March 12-19, 2017  Volume, 258
  
This Week's Edition Vol. 258
Capital Campaign Donations
TONIGHT!!! ACC & BACH Presents: Vajra Voices
Daylight Savings
Now is the Time- Health Care for Everybody
Spectrum March 19: What Matters to the UCC?
The Passing of Betty Calfee
Lighthouses & Lent
Pastor Tony's Sermon: February 26, 2017
Protein Drive
2017 ACC Directory is Available!
Borders & Identity
One Great Hour of Sharing
Party & Fundraiser for Margaret and Larry
Everybody's Fellowship- April 6, 2017
Need a Ride to Church?
This Coming Week
Capital Campaign Donations
 
Dear Friends of ACC,
 
Thank you for your support!  By agreeing to launch the 2020 Capital Campaign you are enabling ACC to make greatly needed improvements to our facilities.  To name but a few of them:  The Steinway piano makeover is complete; the ADA compliant sidewalk access is complete and will be supplemented with additional railings; the kitchen upgrades will be continued with new cabinet doors that are easy to open, stainless steel to replace the butcher block surface on the center island and replacement of the 1950's Formica on the pass-through from the Social Hall probably with quartz-based manufactured stone; replacement of the last two of our old furnaces that heat the Social Hall and Fireside room; and a remodel of the restrooms near the Social Hall.
 
As Dudley Thompson pointed out in his letter and brochure of December 4, 2016 the total cost of the 2020 project is about $650,000.  We can pay for about $450,000 of it without borrowing and need the $200,000 from the Capital Campaign to complete the project.
 
Please join me in making as substantial a pledge as you are comfortable with to get us to our goal, using the enclosed pledge card.
 
Contributors to the capital campaign will be acknowledged with a plaque of names (not including dollars) which we plan to mount on the retaining wall by the deck outside the Social Hall.
 
For those who have already pledged please ignore this note; you have not been forgotten.
 
Thanking you again for your support,

- Bill Day
TONIGHT!!!
ACC & BACH Presents:
Vajra Voices: Voices of Women in Medieval to Modern Song
Inspired by the stories and voices of women, Remembered Migrations weaves medieval French chanson and motets with premieres of new works by Shira Kammen, and Theresa Wong. For the medieval trouvére the passion and pain of unrequited love was a virtuous pursuit. Theresa Wong's new work, To Burst, To Bloom: Songs on Poems of 12th Century Taoist Immortal Sun Bu'er are settings of ancient texts on inner alchemy, these songs explore the fluid interplay of abstract vocal utterances with language and meaning. And, Shira Kammen's lush settings of American poems - Cold Wind and Rain, and Sun, Moon, and Stars - align with traditional songs, such as, Jean Ritchie's Now is the Cool of the Day to make for an evening of reflection and intrigue.
 
Since 2010, the seven women of Vajra Voices, directed by Karen R. Clark, have delighted audiences with their performances of medieval music. In 2016, Vajra Voices provided the vocal inspiration for the Garrett Moulton dance premiere of Divining with the Oakland Ballet; and, again, in the production of Speak, Angels in San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center. KQED wrote, "Vajra Voices' unearthly sounds were thrillingly spun." Vajra Voices & Shira Kammen's recent  CD, O Eterne Deus: Music of Hildegard von Bingen (Music & Arts label) is receiving international attention. Choir & Organ (U.K.) writes "the rich, full-blooded ensemble sings with intensity."

Tickets:
$20 General Admission
$15 Seniors
$10 Students (At Door with ID)

Tickets will be available for presale at www.bayareabach.org
Daylight Savings Time, Spring Ahead!
 
Daylight saving time 2017 in California will start at 2:00 AM on  Sunday March 12. Set your clocks ahead 1 hour before heading to bed Saturday night so you arrive to morning worship on time.
Now is the Time- Health Care for Everybody
Sunday March 12 @ 5:00 PM 

Contra Costa County Chapter and the Arlington Community Church - Mission and Social Justice Committee will sponsor a showing of a powerful new documentary, Now Is The Time Healthcare for Everybody on Sunday, March 12, 2017, from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm at the Arlington Community Church - United Church of Christ, 52 Arlington Blvd, Kensington, CA 94707
 
With the future of the Affordable Care Act in serious doubt, millions may lose their health insurance. Medicare and Medi-Cal are under attack. This documentary explains what single payer healthcare is and how it saves money. It shows what behind-the-scenes heroes are doing to clear the fog of misperceptions that has kept us from moving forward.
 
