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See you at St. Pete Pride tomorrow, Saturday, June 25th! If you want to walk (or ride) in the parade with Lakewood and other area UCC churches, please be there at 8:30 am (corner of 31st St. and 3rd Ave. N.). If you want to visit or help staff the booth, the UCC booth is #633. Happy Pride!
Wish a group of 100 pastors in St. Pete would do this: http://www.ketv.com/print/28214658/detail.html. This is what it’s going to take, otherwise the anti-gay churches continue to be perceived as the real Christians.
There are still opportunities for volunteering at SYNOD July 1-5. The church will help pay your way if that is keeping you from signing up. To sign up, go to the Florida UCC website: uccfla.org
If you want a list of current volunteer needs, I can email them to you.
Thanks!
Melanie
The poor folks in Haiti and the Dominican Republic are once again having to contend with heavy rains and floods. Extra prayers for David Pitt and the other folks that are with him – their help is especially important this week, I bet.
Be sure to see Zach’s cover of a popular song–and add to his number of views.
http://youtu.be/4_lmcF33TGs
Apparently our President thinks that justice means killing someone. One gets the impression in listening to his comments on the Ben Laden killing that he believes that justice could not have been served if Ben Laden didn’t end up dead. This sounds to me a lot more like revenge than justice! The dictionary defines justice roughly as making things right, doing the right thing. It seems apparent to me, having listened to the full story of the killing, that the situation was perfect for real justice to have been served. An unarmed Ben Laden easily could have been captured and brought to the International Court of Justice in the Hague for a trial. That would be true justice! If you will recall, the government did not execute the purpetator of the Oklahoma City bombing. He was arrested and given a trial. Maybe, Muslims don’t deserve the same kind of treatment!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Similarly, when we listen to reports about the “war’ in Libya, it seems that one important goal is to demonize Quadafi. The western powers regularly point out that he is attacking his own people and killing them. If I correctly recall, their was a peaceful climate in Libya until ,when a few months ago, a number of dissident citizens began a movement to overthrow their tyrant leader. They attacked the government forces and killed several. A series of military actions followed with forces on each side killing the “enemy”. While the U.S. and its western allies have never been willing to label the Libyan action a “civil war”, that is precisely what is occurring. While it may indeed be true that Quadafi is a murderous tyrant, it also must be acknowledged that his forces aren’t the only ones killing other Libyans. As a matter of fact what Quadafi is doing is defending his government from a revolutionary attack; it’s a classic civil war!!
This ought to remind Americans of the fact that, in the middle of the 19th Century, rebel forces in the south attacked Ft. Sumter and the government’s troops began to take retaliatory actions against the rebel armies. Forces representing the Lincoln administration ended up killing a lot of southern Americans, didn’t they? Did world leaders end up demonizing Lincoln because he killed “his own people”. I think not!
The point of all of this is that Americans have become the world critics of every domestic war abroad without remembering that our history contains some very similar warfare. We have become the self-righteous judges of every Muslim “war”, assigning blame where it is in our selfish interest and ignoring the political nuances that exist. We scream about democracy as a must, but forget that our own attempt at democracy is drastically flawed. After all, what kind of a democracy is it when an individual who gets the most votes in a so-called democratic election doesn’t become President?
Americans, and especially Christian Americans, need to stop butting into the affairs of other countries and start examining the injustices of our own society and whether our own “tyrants” are oppressing the citizenry with their refusal to allow for real justice. Christians are supposed to avoid revenge and not judge others. Is this what is taking place in our country right now? Mark my word, within a few years, Muslims all over the world will remember America as the land that helped overthrow several Muslim governments and secured for itself a stronger presence for the pursuit of OIL! Lost in all of this will be the fact that some well-meaning Americans had really wanted better living conditions for the oppressed of the Middle East. It will be hard for the young Muslim men and women to forget the screeching noise of the American jets as they flew over their cities and fields and the hunger and poverty that followed the American efforts to build a democracy among those ignorant masses of the Middle East.
