zoo December 27, 2008
Posted by relsdork in christian, church, nature.Tags: affinity groups, ccsm, christian, san francisco, san francisco zoo, ucc
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It was a lot of fun. Steve, one of our ministers, thought the zoo idea was kind of hokey, I think. Hello, the zoo was awesome, though. Apparently some retarded people gave the SF zoo bad reviews online. The SF zoo isn’t the most amazing zoo ever, but it’s still pretty awesome.
And Cody, who is a Jew:
Tigers are awesome because they are fierce. I don’t mean fierce like Sasha Fierce, because let’s be real– that’s not fierce at all. This tiger hella wanted to eat us. That is fucking fierce. There is nothing fierce about singing pop music in spandex.
This is a speckled bear. Speckled bears are some of the cutest darn animals EVER. I am going to get one as a pet. Flo says as long as I keep it in my room, it’s go. Haha.
This is a polar bear. It was next to other polar bears that are that shade of white one expects when thinking “polar bear.” Jenn told Steve that polar bears get progressively darker as they age, which he actually bought. Silly Steven.
The SF zoo also houses 2 grizzly bears. For those of you foreigners (and by foreigners I mean people out-of-state who might not know about California and Californians who don’t know about California), California’s state flag has a grizzly on it. Unfortunately, the population of grizzly bears in California has been completely wiped out. The SF zoo recently obtained these beautiful animals. They are the only 2 living in our state.
This is a gorilla. He made of of the pimpest poses I have ever seen. They looked all savage sitting there, staring at us as. “Whatever, I could take a gorilla,” I said, jokingly. To my surprise, a couple of my friends agreed. Do I really seem that vicious? No.
The giraffes are also cool. It’s funny to see them bend down to drink water. It seems like such a project.
My friends take some pretty cool pictures. Florence and Cody look like they are too cool for school. It’s like they planned it or something (they didn’t).
Florence and I also took this ridiculous picture. “Christmas cards!” she exclaimed afterward. I hope she’s not serious.
We also got to see the otters mating. I don’t have a picture of that.
sermon on giving December 6, 2008
Posted by relsdork in God, christian, church, religion.Tags: ccsm, christian, church, congregationalist, hurricane katrina, lower ninth ward, new orleans, ucc
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The Sunday after I returned from New Orleans, I spoke as part of my minister’s sermon. Should you care to listen to the sermon, you can find it here
another rewording of the lord’s prayer August 29, 2008
Posted by relsdork in God, bible, christian, religion, scripture.Tags: ccsm, prayer, scripture, the lord's prayer, ucc
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Another rewording of the Lord’s Prayer:
Our mother, who art within us,
We celebrate your many names.
Your wisdom come, your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us.
Each day you give us all that we need. You remind us of our limits and we let go.
You support us in our power, and we act with courage.
For thou art the dwelling place within us, the empowerment around us,
And the celebration among us. Now and forever more. Amen.
mini sermon, final draft: “things i know to be true” August 27, 2008
Posted by relsdork in God, bible, christian, church, gay rights, religion, scripture, struggle.Tags: ccsm, church, congregationalist, God, pride, religion, ucc, united church of christ
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http://www.marriedtothesea.com
I know that I love God. While I don’t think I am capable of understanding the mystery of God, I know that God is. In Exodus 3:14, God said to Moses, “I Am that I Am.” There are so many ways of understanding this… but I love it. I love it. God is. God is beyond our descriptions and the limits of language, but I know that there is something beautiful about praising God, something powerful about scripture, something uniting me with the ground that I walk on, the trees which breathe my air, and the people in this world.
Religion, for me, is a continuing exploration. A PASSIONATE exploration. A submerging oneself in the Divine—feeling the Divine, breathing it in, but not necessarily grasping it. God is the joy and pain and connection that we CANNOT communicate, yet burn to be able to. This church lives in that connection. That’s why I love this church; I know that this church is a beacon of hope in the world in its loving appreciation of the mystery of God and its determination to live as fully as it can in connection with God and community.
I study religion in school and, as most of you know, there is a lot of ugliness to study in religion. Our tradition has been brought to us through a history of violence. We look back, shamefully, on a history of crusades and colonization, a history of wars and inequality. The history of religious activity holds prejudice, damaging doctrine, manipulation, lies, hunger for power, forcefulness… Even today, many bodies of religion continue to further violence, inequality, and injustice…
And there are churches like ours.
We are a rare breed and I am grateful every day that I have this church and community, where I don’t need to sign my name on some kind of contract or make of vows of conformity.
When I was talking to Art Domingue about being baptized here, he said, “we’ll ask you to say these 3 things, but if you’re not comfortable with them, we can work on that.” …How many churches would make that offer? For this church, it’s more important to participate and take joy in community than to have some kind of homogenous faith. There are so many churches out there that say they are welcoming, yet when one digs a little deeper, one finds that they are welcoming on the condition that you change certain things. When Penny says “whoever you are, wherever you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here,” she MEANS IT. This church is supportive of people’s differences; it doesn’t smother them.
A few weekends ago, a group of members went to the Pride Parade. I’d never been to Pride before… but I won’t miss it again. There was such an energy, especially with the recent turn toward marriage equality. It was hopeful. Walking in the parade, I thought, How is this joy, this love, this support and community not Christianity? What God of love would call that glowing happiness that was inside me and other people that day “sin”?
Our church has realized what God’s love truly means… when we say it’s unconditional, we mean it. We have found how powerful it is when we can extend our love as freely as God does. We went to Pride because we understand that love is something to be celebrated and welcomed.
One of the most beautiful moments I experienced was seeing a gay family member in the crowd, screaming at me and waving his arms. He was supporting me as I was supporting him… and that’s what this church is—a web of people supporting each other in affinity groups, social gatherings, prayer, parades, classes and all of the other ways that we join together. We find joy in our similarities and celebrate our diversity. I love this church.
I’d like to close with something I reflected on after Rev. Bill McKinney spoke at our congregation. During the education hour before church, Carol Henton asked how we could describe our church to people. This is what I came up with:
“My church is progressive. We are non-dogmatic and diverse, valuing our Christian heritage, seeking to be open-minded, accepting, and self-critical, as well as critical of society at large in terms of social justice issues. On Sundays, we worship with a choir and an organ, and the rest of the week, we meet with each other in varying forms of community and place a strong emphasis on advocacy for human integrity. My church is educated and values education. My church is vibrant, hopeful, and diverse. To best understand my church, you have to look at what we do. This is how we best understand ourselves—by the ways that we speak and act in the world.”
This, I know to be true.
The audio version of this mini-sermon can be found here.
more August 25, 2008
Posted by relsdork in God, bible, christian, church, religion, scripture.Tags: ccsm, communion, congregationalist, garden of eden, genesis, God, ucc, united church of christ, yvette flunder
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“There are two trees in the garden… and too much of religion is stuck at the wrong tree. Does it bring Life? Eat from that tree.”
–Rev. Yvette Flunder
audio file August 24, 2008
Posted by relsdork in God, bible, christian, church, gay rights, religion.Tags: ccsm, congregationalist, gay rights, pride parade, sermon, ucc, united church of christ
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This is the collection of mini-sermons given by 3 members of our 20/30s group at my church. Mine is the first sermon.
Now that it’s available and I can finally hear how I sounded on that day, I’m rather disappointed. My vocal dynamics are certainly lacking and I can hear the trembling in my voice. I also wish I’d spoken a tad slower– it might have sounded less like I was reading the newspaper that way.
Quite disappointing, actually. But perhaps if I were delivering a piece I was actually more happy with, I would be more confident in delivering it. Perhaps?
I have a sermon on compassion and a sermon on John 9 that I’d like to give… hopefully at some point, I will have the opportunity.
the body August 22, 2008
Posted by relsdork in bible, christian, church, nature, religion, struggle.Tags: body, ccsm, christianity, church, penny nixon, religion, sermons, ucc
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A while ago, Penny preached on the body. It hit me.
I know a lot of people who’ve had trouble feeling at home in their flesh because of religion’s tendency to portray the body as profane at best, dirty at worst.
Jesus lets a woman rub oil on his body. They eat in the home of a leper. There is no shame in the body in these Jesus stories.
The sacred and profane dichotomy has been adopted and utilized by institutions to do far more than keep a populace from having premarital sex. The dichotomy is applied to gender, race, the environment, national identities, etc.. If we define something as sacred by virtue of certain (I would argue, arbitrary) physical characteristics, we Other things. If sacred Life forms are those which have a heartbeat, trees are therefore often seen as devoid of spiritual value and available for use to the benefit of the “sacred.” We rape the Earth in this way. We eat poorly because we don’t see our bodies as sacred.
Penny’s sermon hit on this idea. Christianity has a history of denying the body. We make things about the spiritual and neglect the physical. We focus on work and forget sleep. We need to be able to love our physical selves. Penny joked that she was surprised most churches don’t require you to check your body at the door.
She reminds us how our bodies tell us when things are wrong… but we don’t always listen. Our bodies have higher cancer rates, asthma rates, obesity rates… all of these results of the way we treat the body of the Earth, the bodies of animals, our own bodies. Why don’t we listen? Why don’t we stop drinking milk that’s full of steroids, hormones, puss?
Instead, we continually try to alter the changes out of our bodies. We get plastic surgery; we build a dam. 55% of U.S. women color their hair (according to Proctor & Gamble). Cosmetic surgery is becoming surprisingly (or unsurprisingly?) common. I am one of the few women I know who is willing to go to work and/or school without doing my hair or makeup.
If we believe in a creator, does that not make Natural systems morally paramount? Shouldn’t we have respect for the way this Earth was “meant” to operate? Why do we feel the need to give ourselves new breasts? A new nose? What is wrong with the noses God saw fit to give us… the nose that is a creation of my lineage? Shouldn’t recycling be a primary concern? How is it that we can look past issues of genetically engineered food? How can we look past the way that animals are treated in the food industry?
We all have this idea in our minds of what it means to be beautiful. We all give into these media pressures. I may not color my hair, but I wear makeup. I may not get plastic surgery, but I’ll starve myself. I may not eat meat, but I’ve not made the organic switch. I may not have a hummer, but I drive.
And so Penny asked… am I willing to be married to my body, to Love it as it is? No. It wasn’t a step I could take. I want to be 95 pounds. And I want to be 95 pounds more than I want a lot of things. As much as I want to say that I can be happy with myself and focus on things that matter more than the size of my thighs, it is something that occupies my headspace constantly. I’ve made progress, but I still live in my eating disorder.
I want to drive. I want to cover the blemishes on my face. I want these things that matter far less.
I think to myself… what issues do I need to start living in? What issues do I need to force myself to live? If I really believe what I think I do about the environment, I need to transform the way I do things. If I really believe what I do about the dairy industry, soymilk switch isn’t enough… I need to stay away from the rest of it, too.
It’s just so easy not to. Convenience is hard to overcome. But all bodies matter.
PIA August 19, 2008
Posted by relsdork in christian, church, religion.Tags: ccsm, christian, church, congregationalism, ihn, interfaith, interfaith housing network, peninsula interfaith action, pia, ucc, united church of christ
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Yesterday morning, I met with a woman from PIA (Peninsula Interfaith Action) to talk about my church, social justice, and the elements of my religious and community experience that are important to me. We talked about school, seminary, my church, and the efforts my community intends to engage in soon.
A woman from my church gave her my number because I always volunteer for IHN (Interfaith Housing Network)… in fact, my church is hosting the shelter this week and I’ll be working it both Friday and Saturday nights.
Apparently, PIA is planning a retreat in September or October that would allow members of the participating congregations to come together and discuss what aspects of policy and justice we want to be involved in and then how we can incorporate the needs and desires of our fellow congregants in the process… it’ll probably involve many coffee meetings with people to understand what they want to see in their church and community, but of course I love doing church and justice related things, so I am totally open to having such coffee dates with people
Yvette Flunder August 17, 2008
Posted by relsdork in God, christian, church, religion.Tags: ccsm, christianity, city of refuge, God, religion, ucc, united church of christ, yvette flunder
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“God isn’t stuck having to bless one communion and not the other.”
–Rev. Yvette Flunder
i am a leader! August 16, 2008
Posted by relsdork in christian, church, religion.Tags: ccsm, church, leadership, ucc
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So a week or so ago, one of the ministers at my congregation sent out an email about a leadership opportunity opening up in our church: co-leader of our middle school youth group.
I responded to his little announcement and said I would be interested in that position.
A few days later, he emailed me again and said that there were several people interested in the position and asked me if and when I’d be interested in coming in to interview for it.
On Thursday evening, I went in and interviewed with the children’s minister, minister of programming and outreach, and other middle school leader.
I got an email today that said I got the position! I am so excited! There’s a stipend attached to the position, so it means I can afford to stop working Sundays at my retail job… and it also it a great opportunity for experience for me.
I am SO STOKED!
congregationalists August 12, 2008
Posted by relsdork in christian, church, gay rights, religion.Tags: ccsm, congregationalist, pilgrims, puritans, ucc, united church of christ
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While many Christian denominations can be marked today by their tendencies to condemn, the United Church of Christ has adopted a much more inclusive stance. Congregationalist Christians’ beginnings as ‘puritans’ can help illustrate how much change has taken place within the religious institution. Today, Congregationalists are among the most ‘inclusive’ of religious bodies, welcoming minority groups that other religious groups still seem reluctant to welcome, but also going beyond welcoming them to fight against (what many Americans would call) the injustices committed against them. The United Church of Christ is one of few U.S. denominations today that ordains both women and gays, and that openly condemns the war in Iraq, the Patriot Act, as well as policies on prescription drugs, health care, and global trade. While Congregationalism is truly an American religion and takes great pride in its pilgrim roots, it also loudly speaks out against American government in many ways.
leadership retreat August 4, 2008
Posted by relsdork in christian, church, religion.Tags: ccsm, christian, church, leadership, san mateo, ucc
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Today was one of the most awesome days I have had in a long time.
Church was fun today. The month of July has held a lot of different Sundays and beautifully reflected the diversity of my congregation. This Sunday was a “boomer” worship, the Sunday prior was presented by the seniors, 20’s/30’s before that, senior high youth before that (reflecting on their mission trip), etc….
TODAY, though, we had a leadership retreat. All of us on ministry teams were invited to participate (I am on the Care, Fellowship and Evangelism team). I couldn’t stay for the whole thing, because I had to work. I had asked for the day off or to come in at 5 just to close, and was told no. At quarter to 1, though, I called and begged to stay a bit longer. I LOVE PENNY NIXON!!!!
Penny talked about her vision for our church and we broke up into our ministries to discuss how we could make it happen and how each of our teams would be involved, as well as what ideas we had. Penny’s vision is big, yet I know we can do it. We have a compassionate and innovative congregation. Our wealths– intellectual, spiritual, skill sets, material– are abundant. We have much to share with the community at large, much to share with each other, and much we can gain by the work we are planning to do.
Here is some (just some) of what was discussed:
*An alternative worship service for 20s/30s. We know that we have a relevant church– vibrant and social justice-oriented. What we need is for young people to know that. How is it that conservative churches can pack our age group, when for the most part, they are so out of touch with the needs of young people? (I have an answer to that, but it’s an ugly one.) Our 20s/30s membership has spiked, but is not what it can be. I love this idea of an alternative service (and really, how happy would I be if I could go to church twice?). We have a group of 20s/30s that can be luminous without alienating the mainstream of our age bracket and that can speak to what matters to those of us in our 20s/30s… spirituality, fun, social networking, friendship, social justice, and community.
*Local social justice trips. We don’t have to get on an airplane or leave the country to help those in need– there are many in our own communities that lack the basic necessities of life and struggle to get through their days. Poverty isn’t exclusive to third world countries. It’s on the streets of our own towns.
*ESL classes and Spanish classes offered to the community. There are too many people in this area stuggling to communicate because they don’t know the language of this area. We are blessed to be living in such an ethnically diverse area. How much more blessed could we be if everyone could effectively communicate and share with each other? Beyond this, how beneficial would it be for members of our own community to learn Spanish? I took it in high school and it’s pretty much gone.
*A bi-lingual Taize service offered weekly. I missed out on the Lenten Taize services because of work… but what an amazing idea. To come together with those of other backgrounds and meditate on what matters… to worship together in commnunity and recognize that each of us is part of a greater movement.
*A Thanksgiving dinner for those in the community who cannot afford to have one this year. With all that is available by other organizations, this might not be something we should do on Thanksgiving, but holding regular, healthy, elegant meals for those that cannot typically afford them would be a great way to reach out and share with the community. Too many people have to eat McDonald’s every night– how amazing would it be to share a home-cooked meal with our community?
*A food pantry for those in need. With the turns our economy is taking, there are more people struggling to make ends meet. We can offer help to those who could use a can of vegetables to provide a healthful meal for their family. It takes so little to do so much good.
*A Credit Union that can offer micro-lending… to those intending to start small businesses and for those in tough times.
*A mission trip to New Orleans for more than just the youth. I am SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS. When Steve announced this today, I was stoked. Not having been in church during my youth, I’ve not been able to do mission work like this. There will probably be a group going in November and I really want to make this happen in my life.
*A mission trip to Africa. Penny has worked a lot in Africa and this would also be amazing because of her connections with Mother of Peace. This would be an awesome opportunity to do work in an area of the world that desperately needs compassionate service.
*A Peace Academy for youth. Classes for 3rd-5th graders that offers non-violence, tolerance, and conflict resolution training. YESSSS.
*Resident theologians from other faith traditions. Part of the problem with international relations is our profoundly lacking understanding of other faith traditions. We should welcome the wisdom of other traditions and seek to understand them, so as to better understand their adherents.
*Collaborative efforts with other churches, other faith communities, and other social justice organizations. As any church can tell you, there is power in numbers. If we can reach out to other churches to follow the Lure in this world, we can accomplish so much more.
*Video projects to document our congregation’s work. In documenting our work, we can get others jazzed about it and share with the community the work our church does, as well as remember it for ourselves.
*Expansion of our website and what it offers. This is outreach and community simultaneously. Technology doesn’t have to be the antithesis of religion.
*Studies of our heritage and video interviews with some of the long-time members of our congregation. We are blessed to have an historic congregation with a body that reflects people on all walks of life. We can connect those dots and remember where we come from and who we are.
AND I CAN’T EVEN REMEMBER EVERYTHING ELSE.
Basically, we are going to push to make our church into a community center that gives and offers. This will not only accomplish amazing amounts of social justice work, but will expand our church. 400 people overflowing? Psh, let’s find a need for a second hour of worship!!!!
I have an amazing church. This is not a lip service church. This is not a group of people that likes to get together to feel better about themselves (or at least not entirely). My church is people that care about each other, about this world, and about making this world better. We aren’t waiting for God… we are rolling up our sleeves and working God’s will.
