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Weekly Update 9/18

This Sunday: Who Was Jesus?  This is the theme for Sunday for the service and Church School.  Our religion is based on a person who was a Palestinian peasant in a backwater region of the Roman Empire.  How amazing the impact this man is still having today in our lives and in our world!  

New Members: LUCC joyfully received two new members into the church family last Sunday.  A warm welcome to Barbara Donohue and William Owen. 

Peace Sing A Long: Come to church early, at 10:15 a.m. on September 22nd, to sing songs in honor of International Day of Peace which is Sept. 21.  Be part of celebrating peace in song!

Maximo Elementary: Needs MentorsThe administration of Maximo Elementary School has let LUCC know that they are in need of mentors.  What is involved in being a mentor?  It involves a consistent weekly commitment to have lunch with a student which takes about 30 minutes.  You can choose the day of the week and the time – lunch begins at 10:30 and ends at 1:00.  If someone cannot make a weekly commitment, they can share the mentor role with another person and work out a mutually agreeable schedule.  A mentor needs to watch a mentoring video and have a background check as well as a consistent commitment.  So, a mentor can positively impact a student’s life in just 30 minutes a week.  To find out more about being a mentor, please contact LUCC member Emily Bell at emilybb641@gmail.com

Singing to the Homebound: This week Randy Wilson will be singing to those from the congregation that are homebound.  We are grateful for this ministry.  You are welcome to join in:  Menorah Manor on Thursday at 2:00. Westminster Suncoast on Friday.  And Ann Rogers’ house on Sunday after church.  Contact Patti Cooksey 727-798-9321 or cooksepa@eckerd.edu or Kim Wells 727-776-7890 or wells.kim.p@gmail.com for more details.

World Climate Strike: Be part of the global strike calling attention to global warming.  Join folks from LUCC with the church banner at a one hour demonstration at City Hall in St. Petersburg 175 5th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Friday Sept. 20 at noon.  Please contact the church if you would like to carpool from the church.  727-867-7961 0r lakewooducc@gmail.com

Mountain Dulcimer Lessons: Second lesson with master mountain music master Randy Wilson for mountain dulcimer. Bring your dulcimer and a music stand and willingness to play! $10 suggested donation! All levels welcome. Join us September 24th at 4:00 p.m.- 5:30 p.m.

Kitchen Update: The commercial gas range has been sold.  The church will move forward with additional kitchen modifications that comply with the fire code and make the kitchen more user friendly.  

Lakewood Day Trippers: Patti Cooksey and Carol Shores would like to offer day trip opportunities to visit old Florida attractions, for entertainment and education to destinations that can be traveled to and toured in a day trip to the Lakewood congregation and friends.

LUCC Joins Pinellas Coalition for Immigrant Justice: At their meeting last Sunday, the LUCC Advisors endorsed LUCC becoming a sponsor of the newly formed Pinellas Coalition for Immigrant Justice.  COALITION MISSION STATEMENT: “We advocate that all people who approach our borders receive compassionate, just, and dignified treatment, whether asylum seekers, refugees, or those in search of a better life.”  Many thanks to Sue Sherwood for being LUCC’s liaison to the Coalition.  Patti Cooksey, Lucille Ruga, and Carol Shores have also been involved.  There will be opportunities for the church to engage in advocacy in the weeks ahead.

Ali Kafka & Sarah Gwendolyn Concert: Ali Kafka and Sarah Gwendolyn are happy to be able to share what they do as they travel along, and as they develop more of a musical identity as a duo. Listeners can expect rousing fiddle tunes, sultry blues duets, and maybe a dash of country harmony singing. The concert begins at 7:00 p.m. on September 13th. Suggested donation of $20. All proceeds go to the artist. Please feel free to contact the church with any questions! lakewooducc@gmail.com or call at 727-867-7961.

Come Out St. Pete: This street festival and parade will be taking place Saturday Oct. 5 on Central Ave. between 22 and 31st Sts.  Wally Leblanc will be having a booth that will include information about the church.  If you can help volunteer at the booth, please let Wally know.  wally503x@gmail.com Many thanks!

