Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Moved...

It's time for a new beginning.
The new blog: See You Sunday.
The new church website: FPCSB.

Monday, April 4, 2011

First Press - April 2011

First Press 11-04

Friday, March 11, 2011

First Press - March 2011

11-03-Press

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Possibilities

On Sunday, we were visited by John Witvliet, the director of the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship. He is usually based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but for this academic year he is on a research sabbatical at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. The clever Dotti Garcia observed that this was a great opportunity, and invited him to come as a guest preacher and visit us. He seemed right at home, and it was refreshing to hear him open God’s word for us, and invite us to engage in worship that transforms our view of the Upside-Down world in which we live. It was fun to listen to him ‘think out loud’ at lunch about churches who have used their Worship Renewal Grant process as a way of deepening their connection to God and to each other. I was energized and inspired about all the possibilities.

On Monday, I went to visit Curtis Middle School, the most economically disadvantaged middle school in our district. My tour guides were member Christa Wallis, who is a district employee and member of our Adult Ed committee, and her daughter Sharon Wallis who is teaching reading intervention at the school. Christa and Sharon brought a proposal to our Session at the end of last year that First Pres experiment with providing support to Curtis as part of our ministry to our local community. What might we do, we wondered, to encourage teachers who are teaching in challenging circumstances? What might we do to help a school succeed? How might we help students become readers by the time they leave middle school- and what kind of difference might that make in their lives? Principal Marlene Bicondova is a delight- professional, warm, and compassionate. A Christian who worships in Riverside, she longs to create a safe environment where children can succeed. She dreams that they will gain 45 more points this year on their Annual Performance Index scores, so their school can break the 700 mark. She understands the profound challenges her parents and staff and children face, and says, “this is definitely my missionary field!” It has been easy to begin- having a member (Sharon) who teaches there builds a natural bridge between church members and staff. As I listened to the reality and the hopes, I was filled with a sense of possibility and promise! You will hear more on Sunday.

A week ago today, Rev. Pam Moore and a key lay leader of First Christian Church on Arrowhead Ave came and toured our church grounds. They're in the process of selling their church campus which is now much too big for them, and they hope to buy land and build a new church in the near future with the proceeds. In between, however, they will need a temporary home, and the Session approved opening conversations with them about the possibility of their worshipping in our chapel and using a classroom on Sundays and perhaps renting office space, too. Another possibility of partnership in ministry that helps us to think creatively and see ourselves and our space in new ways.

And so as we think creatively about our worship, and our space, and our outreach, we experience the Call of the One who sets us dreaming, and travels with us on every unknown road: even Jesus.

I close with one of the delights of the week. While counting the offering, we discovered an envelope that had been opened up and used as paper for a drawing- This beautiful piece of art (which I am tragically unable to upload to this blog) is unsigned, but I have a hunch the artist’s first name rhymes with ‘Capacity’. It is a cartoon of me and my colleague Eric- it hangs on my office door.

And so with laughter and love we look toward Sunday when we will gather in the presence of God and offer our praise.