the viewpoint - lake merritt web view510/465-4793 office ... testament and it encourages us to be...
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The ViewpointJanuary 2015
Lake Merritt United Methodist ChurchWe are an open and welcoming Christian congregation serving God in downtown Oakland.
The Mission of the United Methodist Church isto make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
1330 Lakeshore Avenue 1255 First Avenue Oakland, CA 94606 510/465-4793 Office hours: 10:00am-3:00pm Mon & Wed
9:00am-2:00pm Tue & ThursRev. Jim Walker, Pastor [email protected]. Anne Hege, Music Director [email protected] Herrmann, Ministries Coordinator [email protected] Lynn, Event Coordinator [email protected]
www.lakemerrittumc.org
REGULAR SUNDAY SCHEDULE Adult Bible Class
Sunday mornings at 9:30am in the Conference Room.
Sunday Programs for Children: Nursery Care for babies and toddlers up to 3 years old is provided 9:30am – 11:30am in the
nursery. We have excellent staff to be with your child(ren). Preschool Activities and Sunday School are provided 9:30am – 11:30am. Our preschool
teacher welcomes your children for all or part of this time. Younger Elementary Sunday School follows the Children’s Moment in worship for children
in Kindergarten through grade 3. Youth Sunday School follows the Children’s Moment in worship for children in grades 4
and older. The youth are invited to remain in worship on Communion Sunday. Celebration of Divine Worship: 10:30am in the Worship Center. Holy Communion is
celebrated on the first Sunday of each month.
FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
Dear Friends of Lake Merritt United Methodist Church,
Greetings and welcome to 2015! And what an exciting year we have ahead of us as together we work to see God’s great love change lives. I hope you take a few minutes to read about all the wonderful ministry opportunities we have at Lake Merritt UMC and you will put it on your new year’s list of goals to plug in and make a difference.
For the month of January, we will be looking at the Epistle of James. It is one of the oldest writings we have in the New Testament and it encourages us to be ‘doers’ of the Word. It’s a great letter that is as relevant now as it was when it was written. James brings up some important issues for the people of God. What does it mean to be a disciple? Can you be a disciple by name only or does there need to be some evidence? Do we have evidence in our own lives that we belong to this great movement of love? Is there more that we can be doing? How can we work together to grow more deeply in our faith and connect more people to God’s love?
One of the new ministry initiatives that we are offering this spring is a Lenten study series called THE TREK. So often we put our faith development last on the list, underneath resolutions about eating less junk food and saving more money. But our spiritual growth is such an important part of our lives and so often overlooked. Growing spiritually is a trek. It’s a journey. Not a journey of achievement and accolades. Rather the inner journey is one of surrender, of letting go. As we were brainstorming about the name of this study, we thought it would be clever to find an acronym for TREK. We thought “Totally Relinquishing Extra Krap” would work well. The reason is that the work of discipleship is not the work of acquiring anything. It is a non-endeavor, a relinquishment of the stuff that weighs us down and disconnects us from God and others. This coming lent, I’d encourage you to get involved in this important study series. Watch the bulletin, newsletter and web site for more details.
These times that we live in are so very violent and unstable. The need for the love movement is greater than ever. Please take time to pray for your neighbors, your church, your community, your city and get involved in the spreading of the love of God.
God’s peace,Pastor Jim
Thanks for wearing your nametags and for continuing to engage our guests during the Passing of the Peace and during the coffee hour. Cartoon is used by permission of Dave Walker
H OW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PASTOR
Pastor Jim’s regular days to be in the church office, or to be available for meetings and appointments, are Monday through Thursday of each week. He will be in the office from 8am – 12pm on those days. He’s available by phone at 510.465.4793 ext. 303
If you need to call him when he’s not in the office please call his cell phone, at 724.816.6553. Don’t hesitate to call! The best email to reach Pastor Jim is [email protected].
The Viewpoint wants you!
Read any good books lately? Have you seen any movies that you think others should see? Have you always wanted to be a journalist like Clark Kent and Lois Lane? Now is your chance! The Viewpoint is accepting submissions of articles, movie, book and/or theater reviews. Send your submissions for next month’s issue of The Viewpoint to: Rob at [email protected]
PRAYING FOR EACH OTHER Please pray for Elizabeth (Liz) Ling as she spends 6 months on a mission trip to Asia.Please pray for Casi (pronounced Ca-See), who is dying of an incurable brain cancer. He has already had two surgeries but now the doctors have given him very little time.*Please Pray for Howard H. He is 92 years old and not doing well.