Beware! The St. Anthony’s Triathalon is Sunday. Here’s a link to the map. Always a challenge if the route is between you and church!
http://www.satriathlon.com/media/2040/2006-course-map.pdf
fantastic video from COLAGE by and about children of LGBT parents
http://www.colage.org/voicesraised/
The county is surveying online to see where to cut services. The survey ends 4/29 – Friday. Here is the link – takes less than 10 minutes. http://www.pinellascounty.org/surveys/budget-2012/default.htm
Hello Everyone, Just a reminder… the annual Easter Egg hunt is this Sunday after church for children of all ages! Bring a basket, but if you don’t have one, we have extras, so don’t worry about it. If any adults want to help hide the eggs, then just look for me after church. I’d love your help. : )
My appreciation to everyone for making the Easter Egg hunt enjoyable for our children. We had over 300 eggs filled with all sorts of goodies thanks to the kindness of all of you who brought them in. Parents, thank you for helping and bringing your delightful children. We are so blessed to have such wonderful children. And we are equally blessed with a wonderful congregation that values and supports our children. Thanks again to everyone!
Just think about how effective an assistance effort to the Japanese we could provide if we were to provide this assistance at the level of only one-third of what we spend on the illegal, counterproductive war in Afghanistan. And, just think about the kind of reputation the U.S. would earn among the Japanese people if we were to do this. Maybe they would always remember the U.S. for the earthquake rescue effort in 2011 rather than the destruction and murder effort by nuclear bombing in l945. Maybe, the entire Asian continent would view the U.S. as benefactors rather than warriors.
Apparently Muslims have become today’s “Commies”. A major committee of the Congress is “investigating” the loyalty of Americans who share this faith. In the 1950′s at least Joe McCarthy and his cronies picked a threat and pretended to examine who might be involved. Today, Peter King has decided that Muslims are involved in a threat and need to be picked on. Does anyone remember the Congress ever before investigating a particular religious faith? Will anyone speak out against this attack on Muslims by the zealots of the right?
To paraphrase Martin Niemoller, First they came for the unionists, but I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a unionist; then they came for the teachers, but I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a teacher; then they came for the homeless, but I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t homeless; then they came for the Muslims, but I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Muslim ; then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me!
Immokalee Workers in NYC at Trader Joe’s: http://gothamist.com/2011/02/28/protesters_demand_trader_joes_pay_t.php
good article about children dying in our wars: http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/no-other-way-out-by-chris-hedges/
These are great, Ed! Thanks for sharing…
What is love?
Here are some wonderful responses “out of the mouths”; how would you or yours define/refine it? (received by Adrien over the internet):
Can you say “I love you” any better?
What Love means to a 4-8 year old . . Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it.
Touching words from the mouth of babes.
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, ‘What does love mean?’ The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
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‘Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.’
Terri – age 4
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‘Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.’
Danny – age 7
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‘Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss’
Emily – age 8
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‘Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.’
Bobby – age 7 (Wow!)
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‘If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,’
Nikka – age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka’s on this planet)
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‘Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday..’
Noelle – age 7
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‘Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.’
Tommy – age 6
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‘During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.’
Cindy – age 8
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‘My mommy loves me more than anybody
You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.’
Clare – age 6
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‘Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.’
Elaine-age 5
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‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.’
Chris – age 7
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‘Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.’
Mary Ann – age 4
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‘I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.’
Lauren – age 4
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‘When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.’ (what an image)
Karen – age 7
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‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross.’
Mark – age 6
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‘You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.’
Jessica – age 8
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And the final one — Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge.
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
‘Nothing, I just helped him cry’
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When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need. Take 60 seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply say the following small prayer for a person who lives next to you.
Heavenly God, please bless all your creation in whatever it is that You know it may be needing this day! And may every life be full of Your peace, generosity and love as each of us seeks to have a closer relationship with You. Amen.
Then send it on to five other people, including the one who sent it to you. Within hours you caused a multitude of people to pray for other people. Then sit back and watch the power of God work in your life.
P. S. Five is good, but more is better
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.. They simply are the ones who care the most
The comment by Nikka, age 6, about learning to love better by starting with the person we hate is quite profound and reminded me of Kim’s sermon this morning about loving our enemies.
I liked all those, Ed. Thanks for posting. Some are exceptionally special.
Our love to you, too, Ardis!
Reading through this website reminds me that Lakewood UCC is certainly the finest church community I have ever known. My love to you all.
That is fascinating reading about Bayard Rustin. Thanks for posting.
OK. Here it goes:
I invite responses on this topic:
What Dr. Martin L. King Jr.’s life or death means/has meant to me.
As we conclude our MLK Jr. celebrations and observances, it might be interesting for us to remind each other in more personal ways of the importance of Dr. King’s life and how it has affected our lives.
