June 2009

Pastor Ben’s Prize Winning Sermon




The following sermon “Freedom and the Beauty of Diversity” has won Pastor Ben first prize in an international sermon-writing contest held in conjunction with the celebration of the 500th birthday of Protestant reformer John Calvin. The prize-winning sermon earned him a three-day stay in Geneva, including travel and accommodations, in conjunction with this year’s Calvin Jubilee celebrations.

As I think about what it means for the Spirit of Pentecost to be alive in the Church, the image that comes to mind is that of Cathedral St. Pierre in Geneva, from whose pulpit Calvin preached in the days when the people of Geneva gave birth to the Reformed Tradition.

It is a building I love for its historical importance, but I also love the cathedral for its eclectic architecture. Over the years, the church has evolved with additions and renovations without conformity to one architectural style. Rather, the building reflects the values and aesthetics of architects and laborers working in various historical contexts.

The cathedral has a gothic nave and a neoclassical façade; its two bell towers and its spire all come from different eras. Inside, there is both a stained-glass image of Mary Magdalene holding the Holy Grail and a carving of an erotically suggestive mermaid. Just to keep us doctrinally-correct Calvinists confused, an excavated pagan shrine lies almost directly beneath Calvin’s pulpit. The cathedral in Geneva is glorious because of its eclectic design. It’s a lot like the Church, the Body of Christ - both are made beautiful by diversity.

Now, I have met people who lament the diversity that marks the Church Triumphant, especially in the Reformed Tradition. To them diversity is evidence of imperfection, as if the Church must manifest doctrinal, liturgical and ecclesiastical conformity to be beautiful.

I think they are wrong. It is God who breathes life into the Body of Christ, and since the very first Christian Pentecost God has chosen to create a church made up of people from every tribe and tongue by giving humanity the freedom to worship and to serve God in the language of our hearts and our dreams.

Here’s what John Calvin had to say about the Holy Spirit’s liberation of language at Pentecost: The diversity of tongues did hinder the gospel from being spread abroad any farther; so that, if the preachers of the gospel had spoken one language only, all [people] would have thought that Christ had been shut up… But God invented a way whereby [the gospel] might break out, when he divided and clove the tongues of the apostles, that they might spread that abroad amongst all people which was delivered to them. Wherein appeareth the manifold goodness of God, because a plague and punishment of man’s pride was turned into matter of blessing. [Commentary on Acts vol. 1, 2:2]

This is typical of how Calvin understood the role of human freedom in the Church. In the Institutes, Calvin speaks of God freeing Christians from the law—not so that we can live libertine lives but so that we my use our freedom to follow God’s leading as God’s children, “cheerfully and with great eagerness.” [Institutes, III, 19, 5]. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit breaks down human linguistic barriers, not so that we can all be the same, but so that we can be faithfully different by being faithfully ourselves. The miracle of Pentecost does not cause us to look back to the human condition before the fall of Babel; Pentecost sets our sights on the Kingdom of God, when, in the fullness of time, Christ will gather people of every nation to join with saints and angels in eternal praise, each of us singing in the language we know best.

God calls the fullness of humanity freely to serve and praise God as God created us: speaking the language that is natural to us, employing the gifts with which we have been endowed, worshiping in ways that reflect the cultures that have nurtured us. The problem is that too many of us miss the miracle that is a Church made beautiful by the diversity of God’s children.

In the story of the first Pentecost we’re told that while many people heard the Gospel in their mother tongues and rejoiced, others were unable to hear the message in any language. To those who remained closed to the Holy Ghost, the beautiful tapestry of languages woven into the Christian Church at Pentecost was dismissed as drunken cacophony, and there remain many who consider it crazy to embrace diversity as, in its better moments, the Reformed Tradition always has sought to do.

Our congregation has learned to appreciate the beauty of linguistic and cultural diversity. We’re a church of two hundred members who grew up speaking more than twenty different languages, but not every congregation is so richly blessed. Even among Presbyterians here in San Jose, which is among the most linguistically and culturally diverse cities on the planet, there are those who believe that everyone should worship in English, who fear that we cannot be one church if we speak many languages.