Do you have a prayer request? Let your community pray for you - submit your request to [email protected]
*An Update on CasiTo all my friends and family,I'm writing to thank you for all the prayers and good thoughts you've been sending theway to our little friend, Casi. So many people are now praying - - people who don't know me or Casi or his family. The power of prayer - - it can lead to miracles!Casi begins radiation treatments on Tuesday the 6th. This will go on for about 6 and 1/2 weeks.It's the only option that his parents have and they are hoping it works. Make-a-Wish made atrip to DisneyWorld possible for Casi and his family before the radiation starts. And he turnedfive years old at the end of 2014 !So keep the prayers coming!! I still believe that St. Marianne Cope can put her new-foundsainthood to good use for Casi!!A blessed and happy new year to each and everyone.
Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus by Thomas CahillThe Lake Merritt UMC Bible Study Group begins reading Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus, by Thomas Cahill on Sunday, January 18, 2015 9 (through March 8, 2015). It is sure to be both educational and fun. Come join us after church (12:15pm to 1:30pm) each Sunday. Locations will be announced each week in the bulletin. You may talk Linda Weingarten ([email protected]) if you want more information.
FOOD 4 THOUGHT SERIES – THE WISDOM OF FAITH Food 4 Thought meets the first Sunday of each month at 6:00pm in the Edwards Room at church. We share a potluck supper and watch two (half hour) lectures on DVD and discuss/reflect on what we have learned. We are usually on our way home by 8:30pm.
The current lecture series, began on October 5. The next one will be February 1 Everyone is welcome to attend any Food 4 Thought meeting and we would love to have you join us! Please contact Laurel Williams (510.521.4626, [email protected]) if you plan to attend or have any questions.
LMUMC TODDLER GROUP We have a wonderful growing community of toddlers and parents here at Lake Merritt UMC. Toddlers and parents/caregivers will meet up in the church nursery unless otherwise noted. All are welcome!Planned for January:
*Saturday January 10: Official start of our new "Super Second Saturday play date and potluck" location: nursery/stark room 4:30PM-7:00PM*Sunday January 18: parent coffee hour – 9AM in the Stark Room*Saturday January 24: family food bank day - parents take turns looking after the kids so parents can volunteer at the food pantry
For more information or to get on the toddler family email list, email Aimee Reeder at 415.244.2300 (email [email protected]) or Rose Lynn Abesamis-Bell at [email protected].
CONSIDER JOINING A SMALL GROUPSmall groups are a wonderful way to build relationships and develop your spiritual life.
Ladies of the Lake
The Ladies of LMUMC group that will be studying John Wesley’s writings using the book A Perfect Love: Understanding John Wesley’s “A Plain Account of Christian Perfection,” is open to new members. We have delayed the start of this study until after Lent, so that we can join with other small groups in Jim’s Lenten series, “The TREK." We meet at LMUMC on Wednesday evenings from 5:30-7:00pm. You may join us on our TREK with Jim during Lent, or you may join us starting on April 15th to begin our study of A Perfect Love. To join this small group contact Sherri Elinson at [email protected], or at 707-319-2737.
"THE TREK" begins February 8Are you hungry for something more to be birthed in you following your celebration of Christmas and the beginning of the New Year? Are you longing for a more intimate relationship with Christ but not sure what you need to add or relinquish to experience it? We as a congregation will have the opportunity to TREK together, in community, from Lent to Easter to explore these questions. Watch for more details in upcoming Sunday bulletins and the February Viewpoint. Kate Wilson, for the Discipleship Ministry
Women's "Care and Share Small Group"
We meet on Sunday mornings from 9:15 to 10:15 in the Edwards Room to care for and encourageone another by sharing our lives and our spiritual journeys together. We center our time togetheraround the Scripture used in the morning worship service and commit to pray for one anotherduring the week. We are currently looking for women who might like to join us. We will remainan "open" group through the holidays. Contact Kate Wilson, 510 922-1959,[email protected], or talk with Jane Sliheet, Sharon Cropsey, or Sylvia Bell-Tull about theirexperience in the group.
