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We Know God Wants Healing and Wholeness;
What's the Best Way to Get There?
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Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church Newsletter
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Weekly Happenings at SHPC
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July 5, 2018
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Called to Heal the World
Health Sunday
This Sunday, July 8th, at 9:30 a.m., we'll start with a personal health inventory - body, mind, and spirit - and then explore what God is calling us to do individually and collectively for health, healing, and wholeness. Jesus, like Elijah, was a healer. Jesus sent his disciples out into the world to heal the sick because God wants us well. But what's the best way to move towards health? Let's explore the options this Sunday.
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A Note from Pastor Bev
I am heartened by the news of many faith communities making bold statements of support for asylum seekers, immigrants, children in detention, and families who must be reunited (and never should have been separated). Tonight's newsletter has statements from our PC(USA) Stated Clerk, our General Assembly, and also a list of ways to help.
Now is the time for bold action. When children are being treated with reckless disregard for their wellbeing, we must all stand up and say: our nation is better than this. We will not permit this cruelty in our names. As Christians, we are called to welcome the stranger, love our neighbors, and practice compassion. Now is the time to speak up, and to, in the words of our Stated Clerk, harvest our tears into action. If you feel called to be part of SHPC's response, let me know by clicking
here.
With blessings of peace and love,
Bev
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Friday, July 6
Noon
6:00 p.m.
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NO BIBLE STUDY
Family Game Night
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Sunday, July 8
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Is Healthcare a Right?
Called to Heal the World
Coffee & Fellowship - All Welcome!
Let's Talk Universal Healthcare -
Q and A with Dan Monte
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Tuesday, July 10
8:00 p.m.
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Newsletter Items Due
AA- Men's meeting
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Thursday, July 12
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SHPC Singers |
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Friday, July 13
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Bible Study
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Sunday, July 15
9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
10:45 a.m.
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Citizens of the World:
Care for the Refugees
Coffee & Fellowship - All Welcome!
Art and Let's Talk with Vicky Trapalis |
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Let's Talk: Single Payer Healthcare
This Sunday, July 8th, 10:45am
Questions and answers with Dan Monte, candidate for California State Assembly District 10 in Marin and Sonoma County
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| Sharon Adams |
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JULY FELLOWSHIP -- PLEASE SIGN UP OR EMAIL
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NO Bible Study this Friday, July 6th.
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Please Remember in Your Prayers
The USA, for equality under the law, justice, truth, decency, civility, and peace, and for positive leadership in the free world;
For families separated at the border, reunification and healing;
Greg O'Hara, for
recovery and return from rehab to his home, and assurance of God's loving presence;
Wil Swalberg, for complete healing and recovery from a fall, especially for his hand and wrist;
Michael McCarty, for a blessed retirement of health and peace;
Kelsey Lopin, for healing, renewed strength, continued flourishing, creativity, and energy to share her God-given gifts;
Kira Swaim,
for healing, and for God's companionship, strength, and hope;
Nance Rosencranz,
recovering from a stroke, for full and complete recovery, and for God's healing presence;
Peg Maclise's sister Kim, for God's healing presence, and for Peg, God's strength, love, and peace;
Andrea Proster, sister of Nancy Elberg, for complete healing, and for Nancy to continue to feel God's abiding presence in companioning her;
Immigrants and asylum seekers, families separated and seeking reunification, those in detention and those living in the shadows and fearing deportation, for family reunification, healing, security, a path to citizenship, and sanctuary; for a humane solution to the DACA crisis;
Our Muslim neighbors, subject to Islamophobia and hate crimes;
The incarcerated, and their loved ones, for a justice system and prison system that uphold our highest values;
The people of Puerto Rico, with thousands dead and so many still suffering from Hurricane Maria, and the refugees and displaced
, almost 1 out of 100 people in the world today, for safety, homes, the basics of life, and dignity;
Our planet, the world's poor, all who suffer from disruptive climate change, may God energize us to continue our work to keep the planet livable for all people;
The PC(USA), for courage and energy to continue our world-wide mission of love and justice for all people;
Dr. Doug Tilton, our PC(USA) mission co-worker in Southern Africa;
Our church, for Spirit to continue to guide us and fill us with energy for mission and love for all our neighbors!
Please take time this week to pray for those on our list.
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Congratulations
to Andy on his graduation from Drake!
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Zephyr Experience!
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| Rev. Jim Rigby of Austin, TX with Dennis and Jody |
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| Our Youth Director Charles Wei with Pastor Bev after Charles' terrific Spoken Word performance in the Talent Show |
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To Middle and High School YOUTH and their PARENTS from Charles
We have a busy month ahead of us!
This Friday, July 6 at 6:00pm is Family Game Night. We'll have pizza and lots of fun games to choose from. Don't forget to invite your friends and family!
Just prior to Family Game Night at 5:30pm, we'll be filming our next Collective Voices Initiative video which will address gun violence. Parents, we will have refreshments for you so you can wait while we film. Please let me know if you can help with this.
We are planning a cooking night with some of the kids from the Islamic community. Please let me know the times of the week that are the best for you.
And lastly, 6 of you have graduated to Agent status!!! Congratulations VanIke, Juliet, Jordan, Jessie, Warren, and Andrew! We will be planning a party soon to celebrate your achievement.
See you soon!
Charles Wei
Youth Director
Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church
Always feel free to contact me with any questions or feedback by clicking
here.
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SHPC's Solar Power is fully operation
as of Thursday 6/28!
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Stated Clerk issues statement on executive order regarding family separation at U.S. border
Nelson calls on Presbyterians to "harvest tears" into action
The Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, II, stated clerk of the General Assembly, has
issued a statement in response to the executive order issued on June 20, 2018, by the president of the United States. Nelson points out that, though Joseph's call to flee to Egypt has long since passed. "People are still in danger. People still flee into the night to find safety..."
The Stated Clerk calls on Presbyterians to, "Take the tears you have shed and harvest them into acts of peaceful resistance, advocacy, pastoral care, and prayer to bring about peace for the hundreds of families suffering from this nation's border policies."
The full text of the statement as well as additional information and resources to provide guidance for those discerning ways to take action can be found by
clicking here.
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HOW TO HELP CHILDREN SEPARATED FROM THEIR FAMILIES AT THE BORDER
Images from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention facility in south Texas show young children
huddled in large cages
and sleeping under space blankets. In an
audio recording
from the center released by
ProPublica
, traumatized children are heard crying and calling out for their parents after being separated from their families.
Here are a number of ways you can support them and those who might find themselves in a similar situation in the future.
Support the Legal Fight
The ACLU is offering free or low-cost legal support to undocumented families and children separated from their parents at the border. You can help them by donating or offering up your own skills, such as translation or legal training, pro bono.
Fostering
For undocumented children caught up in complex or lengthy immigration cases, a stable and caring home for the duration can help ease the trauma of their experience.
If you are able to offer a foster home to an undocumented child caught up in this process, find out from your state authorities about how to become licensed to do so.
Talk to Your Politicians
Get on the phone to your representatives in Congress, Republican and Democrat, to let them know how you feel about what is happening at America's border. Send emails. Send letters. Hold rallies and protests.
Lobby Congress to change the law so the Trump administration cannot separate undocumented children from their families. The time to do this is now, when the public is focused on the issue and politicians are at their most sensitive to it.
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Statement of the 223rd General Assembly of the PC(USA)
1. Call upon the federal government to immediately end the newly implemented zero-tolerance policy that is tearing apart
families.
2. Call upon the federal government to reunite parents and children that have been separated as soon as possible, under the care of the community, not in family detention ensuring access of attorneys to those in detention.
3. Call upon the federal government to make certain that every parent in custody knows the location of their children and facilitate regular communication between parents and their children until they are reunited.
4. Call upon the federal government to not use possible reunification with children to force immigrant parents into a concession to plead guilty to a crime in exchange for reuniting with their children.
5. Condemns the President's June 20th Executive Order "Affording Congress an Opportunity to Address Family Separation" that further criminalizes migration through the expansion of family detention on military bases and other government property, potentially indefinitely."
6. Call upon synods, presbyteries, and individual churches to understand, condemn, and work against the ideology of white supremacy under-girding these racist immigration policies.
7. Remind our denomination of the Gospel call to work for just and humane policies for all immigrant communities, grounded in the principles of family unity, human dignity, and rights.
8. Direct the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly to communicate the contents of this overture to the President of the United States, our representatives in Congress, as well as to Jeff Sessions, U.S. Attorney General, and Kirstjen Nielson, U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
9. Strongly encourage congregations to learn about the impact of these immigration policies on the lives of church members as well as members of our local communities, making use of resources listed below:
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Session Report - June Meeting
From Your Clerk of Session, Dennis Latta
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The Session meeting on June 13, 2018 opened with prayer. Committee reports were presented, including financial report review. The Finance Investment team (Scott Hamilton, Nancy Derr, and Greg Rivers) is working on the best investment options for safe investment of the manse sale proceeds with increased rate of return above the 1% currently offered by the Synod. Building and Grounds will be working with the Green Team to consider the most energy efficient and effective response to our hydronic heat system failure and also to recommend options for window replacement throughout the building. Mission has procured travel insurance for the MM trip. The Garden is off to a great start. Family Ministries is looking forward to confirmation class starting 8/19 and is in the process of planning an interfaith Food 4 Good event for July. Membership asks all to SAVE THE DATE for BOCCE 7/22! Worship reports excellent attendance and hiring a guest pianist for the month of July, an accomplished church musician from CCC recommended by Charles Wei. Deacons are providing excellent compassionate care. Inviting congregation to contribute to Michael McCarty's retirement gift was approved. Pastor Bev reported on upcoming Let's Talk opportunities and speakers. We closed with prayer.
THE SESSION OF SHPC: Dennis Latta, Clerk, Patti Vance, Mission, Scott Hamilton, Finance, Ahmed AbuAly, Building & Grounds, Janel Stewart, Family Ministries, Merle Ongaro, Membership, Koren Grubb, Worship, Pastor Bev, Moderator
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Congratulations to Warren Brouwer!
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| Eagle Scout Warren Brouwer |
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A message from Warren:
Thank you so much for helping me complete the last stage of my trail to eagle... I am now proud to announce that I am officially an Eagle Scout, and will be having my Court of Honor (award ceremony) on Sunday, August 19th.
Thank you all/ Gracias por todo,
Warren
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After REST, how will SHPC continue to answer God's call to serve the unhoused community?
Laurie O'Hara, Nancy Elberg, and Linda Peltzman have stepped forward to become our Homelessness Ministry Task Force and take the lead in discerning
the Spirit's call to SHPC as to how we will continue our commitment to serve the unhoused. We will be meeting with homelessness advocates and agencies in early July.
Sign up now to join them by clicking
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Yoga with Karen
JOIN US FOR WEEKLY COMMUNITY YOGA
AT SLEEPY HOLLOW PRESBYTERIAN
100 TARRY RD, SAN ANSELMO
We will continue to practice yoga together on
Tuesday evenings this summer with a few exceptions:
No yoga July 24, August 14 & 21.
I will miss seeing you this tuesday evening - if you would like to join me at POM yoga in San Anselmo for "Mindful flow" on Friday (12:30-1:45pm) it would be lovely to see you. The class will be a similar pace to what we do at SHPC. I am able to offer friends and family rates to guests, so be sure to let the front desk know you are a guest of mine.
