A Letter from the PastorDear Friends,
Every time our calendars flip, Epiphany is the first Church holiday in the secular year. (Serious Church calendar nerds will correct me by pointing to the feast days of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Saints Basil and Gregory of Nazianzus, Saint Genevieve, Saint Roger of Ellant, and Saint John Neumann as well as a few even more obscure saints such as Odilio and Gaspare del Bufalo, but I’ve never met a Presbyterian who cared that much about the Church calendar).
Epiphany, also known as the Twelfth Day of Christmas, is the day we remember the adoration of the Magi—or wise men—who found Jesus by interpreting clues in the heavens and who followed a star to Bethlehem where they offered Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Because Epiphany falls on January 6 and is so close to the beginning of the year, I’ve always tried to let it be a reminder to me that when I make new year’s resolutions (something I like to do each year) I should always include a resolution that will be a gift to Jesus.
This is something I invite you to try. For example, a person who resolves to exercise more in the new year also could resolve to pray more. A person who resolves to spend less money on clothes could also resolve to give more money to mission. A person who resolves to lose weight could resolve to consume both fewer calories and fewer fossil fuels as a way of caring for God’s creation.
I don’t yet know what my new year’s resolutions will be, but I will continue my practice of making my resolutions both personal and spiritual, and I hope you will join me in this practice.
Happy New Year and Happy Epiphany,
Ben
The Life of a Seminary student {on internship}
-Maxine Millender
Your ability to cope with rings of responsibility will cause people to ask where your strength comes from. Introduce them to our silent partner.
-Maxine Millender
Your ability to cope with rings of responsibility will cause people to ask where your strength comes from. Introduce them to our silent partner.
I really like the saying that “the measure of a man/woman is not how great his/her faith is, but how great his/her love is. This is one of the true things about CPE and being a Chaplain. You get to love those who are in crisis, those who can’t talk, those who can talk and say the wrong things, and those whom you would like to turn away from.
For the past two weeks we worked on our final evaluation that we would have to present to our peers, our clinical coordinators, and our CPE supervisor. This is scary at first because it is more difficult to write and you are writing to share with your peers what you have accomplished during the first unit of 14 weeks. You learn how to be concise, theological, and share your pastoral theology using examples. You encourage feedback and at times welcome it. One of the most difficult is to show how you collaborated with your peers in relationship and engaged them with help on your goals. This goes past the surface talk and it hard to do! Once this is complete our CPE supervisor will write a final evaluation based on what he has seen and this is the permanent one which goes in our file and you are told that you have the one unit of credit for the first unit.
The goal which I completed was the one on learning to write meaningful sermons. When I preached my first sermon in the chapel, a couple travelling from CA was in the chapel and informed me how much they liked my message. I preached on Luke 16:19-31 about the rich man and Lazarus. Although I wrote my sermon, had someone review it, and preached it, I am not called to be a parish minister but definitely a Chaplain.
My goal of increasing my knowledge was missed. I have only scratched the surface and chose to develop relationships with the medical team vs gain the knowledge. It has been difficult penetrating the medical team’s circle but I have come very close. My name is known, the nurses can rely on me, and they are starting to ask for me specifically. This is only in the MSICU and NISC areas of trauma and I have yet to fully develop a very good relationship with the rehab and oncology teams.
Now, writing verbatims and reflection papers which show my feelings and emotions have been much better. This is a difficult area for me to write about because I don’t often display emotions and feelings. Now that I am going to a therapist, I can begin to unlock what keeps my emotions and feelings locked inside. If I go see a sad movie, I am the only one walking out with dry eyes.
Again this month, I have dealt with a lot of death, some natural and some withdrawals. The withdrawals are so painful for the families to make. When a Doctor cannot treat a patient and this person would be a vegetable, the Doctor has to inform the family and most times the Doctors want a Chaplain in the room with them. The families are already in shock and now this is an additional burden to them. If a patient has tubes (intubated) in them to help keep them alive, the Doctor explains that the tubes are taken out (extubated) and the ventilator is also removed. This is where the problem lies. Sometimes the families want to hold on and wait for a miracle, a cure, or hope the patient may get better. Every withdrawal I have seen has resulted in death.
