October 2004  

World Communion Sunday - October 3

Sermon by guest peacemaker Allan Solomonow

Jazz Vespers

Jazz Vespers’ seventh season opens on Sunday, October 3.  Jazz Vespers has moved its service to the first Sunday of each month.

The 2004/05 lineup for this popular alternative worship service is:

Oct 3 - Dave Rocha Quartet

Nov 7 - Michael Smolens/ John Thomas

Dec 5 - Anton Schwartz Quartet

Jan 2 - Mad & Eddie Duran Quartet

Feb 6 - Clairdee & The Ken French Trio

Mar 6 - Geoffrey Keezer

Apr 3 - Gerry Grosz

May1 - John Calloway Quintet

June 5 - Paul Scheffert Trio

July 3 - Don Pender Quartet

Evening Prayers - Wednesday, Oct. 6 , 7:00 - 7:40 pm 

Kevin Starr Speaks on Religion and San Francisco History

Noted author and California historian Kevin Starr will discuss the question, “Has Religious Life Shaped the City?” on Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 pm.

This talk is presented by Calvary Presbyterian Church as part of its 150th anniversary celebration.  Calvary is at 2515 Fillmore (corner of Jackson ); admission is free of charge.

Choir Concert October 15 

Sacred Choral Music of Howells, Holst Vaughan Williams

The choir of Old First, under the direction of Dr. Jay A. Pierson, continues to bring interesting and innovative sacred choral repertoire to the concert stage.

This concert celebrates the Romantic English choral tradition with performances of works by three masterful composers. Be inspired by the simple, direct melodies of Herbert Howells, the fiery exuberant rhythms of Gustave Holst and the eloquent lush harmonies of Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Friday, Oct. 15, 8 pm. Tickets - $15 General, $9 Members, $12 Seniors 65 and older, $12 Full Time Students

October 16 Down-Home Evening

Nothing fancy at this event, just a hearty supper of three-way chili (chili over beans over pasta) and fixings, plus a very informal singalong of familiar songs. If you’d like to perform, turn up all tuned up and take your turn.  

It’s Saturday, October 16, at the church; 6:30 pm. Advance tickets are $6 for adults, $3 ages 6-12. At the door, the price goes to $8 and $4.    

Deacons Sunday October 24

Deacons Sunday will be celebrated on October 24, when the Board of Deacons will lead the worship service.  Throughout the service, the Deacons will describe the work they do. 

The three-deacon sermon by Carol Carter, Alfred Martin and Mary Russell will touch on how the Deacons share in the journey of our Old First family. Concerns that are shared are halved; joys that are shared are multiplied!

Congregational Meeting and Election October  31       

After worship on Sunday, October 31, there will be a congregational meeting to elect new classes of elders and deacons.  The Nominating Committee expects to present its slate of nominees by October 17.

In addition, a Town Hall Meeting will present a quick overview of what’s happening in the church these days.

Note from your friendly local transitional pastor

Old First Community of Faith, Hope, and Love:

Here's hoping your summer brought some rest and relaxation to you and yours.

My family enjoyed a quiet week at Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center at Lake Tahoe , leaving as the hordes began to ascend the mountain roads toward that beautiful area. It was a great time to depart!

Speaking of arriving and leaving, your communal journey over the last few years has seen a lot of both, whether positive or hurtful. I see and hear the echoes of that journey every time I turn around, and I believe that you will regain a sense of purpose, direction, and community as you work and worship together.

My role as interim, or transitional, pastor is designed to assist you in that process of renewal. This means that I do more than design and lead worship, attend committee meetings, and provide pastoral care. My "job" is to walk with you as you do the internal work necessary to "make the way straight" for the Leader of the church, Jesus the Messiah. My "job" may include naming the strengths and weaknesses that you no longer are able to recognize as such. It may include making suggestions as to how to structure your boards and committees so that your mission vision is empowered by that structure. Perhaps a few changes on Sunday mornings will add to your worship experience. You may need to leave behind some unnecessary activities and ways of relating to one another, and begin some new programs and habits. And, of course, I also remain a student of your shared life together, for your history, customs, structures, and ways of relating to one another are important for me to understand. Hopefully we can teach and learn from one another.