I will “interview” my peace partner to help with an initial response. I know that Dr. King’s death changed my life. I was in law school at NYU when he was assassinated and his death shocked me into committing to trying to be ‘part of the solution, rather than part of the problem’ as the progressive koan of the times went.
I started teaching basic adult education (GED preparation) in Newark, N.J. a few months later and successfully sought a fellowship to work in the U.S. Senate to work to end the Vietnam War. (A month or so after I started working there, one of the other young staffers with whom I worked stopped me at lunch saying, “Stop Helm; we all agree with you about the War but we don’t have any power to do anything about it.” So where is the power?)
The responses I have heard to this topic about King’s impact have been surprising and sometimes very powerful so I hope people, regardless of their politics, will consider it and share an answer.
Here’s my contribution, Ed. Hopefully, other will follow suit.
The personal significance, for me, of Martin Luther King, is embodied in the person who made the 1963 March on Washington possible, the black, openly gay, personal friend of Martin Luther KIng, Bayard Rustin.
Here are some excerpts from the article about the PBS film about his life, Brother Outsider (from http://www.pbs.org/pov/brotheroutsider/):
“When he met the 26-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1956 during the initial stages of the Montgomery bus boycott, Rustin schooled the younger leader in the mechanics of running a nonviolent protest. However, when critics inside and outside the movement made an issue of his “personal problem,” he voluntarily left Montgomery.
“Similarly, while leading the push for a strong civil rights plank at the 1960 Democratic Party convention, Rustin was attacked by Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. as an “immoral element” in the civil rights movement. King withdrew his support for the protest and removed Rustin from his staff. Though angered by Powell’s tactics, Rustin resigned for the greater good of the movement.
“In 1963, however, Rustin was tapped by A. Philip Randolph to organize the historic March on Washington. Although Rustin remained a controversial figure, movement leaders agreed that he was “the only man who could have pulled off that March,” as former civil rights activist Eleanor Holmes Norton — now a U.S. Congresswoman — notes in the film. The civil rights leadership stood by Rustin even though he was attacked by Senator Strom Thurmond on the floor of the United States Senate as a “homosexual, a draft-dodger, and a member of the Communist Party.” Rustin’s tremendous achievement — the largest demonstration the country had ever seen — stands as one of the great soul-stirring passages in American history. “Most Americans remember Dr. King’s magnificent ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, delivered at the end of the day, without acknowledging Rustin, the man who orchestrated the entire event,” notes filmmaker Bennett Singer.”
Here are just a few of the many activist events in his life (from http://jrcla.org/bayard-rustin/):
“1937 Rustin began his activist career by training at the American Friends Service Committee.
1947 Helped plan the Journey of Reconciliation “freedom ride” which paved way for the freedom rides in the early 1960’s.
1940’s Assisted in lobbying President Truman to eliminate segregation in the military.
1956 Began assisting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
1957 Organized the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom.
1963 Deputy Director and chief organizer of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Dr. King presented the “I Have a Dream” speech.”
For more information on Bayard Rustin and his association with Dr. King, see: http://gaylife.about.com/od/gayrights/a/bayard_rustin.htm.
The other meaningful significance for me of MLK was his wife Coretta Scott King and her vocal support of gay rights (sadly, their children are completely opposed to gay rights on “religious” grounds). For more information on Coretta Scott King’s brave public statements, see http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2006/02/coretta_scott_king_on_gay_righ.php.
Thanks,
Hilton
Saw this neat quote today: “When I marched with Martin Luther King in Selma, I felt my legs were praying.” — Rabbi Abraham Heschel
Hilton-
I invite you and/or this website to invite responses on the topic:
What Dr. Martin L. King Jr.’s life or death means/has meant to me.
As we conclude our MLK Jr. celebrations and observances, it might be interesting for us to remind each other in more personal ways of the importance of Dr. King’s life and how it has affected our lives.
Your nice quote caused me to pick up N. Gordon Cosby’s book, “By Grace Transformed,” and re-read his chapter, March for Freedom in Selma (Chap. 19). The subtitle is, “This reflection was written in 1965, upon Gordon’s return to Washington from the civil-rights march in Selma, Alabama. If Lakewood doesn’t have this book in our library, I will donate one. This is a book of Gordon’s sermons.
