Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer Celebrating the Spirit as
we work for justice, healing and reconciliation on earth.
Pastor’s Page November, 2006
What does Jesus want for his birthday?
I was recently in line at a store when I heard a woman say to another person in line, “Easter is practically right around the corner.” And here I hadn’t even started thinking about Christmas yet! Soon the members of my family will begin asking each other, “What do you want for Christmas.” But if we asked this question of the one whose birthday we celebrate by asking, “Jesus, what do you want for you birthday?” Would the answer be world peace? For God to truly become our first priority? More compassion between families, co-workers, neighbors? Justice for the oppressed?
At a more idealistic stage of my life, I requested that family members not give me anything for Christmas but instead make an extra donation in my name to Lutheran World Relief or the ELCA world hunger appeal. It seemed more in keeping with what Jesus would want, and frankly it still does in many ways. But tradition is difficult to break and not everybody is comfortable with this practice. Although my intention was sincere, it did seem like a rather haughty request. In addition, I learned that if I didn’t tell them something that I wanted for myself, they would give me what they thought I really wanted for myself anyway (and they might or might not get it right)!
Since we cannot see the face of Jesus, we want to celebrate Christmas by bringing a smile to the faces of those God has given us to love. Is that really so bad? Afterall, as part of the church, we are collectively the body of Christ in the world. And yet when I buy that shirt for Dad or blanket for Grandma or jewelry for Mom or sketch book for Tania, I really don’t know where it comes from or the working conditions that produced it. I can hope that those whose labor produced it were paid a fair wage and that children were not exploited in its production. I can hope that the smile that the gift produces on the face of my family member does not come at the cost of a cascade of tears on the face of one who produced that item somewhere else. I can pray that my purchase has not given Jesus further occasion to weep on his birthday at the plight of the poor and the suffering of the world. When my dollars demand products at cheap prices, somebody will find a way to produce them for me in order to make a profit, even if that production causes harm to people or the planet.
Ideally, I still wonder if homemade gifts and donations aren’t a better way to celebrate the birth of Jesus. However, one good alternative that has enabled me to participate in the family tradition of exchanging gifts in honor of Jesus’ birthday while promoting economic justice in the world is called “Fair Trade,” and Lutheran World Relief makes it easy for us to make fair trade purchases. Fair Trade certification ensures that farmers and artisans receive a fair price for their work and
are
not exploited in the production process. Fair Trade brings a smile to the faces
of those who produce the product as well as those who receive them. By buying
Fair Trade, we make choices in line with our religious beliefs and affirm human
dignity by promoting: fair wages, children’s rights, women’s rights, the right
to organize, environmental rights, indigenous rights.
We can order gifts out of the Lutheran World Relief Handcraft Project catalog. The catalogs are available in the narthex and Fireside Room or may be requested by calling 1 (888) 294-9660. I prefer to shop at the online store and already did a bit of Christmas shopping there earlier today in their “last chance sale” section (my earliest holiday shopping ever)! Here is the simple process for ordering online:
1) Type lwr.org/handcraft into your browser and click “go.”
2) Click on “Shop our online catalog” button on the right hand side of the screen.
3) Click on the button for any department in which you would like to shop.
4) Follow the easy directions for how to put items in your electronic shopping cart and then return to do more shopping until you are finished.
5) When you have ordered your last item, click “check out.” In order for a 7% – 10% of your retail purchases to benefit Lutheran World Relief, you must enter
Source Code SC-S06401 and Customer Number CN-418766
in the fields that request that information before you click the final button to complete your order. So please remember this last step!
With all of the global posturing and violence taking place around the world and in which our country participates, I struggle to even imagine what Jesus really wants for his birthday this year or what might truly bring a smile to the face of Christ. If you are willing to share an alternative Christmas practice that has helped bring the meaning of the season back to you or your family, please send it to me so that we can include it in our December newsletter!
In Christ, Pastor Robyn
Prayer List
Knowing that God hears prayers, please pray for the following this month.
Healing for: Juanita’s mother Lucita; Goldie Niehaus; Glenny Wiedeman; Lynne Gregoire; Bob Specht; Dan Peck; Ellie Mae Franklin; Lynn; Debbie’s hands; Aunt Judy; Valerie Specht; Julie; Ginger; CeCe; Rodney; Celestial EverOne.
Prayers for: Barbara with cancer throughout her body and comfort and strength for Lee, Paula and Debbie; The Rev. Margarita Martinez; Julie; The son (in Iraq) of acquaintance of Jeff and Alonso; Tangee for a job; The Children’s Receiving home; Kevin, Teri & Marie; Claudia’ brother; John’s sister; Gouldie, Karen; Carla traveling to Argentina; Bishop Stan & MaryLu.
