Looking for Signs of Spring on Feb. 1

"What do groundhogs, candles, and the Temple of Jerusalem have in common?”  A riddle this good can only be answered by attending the upcoming, first ever Christian Education Committee Groundhog Day Extravaganza, a family-fun-filled event scheduled for Sunday, February 1, 2004, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. 

This unique event will combine games, stories, and crafts as we learn about the surprising Christian roots beneath the modern day celebration of Punxsutawney Phil and his shadow. Please let Leslie Veen know if you will be attending, to help us determine the amount of necessary food and supplies.

Evening Prayers - February 4 

Wednesday - 7:00-7:40 pm

PC(USA) Moderator Joins Calvary’s 150th Anniversary Celebration on Feb. 4

The Rev. Susan Andrews, Moderator of the 215th General Assembly, will visit Calvary Presbyterian Church (Fillmore and Jackson Sts.) to kick off its Sesquicentennial on Wednesday, February 4. She will appear at 7:30 pm in Calvin Hall to talk about recent developments in the denomination and to answer questions.

Old Firsters are invited to this event to hear the Moderator and to help celebrate our congregation’s role in the founding of Calvary Church 150 years ago.

The Newcomer High School parking lot on Jackson will be open for this occasion.

Annual Meeting and Congregational Lunch on Feb. 8

After worship on Sunday, Feb. 8, we will have our Annual Meeting in the Sanctuary.  One major item of business will be the presentation of the 2004 budget.

Following the meeting, the Congregational Luncheon will be held in the Fellowship Hall.  The meal will be catered by Modern Thai restaurant on Polk  Street. Tickets are now on sale at Coffee Hour. Adult cost is $6 through February 1, and $8 on Feb. 8.

Jazz Vespers - February 8

Sunday at 5 p.m. -- Clairdee and the Ken French Trio

Ken Matthews to Present Organ Concert on Feb. 13

On Friday, February 13, I will play an organ recital as part of Old First Concerts’ 2003-04 French Organ Music Festival. This is the first recital I've played at Old First since I've been Director of Music, so I hope you will join me for this special event. Any profits from the concert will be donated to the church music budget and Old First Concerts.

I will play the music of César Franck, Charles Tournemire, and Jean Langlais, who were the three principal (and most prominent) organists at the church of Sainte-Clotilde in Paris since the church was built in 1854.  Because of the music of César Franck, the founder of the French symphonic school. Sainte-Clotilde has become one of the most important church music sites in France. I will play two of Franck's works: the very beautiful Prélude, Fugue, et Variation, and his very last work, the Choral in A Minor.

Franck's student Charles Tournemire was organist at Sainte-Clotilde for 41 years. His most amazing work is the monumental collection entitled "L'Orgue Mystique," with a suite of pieces, founded on Gregorian chant, for each Sunday of the year. Tournemire's music is highly impressionistic. He might be considered the organ world's Debussy. I will be playing the highly atmospheric Suite from L'Orgue Mystique for Holy Saturday, the eve of Easter.

Tournemire's desired successor was Jean Langlais, who was appointed organist at Sainte-Clotilde in 1945 and served for 42 years, one year longer than Tournemire. Langlais was a prolific composer, and had a very successful concert career in America, especially during the 1950s and '60s, in spite of his blindness. I will be playing his tone-picture "La Nativité," a music picture of the birth of Jesus, and his Suite Médievale.

I've been fortunate to have worked on all this music at Sainte-Clotilde with Marie-Louise Langlais, the widow of Jean Langlais. Mme. Langlais is Professor of Organ at the Paris Conservatory and at The Schola Cantorum.

Ken Matthews

Meet the Emersons on February 15

Old First’s Elders and Deacons will host a get-acquainted evening with Jim and Migs Emerson on Sunday, Feb. 15.

The dessert reception will be held at 7;30 pm at the home of Steve and Sarah Taber, 1915 Oak Street, San Francisco. Members of the congregation are invited to spend some informal time with the Emersons and welcome them to our church.

Town Hall Meeting on Feb. 29

Watch for details of a Church Town Hall Meeting to be held after worship on February 29. The exact topic hasn’t been determined at press time, but it will relate to our current pastoral transition process.

Christian Education News

In the short month of February, you can attend classes in three different and richly rewarding Adult Education series.

On Feb. 1, Steve Johnson will conclude his “Mentors and Mystics” series with a class on Mother Teresa, St. Francis and Clare of Assisi.

On the following three Sundays, classes on “God’s Community: The Model for Christian Community” will focus on Dr. Phil Butin’s book, ‘The Trinity”. This study is in connection with our Spring Retreat on March 26-28, when Dr. Butin will be the leader and this book the basis for reflection. Classes will be led by Leslie Veen on Feb. 8, Dr. Butin himself on Feb. 15, and Steve Johnson on Feb. 22.

