to share. Do you recognize and capture these moments or toss them away? Reclaim them” and prayed for the “courage to write or verbalize a testimony to my encounter with you.”
Then a delightful book, God in My Life: Faith Stories & How & Why We Share Them, found its way into my hands. That’s published by Pilgrim Press, folks and is UCC to the core. Even the Foreword, by Valerie Tutson, grabs you – “This is just what we need – a book that presents people’s faith journeys to the world…I have experienced firsthand the power that comes in remembering one’s story, the sense of joy, satisfaction and connection that comes from telling that story to another and having it received.” As for the stories – wow! If I hadn’t already found my way to UCC, I’d be pounding on the door.
So, what’s my story?
God, I’ve found, is a cunning so-and-so, rather like singer Tom T. Hall’s “dancin’, wigglin’, hissin’, gigglin’, kissin’ Sneaky Snake,” who “sneaks up behind you and drinks all your root beer…” before you even realize he’s there. I don’t remember when I first realized God was there – THERE meaning HERE, right here by me, constantly with me, working inside me, nudging me in strange, challenging, scary new directions. I mean I didn’t just wake up one morning and spot God. Oh, no…it took a lot of new paths opening before me, paths that led me closer and closer to what God hoped for me, before I recognized what was happening, realized who was calling my name. And, even after I caught on, my decorous side kept me, well, decorous. Then it happened. Sitting in the Columbarium Chapel, thinking, indirectly praying, I found myself fully aware of God…fully aware, fully with God. And God has stayed with me. I knew, of course, that God always was, but now I KNOW it and it excites me to see where next we’ll travel together. Oh, the things God and those who serve God have gotten me into! Life is good. God is good. All the time.
A friend wrote to me recently, quoting a passage from Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love - “I’m not interested in insurance…I’m tired of being a skeptic…I just want God.” - and concluding, “That’s where I am these days – couldn’t care less whether God can be proved.”
Amen!
Okay, folks, that’s my testimony, my UCC testimony of a faith journey par excellence. Now, what’s yours?
I’ve been thinking about our vital church and how we can succeed in this changing world...
One of my favorite Christmas presents this past year was a pair of memory foam pillows. They’re funny looking things, rather like rippled potato chips with ridges for the neck and hollows for the head. Attired in pillow cases they resemble youngsters togged out in ungainly hand-me-downs. But, oh, one night on one (make that five minutes) and their true beauty is revealed. They FIT you, molding themselves gently to your contours, changing with you as, enjoying their comfort and support, you settle in for the night. Come morning and they mushroom into refreshed fullness, ready to meet new needs at the end of day.
As I thought on this my writer’s imagination took flight, picturing a memory foam church, a revitalized church flexible and supportive enough to embrace the needs of all who enter – or can be enticed to enter; one caring enough to give tradition an honorable retirement and open its heart, its doors and its arms to the searcher, the spiritually hungry, the unchurched, the outsider.
And, in the process, save itself from the trauma of finding a “Church for Sale” sign outside those doors. Think it can’t happen? I’ve attended five churches in my 57 years in San Diego. Two of them are now closed, one quite recently. These aren’t oddities, unfortunately. As reported in 2003 in “Twentysomethings Struggle to Find Their Place in Christian Churches” (http://www.barna.org), 3500 – 4000 churches close their doors each year. Pretty scary statistic, especially when coupled with two others conveyed in the same report: 1) half of all churches last year did not add one new member through conversion growth and 2) churches lose an estimated 2,765,000 people each year to nominalism and secularism.
I, for one, don’t want find myself turning out the lights – or posting the for sale sign - when my church closes its doors. I want it to be there long after I am, alive and kicking, loving and serving – filled to overflowing with people of all ages, interests and backgrounds, meeting ever-changing and ever more challenging needs. I want it, in the words of Lutheran Bishop Mike Reinhart, “to care as much about those outside the church as it does those inside…to embrace relevance and let go of survival.” “Let go of survival:” a contradiction in terms? Not when “survival” means desperately clinging to a picture perfect past that, quite possibly, never really existed.
Might a memory foam church be the answer?
If I read Bishop Reinhart correctly, it just might. At least it’s an intriguing option to consider, a
thought-provoking concept on which to base discussion and change. Postulating that “the world…is desperately in need of a church that offers a Way of peace, truth, compassion and hope” and “leaders willing to risk comfort, status and economic security for the life of the world and the outreach potential of the church (a church that looks less like the Pharisees’ religion and more like Jesus’ ministry),” he concludes that “It needs a church that is willing to sacrifice everything for those outside: buildings, budgets, sacred cows, traditions, structures. It needs a church that so loves the world, that she’d be willing to die for it.” And that, he continues, would involve making “every decision, every single decision made by staff, council and every committee…on behalf of those not yet here; every sermon choice, every hymn, song and musical choice, every building and grounds choice, every spending choice…with outsiders in mind.”
Big order…frightening in its comprehensiveness, inspiring in the breadth of its potential. Bringing us back to memory foam.
Memory foam, developed under contract by NASA’s Ames Research Center, softens in reaction to body heat, allowing it to quickly mold to a warm body - without destroying its physical integrity (think of those memory foam mattress commercials). That – molding itself to those seeking its comfort – seems a worthwhile goal for an evolving church.
Picture it, envision an outwardly oriented, always outreaching church. Picture multiple services, manifold programs, age and youth joined in service and faith. Imagine new, different, daring, even in-your-face agendas and promotion…music that speaks to today’s generation and evolves to attract tomorrow’s…classes that bring biblical living to life…food, clothing, shelter and aid to those in need (yes, right there in the church!)…religion that puts on its grubbies and boots and goes to work...religion that isn’t afraid of the big E word.
In other words, picture a church with the motto, “Carpe diem.” Think of it in memory foam terms – responding to and with the warmth of humanity, shaping itself to need, cushioning all who come with God’s love, following the teachings of the Christ.
Isaiah 2
Climb God's Mountain
The Message Isaiah got regarding Judah and Jerusalem:
There's a day coming when the mountain of God's House will be The Mountain— solid, towering over all mountains.
All nations will river toward it, people from all over set out for it.
They'll say, "Come, let's climb God's Mountain, go to the House of the God of Jacob.
He'll show us the way he works so we can live the way we're made."
Zion's the source of the revelation. God's Message comes from Jerusalem.
He'll settle things fairly between nations. He'll make things right between many peoples.
They'll turn their swords into shovels, their spears into hoes.
No more will nation fight nation; they won't play war anymore.
Come, family of Jacob, let's live in the light of God.
The Memory Foam Church
by Mary Domb Mikkelson
Continuing the Conversation
“God called us into being with a word and chose to continue the conversation.”
That sentence, from my minister daughter’s Statement of Faith couldn’t have annexed my attention at a worse time: I was packing for vacation, for Pete’s sake, primed for relaxation rather than rumination. Nor, for that matter, I was forced to concede, could it have appeared at a better time: January loomed and the two “guiding star” words I had drawn on Epiphany Sunday last were demanding an accounting. What had I done about “Prayer” and “Respect,” other than attach them to my file cabinet with magnets?
At the time of the blind drawing one star had made me cringe while the other seemed rather a dubious choice. Further reflection led me to the glum conclusion that discomfort and doubt were excellent starting places – and that maybe that was the whole idea. Okay, so be it.
I put “Respect” on a back burner after a friend griped that I got off easy by being charged to achieve something “you’re already good at.” It refused to stay there. “Prayer,” on the other hand, I knew to be a weakness, at least as conventionally defined and practiced. The problem with that proviso, it turned out, is that it festers merrily away in the deep recesses of the mind, “stirring the pot” until it bubbles over - God continuing the conversation.
Karen (the Rev. Dr. Karen Sue Hybertsen)’s Statement continued by describing God as “both incomprehensible mystery and a voice in the night seeking us out even when we turn away. We struggle with this call,” she explains, “turning from those who are different, refusing to respect each person for what God made them to be…(letting) fear drive us to exclude what we do not understand. And yet God remains, calling us to turn, in the words of the Shaker hymn, ‘until we come round right and see each one as they are seen in God’s sight.’”
Respect for those of different backgrounds, different beliefs, different orientations is one thing; recognize that God is God by whatever name can make “made in God’s image” a given. But when the differences are of outlook and manner? When another’s wishes threaten your dream? When personalities or values clash? When others’ certainties disallow your own? When you are confronted? Scorned? What then?
Surely, God, you didn’t make THEM that way, didn’t call them to use words as bludgeons or, worse, as, in Rudyard Kipling’s words, humankind’s “most powerful drug.”
What’s that, God? Your children? As they are? Even as I am? Okay…okay…alright, already…I’ll work on it! Keep talking to me – and them, please; we need all the help we can get.
Which brings me to “Prayer” which, I suspect, those last words were! I’m not on my knees (well, at least physically), my eyes are open but not fixed on the rood, my words aren’t formulaic – or humble and I’m feeling anything but spiritual. But…
Once, during pastoral counseling soon after my husband died, I was offered carte blanche to yell at my pastor (and God). I didn’t take him up on it, that not being “me,” but, like another Mary, I “kept those things in my heart and pondered them.” And, gradually, began to come to terms with my unorthodox prayer life. If yelling at God, á la the psalmists, is “okay” then perhaps so are those odd times and places internal conversations that know no set schedule or pattern, meet no recognized guidelines. Not very scriptural, I’ve been told. No? What about going into one’s closet to pray? Need the closet be corporeal?
And, for that matter, I found myself thinking, need the conversation be verbal? On my part? On God’s part? I was nearing the heart of the matter, crossing a Rubicon in the process. While definitely taking me past a point of no return, my crossing, unlike that of Julius Caesar’s army, was not an act of insurrection. It was, rather, the recognition that God was and is a nudger par excellence, coming to us in the silence of our souls, opening paths, urging us forward – and that my conversations with God, however shaped, however experienced, are indeed prayer.
Back to those stars – and where they led me. Robert Frost spoke of “how way leads on to way” and concluded upon taking the less traveled road that “I doubted if I should ever come back.” That’s how I feel about my faith and the lessons – “Respect” and “Prayer,” for example - God whispers in the silence. The road taken “has made all the difference.” I’m in for the long haul; no turning back.
We’ll be receiving new stars soon, will be starting down new roads of self-discovery…wonder where mine will take me!
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Church Events
May 1, Tuesday
9:00 am BYOTools (Church Work Party)
Office Staff Meeting
6:30 pm Bible Study
May 3, Thursday
7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal
8:00 pm Worship Team
May 5, Saturday
8:30 am CBCC Board Meeting
5:00 pm Annual Auction
May 6, Sunday, Communion Sunday
7:45 am Sunday Morning Live!
8:30 am First Worship Service
9:30 am Friendship Time
10:00 am Second Worship Service
11:00 am Friendship Time
Boards: Christian Education, Mission & Outreach
May 7, Monday
9:30 am Visitation Team
7:00 pm Bone-A-fieD Brass
May 8, Tuesday
9:00 am BYOTools (Church Work Party)
Office Staff Meeting
6:30 pm Bible Study
May 9, Wednesday
7:00 pm Church Council
May 10, Thursday
7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal
8:00 pm Worship Team
May 11, Friday
10:00 am Prayers and Squares
May 12, Saturday
May 13, Sunday, Mother's Day
7:45 am Sunday Morning Live!
8:30 am First Worship Service
9:30 am Friendship Time
10:00 am Second Worship Service
11:00 am Friendship Time
May 14, Monday
9:30 am Visitation Team
7:00 pm Bone-A-fieD Brass
May 15, Tuesday
9:00 am BYOTools (Church Work Party)
Office Staff Meeting
6:30 pm Bible Study
May 17, Thursday
5:00 pm CBCC Graduation
7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal
8:00 pm Worship Team
May 18, Friday
6:00 pm Pacific Men's Chorale Concert?
May 20, Sunday,UCCLM Vision & Voice Deadline
7:45 am Sunday Morning Live!
8:30 am First Worship Service
9:30 am Friendship Time
10:00 am Second Worship Service
11:00 am Friendship Time
May 21, Monday
9:30 am Visitation Team
7:00 pm Bone-A-fieD Brass
May 22, Tuesday
9:00 am BYOTools (Church Work Party)
Office Staff Meeting
6:30 pm Bible Study
May 24, Thursday
7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal
Trustees
8:00 pm Worship Team
May 25, Friday
10:00 am Prayers and Squares
May 27, Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, Strengthen the Church Mission Offering
7:30 am Sunday Morning Live!
8:30 am First Worship Service
9:30 am Friendship Time
10:00 am Second Worship Service
11:00 am Friendship Time
7:30 pm Drama Group
May 28, Monday, Memorial Day (office closed)
May 29, Tuesday
9:00 am BYOTools (Church Work Party)
Office Staff Meeting
6:30 pm Bible Study
May 30, Wednesday
7:30 pm Diaconate
May 31, Thursday
7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal
8:00 pm Worship Team