Nonetheless, our Presbytery has communities that worship in Spanish, Tagalog, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Taiwanese, and Indonesian. Are we crazy? Have we been drinking the new wine of cultural relativism?

No. We have caught a vision of the Kingdom of God. We have been touched by the Holy Spirit. We have seen visions. We have dreamed dreams. We know that God is building a church in which every facet of human diversity is essential. God has chosen us each to leave a mark upon the Church of God’s own design.

At Pentecost, we are freed from the constraints of language, just as we are freed from sin by God’s grace. We are freed to serve God gladly as children and not as servants; we are freed from the bondage of linguistic confusion to the beauty of human diversity made manifest in the Church.

Let us then make use of the freedom that is a divine gift. Let us rejoice in the beautiful diversity of God’s children in the Church. Let us value each member of the church equally, understanding that each voice—including those who normally are marginalized—speaking every language is cherished by God. This has been the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church since Pentecost; it will be the work of the Church until God’s work is complete, when each of us takes a seat in the great multilingual choir and together we abandon ourselves in eternal praise.
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The Life of a Seminary Student
-Maxine Millender

Even the ordinary and the outcast can make the cut to follow Jesus -Spear

This month it seems like my visits were focused on medical power of attorney, overdoses, and death. The medical power of attorney is an interesting visit with a patient. We always speak direct to the patient but sometimes the families will try to respond for them. When this happens, we inform them that we cannot complete the document because it is up to the patient to appoint or designate an agent or more. I have had one revoked because I listened to the wife instead of the husband who was the patient but I quickly learned my lesson. When we have hearing impaired folks, we have them point to the person they want to designate and it works fine. We always obtain the two-witnesses, make a copy of the document for the hospital chart, and give the original to the primary agent who was designated.

There have been many overdoses this month. It is not always drugs that folks overdose on, we also have those who overdose on alcohol and are so drunk they have tremors as if they are in withdrawal. A lady of 55 came to the ER due to an overdose on her depression meds. She and her husband had a fight because he decided he no longer wanted to be married to her. She was devasted, took all these pills in the bottle, and he was trying to pump on her stomach until EMS arrived and took over. (because we are notified by pager for all crisis calls, I was already waiting for her) I introduced myself to her, asked her name, and asked if she was ok with her family coming into her room. She told me she only wanted to see her Mother and Aunt. Her husband was on his way but she did not want to see him. I spoke with our security folks and only those she approved of were allowed to go in her room. When the husband arrived, he tried everything he could think of to convince security but they would not allow him in the room. We have very good security in the hospital and I use them due to a lot of family dynamics that don’t often turn our good.

One young man (27) came in drunk and had been run over by a car; turns out it was his friend who was also drunk (both drank 12 cans of beer) and didn’t see him. He was terrible to the staff and we let him sleep it off. When he was sober enough, he wanted pain medicine because he usually gets it from another hospital but the Doctors told him no and he was not happy. He was nasty to the RNs, Doctors, and care techs. I shared his overall perception with him so that he could see how he had been and why no one wanted to help him. When he was admitted, he had the nerve to smoke in his room and the room had oxygen in it.

Death happens in many ways at the hospital. We have elderly that come from nursing homes, young adults, middle age adults, and babies. I have dealt with many deaths in our labor and delivery area and when this happens, they are very emotional. One young lady is 34, had tried for years to get pregnant, and they decided to do in vitro. She was expecting twins but at 22 weeks, she started to cramp. The Doctors discovered that one of the twin babies had a prolapsed cord and they had to cut it, leave the baby inside her, and hope the other twin lived. She developed sepsis (blood poison) in her body and as soon as the babies were delivered, they intubated her and she was rushed to ICU. She is much better but both babies are dead. The one baby who was breathing was alive for 22 minutes. Since the baby was alive, I made a decision to baptize and bless the baby and I am so thankful that I did this for the couple. The RN was so compassionate with both babies and it was heartbreaking for me, the RN, and the Father. The baby was a boy but the Father told us it was a girl, based on the sonogram. I helped him pick a funeral home and he decided to have the baby cremated. I was so touched by it that I wrote a verbatim on it which caused many emotions to surface for the entire group.

