November 18, 2011
“This life, therefore, is not godliness but the process of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are on the way. The process is not yet finished but it is actively going on. This is not the goal but it is a true path. At present everything does not gleam and sparkle but everything is being cleansed.” (Luther)
The Baha’i Assembly of Danville and I-SRV invite you to our annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Eve Celebration at Peace on Wednesday, November 23 at 7:00 pm. You may bring canned good for our county Food Bank and Shelter, Inc. will receive our offering for the evening. The music and prayers of the evening always mark how special it is that we can share our gratitude with friends of other faith traditions. All are welcome!
Our Church Council will share a special report at worship this Sunday.
Kaleo and Elise Ching invite you to join them at 9:15 on Sunday for a brief practice and grounding for our Abba Chi Prayer which we will pray again in worship.
Your Giving Cards can be submitted this Sunday during worship.
Please keep in your prayers: Kersti Malvre, Diana Keller, Lisa, Sheila, Stacey Morris, Bronwyn, Fidel and Heidi, those grieving, the hungry, the homeless and the least among us.
About a dozen women came together for our first Quarterly Women and Moms of Peace Gathering. After tasty desserts Pr. Margareta shared reflections on Loved by God….but – Struggling to keep my own Strength. The real life context of the conversation made it a powerful contribution for all who attended. Another 6 – 8 people sent regrets. My favorite was: ‘I’d love to come but can’t because –that’s why I need this…..I am overextended!’
Hospice of the East Bay and Bev Harms invite you to brighten the Contra Costa sky during the holiday season by honoring the life of someone you know with a gift for a light on the hospice Tree of Light. Information pamphlets are available in our Gathering Hall. The ceremony at Blackhawk is on December 2 at 5:00 pm.
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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November 10, 2011
Friends:
“Anyone who thinks he (or she) is too small to make a difference has never been in bed with a mosquito.” (Gandhi)
This Sunday we will celebrate Stewarding the Mysteries of God. If you think you are too small to make a difference, you have never read the Bible!
Congratulations to April and Matt Rasmussen on the birth of Isadora Juliet! Everyone is doing fine. What a joyful blessing from God!
A marvelous event for the Women and Mom’s of Peace is happening next week: Loved by God – but…Struggling to Keep my own Strength. As women of faith we believe we are loved by God – but….the demands of life often drain us of our energy and happiness. At the first of our Women/Mom’s of Peace Quarterly Gatherings, Pr. Margareta will teach us specific spiritual and psychological ways to keep and nurture our strength. She will also share stories and examples of how we can take good care of ourselves. Learn : How to say No; How to Work to Live and not live to work; How to be as Kind to Yourself as you are to others….and more. Enjoy the company of friends, simple desserts and the refreshment of your spirit. Child care will be available if requested. You are a temple of the Holy Spirit…. let the Spirit renew you with the grace and peace you need. Feel free to invite friends who aren’t members of Peace. Wednesday, November 16, 7:00 pm at Peace.
Please keep in your prayers: Diana Keller, Martha Mantei, Lois McGee, Kersti, the Hepner Family as they move eastward, those without food, shelter or employment.
This Sunday the Jazz Church West presents master pianist Glen Pearson at 5:00 pm. It promises to be a soulful serenade of the autumn spirit.
And on the subject of Jazz Church West, please take a few minutes to listen To “Sing Out” a Jazz Vespers original composition written by Clairdee and Ken French for Peace Lutheran Church. Beautiful.
As we look ahead toward Advent, here’s a word from Pr. Anita:
The annual Gingerbread House Decorating Party for Peace Kids and Families has become a much anticipated Advent tradition at Peace over the past five years. Over this time our kids have decorated between 140-160 gingerbread houses with at least a ton of candy (more or less!) and the walls of our gathering hall have rattled with laughter, creativity and wild wonderful mayhem. Good times! This year however we’re going to take a break from tradition so that instead of focusing so much time and effort in preparing for one day of fun for our children, we’ll be directing all our efforts into making children’s Sunday School extra special for the children during the three Sundays of December leading up to Christmas Day. Each Sunday during the regular Sunday School hour from 11:10-11:50 there will be activities, crafts, and special guests sure to be enjoyed by each of the little ones, ages 3 through 5th grade. I’ll be letting you know more as the time approaches but I just wanted to give everyone a heads up so that if your children aren’t already attending Sunday School, you can begin now to make plans to have them join us for these three special Sunday mornings.