Chap.19 begins: On March 9, 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference led the Freedom March in Selma, Alabama. As one of more than forty ministers from the Washington area I went on a chartered flight to Selma to participate in that event…As a backdrop for consideration of the Freedom March, let us keep in mind the Scripture: “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5 RSV)…[Driving from the Alabama airport, an] occupant of the car was a sixteen-year-old boy, Theophilus Bailey, a SNCC worker who had been active in the movement for two years. We were told that we could expect anything, and that down the road a few miles there was a highway control point. Sure enough, ten minutes later we were stopped. We were asked our point of origin, our destination, and the purpose of the trip. Meantime a man was seen writing down the license number of the car.
As we proceeded in caravan, ominous looking cars and trucks passed by with short-wave radio antennae. A few minutes later Theophilus, who was the most aware of what was happening, asked whether anyone in the car had a knife. Yes, there were one or two pocket knives. He immediately instructed us to get rid of them, because if we were stopped we would be accused of having concealed weapons…we arrived at Brown’s Chapel, where a mass meeting was being held in preparation for the march on Tuesday. We passed through the police cars guarding the area, thanked our driver, and pushed through the milling, singing crowd into the church–a moment to remember forever. We were the first contingent of what was to be wave after wave of white clergymen from all over the nation…
You could see hope written on those faces lined with suffering–and the feeling, “Tomorrow we shall not walk alone. There are others to share our suffering.” Later that night as we sat and talked, my host and I, in a simple little home, he said to me, “Tonight was the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen in my life, when you walked in.” He said, “I’d have given up my place in glory to see that sight.: I think this is the way most of the people felt… [Later, Dr. King and other civil rights leaders arrived and spoke "most moving" speeches.]
Some things I had known with my mind before, but now I knew them with my emotions. The first was this: The Spirit had descended upon the black church of Jesus Christ in the Black Belt of the South. That church, the black church, had found its mission–tackling the principalities and powers in the high places. The Holy Spirit was there.
I knew another thing: There was no stopping this movement. The walls of segregation were cracking, and these people would not stop until together they had crumbled them. I felt shame for the society that you and I have helped to perpetuate, but I also felt a deep sense of pride for this new generation of Americans. In spite of the anguish aroused in me by this unbelievable system which enslaves the bodies and souls of people, I felt great pride that here was America–a new America. You can put it down in the record that the Negro is no longer scared. He is afraid in the way I am afraid, and he is afraid as you would be in the midst of danger, but he is not scared as he used to be scared…
One of the clergymen asked, “If they are beating us, may we grab the billy stick?” The sixteen-year-old who was briefing the group of bishops and other clergy said, “Absolutely not. That is exactly the excuse they are waiting for. If you are unable to keep from grabbing the billy stick, don’t you go on this march.” He said, “If you’ve got any switchblades on you, if you’ve got pistols, throw them into the nearest garbage can. I’ve thought about this many times, and I’m perfectly willing to die. In fact, I didn’t know why I was born until this came along and I became a part of it, and now I know why I was born. I’m willing to die, but I’m not going to die because of no switchblade.”
Then came the charge to the adults–the first time I’ve heard a teenager charge adults. He said, “Everyone knows that the students are the backbone of this movement, but the backbone is not much good without some flesh. You adults are the flesh. Today when we are on this march I want you adults to behave like adults.” He said, “The children and even the teenagers panic first. But you have lived longer than the rest of us and you ought to know how to deport yourselves. You act like adults this afternoon because we need you.”
After this came the preparation of the crowd for Martin Luther King’s death, should this occur. We heard a surgeon had been flown to Atlanta just in case…
About the march itself. Three or four thousand people left the church with King, Abernathy, and Farmer in the lead, with some of the most important white clergy in the country in the front. The rest of the white clergy were scattered throughout all the crowd; the strategy was that when they beat they would have to beat everybody. Even Governor Wallace and James Clark and Mayor Smitherman would not want to beat Mrs. Paul Douglas (wife of the Senator from Illinois) if they could help it. On the plane back I was talking with a Negro minister friend and he said, “You know, I’ve never been so scared in all my life. What about you?”…
One who has been to Selma will never forget Selma. What you saw there was a group of people who are being wounded for our transgressions, who are being bruised for our iniquities. You get a new appreciation of the people of God. Selma is a symbol–it is every community in our nation…
The slums of our city must go. A civilization which fails to respect all of its citizens will end up respecting none of them…
Let us find our mission, each of us; and let us march and sing until we overcome. The nation is flocking to Selma because simple people in the Black Belt have found their mission and are willing to suffer and die. I want to extend this challenge to our teenagers. A Negro teenager challenged me to behave like an adult in Selma, and I would like to challenge you to live with God until you find that some segment of the city is laid on your heart and you’ll not rest until you help make it whole. You will lay down your life if need be.