I am a "bridge" person who is with you for a time as you find your way along the journey of renewal. Transitional ministry gives you the time and opportunity to look more closely at five areas of your corporate existence, so that you may see more clearly who you are and what you do. You will have the opportunity to make conscious decisions about what you will become and what you will do in the future.

These five areas are labeled, briefly, as follows. You will hear more about them in sermons, group conversations, and other venues in the months to come. The five are:

• Coming to terms with history: in order to be free for God's future for you, you need to understand how you got where you are.

• Discovering a new  identity: who you have been in relationship to the larger

community, and what you dream of becoming.

 • Allowing needed leadership change/shifts of power: some lay leaders may need to take a rest, or shift their roles from what they have traditionally done; and potential and new leaders can be mentored and invited to take on more active roles.

• Renewing denominational linkages: look at your past relationship with the Presbytery of San Francisco and other levels of the denomination, and create ways to enhance those relationships to the benefit of all.

• Commitment to new pastoral leadership and a new future: learn from the past, say goodbye in healthy ways to former pastors, and prepare to make a genuine commitment to the next installed pastor.

These five tasks are not necessarily done in linear order, or always in the same way in every congregation. They are obviously related to one another, and obviously they require effort in terms of prayer, forthright dialogue, teamwork, facing into potential conflict, and questioning why you do what you do. Some may emerge as more important to the ongoing life of the congregation than others. They are ways of accessing the important aspects of a congregation's life, and with energy and creativity can provide doorways from the past into a promising future.

In concert with the elder and deacon leadership of this church, I want to create a safe atmosphere of mutual respect in which there is permission to explore, experiment, and create anew; in which there is the willingness to listen carefully to one another and speak the truth in love; and in which the mission vision statement, when complete and approved by the appropriate bodies, provides the roadmap for your shared ministry for the years ahead.       

I look forward to sharing more about the five tasks in the months ahead. I am available to you for prayerful and confidential dialogue, or just to listen. I enjoy spending time with people who are consciously seeking for answers to their questions (not that I have all the answers - far from it!), and/or who are trying to find the right questions. Contact me by phone or  email, and I'll get back to you as soon as I am able.

Peace to you and yours, and to all,

Jeffrey Cheifetz, Transitional Pastor

Sunday Morning Telephones

Imagine calling Old First on Sunday morning and having the phone answered by a real live person -- maybe Jeanne Englehart,  Betsy Chiao, Marne Krozek, Pat Amdur or Esther Kim.

Imagine knowing you could leave a voicemail message on Saturday that somebody would hear before Monday.

It could work. All we need are a few more volunteers to be in the church office from 10 to 11 am on Sunday. You don’t expect Jeanne, Betsy, Marne , Pat and Esther to do it all, do you?

If you can donate an occasional hour before the worship service, please contact Rosemary Bledsoe at 441-3388.

Money Matters for Ministry

In July and August the Welcome Ministry suspended the operation of the Welcome Center (Tuesdays 2-4pm) and Evening Outreach Program (2nd Thursdays 6:30-9pm), and asked its director, Megan Rohrer, to take a two-month unpaid vacation in order to ensure that the program could operate for the rest of the year and to give our hardworking volunteers a much-needed break.  During the break, community dinners were still held on second Saturdays to feed our homeless and hungry friends.

Now that the break is over, the Welcome Ministry is fully operational again.  However, due to a decreased economy, its main funding resources, namely grants, are decreasing.  As a result, the Welcome Ministry is working with a grant writer to revamp its grant proposals and target granting agencies and foundations that are most likely to support its work. 

In addition, it is trying to diversify its income by encouraging churches and other organizations to host a community dinner.  Community dinner hosts are responsible for providing the food and 10-15 volunteers.  Organizations who sponsor a dinner are also asked to donate $500-$1500 to help sustain the work of the Welcome Ministry.  In the past, organizations like Starbucks and JP Morgan have hosted community dinners. 

Many organizations have funds set aside for community service projects engaged in by their employers, but the grant money can only be solicited by employees.  If you work at one of these companies, please contact the Welcome Ministry board, or check out their website www.oldfirst.org/welcomeministry for information on how to sponsor a dinner on our website. 

Another way to help is to attend Bingo for the Homeless on Saturday November 20.  There will be dinner, bingo, and all kinds of glorious prizes. 

