Pastoral Transition Letter from the Moderator

Dear Members and Friends of Arlington Community Church UCC,

It has been with sorrow for us, and joy for him that I received the resignation call from our Rev. Nate Klug at the beginning of this week. In line with the ACC Bylaws, his notice of resignation has been accepted. He began with us with a Designated Term Ministry of two years and has graciously served us beyond that. 

Each of us has met the news of his upcoming departure with sadness for our church and for ourselves.  Yet we also understand that it is a good decision for Nate and his family to be closer to grandparents, and we rejoice with them.  We will take faith in the Holy Spirt that moves among us, as we move with Nate through the weeks ahead, reflecting on the blessings received through his two years plus ministry among us. We are also strengthened by what we have accomplished as a church community. During the first months of Nate’s ministry, our congregation added 10 new members, we took inspiration from his storytelling that always bound scripture with the reality of our current lives. We have weathered a major pandemic and we’re coming out whole and thriving. Beyond that, we have continued our vital service to those in need, participated in small group intimate conversations, bible studies, poetry readings, supported and checked in with one another through grief and sorrow, built a virtual holiday bazaar, and began again to move ahead with capital projects. All along the way we have been blessed by Nate’s reflections during worship, his insights, prayers and support.    

These next few weeks, we’ll be developing plans to celebrate Nate’s ministry, and to begin the search for, first an Interim Minister and then a Settled Minister.  We will also all have opportunities to give your thoughts and ideas into the process. We’ll keep you posted along the way. Next week, Council will be discussing some of the details. Please let me know if you feel called to step in to assist with tasks: celebration and/or search.  Thank you.

I have contacted Davena Jones, Associate Conference Minister with the Northern California Nevada Conference of the UCC, who will be supporting and assisting with our transition. She will guide the Interim Minister Search Committee (approved by Council) to select a trained interim minister who will provide continuity in worship, pastoral care, and program/staff oversight. This minister will not be a candidate for the “settled” position as our senior minister but will help facilitate our transitional work in preparation for the settled minister search.   In the meantime, there will be planning for Nate’s exit interview lead by his Pastoral Support Committee: Ruth Robinson, Anita Baker, and Tom Dean.  And finally, during his last Sunday with us, Worship will include the Liturgy of Farewell with a formal Release of Ministry. We will keep you informed as we move toward our future.

For now, let us express our gratitude for Nate’s ministry here and enter a time of celebration and prayer with him.   Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have. 

Linda Young, ACC Moderator 

Webinar from UCC Creation Justice Ministries

Webinar from UCC Creation Justice Ministries

Wednesday, May 12th at 10 AM PT, 1pm ET. 

“The good paying jobs are the ones that require us to destroy our world around, to destroy our own backyard,” came a plea from a woman in rural Minnesota. She was calling in to a recent UCC  hosted summit on Climate Leadership. 

UCC’s Creation Justice chair Brooks Berndt writes that the woman expressed her deep desire that her friends and family who were working in mines, and loggers have other options for jobs. 

One of the featured speakers at the next UCC Creation Justice Webinar will be Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, founder of Green the Church, which works at the intersection of Black churches and environmental justice. 

Sign-up today for this webinar on Wednesday, May 12th at 1 pm ET. We will also send out a link to the recording to all who register.

Brooks goes on to say: The comments from the Minnesota caller crystalize some of the critical moral issues at the heart of one of the most significant matters of public policy before our country today. With Biden’s announcement of the American Jobs Plan, we are at a vital moment of policy formation for our nation. To speak to this moment, the next Creation Justice Webinar will focus on job creation and climate action. It will feature:

• Natalie Mebane, a policy specialist for 350.org who has helped lead the organization’s response to Biden’s plan

• Bracken Hendricks, a climate advisor to former president Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation, as well as the presidential campaign of Jay Inslee

• Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, founder of Green the Church, which works at the intersection of Black churches and environmental justice

Sign-up today for this webinar on Wednesday, May 12th at 1 pm ET. We will also send out a link to the recording to all who register.

