The Beacon Messenger September 2015 A publication of Bethesda Lutheran Church and East Church Congregational From the Pastor Living out our baptismal covenant My favorite book has always been To Kill a Mockingbird (published in 1960), and the movie (1962) which very closely follows the book is my favorite movie. Other than the Bible, no book has shaped my values more. I was able to see the world through the eyes of African- Americans; racism is abhorrent. I was sickened to see the injustice against an innocent black man, and how quickly his white neighbors accused and convicted him. They do not even bother to look for any other possible suspects. Atticus Finch was my hero agreeing to defend Tom Robinson and treating him and his family with dignity and respect. When he goes to Tom s house a white man spits in his face. He calmly takes out his handkerchief and wipes it off and goes in to meet with Tom s family. His son Jem watches both men, who knows how the encounter will shape him. One of my favorite scenes is when Atticus walks out of the courthouse. His children are upstairs in the balcony sitting with the colored people and the whole assembly stands in respect for Atticus, Calpurnia, their housekeeper, urges the children to stand as well. Atticus later explains to his children why it is important to confront evil even if we do not win. A second story, of prejudice toward those who are different or who have mental illnesses, runs through the book as well. People in town are afraid of Boo Radley and they mock him. He ends up rescuing Scout and her brother from the actual murderer. The movie closes with Scout in bed after the doctor has tended to her injuries and Boo keeping watch over his neighbor and now friend. During the 1960 s there were many other powerful books that described the horror of racism in painful detail and chronicled efforts by white and black folks to address the injustice of racism and bring about civil rights for blacks. I wanted to be at the rallies and marches advocating for my sisters and brothers who were denied the rights I took for granted but I was too young. When I was a child one of our neighbors had a cleaning woman who was black. When there was no school she brought her daughter Venus with her. I got to play with Venus. She was amazed at people owning houses; she lived in a crowded apartment. She shared many of her life experiences with me and I experienced the reality of racism second-hand; I hated it. Venus and I became friends and looked forward to seeing each other. One day I invited her to come into our house. My mother shooed us outside and let me know in no uncertain terms that those people were not welcome in the house. My world was rocked to realize that my mother was prejudiced. Over the next few years our little church began to decline and our youth director charged the youth group, aka Luther League, to go into the neighborhood to invite folks to our church. We went out with great enthusiasm and several people came to worship with us. We were thrilled, our church however was not. The neighborhood around the church which had been all white was now a mix of white, black, and Puerto Rican families. We were thanked for our efforts but told not to invite any more of those people to worship with us. As president of the Luther League I was summoned to meet with the church council to make sure we understood what we had done that was wrong. Our meeting did not go well. I reminded the council of a song we sang all the time in Sunday School. Jesus loves the little children; all the children of the world; black and yellow, red and white; they are precious in his sight; Jesus loves the little children of the world. I then told them that they were a bunch of hypocrites and that they were going to hell and stormed out of the church.