Operation Attack: Operation Attack is very much in need of clothes for men, boys, and girls as well as diapers and peanut butter and canned fruit. Donations may be placed in the shopping cart in the entryway to the sanctuary. Operation Attack is an ecumenical effort serving families with children located a Lakeview Presbyterian Church, 1310 22nd. Ave. S., St. Petersburg. LUCC was a founding member of Operation Attack in the 1960’s!

Hearing Augmentation: Devices are available from the usher in the sanctuary during worship.

September Birthdays: Kim Wells 9/19, Joanne Reid 9/22, Wilbur Reid 9/22, Donald Ritchie 9/27, and Carlolyn Moore 9/30. Someone missing? Contact the church office with birthday information.

Circle of Concern: Sherry Santana, Roger Jackle, Jen DeGroot, Carolyn Moore, Ann Quinn, Maggie Brizendine, and Ann Rogers.

Recent Post:

Weekly Update: If you are involved with an activity or event that you would like to share with the LUCC family, please send the information to the church office by Tuesday since the Update usually is sent out on Wednesday.

Sermon 9/15 Branching Out

Scripture Lesson: Jeremiah 17:7-8

Sermon:  Branching Out

Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

Maybe Colin Tudge, the science writer who wrote The Secret Life of Trees, published in 2006, has been to the Sagrada Familia Roman Catholic Basilica in Spain.  Maybe that is where he got the inspiration for associating trees and sanctuaries as we heard in the Call to Worship this morning. [The Call to Worship is included at the end of the sermon.] In that grand basilica in Barcelona, the columns lining the sanctuary rise like tree trunks branching out and supporting the vaulted ceiling which seems to reach to the sky.  Apparently the architect, Antoni Guadi, who died in 1926, studied the structure of trees out in nature to inspire his design.  

When we go deeper into this association between trees and churches, we see there are many ways the images weave together.  Trees support life. They provide homes for plants and animals. On a hike through the Monteverde rainforest of Costa Rica, the guide told us that one tree was a host for 63 other species of plants.   That’s before you get to the fungi and the animals. Churches, too, shelter diverse life and provide a sense of home and belonging. Trees provide food for animals and for people. Churches, too, provide food, for the body and for the spirit.  Trees nurture other life forms by producing oxygen. Churches also sustain life by sharing stories and teachings that create life-sustaining community.  The values of sharing, generosity, concern for the common good, and anti-violence help to support life.  Trees provide shade from sun and rain. They offer protection. Churches, too, offer solace from the hard knocks of life, from sorrows and tragedies and grief.  Trees lower the temperature of the Earth, they give us cool breezes providing refreshment. Churches, too, refresh the spirit. The church can be a welcome haven after being buffeted by the craziness and trauma of the world.  And trees offer beauty to nurture and inspire the spirit. Churches, too, offer beauty in the building, in the meaning, and in the relationships, which enrich our lives.  

Like trees, the church supports life, provides a sense of home, family, and belonging.  The church is a shelter from the storms of life. The church sustains life with food for the body and the soul.  The church offers stories and teachings that root us in life-giving values and behaviors. The church provides comfort and solace when we need it.  The beauty of our experience at church, the music, the community, the sharing, the message, the view of the natural world inspire us. Like a tree, the church contributes to sustaining life.  Since its founding in 1967, Lakewood United Church of Christ has been doing this in so many ways.  

Are there examples you would like to share about how this church has been a life sustaining presence in your life, or in the world ?  How have you been nurtured, comforted, inspired, or found beauty in this community? 

So, our humble church is no Sagrada Familia.  We don’t have tree columns supporting a sky-high intricately decorated ceiling, but we still have a sanctuary that features the image of the tree.  First, there are the trees that we see out the glass doors including the huge oak tree that was removed this past summer. That tree has been a guardian of this church.  It was there long before the church was built and it has been there providing its shade and inspiration to us for the 52 year history of the church.  