Men’s Small Group
We meet the second and fourth Sunday of each month after worship in the Sunday School classroom. We will begin a book study of, A Blueprint for Discipleship: Wesley’s General Rules as a Guide for Christian
Living by Kevin M Watson on, Sunday, Januaery 11. We follow our discussion with individual check ins. Join us! Contact Rob Herrmann at [email protected]
A Reflection on Recent Events by Michele Chun
The night that I learned about the non-indictment of Darren Wilson, I saw and heard helicopters over the 580 near my house as I was getting home from school. I thought maybe there was a car chase on the freeway. When I got inside my house and went on Facebook, I simultaneously realized that the cop who had killed Mike Brown in Ferguson was not indicted and that there were protesters blockading traffic on the freeway outside my house. As I scrolled down through post after post, clicking through articles and opinions and outbursts, it slowly sunk in that we do not live in a safe world. That was about as specific as my thoughts were at that point. I had not been paying particular attention to the Ferguson incident, just like I hadn’t thought too hard about the Trayvon Martin case or any other of these many murders. For some reason though, I had assumed that Darren Wilson would be indicted. The killing had sounded too obviously racist and unnecessary, even to me, a not particularly political person.
But as I sat there on my floor and read through what had happened--or really, what had not happened, the non-indictment--I started to feel so heavy with grief. I thought about Mike Brown’s mother, even though at the time I didn’t know whether or not he had had a mother, and what do you do if you are his mother hearing this news? Then I thought about Job. A great wind swept across the desert and knocked down the house of his children and they were all killed. Then Job says, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” I used to believe that this response was very beautiful and heroic. But now it sounded rote, like something you say because you’ve been trained to say it and because you don’t want to fall apart. What is the right way to respond? I just googled “Mike Brown’s mother” and the headline for the third article is “Brown’s mother screams, sobs over grand jury decision.”
I am not a mom but I hope to be one day. And that makes me feel that, somehow, Mike Brown’s mom can’t be left to scream and sob on her own. If you read on in Job, the Lord finally responds after pages and pages and addresses Job: “Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep...have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?” The Lord goes on about the thunderbolts, the rain, the grass, the inward parts, asking Job whether he has insight into any of these mysteries and how they came to be. It seems like a strange way to respond to someone who is about to die of grief, even for God, who is full of strange answers. But another thought I had is that maybe the Lord is inviting Job to look outward at the world. Even while in the throes of that blinding, heartstopping grief, maybe there is something worthwhile to perceive out there, some comfort to be had in looking out. I think if Lesley McSpadden, Mike Brown’s mom, looked out at the world, she will see all too clearly a systemically racist country and lots of people who are apathetic or missing the point or straight up insane. But I also hope she sees something else.
When Eric Garner’s killer, Daniel Pantaleo, was also not indicted, I felt compelled to go out with my divinity school classmates in protest. I had never been part of a protest before and found it very strange. There were moments of cohesion when we all seemed to stand united, full of conviction, as a bulwark against this oppressive racist system. There were also moments of confusion and dispersion, as the police kettled some protesters and chased away others. I remember standing in the crowd not really knowing where to go or who to follow or why I was even there. It was sometimes clear what we should do and other times, it was not. I sometimes felt empowered to take on the world and other times I was scared and confused. I think the potential for both ways to be exists within me and probably within every other person
reading this. As for me, I feel compelled to corral all the dispersed parts of myself and look out at the world, clear-eyed. I feel I have to do this, not just for Mike Brown’s mom, but for me.
Movie Review: by Dennis Thomas
"Exodus: Gods and Kings "
Most of us when we hear of the biblical exodus and the story of Moses we think immediately of the movie..."The Ten Commandments". (Released in 1956 at a cost of $13 million, staring Yul Brenner, Charlton Heston, and the beautiful Miss Anne Baxter.)
The Story of the baby boy floating in the Nile River...rescued by the Pharaohs sister and raised as her own..."Exodus:Gods and Kings" is a more exciting and provocative adaptation...at a cost of $200 million ... the story is much the same only with better special effects and a few variations.
What does the movie do differently?
The depiction of God as a boy about the age of 10... He appears next to the famed burning bush actually speaking to Moses as though he is God... and of course the plagues with a little twist, and the most well known adventure: The parting of the Red Sea, (in this version it's much more dramatic ) Moses leads his people further stopping along the way to LITERALLY hammer out the 10 commandments himself as opposed to God doing it with lighting in the original version.
So the story is basically the same just a little edgier and provocative with better special effects.
I give it a Thumbs up. Being of a particular age and seeing this newer version I found it interesting and entertaining...and the matinee only costs $7.50
When: Sunday, January 25, 2015, at 4 p.m.What: Free Orchestra ConcertWho: Oakland Civic Orchestra. Martha Stoddard, Conductor; Jason Oestenstad, Assistant ConductorWhere: Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Avenue, OaklandPublic info: (510) 597- 5027https://sites.google.com/site/oaklandcivicorchestra/home Contact: Margaret L. Wu, (510) 524-3094, [email protected]
The Oakland Civic Orchestra, conducted by Artistic Director Martha Stoddard and Assistant Conductor Jason Oestenstad, presents its “Tribute to St Petersburg” concert on Sunday, January 25, at 4:00 pm, at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Avenue, in Oakland. The program features Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony and Suite for Lieutenant Kije and Balakirev’s Overture on Three Russian Folksongs. Admission is free,
but donations are gratefully accepted. For more information, please visit our website at https://sites.google.com/site/oaklandcivicorchestra/home, like us on Facebook, or call (510) 597- 5027.
What is Love?Installment 1, The Unexamined LifeBy George W. Adams, Jr.01/03/15
* The life which is unexamined in not worth living. - Plato *
In my remote youth, I found myself exploring the world of ideas and ending up with what I thought was a modest ambition. In those late teen years and early twenties many a young man fancies himself to be an adult, when in fact he is still largely a child. But, that hadn’t occurred to me at the time and so I dedicated myself to this noble, yet naïve, goal; that is, to discover “the meaning of life.”
Now, though I had been steeped in the teachings of the Church from the time of my earliest memories, in my youthful exuberance I thought it best to start afresh. My high school physics teacher had thrown out a few odd phrases about the Greeks and their pursuit of “goodness, truth and beauty”, and as I had begun as a young man to suspect that I might have other interests in common with Plato and his ilk, I began looking at ancient Greek philosophy with the aim of possibly killing the proverbial two birds.
I should say now that my encounter with “the meaning of life,” after many years, eventually led me to Cambridge philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and mathematician Kurt Gödel whose writings together convinced me that the phrase itself has no use unless you “jump out of the system.” That is, though the phrase “the meaning of life” may be of some use to a Creator (i.e. God), it is otherwise beyond human understanding.
So, you may be thinking, wouldn’t looking for an answer to the question “What is Love?” be just another meaningless exercise? Well, if it were, as you can see, I am not afraid of diving down the rabbit hole and finding nothing there. I’ve done that before. But, with love I suspect there is something more there. And, if that is true, it is definitely worth examining.
You see, in the case of “love” I am so much more optimistic. Not only because I am launching this little series after attaining my fifty-ninth year. I hope that makes me a bit wiser. But, also because my aim in better understanding love has a specific use for myself and my fellows. As Christians, Jesus commands us to love God and to love one another. If we better understand what love is, we can better put it to use in our lives.
Next: Installment 2, The Meaning of Words
FOOD PANTRY NEWSFirst of all: a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who volunteered for the Food Pantry distributions during this year.. We served an average of 421 households totaling 1008 individuals at each of our 23 distributions. Our largest distribution came at our last one on December 13th: 527 households comprising 1221 individuals; because we only had one distribution in December, we offered extra food for everyone. Our aggregate numbers for the year were 9,680 households served totaling 23,188 individuals. From the smiles on their faces and the “thank you’s” we receive as they leave, we know that the families we serve appreciate our assistance in meeting their food needs. And we couldn’t have done it without your help.
We also know that not everyone can volunteer on a Saturday morning. Another opportunity to help is coming up Sunday, January 25th, after worship: our first FOOD SORTING of the year. The Alameda County Community Food Bank conducts various food drives during the year, and they take all the collected food and box it up unsorted. This food is given to us for free [and to all ACCFB member agencies], but we have to sort it out ourselves. In addition to the actual sorting, that Sunday morning we will be asking for several volunteers to help us store all the sorted boxes in the cage in the parking garage.
I started this article with numbers – the numbers of folks we have helped to meet their food needs. Here’s another significant set of numbers: as of Sunday, January 11th, we will be 9 weeks – 63 days – and counting until our LIFT CONCERT 2015, the second annual fundraiser for the Lake Merritt UMC Food Pantry. We trust you have marked the date in your calendars:
Saturday, March 14th, 2014 at 3:00pm at LMUMC
Our first concert raised over $6,000 for the Food Pantry, and it brought our congregation and members of the surrounding community together for a fantastic evening of music and spirit. We want to build on that success for our second effort, and our planning team will be meeting Sunday, the 11th, to lay out our plans to pull everything together for our LIFT CONCERT 2015. So, STAY TUNED for other opportunities to help the food pantry that will be coming your way very soon.
Blessings and Peace,Paul Bell-Tull, Food Pantry Coordinator
A MESSAGE FROM GLORIA IMAGIRE, BRIDGES COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR, UNITED METHODIST WOMENHappy New Year!!
Wanted to send a gentle "nudge" regarding registering for the Bridges District Training meeting coming up on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015 in Fairfield so attached is the registration form.
When you attend these training meetings, you will get an understanding of the particular office you hold in UMW and how it interacts with the workings of the district and conference UMWs.
Even though you may not have an active UMW, I invite you all to come join us. You may learn something to help you get started in your church, and I think of late, some churches have combined with other inactive units. Hope you can join us!
It's always fun to rub elbows with your fellow officers so hope to see many of you in Fairfield!! I'll get a chance to introduce you to my successor, Robyn Jovalis.
Bridges District United Methodist Women2015 Leadership TrainingSaturday, January 24, 20159:15 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.Fairfield Community UMC,1875 Fairfield Avenue, Fairfield, CA 94533Phone: (707) 426-29442015 Focus Scripture: Psalms 139: 17-18“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How great is the sum of them!I try to count them – they are more than the grains of sand on the Earth”
Registration, Browsing Resource Table, Refreshments, Fellowship ....9:15 - 9:45 a.m. Training & Lunch...............................................................................................10:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.Registration Fee: $15.00 (includes morning goodies, lunch and beverages) Late Fee: $17.00 after deadline date or at the door.Deadline:January 17, 2015Make checks or money orders payable to Bridges District UMW Mailregistration form & fee to Martha Parker, 36 Catalpa Ave., Mill Valley, CA
THE GREAT DIVORCE theatrical production is presented by Fellowship for Performing Arts whose mission is to produce theatre from a Christian worldview that is engaging to a diverse audience. One of the great blessings of this play is how it opens up questions of faith that are often difficult to bring up in ordinary conversation. THE GREAT DIVORCE is a wonderful place to awaken Christian ideas in a safe, neutral environment. We would love for you to experience the unique way in which Fellowship for Performing Arts carries out its ministry.THE GREAT DIVORCE will play at the Hofmann Theatre/Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA in a limited engagement on Friday, February 6 at 8PM and Saturday, February 7 at 4PM & 8PM. 3 shows only!! please visit www.GreatDivorceOnStage.com to learn more about this production.
CHURCH LANDSCAPINGKate Wilson, Dean Larwood, Richmond Quiambao, and John Hege have been working on Thursday mornings (9am – 12pm) to improve the church grounds. The landscaping and irrigation system along First Avenue are the projects currently underway. All are welcome to join in the effort. Contacts: John Hege (510.832.4261) or Kate Wilson (510.922.1959)
INTERESTED IN MAKING MUSIC?JOIN THE CHOIR!Join us on Tuesday nights, 7:45 - 9:00pm in church sanctuary. We welcome all voice parts!
Ring Bells!Interested in making music? Think about joining the Handbell Choir. Come on Tuesday evenings at 7pm at the church. Very little musical experience is necessary. Contact Kate Wilson, 510.922.1959, [email protected] for more information.
A blast from the past …
Here is a vintage post card depicting the Christian Science church and neighboring houses that were once situated on the site on which Lake Merritt UMC now stands.
January Birthdays
If your birthday is missing from this list, please contact the church office to update our information.
If your birthday is missing from this list, please contact the church office to update our information.
Prince Solomon January 1 Tanas Sliheet January 16Dolma Tsering January 2 Earl Dunham January 19Kate Wilson January 3 Mehret Ghebre January 21Avery Brantley January 6 Gia Paoli January 24Flora Orzell January 7 Audrey Huetteman January 26Eugene Benavides January 8 Randy Reed January 27Malcolm Solomon January 12 Don Cunningham January 28Jean Moorhead January 14