Peace will host our annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Eve Service on Wednesday, November 23 at 7:00 pm. The Baha’i Assembly will be creating and leading the service. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet friends from among a variety of congregations, to pray and offer gratitude together. It will breathe life and joy into your Thanksgiving Day celebrations.
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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November 3, 2011
Friends:
“What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it, all the rest are not only useless but disastrous. We spend millions every minute on training people to kill and destroy and on bombs and missiles. But we spend hardly anything in comparison on teaching human beings the nature of life and death nor on helping them, when they come to die, to face and understand what is happening to them. What a sad situation, how revealing of our ignorance and lack of true love for ourselves and each other!” (Thomas Merton, Monk)
November 6 is All Saints Sunday at which time we remember those who have died during this past year. Our faith embraces every moment of life and beyond or as Dana Squire likes to say, “The church is here for those who are hatched, matched, patched and dispatched.” We pray for those who grieve; we rejoice in resurrecting promises.
This is the Time when Walls are Falling Down! What a Reformation! Aren’t we blessed by the richness and depth of our Clergy! Pr. Anita – “If there was a Straight Pill, I would not take it”; Pr. Margareta – no female clergy existed when she received her calling…despite rejection by male clergy she discovered a path to ordination; Seminarian Brenda Bos – “as people of faith we need to risk living beyond the pretense of a color-blind world”….and Pr. Elizabeth has a strong and large class reading the whole Bible! In addition our thanks to Jim Griesemer and Sue Field for the wonderful dulcimer music and song. Keep your eyes open – don’t look for things you’ve seen before. From the Arab Spring to the American Autumn – this is the time when walls are falling down.
For Reformation Kaleo choreographed an “Abba Chi Kung” – a chi movement sequence that embodies the Lord’s Prayer in sacred movement. The ease and flow of these movements within the stillness of the whole congregation graced us with a quiet, centering power. We will continue to use and learn our new “Abba Chi Kung” with Elise and Kaleo on Nov 20, Dec 18, and Jan 8. You are encouraged to practice it in your garden, at the beach or among the Redwood trees. When we are comfortable with this prayer we may do a short video of the congregation on a Sunday morning during service and put it on the internet. Aren’t you glad to be reforming!
2017 will mark the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. Special plans have already begun in Europe. Germany began a 10 year count down four years ago with Special Themes marking each of the years. Karl Pfeiffer is keeping us aware of a variety of ways to celebrate, educate and enact the Reforming Movement.
The results of the secret ballot following our Hospitality Hour arrived and it was decided… Pr. Anita has been elected our Halloween Queen!
The Women of Peace and the Mom’s Group (now coordinated by Grace Cavallaro and Sheila Chiarelli) will share an evening together on Wednesday, November 16 at Peace. More details to come.
The Partnership Committee has sent $500 to our friends in Nicaragua to help alleviate the suffering there after the flooding catastrophe.
Spoon Jackson sent a letter thanking us for our prayers, encouraging our healing prayer work (“of which love is the chief component”), and informing us that he has completed a Libretto for Stefan Safsten. We now have a copy of his book “By Heart” in our library.
Please keep in your prayers: Kersti, Mary (Linda’s sister), Lisa, those who are grieving, the unemployed, Nicaraguan friends, those in prison, those who pray for us.
All Nite Soul: John Calloway’s incredible band on Sunday evening gave us entrance to Latin Music Nirvana. What a profound and delightful celebration. One guest said, “I am 68, I grew up in Manhattan, I’ve been going to jazz clubs since I was 14 – including Birdland. I have lived in Europe and Cuba and heard the best jazz but tonight was the finest night of jazz in my lifetime!” Master Guitarist Eddie Duran (at the mere age of 86) commented how we need music and dance to counter the difficult times we are in. We enjoyed a feast and face-painting as well. Thanks to our Jazz Team for their continued preparations and hosting. Too much joy, too much joy – if you have too much joy in your life you had best avoid the Jazz Church West.
