Thoughts from Our Bridge Pastor: October 8, 2021

Thoughts from Our Bridge Pastor

Rev. Barbara K. Peronteau

Thoughts from the Pastor…

At the moment, my thoughts are filled with the upcoming schedule of events for October and November in the worship life of Arlington Community Church. The easy breezy months of Summer have come and gone. As the Season of Pentecost begins to wind down, it does so with a flurry of activity.  

 This week, Sunday, October 10, we are getting creative with The Rich Man from the Gospel of Mark and Fiddler on the Roof. Our own Tim Murphy and Joe Pratt will be preforming “If I Were a Rich Man.” I’m sure Joe makes a great Tevye! My message will combine the thoughts of Tevye, the Disciples, and Jesus.

 Next week, October 17, is my Sunday off from preaching. I will be leading the service as Lauren Hotchkiss will be bringing us the message through the music of Taize. It is also Jubilee USA Network Sunday. I have woven the two themes of Taize and Jubilee together.

 October 24, the ACC Ensemble will be with us, as we also celebrate Stewardship Sunday and the many ways we can live generously.

 Reformation Sunday is October 31. On October 30, 1517, the faith of Western Europe was Roman Catholic. On October 31, after Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany all that changed. We are part of that change as we listen and respond to our “Still Speaking God.” My sermon that day will be about what it took for Martin Luther to say “Here I stand” and the utter conviction of faith the Hungarian Reformed pastors had in the face of imprisonment and life as galley slaves.

 November 1, a Monday, is All Saints Day. That means we celebrate All Saints Day on Sunday, November 7 when we remember our dead and those who came before us. The opening Hymn that day will be For All the Saints. I hope I can get through it with out crying. Some may know this day as “felize dia de Todos los Santos” or “dia de los Muertos.” It is also Communion Sunday. A very good day to celebrate both.

 You will definitely not want to miss November 14 as it is a very important day in the life of Arlington Community Church. I will not be here as this is the day the Pastoral Candidate will lead worship and deliver the Call Sermon. After the service you will be invited to vote whether you want that person as your settled pastor going forward. Our musical guest, Kathryn Hobbs, will be playing “Meditation” by Massenet for our Special Music, and will also join with the Choir as they sing “The Lord’s Prayer” for the Offertory.

 Thanksgiving Sunday, Reign of Christ, and the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) all fall on the same day, Sunday, November 21. It will be the first of three Sundays where we will begin taking the collection for the North Richmond Christmas Fund.  You will also be given the chance to give to Neighbors in Need (NIN). A busy Sunday indeed. You will certainly want to be here to see how I will weave all these themes together.  The hymns of gathering and thanksgiving will be included in the tapestry of worship.

 Drum roll please! After we gather for Thanksgiving with friends and loved ones, the new year in the Christian calendar begins Sunday, November 28 with the First Sunday of Advent as we head toward Bethlehem for the Birth of the Christ Child among our midst. 

 If I’ve missed anything watch this space.

 Peace, Joy, and Wonder on our Christian Journey,

 ~ Pastor Barbara

Thoughts from Our Bridge Pastor: October 1, 2021

Thoughts from Our Bridge Pastor

Rev. Barbara K. Peronteau

Thoughts from the Pastor…

So, I’m on Geary St. on my way home from the Inner Richmond District in San Francisco. Had I known the traffic troubles ahead, I would have turned west on Geary, right on Park Presidio, and head over the Golden Gate Bridge, which is always a big thrill for me. Maybe I should have asked Siri. But nope, not this time. I’m travelling toward the thick of the city.

As I approach Japantown, I hit every single red light. I steer the Mustang into the left lane and – red light! When the light turns green, I goose the engine to get ahead of the traffic and – red light! Again. And then again all over again. Frustrating. Breathe.

Just before the right turn on Gough at Cathedral Hill someone in a brown SUV pulls out in front of me only to turn right a block later. Heading down the hill, a white Toyota pickup wedges its way in front of me, as if I don’t exist. I’m thinking about the Golden Gate Bridge again.

