The Messenger: May 2011

Spring Flowers at Foothill- photo credit Kromrey

A Note From Pastor Ben

Friends,

Here’s something I mentioned in a sermon a few weeks back but I want to mention it again because I think it’s important: I want you to celebrate on May 21.

You may have seen the billboards: “Cry Mightily Unto God! Judgment Day is Coming on May 21! The Bible Guarantees It!” Such announcements have popped up all over the Bay Area. Apparently someone read the Bible, made a few assumptions, took an illogical leap of faith, did the math, and came up with a calculation: Jesus is coming back in a matter of weeks.

This, of course, is nuts. People have been using the Bible to predict the end of the world for as long as there has been a Bible and they’re never right. The history of the Christian church is filled with stories of great disappointments that occur when communities get hoodwinked into believing the rapture is at hand; true scholars of the Bible know that biblical passages about he End of Days are poetry, not meant to be taken as actual predictions. Not everyone listens to the smart people, however, and so come May 22 a goodly number of folks around the world will be confused and disappointed.

Nonetheless, we should celebrate on May 21 because I once heard a wise man say that if the world comes to and end, the only thing you really need is a bottle of Champaign and a couple of glasses, and so I say let’s make May 21st a holy festival, not because the world will come to and end but because it won’t. Celebrate life and the ongoing beauty of the world we are blessed to call home and the human family in which we are privileged to claim membership.

And maybe you don’t like Champaign or you cannot drink the stuff. That’s OK. Celebrate in some other way: make cupcakes and eat them off fine china, drink lemonade from heirloom crystal. Put on a tuxedo and dance, wear a ballroom gown and cowgirl boots and go fly a kite at the beach. Do whatever works; just have fun because life will go on.

And if for some whacky weird reason Judgment Day does come to pass on the 21st of May, you will be in a state of grace, entirely prepared to stand before your God.

Peace,
Ben
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A Note about Natalie Gatzke

As you all know, we have recently gone through one of the most difficult ordeals with Natalie’s recent surgery. On April 7th, she had her brain revascularized to protect her brain from strokes caused by an extremely rare condition known as MoyaMoya.

Three years earlier she had the right side operated on. This time, it was her left side. We entered the situation fairly confident. After all, it’s only brain surgery and we had gone through it before. We knew what was going to happen this time and it would be a much better experience than the previous operation, which was a nightmare.

Unfortunately, Natalie had drastically worse side effects from this operation. There was a time when we didn’t know whether she would be able to speak properly or not. They weren’t sure if it was due to parts of the brain not getting sufficient oxygen or if it was caused by swelling of the brain. Fortunately, it was caused by the swelling and when the swelling went down, she returned to normal.

I have to say that Natalie is extremely strong. After her previous operation when she came home from the hospital, she still had a large bandage on her head with the words “No Pressure “ written on her right side. It was placed there by the surgeon to ensure that no one put pressure where the surgery had occurred. Never before had a sign had the reverse effect. As she walked in our house for the first time after being in bed for a week, we were very nervous she would fall over and hurt her head. As Greg walked behind her ready to catch her, she suddenly started skipping. She is unstoppable.

While Natalie is stronger than anything, I don’t know if we could have made it through this ordeal without the support we have received from our Foothill Family. Your thoughts and prayers truly made a difference. I don’t know if I could have gone through the experience without your support.

Pastor Ben was with us every step of the way. His support was unbelievable. Thank you for your calming influence and confidence.

Also, a special thanks to Dana. You brought me a loving friendship and comforted Natalie. She and I both loved your visits.

Thank you to everyone. We are so pleased to have you all as part of our family. Your support will never be forgotten and your cards will remain as a memory of your caring and loving prayers for Natalie.

In Christ,
Toni Ann Gatzke
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We are saddened by the passing of Charlie Klotz on April 22, 2011.
Our sympathies to Helen and their family.

A memorial service for will be held in the sanctuary on
Monday, May 9th at 11AM. A lunch will follow in the Fellowship Hall.
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Spring Flea Market
May 21st from 8AM to 2PM

Mark your calendars! Saturday May 22nd we’re having a HUGE flea market! We’ve only got a few weeks to go and a whole lot of work ahead of us. We’d be SO grateful for any help making this event an awesome one, which we hope it will be!

We need stuff. Lots of stuff. While you’re getting your Spring cleaning on, don't forget about us...please consider donating to the sale. We’ll take whatever you’d like to bless us with. So what exactly should you donate? This can be a tricky question. You may have a ton of things to get rid of. But ask yourself, is this something that can still be useful for someone else? Anything that you have used but is still in fairly good condition gets the chance to be in our flea market! The way we see it, if we had a thousand things to sell and sold each for a dollar, we would have $1,000! (Of course we are better at pricing than that!)

Some good examples of items we need are:

* Books, Children's, cookbooks, how to
* Sofa's and large pieces of furniture
* Clothing, especially jeans and kid's clothing
* Electronics
* Video games
* Old Jewelry
* Kid's toys
* Leftover building and repair supplies: Paints, tiles, stones, brick
* Sporting goods including swim items
* Bicycles
* Small household items
* Wedding Items
* Flower pots
* Old power tools
* Paintings
* Gardening Tools
* Music CDs
* Lawn care
* Clocks
* Dishes and glassware

You can email us at foothillpc@gmail.com if you need help getting your donations to the church.

Spread the word! We are renting out spaces for just $10. If you, a family member or a neighbor want to be a part of something amazing and at the same time get rid of your stuff – give us a call!

We need volunteers to help at this event. Please contact Kathy Havis-Faler at falerjk@comcast.net to choose a time slot. Blessings to you all!
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Sealcoating the parking lot.

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*Bible Lesson*
Chapel Day with Pastor Ben
Wednesday, May 4

*Spiritual Message*
Faith
Romans 3:28 – For we maintain that man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

*Special Days in May*

5/5 - Mother’s Day Lunch

5/20 - Crazy Hair Day

5/27 - Picnic on the grass

5/7 - Cooking day- We’re making S’mores

See’s Candies Fundraiser

Hip, Hip Hooray ! We made a profit of over $1,000.
Thanks to everyone who participated in our fundraiser. We hope you enjoyed the candy.

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The Semibreve
Jay Jordana, Director of Music Ministries

CHRIST IS RISEN! CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED!

With much love and appreciation to all the Foothill musicians and guests who participated in the Easter service.

Thank you for your time, and continued dedication and commitment to creating transformative worship experiences here at Foothill. You are appreciated by many.

MANY THANKS…
To Benjamin and Dana Marino, Patty Potter, Carol Tillman, Kraig Williams, for the successful production of the Flauti Dolci and Amici II, NACUSA sf concerts. Congratulations to Kraig and Joanne for on their performances.

WE’RE ON YELP!
What is Yelp? *“Yelp is an online urban city guide that helps people find cool places to eat, shop, drink, relax and play, based on the informed opinions of a vibrant and active community of locals in the know. Yelp is the fun and easy way to find, review and talk about what's great — and not so great — in your world.”

Well, guess what? We’re on it!! Check out this link.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/foothill-presbyterian-church-san-jose

Thanks to all who have supported and who continue to support the Music Series.

* http://www.yelp.com/faq#what_is_yelp

MAY PERFORMANCES

Doris Williams
Sunday, May 1st, 3 PM

Performing Love Songs of the Renaissance, vocalist and lutist Doris Williams will feature works by Dowland, Morley, Hofhaimer, Johnson, Guedron, and Attaignant. www.doriswilliams.com

South Bay Philharmonic
Friday, May 13th, 7:30 PM

This All-American Concert will feature Ron Miller’s Overture to a Summer Afternoon, John Knowles Paine’s Overture to Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Aaron Copland’s Prairie Journal, George Gershwin’s An American In Paris, and a medley from Les Misérables.

Monteverdi Brass Quintet
Friday, May 27th, 8 PM

Trumpet players Richard Roper and Robert Wilkins, trombonists Don Benham, Frank Bunger, and Mike Cushing share their passion for chamber and Renaissance music featuring works by Palestrina, Schein, Isaac, and Victoria.