Re-Opening for In-Person Worship at ACC

 Re-Opening for In-Person Worship at ACC

We’ve missed you! We are gradually resuming in-person Sunday worship at ACC. Pre-registration, proof of vaccination (for adults), and masks will be required. Click here to view a list of our Protocols.

Our first in-person worship will take place in in the sanctuary on Pentecost Sunday, May 23, at 10 am. We’ll celebrate the birthday of the Church, and the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit, by returning to the ACC sanctuary for the first time in over 14 months together. Special music will come from the ACC Ensemble, and Nate will preach a message about the meaning of community.

Pre-registration, proof of vaccination (for adults), and masks are required for those attending. We are accepting RSVPs until May 14.

To register, please send an email to revnateklug@gmail.com with subject line “May 23 Worship,” and include a photo of your vaccination card (unless we already have it on file). 

If you aren’t able to join us in-person, we will be livestreaming this worship on Our YouTube page.

Have more questions? Please reach out to Nate or Linda Young. We want this to be an experience that is safe, comfortable, and enjoyable, and encourages as many of us as possible to consider attending. We’re planning to hold two in-person livestreamed worships in June, and build up from there.

Email Scams, Spoof Phone Calls, and Maintaining Congregational Trust

Dear friends,

As you might have heard, while I was on vacation last week, someone phoned several members of our community, using spoofing technology that disguised their phone number as the church’s, claiming to be me. In addition, email scams continue to circulate occasionally, where someone impersonates me (or Moderator Linda Young), using different email addresses than our own.

These occurrences are troubling and confusing – and also relatively common for churches in 2021 (see below). I’m so sorry that being part of a faith community today means being prepared for something like this. Being separated due to Covid-19 makes it even harder; I wish we could all see each other on Sunday and laugh this off at coffee hour.

However, with just a few adjustments in our behavior, we can ensure that these scams and spoof calls don’t take over our lives. Furthermore, we can decrease the likelihood of these events repeating themselves. Here’s an overview of what we know right now, and how we can best respond going forward.

1. Clearly, someone (or multiple people) has access to our church directory who shouldn't have access. This could have happened in a few ways: a) a physical directory got into the wrong hands; b) a congregant’s email was hacked or their computer otherwise compromised, and the directory was accessed that way. None of ACC staff email addresses, phone numbers, nor our newsletter system, have been compromised.

2. We should expect scams (and perhaps phone impersonations) to continue. The most we can do to stop them at this point is to train ourselves to spot them immediately and never engage with the scammer.

We are working on finding a cybersecurity expert who might be able to provide a comprehensive training that’s appropriate for ACC folks. In the meantime, please check out these helpful links for more information about how to protect yourself in the case of either occurrence.

Just as with the Covid-19 virus, everyone’s security is strengthened by all of us becoming more knowledgeable and better-equipped against these threats.

Email Scams

Bottom line: Read emails carefully, verify email addresses, and always confirm requests if you have a suspicion. If it’s a scam email, drag it into the spam folder and don’t reply.

https://www.episcopalri.org/warning-email-and-text-message-scams-targeting-church-members-by-impersonating-clergy/

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2019/07/worshipers-targeted-gift-card-scam

Phone Calls

Bottom line: If it’s not the person you expected, don’t hang on, just hang up.

https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/avoid_spoofing_scams_english.pdf

Strange Calls & Scams

Hi friends,

Beginning Thursday evening some members of ACC received strange calls from a number that appeared as the ACC Office phone number and a man claiming to be Nate.

This person is NOT Rev. Nate Klug. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be Rev. Nate in the next few days, DO NOT engage in conversation. So far this person has not tried to obtain any financial information, and it is unclear what his motives are. Most members reported strange conversations about prayer and sin. However, he does seem to be attempting to collect information about Nate, ACC, and its members.

Since the calls appeared to be coming from ACC's office, local police were called, and the interior and exterior of the grounds were throughly searched. No evidence has been found to support that someone was actually calling from the church office or anywhere else inside the building. Extra patrols in Kensington will continue to monitor the building throughout the evening.

What is most likely is that the person was using a technique called Spoofing. Spoofing technology allows scam artists to trick caller ID into displaying false information (like a call coming from ACC).