World Community Day: Lois McGee invites you to “Living our Faith, Unlocking Action” which is sponsored by Church Women United and held at Peace this Saturday, November 5. Registration and coffee is at 9:30. The free program goes from 10 – 11:15 am. A Diabetes-related presentation by Virginia Smaelser, RN Health Educator at John Muir Hospital will also be presented. Join in!
BJ invites you to From Good to Great a workshop utilizing yoga and acupressure to build personal resilience…at Peace on November 12 from 10 – Noon. Click here to see the flier.
Someone asked: Why do you like jazz? The finest things in life have no reason or explanation. They penetrate, pulsate and reverberate from the inside out. Art, a child playing absent-mindedly, a madrone tree, a creek flowing, friends laughing, the incomprehensibility of this vast universe are all grace and pure bounty. God – especially God – has no why or wherefore or reason. The immensity of these blessings overwhelm our grasping minds but the joy they stir liberates the heart and births our souls alive. If you only want what ‘makes sense’ in life you will soon be shrunken by pettiness and despair. The best things in life are ‘unfounded’ – they cannot be comprehended only tasted and experienced. Like the space in between the stars – empty? Hardly…that dark space lets us see that nothing is ordinary. See the world through the Beloved’s eyes and you will see the Beloved’s face everywhere.
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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October 27, 2011
Friends:
“I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me, to see the beauty of the world through my own eyes.” (Sweet Honey in the Rock)
While it has been an intense season October has also been a month of incredible blessings for us: St. Francis Animal Blessing and Festival; the launching of another unique jazz season; the profound and immensely Healing Prayer Service; the insights of the Science and Religion event; the liberating WOW Service at Beth Chaim; the joyful celebration of Small and Tall with our children and families; the delightful addition of Seminarian Brenda Bos to Peace for this next year; and the anticipation of Reformation this Sunday….it’s hard to get much richer than this. God is gracious!
Our next Taize Contemplative Prayer is this Friday evening at 7:00 pm. Come gift yourself with beautiful chants, stillness and calm, scriptural insights and loving prayer. Invite family and friends to join you. We are publicizing this with many congregations in our Valley. Our thanks to the Healing Prayer Team for sponsoring Taize.
Sunday’s Adult Education Class will examine and discuss the Reforming Movements in the church today. You might have additional ones to contribute! Join us in the Gathering Hall or choose to join in Bible 365. Either way you will become wiser! (Note: Nursery Care is now available during the Education Hour for kids 3 and under…thanks to our teens!)
And this note from Pr. Anita: “This Sunday during the hospitality time we’ll be having our second annual more- sweets-than-you-should-ever-eat Halloween Snack-A-Rama! The theme for this year’s table, and yes, I like food with a focus, is “Spiders, Bats, and Pumpkins, O My!” You might want to consider a couple laps around Lafayette Reservoir or a hike to the top of Mt. Diablo before Sunday in preparation. See you then! “
It is unlikely that Martin Luther had Latin Jazz in mind when he envisioned the Reforming Church but that is what you get to experience this Sunday evening with All Nite Soul and John Calloway from 5:00 – 7:30 pm. John is an outstanding musician and person. You will love his flute playing creativity. If you want to bathe in happiness, improvisation, and soul-uplifting joy then come…..or you can sit at home and watch the news. Margit Johansson doesn’t even like jazz and she hasn’t missed a Jazz at Peace evening in 7 years. Be like Margit – be a cool Lutheran.
The Annual Meeting for the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County will take place on Sunday, November 6, 6:00 – 8:30 pm at St. John Vianney Catholic Church on 1650 Ygnacio Valley Rd. in Walnut Creek (across from John Muir Hospital). We will meet in the Mullen Commons. There will be an International-Theme Potluck Dinner – best eating on the planet. Bring something you enjoy. We’ll learn about the Winter Nights Program, hear about our ministry at Juvenile Hall and receive a report from Rev. Brian Stein-Webber. Carpooling from Peace can be arranged. Contact the office if you would like to attend.
Regarding Interfaith Relations: I suspect that interfaith dialogue begins with friendship. How much would I know about Sikhism if I had read it in a book – as opposed to hearing the music and chants of Amar and Sybomar Khalsa who have lead worship at Peace? This reminds me that I must continue to deepen connections so we can fuel our interfaith understanding and commitment with love and familiarity instead of merely with principles and a watery ‘ought-to.’” (comment from a friend of Peace)
Language makes a Difference: The term “bank teller” originated in the wake of the 1929 (Oct. 29) stock market crash, when banks began hiring low-paid workers to “tell” throngs of frantic depositors that their money was gone. At least they had the courage to tell people.