We also have the image of the tree on the banner in the back of the church reminding us about Branching Out in Faith and Service.  That banner was created for the 25th anniversary of the church. And there is the tree.  

For the 40th anniversary, the theme was Out on a Limb for Forty Years.  Again, the tree image.   

And more recently, the branch has been added to the interior of the sanctuary.  The hooks were put in the ceiling for something else. When that was done, the hooks were still there.  Then the Advent season was upon us. A shoot shall spring forth from the stump of Jesse. And Colleen Coughenour who shares her inspiration and creativity with the church family mentioned that she has always wanted to hang a branch from the ceiling.  So, the branch went up. Advent was over and the branch stayed up. People came to the church for the first time and would comment on the branch. A year went by. The branch was still up. Another year was going by. And we thought it was time to take the branch down.  So, one Sunday after church the ladder was brought out for the task. But the people who were still in the sanctuary after the service saw what was afoot and protested. No. Don’t take the branch down. Evidently, we have brought the tree into the church and it is staying.  It has meaning. So, the branch is still up. Who knew that we would become so attached to the branch? 

Maybe you did not even really notice the enormous oak tree that was just on the other side of the driveway.  Until it was gone. But now there is a pile of mulch from the stump. So the tree continues to nurture and sustain life by decomposing and making soil for other things to grow.  

Most of the charter members who formed this congregation are gone.  Most have died. We still have Vita Uth, Ed Kaspar, and Bill Parsons. Though most of the charter members are gone, their legacy continues in the present congregation.  We are here because of them; because of the ministry that they started and supported which has been entrusted to us to continue. What they did is helping us to grow in faith and service.  And we, too, foster the growth of those who will go on after us.  

In some kind of fundamental, elemental, instinctual way, we are connected to trees.  We came from being tree dwellers to living on the land but our attachment to trees is still within us.  Not only biologically but spiritually. There are many, many mentions of trees in the Bible. As we heard this morning, life in God is like a tree that is watered and bears much fruit.   Strong, vital community life is represented in the image of the cedars of Lebanon. Jesus refers to faith like a mustard seed that grows into a small tree or bush. And there is Zacchaeus who finds new life when he is beckoned down from a tree by Jesus.  And there is the cross, hewn from the wood of a tree, that continues to sustain life and hope.  

When we think about the many inspiring images and associations we have with trees, it is not surprising that we have become a Creation Justice church committing ourselves to protecting the life of trees and planting more trees.  That will be one of our next initiatives. 

Just as the trees of the rainforests that encircle the globe to sustain and protect life on Earth, so the church is tasked with protecting and sustaining life around the globe.  This has been the legacy of Lakewood United Church of Christ for 52 years, and with the branch to remind us, it will continue to be an image that leads and guides the ministry of this church.  May we continue to branch out, to go out on a limb, serving and sustaining life on Earth. Amen.  

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.

Call to Worship used in worship on Sunday 9.15.19.  It is an adaptation of an excerpt from the book The Secret Life of Trees by Colin Tudge.  It was read responsively by the congregation.  

Groves of redwoods and beeches are often compared to the naves of great cathedrals: the silence;                                                                                                                     the green, filtered numinous light.                                                                                A single banyan, each with its multitude of trunks, is like a temple or mosque –             a living colonnade.                                                                                                      But the metaphor should be the other way around.                                                      The cathedrals and mosques emulate the trees.                                                     The trees are innately holy.  

Weekly Update 9/11

This Sunday: This Sunday is Charter Sunday, a celebration of the founding of the church in 1967.  When the church was founded and for many decades before that, the large oak tree was a guardian of the church.  The tree was taken down last summer because of disease and rot.  On Charter Sunday, the image of the tree will guide our thoughts about the identity of the church.  

New Members: will be received into the church family and there will be Fellowship after the service.  Looking forward to Sunday!