As I’m turning left on Golden Gate Ave, I realize I am in a relationship with all these people. Sometimes that happens when I’m on a major road trip to somewhere else. I pick up a travel buddy. I remember heading to Coudersport, Pennsylvania to preach at my friend’s Presbyterian Church. On Route 15, just south of Williamsport, I pulled up next to a red Camaro from the mid ‘80s. We stayed with each other making our way through Williamsport. As 15 widens into a four-lane highway snaking northward we opened up our throttles racing our way through the Alleghany Mountains. When I got tired of going over 95 MPH the Camaro blew by me. Though I ended the relationship somewhere south of Rt 6, I will always cherish our time together. 

Anyway, back in San Francisco, I’m approaching Market Street on Hyde. The left lane is closed. Of course it is! It’s my turn to wedge in front of someone else now. Hey, we’re all in the same relationship here!

Crossing Market, I look west. Dad used to work in the Western Furniture Exchange and Merchandise Mart about two blocks up. My mind always floods with memories. Talk about relationship! As I approach the entrance to get on the Bay Bridge, I wonder why the Ninth St. exit dumps you off on Eighth St. At the Mercedes Benz place, the traffic clogs up again. My new mantra is that I am in relationship with all these folks. Whether they know it or not, I know it.

In the United Church of Christ, we call this being in Covenant. We are in Covenant with God, each other, and people we don’t even know yet. We are in co-partnership with God as we work together to be the church. Just as Jesus took Jairus’ daughter and the boy with seizures by the hand and raised them up to new life, so too does Jesus take us by the hand, bringing us safely home from our journeys of the day to eat and rest. As the dawn breaks, we arise to the gift of a new day. We are the Church, and we have places to go and things to do, no matter how congested the traffic gets.

 Peace and Happy Motoring,

 ~ Pr. Barbara

Council Summary for September, 2021

Council Summary for September, 2021

 The ACC Council has already met twice this month with possibly one more meeting to go. Our finances have stabilized considerably since the months of the pandemic when we were not renting space in the building and the schools were closed or working with seriously diminished enrollment.  We are pleased that the schools are now paying full rent and we pray that enrollment continues to grow.  Jacob is now renting out space in the building with careful consideration of our Covid-19 protection protocols.

 At our regular meeting last Thursday Sept 18, we spent the bulk of the time focused on the proposal for Settled Minister.  First, we discussed again the benefits of having a fulltime minister – along with looking at our finances for salary and benefits.  We voted to affirm our interest in hiring a fulltime minister, then shifted to hearing from the Search Committee’s reports on the qualifications of the Candidate they recommend.  In our large Zoom meeting, we heard from each of the six members of the committee regarding interviews with individuals who wrote recommendations, interviews with the candidate, and we had a discussion with questions and answers. With positive excitement and prayerful consideration, the Council Approved passing the candidate on to the Congregation for Approval. The Council unanimously recommends this candidate as an excellent choice for ACC, fitting our needs and our hopes for the future. 

 Tuesday this week we had a follow up meeting to finish some of the housekeeping business from our Thursday agenda and move forward to plan the details of a compensation package for a full time minister.  The work continues working closely with the candidate to establish that needs are being met.  Once we have established our agreement on the Letter of Call (Including compensation), we will begin to share with you information about the candidate.  In the meantime, PLEASE SAVE THE DATE:  Sunday, November 14th when the Candidate will lead worship.  That worship service will be followed directly by a Congregational Meeting to Vote whether to approve this candidate for full time Settled Ministry at ACC.

Thoughts from Our Bridge Pastor: September 24, 2021

Thoughts from Our Bridge Pastor

Rev. Barbara K. Peronteau

Thoughts from the Pastor…

My thoughts about the question for “Theology on Tap” (Friday, October 1 at 4 PM on Zoom) germinated from Julie Stokstad’s sermon on September 12th.  Julie spoke about Wisdom as a feminine aspect of God. This got me thinking. We talk about the Triune God; Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit has been understood as the feminine Sophia. Proverbs tells us that Wisdom was at the beginning of creation and was that very breath God sent forth to create creation out of the existing chaos.

Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge is all part of Wisdom, a feminine aspect of who we understand as God. This got me thinking. What if the question for “Theology on Tap” would be “How might expansive language for God change our faith and lives?”

One of the experiences I had with my sojourn with the Lutherans, is their liturgical prayers ended with, “…In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.” Okay, fine. But every time? Isn’t Jesus so much more than “Savior and Lord?” What does this do to us when our image of God is limited? I would usually change the language to something more relevant and, well, expansive, for example, “The Holy One who calms the storms of our lives,” or “The One who makes all things new.”

I remember reading something explaining how God can also be referred to as a rock, and a mother hen (both being Biblical images.) The question was, as I remember, “Isn’t it great to know that God can be thought of as a rock or a mother hen?” Well, no. What is comforting is that amid anxiety fueled fear and uncertainty God is there; God is my hand hold, my toe hold, my foundation, my cornerstone.  God is also the One who gathers and comforts us in our aloneness, our disconnectedness, and when we feel ‘out there.’

I use my Lutheran experience as an example. How many names do we personally use for God? I might have maybe five go-to-names. Creating a liturgy every week helps me imagine a more expansive list of names of God. Some of us might understand God as Father and Lord. Okay, fine, but isn’t God more than that? God of Creation, Ground of my being, and Liberator.

There is something called “Holy Envy.” Holy envy is when we observe a ritual or gesture another faith tradition does that is not in our own tradition, but that we might appreciate. Muslims, for example, have a set of beads, much like a Rosary, called a “subhah.” The subhah comes in strings of 25, 33, or 100 beads. Once a day a faithful Muslim counts out and says the 100 names Muslims have for God. I like the discipline. I like the expansive list of names. By the way, the name Christians in the Middle East use for God is Allah, because that’s the Arabic name for the English word for God.

My question for “Theology on Tap” then, is “How might expansive language for God change our faith and lives?”

Peace and Wonder,

 ~ Pastor Barbara

Black Wealth Builders Update: September, 2021

Black Wealth Builders Update

 The Black Wealth Builders Fund, formerly known as the Black Homeownership Reparations Fund, is continuing to flourish at the Richmond Community Foundation.

 The fund stands at over $169,000 today. The California Association of Realtors has pledged another $50,000, which will bring us well over $200,000. We are so grateful to all at ACC and in the broader community who contributed to our fund.

 We are busy now getting the money into the community. We have made strong connections with Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services, Community Housing Development Corporation, and Guild Mortgage. Since our loans will be “layered” with a larger package, it is taking some time (and a lot of paperwork) to get our money to Black homebuyers. But we are hopeful we will make our first loans before the end of the year.

 We are gladly still accepting donations to this important cause. You can donate directly by sending a check to the Richmond Community Foundation, 3260 Blume Dr., Suite 110, Richmond, CA 94806. Indicate Black Wealth Builders Fund in the memo line. Or you can donate online: https://www.giveffect.com/campaigns/17536-black-wealth-builder-s-fund

 More information on the fund and its importance can be found on ACC’s website

 --Susan Russell

Faith Formation Team is Looking for New Members!

Faith Formation Team is Looking for New Members!

 The Faith Formation Team is looking for two or three more team members. Please consider joining us!

 What do we do? We brainstorm events to offer to the church and then make them happen - events to inspire us, to expand our spiritual lives, to educate us, and to learn from each other. One of the joys of being on this team is working closely with the Pastor.

 For instance, events from past and present:

•      Theatre parties to Berkeley Rep (to see “The Bible“ and “Becky, Nurse of Salem”) with food/drink/good talk afterwards at a local restaurant.

•      Wise Hearts, a support group that meets to share the joys and challenges of aging and retirement.

•      The biopic of writer Toni Morrison shown at a Sunday luncheon open to the public, and a reading/study of one of her stories, for Black History Month.

•      Lenten Devotionals written by ACC Members.

•      Bible study, currently Lectio Divina.

•      Poetry readings by ACC members and others (currently Poetry Hour).

•      Theology on Tap…aka conversations with the Pastor at the Junket (or via Zoom)

•      Spiritual Journeys series (interviews with ACC Members)

We have ideas for more events (e.g., an Advent retreat, starting another Wise Hearts group, etc.), but we need a few more Faith Formation Team members to make these things happen, and to re-charge the batteries of the current team. 

  If you’re interested, please talk to Pastor Barbara, either Eleanor or Nick Crump, or Helen Winters. You would be welcome to join a meeting to see if this fun team is for you.

Thoughts from Our Bridge Pastor: September 17, 2021

Thoughts from Our Bridge Pastor

Rev. Barbara K. Peronteau

When you are driving on say, San Pablo, Sacramento, MLK, Arlington Ave., or anywhere, do you feel the presence of God? Assuming the traffic is okay, and everyone stays in their lanes, probably not.  Whenever you’re pushing the grocery cart through the Safeway or Lucky’s it’s doubtful the presence of God is on your radar. 