“Where there is mercy and discernment, there is neither excess nor hardness of heart.” Francis of Assisi
Keep Reforming, Pr. Steve
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October 22, 2011
Friends:
“By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies.” (Isaiah 30: 15)
“I doubt I will have an experience like this again until I enter heaven.” So said Pr. Margareta after last Sunday’s Healing Prayer Service. All present experienced a profound depth, an opening of the soul, an environment thick with the compassion we call grace. It was a pure blessing of the Spirit. God desires the healing of our hearts, the wholeness of our lives and the reconciliation of our world. The wounds of Christ are signs to us of God’s commitment to heal us – even through our own wounds. A strange path this Mystery of Christ and yet…. on Sunday, we felt the embrace of a grace which will never let us go. Thanks be to God.
Opportunities for Stillness: There are several ways at Peace to experience the stillness, calm and focus which ground our life and faith. 1) Taize Contemplative Prayer occurs on the 4th Friday of each month at 7:00 pm. The next one is October 28. This service is held in candle light with beautiful chants, scripture and a time of silence. The Healing Prayer Team sponsors Taize. 2) Meditation is held on Thursdays from 5:45 – 6:30. Feel free to drop in when you can. Instruction is available if desired. 3) A time of Retreat was suggested after last Sunday’s service. I will look into scheduling one for us. San Damiano, located in the hills of Danville offers a variety of Retreats throughout the year. Check our Kiosk for their offerings.
The Small and Tall Family Service will be celebrated this Sunday at 9:30. A wonderful blessing for our children, grandchildren and all our families!
Our thanks to the Science and Religion and Healing Prayer Teams for creating the afternoon with Dr. Marilyn Schlitz and the Contemplative Healing/Book Signing Party with Rev. Fran Geddes. Additional copies have been purchased if members would like to read Fran’s book.
All Nite Soul will be a Latin Jazz Extravaganza with John Calloway on Sunday, October 30 from 5:00 – 7:30 pm. A variety of your favorite Jazz Artists will be dropping in as well. Face painting – in the spirit of Halloween – will also be available!
Three Reflections on Stillness:
“Contemplative prayer has nothing to tell you except to reassure you that if you dare to penetrate your own silence and advance without fear into the solitude of your own heart…you will truly recover the light and the capacity to understand what is beyond words and beyond explanations.” (Thomas Merton, monk)
Sabbath and the Gnats: “The 3rd Commandment enjoins quietness of heart and peace of mind. This is holiness because here is the Spirit of God. Unquiet people recoil from the Holy Spirit, they love quarrelling and argument. They do not allow the silence of the Sabbath to enter their lives. In the Sabbath of the Heart God says, ‘Ease your restlessness, quiet the uproar in your minds; be still and know that I am God.’ (Ps. 46) When we refuse to be still we are like the Egyptians tormented by gnats. These tiniest of flies, always restless, fly about aimlessly, swarm at your eyes, giving no rest. They are back as soon as you drive them off – just like the futile fantasies that swarm in your minds. Keep the commandment – beware of this plague.” (St. Augustine)
Space for Realness: My students’ hearts, souls and spirits long to speak, to have a voice and a quiet place, a chance to express their often unexpressed and unknown selves in poetry and prose. Sometimes my fellow prisoners are not aware of this fact until they are sitting in a class writing. That is what happened to me decades ago, at San Quentin, when I trusted my gut and signed up for a poetry class. I open my class with silent writing. This silent writing is a form of free expression any subject. This silent period can last 20 – 50 minutes, depending on the flow of their pens on paper. Amazing prose and poetry can come from this process. Such a space to create as a group and as individuals is a rare and appreciated thing in prison.
Being a poet and teaching artist in prison, I know the importance of this space and place to stay human and to share their own realness in their own voice. This writing offers my students a safe and cool place to bring down their masks and be human and real, and to allow that which connects them to all human beings anywhere to come out in an art form.