Church to Participate in Climate Strike: LUCC will participate in the local expression of the International Climate Strike to call attention to global warming.  The gathering will be Friday Sept. 20 at noon at St. Petersburg City Hall (175 5th St. N.).  Look for the church banner.  This is a chance to let people know that the church cares about the climate and the environment!  Join Rev. Wells and others for this one hour witness.

Lakewood Day Trippers: Patti Cooksey and Carol Shores would like to offer day trip opportunities to visit old Florida attractions, for entertainment and education to destinations that can be traveled to and toured in a day trip to the Lakewood congregation and friends.

LUCC Joins Pinellas Coalition for Immigrant Justice: At their meeting last Sunday, the LUCC Advisors endorsed LUCC becoming a sponsor of the newly formed Pinellas Coalition for Immigrant Justice.  COALITION MISSION STATEMENT: “We advocate that all people who approach our borders receive compassionate, just, and dignified treatment, whether asylum seekers, refugees, or those in search of a better life.”  Many thanks to Sue Sherwood for being LUCC’s liaison to the Coalition.  Patti Cooksey, Lucille Ruga, and Carol Shores have also been involved.  There will be opportunities for the church to engage in advocacy in the weeks ahead.

Peace Sing A Long: Come to church early, at 10:15 a.m. on September 22nd, to sing songs in honor of International Day of Peace which is Sept. 21.  Be part of celebrating peace in song!

Jason Charos Ensemble: Jason Charos graduated from the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School in 2017. He is currently completing the third year of his undergraduate degree at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. The Jason Charos Quintet seeks to play repertoire from the straight-ahead jazz tradition that is not commonly performed as well as original music. The sole intent of the ensemble, though, is to provide the listener with an uplifting experience through music that is just swinging. The concert begins at 7:00 p.m. on September 13th. Suggested donation of $20. All proceeds go to the artist. Please feel free to contact the church with any questions! lakewooducc@gmail.com or call at 727-867-7961.

Mountain Dulcimer Lessons: Second lesson with master mountain music master Randy Wilson for mountain dulcimer. Bring your dulcimer and a music stand and willingness to play! $10 suggested donation! All levels welcome. Join us September 17th and 24th at 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Fun Socks Drive: Lakewood UCC collected over 350 socks.  The school is having crazy Sock day this week on Tuesday.  The children who come to school without a pair of crazy socks will be given a pair by the school social worker.  https://lakewooducc.org/2019/09/11/fun-socks-at-maximo-open-house/

Violin Update: The church in partnership with Bringe Music has been able to provide a violin for Kai’Lyn Washington.  Best wishes to Kai’Lyn on her musical journey!

Lectio Divina: Have you been feeling the need for a deeper spiritual connection in your life?  Do you need to rediscover that source of hope and inspiration to inspire and inform your social activism?  Please join us from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 11th in the Sanctuary at Lakewood UCC for an evening of Lectio Divina.  Lectio Divina is a Christian spiritual practice that has been around for hundreds of years.  It involves contemplative scripture reading, prayer and meditation which focuses on deepening our connection to the God of our understanding. It is a reflective and devotional process which can be practiced privately or with a group. Please RSVP to Jim Andrews @ 727-510-4170 and feel free to ask questions!

Lakewood UCC Choir: Please consider joining the Lakewood UCC choir. There’s no audition, no requirement to read music, no long-term commitment, no cost, no stress…the only requisite is a love of music and a desire to sing. The choir practices are Sundays at 9 AM.

Come Out St. Pete: This street festival and parade will be taking place Saturday Oct. 5 on Central Ave. between 22 and 31st Sts.  Wally Leblanc will be having a booth that will include information about the church.  If you can help volunteer at the booth, please let Wally know.  wally503x@gmail.com Many thanks!

Operation Attack: Operation Attack is very much in need of clothes for men, boys, and girls as well as diapers and peanut butter and canned fruit. Donations may be placed in the shopping cart in the entryway to the sanctuary. Operation Attack is an ecumenical effort serving families with children located a Lakeview Presbyterian Church, 1310 22nd. Ave. S., St. Petersburg. LUCC was a founding member of Operation Attack in the 1960’s!

