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September 2005
Adult Education - Sundays, 9:30 am, Munro Room
The topic for September 4,
11 and 18 be Peacemaking.
Fr.
Elias Chacour is a Melkite Catholic priest whose vision is that through
education children, youth and young adults of several faith traditions
will learn to live and work together in peace.
This vision found reality in the school of the Mar Elias
educational Institutions in the Galilee region of
Israel
where about 3000 students attend daily. The video being shown is of a talk
Fr.Chacour gave at Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church last March.
The
International Peacemaker for this year is Dr. Donald L. Griggs, Executive
Director of the Pilgrims of Ibillin, a national organization supporting
the work of Fr. Chacour.
The topic for September 25 and October 2, 9 and 16 will be
Diversity, Tolerance and Christianity
Old
First considers itself an “inclusive community of faith.”
As such, we celebrate diversity and place a high value on
tolerance. But does accepting
diversity mean that we must indiscriminately accept injustice and sin as
social norms? Can tolerance
mean hiding our Christian faith for fear of offending some one who is not
Christian? How can we believe
that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life while respecting some
one else's faith that differs from this belief?
Is it possible for Christians maintain standards for marriage and
family while respecting conflicting standards (even those of other
Christians)?
Steve
Taber will teach this series of classes will continue an exploration of
Christianity and liberalism in modern
America
. It will explore what it
means to be a liberal Christian (in the broad sense of “liberal”) and
will raise questions designed to provoke critical examination of what we
believe and how our beliefs interact with modern culture.
-
Oct. 16 - Applies principles learned in the first three sessions in
dealing specifically with different views of marriage and family,
including same-sex marriage, abortion, divorce and role of the
family.
World Communion Day Ethnic Potluck
On
October 2, World Communion Day, we’ll share more than bread and wine.
There will be lasagna and hummus and piroshki and fried chicken and
shortbread and, and ...... a lot more food than we can fit on the
Communion table, anyway.
After
the festive worship service, Old First will hold a potluck lunch with food
from as many countries and traditions as we can get. So, it looks a little
strange on the plate, and it’s not like any meal Mom ever served.
We’ll have a fun — and maybe even educational — meal of foods
from around the globe.
Signups
will start on Sunday, Sept. 11. (Yes, there are no signups for a true
potluck meal, but it wouldn’t be much fun if everybody brought pizza).
Think about a traditional recipe from your childhood or the specialty of
your favorite take-out place or a wonderful dish you learned to love on a
memorable trip — then bring some of it to share!
In Memory - Rev. Dr. John R. Bodo
The
Rev. Dr. John R. Bodo died on June 30, 2005. He served as pastor of Old
First from 1969 to 1976 and founded Old First Concerts.
He
was born in 1920 in
Budapest
,
Hungary
. He had begun his theological studies at the
University
of
Geneva
when his family came to the
U.S.
in 1940; he graduated from Union Theological Seminary and was ordained in
1942..
Before
coming to Old First, he was pastor of First (now
Nassau
) Presbyterian in
Princeton
,
NJ
; Chairman of the Dept of Practical Theology in San Francisco Theological
Seminary, and chaplain and professor of religion at
Macalester
College
in
Minnesota
.
After
leaving Old First, Dr. Bodo served as interim pastor of ten churches. At
the time of his death, he was pastor of
Stanhope
Church
in
Saratoga
.
He
is survived by his wife, the former Mary Lindstrom, two children and three
grandchildren.
His
memorial service was held at Old First on July 6, using the scripture and
hymns he had selected. The
Rev. Glenda Hope, who had been his Assistant Pastor here, conducted the
service.
From your friendly local transitional pastor
Clouds
in
San Francisco
. Clouds mixed with sun in
Santa Fe
,
New Mexico
, with a brief monsoon-like cloudburst. Morning overcast in
Los Angeles
gradually making room for hazy blue skies. Everywhere I traveled last
week, clouds. Under those clouds, I visited extended family, some of whom
I had not seen for 10 years. And as I did so, my heart was warmed, my
spirits were lifted, and relationships were renewed.
A
strange thing, really, now that I think about it. Not the clouds, though
it is summertime, and I would have enjoyed more sunshine. Rather, the
length of time between family get-togethers. There have been excuses,
naturally: time goes by quickly; life is complex and busy; planes fly both
ways, not just south from
San Francisco
. Illnesses, job changes, family troubles, moves from one house or
apartment to another, and then to another. Babies are born, as are
businesses.
With
the passage of the years, perceptions of one another change. Infrequent
emails substitute for real live flesh and blood encounters. Christmas
cards and staged photographs take the place of communal meals, walks in
the park, shared memories of the past over tea, laughter and tears and
hugs. The annual computer-generated catch-all letter cannot make up for
facial expression and tone of voice, unhurried exploration of events, and
quick forays into interesting side-issues. We feign indifference to how
others are doing, or we wish that we could make that trip, or we think
that we should do our duty.
And
then, we follow through, make the reservations, pack, get ourselves to the
airport, go through security, and board the plane. Once in the air we keep
busy, or nap, or talk with a seatmate, or think about the people we will
soon see again. And then we arrive, and are met by someone who, we swear,
has not changed one little bit – and, we are informed, neither have we
– and now we are really there, really present with that relative. The
years melt away, the memories of the past mixing with the present. And, in
a way, we are at home once again.
Of
course, things have indeed changed; life really is an ever-rolling stream.
As we catch up with the highlights – and lowlights – of the years that
have passed, we use our imaginations to fill in the gaps. We look again
and again at the faces, and see the wrinkles, the smiles and frowns, the
eagerness and the dulled places; and we see that, yes, these people are
the same as we remember, and yet they are not the same, for life has also
happened to them in the intervening time. The stress, loss, joy, and
adventures that have molded them into who and what they are, and what they
now believe, are as real as those things which have affected us. We wish
we could have been closer to them over the years, to support them and
receive support in return; but, what has been cannot be undone. We find
that confession and forgiveness are possible, and then realize that we
must make the best of the time that remains to us.
Each
day is full of activity and sound as we try to say all the words that are
important to say. We gossip, take photos, and wonder what in the world we
will talk about next, only to be surprised by that memory, this turn in
the conversation.
Despite
our best efforts, the days slip by, and then we are packing for the return
trip. Last minute hugs, photos, and promises to visit again soon; then,
the drive to the airport. We unload our bags, share one very last embrace,
and then enter the terminal alone, and yet not alone.
Then
the thought hits us: that relationships are the treasure so often
neglected and ill-tended; yet they are truly the most valuable thing we
can ever have, no matter how much or how little we earn or own. It is all
too easy to ignore the heart’s desire, to shut off the whispers that
issue from the empty longing spaces within our soul.
Life
is too short to turn away from those friends and relatives – even the
difficult and troubled ones - who have inhabited our hearts for so long.
They have so much yet to give and teach us, and, perhaps to our surprise,
they need those gifts that we carry within us as well.
In
the same way, life is too short to always walk away from our neighbor
because being with them is not convenient, or fulfilling, or pleasant. We
are given one another that we might share the treasures that each one of
us has in abundance, that each one might know that we are not alone. That
is the blessing of being related to one another through our common
humanity, whether the skies are
cloudy, or clear.
Peace
be with you and yours,
Jeffrey
Cheifetz
What’s Happening with
the Sidewalk?
The
church is now making needed repairs to the sidewalks along
Sacramento Street
and Van Ness.
The
pavement had subsided near the building and was thought to be causing
problems with water intrusion into the building.
Once the concrete was broken up and some excavating done, it was
discovered that a city water pipe was corroded and leaking.
At
press time there are plans to replace the leaking pipe and to keep looking
for other problems.
Peacemaking Appeal 2005
Sunday,
Sept. 4, 2005, will be the kickoff for this year’s Peacemaking
Appeal, which will
culminate on Oct. 2, World
Communion Sunday/Peacemaking Sunday.
The theme for this year's appeal is taken from Luke 1:79:
"Guide Our Feet into the Way of Peace."
When
I think of "feet" I think of our young troops walking each day
in the hot desert sun of
Iraq
, putting themselves in harm's way; I think of Iraqi citizens fleeing the
carnage that is taking place daily in their culture. I think of
both Israeli and Palestinian citizens running from the latest suicide
bomber.
I
also think of the beautiful photograph I saw at the
Markkula
Center
for Applied Ethics when we were there on retreat this year.
It was a picture of the feet of Mother Theresa, one of the most
powerful photographs I have ever seen.
Her bare feet were gnarled and twisted, with years of service
etched on their skin. That
photo spoke a thousand words.
A
question to ask ourselves during this year's appeal is:
“How do we live and walk into the reality of the
peace/shalom/salvation that God has provided for us to appropriate in our
day?” The Peace and Justice
Committee has been trying to answer that question. To that end, it would
like to help create a generation of young people at Old First who
will be able to walk out into the world as peacemakers.
For
example, this year Ariel Krietzman received a scholarship from the 2004
Peacemaking Appeal to attend the Intergenerational Peacemaking Conference
held at Ghost Ranch in
New Mexico
. We would like to send a young person from Old First next year as well.
Please give generously on October 2 when the Peacemaking Offering
is taken.
Peace/Shalom,
Pat
Devine, Peace & Justice Committee
Central
Gardens
Update
by
Johnni Olds
We
will celebrate National Grandparents Day September 11.
Yvonne Cheng and I are currently working on a new program called
"Adopt-a-Grandparent,” which we hope will get the children of Old
First interested in Central Gardens Convalescent Home. The plan is to have
a child paired with one or two of the residents, and they can get to know
each other by spending extra time together after the short monthly
service. Of course, we always welcome the parents and others to join us.
Yvonne
has the children making cards in Sunday school and then passing them out
after the nursing home service. The smiles on the faces of everyone
involved are simply priceless. Also, some roses were planted in painted
yogurt containers last month and given to all the residents attending the
service. We hope to get more children involved as time passes.
Every
fourth Sunday of the month, we deliver a church service at
Central
Gardens
. We usually have about six people from Old First attend. We sing hymns,
have a scripture reading and say a few words. Your interest and support in
this ministry is greatly appreciated. Please continue with your prayers as
we reach out to these lovely and usually lonely people.
Why We Give to Old
First
What
is Stewardship? We know that
we have a campaign each fall to determine how much money we will have to
spend on salaries, maintenance, mission, etc.
For some members of the congregation, that is all there is to it.
However, there is much, much more.
The Stewardship Committee is organizing an effort to help us grasp
the full meaning of Stewardship. We
are beginning by publishing a series of statements from members of the
Congregation of Old First describing why we give of our time, talents and
money to this community of faith. These
statements will reveal the breadth of our congregation's involvement in
stewardship. They will appear once a month as a bulletin insert and will
be republished the following month in Shared Life.
The Stewardship Committee is leading off but we would love to hear
from every member. Please
contact Jean Olson if you are interested in contributing your thoughts.
Sara
Barrios says -
I
have never given a lot of thought to why I give to my church.
However, when I think about it I know it is because I believe in
what we are doing: I want to
have a strong worship service with good preaching and good music.
I give because I need to be with others in a caring faith
community.
I
give because I want to see that we teach our children and that we
support adult learning programs. I
want to support Old First in its outreach because that is where my faith
leads me. And sometimes my
faith is stretched by all we do. I
need to be stretched.
About
30 years ago on the church's 125th anniversary, Al and I committed to
giving Old First 10% of our estate.
That commitment has not changed.
I want to see Old First move into the future strong and serving
all it can on the corner of Van Ness and
Sacramento
.
Barry
Clagett says -
Upon
joining Old First in 1996, I found initially that it offered me an
opportunity to renew my relationship with God. Subsequently, I found
myself becoming more and more interested in Old First as an organization
where there are myriad supportive relationships among the membership and
where people help each other in times of distress. As time went by I
took advantage of the opportunities to work with and socialize with
other people. I also noticed that Old First helps people outside of the
church and saw this as an opportunity for me to serve.
Service
as a concept became clearer to me as I read the Gospel and Jesus'
teachings about helping other people. It was then that I realized how
important it is to support Old First, a place where it is easy and
natural to worship God, develop good friendships, and help distressed
people, inside and outside of the church.
I've
come to know something about how Old First works and it is fascinating.
It works on the basis of many people giving time, talents and money to
the mutual enterprise. It's a great example of teamwork. We each do what
we can with the gifts given us by God and the result is a great
organization that provides strong social and spiritual rewards for us
all.