People not in prison would be shocked at how open, human and real these souls, hearts and spirits become to the arts when suffering, or flowing through a prison existence. The arts can save you and sustain you through decades of hardness and inhumanity. The writing helps to cope with, and even prevent, many tragedies, and often can create a reservoir of peace, hope and forgiveness. The power of the arts can open some up to feeling and caring again – to being human again. Perhaps a state lost since childhood: the endless depths of that childlike love, creativity and realness. (Spoon Jackson, poet/author of Words of Realness, who is serving a life sentence in New Folsom Prison; 3 members of Peace are now corresponding with Spoon on a regular basis.)
“The universe is made of stories, not atoms.” Muriel Ruykser
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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October 13, 2011
Friends:
“I believe that grace’s empowerment is present in all true healings, in deliverances of all kinds, and in any movement toward wholeness and love and freedom, however great or small. It is present in physical and psychological healing, in social and political reconciliation, in cultural and scientific breakthrough, in spiritual deliverance from evil, in religious repentance and conversion, and in the ongoing process of spiritual growth. It is present where love really grows. In very situation, grace enables us to make necessary initial changes and to continue, over time, to nurture those changes in creative, constructive ways.” Gerald May, MD
Quite a marvelous weekend is coming up for us. Many opportunities to grow, learn and celebrate:
Saturday the WOW (Witness our Welcome) Service – our 10th Anniversary – will be held at Beth Chaim at 4:00 pm. This annual gathering celebrates the lives and ministries of GLTBQ people in our interfaith congregations. Should be some great music at this occasion!
Sunday morning our Healing Prayer Team has helped design a unique worship for St. Luke’s Healing Sunday. This is a blessed opportunity to enfold all of the people and concerns of our hearts in the grace-filled experience of healing prayer. It is also a chance to give thanks for blessings experienced in the midst of difficult times.
Members of the Healing Prayer Team will also lead the Adult Education Class on Healing Prayer: How it impacts my Life and Faith. Bible 365 continues to be a source of joy, insight and struggle. You can join that class any Sunday you choose.
Sunday afternoon our Science and Religion and Healing Prayer Teams sponsor Transforming our World View: Integral Perspectives linking Body, Mind and Spirit with Dr. Marilyn Schlitz of the IONS Institute. This will be a time of insight and delight – followed by a Book Signing Party with Dr. Francis Geddes author of Contemplative Healing and mentor to our Healing Prayer Team. Be good to yourself – give yourself the best – expect to be transformed. Invite your friends.
Our next Small and Tall Family Worship – designed and focused on our little ones – will be on Sunday, October 23 at 9:30 am. “Let the children come to me!”
Our next Taize Contemplative Prayer Service will be offered on Friday, October 28 at 7:00 pm.
On Reformation evening October 30 All Nite Soul will liberate your body-being with some of the finest Latin Jazz on the planet through the artistry of John Calloway. Don’t miss out on the rhythms, melodies, intricacies and happiness!
And this word from Pr. Anita: “On Sunday, October 30, I’ll be hosting the Second Annual Halloween Hospitality Hour. Come hungry and ready for a spook-alicious time!”
The Interfaith Council of CCC invites you to our Annual Interfaith Multicultural Potluck at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Walnut Creek (opposite John Muir Hospital on Ygnacio) on Sunday, November 6 from 6:00 – 8:30 pm. A tasty evening promising you surprising connections of heart, mind and spirit.
Congratulations to Tomas Transtromer (Swedish Poet whose poems we utilize) on the receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature!
The family of Kurt Ericson send their gratitude to the members of Peace for our prayers and friendship with Kurt, and for the Memorial Service and Reception this past Monday. Thanks to Pr. Anita and Libby Flynn for coordinating the reception and service details and to all who contributed to the day. A time of healing has begun.
“Surely Yahweh’s mercies are not over, God’s deeds of faithful love are not exhausted; every morning they are renewed, so great is God’s faithfulness. ‘God is all I have,’ I say to myself, ‘so I will put my hope in God.’ Wherever there is grief God acts in mercy out of faithful love for us.” (Lamentations)
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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October 7, 2011
Pastor Steve is on Retreat this week (returning Sunday afternoon) so these few notes are from Libby…
Thanks to Greg Grebe and Committee for a marvelous St. Francis Blessing of the Animals Festival last Sunday. What joy, calm and lovely energy! Greg reports that it was a “good day with focus on the animals. All the exhibitors I talked to were really glad that they came and want to do more next year.”