Suggested Donation: $10/person per concert

WHAT’S UP IN THE HOOD?

As you know Vivace Youth Chorus (East) meets here at Foothill on Tuesdays from 4 – 6:45 PM. My class (Intermediate) will have a concert here at Foothill on May 21st at 4 PM. The Peralta Consort has been invited to play in several of the pieces.

For more information, go to www.vivaceyouthchorus.org. Let’s support music in the community! Go East side!

APRIL TIDBIT

Congratulations to Woody Moore for getting the correct response to the question:

Who was the first musician that was mentioned in the Bible?

The correct response is Jubal.
Genesis 4:21
“His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all those who play the lyre and pipe.”

More on Jubal…
(Genesis 4: 17-22)
Okay so here goes:

Adam + Eve
‡
Cain + wife (unknown) , Abel (deceased)
‡
Enoch + wife (unknown)
‡
Irad + wife (unknown)
‡
Mehujael + wife (unknown)
‡
Methusael + wife (unknown)
‡
Lamech + Adah (first wife) + Zillah (second wife)
‡ ‡
Jabal, Jubal Tubal-Cain, Naamah

Whew! Did you get that?

-Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version

MAY TIDBIT

Who was the first female musician named in the Bible?

Please email me your response. If yours is correct, you get to choose the closing hymn of the final worship service this month. First one to let me know the correct answer gets the prize! Hurry!

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Call of the Wild
-Darlene Ristrim

Staff at the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley wish to thank the following who recently answered a call for help in labeling 6,000 envelopes: Joyce Banks, Fred Kromrey, Rosemarie Nelson, Glenda Parmentier, Patty Potter, Darlene Ristrim, Jeanette Roberts, Lila Slanovec, Jane Wallace and Tine Ude.

The Wildlife Center located on Penetencia Rd is a rehab and release facility. You are encouraged to take any injured or orphaned wildlife to them. For more information go to www.wcsv.org. (FYI - Spaulding Norris, a long time Foothill member, was instrumental in the establishment of the Wildlife Center.)
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Celebration of Women
Sunday, May 22nd during the worship service.

Come celebrate the Women of Foothill Church during this special worship service.

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Clothing to Inn Vision
-Darlene Ristrim

A trunk load of clothing was taken to Inn Vision the last week in April.
Suggestions for clothing donations:
• Please see that all donations are bagged
• Paper bags tend to tear in the transportation process
• If possible, please use plastic bags and “tie them off”
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Session Notes- April 2011
-Darlene Ristrim, Clerk of Session

• Building/Grounds requests all committees to complie a “wish list”. This list will be published at a later date
• Reviewed and made recommendations regarding status of roofing
• Nominating Committee seeking two officers to fill vacant positions
• Katelyn Gatzke and Grace Takeda having completed the Confirmation Class will be received into membership on Easter Sunday
• Set May 15 for a Congregational Meeting
• Worship Committee preparing for Holy Week events
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Congratulations to Joanne Reinecker

Joanne has completed her music CD project. The following is Joanne's bio.

Joanne Katherine Reinecker (Trallis)
Professional Singer, Composer, Teacher, and Abstract Artist

Joanne was born Nov. 19, 1932, in Los Angeles, CA. She was raised in Santa Barbara, CA, by a single working mother during the Great Depression. From 1937-1950 she completed her basic education and her introduction to music. Joanne started taking piano lessons at the age of 6 and voice lessons at age 13. In 1947 she studied with the famous concert singer, Judith Litante, who introduced her to the amazing world of German Lieder. In 1952 she took private composition lessons with Donald Pond. Her music studies included University of California-Santa Barbara, University of Southern California an Idyllwild Music course and Light Opera Workshop in 1954.