Neighborhood Forum on Homelessness

Wednesday, October 13, 7:00 pm -  Q&A Session to discuss the Welcome Ministry and how the work of Old First Church affects our neighbors

Wednesday, October 20, 7:00 pm - Session with local law enforcement about policing the streets

Wednesday, October 27, 7:00 pm - Session with service providers who work with the homeless, including Glenda Hope, Megan Rohrer, River Sims, Episcopal Community Services, Larkin Street Youth Center , and The Night Ministry

Lectionary

Oct  3  - 27th  Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lam. 1:1-16;  Lam. 3:19-26 or Ps. 137; 2 Tim. 1:1-14;  Luke 17:5-10

Oct  10  - 28th  Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer. 29:1, 4-7; Ps. 66:1-12; 2 Tim. 2:8-15;  Luke 17:11-19

Oct  17  - 29th  Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer. 31:27-34;  Ps. 119:97-104; 2 Tim. 3:14-4:5;  Luke 18:1-8

Oct  24  - 30th  Sunday in Ordinary Time

Joel 2:23-32;  Ps. 65: 2 Tim. 4:6-8, 16-18;  Luke 18:9-14

Oct 31 - 31st  Sunday in Ordinary Time

Hab. 1:1-4, 2:1-4;  Ps. 119:137-144; 2 Thess. 1:1-4, 11-12;  Luke 19:1-10

Nov 1 - All Saints’ Day

Dan. 7:1-3, 15-18;  Ps. 149; Eph. 1:11-23; Luke 6:20-31

Nov 7 - 32nd  Sunday in Ordinary Time

Hag. 1:15b-2:9;  Ps. 145:1-5, 17-21 or Ps. 98;  2 Thess.2:1-5, 13-17; 

Luke 20:27-38

Quote of the month

Thanks to Celia Rudka for sharing this item from In the Moment by Harvey Rich.  

She says, “In one of his sermons, Jim Emerson mentioned being “in the moment” and appreciating God’s love. I mentioned this to a friend, and she told me about a book of that name by Dr. Harvey Rich, a psychoanalyst.  I got the book from the library and liked it very much.”  

The Common Language of Celebration

At its best, organized religion is an attempt to help people comprehend and have this dialogue with God, the spiritual.  For many of us, religious tradition are a source of strength, courage, and resilience. Regardless of the name we use for God, all religions share the common language of celebration. We see in religious tradition perhaps the most elaborate use of the elements of celebration to shape human experience and expectations.

Every ritual is designed to set a moment apart, recognize it, and name it. We share the moment when we gather as members of a congregation for prayer or community service, or alone, in our private conversations with God. We use biblical stories, sermons, and commentary to celebrate the ancestors, origins, and echoes of our particular faith heritage We create holidays to celebrate our stories, and in so doing, we create a context for our lives and give meaning to our existence. Liturgy and prayer speak forthrightly of divine mystery and awe, and invite us to engage ourselves in that language, open ourselves to those thoughts and that experience.

It is not by coincidence that throughout every culture, music and art have always been central to religious expression, bypassing the limitations of language and logic to create an experience that reverberates in our conscious and unconscious celebration of ourselves. So it is in church or synagogue or mosque or temple or tribal gathering that we immerse ourselves in these experiences of our mental life.

As evidence throughout history, the deep, unifying power of celebration in the name of religion can be used to bring people together or to separate them, to cultivate trust or suspicion; to generate love or hate, peace or war. The destructive side of religious celebration shows itself in barbaric acts of historic magnitude — the Crusades and Inquisition in centuries past, and the more recent terrorism by religious fundamentalist extremists — but also in everyday ways we use or allow religion to create division in our communities or personal relationships.

In contrast, we see the life-affirming power of religious celebration when it facilitates connection, peace, and healing as so many did in interfaith gatherings following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. These were community expressions of the desire to speak to the higher moral goal of all our moral faiths in the face of these divisive forces.                                                                   

Old First Concerts - complete information at www.oldfirstconcerts.org

Ticket prices are as follows except where otherwise noted:  

General Admission: $15

Students & Seniors: $12 

Old First Concerts Members: $6  

Tickets are generally available at the door 1/2 hour before each concert.