Helping
Old First to work well is interesting indeed. I participate in several
aspects of our work and help to interconnect them. There are many
opportunities for productive coordination between the various Old First
organizational elements and helping to connect and make them more
effective overall is rewarding work. I see the results every day as Old
First folks benefit from the relationships and support that they enjoy
at this great church.
Lectionary
Sept 4 - 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Exod. 12:1-14; Ps. 149;
Rom.
13:8-14; Matt. 18:15-20
Sept 11 - 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Exod. 14:19-31; Ps. 114 or
Exod. 15:1b-11, 20-21;
Rom.
14:1-12; Matt. 18:12-35
Sept 18 - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Exod. 16:2-15; Ps. 105:1-6, 37-45;
Phil. 1:21-30; Matt. 20:1-16
Sept 25 - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Exod. 17:1-7; Ps. 78:1-4, 12-16;
Phil. 2:1-13; Matt. 21:23-32
Oct. 2 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Exod. 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20; Ps. 19;
Phil. 3:4b-14; Matt. 21:33-46
Old First Concerts Changes Sunday Starting Times
When
you look at the September Concerts listings, you will notice a new time
for most Sunday afternoon events: 3
pm instead of the long-familiar 4 pm.
Old First Concerts is experimenting with the earlier time in an
effort to make daytime concerts more convenient and enjoyable.
Top Ten Things You Never Hear in Church
1.
Hey! It's my turn to sit in the front pew.
2. I
was so enthralled, I never noticed your sermon went 25 minutes over time.
3.
Personally I find witnessing much more enjoyable than golf.
4.
I've decided to give our church the $500 a month I used to send to TV
evangelists.
5. I
volunteer to be the permanent teacher for the Junior High Sunday School
class.
6.
Forget the denominational minimum salary, let's pay our pastor so (s)he
can live like we do.
7. I
love it when we sing hymns I've never heard before!
8.
Since we're all here, let's start the service early.
9.
Pastor, we'd like to send you to this Bible seminar in the
Bahamas
.
10.
Nothing inspires me and strengthens my commitment like our annual
stewardship campaign!
Focus on
Mission
: Larkin Street Youth Services
by
Bill Campbell
Over
4,000 kids a year live on the streets of
San Francisco
. Most of them faced physical
or sexual abuse or neglect, and they see the streets as safer than their
own homes. Many of them come
with physical and mental health and substance abuse issues.
But they are kids, and they have the resilience that makes
self-esteem, trust and hope easier to restore.
Larkin
Street Youth Services (www.larkinstreetyouth.org)
is the only organization in
San Francisco
meeting the full spectrum of needs of these kids.
That starts with a safe place to live, and it includes food,
medical care, life skills, education, and job skills.
For some, it includes the first facility in
U.S.
dedicated to adolescents with HIV/AIDS.
Larkin Street gives kids a stable emotional foundation on which
they can rebuild their lives: a
sense of security and safety, the ability to have trusting relationships
with adults, a sense of accountability to themselves and others, and
confidence in their ability to set goals and reach them.
Larkin
Streets' kids work hard to build better futures for themselves.
At
Larkin Street
's most recent GED graduation ceremony, you would have heard “Pomp and
Circumstance” and seen caps, gowns and ear-to-ear smiles.
Larkin Street helped each of these kids secure a good job or a
place in college, and in some cases both a place in college and a job.
Ninety
nine percent of the dropouts who prepare for the GED through
Larkin Street
's program pass. Seventy
percent of the kids who express interest in college go on to enroll.
Seventy five percent of the kids who participate in
Larkin Street
's comprehensive program are successful in leaving the streets and
rebuilding their lives. Over
the years, that adds up to 20,000 kids-half the capacity of
SBC
Park
--who are living productive lives. As
a
Larkin Street
donor recently put it, “
Larkin Street
is investing in kids who have the willingness and capacity to learn and do
something positive in their lives. The
payback in this investment is huge.”
Larkin
Street's roots go back to an Old First congregational retreat.
Local community needs were a focus of that retreat, and the idea of
a ministry to homeless youth took hold.
Old First went on to organize and host a series of “
Polk
Street
Town Hall
” meetings, gathered expertise, funding and community resources, and
launched
Larkin Street
as an independent nonprofit organization.