When I got home the pastor was already on the phone with my mother. My mother handed me the phone and told me to apologize. I took the phone and said, I am sorry for the delivery of my remarks, but not for their content. The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "It is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is eleven o'clock on Sunday morning." He was right. I am happy to report that as my mother got to know black people her prejudices dissolved. In addition, my pastor and I repaired our relationship. In fact, I visited him regularly until he died, the only member of that church to do so. And I am happy to report that eventually my church opened their minds, hearts and doors to welcome everyone. All this brings me to Harper Lee s new book, Go Set a Watchman. The new book was actually written first. In it Scout returns to the south from New York where she now lives and discovers her father is not a god; Atticus is a racist. His father fought for the south in the Civil War. Atticus is portrayed as a product of his time and culture. The publishers sent Harper back to the typewriter and To Kill a Mockingbird was the result. In it good and bad are unvarnished and there are clear heroes and villains. The hatred and prejudice are horrible; we need a hero to fix the problem. Atticus fills the need; he is such a strong character we think he is capable of ending racism; but the problem is larger than him. I do not want to see my hero, Atticus, fall completely off his pedestal. But this book comes at a time when race relations are in a horrible state in this country; we need to confront painful realities that we would rather ignore. I need to meet the other Atticus, not only the one I have on a pedestal. We need to see racism and ourselves as they truly are. I think most of us are not either Atticus, we are a blend of the two. I do not want to read this book but I need to no matter how painful it is; we have much work to do. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton called Lutheran churches to engage in the issue of racism. Dylan Roof, who shot and killed 9 people at AME Emanuel Church in Charleston South Carolina, grew up in a Lutheran church. She calls us to look at our own congregations so that this never happens again. The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. also said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." The process of change begins with us and ends with us. We have the power and the baptismal mandate to work for justice for all people: black, brown, yellow, red, white and blue. The civil rights movement was 50 years ago; it addressed some of the racism that was present then, but much racism persists today. We may not be aware that people scarred by slavery and other forms of degradation and suffering have been hurt and are still hurting. We may be unaware of our own cultural biases. We may not want to believe that we are part of a society that is racist. Acknowledging that racism exists and that it is a sin we can begin the hard work of confronting the reality of racism in our country and healing the wounds of racism. Many white people say that they do not see color when they look at people. But people of color cannot take off their skin; they are judged and treated differently because of their skin color every day. Often, white people can t recall instances of discrimination, but African- Americans can provide specific examples every day. How do we move past our different experiences and together live out our baptismal covenant to serve all people following the example of Jesus; and strive for justice and peace in all the earth? Deepening our empathy for one another and engaging in common work toward a just society are good places to start. The radical hospitality Jesus demonstrates extends to everyone, but especially to those excluded by society. We need to listen to the stories of people hurt by racism and as we hear them, we are called to respond in love. Engaging together across lines of difference, both inside and outside the church can be transformative. Meeting and getting to know our neighbor and working together for racial justice we can make a real difference. Let s work together. Your sister in Christ, Pastor Lauren
Fall Worship Schedule In June Bethesda s Council and East s Board held a joint meeting and it was proposed that we should move to one shared service at 10am year round. We agreed to continue the pattern that we use during the summer, that is, first Sunday of the month follow East style of worship and communion with organ music and the remaining Sundays of the month use a blend of both services with the band. During the summer we have been polling every worshiper from both churches. So far we have asked East 13 out of 19 which is 68% Bethesda 51 out of 53 which is 96%). We are trying to catch up with the folks who have not been at worship this summer by phone. We want to hear from everyone. If you have not had an opportunity to express your view, please let the pastor or your council or board members know how you feel about this proposal. So far (East 92% Bethesda 94%) are in favor of the change. We also want to be clear that the two churches are keeping their denominational identity and their affiliation with their respective church body. Separate boards and budgets will be maintained. We will continue to share fellowship and social ministry activities. Back to School for Everyone! But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18 lol (formerly known as Sunday School) resumes On Sunday September 6 th lol (Lessons of Love) will resume. Immediately following Children s time during worship the children will gather for class and return to worship during communion. Children will meet at 9:30 on the fourth Sunday of each month for arts and crafts. Please pray for the children, teachers, and all who will help with the lol program. Teachers will be installed on Sunday September 13 th Adult Bible Study resumes at 9am September 13 th We will conclude the NOOMA Series by New York Times bestselling author Rob Bell. Jesus lived with the awareness that God is doing something, right here, right now, and anybody can be a part of it. He encouraged his listeners to search, to question, to wrestle with the implications of what he was saying and doing. He inspired, challenged, provoked, comforted, and invited people to be open to God's work in this world. Wherever he went, whatever he did, Jesus started discussions about what matters most, because for Jesus, God is always inviting us to open our eyes and join in. NOOMA is an invitation to explore our world from a perspective of Jesus, search, question, and join the discussion. Next we will look at scripture from a very different perspective using We Make the Road by Walking by Brian McLaren. Join us Sunday s at 9am behind the organ. Bring your coffee and perhaps a friend. Confirmation class resumes Tuesday September 1 st 6:30pm Bible Sunday September 13 th Children will receive an age appropriate Bible during worship. ACTS Action Centered Tutoring Services is a free one-to-one program that combines tutoring children in Springfield with Christian mentoring for grades kindergarten through fifth grade. More tutors are needed. The time requirement is two hours a week during the school year. We meet on Tuesdays from 4-6pm. Orientation and training will be provided. Please contact Pastor Lauren if interested in this program.
