Lent:
An Adventure
Lent has
often been described as a pilgrimage or a journey, but seldom
as an adventure. We are usually reminded that Jesus set his
face toward Jerusalem and that this decision would lead ultimately
to his death at Golgotha, but we seldom focus on his disciples’
spellbinding experience. At times they were scared down to
the very soles of their feet, at other times they soared right
out of their skins. Their journey was one of awe and confusion,
delight and madness, love and fear. It transformed every one
of them.
When we
talk about what to do during Lent, the tradition advises prayer,
fasting, and almsgiving. How can we respect the tradition
and bring it more in line with the realities of 2010 living
and working in the San Francisco Bay area? How can we make
Lent an adventure in living?
When I
was a teenager, friends wrote letters to one another. My best
friend and I used to address our envelopes as follows (there
were no zip codes). We sometimes wrote the sequence in a line
and sometimes in a spiral. (The post office was very tolerant
of our eccentricities and our letters always managed to arrive
at their destination.):
Name of Friend
Street Address
City
State
United States of America
Planet Earth
Milky Way
Universe
Love of God
This form of address may be seen as a metaphor for our Lenten
adventure. We will turn some traditional practices inside
out with the goal of practicing some life style choices that
will benefit not
only our
lives but other two-legged, four-legged, feathered and finned
creatures who share our living space. We will take very seriously
how human heedlessness is destroying our common home and embody
new ways of loving God through loving our world.
Ash
Wednesday
Traditionally this day marks the beginning of Lent and includes
a ritual whereby each worshiper is marked with ashes to remind
us of our mortality and the human condition which we all share.
This year we will honor this ancient tradition by remembering
that on this amazing planet: death brings new life. The world
is constantly being renewed. Living organisms are constantly
adapting and evolving to meet new realties. The oxygen we
breathe is the same oxygen that the dinosaurs breathed. We
will confess our failures to embrace and support this blessing
and begin to reflect on what we need to do to with our own
“wild and precious life” (Mary Oliver) in the
little time we are each given here on earth to breathe the
air, enjoy food from the soil, bathe in the water, and warm
ourselves in the sun. The service will be held in the Fireside
Room at 7:30 p.m. next Wednesday, February 17.
Sunday
Mornings
Sundays are traditionally not counted in the 40 days of Lent.
Every Sunday is understood as a little Easter, so it is always
a day of rest, renewal, and joy, therefore, no fasting!
Traditionally,
the Sabbath has been understood as God’s gift to those
who cannot give voice to their tiredness: tired slaves, tired
animals, tired fields, tired vines, tired land. On Sundays,
we will attempt to give the tired a voice through study, worship,
reflection, and action.
At
9 a.m. in Tamalpais Hall with Pam Shortridge:
A discussion group will gather to grapple with the theme of
the day.
Sunday, February 21: Power and Dominion
“The message of Genesis: is not domination but appreciation”
(Sally McFague).
Sunday, February 28: Connections
“From the dust of the earth, from the common elementary
fund, the Creator has made Homo sapiens. From the same material
[God] has made every other creature, however noxious and insignificant
to us. They are earth-born companions and our fellow mortals”
(John Muir).
At
10 a.m. in the Sanctuary:
The theme of the day continues in worship.
We gather in worship to wrestle with ancient texts asking
if they have any wisdom to impart to us today, pray our concerns
for the earth, sing our hopes, reflect on new ways to practice
love, imagine how to simplify our lives, and share one another’s
blessings and woes, and renew ourselves for the week ahead.
The bulletin will include a suggested list of resources for
more study and reflection on the theme during the week.
At
11:30 a.m. in Tamalpais Hall:
30 minute workshops on the theme of the day.
Sunday, February 21: Loving the Earth through Sustainable
Life Style Choices: A Self-Assessment
Sunday, February 28: Conversation with Betty Young, Director
of Native Plant Nurseries at the Golden Gate National Recreation
Area, on the reintroduction of native species.
Thursday Book Discussion
During Lent you are invited to join the discussion of Confessions
of an Eco-Sinner: Tracking Down the Sources of My Stuff by
Fred Pearce. (Available in paperback at local bookstores and
online.)
“People talk a lot about carbon footprints. But our
personal footprints are much bigger than that. And they are
social as well as ecological. The trouble is that in our charmed
world we know little about what our footprints are. It all
happens so far way. The people and the pollution that sustain
us are invisible to us.
“. . . My purpose in writing this book was to discover
the hidden world that keeps us in the state we have become
accustomed to . . . I have traveled the world to find out
where the cotton in my shirt comes from, the coffee in my
mug and the prawns in my curry, the computer on my desk and
the phone in my hand . . . to find out who grows or mines
or makes my stuff, and where it goes when I finish with it
. . . to find out whether I should be ashamed of my purchases
. . . or proud to have contributed to some local community
. . .”
(Fred Pearce)
The group will meet in the Foster Room at 7:30 p.m. three
times during Lent.
Feb. 21: Chapters 1 through 11.
Mar. 11: Chapters 12 through 20.
Mar. 25: Chapters 21 through 29.
You may read the book from cover to cover, or a few chapters
from each part. Each chapter is a 5 to 10 page adventure to
a corner of the world many of us have seen only briefly or
never imagined.
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Evaluation of MOC Founding Convention
Ten of
us who attended the MOC Founding Convention in October met
after worship on January 24th to evaluate the Convention.
Most repeated among the positive comments made was amazement
over the turnout of more than 1,100 from MOC member organizations.
Many were touched by the life-experience stories we heard
from MOC members. Also impressive was the number of elected
officials who attended and their highly favorable comments
about the efforts of MOC. There was a consensus that similar,
periodic meetings should be held so that church members can
be brought up to date about MOC activities and have an opportunity
to ask questions. There was strong support for holding these
meetings jointly with Community Congregational Church of Belvedere-Tiburon.
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February
Birthdays
February
1 Katrina Shortridge
February 7 Cathy Davis
February 7 Sarah Clever
February 11 Rose Taylor
February 27 Claudia Lowder
February 28 Peggy Hewett
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Golden
Gate Association to Meet At Community Church
The Golden
Gate Association/Northern California Conference, United Church
of Christ will hold its Spring Gathering 2010 at Community
Church on Saturday, February 27. This is an open meeting and
all are welcome to attend along with Pam Shortridge and your
elected UCC delegates (Please RSVP if you plan to join us
that day: ccmvucc@comcast.net). The Gathering will begin at
11:00 a.m. with Worship in the Sanctuary. At 11:30 a.m. the
Business portion will begin followed by a presentation by
the “Annual Gathering Planning Committee” on the
theme “A Wonderful Harmony: Transforming lives, churches
and communities” . Lunch and table discussions will
take place at 12:30 p.m. followed by an Ecclesiastical Council
for Kate Dalton. The meeting will adjourn at 2:15 with a prayer.
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Audio
available for 2010 Earl Lectures
Audio
recordings of all the plenary sessions and the closing sermon
from the 2010 Earl Lectures are now available. They are free
online at http://www.psr.edu/category/media-category/audio
________________________________________________________________________________________
Board Report
The Board
held a "mini" retreat at the church on January 23
in order to follow up on the issues raised at the main retreat
last August and to give the Board an opportunity to simply
where we are and what's on the horizon in the next few months.
The Board has achieved a great deal in the last two years
- building improvements (including new roofs on Tamalpais
Hall and the Annex; plumbing upgrades; new security lighting
etc); completion of the Church History; completion and introduction
of new by-laws; renegotiation of the Old Firehouse School
lease; the continuing work of the Kiyija Keneth Task Force;
the successful fund raising drive by the Organ Repair Task
Force; and the continuing work of the Homeless Lunch Program,
the Marin Organizing Committee, our Seminarians in Care and
the many other activities that take place in our church. Considering
our size, its amazing that we are able to do so much!
One the
main issues under discussion was the organization of this
year's Stewardship Campaign and the Board was very grateful
to Camilla Burraston for volunteering to chair this year's
campaign. We discussed the goals for the campaign, the timetable
and the tasks that need to be performed (and by whom). We
also talked about launching a planned giving program and to
this end the Board will be gathering information with a view
to launching a planned giving campaign in the fall. Finally,
the Board had a general conversation about conversations -
how we can find more time to be with each other as a congregation,
to enjoy fellowship together, learn about each other's lives
as well as engage in more substantive discussions about the
spiritual, political and social issues of the day.
My personal
thanks go out to all the Board members for their continued
hard work and dedication to the Church.
-
Mike Webber
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Travel
with Triple C March 3
No passport needed, no security checks, no airline hassle
– just pure travel pleasure. Our own world traveler,
John Norall, will take us on a slide-show adventure, “From
the Alps in Switzerland to the Sands of Egypt.” No need
to even pack a bag, just come for a wonderful lunch prepared
by Judy Reneau followed by John’s fabulous slide-show.