 When we see the Bay from on high, we shout out a big “Wow, O God!” For me, it’s every single time, as if I’m seeing the Bay for the very first time. Or when we stand in the middle of a grove of Redwoods, or make that turn in the road when the Pacific Ocean infinitely spreads out before you, or when a Brown Pelican swoops and scoops up a fish that got too close to the surface. “Wow, O God! Fabulous are you!” And God says, “And also with you!”

 When we get married, when our children are born, when that same child comes home from college, from the armed services, from…being away; somewhere, even if it’s simply a nudge or a tickle in the back of your mind, God seems present. Somehow.

 There are those times when you find yourself in an event that is awesome and powerful and you are part of the event and…surely God is in this place. Praise be to you, O God! Then God says, “And also with you!”

What happens, though, when things go south? When even the best of us has a bad day. Not just a bad day, but a soul shattering, nerve rattling,  life changing day when your world goes upside down. To borrow a phrase from the gymnast Simone Biles, your life gets “the twisties.” Most likely, in that moment we aren’t thinking about God. God is nowhere to be seen through the windshield or even in the rearview mirror. God isn’t on the front burner or the back burner. God isn’t in the back of your mind or the tip of your tongue.  God? What God?

 Then, when it’s quiet, you sit on the side of the bed and turn out the light. It’s just you. But you know you are not alone. It’s not judgement. It’s not a list of things you should’ve done or should do. It’s just you and Presence. Holy and Divine. It’s the Embrace of Love itself that will never leave you alone. Ever.

 Peace and Wonder,

 ~ Pastor Barbara

Thoughts from Our Bridge Pastor: September 10, 2021

Thoughts from Our Bridge Pastor

Rev. Barbara K. Peronteau

Where were you twenty years ago? I hardly remember where I was yesterday, let alone twenty years ago. There are, however, people and events that mark our lives. We remember when we got married and maybe when we got divorced. We remember when our children were born, we remember when we graduated high school and college. We remember our first bicycle, first car and our first rock concert. Our parents remembered where they when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Dad was in West Virginia installing linoleum for The Armstrong Cork and Tile Co. 

I was in the fourth grade at E Street Elementary School in San Rafael when someone entered our classroom from the hallway and whispered in the teacher’s ear. The teacher then turned to us and calmly said that the President had been shot. The big yellow buses were soon taking us home.

In January 1986 I was walking through the student lounge in Richmond Hall at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.  There were several people gathered around the TV watching as the Challenger Space Shuttle was lifting off. I was curious, so I stopped to watch too. Within minutes the unimaginable happened.

Something amazing happens on the east coast every year as the heavy hot humid air of summer gives way to clear and cool Autumn air, as if on cue, as the calendar flips from August to September. Monday, September 11, 2001, was one such day. The sky was clear. The air was cool. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. If you looked straight up, you could see the dark of space. I had met my, then wife, at her school to set up a portable sound system for her classroom so she wouldn’t have to shout above the constant din.

I was running late to work. The car radio was set to WHYY, the public radio station out of Philadelphia. About quarter to 9 the news report said a “plane” crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. I thought a “plane” as in a Cessna or Piper Cub bumped into a building. Not that big a deal. I wondered what happened on the ground though.

As I’m putting the car in park, the radio is telling me a jet liner crashed into the South Tower. I rush into work. We were all trying to get news of what was happening. Our methods were generational. Dad was tuning in the radio, I was futzing with the TV, and our two millennials were on the computer. A jet crashes into the Pentagon. Air space is shut down. Not a jet in the sky for the next three days. The South Tower collapses almost an hour after first being hit. We hear a jet crashed near Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh? What’s going on? When will this stop? What’s next? Later in the day three fighters flew low over head in formation toward New York.  

We were all stunned. 2996 people died that day. I remember talking with a truck driver a few days later. He was stuck in traffic in New Jersey heading into New York City. All he could do was helplessly sit in his truck and watch it all. And cry. Life as we knew it changed forever.

