of Old First Presbyterian Church     •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 
 
All Saints Day Remembrance, November 2      Though it is a very old tradition in the church, 2007 was the first time OFPC participated in this ritual.  At the beginning of the service the names of this congregation’s members, friends and family who have died since the last service are read.  Between each name a bell is tolled.  On this day we proclaim our trust in the power of the resurrection and remember the promises in stated in Revelation that “we shall be God’s people and God shall be us and will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Death shall be no more, and never again shall there be sorrow or crying or pain.”   

Rummage Sale, November 8      A rummage sale fundraiser for the Welcome Ministry will be held Saturday, Nov 8, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Old First. It’s a fine opportunity to recycle things you don’t need. Bring small household items: blankets, knickknacks, electrical appliances (in working order), lamps, dishes, pots and pans, books, tapes, DVD’s, etc. No clothing will be accepted, but the Welcome Ministry is in need of clothing and blankets for adults.  Please do not bring items to the church on Saturday or Sunday.  

Blessed be the Lord - Stewardship Season for 2009        The pledge cards will be dedicated November 9th so don’t forget to bring your completed pledge cards to Church.  If you don’t have a card extras will be available.  You can also send in your completed pledge card to the church office. 

Alternative Gift Market, Nov 23 and beyond             Here’s a solution to many of your Christmas-shopping difficulties - the Alternative Gift Market at Old First!  There will be both gift items to buy, and gift cards to send to someone you wish to honor by making a monetary donation to an organization.      Various local missions supported by our Mission budget will be represented (Doris Krauss Senior Center, Covenant Network of Presbyterians, Larkin Street Youth Services), along with the Deacons, the Peace & Justice Fair Trade Project (great coffee, tea, chocolates, etc.), as well as a variety of organizations serving people in need around the Bay Area, the nation and the world.        There will also be many opportunities for members and friends to help with the market itself, which will be held after worship in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday, November 23, and again on December 7.         One organization we plan to have represented is Alternative Gifts International, and here is information from their website, www.alternativegifts.org:  “Sending gifts of peace and justice - food, shelter, trees, water, medicines - around the world since 1986.  The global mission of AGI is to send authentic, life-giving gifts to a needy world--gifts that build a partnership with people in crisis and that protect and preserve the earth's endangered environment--to nourish and sustain a more equitable and peaceful global community...designated grants are sent to the established international projects of several reputable nonprofit agencies for relief and development.” 


Dear congregation, 
One part of a pastor’s life is service to the community, the Presbytery and the greater church.  It keeps us in contact with life beyond the congregation and involved in our cities and in our denomination.  It keeps me refreshed to work with colleagues and to hear what they are doing and what is exciting them in their ministries. 
In my first year of ministry at Old First, I decided to take a year to get a feel for the church, the community and the San Francisco Presbytery before I made any commitments with my time – and now that my first year is completed I have said yes to a number of opportunities.   
I have signed up to volunteer at the after-school tutoring program at Cameron House in Chinatown.  I will be helping with reading and playing with kids. (I volunteered in a kindergarten class when I was in Conyers, Georgia.)    
I have said yes to serve on the Edge Campus Ministry Board at San Francisco State.  This is an ecumenical campus ministry sponsored by the Presbyterians, United Methodist and Episcopalians.  Take a look at their website at www.edgesfsu.org and learn more.   
I am going to be a member of the Presbytery’s Committee on Preparation, the group that shepherds people who are seeking to be ministers.  It is at a minimum a three-year process.  See the PC (USA) website pcusa.org and click on Ministry and Vocation for more information.   
My service to the great church includes serving as the Director for the 2010 Proclaiming the Text Conference at the Montreat Conference Center in North Carolina.  This is a conference for preachers, seminary folks and all such like-minded people.  You can find out about this conference and many others at montreat.org.  
Lastly, this fall I was invited  by Dr. Brian Blount, the President of Union Theological Seminary and the Presbyterian School of Christian Education, to preach at the Sprunt Lecture Series next May in Richmond, Virginia   I am deeply honored by the  invitation, as this is the school I graduated from in 1988 (UTS) and 1992 (PSCE.) You can read about the school at www.union-psce.edu.    
Please keep me in your prayers as I represent the church and serve God in the coming year. 

Peace,  
Pastor Maggi  

PS –      The barrel for the Food Bank is now right outside the entrance to the Fellowship Hall.  I invite you to join me in what has become a discipline of thankfulness.  Every time I go grocery shopping I buy an item or two for the Food Bank.  (I love the two for one deals.)        It makes me aware that all I have is a gift and keeps me from just focusing only on myself and my needs. It is also a great way to teach children about giving as they bring the food to church and join in with others in fighting hunger.   My individual can of soup or bag of rice won't make much of a difference, but when it is gathered with the contributions of others, a barrel can be filled.

Back to Standard Time on November 2      But if you forget to set your clocks back an hour on Saturday night, that’s OK.  If you get to church earlyon November 2, you can go to Adult Ed class, or have a cup of coffee and chat with people you’ve never met before, or listen to the choir rehearse. 