Today,
Larkin Street
's proven record of success has made it a nationally recognized model,
with numerous awards and honors, and professionals who visit
Larkin Street
to study what it does. A new area of special focus for Larkin Street is
working with kids who literally are turned out to the streets with little
or no resources when they age out of our state's disgraceful foster care
system at 18 or who flee the system before they reach 18.
Another focus is working on is dramatically expanding opportunities
for volunteering.
In
supporting
Larkin Street
, Old First is standing behind the counselors, outreach workers, case
managers, teachers, doctors, nurses, mental health specialists, art
program leader and volunteers who are on the front lines.
Thanks to
Larkin Street
's professionals, volunteers and supporters, some of society's most
vulnerable young people will have brighter futures.
If you would like to learn more, Larkin Street offers welcomes you
to take a 1- 1/2 hour tour--any Wednesday at 3 p.m.
The tours meet at
1150 Sutter Street
, between Larkin and Polk. Please
call (415) 673-0911, ext. 262 to make a reservation.
Dear
Jeffrey and the congregation of Old First,
I am
sorry it has taken nearly 3 weeks for me to get this off to you, but it is
something that has been on my mind the whole elapsed time.
I
must tell you that I have never quite experienced such a warm and
welcoming group in any church experience or otherwise. You all expressed
what I truly believe is God's love in a very Christlike example. I have
not had the opportunity to do so yet, but I cannot wait to tell Tim
Hart-Andersen about my visit with you.
In
short, it was a wonderful event for me, and certainly one of the best
memories of my trip.
I
also want to congratulate you on all that you do in the community, gay or
straight, and hold you in very high regard for showing that God is not
restrictive or exclusive. Your "hands on" attitude is so
refreshing to see in the PCUSA and certainly sets an admirable goal for
all Presbyterian churches and, further, all Christian churches in the
USA
today.
I
totally enjoyed and was blessed by the joyous worship service (with a
wonderful sermon, too). The last thing I will say is that it gave me a new
look at the hymn and life in general when we sang "Oh Love That Will
Not Let Me Go." I had that sung at my late partner's memorial service
and have always related it to be very fitting for that kind of occasion.
But, in conjunction with the ambiance of and examples set by Old First, I
see it now as very fitting as a call as well, i.e., we cannot let things
that need doing go undone (and in truth, simply cannot get away from that
call).
God Bless You, Everyone!
Larry
Lee,
Elder, The House
of Hope Presbyterian Church
St. Paul
,
Minnesota
There’s
more!
San Francisco
Theological Seminary student Beverly Brewster wrote up her visit to Old
First in April:
I
really enjoyed my visit to Old First Sunday morning.....Everything about
the facility bespeaks the congregation’s pride and joy in this historic
site and its tradition. Before
the service started, there was much to admire and enjoy:
the gorgeous mosaic behind the choir’s station, the windows, the
breathtaking liturgical art, the artistry of the floral arrangement, the
tasteful fabric on the pew cushions—wow!
Of
course, I was observing the people, too.
A good mix of ages, ethnic diversity, and I noted that the feeling
before Jeff walked in was one of happy anticipation.
Jeff’s
opening was really well done. There
is nothing better than a genuine, warm welcome right up top....The
preparation for worship was also terrific; I love the “feet on the
ground” and Christ “in-between-beyond.”
I
have always heard that Old First has a membership which participates
actively in worship, and I was very impressed with the meaningful roles
played by Mary Russell and Ted Chiao.
Ted’s prayer gave witness to the social activist roots of the
church and the passion the congregation feels for justice and world
issues.
Jeff’s
sermon was full of wisdom about, among other topics, meaning-making in
transition, certainly an excellent subject for a congregation in the
interim process. I took notes and especially will draw upon this:
It takes time to make redemptive meaning of life’s changes and
upheavals and losses; we need powers of choice and creativity; we need a
new angle of sight. Thank you,
Jeff!
The
music was outstanding; what a choir!
The
social hour downstairs was absolutely delightful.
I can honestly say I’ve never been to a happier coffee time.
The mutual respect and affection the members have for each other
and the hospitality shown to me and the other visitors was outstanding.
The piano player was great, too.
I
was fortunate to have Ted take me under his wing and introduce me
to several members, who were all very welcoming and friendly.
He showed me the library (a gem) and loaned me Stephen Taber’s
award-winning book on the church’s history, which is very well done.
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