We are saddened that this appears to be the latest scam/harassment technique used to try and deceive ACC members and friends.

We ask that members remain vigilant in the coming days and always use scrutiny if someone claims to be someone from the church asking for personal information, money, gift cards, or contact info.

For the next several days please ignore incoming calls coming from "ACC Home." The pastor or office will use their personal cell numbers for the next week if they need to contact you.

Sidewalk Repair Completed!

This last Wednesday the sidewalk was poured and lays curing. It was very exciting to see the skilled work being done. Amazing what people can do when they apply their skills in positive ways. We are very grateful to David Hertzer who arranged for the work, and supervised at every step. Several folks from the community out walking were very appreciative that the church has done this project. Many will benefit from a safe place to walk. We’re also grateful to the Forbes family for their bequest. It covered the cost of the larger portion of the project.

(No turkey prints appeared in the concrete, but I suspect the pair may be nearby at the Youth Hut, nesting. Keep an eye out for baby turkeys in the future.)

On behalf of the Council,

Linda Young, Moderator

March 2021 Council Summary

Council Meeting was rich last week with reports from the boards, as well as updates on projects afoot. ACC folks clearly do not sit around waiting for a pandemic to go away in order to take care of the work of the church.

The Black Homeowners reparations fund had by March 18 raised $8,245 toward the $10,000 goal. The monthly sandwich makers, lead by Joe Pratt, made their usual 200 sandwiches for the Souper Center where lunch bags are still being passed out rather than having “in person” dining at the Center. Dorothy is moving Mission Board forward with 2 meetings already as we make plans for the future. Person of the Planet has established monthly nature walks, and Faith Formation along with Nate and Barry have provided numerous opportunities for us to virtually see each other, discuss the Bible and poetry, and share our stories.

Building and Grounds Trustees are preparing for two big projects: the ground-breaking for the new sidewalk to begin April 1st, and for the removal of three trees which have become unsafe and too large for the property. We approved the sidewalk costs to be funded largely by the Estate Bequests Fund and the remainder from surplus. Shanti and Sara are using bequests from Edie Rodman’s gift to reorganize the choir room. A list of suggested Memorial Gifts has been prepared for Nate in the event he needs to guide families who wish to make gifts to the church.

Nate brought the Council a proposal for streaming our live services, once we are back in the Sanctuary. Council voted to apply to endowment for funds to cover the equipment and training we’ll need to make streaming viable. Since our meeting, the Endowment Board has graciously approved the proposal, so Jacob will start soon acquiring equipment and our wi-fi will be upgraded soon.

As Easter approaches, we are poised to refine plans for carefully re-opening in-person worship (see Re-Opening conversation recording below). Hallelujah!

Bring Many Names: ACC’s Lone Turkey

Bring Many Names

ACC’s Lone Turkey

“Bring Many Names” is the title of a familiar hymn.  Well, the “Lone ACC Turkey” has acquired many names during its sojourn at the Church.  The turkey who has been hanging around the patio, bushes and sidewalk to examine your hub caps is probably familiar to many of you. I’ve been startled more than once when I walked around the car to the sidewalk hearing a soft clucking sound, to find the turkey staring at itself in my hubcap. 

Notice, I’m not using the pronouns she or he for a reason. We don’t really know for sure. For some time, I have called her “Gertrude” affectionately while asking her to move on. That was until Sara Laferte informed me that “she” had a beard so was really a “he”.  The KNS preschoolers have named him Clovis so they think it’s a boy. Sara said she’d seen him display his tail feathers, and someone posting on the Next Door app saw him display at a hubcap, obviously thinking there was a threat approaching through that shiny round doorway. “Watch out buddy! Stay clear of me!” Hens don’t display. Many of us wondered why the “Lone Turkey of Arlington” was alone: Lost? Dismissed from the gang?

In the meantime, people have been assigning it various names, depending upon their theory of the bird’s sex.  Ruth has been calling her “Arlys the Arlington Turkey”. Someone named it “Narcissis”. One woman said she’d named him “Donnie” after the world’s biggest narcissist. And then there have been “Car-Bird” (by a boy on his way to school), Phillip, Steven, and Tom. 