Friday, October 1 - 8 pm  - Faina Lushtak, piano

$20 General, $12 Seniors & Students, $9 Members

Friday, October 8 - 8 pm  - Timothy Ehlen, piano

Sunday, October 10 - 4 pm  - Triple Helix piano trio

Friday, October 15 - 8 pm - Old First Church Choir

Sunday, October 17 - 4 pm  - Trudy Lau & Ursula Wang Piano Duo

Friday, October 22 - 8 pm - Dvorak Chamber Music

Sunday, October 24 - 4 pm  - William Welborn, piano

Friday, October 29 - 8 pm  - Kai Gleusteen, violin  & Catherine Ordronneau, piano

Sunday, October 31 - 4 pm  - Jones-Maruri violin/guitar Duo

$18 General, $12 Seniors and Students, $9 Members

Married

Hong-Sheng Tu and Hsiao-Chien Chuang, on September 18, in Golden Gate Park .

Ghana 2004

Some of Jeanne Choy Tate’s experiences at the World Alliance of Reformed Churches conference:

Wednesday, July 21 - After all these months of waiting and twenty hours of exhausting travel, I have finally arrived in Ghana . I feel like shouting the words of the hymn – "Here I am Lord!" The initial surprise is a delightful breeze, cool enough to be able to keep on a long sleeve shirt.

My first impression of Accra is that it looks relatively good for a third world country. However, the impressive black top soon peters out and the roadside shacks and bumpy roads begin. As students at the Global Institute of Theology, we are staying at Trinity Seminary. The rest of the WARC conference, which starts the end of next week, is housed at the University of Ghana , about a half hour walk away. The seminary campus is in a white stucco, red tile hacienda style.

Unexpectedly, we find that we have rooms alone. The style is monk cell minimalist, with a dim fluorescent light and fan overhead and a patchy linoleum floor. There is a desk, a bookcase and a narrow metal cot with a two-inch foam mattress that is very squeaky and sags in the middle. Though the rooms are brightened a bit with colored sheets, the atmosphere is otherwise pretty stark. Later I learn that having this room to myself must represent the Ghanaian version of luxury. Four to six people usually sleep here on bunk beds, sharing two desks. The bathroom with cold water showers is at the end of an outdoor porch. This is a fairly long trip at night and the toilets tend to overflow in the evening

Thursday, July 22 - I wake up to the sight of bright red clay contrasting with green grass and lush trees. I feel like I really am in Africa . Energy is high among the students, most of whom are just arriving. There is an air of excitement as we take off to access phones, money and the internet. Some of  the students are dying to see the ocean, so a group of us load onto a school bus and head for La Pleasure Beach.

The beach is dominated by one of the huge billboards warning about AIDS that are everywhere and one of the first things you notice. The government here has an ABC educational policy. A is for Abstinence; B is for Be Faithful; and C is for Condomize.

School children on a field trip from an inland village are playing in the waves. They are dressed in the orange and brown uniforms of the public schools. The group is a mixture of Christians and Muslims. The Muslim girls are charming in lace-trimmed white headdresses; the Christian girls have closely cropped hair that shows off their beautiful  African profiles. Ghana prides itself on its Christian-Muslim mix, which presents few social problems. To me as an American, this almost seems amazing.

Friday, July 23 - At our opening convocation we are joined by a huge choir of mostly women dressed in kente cloth with a band of traditional African instruments. The choir sings one of the Chinese songs and one of the Spanish songs from our new hymnal. Their singing is incredible and oh! the dancing!! They sway and move their rear ends to the music. They even shake their butts a little to warm them up in the beginning like a choir might warm up their voices. It's marvelous.  At the end, there is dancing in the aisles and I do mean dancing! Now this is the kind of worship experience I have been hoping for!!

Saturday, July 24 - We at the Global Institute of Theology are here a week early to study in greater depth the issues that will be before the General Council when it meets. The World Alliance is made up of 217 Presbyterian, Reformed, Congregational, United and Uniting churches from over 100 countries; its combined membership is over 75 million. Begun in 1875, delegates of member church meet together in a General Council once every seven or eight years to set direction and policy for its member churches.