Adult Education – Sundays, 9:30 am – Munro Room      We move into November, which is the deepening of the fall season and the coming to the end of our liturgical year.  Join in exploring the church observances that we celebrate during this time as well as explore questions and books that don’t often get a chance to discuss or read.            November 2 All Souls Day; Day of the Dead; Reformation            November 9 Discussion Question:  Where did Jesus go after he was crucified?            November 16 New Testament ‘Little Book’: James            November 23 Sacrifice of Thanksgiving—what does that mean? 
Thanksgiving Day Worship, November 27      Each year, on Thanksgiving Day the San Francisco Interfaith Council sponsors San Francisco’s only Interfaith Thanksgiving Day Prayer Service. This year’s observance will take place at the First Universalist Unitarian Church on November 27 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. Special emphasis will be given to the theme of hunger in this season which gives thanks for abundance.      The First Unitarian Universalist Church is at 1187 Franklin Street, San Francisco. 

Nov 30 Church Town Hall Meeting on Session Restructuring      After worship on Sunday, Nov. 30, we will hear from the task force has been studying the size and structure of our Session of Elders. The task force will recommend that Session will consist of 15 elders instead of the current 21.  If the Session agrees, then the Bylaws of Old First will need to be changed, and only the congregation can change the Bylaws. Any proposed changes to the Bylaws will be considered at the Annual Congregational Meeting on February 8. 
Officer Election Calendar RevisedJohn Sebastian      This is the time of year that your Nominating Committee is normally searching for candidates for the offices of elder and deacon. Their work is in preparation for a Congregational Meeting in November to elect new church officers. But not this year.      At the leadership retreat early in 2008, the elders and deacons developed a calendar for the whole year. When doing this they realized that the nomination/election/training/installation process needed to be shifted. When the election is in November, the leadership training classes needed to be held during the busy time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.      In our new schedule, the Nominating Committee will begin their work in December. The new officers will be elected at the Annual Congregational Meeting, now scheduled for February 8, 2009. Following the election, the training classes will be held in late February and early March, and the new class will be ordained and installed on March 29, 2009. The Leadership Retreat will follow on April 17 and 18.      Our plan is to include this election at future Annual Congregational Meetings, but since the rest of the schedule must fit into the changing dates of Lent and Easter, the dates of the training and installation may need to be shifted.  

November 2 – Name Tag Sunday                                    Wear your own name tag and take a look at others 
Looking Forward to Advent       Our Adult Education Advent study will be led by our pastor, Rev. Maggi Henderson, with classes November 30 through December 21.  Watch for the titles of each session.      On December 7 we will have our Stone Soup lunch, crafts and mission fair right after the service in Fellowship Hall.  Contact Nancy Holve to find out how you can help make this event a joyful time for everyone.      On December 21, the Christmas pageant worship service will tell the story from Mary’s perspective.  Children and adults will participate in telling the story for us all to hear once more and reflect upon the joy of Emmanuel, God with us.  Parents, check your calendars so that we can cast your children -- and maybe even you --for parts in the pageant. 
Parking Lot Reminder         The gate to the Bank of America parking lot needs to be locked by 1:00 pm on Sundays.      Please keep this in mind if you go out to lunch in the neighborhood or attend an after-worship meeting at the church. You can move your car into the parking garage if you won’t need it until after 1:00 pm.  
Thank you         • for giving more than $600 to the Peacemaking Offering in December.         • to Chloe Pollock, Mary Russell, Robin Currier and Bryan Nichols for participating in this year’s CROP Walk, and to everyone who supported them in raising money for the fight against hunger 
Jazz Vespers – First Sundays, 5:00 pm               November 2 – Herman Hayte Quartet                   December 14 – Dmitri Metheny Quartet – January 4 – John Callaway 

Planning for the SaintsDan Joraanstad      On All Saints Day, the tradition at Old First is to remember all those we have loved and had to part with in the past year. For me this act of remembrance brings up our own earthly mortality, how fragile and fleeting is our time.         Though we may trade our lives for a greater realm beyond, we can still influence those people and institutions we love  if we plan ahead.  Plain common sense suggests that documents such as your Will and Trust should be in hand, reviewed every five years, and brought up to date.  But when was the last time you reviewed the beneficiaries of your 401(k), or your IRA, the annuity, or the life insurance policy?  Have you thoughtfully considered how you might benefit your family and friends, your church family or other institution you have loved?        One neat way to bless Old First or any other non-profit organization is to make it the beneficiary of your IRA, your 401(k) or your annuity.  Your many years of saving have escaped taxation and will continue tax free if left to Old First. So make a note on your calendar for the end of 2008 that says:  “Have I reviewed my Will and Trust?  Are my beneficiaries up to date?” As the year draws to a close review the beneficiaries to your tax deferred accounts, and pull out the Will and read it or have it prepared. Perhaps in this process it will become apparent that a gesture to your church family may have a profound impact on them, more than you can imagine.           And don’t forget you can simply leave 10% of your estate to the church, whether from IRA accounts or not.  We have been so grateful in the last two years to receive such gifts -- which have been crucial in insuring Old First’s future.  Praise God. 