Comfort & Strength for: strength for Dorothy and family; Jack; Juanita and Greg; families in turmoil; teenagers in trouble; those who suffer from addiction; Peg Gregoire & her husband & family, especially Karen Idler & Lynne Gregoire; Marie, Richard, & Carol; Dan Peck.
Comfort & Peace for all who grieve: especially Nadja and Betsy and family following the death of Nadja’s brother Ishmael, Maidell Kohlman following the death of her son; Laura Aday following the death of her father; Steve Baxter following the death of his brother; Nai Saelee’s family who lost a baby; Shirley following the recent death of her husband; Melanie Willis who tragically lost her baby, mother and brother; Debbie & family; Kim Bradley.
Thanksgiving for: Amber’s new job; the birth of Liam Owen Miller; Tania’s new job; Ellie’s recover; Debbie & Paul to become grandparents; Jacks new job; Abraham Rahmey.
Peace: in Israel, Lebanon; Iraq; North Korea; Darfur, Iran, Afganistan; Ella.
OUR REDEEMER LETTERWRITING PROJECT FOR NOVEMBER
In the September issue of The Lutheran Lesbian Gay Ministry of the ELCA newsletter an article on the following situation was included. It is my hope that we can offer our support and encouragement to a congregation that is experiencing uncertainty, frustration, disappointment and pain.
The article begins: “Following almost five months of deliberation, Bishop Ron Warren (Southeastern Synod-ELCA) filed formal charges against Pastor Bradley Schmeling on August 8, 2006 for ‘behavior incompatible with the character of the ministerial office.’ In March of this year Pr. Schmeling shared with Bishop Warren that he is in a loving and committed relationship with his partner, Darin Easler, formerly an ELCA pastor and already removed from the clergy roster because of their relationship. This relationship places Pastor Schmeling in violation of the ELCA Definitions and Guidelines for Discipline, which state that ‘practicing homosexual persons are precluded from the ordained ministry of this church.’ Pastor Schmeling has served as the pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Atlanta, Georgia, since 2000 and has always been open with the congregation about his identity as a gay man.”
Members of St. John’s in Atlanta have shared “ testimonials in support of Pastor Bradley’s effectiveness as a preacher and minister of the sacraments were offered, and many members expressed pain and anger at the prospect that a pastor they had called to serve their community had been asked to resign that call before any consultation with the congregation.”A few copies of this newsletter are in the narthex, and the article can be read in its entirety. As fellow Lutherans, we can send letters of love and support to:
St. John’s Lutheran Church
1410 Ponce de Leon Ave., NE
Atlanta, Ga. 30307
If you would like, bring letters to church with you on Sundays and put them in the offering plate. We will send them for you. Please do keep the pastor, the congregation and the synod leaders in your prayers as they are hopefully asking the question, “What would Jesus do?”
Submitted by Judy Carlson
Second Annual Pie Auction
Sunday, November 19
11:30 a.m.
We need your help to raise funds to purchase assisted listening devices and improve our audio system so that those who are hard of hearing can more fully participate in our worship and ministries!
Please join us as we auction off pies and sell other baked goods that you can take along to your Thanksgiving celebrations that week.
Have fun trying to outbid other members and friends of Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer!
Thank you to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
which will provide up to $700 in matching funds!
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary
Is proud to host
Dr. Jean Bethke Elshtain
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
for the 2006 Luther Lecture
Professor Elshtain, the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics at The University of Chicago, is a political philosopher whose task has been to show the connections between our political and our ethical convictions. Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. with the lecture starting at 9:30 a.m. followed by worship, lunch and conversation. To R.S.V.P., contact Christopher Evans, Assistant to the Deans, at 510.559-2737 or cevans@plts.edu. Please specify the number in your party and if you will be staying for lunch. The Luther Lecture is free and open to the public. A $10 donation for lunch is requested.
CONFERENCE 8 FALL ASSEMBLY
“For All the Saints”
Thursday, November 2, 2006
6:00 PM ----9:00 PM
St. John Lutheran Church (Midtown)
1701 L Street
Parking Available
AGENDA
6:00 ------Light Supper
6:45 ------Welcome
7:00 ------Video Presentation on Rwanda
7:30 ------Break Time (for whatever)
7:40 ------Nominations and Elections
8:00 ------Presentation: “Ministry to Our Neighbors” (Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd)
8:45 ------Sending Worship
Please note that reservations for the meal are very helpful and are due at St. John’s Lutheran no later than Friday, October 27. Please call 444-0874.
We hope that every congregation will bring 3-4 persons to this Fall Assembly, persons who are church council members, delegates to synod gatherings and, of course, the pastor(s).