I finally had some time off and decided to drive to Granbury, TX. The drive was about one hour from Ft Worth and I stayed in a Christian bed & breakfast. I saw a musical which featured songs from the 40’s to the 80’s. I really enjoyed myself and it was good to get away. Before leaving Granbury, I drove to a place called Glen Rose where I was able to drive the 9.5 mile scenic safari and see many animals. In this wilderness there were all kinds of animals that came to your window and you could feed them. The zebras were biting on this day so I was careful but had a wonderful time and came back to work refreshed. I also purchased a GPS because I am constantly lost here but now I can find my way.

Today during our IPR, we were informed by our CPE supervisor that May 25th is his last day; he handed in his resignation on Monday (Apr 25th). We were shocked and had no words that would come from our mouths. He explained his reasons to us but it still hurts, especially since he is so good and well liked. He will remain through this unit and write our final evaluations for us. With four more months to go, he encouraged us to stay flexible, be as calm as we can but keep our eyes fixed on completing our last unit.

There are so many things which happen in a month and I can’t share them all because I would be writing many pages. I am learning more and more about me, have established my Pastoral Identity and Authority, and still enjoying my patient visits. I really enjoy the cold visits, walking in ER’s medicine side, and participating in patient rounds with the social worker and case managers on the floors. I have 75 to 89 patients and it fluctuates because of the number of patients I may have in ER’s medicine area. Of course, I can’t see them all but I have a pretty good system of seeing a lot of patients.

Due to the swine flu, the hospital has issued a pandemic plan which is 88 pages. Many family members are coming to the hospital with masks. We have been told to wash instead of using the foams and gels to clean our hands.

I continue to let the word of God dwell in me richly in all my wisdom and teaching ~Col 3:16
~to be continued~
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-Martha Belz

I hope you have marked your calendars and are planning to attend Foothill’s Fall Retreat the weekend of September 25th.

I am very grateful to session for approving the allocation of money to offset the expense of the retreat. This will allow me to lower the fees and make the retreat more affordable. I will set the fees and have that information soon. Thanks, session!

Sam Barry is providing our program this year. He is a musician, writer, and columnist Dave Barry’s brother. Sam will bring music and humor to the weekend. Ben is meeting with Sam soon to begin developing the program. I’m sure it will be a special weekend.

The location of the Fall Retreat is Happy Valley Conference Center in Santa Cruz. The center is located in the beautiful redwoods and each room has its own heater and bathroom. The food is good and plentiful. And the center will be filled with members of the Foothill Family! More information will follow.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Thanks!
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*Academics*
The kids are learning about the letters “S” &“T”
& numbers 19 & 20.

*Themes & Activities*


*Summer*
6/1-6/4

6/1 Art: Paper plate flower / Song: Summer is here
6/2 Learning the letter “S”
6/3 Learning the number 19
6/4 Wear your sunglasses






*Community Helpers*
6/8-6/11

6/8 Poem: I’m a happy doctor
Art: Fireman
6/9 Learning the letter *S*
6/10 Learning the number 19
6/11 Bring magazine cut out of a community help




*Father*
6/15-6/18

6/15 Art: Father’s tie card/Bring a picture of dad
Song: Daddy
6/16 Learning letter “T”
6/17 Learning number 20
6/18 Dads drop your child off at preschool day

*Zoo Animal*
6/22-6/25

6/22 Art: Elephant Song: 5 little Monkeys
6/24 Learning letter “T”
6/24 Learning number 20
6/25 Bring a toy zoo animal




*Red, White & Blue The 4th of July*

6/29 Art: Fireworks
6/30 Letter review day *S & *T*

*Special Events*

Jazzercise Monday & Wednesday


Every Friday








~Community Helpers~

San Jose Police officer visits the preschool - Thursday, June 11


FieldtripChildren’s Discovery Museum - Friday, June 12


Father’s day potluck lunch - Tuesday, June 16

Sunday, June 21

MY HERO
By Debbie Young

As I ponder the love that I saw in his eyes,

A Godly love, given without compromise....