Thank You!!!!! It is very important to the pastor to thank folks for their service. But the pastor can t remember everyone who needs to be thanked, and sometimes people do things that the pastor does not see. If we missed someone or you know of someone who should be acknowledged, please let the pastor know. She really welcomes your help. Mike Dufault for purchasing the lovely print hanging in the South room. Jan and Karen Davies for leading singing during worship when our usual vocal leaders were away. Judy Johnson and Sue Mariotti for receiving the offering and assisting with communion when our regular servers were away. Linda Ewell, Linda and Larry Green for serving as ushers when our regular folks were away. Helping serve lunch when our guests from Friends of the Homeless were here: Bruce Dimm, Linda and Larry Green, Ali, Emma and Erin Page, Frosty Robbins, Pat Bonneau, Sue Mariotti and others the pastor can t remember. Mike and Marybeth Lewison for weeding and harvesting food from the garden. Mike Dufault for helping with trash several times. Linda and Larry Green, Ali, Emma and Erin Page, Frosty Robbins, Jay Cleaveland, Pastor Finnell, Sue Mariotti, Lisa Duffney, Pauline Duffney, Mary Hunter for helping with the food drive. Bruce Dimm for a ton of weeding. Mike Dufault for removing and replacing the organ speakers screen so we could make a repair. Jay Cleaveland and Deacon Finnell for cleaning out the trash area in the upper parking lot. God s Abundance; What s in your basket? When faced with hungry people, the disciples said to Jesus Lord, we re sure we don t have enough. They only had two fish and five loaves of bread. We often feel that way too. We do not have enough money, enough talent, enough young people, or enough time. But when we give what we have to God it is combined with the gifts of others, multiplied and it meets the needs of others. With God s help, our gifts will be infinitely more than enough, there will be baskets left over. Our stewardship campaign this year will begin in late September and run through mid October. Special Meeting of the Congregations September 20 th immediately after worship Several years ago we replaced the furnace on the gym side of the building as the existing furnaces both were constantly breaking down and we could no longer get parts to repair them. The new furnace is far more efficient so we did realize a savings in fuel costs and it has been very reliable. We are now faced with the need to replace the furnaces on the church side of the building. We are obtaining bids from 4-5 companies. East Board and Bethesda s council will review them at their September meetings and make recommendations to the congregations. We need your approval to take on this significant expense. Quilting Resumes Saturday September 5th Quilting meets the first Saturday of the month at 9am. You do not need to know how to sew, many of the people have sewing skills, and help is needed in cutting the material to size as well as constructing and tying the quilt once the pieces are ready. We always need donations of clean, gently used sheets and blankets as well as fabric.
Scrapbooking Resumes Saturday September 19 th Scrapbooking meets the third Saturday of the month at 9am. You do not need to know how to scrapbook, members will share ideas, supplies and tools with you. Bring a friend. Mum Sale to Support ACTS Action Centered Tutoring Services (ACTS) provides free tutoring and mentoring to the children of Springfield. The cost of this program is supported by fundraisers. Each year a giant mum sale is held. Pre-Sale Orders are due on September 6 th. Mums will be delivered on September 13 th. Mums are also on sale September 12th 9:00 am 12:00 pm St. Andrew s Episcopal Church, 335 Longmeadow St. (Route 5), Longmeadow, MA, and Wilbraham United Church, 500 Main Street, Wilbraham, MA. Order forms are available. Please support this program and tell your friends. Intercessory Prayers We all share in the ministry of intercessory prayer. We are called individually to pray each day and as a gathered community of faith in worship. If you have someone we need to include in our prayers please notify our church office.