Accepting Invitations

Accepting Invitations

Dear friends,

Invitations are all around us. We have recently been accepting and extending invitations to new community groups who are in need of a site for their activities.  As of Tuesday, the Kensington After School Enrichment Program has begun hosting activities out of our Social Hall. That’s just one way we try to respond to the needs of our community and be an inviting church.

On Sunday we will explore the meaning of God’s invitation in our lives. Join us in worship, or connect by listening to the sermon through our website. Here’s a poem to read in the meantime, about God’s radical way of inviting.

Wishing you peace in the middle of your Lent journey,

Rev. Nate

“God Says Yes To Me,” by Kaylin Haught

I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic
and she said yes
I asked her if it was okay to be short
and she said it sure is
I asked her if I could wear nail polish
or not wear nail polish
and she said honey
she calls me that sometimes
she said you can do just exactly
what you want to
Thanks God I said
And is it even okay if I don’t paragraph
my letters
Sweetcakes God said
who knows where she picked that up
what I’m telling you is
Yes Yes Yes

Living in Paradox

Living in Paradox

Sometimes it seems to me that the great gift of being religious in this day and age is the ability to be comfortable with a certain degree of paradox. Paradox comes from a Greek word meaning "contrary to expectation" or "incredible."

We live in paradox when we hear old stories like the Transfiguration and the Resurrection, after a week of listening to NPR and reading the newspaper. But we also live in paradox when we suffer losses we never could have imagined, and still have to wake up and find our joy in this life. Paradox is true to our experience of being alive.

Jesus spoke in parables to his followers, as a way of expressing the power of metaphor and paradox. For me, the art of poetry is another way to experience the paradox that's a characteristic of living in God.

Join us in the Fireside Room at 11:30 after worship on Sunday, as we read and discuss a few short poems that speak to our journey during this Lenten season. We'll be out of there by 12:15 and on our way for lunch, I promise!

And, to follow up on my article last week, do reach out to let me know when a good time for an individual coffee or a visit might be.

I hope you've enjoyed these longer evenings and glimpses of spring! Little Zoe, by the way, is still adjusting to the time change...

Peace, 

Rev. Nate Klug

Less Plastic for Lent

Less Plastic for Lent

Anita Baker teaches in a school that over the past year has moved to ZERO WASTE in school lunches, including those prepared by an outside vendor. The students are being encouraged to help their families on this journey. One of the staff members found this calendar online "Less Plastic for Lent!" and it was sent home to each family. Anita and Russ are using it and hope you also consider making it permanent.

- Anita Baker

View & download the calendar by clicking here

Update from Dorothy Streutker

Update from Dorothy Streutker

On Monday, March 11, I received my last chemo treatment. Once again, I am experiencing very few side effects. The next step is surgery, for which I had an MRI on Tuesday. On March 26, I will be having an outpatient surgery to remove the remainder of the tumors after they've been shrunk by the chemotherapy.

My broken leg is healing, albeit slowly. I've lost a lot of strength in both legs, so exercise is important. I can now make it carefully up and down the six stairs outside our house, and can shuffle my way to the end of our block (the short end) with my walker. Little by little ....

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers as this long process continues.

Holy Week & Easter Sunday

Holy Week & Easter Sunday

Join us as we listen for God's voice this spring.

Holy Week at ACC

Palm Sunday, April 14, 10 am.

A joyous procession of palms, with ensemble music, as we remember Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.

Maundy Thursday, April 18, 7:30 pm.

A service of "Tenebrae" (shadows) and remembrance as we journey towards the cross.

Good Friday, April 19, 12 pm-3 pm.

Sanctuary open for quiet meditation and prayer.

Good Friday Joint Service, April 19 at 7 pm

First Congregational Church Berkeley

2345 Channing Way in downtown Berkeley

Together with his wife, Rev. Nate is organizing a special joint Good Friday worship, with seven local UCC churches participating, including us! The service will feature music from local choirs (as well as a moving community choir piece) and brief reflections on the last seven words of Jesus. Carpooling encouraged: let Nate know if you will need a ride or are willing to provide one.

Easter Sunday, April 21.  

7:30 am. Easter Sunrise Worship.

8:30 am. Easter Breakfast.

10:00 am. Worship, with special music.

Getting to Know You

Getting to Know You

Dear friends,

One of my favorite parts of ministry is being with people. This is not always as easy as it seems in church life – there are Lenten paraments to find, and worship themes to consider, and renovation plans to review. We are working on projects together, but we are also living and practicing our faith together, and hopefully growing more connected in God.

As I learn more about ACC and the Kensington community, I’m committed to visiting with each member and friend of the congregation, in the way that is most comfortable for you. I love to do visits at your home, which helps me learn about your life and family, but I also am happy to meet at a coffee shop, or at my office here at church (I promise to have the space heater on). I will be working my way through the directory, but please do contact me (revnateklug@gmail.com) to set up a visit; it will save me a step. I would love to hear from you!

I will also be offering a few programming opportunities during Lent, both here at the church and out in the community. See below for more information.

We are all going through important things at the moment – as individuals and as a culture. I wish you a sense of God’s intensified presence at this point in your journey.

Continued thanks for your wonderful welcome here! See you in church,

Rev. Nate

Lent Discussions with Rev. Nate

Lent Discussions with Rev. Nate

Poems for the Season of Lent. March 17, 11:30 – 12:15, Fireside Room. Join us after coffee hour as we read a few compelling poems that relate to this season of renewal. Hear a little more about how writing and ministry relate for Rev. Nate. No poetry experience needed!

Theology on Tap. March 22, 4:30-5:30. Kensington Circus Pub. Join Nate as we talk about a few pressing theological questions that this season raises. Number one: What is the point of confession? Number two: Why is our culture afraid of mortality?

Book Group: The Uninhabitable Earth, April 7, 11:30-12:15, Fireside Room. Joins us after coffee hour as we talk about selections from The Uninhabitable Earth: Life after Warming by David Wallace-Wells (the book that Shanti mentioned in a recent Moment for the Planet). Photocopied selections will be available a few weeks before, so you can read ahead of time if you’d like.

Interfaith Power & Light

Interfaith Power & Light

Please help:  from our partners at Interfaith Power & Light – a religious response to Global Warming

“It is vitally important that our elected officials know that, as people of faith, we demand action on climate change and that we believe having strong climate change policies is our moral obligation to protect future generations.  With your help, we can make sure the faith voice is heard loud and clear in Washington.  It’s our turn to lead!”

We have available post cards that will be delivered to Senators Feinstein and Harris during Climate Change Awareness week in April.  These cards encourage support for the Green New Deal.  Please take just a minute to sign two of these cards after worship today.  They will be in the social hall during coffee time.

Moment for the Planet March 8, 2019 by Shanti Moorjani

Moment for the Planet March 8, 2019

By Shanti Moorjani

Last Sunday, March 2, 2019 at the 10am service, I shared information on a book that was recently published called "The Uninhabitable Earth" by David Wallace-Wells.  I had seen him being  interviewed on the PBS News Hour two days previously.  This book does not sugar coat the climate crisis our planet is entering but starts out with a statement like this:  " It is worse, much worse than you think. If your anxieties about global warming is dominated by fears of sea-level rise, you are barely scratching the surface of what terrors are possible."  One comment by another author about this book said: "This is truly the most important book I have ever read, and one of the best written. It is so good, so complete, and well-organized and argued that I immediately stopped writing my new book on the same subject."

When I listened to the interview of Mr. Wallace-Wells, he was firm that this generation alive at this time in history, is the only generation that can do something about changing the direction of global warming. The only way to do this is through elected officials; we need informed, responsible and strong leaders that can lead us to make the changes that will dramatically tackle the problem now.   For the next generation, the effects will have already disrupted our way of life and altered the planet.

I did disagree with the author on one point.  He said, "one person, no matter how conscious they are about their living habits, they could not make a difference". Even so, a Tsunami is made up of many drops of water.  When many people on the planet think of themselves as a "Person of the Planet"  their many individual voices will make a big difference in how everything is done and what leaders are elected to do the work of reshaping business practices and patterns of consumption. Imagine millions of people asking the question; "Is this good for the planet?" about every decision they make and then doing the best they can to make the right decision.

The  book is  available on line. Local book stores are just starting to get it in.

Jumping Right In

Jumping Right In

Hello Arlington Community Church! Here it is, the beginning of March, finally my first week as your Designated Term Minister. I am so excited to get started. And with Lent fast approaching, we are jumping right in together.

I’ve spent the last week getting my bearings, preparing for Sunday worship, and having conversations with Dennis (before he left town), Jacob, Shanti, and many lay leaders. Thanks to everyone who has helped me get settled! My books aren’t quite unpacked in the office, but I feel a lot more comfortable around here than I did a week ago.

What I can tell already is that we are a community with many passions and a lot of care for one another and our world. Over time, I will use this newsletter space for several purposes: to reflect on a particular aspect of our church’s mission, to raise a theological question that might arise out of our life together, to share a poem or anecdote, or to call our attention to an under-noticed issue in our community.

For today, my first day, let me reiterate my gladness to be serving among you. Join us on Sunday morning as we hear Luke’s story of Jesus’ Transfiguration, and consider the different shapes transformation can take in our lives. And, looking ahead, mark your calendars for a brief, contemplative Ash Wednesday service on March 6 at 7 pm.

Wishing you God’s peace,

Rev. Nate Klug

PS -- Some of you have asked how to pronounce my last name. Great question! It’s “Kl-OOg,” not “Kl-UGG.”