A young man (37) was driving his car and he pulled to the curb and stopped. Someone in the car behind him got out of their car, walked to his car, and called 911. He was rushed to our emergency room, intubated, family was contacted, and he never regained consciousness. He was transferred to one of my floors and the family did not want to let him go but he had a brain bleed and where it was situated there was no way the Doctors could operate and he survive it. He was the only boy in the family and his Mother was in denial and shocked. I helped to consol her but her grief will go on for a long time. When the family decided to do the withdrawal, he had already died. One of the best things that we do is to be in the room with the family when their loved one dies.
A lady (56) complained of a severe headache and her daughter called 911 and they rushed her to another hospital that sent her to Harris Methodist. In her room in emergency, the Mother, sister, and daughter were there. The daughter had to make all of the medical decisions because the Mother was not in any state to make them. The patient’s husband is a pilot and was enroute to Germany. As soon as he landed, he had to leave for TX. In the meantime, the Doctors had already informed the family that they needed to do some special x-rays of her head but it looked like an aneurysm. When they discovered this, the patient said she did not want surgery and would take her chances; she was put on one of my floors. I was with the large family in emergency and also on the trauma floor. When I left, I let the family know that when I came in to work the next day, I would read to her and pray with her. When I came to work she had died. The family made a decision to let Life Gift harvest her organs and tissue. We have a transplant program here and many families allow organ donation.
I have had to handle two deaths at the same time on the same floor. When this happens, one family will not fully benefit but this is how it happens sometimes. Right now on my MSICU floor, I have 10 people in critical condition and could die at any moment.
None of us want to have a death in the emergency room. This is the most difficult place to work a death, especially if the family was not there. The nurses get busy helping others and sometimes forget that a patient has died. The body is quickly moved to the annex away from everything and everyone and information is not readily flowing. We have to complete some documents and most times need the nurses.
The other day I had a young woman (38) who was a suicide attempt/watch. The nurses made a crisis call for me to help them. I spent two hours with this young woman trying to convince her that she is worth something, that all people are not bad, while being compassionate with her. She allowed me to hug her and hold her hands and this was a beginning.
I have received very good feedback from my clinical coordinator and one of the nurses on our NISC floor and these are put in our permanent files.
For those of you who are concerned about my personal life and wonder if I am getting enough rest, I am by trying to see a movie each week. This is about the only time I have and where I go to let go of what I have seen in the hospital. God is so good and give me strength to do this wonderful work.
~to be continued~For the past two weeks we worked on our final evaluation that we would have to present to our peers, our clinical coordinators, and our CPE supervisor. This is scary at first because it is more difficult to write and you are writing to share with your peers what you have accomplished during the first unit of 14 weeks. You learn how to be concise, theological, and share your pastoral theology using examples. You encourage feedback and at times welcome it. One of the most difficult is to show how you collaborated with your peers in relationship and engaged them with help on your goals. This goes past the surface talk and it hard to do! Once this is complete our CPE supervisor will write a final evaluation based on what he has seen and this is the permanent one which goes in our file and you are told that you have the one unit of credit for the first unit.
The goal which I completed was the one on learning to write meaningful sermons. When I preached my first sermon in the chapel, a couple travelling from CA was in the chapel and informed me how much they liked my message. I preached on Luke 16:19-31 about the rich man and Lazarus. Although I wrote my sermon, had someone review it, and preached it, I am not called to be a parish minister but definitely a Chaplain.
My goal of increasing my knowledge was missed. I have only scratched the surface and chose to develop relationships with the medical team vs gain the knowledge. It has been difficult penetrating the medical team’s circle but I have come very close. My name is known, the nurses can rely on me, and they are starting to ask for me specifically. This is only in the MSICU and NISC areas of trauma and I have yet to fully develop a very good relationship with the rehab and oncology teams.