On Feb. 29, Steve Johnson will begin a Lenten Study of Second Isaiah, with “A Highway for our God” (chapters 40-42). This series will continue through Palm Sunday, April 4.

Classes are held Sunday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 in the Munro Room.

Spring Retreat Set for March 26-28

The Retreat will be March 26-28 at Westminster Woods.  Our leader will be Dr. Phil Butin, President of San Francisco Theological Seminary.  He would like us to have read his book "The Trinity" (only 118 pages, "six short chapters" to quote Steve Johnson) before the retreat.

The titles of the four sessions he will hold are:  Friday night, "Who God Is, Who We Are"; Saturday morning: "God's Life, Our Life", Saturday evening, "God's Community, Our Community". The Sunday morning session, "God's Mission, Our Mission”, will be folded into the worship service.

If you plan to attend, please let us know as soon as possible. There will be a sign-up table at Coffee Hour.

Old First Dissolves Pastoral Relationship

with Rev. Sam Alexander

At a Congregational Meeting after worship on Sunday, January 4, the congregation voted to dissolve the pastoral relationship with the Rev. Sam Alexander. The vote was 80 in favor, 2 against, 2 abstaining.

Sam’s last Sunday here was January 11, when he preached at morning worship and led the Jazz Vespers service.

At the meeting, the congregation also approved a six-month severance package of salary and benefits that total $53,000, which Session planned to pay from several reserve funds.

To help spare the limited resources of the church, and in gratitude for the care and support the Old First congregation has given to them, Pam and John Sebastian have offered to match, dollar for dollar, all gifts given to help pay for this severance package. They also hope that broad participation in this shared challenge can help to bring healing to the congregation.

Rev. Jim Emerson Named Temporary Supply Pastor

On Monday, January 12, the Rev. Jim Emerson, Ph.D., became Old First’s Temporary Supply Pastor, serving on a half-time basis until mid-June.

Dr. Emerson served for 11 years as Pastor of Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Fran-cisco. He recently was interim President of the San Francisco Theological Seminary, where he currently serves as Adjunct Professor. Dr. Emerson also functions as a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.

He and his wife Margaret (known as “Migs”) have been closely connected with the Old First congregation for a number of years. They worshipped with us after Jim left the pulpit at Calvary, and he was Theologian in Residence here in 1990.

Pastoral Promptings

Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher of the nineteenth century, has influenced my thinking of both the church and the role of a pastor. He suggested that the task of a priest or a pastor should be defined after the model of a prompter on the stage of a play. Like such a prompter, the pastor is not the real actor. Those of the church are. Like those on the stage, the people of the church need a prompter — often to remind them simply of that which they already know.

Surely that is the case as we come to the month of February and the weeks that follow into April.

All know that the meaning of Easter gets lost without conscious and good preparation. Otherwise, Holy Week loses its meaning and the Day of Resurrection loses its impact. lent is that season of preparation.

This year Lent begins at the end of February. Therefore, the weeks that bring us to Ash Wednesday become days of “preparation for the preparation”.

To that end, I “prompt” you to become aware of the special committee on our Lenten activities. Similarly, I remind you that during Lent, Dr. Phil Butin, President of San Francisco Theological Seminary, will be the retreat leader. To prepare for that occasion, Dr. Butin will be at the church on February 15. His presence at the education hour and as preacher of the morning will give us a chance to know him and him a chance to know us as we prepare for that special weekend in Lent.

For the other Sundays that lead up to Lent, I will follow the lectionary readings in Luke as announced in this newsletter. These will continue on basic themes of the Christian life with the following topics:

February 1 - On Being God’s People

February 8 - You Count Where You Are

February 22 - Know Whom You Serve: God or the Devil

February 29 - The Politics of the Soul (based on the temptations of Christ) - This is the first Sunday in Lent

May God’s Spirit attend us all, as together we move through this first full month. May God’s Spirit attend our country as we go through the preparations of a year of Presidential primaries, conventions, and election.

With appreciation for you all,

James G. Emerson, Jr.

Mission Vision Revisited

Old First adopted a Mission Vision study in mid-2000 as a necessary preliminary step in our pastor search.  We’ll need an updated version before we can look for a new pastor, so our Session has called back part of the Mission Vision team to revise (or re-vision) the report.

Cindy Burt,  Barry Clagett, John Sebastian and Jeanne Choy Tate and have already begun looking at the report to see what conditions have changed, what recommendations have already been accomplished, and what new directions the church might take.

In Memory

Edwina Kerr died August 19 in Springfield, Illinois

Lucile Chubbock died December 11 at The Sequoias.