POM - 25 Tamalpais Ave, San Anselmo (next door to Taco Janes)
Happy Summer!
Karen x
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Don't be shy, Greeting is a Treat!
From Koren Grubb, Worship Elder
Help with our ministry of hospitality by signing up to be a greeter! All you have to do is get to church by 9:15, light the candles, and hand out bulletins with a smile.
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Won't you be an 'honest patriot' this Fourth of July?
LOUISVILLE - Yes, the title is a tribute to the documentary on Fred Rogers currently in theatres, "Won't you be my neighbor?" For about 40 years, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood was featured on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations as a children's - but really families' - afterschool program.
But the other part of the title comes from a report recently adopted by the 223rd General Assembly (2018) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Honest Patriotism is intended to guide our civic responsibility as Presbyterians during "an unprecedented crisis of public dishonesty and chauvinistic nationalism." The divisiveness found in U.S. politics today is a far cry from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, which is precisely why we need to be "honest patriots" to stand against corruption and unfairness.
Honest Patriotism
is an intentionally short and theologically strong statement that addresses the unnecessarily conflictual politics of today directly, but without getting hooked by the divisive messaging itself. It sees the essential issues for Christians as truth and its close neighbor, honesty. You can read Honest Patriotism by clicking here and you can read the entirety of the article about it by clicking here.
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PC(USA) Office of Public Witness director describes 30 hours in jail
LOUISVILLE - The director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness recently found out what life is like behind bars. The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, along with other clergy, was arrested earlier this month while praying outside the U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.
The nine were taking part in the
Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival when they were taken into custody during the peaceful demonstration. Hawkins shared his experiences during the 223rd General Assembly (2018) and described the time as a night of "trepidation and enlightenment."
"It was fearful, intimidating, desperate and sparse. We were treated no better than animals are treated for euthanasia," Hawkins said. "A person of Jewish faith was offered pork. I became greatly aware and much more sensitive to what incarcerated men and women undergo. We were chained, isolated and told what to do."
Once taken into custody, the group of clergy and ecumenical leaders was taken for processing where they were handcuffed behind their backs.
"After they processed us, they took us out to the hallway and had us sit in plastic chairs for five hours with our hands behind our backs. The only time they took the cuffs off was when we had to go to the bathroom," he said. "Many police officers were standing guard over us as if we were going to run away or do something drastic."
Hawkins said the officers were cordial, but he felt they were intentionally holding on to the group."After five hours, they put us on a van, still with the handcuffs on. The van had a partition in the middle and the space we had was approximately three feet wide and probably four feet high. We were handcuffed in the front and they also had a seat belt around us. It was the most confined I had ever been in my life," said Hawkins.
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"The jail cell was approximately 5 feet wide and 7 feet long and 7 feet high, all metal. Metal toilet and seat and the bunks were metal as well. No bedding, no pillow, nothing. Roaches were everywhere," he said. "Every time someone would kill a roach, you could hear it throughout the place. People were leaning up against the sides of the walls. All the males were in one wing and of course you could hear all of the conversations."
At approximately 6:30 the next morning, the group was taken from the cells in handcuffs and ankle shackles for a 10-minute ride to the courtroom for arraignment. The group was brought into a waiting room with up to 40 others, most being held on misdemeanor charges.
By 4 p.m., the group was moved to the U.S. District Court, where they remained in the custody of federal marshals.
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The group, which included the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, a Presbyterian pastor and co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, is expected back in court on July 2 to set a trial date. If found guilty, they face up to 60 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.