After completing her BA degree with a music teaching credential in 1955 at San Jose State College, she went to study voice specifically opera in Europe. There she had the opportunity to perform professionally in numerous cathedrals and churches in Germany, in opera like “Rigoletto”, “The Magic Flute”, and ”Orpheus”. Joanne was a member of the renowned Bachchoir Freiburg and lead singer in Gilbert and Sullivan’s “H.M.S. Pinafore”. She performed with Ingrid Sahlin in a Vocal Recital in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1960. As Soprano soloist, in Germany and the U.S., she sang Bach and Mozart Cantatas, Pergolesi’s Passion Music, and Lieder Concerts. She also performed in various local choirs and senior resident homes as a pianist, vocalist and choir member.

Her graduate work continued in Germany at The Freiburg State School of Music in 1955 and a master class in voice in Lucern, Switzerland in 1957. 1957-1962 she was a student at The Conservatory of Music/Opera School in Wiesbaden, Germany. She had four years of private voice lessons from the famous Professor Paul Martienssen-Lohmann. During this time she also attended a master class in opera in Salzburg, Austria at the famous Mozarteum.
Joanne got married in Wiesbaden, Germany, 1962 to Hans Wolfgang Reinecker who recorded many of her songs.

When she returned to San Jose, CA in 1963, she started teaching private piano at her studio. Since 2005 she has been taking private piano lessons from James F. Farber, culminating in a duo recital of piano and voice with original compositions at the Foothill Presbyterian Church in 2008.

At a religious summer conference, 1950 in the Santa Cruz Mountains, “Camps Farthest Out”, Joanne was exposed for the first time to painting and fell in love with pastels. Classical Music, dance motions and rhythm encouraged her to pursue he work in abstract art. The following artists inspired her: Vasilii Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and American geniuses, Jackson Pollock, Vance Kirkland and Lyonel Feininger. Joanne chooses to express herself in bright or (pastel) colors, and rhythms and emotions, like “Water Lilies” by the French Impressionist, Monet.

As a composer, Joanne has 17 original pieces: 14 for piano, 1 for organ, 1 for piano-voice, and 1 for choir. April, 2011, she performed her original piano tone- poem, “The Glory of the Dawn”. She is grateful to Anne Delaney for introducing her to NACUSA and its members enabling her to perform her own works.

“Passion, Expression, and beautiful tone.”
Peter Gaskell Clarke (Played with the Beatles in Liverpool.)
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Vivace Youth Chorus of San Jose Spring Concert
May 21, 2001 at 4:00PM

Ticket prices are $15.00 Adults, $8.00 Youth, 3-17 years
Free admission to Foothill Kids. Contact the church office for details.

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Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

Disaster Relief--Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Disaster relief donations can be made to Foothill and we will forward your money to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.

Disaster Relief--USA Disasters & Emergencies DR000015

Disaster Relief--Japan Earthquake and Tsunami DR000117

These designated accounts supplement the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) offering to enable a significant response for relief and disasters in affected areas. Your faithful giving is deeply appreciated. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) shall honor the requests of donors concerning the use of their gifts for PDA programs; however, if the need for the funds for that specific project no longer exists, then those funds may be applied to a similar project or need at the discretion of PDA.

For more information regarding the PDA their efforts go to http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/pda/

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Foothill CSA Enjoying the Bounty of Creation
Local Produce Direct from the Farm to You

$25 per week. Price will increase to $30 per week in the summer.
Payment: produce shares are on a pre-payment, monthly subscription basis.
Total prepayment is due the last Tuesday of each month

Pick up dates and times:
Foothill Presbyterian Church narthex
Tuesdays 10:30am to 9pm

To register
email or call peg:
foothillpc@gmail.com or 408-258-8133.
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Church eDirectory
This year the church directory is available in PDF format. Traditional paper directories are also available. Contact the church office to request a copy of the church directory.

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The Life of a Seminary Student & Chaplain
-Maxine Millender

He who holds the stars in space holds HIS people in HIS hands-SPER

The month of March was a busy month for me with deaths (8), strokes (3), stabbings (4), crisis calls (13), motor vehicle accidents (9), heart attacks (4), miscarriages (2), rape (1), code blues (4), and assaults (1) and this is in addition to the regular visits I make.