Deacons Name New Officers

The Board of Deacons has elected Carol Carter and Mary Russell Co-Moderators for 2004.  Connie Johnson will be treasurer, and Shirley Buono, recording secretary.

Senior Center News

Judith Dancer has resigned as Senior Center Director, effective Dec. 31. She is now Director of Activities at Kokora Assisted Living — a full-time job, with benefits! On Jan 12 she came back to the Center for farewell party.  She will be sorely missed by all, but we wish her well in her new position.

Kristine Olden will be our interim director. She has been an enthusiastic and faithful volunteer for the past nine months. Kristine has assisted Judith in almost every possible role at the Center, and filled in for her when she was out of town.

The Committee is now searching for a worthy successor to Judith.  If anyone knows of anyone we should contact, please let one of us know.

— Seniors Advisory Committee:  Cynthia Kang, Leila MacDonald, Sarah Taber, Jen Wilson

Lectionary

Feb. 1 - Jer. 1:4-10; Ps. 71:1-6; 1 Cor. 13:1-13; Luke 4:21-30

Feb. 8 - Isa. 6:1-8 (9-13); Ps. 138; 1 Cor. 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11

Feb. 15 - Jer. 17:5-10; Ps. 1; 1 Cor. 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26

Feb. 22 - Exod. 34:29-35; Ps. 99; 2 Cor. 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36

                        (37-43)

Feb. 25 - Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isa. 58:1-12;  Ps. 51:1-17; 2 Cor. 5:20b-             6:10; Matt. 6:1-6, 16-21

Feb. 29 - Deut. 26:1-11; Ps. 91:1-2, 9-16; Rom. 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

Planning for our Columbarium

by Steve Taber

For the past two years, planning has proceeded on a columbarium for Old First — a place for interring the ashes of deceased persons whose bodies have been cremated. 

It will be located in place of the little-used stairway between the narthex and the Old First Concerts office.  It will be configured as a small chapel, with 110 niches on one side and memorial plaques on the other.  The niches, which will be faced with engraved stone, will contain cremated remains.  The memorial plaques are designed to commemorate the lives of people who are interred elsewhere.

The columbarium has been designed by Mark Hulbert, the architect who designed our renovation project.  A portion of the design is shown below.  It has preliminary approval by the city and construction can be started as early as this spring.

For construction to begin, Old First’s Session needs to give its final approval based on the design and a sufficient indication of interest to demonstrate feasibility.  Members and friends of the church are invited to reserve a niche or memorial plaque soon.

If you are interested in reserving a niche or memorial plaque, please contact the church office or Steve Taber (221-7758 or Stephen@sstaber.com) and we will send you a complete package of materials.

The Old First columbarium symbolizes the strength of our Christian community and the reality that nothing in life or in death can separate us from Jesus Christ.

Christmas Lunch with Presbyterian Women

by Sara Barrios

On December 13, Old First’s P.W. and guests met at Sara Barrios’ house for a Christmas Luncheon. After a lovely lunch catered by Marne Krozek, Leslie Veen led us in a creative and moving devotional time.

We were each given a sheet of green paper with the the order of the Devotions and a small bell at the top. Then Leslie talked about the 'Christening of the Bells,' a sign of God’s Spirit moving through a place. We were told to ring our bells whenever something was said that helps us feel God’s presence in our midst, and we rang those bells quite frequently.

Next, Leslie read this moving poem by Ann Weems entitled “My Church Family.”

Faces and words and glimpses of souls---

One by one we come.

We are many,

and then one.

Precious faces,

tender words,

sweet glimpses into souls--

Just being here among you is a joy.

Unending thank-yous

rise within me

for these beloved ones

within your Church,O God.

Blessed be their lives

Blessed be your church.

We celebrated "Life Lived in Community with All of God’s Creation,” celebrating the gifts of members of the congregation, the birth of Branch Bender, the continued vibrant life of Polly Day.  We remembered as well, Mary’s dog Harry, with a poem by Betty Voris and some reminiscences by Linda Reyder. The devotional ended with a contemplative song and prayer. We were deeply blessed by food, fellowship and devotional leadership.

December 2003,  November 2003, October 2003,  September 2003,  July/August 2003, June 2003, May 2003,  April 2003, March 2003, February 2003, January 2003

December 2002,  November 2002, October 2002, September 2002, July/August 2002, June 2002, May 2002, April 2002, March 2002, February 2002, January 2002

December 2001, Nov 2001, October 2001,  September 2001, July/August 2001, June 2001,  May 2001,  April 2001, March 2001, 
February 2001, January 2001 

December 2000, November 2000,October 2000, September 2000, July/August 2000, May/June 2000,April 2000, March 2000, February 2000