Kurt Ericson’s family sends this message:
We would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of support and love during this very difficult time. Kurt was loved by many! His laughter, compassion, humor and love for his family and friends will always be remembered and greatly missed!!
Kurt’s Memorial Service will be Monday, Oct. 10 at 3 pm. Members of Peace are invited. If you can bring something for the reception, send Pr. Anita an email or give her a call by Sunday.
Bartlett Tree Service removed the large Siberian Elm near the Memorial Garden on Wednesday. The workmen confirmed that the tree was rotten in the trunk and also on top and needed to be removed for safety reasons. Their stump grinding specialist will be here in a few days to dispose of the stump.
We still need more Sunday School teachers and more people to count the collection. Call the office 648-7000 or talk to Pr. Anita or Pr. Steve.
Get these October events in your calendar:
- Oct. 9 Seventh season of Jazz Church West/Jazz @ Peace begins with the Erik Jekabson Quartet at 5 pm
- Oct. 15 Tenth annual WOW service at Beth Chaim at 4 pm. “Baby we were born this way!” See flyer on kiosk.
- Oct. 16 St. Luke’s Healing Prayer Service at 9:30 am and Brain, Health, Wholeness–The Science/Religion/Healing Teams at 4 pm
- Oct. 23 Small and Tall Family Service at 9:30 am
- Oct. 28 Taize Contemplative Prayer Service at 7 pm
- Oct 30 Reformation Sunday Service at 9:30 am and
- All-Nite Soul 5-9 (?) pm–Latin Jazz Jam with John Calloway
Blessings to All!
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September 30, 2011
Friends:
“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” ~ Dalai Lama — and I think St. Francis would agree!
It will be a wonderful Sunday with our St. Francis Animal Blessing and Festival! Be sure to invite your friends to this day (Noon – 3:00 pm) which brings such joy and healing to so many furry, feathered and scaly friends as well as their two-legged admirers. Rescue animals, pet adoptions possible – such an affirmation of all of God’s creatures!
This Sunday your Adult Education options are: Bible 365 or “Christ was not a Christian” (Who is God, Part I) which meets in the Gathering Hall. (After the Education Hour you are invited to the back of our property to participate in the annual St. Francis Scattering of the Sunflower Seeds!)
October 16 at 4:00 pm – Transforming our World View: Integral Perspectives linking Body, Mind and Spirit. The Science and Religion Team invites you to a fascinating presentation by Dr. Marilyn Schlitz of IONS (the Institute of Noetic Sciences). The Healing Prayer Team is co-sponsoring this event which aims to bridge the historical gap between rational, scientific examination and conscious, spiritually aware exploration. Both require rigorous commitment to help create a sustainable future. Dr. Fran Geddes will also be present to introduce Dr. Schlitz and sign copies of his new book Contemplative Healing. Please invite friends – skeptics, seekers, scientists, mystics – to this rare occasion.
The Taize Contemplative Prayer experience was a blessing to all present. It will be offered on the 4th Friday of each month at 7:00 pm.
Phil and George send their greetings from Greece. It has been a trying time in Athens. They are doing well in the midst.
The Jazz Church West begins its 7th Season on October 9 at 5:00 pm with the Erik Jekabson Quartet. See the attached season flyer.
Our next Small and Tall Family Worship is planned for October 23 at 9:30 am.
Thoughtful Quote: I can’t remember who said it but, “There is no such thing in the US as a poor person, only temporarily frustrated millionaires. In the land of opportunity, everybody ought to be able to strike it rich, eventually.” Yet something has changed, and is continuing to change in the world. Income inequality is indeed deepening, to the extent that the US is now next to Ghana in the rankings. Not that I have anything against Ghana. But it seems to me social unrest is created by poor people becoming poorer, not the other way around. Rev. Brian Stein-Webber of the Interfaith Council
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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September 22, 2011
Friends:
“Everywhere that I roam, everyone I see is a poem – written on the back of God’s hand.” Gil Scott Heron
The initial service with our worship change of time to 9:30 seemed to work well for everyone. The quality of our hospitality time was not diminished. And 20 people participated in our Adult Education Class in the Gathering Hall. Nursery Care for the littlest ones is being arranged during the Sunday School/Adult Education as well.