Ruth recently sent me a link to Next Door, titled Love is in the Air, with the following picture.  Hmmm, which one is OUR turkey?  Have we not all been seeing the same one?  Have a careful look. A tom looks much like a hen when he is not displaying.  So, which of these two turkeys is the LONE Arlington Turkey?

By the way, one woman on Next Door shared that she had been walking some time ago near the Youth Hut and heard two turkeys talking to each other from the trees. Maybe we’ve been seeing two different turkeys separately.  Nate suggests that maybe they’ll go on a honeymoon while we replace the sidewalk, so they won’t walk in the newly poured cement.

Bring many names, beautiful and good

Hail and Hosanna,

Turkey Trouble

Turkey Trouble

Recently, I was given the task of seeing that the turkey didn’t walk in the freshly poured cement for the new sidewalk in front of the church.  After all, you may have heard that turkeys are notoriously challenged intellectually, not having the sense to come in out of the rain, and the like. (Many people were relieved when Ben Franklin’s suggestion that the turkey become our national bird, was declined.) To protect the cement, it was suggested that I assign sentry duty to the sidewalk until the cement cured. A complete cure could take up to two days! Out of respect for the members of the congregation and their comfort, I haven’t been calling for volunteers…yet, anyway.

Instead, I sought other avenues for protecting the wet cement. Option #1: Relocation. Perhaps there was a way to introduce the turkey to the gang at the cemetery or the gang at Mira Vista Golf Course. That would be safe, humane, and also a relief to people who have been afraid to get out of their cars.  Lindsey Wildlife rescue referred me to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The answer, “No, we don’t relocate. We want Nature to take its course. Relocating can spread disease and create all kinds of other problems for the animals. You’ll need to hire a trapper. And a trapper will have to euthanize it.”  

I was startled. He went on, “You know the turkeys are in ‘strut’, their mating season. If it’s a male, he’s likely to get aggressive, or maybe he’ll just leave to look for a mate. “

Going through the list of local trappers, I found some who only dealt with gophers and moles, others, racoons and other animals, but not turkeys. Finally, I reached a fellow out in Danville.  “Good thing you got me, I’m the only one around who deals with turkeys. I’ve got all the gear, tent nets, and all. How many turkeys you got?” 

“One,” I replied.

“Oh, heck that’s a different matter. I can do that easy. Hunting season opens on the 27th and I’ll take care of getting the permit from the police department. I’ll just use an air gun. I can do it for $250 if it’s there when I arrive.” 

“Hmm, I’ll have to think about that. There are children on the property, you should know.”

“Not to worry, I’ll come on a Saturday, early, when no one’s around.”

My head spun with visions of a big guy climbing out of his truck on a Saturday morning in Kensington with an air gun. “I’ll get back to you right away if we decide to do it,” I chirped, and hung up.

Quickly, I shifted to Option #2, blocking off the sidewalk area combined with a person or two who will keep an eye out - maybe the first few hours.  Hope the guy with the gun isn’t too disappointed I didn’t call back.  

Linda Young

Council Summary for February 18, 2021

Council Summary for February 18, 2021

By Linda Young, Moderator

Council meeting was held on Thursday the 18th. In addition to reporting his work for the month, Nate reported the launching of the Reparations Link on our Website. Thanks to the work of Barry Cammer and Susan Russell, we’ve joined with at least six other churches to raise money to make it possible for a few Black Families to make down payments on a home.

Our ACC income is as expected and budgeted so far, as we begin contingency planning for an uncertain future. Because a good deal of the funds for sidewalk repair are a bequest, and because of safety concerns, we’ve decided to move forward with the sidewalk repairs project so it can be completed if and when we re-open the church. The last few policies and procedures that are attached to our bylaws were reviewed. We’re grateful for the ability to use Zoom so that we can continue to conduct the business of the church.

I’m looking for a couple of people help me put together a Memorial’s Wish List. Occasionally people want to make a memorial donation to the church and want to know exactly how it will be spent. Providing them a “wish list” could be helpful. Please let me know if you’d like to help.