June 2002

EVENING PRAYERS - 7:30 pm, Wednesday, June 5

DEBRA MCGUIRE WILL BE ORDAINED

Pastor of the Word and Sacrament

Sunday, June 23, 3 pm at Old First Church

ADVENT PLANNING RETREAT, JUNE 28-29

The Worship Committee invites those interested in helping plan our Advent observance — that’s right, Advent, which begins December 1 — to attend a retreat at a newly-renovated retreat house at San Francisco Theological Seminary.  It will be held from 6 pm, Friday, June 28 to about 3 pm, Saturday, June 29. For more information, contact Alison Armstrong or Sam Alexander.

CHURCH TOWN HALL MEETING

Sunday, June 30, after worship service - Report on the 2002 PC(USA) General Assembly and other items of interest

NEW PEW BIBLES

It’s time for Old First to bring our pew Bibles up to date with the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). Members and friends of our church can donate Bibles in memory of and/or in honor of friends and loved ones. The Board of Deacons has been way out in front on this effort, pledging $300 to the purchase of new Bibles in honor of Cornel and Suellen Barnett last fall, at the end of Cornel’s interim pastorate.  Now the rest of us can participate with a donation of $12 for each Bible. Use one of the forms supplied in the Sunday bulletin inserts or call the church office.

CHANGES ON THE CHURCH STAFF

John Youngbird-Holt left the position of Director of Homeless Ministries late in May. He will be working at Orinda Community Church  as their maintenance supervisor. He is receiving housing and health insurance! It is a good move for John and Carol. The Ministry board will retain an Interim Director as soon as possible and then undertake a search for a new Director.

Erwin Barron has announced that he will leave Old First at the end of 2002 to devote himself to his doctoral dissertation research, which must be done in other congregations on Sundays. Rev. Alexander and the Personnel Committee are considering several options for the Christian Education position.

NEW CHURCH DIRECTORIES

The new church photo directories will be available soon. The last pictures have been taken, and Fritz Zuhl is now working to set up the pages for printing. Watch for information on when and how directories will be distributed, also when and how you can order copies of your photo. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the price of reprints.

DRIVE FOR KINDERGARTEN BACKPACKS

Our Mission Committee is now accepting contributions of school supplies or funds to use to fill 30 backpacks for children in poverty who will enter kindergarten this fall. The drive is organized by the San Francisco Interfaith Council. Donations received at Coffee Hour through Sunday, June 9.

MARRIED

at Old First on April 27: Cynthia Kang and Nils  Welin.

IN MEMORY

Guadalupe Ross died on May 1, 2002. A memorial service will be held at Old First; date to be announced.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETS JUNE 15-22

The 214th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) meets in Columbus, Ohio June 15-22. The theme of this year’s gathering is “Ambassadors for Christ”.

One item of more-than-usual interest to San Franciscans will be the election of the GA Moderator; the Rev. Dr. Laird Stuart, Pastor of Calvary Presbyterian Church, is one of three candidates for this office.  Rev. Alexander has been working with several others over the last months to help Laird prepare for the election.

Old Firsters will watch the proceedings to see how the denomination will deal with the official prohibition against the ordination of non-celibate gays and lesbians, not to mention married heterosexuals who don’t abide by their vow of fidelity.

See the thoughts of 213rd GA Moderator Jack Rogers in Presbyterian Outlook, www.pres-outlook.com - "A Meditation on Lincoln's Second Inaugural".  Internet coverage of General Assembly meetings has been improving year by year. You can keep up with developments at http://pcusa.org/ga214.

LECTIONARY

June 2 - Gen. 6:9-22, 7:24, 8:14-19; Ps. 46; Rom. 1:16-17, 3:22b-28                      (29-31); Matt. 7:21-29

June 9 - Gen. 12:1-9; Ps. 33:1-12; Rom. 4:13-25; Matt. 9:9-13, 18-26

June 16  - Gen. 18:1-15 (21:1-7); Ps. 116:1-2, 12-19; Rom. 5:1-8;

                   Matt. 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

June 23 - Gen. 21:8-21; Ps. 86:1-10, 16-17; Rom. 6:1b-11;

               Matt. 1:24-39

June 30  - Gen. 22:1-14; Ps. 13; Rom. 6:12-23; Matt. 10:40-42

July 7 - Gen. 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67; Ps. 45:10-17 or S. of Sol.

               2:8-13; Rom. 7:15-25a;  Matt. 11:16-19, 25-30

SAYING "THANK YOU"

by Rod MacDonald, the “Thank-You Deacon”

It has been my feeling for years that we don't say “Thank you” often enough to people and organizations that make meaningful contributions in our lives. Sam thinks that saying thanks has a prayerful connotation to it; I believe it has a celebration element as well.

At Sam and Barbara's open house several months ago, I got into a conversation on this subject with Sam, Barbara, and Bryan Nichols that resulted in my being named the "Thank-You Deacon." (A secondary lesson learned was not to suggest a program at the new  preacher's open house with Bryan in earshot!)

The concept of including a "Thank you" in the worship experience is multi-faceted.  It is to recognize important/meaningful contributions to the life of the church; recognizing people and contributions that are seldom recognized but still important. 

It is not intended to be an awards program or a popularity contest, but to educate and motivate us as individuals to thank those who make contributions to our own lives, doing so in meaningful and unique ways, and to add fun and a sense of celebration to the worship experience, whether it be in the sanctuary or the fellowship hall.

The Thank You group is made up of Bryan Nichols, Jeanne Kirkwood, Jan Hammock and myself as facilitator, organizer etc.

We made our first presentation on April 26, thanking Doris Bebb for her tremendous dedication in working to revive and reinvigorate the Congregational Care Committee. I am working on half a dozen other Thank Yous.  A few have been nominated from within our little group.  I work closely with Sam to be sure the Thank You fits into the church service.  Right now the cards are being designed by Jan Hammock, and I select the scripture, poems, quotes, etc.

Future Thank Yous won’t always be by way of a card!  Each will have a unique quality, something to match the situation and add a mystique element to the whole process. As the program evolves and matures, more people will be involved in suggesting, planning  and participating.

NEW WELCOME MINISTRY CELEBRATES ON APRIL 20

by Elsa Townsend

Our homeless ministry, jointly sponsored by members of the Homelessness Task Force, including Old First and St. Luke's churches, has been reborn as The Welcome Ministry, a separate non-profit corporation. This new arrangement will provide an organizational structure better positioned than an individual church to attract broader financial and volunteer support.

To celebrate the transition, The Welcome Ministry sponsored a reception on April 20 that raised $8,000 toward its $46,000 annual budget and generated favorable publicity. It was held at Saint Luke’s Parish Hall, festively transformed into an art gallery featuring an exhibition of photos taken by our Welcome Center guests. Many  of the featured photographs and photo-montages were sold at a silent auction. ( A few remaining framed photos are still available at $75, by the way.)

Members of Old First, St. Luke’s and First Church of Christ, Scientist enjoyed scrumptious hors d’oeuvres offered by talented chefs among Old First’s Deacons and Saint Luke’s Vestry members, ARA House and Agnes’ Catering. Starbucks provided coffee to fuel a most convivial crowd. Thank you all, for your generosity and help!

The Gladspirit Trio (Don Pender, Jennifer Henderson, Don Prell) filled the Parish Hall with gentle classical music before modulating to jazzier arrangements as the party progressed. The central 40-minute multi-media program was launched with a particularly stirring liturgical dance by Nina Berg, accompanied with a prayer offered by Barbara Alexander. Bruce Bayne, Saint Luke’s rector, joined us all together in prayer. 

Craig Kehne’s personal story provided the core of the program. In a warm and engaging talk, he related how  his addiction to crack cocaine introduced him to some of the "most unsavory characters in town." Enter Michael Berg, (now President of the Board of the Welcome Ministry). Michael struck up a conversation with Craig on the street, encouraging him to consider a change in life style. Michael has been a minister for sobriety for 20 years now, since he found blessed freedom from alcohol addiction.

In the following months, events conspired to bring Craig to agree to Michael’s promise that if Craig could stay sober for three days, Michael would help him get back on his feet. Who could have predicted that five years later, Craig would be a Deacon at Old First! Parts of Craig’s story were aired on NBC3 television news reports later Saturday evening. KGO Television also ran a shorter segment about the event, relating it to Governor Davis’ grants of $8.2 million to Bay Area social service agencies on the eve of a statewide Summit on Homelessness.

Old Firster Jerry Lebsch, another veteran of the Welcome Center, read one of his recent poignant poems. The formal program ended with a prayer offered by Sam, then guests mingled convivially for another hour or so.

PASTOR'S PONDERINGS

Dear Friends,

I write on the day after Pentecost with a wonderful sense of the Spirit of God in this congregation. This is a healthy congregation, which means that it is an active congregation, sharing the love of God with one another and the world around us. I'd like to highlight just a few  things in our ministry — things for you to pray for — things for you to consider.

First, I would like to talk about our three community ministries: The Welcome Ministry, Senior Activities Center and Tutoring Ministry. Now  that I've had some time to get to know  them, I can see the similarities among them. At one level each provides a kind of  social service, but providing service is not the purpose for any of them. In each case the ministry has been consciously designed to allow people of faith to share the love of God, one on one, with the people that we are helping.

In our Welcome Ministry, we welcome our homeless neighbors into our church so that we can develop friendships and show our care. In our Seniors Ministry we offer meals and activities, certainly, but the real point is to offer opportunity for friendship: friendship with volunteers, friendship with other seniors. Our tutoring program offers help to young people who need some academic assistance, but the real point is to provide opportunities for believers to develop mentoring relationships, relationships that may have a life-long impact.

Each of these ministries seeks to share the love of our Lord, one on one. Each of these ministries also is coming towards some changes. The Welcome Ministry has just invited other churches into partnership in maintaining its mission. The Tutoring Center is about to engage a teacher to help us offer a quality educational experience to the young people who come. Our Senior Center is beginning to re-evaluate and consider a different focus in what we offer to our aging population.

Everyone of these ministries is going through a staff change. It is a moment that needs to be "bathed in prayer," as a friend of mine once said. We have another change coming as well. Erwin has told us that he will need to leave Old First in January of 2003. As I write, a number of people are thinking ahead, trying to find the right solution so that our children will continue to be cared for and continue to be brought up learning about our common faith in Jesus, the Christ.

It promises to be an active summer. Keep your congregation in your hearts and carry it to God in your prayer, if you would.

            Grace and peace,

                                        Sam

PS —  I know the weather is incredible, but don't forget the central moment of every congregation's life is the moment we worship together. Come to church. The Spirit is alive here!

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

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