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Highlights of actions of the 223rd General Assembly (2018)
Church Leadership:
In one of closest elections in years, Ruling Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri (Presbytery of Tropical Florida) and the Reverend Cindy Kohlmann (Presbyteries of Boston and Northern New England) were elected Co-Moderators of the 223rd General Assembly (2018) on Saturday evening, June 16. On a fourth ballot vote of 266-253, they prevailed over another Co-Moderator team-the Reverend Eliana Maxim (Presbytery of Seattle) and the Reverend Bertram Johnson (Presbytery of New York City). A Moderator/Vice-Moderator pair-Ruling Elder Chantal D. Atnip (Presbytery of Carlisle), and the Reverend Ken Hockenberry (Presbytery of Chicago)-trailed.
In other actions involving Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leadership, the assembly:
- Confirmed the election of the Reverend Diane Moffett as president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
- Confirmed the reelection of the Reverend Tom Taylor as president of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation.
- Confirmed the election of Alton B. Pollard III as president of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Fossil Fuel Divestment: By a vote of 332-178, the assembly voted in favor of a minority report that called for the PC(USA) to continue its corporate engagement with fossil fuel companies-through its Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee-rather than divest from those companies. The Assembly Committee on Environmental Issues had voted 35-20 for the divestment proposal offered by the Presbytery of Hudson River. After the minority report became the main motion, it was approved by the assembly 409-106.
Israel-Palestine/Middle East: After spirited debate in the Assembly Committee on Middle East Issues that spilled out into the hallways of America's Center (St. Louis' convention center), the assembly raced through the committee's report in just thirty-five minutes on June 22. Among its actions, the assembly:
- Asked RE/MAX, LLC, to end its sale and rental of property on occupied, disputed land in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The vote was 393-55.
- Voiced support for all efforts to bring Palestinians and Israelis together peacefully.
- Asked the state of Israel to fully comply with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in order to stop discriminatory practices and called on the U.S. government to rejoin the United Nations Human Rights Council.
- Condemned the recent violence along the border between Israel and Gaza.
Per Capita: The assembly approved a 2019 General Assembly per capita apportionment of $8.95 per member-an increase of $1.25 (or 15.8 percent) per member over 2018. The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly had originally proposed a 39 percent increase in 2019 to $10.71 per member. At the assembly, General Assembly Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson, II, revised that request down to a 10 percent increase in 2019 (to $8.50) and 2020. The Assembly Committee on General Assembly Procedures approve the 2019 request, but not the 2020 increase. The assembly added $643,000 (or 45 cents per member) to the per capita budget by the actions it took, raising the final per capita apportionment to $8.95. In other per capita-related actions, the assembly:
- Approved, in a slightly amended form, an overture from the Presbytery of Newton to establish a team of twelve to fifteen persons to "review the current per capita-based system of funding the ministry of councils higher than the session, for financial sustainability into the next ten years."
- Asked the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly and the Office of the General Assembly to explore ways of reducing the cost of future General Assemblies.
The Way Forward: By a vote of 474-47, the assembly overwhelmingly approved the report of The Way Forward Commission, which was created by the 222nd General Assembly (2016) "to discern the vision for structure and function of our denomination." The Way Forward Commission was joined by the All-Agency Review Committee in many of its recommendations. The assembly also created a Moving Forward Implementation Team to ensure follow-through of the actions taken and to make "mid-course corrections" between now and the 224th General Assembly (2020). Among its actions on The Way Forward, the assembly:
- Restructured PC(USA) A Corp to be representative of five of the six agencies of the PC(USA)-previously the A Corp board was identical to the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board. The new A Corp board is composed of eleven members, representing each agency, with the exception of the Board of Pensions, plus at-large members.
- Strengthened the role of the General Assembly Stated Clerk, reaffirming that person as the "continuing ecclesial officer and Head of Communion," naming the Stated Clerk as "constitutional and spiritual leader" for the life and witness of the church, giving the Stated Clerk ex officio membership on all agencies of the church, and giving the Stated Clerk consultative authority prior to the consideration for election of any candidate for chief executive of any of the PC(USA)'s six agencies.
- Authorized a "financial sustainability review."
- Beefed up the denomination's translation services and efforts toward greater inclusion, equity, and reconciliation between all constituencies of the church.