Mark your calendar, the first Wednesday in March. Lunch at
noon is $6.00 at the door; the program is free. Friends, neighbors,
all guests are welcome. Interesting and enjoyable travel companions
guaranteed.
Call Meta
Bare, 383-0783, for lunch reservations and needed rides from
the Redwoods.
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Read
All About Us
It’s been a long time coming but now you too can share
in the history of the Community Church. It was 1995 when Carol
Fowler, then the oldest living member of the Community Church,
began her task of compiling a history of this remarkable congregation.
Carol Fowler is gone, but her dream lived on and has come
to pass, with the help of dozens of members and friends of
the church who contributed their time, effort and memories
to the “The Community Church of Mill Valley, The First
65 Years, 1925-1990. A Narrative.”
A compact
soft-cover book, of about 80 pages and an easy read, it hopes
to leave you proud of this little church that has done so
much good for Marin. Dull it is not. It’s the story
of people of goodwill, and occasional conflict, and great
victories, of a church almost always ahead of the curve and
always ready to turn ideals into working reality.
Reality
also dictates that budgets must be honored. The purchase price
is $20, but one half of it is a donation and tax deductible.
And who knows, you may find yourself or friends mentioned
in its pages. You can buy the book in Tamalpais Hall after
Sunday Service or call the church office. Barbara will be
glad to help. (An additional $5.00 will send it off to any
stateside destination). For those who have prepaid for mail
delivery, it’s on the way.
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Special Easter Choir Join and Sing
for Six Weeks
Please
consider joining our special Easter Choir!
Just six
weeks of Sunday rehearsals, 11:30 to 12:30 p.m.: February
21st, February 28th, March 7th, March 14th, March 21st and
March 28th. Then on Easter Sunday morning (April 4th), we
will have a warm-up rehearsal from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., and
then sing during the 10:00 a.m. service.
All are
welcome! We will be singing a 17th Century French Easter
Chant, a work by Handel, and two contemporary pieces.
Please
let me know if you are interested in joining us for the Easter
Season, and I will have a folder of music ready for you.
Esther
Archer, Music Director
(510) 832-0816
estarch@yahoo.com
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Linda
Clever Talks About Her Book
Come to hear our very own Dr. Linda Hawes Clever talk about
“The Fatigue Prescription: Four Steps to Renewing Your
Energy, Health and Life ($16.95) at Book Passage on Friday,
Feb. 19, 7:00 p.m.
Filled
with easy self-assessments, informational charts and sound
advice from a physician who healed herself, this book aims
to help you avoid illness, reset priorities and most importantly,
regain your health and happiness.
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In Memoriam
Carol Schmiedel Bacon
May 26,
1934– January 22, 2010
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Organ
Repair Progresses
Schoenstein Organ Builders have been to the
church to make the preliminary measurements for the installation
of the new blower motor in the room behind the Sanctuary and
timelines are being established for installing and updating
the electrical elements. We are moving ahead quickly and Schoenstein
believes we’ll have our organ operational for Easter.
A great big thank you to all those who have
donated. (Beth Arvidson, Meta Bare, Jack Bartlett,
Betsy & Dan Bikle, Linda & Jamie Clever, John Eagleton,
Bill Gerecke, Bob Harmon and Bob Larsen, Peggy & Paul
Hewett, Ben Hulan & Lisa Filippi, Jacquie Hoffman, Buzz
& Lydia Hull, Jane & Connie Kloh, Harriet Kostic,
Verna Parino, Keith Phillips & Sue Blanchard, Judy Reneau,
Jean Rhodes, Tamayo Sato, Carol & John Schmiedel, Marjorie
Scott, Pam & Muncie Shortridge, Russ Wallace and Mike
Webber.) For those of you who thought about donating but never
quite got around to it, please do. We met our goal but everyone
knows what can happen with repair projects (cost overrides,
unexpected problems) and at this point we will need to use
the full balance of the Organ Fund Reserves toward the project.
Please come look at the new poster Peter has created for the
Tamalpais Hall to celebrate our achievement as a community.
I also wish to thank the members of the Organ Task Force for
their help and unwavering support, Barbara at the Church office
and Mike Webber. We couldn't have done this with out you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
-
Chris Bikle, Chair, Organ Task Force
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