Now, writing verbatims and reflection papers which show my feelings and emotions have been much better. This is a difficult area for me to write about because I don’t often display emotions and feelings. Now that I am going to a therapist, I can begin to unlock what keeps my emotions and feelings locked inside. If I go see a sad movie, I am the only one walking out with dry eyes.
Again this month, I have dealt with a lot of death, some natural and some withdrawals. The withdrawals are so painful for the families to make. When a Doctor cannot treat a patient and this person would be a vegetable, the Doctor has to inform the family and most times the Doctors want a Chaplain in the room with them. The families are already in shock and now this is an additional burden to them. If a patient has tubes (intubated) in them to help keep them alive, the Doctor explains that the tubes are taken out (extubated) and the ventilator is also removed. This is where the problem lies. Sometimes the families want to hold on and wait for a miracle, a cure, or hope the patient may get better. Every withdrawal I have seen has resulted in death.
A young man (37) was driving his car and he pulled to the curb and stopped. Someone in the car behind him got out of their car, walked to his car, and called 911. He was rushed to our emergency room, intubated, family was contacted, and he never regained consciousness. He was transferred to one of my floors and the family did not want to let him go but he had a brain bleed and where it was situated there was no way the Doctors could operate and he survive it. He was the only boy in the family and his Mother was in denial and shocked. I helped to consol her but her grief will go on for a long time. When the family decided to do the withdrawal, he had already died. One of the best things that we do is to be in the room with the family when their loved one dies.
A lady (56) complained of a severe headache and her daughter called 911 and they rushed her to another hospital that sent her to Harris Methodist. In her room in emergency, the Mother, sister, and daughter were there. The daughter had to make all of the medical decisions because the Mother was not in any state to make them. The patient’s husband is a pilot and was enroute to Germany. As soon as he landed, he had to leave for TX. In the meantime, the Doctors had already informed the family that they needed to do some special x-rays of her head but it looked like an aneurysm. When they discovered this, the patient said she did not want surgery and would take her chances; she was put on one of my floors. I was with the large family in emergency and also on the trauma floor. When I left, I let the family know that when I came in to work the next day, I would read to her and pray with her. When I came to work she had died. The family made a decision to let Life Gift harvest her organs and tissue. We have a transplant program here and many families allow organ donation.
I have had to handle two deaths at the same time on the same floor. When this happens, one family will not fully benefit but this is how it happens sometimes. Right now on my MSICU floor, I have 10 people in critical condition and could die at any moment.
None of us want to have a death in the emergency room. This is the most difficult place to work a death, especially if the family was not there. The nurses get busy helping others and sometimes forget that a patient has died. The body is quickly moved to the annex away from everything and everyone and information is not readily flowing. We have to complete some documents and most times need the nurses.
The other day I had a young woman (38) who was a suicide attempt/watch. The nurses made a crisis call for me to help them. I spent two hours with this young woman trying to convince her that she is worth something, that all people are not bad, while being compassionate with her. She allowed me to hug her and hold her hands and this was a beginning.
I have received very good feedback from my clinical coordinator and one of the nurses on our NISC floor and these are put in our permanent files.
For those of you who are concerned about my personal life and wonder if I am getting enough rest, I am by trying to see a movie each week. This is about the only time I have and where I go to let go of what I have seen in the hospital. God is so good and give me strength to do this wonderful work.
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Preschool is Having Fun
in 2009 with 42 Kids
Thank you to Jerry Siegfried for playing Santa at our Christmas Store; to David & Isabelle Taylor for taking pictures of Santa & the kids; to Fred Kromrey, Eileen Parks, Jan Miller & Pastor Ben Daniel for helping to make our Christmas Program a memorable experience for everyone.*Academics*
· The kids are learning about the
letters “I” “J” & numbers 9 & 10.
*Themes & Activities*
Winter
1/5-1/9
· 1/5 Art: 3d Rainy Cloud
Sung: “Snowflakes”
· 1/6 Letter *I* day
· 1/7 Number 9 day
· 1/8 Wear your rain boots
· 1/9 Movie & share day
Winter Animals
1/12-1/16
· 1/12 Art: Hibernating Bear
Poem: Bears Are Sleeping
· 1/13 Letter *I* day
· 1/14 Number 9 day
· 1/15 Bring a picture of a winter animal
· 1/16 Movie & share day
Hats
1/20-1/23
· 1/20 Art: Cone Hat
Song: “Happy Hat”
Letter *J* day
· 1/21 Number 10 day
· 1/22 Wear a silly hat day
· 1/23 Movie & share day
Kites
1/26-1/30
· 1/26 Art: Paper plate Kite
Poem: Oh my kite
· 1/27 Letter *J* day
· 1/28 Number 10 day
· 1/29 Bring your kite day
· 1/30 Movie & share day
Preschool Closed
Monday, January 19
Martin Luther King Day
Spiritual Message
Gentleness
James 3: 17
that is from above
is first pure;
then peaceable,
gentle and easy to be entreated,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
Spiritual Poetry
FAITH, HOPE & LOVE
Faith is the confidence that we have within
The knowing and believing in Almighty Him
With our trust comes peace as a guiding light
Brings with it joy and a sense of right
Hope is our desire to grow and to learn
the more we seek, the more we yearn
We realize our purpose, that God has a plan
To bring glory to the great "I AM"
Love is to delight in - it comes abundantly free
An adoration of others, unconditionally
A precious gift it is given from Heaven above
From Jesus our Savior ... our God of Love
By Elly Bell
The Semibreve
-Jay Jordana, Director of Music Ministries
Many thanks…
Back-to-Back concerts can take some work. To all who made the HP and Celtic Rose concerts a success, thanks for supporting the Music Series.
When it was over… Comments from the community at large:
“What a wonderful concert and such amazing talent among our Eastside neighbors!”
“I highly recommend next year’s 9th Annual Festival of Carols to all who enjoy great Christmas music in a beautiful setting with great acoustics and caring neighbors. There were Bell choirs, operatic duets, church choirs, a cello solo and a special children’s choir all for the price of a few cans of food. We are not church members and felt most welcome.”
-“Concert Announcement”. 13 Dec. 2008. Online posting. ARNEE, 13 Dec. 2008. “I heartily agree…! I am not a Foothills Church member (I attend The Point in Evergreen) but I’ve been enjoying the Festival of Carols for a few years now and look forward to it every year! I brought along three friends last night and they thoroughly enjoyed it and want to come back next year. Keep up the great work Jay!”
To all who made this concert a success, thank you. We have such wonderful neighbors, and a great community of friends. Let’s keep the light shining in the East Side.
UPCOMING CONCERTS 
Monteverdi Brass Quintet
Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 7:30 PM
Performing with numerous Bay Area orchestras, five musicians share their love for chamber music and Renaissance literature. Trumpet players Richard Roper and Robert Wilkins, trombonists Don Benham, Frank Bunfer and Mike Cushing will play works by Palestrina, Schein, Isaac, and Victoria on modern instruments.
Nothing set Ensemble
Sunday, February 22, 2009, 3:00 PM
Comprised by continually shifting cast of composers and performers, Nothing set ensemble will feature seldom played recent works by the next wave of young composers in the San Francisco Bay Area who write in a variety of styles.
MUSIC SERIES BROCHURES
We will be mailing out the Music Series Brochures for Winter 2009 within the first two weeks of January. We sure need help folding, labeling, and sealing them. Please email or call me if you are able to help out. We’d sure appreciate it. Thanks for keeping our Music Series alive and well!
Reminder for the Sanctuary…
We request that that there be no food or drink in the sanctuary at any time, and that during services all cell phones are turned to mute.
Thank you for your consideration.
Thank you for your consideration.
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Parish Concerns...
Special Prayers for
Roxie Banks, Linda Shadoe, Dee Daniel, Helen Klotz,
Bobbie Stites, Joy Horch, Shirley Schmidt, John Roberts, Mary Mints, Karen Withrow, Natalie Gatzke, Jack Stutz, Kitty Rugebregt, Ron Sparrow and Spaulding Norris.
Lectionary Readings
Available in the Presbyterian Planning Calendar
Sunday, January 4 2nd Sunday after Christmas
Jeremiah 3:7-14; Psalm 147:12-20;
Ephesians 1:3-14; John 1(1-9) 10-18
Tuesday, January 6 Epiphany of the Lord
Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14;
Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12
Sunday, January 11 Baptism of the Lord
Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29;
Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11
Sunday, January 18 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20); Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18;
1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51
Sunday, January 25 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:5-12;
1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20
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Spiritual Formation: A Key to 21st Century Evangelism
2009 Per Capita
Per Capita Apportionment for 2009 has been set at $30.
We ask that you pay your per capita as soon as possible.
End of 2008 Giving Statements
The end of the year giving statements will be available for pick up in the church narthex on Sunday, January 11th, 2009.
These statements cover the entire calendar year, 2008, and may be used for IRS purposes.
Please help us save postage by taking yours out of the box. Those not picked up will be mailed at the end of January.
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Special Prayers forRoxie Banks, Linda Shadoe, Dee Daniel, Helen Klotz,
Bobbie Stites, Joy Horch, Shirley Schmidt, John Roberts, Mary Mints, Karen Withrow, Natalie Gatzke, Jack Stutz, Kitty Rugebregt, Ron Sparrow and Spaulding Norris.
Lectionary Readings
Available in the Presbyterian Planning Calendar
Sunday, January 4 2nd Sunday after Christmas
Jeremiah 3:7-14; Psalm 147:12-20;
Ephesians 1:3-14; John 1(1-9) 10-18
Tuesday, January 6 Epiphany of the Lord
Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14;
Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12
Sunday, January 11 Baptism of the Lord
Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29;
Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11
Sunday, January 18 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20); Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18;
1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51
Sunday, January 25 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:5-12;
1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20
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Spiritual Formation: A Key to 21st Century Evangelism
As church leaders we’re all asking the questions: how do we effectively evangelize in the 21st Century? How can we encourage more congregation members to spread the Good News in our communities? A special speaker named Todd Hunter is coming to the San Jose Presbytery on February 7 to share some answers.
Hunter believes that one key to 21st Century evangelism is to develop disciples through spiritual formation. Those who closely follow Jesus cannot help but share with others around them, through deeds and words. They create in non-Christians around them questions like, “Why are you doing this?” and “What do you have that I don’t have?” And they are ready to answer them!
Hunter is the author of a new book, “Christianity Beyond Belief; Following Jesus for the Sake of Others.” He is the founder of the Society for Kingdom Living, which helps pastors and lay leaders reach a generation that has been disenfranchised from the church.
He is also a creator of the Conversational Evangelism conferences that have toured around the country, and is a former national director of Alpha USA.
All pastors, staff, and lay leaders are invited to hear Hunter speak from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, February 4, at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church, 728 W. Fremont Avenue in Sunnyvale. “Spiritual Formation: A Key to 21st Century Evangelism,” will feature plenty of interaction, relevant information and worship. There is no charge for the event, but there is a suggested $15 donation per person to help cover costs for lunch, refreshments throughout the day, and materials. Pre-registration is strongly recommended; you can register on the Sunnyvale website: www.svpc.us.
For more information about the Todd Hunter event, please contact Pam Marino at 408-865-0733, or pammarino@aol.com.
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2009 Per Capita
Per Capita Apportionment for 2009 has been set at $30.
We ask that you pay your per capita as soon as possible.
End of 2008 Giving StatementsThe end of the year giving statements will be available for pick up in the church narthex on Sunday, January 11th, 2009.
These statements cover the entire calendar year, 2008, and may be used for IRS purposes.
Please help us save postage by taking yours out of the box. Those not picked up will be mailed at the end of January.
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