This Sunday’s Adult Education Discussion Topic (which meets in the Gathering Hall): ” Can we find common ground with Christian fundamentalists/ Why is religion used for hating people?” Bible 365 continues with Pr. Elizabeth at 11:10 am each Sunday. New participants are always welcome!
Taize Contemplative Renewal begins Friday evening at 7:00 pm. This prayer service consists of chants, brief scripture and a period of silence. It’s an opportunity to be present, listen deeply and rest. We get to pray for the healing of our lives, loved ones and world. Feel free to invite friends to join you. Taize is sponsored by the Healing Prayer Team and it will happen monthly on the 4th Friday of each month.
Martha Mantei will participate in the Walk out of Darkness on Sunday. It is sponsored by the Society for the Prevention of Suicide. If you wish to support her please go to www.outofthedarkness.org. Enter Martha’s name as the “participant’ or her team name “Tri-Valley Starz”. (Donations can be made until 12/31/11) Thank you, Martha, for keeping us aware resources and hope!
We are happy that Lois McGee is home from the hospital and doing well!
Please keep in your prayers: Marlene Garrity, Sheryl Ruzek and family who mourn her mother’s death, the Duffy Family, and the family of Troy Davis.
This Sunday you will get to meet our new Seminarian Brenda Bos. You will enjoy her!
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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September 15, 2011
Friends:
“There is no way to peace; peace is the way.” (AJ Muste)
A joy to share the Birthing Blessing this past Sunday with April and Matt Rasmussen. New life always emerging wherever we are. For all the little ones and those soon to arrive praise God!
Homecoming is this Sunday and our new schedule begins: Worship at 9:30, Hospitality at 10:45 and Sunday School and Adult Education from 11:10 – 11:50. Your requests for specific adult classes will be solicited this Sunday. Lifelong Learning is a blessing and so important to model for our children and grandchildren.
The Holy Convergence/Interfaith Festival is also on Sunday afternoon. You will enjoy the drumming, chanting, presentations, conversing with interfaith friends, fresh veggies and apple tasting!. Invite your friends to join you for this unique experience of global spirit and hope.
Meditation resumes on Thursday from 5:45 – 6:30 pm. All are welcome to come and enjoy the presence of God in stillness and calm.
Greg Grebe and the Committee for our St. Francis Animal Blessing and Pet Festival are working hard to organize our annual blessing event. It happens on October 2 from Noon – 3:00 pm. Rescue animals and pet adoptions will be available. What a wonderful way to celebrate the goodness of all God’s creation and creatures. Be sure to distribute the fliers wherever you can.
Please keep in your prayers: Lois McGee, Heather Macleod, Bob Worthington, those with addictions, those seeking homes, members of the Islamic Center and the reconciliation of all God’s people, the people of Japan and East Africa.
The Memorial Service for Betty Duffy who was killed in a bicycle accident last week will be this Saturday at 2:00 pm. If you can assist Pr. Anita with the Reception please let her know.
Taize Prayer is a contemplative prayer service incorporating chants, brief scripture and a time of silence for prayer. It is offered by Peace Lutheran to the larger community on the 4th Friday of each month beginning on September 23 at 7:00 pm. A peaceful and profound way to be in the presence of God and to pray for the reconciliation of our world. Rev. Lucy Kolin from Resurrection Lutheran in Oakland will lead the music for these services. The Healing Prayer Team is sponsoring these beautiful services.
Wonderful News! Seminarian Brenda Bos has been assigned by PLTS Seminary to work at Peace for this next year through May of 2012. Look forward to meeting Brenda either this Sunday or next. Here is a brief bio: Brenda Bos is a member of St. Matthew’s North Hollywood and is taking a “Lutheran year” of studies at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. She holds a Masters of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology and has interned as a chaplain at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and as a media producer at the Parliament of the World’s Religions. Brenda worked in television production for eighteen years before entering seminary, most notably as a producer on “George Lopez” and “Suddenly Susan”. When not wandering the hills of Berkeley, she lives in Pasadena with her partner Janis and their two dogs Boo and Taz.
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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