I recall many times that he stood by my side,

And prodded me on with great vigor and pride.

His voice ever confident, firm and yet fair,

Always speaking with patience and care.

The power and might of his hands was so sure,

I knew there was nothing we couldn't endure.

It's true, a few others provided insight,

Yet, he laid the foundation that kept me upright.

He's the grandest of men to have lived on earth,

Although he's not royal by stature or birth.

He's a man of great dignity, honor and strength.

His merits are noble, and of admirable length.

He's far greater than all other men that I know,

He's my Dad, he's my mentor, my friend and hero.

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The Semibreve
-Jay Jordana, Director of Music Ministries

MANY THANKS…
To folks for the successful production of the following concerts:

• Flauti Dolci & Amici – Kraig and Sue Williams, and Susan Andersen, Peg Nickl

• South Bay Philharmonic (formerly HP Orchestra): Dana and Ben Marino, Peg Nickl, Patty Potter, Darlene Ristrim, Jerry Siegfried, Ellen Chelino.

• Ragtime Americana – Dana and Ben Marino, Darlene Ristrim, Bud Schmidt

• 4th Annual Alum Rock Music Festival – Peg Nickl, Jerry Siegfried

I hope I’m not forgetting anyone. If I am, I’m sorry. I’ll get you in next time. Thanks everyone!

MID-PENINSULA RECORDER ORCHESTRA (MPRO) IN CONCERT
Sunday, June 7, 2009


Formed in 1962 and directed by Frederic Palmer, this American Recorder Society Consort will feature William Boyce’s Symphony No. 5 (Allegro ma non troppo), Guillaume de Machaut’s Ballade Quant Theseus/Ne quier veoir, Harry Kandel’s Der Shtiler Bulgar, Andrea Gabrieli’s Quando’io ero giovinetto, Heinrich Isaac’s Isbruck, ich muss dich lassen, Johannes Brahms’s O Welt, ich muss dich lassen, and Johann Sebastian Bach’s Gigue from the Orchestral Suite No. 3. MPRO appearances include those at KQED, KCSM, the Berkeley Early Music Festival, the Palace of the Legion of Honor, and those with the Palo Alto Madrigal Singers, the Congregational Oratorio Society, the Young Performers String Orchestra, the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, and the California State University, East Bay Singers. www.sfems.org/mpro/

Suggested Donation: $10 per person


~~What the Neighbors are Saying~~

Hello ARNNE Friends and Neighbors,

My wife and I are in awe of this upcoming performance! But unfortunately we will miss it because of traveling to So. Cal. to our son's home.

I am posting this on ARNNE in the hopes of encouraging many of you into going in our stead. This is a wonderful way to soak up a refreshing sound of music. The acoustics in the small chapel are very intimate and the proximity of the performers right in front of us, we can even talk to them during the intermission, is not like going to the California Theatre down town. And this is not a substitute for rap or hard rock music lovers. This is "long hair" stuff.

Thank you Jay Jordana and your music skills for bringing this great venue to our neighborhood,
Frank Crane
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Outreach Social Time
-Nancy Leonard, Membership/Outreach

Membership/Outreach would like to initiate some activities for Foothill folks with the thought of simply enjoying each other's company.

The first get together will be at noon on June 17 in Alum Rock Park. Bring a simple dish (such as fruit, salad etc.) to share and your own drink. We will supply the plates and utensils.
We will gather at the tables by the children's playground. Meet at the church parking lot at 11:54 if you would like to carpool. Let the church office know if you need a ride.

If you are available at lunch time, please join us!
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Keeping You Posted...
-Darlene Ristrim, Clerk of Session

Selected information from the minutes of Session, Deacons and Committees

Mission Committee
Foothill CROP walkers raised approximately $ 1,250 to help combat hunger locally and globally.

Buildings and Grounds
Under the tutelage of Jim Withrow the Geezers (Tuesday Men’s Maintenance Crew) have begun repair on the weather damaged windows in Fellowship Hall.

Worship
Reviewed Holy Week activities and began preparation for Pentecost. Discussed preparation and serving of Communion.