A word concerning the significance of time: If justice moves too slowly (and make no mistake, it has been moving too slowly) the more violent will be listened to by the people and for a time our nation will know a reign of terror. The blood of blacks and whites will mingle in the streets because we refuse to mingle in life. Tomorrow a voting bill goes to Congress. Pray. Write your Congressman. Go to see him. Let the Congress know that the citizens are aroused, and all God’s children must vote.
Let us not longer take counsel with our fears. Let us decide that we will do the right thing, not the expedient thing. Time is of the essence. For God’s sake find your mission. Come to grips with the meaning of death. Let us come to the place that we are willing to die. With the violence that is being created in our nation, we may not live anyway and we might as well die as we seek to “let justice roll down like the waters.”
I think that’s a great idea, Ed. That’s exactly the kind of thing the Forum is for!
Right. So how do you (we) do it?
Not sure that one can make a discussion happen. Sometimes a discussion will catch fire and sometimes it won’t. Just the nature of the beast. Your idea is good, though, I think.
Hilton-
There are a couple of ways that come to mind for providing a diary/blog/discussion area on this website:
1) Just starting a “Comment” and hope that everyone interested in participating in a discussion on the comment’s topic will all respond to “reply” for that comment; (downside: a few comments on other topics will likely cause the discussion topic to disappear from the home page and thereby probably disappear altogether) or
2) On the left side of the home page at the bottom is some blank space where a ‘discussion topics’ area could be posted. Downside: only a few discussion could be featured there, or
3). Post blog titles or intros. to blogs/diaries at the bottom of the home page.
Do you have a preference for how to approach this?
No, the front page, by design, is static except for the side column that shows only the most recent posts. This page is the place for discussions. As you can see, it is possible to reply to comments and reply to replies, etc. So, if a discussion is going to happen, this is the place for folks to do that. By their nature, forums, comments, and discussions are transient–they come and they go. I hope others take up your discussions, Ed. This is the page to do that.
Thanks to all who were part of the wonderful evening at Adrien and Ed Helm’s last night. And a special thank you to the Helms’ for their hospitality and their witness. On our way home, I asked our teenage son what he thought of the evening. “It was inspiring,” he said. I concur. Very moving and inspirational to hear of people taking action as a family on their commitment to peace.
This is a really good artice, I think, about the shooting in Tucson: http://www.truth-out.org/shooting-jewish-congresswoman-giffords-not-just-a-tragedy66685
Many thanks to all who helped to put away the Christmas decorations in the sanctuary. The job was done so quickly! Special thanks to Janet and Colleen for their extra clean up efforts in the communion room and beyond. Happy New Year!
Thanks go all who participated in the drum circle on New Year’s Day. There was great energy for peace and we made new friends in the community! We burned the papers with the violence and behaviors and attitides that we want to leave behind as we begin a new year. I want to leave behind “inflexible expectations.” How about you? We shared our hopes and dreams for the new year. Beautiful images shared by old and young and those in between. May peace prevail on earth!
We saw the movie The King’s Speech last night. It was wonderful. A great movie with no fighting or violence. What a refreshing change.
Christmas Eve Joey sang a song about the German and American soldiers declaring peace on a Christmas eve. Here is a link to a BBC story about the real story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00cjlb5
Was anyone else up at 3:43 a.m. watching the beautiful lunar eclipse? The red moon was spectacular! Happy Winter Solstice!
I think I’ve now been able to fix the feeds from the website so that you can subscribe to the comments from any post at one spot. Also, this new approach should display the entire comment (or at least a significant portion) in Facebook–not just a notification of a new comment. Those of you who have subscribed to comments already, may I suggest you go to the homepage (lakewooducc.org) and resubscribe to comments, either by email or rss as you prefer. I’m discontinuing the previous comment subscriptions. Thanks for your patience…Hilton
Check out this video about Harry Knox on the website of his new church:
http://www.resurrectionmcc.org/PastoralSearch/SeniorPastorCandidate.htm
Thanks for that, Melanie. Wish I’d had the chance to know him.
Thank you to all who participated in the Congregational Meeting after church last Sunday. The budget for 2011 was passed unanimously. The faithfulness of this congregation is AMAZING!!!!!
I saw this 15 min video, “Always My Son.” It is one of the most beautiful stories of love. I encourage you to watch it.
http://familyproject.sfsu.edu/family-videos
That is awesome, Mark! Thanks for sharing.