This year the World Alliance will be looking at the issues of economic justice, mission in a post-colonial world, and spirituality.  At issue here is what church mission should look like in a post-colonial world. It is said of Christian missionaries that we came with the Bible in one hand and our culture in the other. Is there a way of doing mission that does not involve the domination of local people and cultures by foreign empires? Some maintain that while faith conversions are possible, cultural conversions are not – you cannot take the culture out of a person. We are given the example of Africans who tie up their sacrifices of chickens and goats outside the church door, go in to worship and then pick up their sacrifices again on the way out.

The amount of people and cultures you confront daily is overwhelming. There are 66 of us from 22 countries, along with 14 faculty from 10 countries. 29 students come from Africa, 19 from the Caribbean Islands and South America, 13 from Pacific-Asia, 5 from Europe, 9 of us from the U.S. and 5 from Canada .  You feel as if you walk around with a smile pasted on your face, constantly saying your name and country and shaking hands. You start to feel like that is all you are – a name and a country. People are so overwhelmed they are clumping together in their own ethnic groups whenever there is a spare minute. You find yourself longing for something that is familiar so you can relax a little

Tomorrow we will attend local churches. We are told that dancing will be expected and we should plan to get off our butts and dance, or people will think we are not happy with the service. Can you imagine if that was our philosophy at Old First?! We are also told it is de rigueur to carry our Bibles and that we need to know the day of the week on which we are born. In Ghana , this is how you are known and organized. In church we will be called to dance up to the offering based on our week day. Fortunately, someone has a palm pilot and can tell me I am a Monday child.

Sunday, July 25 - A lot of feelings are arising about worship style. Several of the Canadians have expressed to me how disturbing they find the lack of inclusive language and the use of hierarchical and militant language to describe God. There are few songs that we know in common, but everyone assumes that the songs that are well known in their own country are known by everyone everywhere.

For worship, the students are split into four groups to attend different churches. Our assigned church is a Methodist Presbyterian church on a military base. The sanctuary is large and airy. Most of one side of the church is taken up by the Presbyterian Women's Fellowship, all dressed in clothes made from the same material which has their logo printed on it. Fabric design is really important in Ghana . It is a big thing here to print important events and organizations onto cloth. Then the cloth is purchased and everyone, men and women, make it up into their own style of outfit. There is materials specially designed for the WARC conference in both blue and yellow.

There are about 500 people in church, half of them in the men or women's fellowship. The service turns out to be three hours long which is evidently standard here in Ghana . Though the sermon is only half an hour, there are three offerings, one of which went on for an hour and a half with lots of dancing and singing. There are all sorts of special fundraising efforts during the service, including the auctioning off of the flowers.

Monday, July 26 - I may be starting to adjust. It probably helps that the sheets and towels were changed today. The chipped linoleum and gritty floors get a bit hard to take over the long run. It is probably a good thing they keep us so busy or the rooms and homesickness would get really depressing.

Here is the daily schedule: 6:30 am, Rise; 7:00 am, Prayers; 7:30 am, Breakfast; 8:30 - 12 noon, Core class with hour break; 12:30 pm, Lunch; 2:30-6 pm, Elective class with hour break; 6:30 pm, Prayers; 7:00 pm, Dinner; 7:30-9:00pm, Evening Meeting.

Today's core topic is economic globalization from the perspective of Asia, Africa, Latin America and the U.S. This is followed by global perspectives on feminism. Just your usual light fare! The really difficult issue we will be studying is global economic justice. Global economics is not really an issue that I am dying to learn about. I have some fears that I will learn things that will be good for me to know but will challenge my lifestyle.  When you are here, however, the sense of desperation is palpable, the economic effects obvious, the stories gut-wrenching. But that frustration...and anger... on the part of real people with real lives is almost impossible to convey. Words fail, you have to be here....

The food, which seemed very good the first day, by the second day seemed just fair and by now is positively boring. Breakfast is coffee, bread and jam, sometimes with cold fried eggs or a porridge. Both lunch and dinner are exactly the same: rice, a sauce with some kind of tomato-base, tasty but not too spicy, and small lumps of chicken or smoked fish. A hot chili condiment is served on the side. Sometimes there is cabbage or a salad which I am reluctant to eat, especially since people seem to be getting sick pretty frequently.

To be continued in the November issue...                                  

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