As I walk the halls to the room, or head to ER, or labor and delivery, I am thankful that I get to work doing what I have been called to do. When I make the phone call to a family in the middle of the night to say, “Your love one is in the hospital” it can be an anxious time for them. When I have to verify a birth date or something else to be sure I am talking to family, this scares people. Since I have learned to identify myself as an employee of the hospital, sometimes the person feels more at ease. When I put the RN or Doctor on the phone, they feel better about receiving a medical update but still pretty anxious.

Read More Life of a Seminary Student & Chaplain

Before they leave for the hospital, I inform them to ask for me by name at the ER desk and this helps them feel a little better. It’s the joy of finding a family that makes my search worthwhile. Sometimes I am on the phone with a police person or on the internet trying to find family if there is no wallet or cell phone. When the family member comes to the hospital and I meet them, they thank me for being there and immediately ask how the person is doing. Of course I cannot give any medical information to the family but I explain why and most times they are ok. When they realize that I am also an advocate for them, they feel better.

There are many patients that I see and what I share with you gives you a glimpse of what I do at the hospital. As you can see from the above numbers, I have had many crisis calls and recently women being raped. What happens is I speak to the patient, the RN sees her and then we have to tell her she will be going to another hospital because ours is not equipped to handle rape cases. I found out today that our hospital will have a rape RN and crisis counselor to support women who have been raped so they can stay in one place. This was excellent news given to me.

The miscarriages were difficult calls because both patients wanted their babies and questioned why it happened to them and they had been doing everything right. There are no easy answers to give them but what I can say is I am here for you and I don’t have the answer for you. In both of these calls, the husbands have been crying with his spouse. I am a non-anxious presence who is with them in their need and this is a blessing.

One of the deaths was a 1 day old little girl who was born at 23 weeks with abnormalities. She was born alive and her Mom wanted her baptized. I provided a service for the family, baptized the baby, held her, and hugged her Mom. The entire family was in tears and when I informed the Mom that she would receive a baptism certificate and naming certificate, she was very happy. She wanted to hold her baby and could not decide if she wanted to bury or cremate her. We discussed what each meant and I asked her to decide what she wanted based on her faith tradition and what she believed, but to take her time. What joy I receive when I am able to be that non-anxious presence who is willing to meet them where they are.

Death is never an easy thing no matter if you have prepared for it or not. When EMS brought a 69 year old man in, he had a mechanical pump pumping his heart to keep him alive. His family was enroute to the hospital but he died before they arrived. When they arrived, I put them in a family waiting room; got the Doctor who was a little anxious but I informed him that family was waiting for him to tell them something. When he informed them that the patient had died, the son threw his keys on the floor, hit the wall, and ran out of the room cursing. He was in shock. When he came back into the room, he said. “My Dad can’t be dead; he was alive when EMS was there.” When he didn’t realize was EMS had been doing CPR for 40 minutes and it continued at the hospital. It was sad and all ER deaths have to be reported to the medical examiner’s office. Sometimes the family wants prayer and a service and sometimes they just want peace and quiet, which I give to them.

What has been surprising and scary to me is the heart attack patients that are in their mid-50’s. I often tell the other Chaplains that this is scary because it is close to my age and when I visit, I sometimes see an image that says please be sure to spend extra time with me.

Seminary status
The time off from school was a nice break with lots of reading and writing. I received a B on my Christian Education paper and currently I’m working on the 2nd one which will probably be much longer because of the Sunday school teaching, which ends on 4/3. My Theology mid-term was completed and the only assignment left is the Credo which is due on 5/2. My conflict and reconciliation case study has been written and it is due in two weeks. I am waiting for my Religion paper on war to be returned and hope I received a B or better. We are now reading and discussing abortion. This is a difficult discussion for the entire class and our 12-page paper is due on 4/28.

I have registered for the summer school class which is Pastoral care to children and youth. The fall class is Disciples History and will be on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 3:30. It will be a blessing to have one class but it is a difficult class with lots of reading and writing that includes a 20-page research paper.

Thank you for your continued prayers.
~ to be continued~

Worry is pulling tomorrow’s CLOUDS over today’s SUNSHINE-Adrian Rogers

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