Bay Shore Church - Sermons and News from Bay Shore Community Congregational Church in Belmont Shore, California.

Title: Seeing is Believing: Believing is Seeing

Lesson: John 20:19-31

Minister: Charles Ensley, Jr.

Date: March 30, 2008

 

 Seeing is Believing [10:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (27)

As you know, much is being said around the country about one of our United Church of Christ congregations and one of our pastors, Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright. I have been hearing from some of our church folk who only know what they are hearing in the news and are concerned about our UCC faith family and who want to understand more fully. All of this is happening in the context of the national political arena and, in my view, our church and pastor are being used by the media and political forces. I don’t intend to comment on that aspect. But I can speak personally about the church and the pastor. Some of you know that my husband and I are still members of Trinity UCC and Dr. Wright was our pastor. We hold him in high regard and are stunned by the way his long, respected and honorable ministry is being assaulted by selecting a handful of ’sound bites’ from thousands of sermons made over 40 years of ministry. These out of context moments do not begin to express the biblical prophetic foundations and African American experience from which Rev. Wright speaks. I know that some of you have gone to the Trinity UCC website to seek the complete sermons and were not able to access them but I am told that soon 50 of Rev. Wright’s sermons will be accessible there.

I just want briefly to voice my own experience as a member of Trinity United Church of Christ. (By the way, I have spoken with several reporters about our experience at Trinity but am never referred to in print, I presume because my experience is POSITIVE!) Milt and I are members there very intentionally because it is a Christ centered, Spirit filled congregation where the worship is powerful; the preaching is spiritually insightful and prophetic; the welcome to all is warm and embracing; mission is both local and global ; tithing is encouraged and expected; members bring and read their Bibles; and disciples are nurtured in the faith. Yes, we are among just a few ‘white’ members. And yes, sometimes in worship I hear a painful biblical challenge to the white privilege that has been part of my own life and to the racism that is so destructive in our culture.  That challenge has helped to shape  my own journey in following Jesus as I try to live and minister in ways that contribute to a more loving and just world. But never—NEVER-have Milt or I felt unwelcome or unloved at Trinity because of the color of our skin. To the contrary, we consistently have felt loved and embraced because of our oneness with our sisters and brothers through Jesus Christ. Our church family has prayed for us when our granddaughter was ill and Rev Wright has pastored me through some personally challenging times. Milt and I have visited a village in Ghana West Africa where Trinity UCC has helped to build a community center with a library, provided computers for a classroom and a generator for the small hospital and they have strongly supported our UCC related Inanda School, for girls, in South Africa, in addition to significant support of Our Church’s Wider Mission.

Do I agree with every word from Rev. Wright’s mouth? No. (No more than I agree with every word my husband says! ) But I have seen and experienced the dominant direction of his whole ministry which is toward love and justice and peace for all people in the name of Jesus Christ. That is what I respect.

Jane Fisler Hoffman
Interim Conference Minister

All members and friends of the church are invited to join us on Friday, April 18, for our potluck dinner and program, featuring the photographs of Belmont Shores’ own professional photographer William Wade from his trip to China. If you attended the BSF meeting in February 2007 when we saw Mr. Wade’s photos of Tuscany, you
know what a terrific program this will be!

If you’re coming for the potluck, please call Mary Lou Nicolai to coordinate food assignments. Please remember to bring your food at 5:45 p.m., and remember to bring your own table service.  If you are coming just for the program, please arrive by 7:00. Members of Bay Shore Friends should note also that dues ($10.00 per person) are now payable to our Treasurer, Bill Nicolai. You may give a check to him at church, or may mail it to him.

Our thanks to the more than dozen nominees whose names were submitted to serve on the Associate Minister Search Committee. Due to the size of the committee, not all could be selected. A subcommittee of the Board of Stewards reviewed the nominees, looking for the most balanced slate of ages and interests, and presented a slate to the Board for their approval on March 25 (after this Carillon was printed). We will report their names next week. The committee will meet next with the Interim Associate Conference Minister, June Boutwell, to begin work.

Marissa Boardman, a UCC junior at Chapman University in Orange, worship-ped here on Easter, and will join us again March 30 to bring greetings from Chapman. The Missions Commission sent our annual $1,000 donation for UCC and Disciples of Christ scholarships.

There are five Sundays in March, so we’re having a brunch following worship on March 30.  Join us this Sunday after Easter, even if you didn’t sign-up. Bring fruit, quiche-like dishes, bagels, muffins, etc. Beverages and table service will be provided.

HOMES WITHOUT BOUNDARIES
An enthusiastic and adventurous group of teens, led by Youth Mission Commission Representative, Sierra Caley, loaded up tools, supplies and gear after Easter worship to head down to Tijuana, Mexico (and further) to participate in the Homes Without Boundaries home build project. Kids from our church rolling up their sleeves to help this week during Easter vacation include Drew Cohn, Bret Contreras, Keri Forsberg, Emily White, and Delaney Zieg, along with additional teens friends and friends of friends recruited to assist in the build. Dick Caley, Laura Caley, and Andy and Virginia Cohn, are parent builders and chaperones. George, Marlene and Ellie Jones, who introduced the project to Bay Shore, are participating as mentor leaders to the group. Thank you to all who contributed funds to help make this trip a possibility.

PLANT LOVE; GROW PEACE
Forty new oak trees are scheduled for delivery this Friday to Pilgrim Pines. Special thanks to Mr. Hank Norman at Pierre Sprinkler & Landscape, in Baldwin Park, CA. for his unbelievably generous support of Taylor Tschudin and this project designed to beautify the camp grounds.

Special thanks also to those church members who donated towards this project.

Additional volunteers both teens and adults are encouraged to join us to assist in the planting days we have scheduled for Friday and Saturday this week, MARCH 28, 29. Taylor and John Tschudin will receive the trees Friday and coordinate with Topher Nichols and scheduled workers to plan and layout the grounds, and get holes dug and prepped for planting on Saturday. Overnight accommodations will be available at the camp for volunteers who wish to spend the night, or you can drive up for an early start Saturday. Meals will be provided. Carpooling available. Call Taylor for more information.

BOOK IT TO BAY SHORE!
The shelves are orderly, the books cataloged and new titles soon to be available for church members use. Laura Fricke has inputted over 800 titles, and updated, organized and categorized the books we have for your use in the Odette Gulley Library. New releases of current Christian books and authors have been added and will soon be available for church members to borrow.

Thanks to all who donated to the library project fundraising.

For members who did not yet have a chance to make a donation and who still wish to do so, expenses for each of these projects still exceed the funds raised so far. Checks can be made payable to Bay Shore Church, memo, the project name. Thank you.

BAY SHORE YOUTH…ARE YOU INSPIRED? Have a great idea of a way to GIVE… Tell us about what kind of service or mission projects you see yourself participating in. Something you think we can do for our church or community?  The opportunities are endless and the rewards great. Speak to Sierra, Taylor, or anyone on the Missions or Christian Education Commission.

SIX-2-EIGHT
Middle School youth meet in the Youth Center Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m.
3/27: Spring Break – No 6-2-8
4/3: Special Guest: Q & A with Rev. Ensley
“I have always wanted to know, & help me understand…”

Parent volunteers needed for snacks and
crowd control at all sessions. Please see Traci Reitz or Laura Tschudin.

Children’s Choir Rehearsals
We are currently rehearsing the song “God is Like a Rock” for the upcoming Music Appreciation Sunday on April 20th. Our Spring Musical, “The Tale of the Three Trees,” will be presented on Sunday, May 18th. Here is a list of our rehearsals:
Sunday, March 30 - 11:00 am – 12 noon
Sunday, April 6 - 11:00 am – 12 noon
Sunday, April 13 - 11:00 am – 12 noon
Sunday, April 20 – 11:00 am – 12 noon
Sunday, April 27 – 11:00 am – 12 noon
Thanks, Julie

Confirmation’s Final Two Classes
Our March 30 meeting is 4:00 p.m. at Naomi Suematsu’s. This week, we’ll evaluate the Pilgrim Pines retreat and begin selecting confirmation gifts. At the April 27 meeting, your statement of faith will be due. More about that on March 30. Be sure you have May 11 on your family’s calendar for Confirmation Sunday!

At Sunday School March 30
This Sunday our children will be covering the following from Group Publishing’s Faith Weaver curriculum:
Peter Explains Belief in Jesus (1 Peter 1:3-9)
Bible Point: Jesus gives us hope.
Weaving Faith Into Life: Students will find their hope in Christ.
Key Verse: “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope” (Romans 5:3-4)

Current Bible Studies
Patriarchs: encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob:
There is a Patriarch study break for the Spring Break. We will return to study chapter 5, on Thursday, April 3.

Beatitudes: Meets Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. through April 22. Check with Cassie Berrisford for information.

Children’s Church–Sunday, April 6
The high school kids in Lynda Muenzer’s class have put together a children’s church celebration for Sunday April 6. All kids, grades Pre-Kindergarten to Middle School will meet for their own special service after beginning worship in the sanctuary. High school students will escort little ones to the Louise Henry Youth Chapel for fun, fellowship and kid’s communion. Looking forward to seeing you all there! (Sunday school teachers are welcome to attend or to enjoy worship and communion in church.)

SAVE THE DATE! Arrr!!
SUNDAY, MAY 4, right after worship, is our Bay Shore Buried Treasure event. We’ll have a piratical good time with a special musical presentation by our Choir and Hand Bells, fun and games for the kids, traditional chili cook-off, luncheon buffet, and silent / live auctions. Tom Light is now accepting auction items.

All ashore that be goin’ ashore.

Are you a working woman with no time for yourself and even less time for God? Grab your calendar, your best girl friend and a latte and join other Bay shore women for “Faith in the Marketplace” the working women’s conference, Friday (evening) May 2, and Saturday May 3. Conference tickets are $45 or $40 if we can get a group of ten to buy a table just for Bay Shore. See Traci Reitz or Laura T. and pick up a flyer in the Concert Hall after service.