Finance
Discussed the 2009-10 Stewardship timelines. The “bare bones budget” will be presented to the congregation on June 7. Finance and Stewardship Committees will meet to prepare the budget for Session on June 21.

Christian Education
Melissa Hill met with the committee to discuss coordination of a VBS program for Foothill. Open House for Sunday school will be on June 7.

Preschool
43 students (29 full time and 16 part time) are currently enrolled. It is estimated that 150 people will be attending the Teacher Appreciation event to be held on May 1.

Deacons
Shared family ministry reports. Reviewed preparation of communion elements. Assignments were made for flower delivery.

Session
Our membership is 207 as of April 30. The annual Presbytery review of Session minutes was held on May 2. We reviewed the proposed 09-10 budget. It was m/s/c to offer Foothill Church for a Disaster Shelter.

Information secured from the May 6 Session packet.
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Gifts of Women at FPC
-Isabelle Taylor and Marilyn Kromrey

On April 19th we celebrated the Gifts of Women of Foothill Presbyterian Church.

An Honorary Life Membership in Presbyterian Women was conferred upon Jan Miller in recognition of her faithful service in our Church's work.

Jan and her husband Herb have been members of Foothill since February 1984 and Jan has served an Elder and presently as a Deacon . Jan Miller has become a great asset for the preschool and was one of the original members of the Preschool board of directors.

Jan has been there for the preschool staff not only as an advisor, she also enjoys being in the classroom with the children. She gives moral support and encouragement to Trish, the director. Jan has been instrumental in organizing fundraisers and is currently working on creating whimsical baskets for the Spring Extravaganza and silent auction.

Jan not only helps in the classroom, she and Eileen Parks are also great at preparing food for the Teacher Appreciation luncheon and other events for the preschool. She and Eileen recently oversaw the renovation of Room 7 for a teacher break room and meeting room.

To show their love for Jan the preschool children (and teachers) made special Thank You Cards to show their appreciation and to send their love to Jan.

Jan is also interested in gardening and helps prune the FPC roses in the Spring. When planning begins for the Halloween Family Festival, Jan is so helpful to look for prizes for the various games and helps organize the event. Jan is the cashier during the Building and Grounds Flea Markets and is great at categorizing the donated items.

We applaud Jan for her efforts and thank her for the time and talent she has contributed to the Foothill Preschool and to the life of the church. We were pleased to present Jan Miller with an Honorary Life Membership in Presbyterian Women.
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Fun and Faith

Vacation Bible School
August 10-14 from 9 am-12 pm

Come and spend a week with Foothill this Summer.
Learn all about the words Faith Joy Peace Love.

We'll have craft activities, music, and a snack every day!

Call or email to the church to Register
$15 per registrant
(community scholarships available)

Kindergarten to 6th grade.
(Younger siblings accepted on
a case by case basis)
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Parish Concerns

Roxie Banks, Linda Shadoe, Dee Daniel, Bobbie Stites, Shirley Schmidt, Mary Mints, Karen Withrow, Jack Stutz, Kitty Rugebregt, Glenda Parmentier, Charlie Klotz, Larry Bahr, Larry Martinez, Bob Nelson, Grace Takeda, Marilyn Kromrey, and Nancy Azzarello.



Lectionary Readings
Available in the Presbyterian Planning Calendar

Sunday, June 7
Trinity Sunday
Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29;
Romans 8:12-17; John 3:-17

Sunday, June 14
11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Samuel 15: 34—16:13; Psalm 20
2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13) 14-17;
Mark 4:26-34

Sunday, June 21
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23) 32-49 and Psalm 9:9-20;
or 1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 10– 16 and Psalm 133;
2 Corinthians 6: 1-13; Mark 4;35-41

Sunday, June 28
28th Sunday in Ordinary time
2 Samuel 1:1-1, 17-27; Psalm 130;
2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43

Worship Opportunities

We are looking for Sunday worship volunteers.
Please consider signing up for one of the following worship opportunities:

• Liturgist (contact Peg in the church office)
• Coffee Hour
• Flowers
• Greeter
  

Sign up sheets are located on the bulletin board next to the sanctuary doors. Everyone is welcome to volunteer.