 

Lectionary 

 

Nov. 1   All Saints Day – Rev 7:9-17; Ps 34:1-10, 22; 1 John 3:1-3; Matt 5:1-12

 

Nov. 2       31st Sunday in Ordinary Time – Josh 3:7-17; Ps 107:1-7, 33-37; 1 Thess 2:9-13; Matt 23:1-12       Nov 9 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Josh 24:1-3a, 14-25; Ps 78:1-7; 1 Thess 4:12-18; Matt 25:1-13       Nov 16 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time -  Judg 4:1-7; Ps 123; 1 Thess 5:1-11; Matt 25:14-30       Nov 23  Christ the King – Ezek 34:11-16, 20-24; Ps 100; Eph 1:15-23; Matt 25:31-46       Nov 30  1st Sunday of Advent – Isa 64:1-9; Ps 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37       Dec 7   2nd Sunday of Advent – Isa 40:1-11; Ps 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8 
 
  Prayers for Thanksgiving 
  I thank you, O Lord, because you have bound me in the bundle of life.      I thank you, O Lord, because you have saved me from the pit.      I thank you, O Lord, because you have gladdened me with your covenant.      I thank you, O Lord, because you have set your eye on me.                                    Thanksgiving hymn from the Dead Sea Scrolls 
  Blessed are you, Lord.      You have fed us from our earliest days; you give food to every living creature.      Fill our hearts with joy and delight.      Let us always have enough and something to spare for works of mercy      In honor of Jesus Christ, our Lord.      Through him, may glory, honor, an power be  yours forever.                                    Fourth-century Christian prayer 
 
  Lord Christ, we pray thy mercy on our table spread,            And what thy gentle hands have given thy men.            Let it by thee be blessed:  whate’er we have            Came from thy lavish heart and gentle hand,            And all that’s good is thine, for thou art good.            And ye that eat, give thanks for it to Christ,            And let the words ye utter be only peace,            For Christ loved peace: it was himself that said,            Peace I give unto you, my peace I leave with you.            Grant that our own may be a generous hand            Breaking the bread for all poor men, sharing the food,            Christ shall receive the bread thou gavest his poor,            And shall not tarry to give thee reward                                    Alcuin of York (734-804) 
 
  A circle of friends is a blessed thing. Sweet is the breaking of bread with friends.            For the honor of their presence at our board, we are deeply grateful, Lord.            Thanks be to Thee for friendship shared, thanks be to Thee for food prepared.            Bless Thou the cup; bless Thou the bread; Thy blessing rest upon each head.                                    Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918) 


  Rediscovering Faith through Fiction: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk KiddDiane Molberg 

 

“Bees,” wrote Sue Monk Kidd, “were considered a symbol of the soul, of death and rebirth.” It is within that redemptive framework that she wrote her coming-of-age novel, The Secret Life of Bees. 

Set in the American South in 1964, the year of the Civil Rights Act and intensifying racial unrest, this is a powerful story of fourteen year old Lily Owens’s coming of age, of discovering her ability to love, to transform her life, and to acknowledge her need for the universal divine female.   

Isolated on a South Carolina peach farm with a bitter, harsh father, and looked down on as “white trash,” Lily spends her days dreaming of becoming a writer, and her nights longing for her mother who died mysteriously when Lily was four years old.  She is riddled with guilt because her father, T.Ray, tells Lily she was responsible for her mother’s death. 

Lily is raised by Rosaleen, her proud and outspoken African-American nanny whom Lily rescues from racists and, seizing the moment, the two set out on a journey across South Carolina.  They are taken in by three black beekeeping sisters, who live in a house the color of Pepto-Bismol, and who worship the Black Madonna.  Here, surrounded by the hum of bees, the light of honey, and the circle of wise women with powerful values of goodness and dignity, Lily begins her passage to wholeness and redemption and is ultimately able to forgive herself. This is a story of the transcendent love that the human spirit is capable of. 
The Secret Life of Bees is a wonderful for story for young girls and boys, seeking to come into their own identity. It’s an important story for parents in its depiction of what family really means.  It’s profoundly important for everyone in its compassionate view of race.  Spiritual, funny, sad and hopeful, it’s a book for everyone. 

The Secret Life of Bees was released in major movie theatres October 18. See the movie, but read the book and share it with your family. 
Other books by Sue Monk Kidd include The Mermaid Chair, God’s Joyful Surprise (her spiritual memoir),and The Dance of the Dissident Daughter (an examination of spirituality and feminist theology). 
Diane can be reached at molberg@earthlink.net for comments and/or feedback. 

Baptized – Jennifer Birkby and Jacob Birkby, child of new members Scott and Jennifer Birkby      October 26 
Married -- Glen Potter and Steve Bacik – October 21 
In Memory – Nancy Sze died on Oct 18, at the age of 93.  The funeral service was held at  Skylawn Memorial Park on Oct 25.  Memorial donations may be made to the Yi-Kwei and Nancy Sze   Scholarship Endowment Fund at the University of Rochester Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York.