Hearing Augmentation: Devices are available from the usher in the sanctuary during worship.

September Birthdays: Kim Wells 9/19, Joanne Reid 9/22, Wilbur Reid 9/22, Donald Ritchie 9/27, and Carlolyn Moore 9/30. Someone missing? Contact the church office with birthday information.

Circle of Concern: Sherry Santana, Carolyn Moore, Ann Quinn, Maggie Brizendine, and Ann Rogers.

Recent Posts:

Weekly Update: If you are involved with an activity or event that you would like to share with the LUCC family, please send the information to the church office by Tuesday since the Update usually is sent out on Wednesday.

Fun Socks at Maximo Open House

Giving out crazy socks at Maximo Elementary’s open house was a great and meaningful event.  A lot of energy there! There were many highlights ~ the little boy squealing when he found the pair he wanted; the small child giving Claudia a big hug; the parent who looked over the church brochure and was heard saying “This church is in my neighborhood.”  It was a super start for our ministry with Maximo on many levels.

The community liaison, Ms. Jones, confirmed that there are 80 homeless children at the school.  Lakewood UCC collected over 350 socks.  The school is having crazy Sock day this week on Tuesday.  The children who come to school without a pair of crazy socks will be given a pair by the school social worker. 

Thank you Claudia Rodriguez, Patti Cooksey, Emily Bell, and Olivia Gibson for attending the Open House at Maximo Elementary and giving away fun socks donated by the congregation.

Claudia Rodriguez, Patti Cooksey, Emily Bell, and Olivia Gibson 

Sermon 9/8 Who or What is God?

Scripture Lessons:  Luke 14:25-33 and Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18                           

Sermon:  Who or What is God?

Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

Smoke.  Fortress.  Fire. Hen.  Warrior. Wind.  Light. Silence. Nursing mother.  Love. And yes, father. These are just a few of the imaginative ways humans have envisioned God in the Bible.  And there have been many more imaginative renderings of God since the Bible was written. And we note that God is not confined to Christianity or Judaism, so there are many, many more examples of imaging God in other religions and spiritual expressions.  This should not surprise us because G-O-D is a three letter word that is a symbol. A symbol points to something. It is not the thing itself. And symbols often have multiple meanings. 

In addition, the many images and descriptions of G-O-D should not surprise us because we are told in our foundational origin story that humanity was created in God’s image:  The creature made in the image of the creator. So, the creature has creative powers. We are meant to create. Among other things, we are meant to create meaning. And so we create words and symbols that imply meanings.  

As we think about the long tradition of our Christian religion, we see that the symbol G-O-D functions in many different ways.  We are given images of God creating, punishing, forgiving, liberating, sustaining, destroying, saving, nurturing. There are many ways of describing the impact and influence and character of the concept G-O-D.  This is because people have created the meanings associated with G-O-D according to what was needed at the time or in a given circumstance. So the concept G-O-D has always been changing and evolving. This is nothing new.  When we read the Bible, it should not surprise us at all that there are many different renderings of G-O-D. And some are contradictory and conflicting. Why? Because people construct meaning for the symbol according to the context.    

So, as a people of faith gathered in this sanctuary this morning, what are some of your thoughts about who or what is God? 

Here among us today, in this context, we associate many different meanings with the symbol G-O-D.  It’s not surprising because we are tasked with making meaning for this symbol. That is part of what we are to do as creatures created in the image of a creating God.

In the scripture lesson that we heard this morning from Luke, there is reference to building a tower and preparing for battle.  The one who is going to build a tower assesses the site, as well as the materials and labor needed for construction. There are many factors to take into consideration when building a tower.  Much money is needed. The builder needs to have everything in place to complete the project. 

The same kind of assessment and preparation is referenced regarding battle.  A commander evaluates the circumstances, the strength of the enemy, the weaponry and soldiers and supplies that will be needed for battle.  This is part of being strategic and prepared and effective.  

We can apply this kind of thinking to our circumstances today and the symbol G-O-D.  In today’s world, with the circumstances and problems that we are facing, what kind of God do we need to move forward?  To make this world a place where life flourishes for all? What kind of meaning needs to be associated with the symbol G-O-D to create a peaceful, nurturing human community that protects the planet and the cosmos?  Our scriptures task us with this kind of creative endeavor and it has always been part of human culture since the creation of the symbol 

G-O-D.  

Here, again, we think of the scripture that we heard this morning.  We heard a story of Jesus telling his followers that they have to be willing to give up family and even life itself, leave all behind, to follow him.   Moving into the future on a path that is consistent with the way of Jesus means leaving things behind and being willing to pay that price.  In thinking about creating meaning for the symbol G-O-D, we want to keep in mind that we may need to leave some ideas and associations behind that may have served us well in the past.  As we think of what is needed now from the symbol G-O-D to address our current circumstances and the situation ahead, we may need to let go of some past images and concepts. This is to be expected.  And it may be very difficult; as drastic as the call to leave behind family to follow Jesus.  

This work is very important.  As we noted, Jesus tells people it is more important than family.  The implication is that the meaning associated with the symbol G-O-D is the most important thing in our lives.  As we heard in the Psalm our very beings are enmeshed with the Divine. So our concept of God is part of who we are.  It’s significant because it is the thing that we orient our lives around. G-O-D is to be the symbol for what is of ultimate significance in our lives.  So we want to be very careful about how we image God because God is to come before all else in our lives including family. How we conceive of God will inform our family relationships and all of our relationships.  

Our concept of God defines who we are and determines our choices, behavior, priorities, and values.  So Jesus encourages his followers to be very intentional and conscious of how they are defining G-O-D.  What they are making most important in their lives.  

Jesus confronts people about their concepts of God.  Some have a concept of God that ties in to greed. Some associate God with their power and status.  Some feel entitled by their God to lord it over others. Jesus talks about people who associate their money and possessions with God.  How we define and envision God makes a difference in our lives and is of ultimate importance.  

Jesus makes it clear that we are all spending our lives, giving our lives away.  He wants us to think about what we are giving them to. What are we devoting ourselves to?  When we look at our lives, what does our behavior show us about what really matters? Jesus wants us to think seriously about this and consider committing our lives to the God that he shows us.  This is not a God promising wealth or status or power or comfort.  

So, we are to think about how we are making meaning associated with the symbol G-O-D.  Given what we know of the God Jesus shows us and considering our current context, we are to create meaning for G-O-D that serves the needs of our lives and our world today.  We are living in a context where tribalism is rampant and global warming threatens life as we know it; where people feel alienated and powerless, and greed increasingly threatens lives and communities; at a time when we need to work together globally and we have the capacity to do so, so, what kind of God is needed?  What attributes and characteristics are needed to create constructive meaning for the symbol G-O-D?

What are some of your thoughts about that. . .

There are some people who argue that the whole idea and concept of G-O-D is outdated, archaic, primitive, and no longer suits our contemporary circumstances and future needs.  I am not going to argue against atheism or agnosticism. They have their place and certainly people have the right to their individual beliefs.  But here is why I think the concept of G-O-D is important. The symbol G-O-D not only helps us to honestly see ourselves but it takes us beyond ourselves, outside ourselves, and connects us to a greater whole.  Given today’s fragmentation and alienation, I think that is very important. I believe the concept G-O-D can have a very positive, healing, reconciling influence in our world today that is desperately needed.  

Eighteenth century French philosopher Montesquieu said, “If triangles had a god, they would give him three sides.”   Yes, we have made God in our image. We know that. So we can use that knowledge and turn it around. We can create meaning for G-O-D that meets the needs of the world today.  Leaving behind what needs to be left behind, we can imaginatively create meaning for the symbol G-O-D for our context and for the future. It is our responsibility, created in the image of God, to construct meaning for G-O-D which promotes the flourishing of all life, the planet, and the cosmos.  Amen.  

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.