It is World AIDS Day. Please take a moment to remember all who suffer from AIDS, their families, and caregivers. This disease is taking a terrible toll on the whole world in so many ways.
This Thursday we will protect our children in Bartlett Park. You are invited to join us and see how this works. Every Thursday (except the second Thursday of the month), a citizens patrol goes down each street helping residents. We meet at the resource center at 5:30 p.m. and go out for an hour. The center is at 642 22nd Avenue. South, phone is 727-826-9774.
No one has been killed in our neighborhood since we started this in April 2009.
http://www.bartlettpark.net/2008/12/bartlett-park-crime-watch-tuesday-at.html
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/letters/neighborhood-safety-is-a-collective-effort/1131733
The sanctuary looks beautiful! Many thanks to Colleen Coughenour, Mark Gibson, Emily Gibson, Olivia Gibson, Janet Blair, Jim Andrews, Zach Blair-Andrews and Zoe Blair-Andrews, and Malcolm Wells for their efforts. It is truly amazing. A definite oasis of peace!
We had breakfast this morning with Ken Hamilton and Tim Lewis at their home in Cincinnati. They are doing well. We had a wonderful visit. They send greetings to all of their Lakewood friends!
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/18009/united-church-of-christ-activates-their-justice-witness-ministries-for-dadt-repeal
I’ve also been reading Pam’s blog. We could invite her down here to visit us when its cold up in North Carolina.
Here is a post about racism in St. Pete elections.
http://www.pamspaulding.com/weblog/2005/09/st-pete-city-council-candidate.html
“The black AmTaliban comes right out in the open again. I guess the saving grace here is that it can be exposed and discussed, right? ”
“There is common ground to be found by all people that want to build a community, but it’s not going to happen with flamethrowing like this.”
Except we really don’t expose and discus racism, we allow flamethrowing and let it divide us when real dialog and listening should bring us together.
I really like her blog. It’s one of those I read almost every day. In the post you mentioned, I especially like where she says, “Heaping the anti-gay nonsense onto the fire is the latest divisive tactic. It’s sad, and leaves all parties feeling defensive and more embattled.”
That’s what she’s concerned about and I am too. It’s especially sad, I think, when the anti-gay bias is promoted along racial lines by self-appointed guardians of public “morality.” As she says, that “leaves all parties feeling defensive and more embattled.”
It was so nice to see Jennifer and Briggs and Peri and Suwannee and Cypress today at church. And we got to meet their dog, Lucy! Thank you to Jamie for watching Lucy.
It was great to see Jennifer and Briggs and their children. It was also very touching and inspirational to hear your moment for mission today, Melanie.
Hey Everyone… Did you hear that the UCC is trying to get Ellen DeGeneres as the Keynote speaker for the Synod Meeting in Tampa! Check it out http://www.ucc.org/get-ellen-to-synod/
Wouldn’t that be awesome! I signed up to volunteer at Synod on the uccfla website.
Happy National Coming Out Day!
What great news that Gay Strader has graduated out of Hospice care. That’s 2 Lakewood UCC’ers that have gotten kicked out of Hospice recently! Something in the water?
News about Harry Knox! He’s making another big move! http://ufmcc.com/2010/10/03/hrcs-harry-knox-is-candidate-for-senior-pastor-of-houstons-resurrection-mcc/
Today, the Third District Court of Appeals upheld the ruling that Florida’s anti-gay adoption ban is unconstitutional. Yay!
People are always asking me why I never adopted. It’s about time this idiotic law was overturned.
It’s International Day of Peace. What did you do to celebrate?
Not enough, I’m afraid. There is a lot of work to be done for peace right now! I was happy to see some peace cornering going on right outside my school, though!
UCC.org has a great article on why Christians should support Labor Unions. In honor of Labor Day: http://www.ucc.org/justice/worker-justice/unions/whysupportunions.html?log-event=sp2f-view-item&nid=170318879
Did you see Mark’s letter to the editor in Saturday’s St. Pete Times? http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/letters/saturday-letters-greenpeace-works-peacefullypp/1116346
Love it! We are even on Twitter….what a happening group of people!
This is awesome! woo hoo! Wonderful domain name too.
I’m not just saying this because it’s ours,… but this is the best church site I’ve ever seen. : ) Thanks Hilton for getting it up and running!
This is great Hilton – thank you so much! Looking forward to checking back on a regular basis.
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