GoodSoil – Sierra Pacific Synod
Nonviolence Training in Berkeley
Facilitated by Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service
Friday, February 9 – Saturday, February 10
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
We invite you to join our movement: As of October 20th, 110 members of congregations of the ELCA’s Sierra Pacific synod have signed a covenant and joined a grassroots movement called GoodSoil–Sierra Pacific Synod in an effort to promote the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the life of the ELCA. We invite you to join us by signing onto the covenant found at www.goodsoil.org/sps.
Then join our Nonviolence Training: Our first significant step will be to participate together in Nonviolence Training facilitated by Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service using their Engage curriculum. The training will be held in the Berkeley/Oakland area on the dates listed above. Members of our congregation including Carol and Jack Bowyer, Paul and Judy Carlson and Pastor Robyn are already registered and are hoping that you will join us! The registration fee is $110. However, if you register by December 10, you may pay the reduced fee of $90. If you have additional questions about this grassroots movement or the Nonviolence Training, feel free to contact Pastor Robyn at PastorRobyn@aol.com or (916) 483-5691. (Those of you who are members of other denominations or other synods within the ELCA should contact us about starting a similar movement in your own denomination or synod rather than joining this one.)
Nonviolence Training Specifics: Our training will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and will be based upon Pace e Bene’s Engage Training process and facilitated by Laura Slattery, the organization’s program coordinator of nonviolence training and education! Laura is one of the author’s of the Engage Training Process and book, through which participants explore creating nonviolent options in our lives and in the world through story-telling, role-playing, small group discussion, presentations, and audio-visual resources. The training presents a vision of the “third way” between violence and passivity, and offers tools to put this vision into practice. This training process is a thorough revision and expansion of Pace e Bene’s From Violence to Wholeness nonviolence training program that has trained 23,000 people in over 500 workshops over the past 9 years. For more information about the Pace e Bene Engage training process, visit the following web site: http://paceebene.org/pace/about-Engage.
Questions: If you have questions about GoodSoil–Sierra Pacific Synod or its Nonviolence Training offered to those involved in the movement, please contact any of the 110 covenant signers listed on the web site at www.goodsoil.org/sps or Rev. Jeff Johnson at (510) 843-6230 or Rev. Robyn Hartwig (916) 483-5691.
To sign the covenant and register for the training, fill out the registration form on the next page.
GoodSoil – Sierra Pacific Synod Nonviolence Training in Berkeley/Oakland
area
Friday, February 9 – Saturday, February 10, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
* Name[1]:
_________________________________________________________________
* Street Address: ________________________________________ Apt. #
___________
* City: ___________________________* State: ______ * Zip Code: __________________
Work Telephone : ( _____)_________________ Home Telephone: (
_____)______________
* Email Address: ____________________________________________________________
* Sierra Pacific Synod Congregation/City:
_________________________________________
I understand that this training is being held for covenant signers of the GoodSoil – Sierra Pacific Synod covenant. I have read the covenant (posted at www.goodsoil.org/sps) and by my signature below indicate my desire to have my name listed as a covenant signer.
*
Signature ___________________________________ Date ______________________
Please describe any Nonviolence Training you may have had in the past:
Dietary Needs: _____________________________________________________________
The following fees apply based upon when your envelope is
postmarked:
+ Super Early Bird Registration - October 15th through December 10th
$90
+ Early Bird Registration - November 30th through January 10th
$100
+ Regular Registration - January 10th through February 10th $110
Please make your check payable to “University Lutheran Chapel” with
“GoodSoil-SPS Nonviolence Training” in the Memo line. Please mail your
check along with this form to: Rev. Jeff Johnson, University Lutheran Chapel,
2425 College Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704
Refund Policy: Full refunds may be obtained if requested in writing and
sent to Pastor Johnson at the address above and received by December 31,
2006. Refunds of 50% of the fee paid may be requested by the same
procedure and will be granted when received by January 31, 2007. Thereafter, 50% refunds will only be given if requested in advance of the start of the
first day of training and if sufficient funds remain after all group training
costs have been paid.
Fall Stewardship
This is the season in the Church year when we place particular emphasis on the theme of Stewardship. Over the next few weeks, fellow members will speak or write on our theme taken from Jesus’ statement in Matthew 6:20-22: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” This time will culminate in the offering of our commitment cards on December 3, 2006, when we pledge our 2007 gifts of time, treasure, and talents.
At our last Council meeting, members committed to speaking or writing on a particular question. Mine is: “What do I hope that the church will be for the next generation and how do I hope my participation will make that difference?” As a mother of an adult son and a grandmother of two grand daughters, I take this question and that responsibility seriously.