As Christians we might wonder where God might be in all this. Was this from God? Surely not. Not everything that happens is from God. What I do know is that God embraces the vulnerable, the afraid, the angry, the suffering, the wounded, the lost, and the numb. God even embraces the big burley truck driver with tears running down his cheeks. 

Rev. Barbara K. Peronteau, Bridge Pastor

Council Summary for August, 2021

Council Summary for August, 2021

Council met on August 19th via Zoom. (This was a big improvement over “distant” talking around a very large table in the Social Hall, as it is easier to hear each other.)  We’re pleased to report ACC’s finances are stabilizing after our shutdowns during the pandemic. This is largely because our expenses were not as great while we were closed. Rental income, including from schools, has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.  If anyone is interested in seeing budget/finance details please see me or Randy. We’re hoping enrollment in the schools continues to improve so rents can return to normal. Jacob has been busy re-opening facility rentals with some guidance from the Re-opening Committee for Covid-19 safety protocols. We are still not fully using the facility for rentals. To clarify protocols and fees for Jacob and for renters, we’ll be developing a policy on rentals.

We’re starting to revisit Capital improvement projects that we had to put on hold in March of 2020.  We were able to proceed with the sidewalk construction because funds were already reserved.  Now we’re starting to investigate the feasibility of some re-configuration and accessibility concepts for the bathrooms off the Narthex (the infant stage of planning). If we decide to proceed with such a project, there will need to be a great deal of “logistical planning” as well as raising some additional Capital funds.   

Council is grateful to Barbara for the hard work she of planning meaningful and inspiring worship services along with the music staff, and for Jacob’s talents and hard work producing the Parishscope and other communications to the Congregation.  The Search Committee continues with interviews and reviewing candidate profiles for a Settled Minister. Council is keeping in touch with the committee’s general progress and it sounds positive at this point.  Please continue to prayerfully support the work of all those working behind the scenes to keep our Congregation and Ministry vital. 

 Linda Young,  Moderator  

Thoughts from Our Bridge Pastor: September 3, 2021

Thoughts from Our Bridge Pastor

Rev. Barbara K. Peronteau

Next week is unusually full for me. We have an Organ Dedication on Sunday, September 12. Joe Pratt generously donated his old organ to the church. Thank you, Joe! Also, that same day, Rev. Julie Stokstad will be bringing us the word on Wisdom. I’m looking forward to hearing her thoughts on wisdom from her perspective. I’ll be here leading worship.

 I tagged that Sunday to be free from the joy of preaching because of the fullness that week holds for me. As you may, or may not, be aware, The Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) elected The Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer as their Bishop at their Synod Assembly in May. While Bp. Rohrer’s term in office began on July 1st, the installation is scheduled for Saturday, September 11.

 Here’s the thing, Bp. Megan Rohrer is the first transgender Bishop, or head of any judicatory, in any major Christian denomination. (This is as significant as when The Rev. Gene Robinson was elected as the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, back in 2004, as the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican Communion.) Originally, Bp. Rohrer’s installation was to be held at a Lutheran church in Walnut Creek, but because of the amount of people who will be attending, the service was moved to Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. I am told Grace Cathedral is the largest sanctuary in the area to be able to hold this event. The press and “everybody else” will be there. This installation is a big deal.

 The day before Bp. Rohrer’s installation a “Listening Session” is scheduled to be held at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco at 4 pm. Yours truly will be on a panel with about 5 others who are transgender and clergy serving Christ’s Church. At the moment, there are a handful of us. This event is open to the public. Folks can RSVP to attend in-person here. 

 A Listening Session implies there is someone listening. Hopefully the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and anyone else with ears to hear, as Jesus might say, is listening. Except for my three years serving a Lutheran congregation, my experience has largely been in the United Church of Christ. I have found, though, that my experiences “on the ground” are very similar, if not the same, as my Lutheran trans clergy colleagues. 

 Together, we will be sharing our stories of what it is like to be trans and clergy. We will share our struggles and joys, the walls we have encountered, the walls that have already come down, what needs to happen going forward, and how none of us take “no” for an answer. I am aware my ministry is significant as I courageously create space for myself, as well as those who are coming after me.

 Like the Syrophoenician Woman might say, I too, along with everyone else, is “awesomely and wonderfully made” and how there is a place under the Sun for all of us.

 Keep being your awesome selves,

Rev. Barbara K. Peronteau, Bridge Pastor