The film and a Q & A with the film producer Laurie Simons & Terry Sterrenberg will give audience members a chance to learn more about the national healthcare debate and Our New Legislative Campaign in California for Single Payer Universal Health Care.

Free of charge!      
 
You can see a trailer of the movie at www.nowsthetimemovie.com
Spectrum: What Matters to the UCC?
Sunday March 19 @ 11:30 AM

This is the first conversation in a series about the six vital values in the United Church of Christ: Extravagant Welcome, Belonging to Christ, Covenant, Baptism and Communion, Working for a Just and Loving World, and Listening for the Still Speaking God. Join us as we talk about the faith that forms the UCC!

Peace,

Pastor Tony
Betty Calfee
 
It is with sadness that we announce the death of long-time member and friend of Arlington Community Church UCC, Betty Calfee. She was surrounded by family when she died on Thurs. Mar. 2 around noon. Condolences may be sent to her daughters Annie & Helen...

Annie Stiles Heller
3237 Liberty Ave.
Alameda,CA.94501

Helen Stewart
2875 Tudor Ave. 
Victoria, BC. 
Canada V8N 1L6
Lighthouses & Lent

As we step into Lent, our worship focus shifts from the boat to a lighthouse on the chancel. Each week we will offer an opportunity during prayer time to connect with the base of the lighthouse, as we build a foundation of rocks, and then use the rocks as our wall of prayer. On Sunday March 12, you may bring a rock from your garden to symbolize some burden you wish to lay down. (We will provide rocks for those who forget) As you enter Lent, think about some of the meanings of a lighthouse: warning, safety, foundation, light, loneliness, immovability. How do these themes match your faith in the time we liturgically prepare for Jesus' death and resurrection? 

Peace,,

Pastor Tony
Pastor Tony's Sermon
Sunday March 5, 2017
 
Right after Jesus was baptized, he went to the wilderness to fast and pray, and, hungry and alone, Jesus was approached by Satan who tempted him three times, first with food, then with spiritual power, and third with political power. Although these temptations were specific to Jesus' faith and  calling, the temptations also connect to the very human needs of food, spiritual connection, and being loved by other people.  When taken to the extreme, the human need for food, clothing and shelter becomes the temptation we call materialism or selfish individualism; the need for spiritual connection at its extreme becomes a faith solely focused on God and not community; and the need for being loved by other people becomes egotism or self-centeredness. 
 

PROTEIN SUNDAY FOR THE RICHMOND EMERGENCY FOOD PANTRY 
DURING LENT 
March 5
- APRIL 16
For 45 years our Richmond neighbors have depended on the Richmond Emergency Food Pantry for a monthly supplement to their food supply.  Each month the Pantry provides a large bag of food for over 1,000 families including 1,200 children.  Families often have to decide whether to keep a roof over their heads, pay for medications or put food on the table.  If they choose to forego food, the result is malnutrition.  The Food Pantry provides nutritious food, but it is always in need of PROTEIN.  Peanut butter, canned tuna, and canned chicken are most welcomed.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE
1)     On Sundays during Lent March 5 th - April 16 th please bring peanut butter jars, canned tuna and/or canned chicken.

2)    You may also contribute checks.  Make out checks to Arlington Community Church and on the memo line write "Protein for Richmond Pantry".
 
In Gratitude,
 
The Board of Missions/Social Justice
The 2017 ACC Directory is Available!

Copies of the 2017 directory will be made available following morning worship starting this Sunday. 

Please note in the current edition George Saksa's name is spelled incorrectly.

If you are unable to attend church, you can request a copy by emailing our office at acc.staff@sbcglobal.net.
Borders & Identity
Wednesday March 17-18 @ the Pacific School of Religion  

One Great Hour of Sharing
Sunday March 26, 2017

Through One Great Hour of Sharing, lives are literally changed daily. Your support provides clean water, food, medicines, shelter, healthcare, education and so much more.  For example, OGHS funds have been used in Haiti to provide relief from Hurricane Matthew:
 
Hurricane Matthew in October 2016 was the worst storm to strike Haiti since 1964. It killed up to 1,000, displaced more than 140,000 and left 1.4 million in need of humanitarian assistance.  It wiped out crops and destroyed or damaged homes and schools.
 
UCC Disaster Ministries (with the help of OGHS funds) is funding recovery work that includes seed distribution, repair and reconstruction of homes and schools, and distribution of water purification tablets to help stem the spread of cholera.