- Endorsed an "administrative action issued by the commission on June 12 calling for greater transparency, particularly in the Presbyterian Mission Agency, and freedom for national staff employees to speak their minds in addressing the prevailing culture without retribution or retaliation.
Racism/Poverty/Violence: The assembly engaged in various acts of public witness that sought to engage issues of racism, poverty, and violence in St. Louis under the umbrella of Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson, II's, Hands and Feet initiative. In addition to a number of groups who came to St. Louis to engage in Hands and Feet service/learning projects during the assembly, several "mission trips" for assembly-goers engaged with various faith-based community groups to address poverty and racism in the city. The offering from the opening worship service raised more than $54,000, which after a dramatic march by nearly 1,000 assembly-goers from America's Center to the City Justice Center on Tuesday afternoon, was given to ArchDefenders, a faith-based group that bails low-level offenders out of jail. Nearly three dozen people, victims of St. Louis' draconian cash bail system, were released from custody with the money. In its actions, the assembly:
- Approved "The Gospel from St. Louis," prepared by the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy.
- Initiated the arduous process of possibly including Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" in the Book of Confessions.
- Strongly condemned "the unjust, racist disparagement of people and entire nations" and committed the PC(USA) to "a collective effort to solve the real problems facing our nation and the world."
- Changed the church's nomenclature from "racial ethnic people" to "people of color" and the name of the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns to the Racial Equity Advocacy Committee.
- Called for an immediate moratorium on the imposition of the death penalty and for the commutation of all death sentences to sentences of life imprisonment.
- Authorized a five-member task group with a black women majority to raise awareness of issues adversely affecting black girls and women in society and the church, and to develop action plans to address those issues.
- Affirmed and celebrated the "full dignity and humanity" and gifts of people of all gender identities and sexual orientations.
Immigration: Following on statements issued by General Assembly Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson, II, the assembly called upon the federal government to end family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border, to immediately reunite parents with their children, to inform every parent where their children are being held and their condition, to stop using separation of children from their parents as a tactic to force criminal confessions; and called upon Presbyterians to support immigrant families, particularly parents and their separated children in any ways they can. The assembly also addressed war, violence, and human rights in Central America (particularly Nicaragua), South Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Madagascar, and the Korean Peninsula.
Gun Violence: The assembly reaffirmed previous General Assembly policies designed to reduce gun violence, called all Presbyterians to pray for a movement of the Spirit to engage Presbyterians in nationwide actions to prevent gun violence, and urged them to create opportunities to study the issue of gun violence, with an emphasis on resources produced by the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship.
Paid Family Leave: After long debate in both committee and plenary, the assembly referred to a task force to report back to the 224th General Assembly (2020) proposed actions to develop denomination-wide standards and financial support mechanisms for paid family leave for church workers.
Congregational Leadership: The assembly rejected, by margin of 425-57, an overture from the Presbytery of Monmouth that would have allowed congregations to elect and ordain ruling elders without requiring them to serve on session. The proposal was designed to provide more lay leadership in a church that is changing-leadership, for instance, for new worshiping communities, immigrant fellowships, and other nontraditional faith communities.
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A Blessed Retirement to Michael McCarty
Session invites you to contribute to his retirement gift
The church wishes our longtime Music Minister, Michael McCarty, a blessed retirement. The church deeply appreciates his decades of service. Michael wants the congregation to know that he was happy to spend the central part of his life and musical career at SHPC, but that now, health comes first, and he must limit the hours he works. The Session invites you to leave any contribution you might wish to make to his retirement gift in the basket in the narthex, with checks made out to SHPC and Michael's name on the memo line. We will announce a Sunday for Michael to come back to SHPC to be recognized and presented with the gift, so that all who love and appreciate him can wish him well.
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Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church
100 Tarry Road
San Anselmo, CA 94960
Katie Brendler,
Editor
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