For years, we have had a home altar. In our current home, we have a niche near
the front door where I place seasonal arrangements augmented with items that
speak to the needs of our hearts or home at the given time. This fall, I have
dried fall leaves, gourds, and cobs of multi-colored corn arranged in a
basket. A tray in the center has printed the following quote from Martin
Luther’s response to Matthew 6:33 “Seek you first the Kingdom of God.”
“I have held many things in my hands and have lost them all, but whatever I have placed in God’s hands that I still possess.”
I remember with great joy the baptism of my son and both of our grand daughters. Baptism is God’s act, God’s initiative, and God’s gift. Placing those we love in God’s hands is the greatest gift we can give! As Lutheran Christians, we baptize because we believe it connects us to Jesus, the Church, and eternal life. Baptism is what draws us into Christ’s church. At each baptism, we made a commitment to instruct and support the baptized in the faith. I hope the church will be for them a place where they can grow in their faith -- a community where they are accepted, no matter who they are or who they become. Where they are reminded daily they have received forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. Where they can learn what it is to be a follower of Christ and where they can be strengthened for service. I hope they will always love the church enough to stay in the church even when they don’t agree with all the church’s practices. As members of the body of Christ, I encourage them to challenge the church to right the wrongs we do in God’s name.
How do I hope my participation will make that difference? I believe what we model is the strongest teacher. It is one reason we attend worship regularly, pray, and with God’s help walk daily in the faith. It is why we raised our son in the church. Why we fulfilled the promises we made at his baptism, seeing to his instruction in the faith. It is why I grew concerned when our congregation no longer offered Sunday School for children below the 3rd grade when our grand daughter turned 3 yrs. old. And why when her parents sought a preschool, I recommended Ascension Lutheran Preschool. There is more than one way to fulfill the promises we make at baptism….smile….. At her preschool Bridgette is learning the great Bible stories and songs, memorizing Bible verses and attending Chapel. She is being taught she is a unique individual and a special child of God. She is growing socially, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and intellectually in an atmosphere of Christian love.
Stewardship is caring for all God has given us, not least those people God has placed with us in relationship. How we live daily speaks volumes to them about what we cherish most deeply. The choices we make about how we spend our time, spend our money, and use what God has given us, model to the next generations what we value most. Seeking God first in my life, says to those I love this is the most precious gift a person can possess!
I recently received an e-card titled, “How will you spend your dash?” It was referring to how we separate a person’s date of birth and date of death with a dash. At the time of our death, the dates aren’t important and it matters not how much we own. What matters most of all is the dash in between. For the dash represents how we lived and loved while on this earth. And only those who loved us the most know what that little line really represents.
Submitted by Karen Idler, Council President
 |
Children’s Church Leader Appreciation Sunday
All Saints’ Sunday, November 5, 2006
 |
Please join us as we say thank you to
those people who have served as part of our Children’s Church ministry over a
six-year period of time on the Sunday when we celebrate all saints. During our
worship service, we will call forward all of the saints who served as
Children’s Church leaders over the years to say thank you to them and to offer
prayers of thanksgiving to God for the ways in which they have blessed this
ministry and touched the lives of so many children with the love of Jesus! Marietta and Valerie are coordinating a lunch
reception that will take place following that service where our celebration of
our leaders will continue. We will also be offering a special thank you to Kim
Bradley who served as coordinator of our Children’s Church during the entire
duration of this ministry.
Since many of the children who are actively involved in our ministry are now older, we are meeting the request of parents who have asked that their kids remain in the sanctuary for the duration of the service. Children are being given a special activity to complete during worship that relates to the Bible readings that day. We have also applied for a grant from the Warner Trust fund of our synod for the purpose of hiring a Children’s Church leader for the future and to do outreach to more children in our neighborhood. Please continue to pray for our children’s ministries!
Why do we sell Fair Trade coffee at church?
By Lutheran World Relief
Coffee is big business—it’s one of the most heavily traded commodities in the world. But for the majority of small-scale coffee farmers, the benefits are few.
Conventionally traded coffee involves a lengthy, and expensive, cast of middlemen between the coffee farmer and the consumer, each taking their share—or more—of the coffee price. What’s left for the farmers may not even cover their production costs or basic living expenses.
Coffee prices are notoriously unstable and in recent years have dropped to historic lows, forcing farmers from Colombia to Tanzania to give up their farms. The unpredictable fluctuations in market price deny many farmers the ability to pay for daily necessities such as medicines, clothing or school fees. Overwhelmed with debt and unable to earn a consistent income, farmers are moving to the cities or migrating to other countries in search of work.
Thank you to Jeff Temple for serving as our Fair Trade Coffee coordinator, and thanks to all who “fill justice to the brim” by buying and drinking fair trade!