According to an evaluation of the National Coordination of Food Security (CNSA) 60 percent to 90 percent of crops in the Haitian Northwest were ruined, as were up to 100 percent of crops in Grand Anse. People lost their harvest as well as the chance to plant again next season, having no seeds left nor money to purchase seeds for planting.  UCC Disaster Ministries is supporting distribution of seeds in the Northwest so farmers can plant again and will have the prospect of a spring harvest.
 
The level of damage to houses was aggravated due to limited use of strong construction materials. Many houses are built with mud and sticks, or rocks without cement, and are missing a good foundation.  In response, the Haiti Program of Church World Service, of which UCC Disaster Ministries is a member, has hired an engineer to assist with repair of houses (mostly in the Northwest), schools and latrines.  "With use of good materials and respecting construction norms, families will be protected against future hurricanes," said CWS Haiti Country Representative Margot de Greef.  Work to date has included repair of 17 houses, one primary school, two churches, one community meeting space and one public high school with 300 students. (From the UCC 2016 Mission Report).

One Great Hour of Sharing will be celebrated by UCC churches on Sunday, March 26.  If you wish to make a donation sooner, donation envelopes are available at the back of the sanctuary, or you are welcome to send a check to the church with "OGHS" in the memo line.
 
Thanks,

Sara Laferte
It's a Party; It's a Fund-Raiser!
SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2017     4:30 P.M.

A real "Old West" evening for all ages.
 
The party:   At 4:30 p.m., we'll meet our story-teller, Lariat Larry.  Lariat Larry dresses as an authentic cowboy of the Old West and combines fancy trick roping with tales of the Wild West that are full of adventure and excitement.  Stories include true tales, historical fiction, and tall tales, with plenty of fun audience involvement.
 
After the entertainment, we'll be serving a chuckwagon-style chili dinner (vegetarian and omnivorean options) with cornbread and salad and all the trimmings, and Texas Sheet Cake for dessert.
 
   
The fund-raiser:  Our church council has offered to pay all the costs of this party.  *** All the ticket money will go to help pay medical expenses for Margaret and Larry Kornfeld.  *** You probably already know that Margaret and Larry were both seriously injured in a car accident on their way to church in December.  Margaret in particular has injuries that will need a lot of physical and occupational therapy in the coming months.
 
Please bring the family and invite some friends.
 
Pre-paid tickets are: $25 for adults; $12 for children under 12.  After March 23, they will be $30 for adults; $15 for children.   Dinner will include a variety of soft drinks.  Beer will be available for sale to adults.
Checks payable to ACC should be sent to:  Attn. Sara Laferte, Arlington Community Church, 52 Arlington Avenue, Kensington 94707.  Please write " fundraiser" or " chili dinner" in the memo line.
For more information, email the church at acc.staff@sbcglobal.net, or call Sara Laferte at (510) 526-8362.
Everybody's Fellowship!  
Thursday April 6, 2017 @ 6:30 PM
Led by Ruth and Mike Robinson

You gaze into their eyes, and what do you see?  Some see nothing; others see fear; dog parents see so much love.  

Join us on April 6, 2017, @ 6:30pm for a potluck supper followed by a presentation on the topic:  Finding Connections with Our Canine Companions:  Dog Scouts of America.  This is a topic for all interested persons - Bring a friend or neighbor.  You will be surprised by what you will learn!
Need a Ride to Church?

Call Tim at Elite Car Service  (510) 926-0121
 

If Tim is not available, you can call a cab or any of the other ride services. You will have to pay and give a receipt to Randy for reimbursement. You can use these options for a ride to any church activity.

Like us on Facebook

Find us on Yelp
Click Here to Join Our Mailing List 
 
This Coming Week:
 
Sun, March 12
Morning Worship- 10:00 AM
Special Movie Screening: 3:00 PM

Weds, March 15
Council Meeting- 10:00 AM
Choir Rehearsal- 7:30 PM

Sun, March 19
Morning Worship- 10:00 AM
Spectrum- 11:30 AM


~UPCOMING EVENTS~

Monday Mar 20 @ 10:00 AM
Memoir Group

Thursday Mar 23 @ 3:00 PM
Trustees Meeting

Friday Mar 24 @ 6:00 PM
Bridge Night

Thursday Apr 6 @ 6:30 PM
Everybody's Fellowship

Contribute to our
Newsletter:

Due by Tuesday evening
 Email us at: