April 2011

A Note From Pastor Ben

Friends,

Living, as I do, in California I have long lamented the fact that the fruit from the olive trees that grow all over the place goes to waste. I love to eat olives and I use olive oil every day in my cooking, and so I’ve asked around about why we don’t eat our olives, and why people don’t press the olives to make oil. Mostly, as far as I can tell the olives just get ripe, fall of the trees, and make a mess on the ground.

“These olives are too bitter,” is the usual response, often followed by a vaguely scientific warning: “curing olives is a complicated process, involving lye and other dangerous and noxious chemicals.” It made curing olives seem as mysterious and dangerous as hunting for mushrooms.

This advice was discouraging to me but I believed it until I read a book called Olives: The Life and Lore of a Noble Fruit by Mort Rosenblum. Part travel writing, part natural history, part geopolitical commentary, and part cookbook, Olives gave me an appreciation for the rich history of that salty, savory fruit I like so much, and here’s something I learned: using chemicals is one way to cure olives, but for the most part, over the last five thousand years or so, people have used brine. This makes sense. Olives were first cured in the Mediterranean world, I don’t know if the ancient Greeks, for example, had lye, but I do know that they had a big ocean full of salt water, and that’s all it takes to cure olives.

So I’ve decided to cure olives. I picked a few pounds of ripe olives off a tree at the Gilroy Presbyterian Church (I was there for a meeting), and now they’re sitting on my kitchen counter in a glass jar of brine. They’re starting to taste good; by Easter they should be ready to eat.

Here’s the point of all of this: all too often we allow our world to be defined technologically. We expect our food to be grown on a factory farm and processed in a laboratory. We use our computers to form and maintain friendships. We text, we tweet, and there’s an app for much of what we need.

But the olives on my counter remind me that ancient rules and truths still apply. We don’t need technology any more than an olive needs a chemical bath to taste good. What we do need—our “brine” if you will—is the love of friends and the grace of God to sustain us. And if to that we can add a bit of beauty and a modicum of tenderness, we will happy in ways that cannot be delivered technologically.

Now, having said all that those olives had better turn out tasty. If they do, I might try to press some olives next year.

Best,

Ben
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Ray and Virginia Mignogna are moving East

Join us next week, Sunday, April 10th during coffee hour as we bid farewell to Ray and Virginia Mignogna, who we will miss dearly.

Ray and Virginia are leaving San Jose for the East Coast to be closer to Virginia’s family.

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Holy Week Worship Schedule

April 17, Palm Sunday
Worship service at 10:30AM

April 21, Maundy Thursday
There will be a Simple Supper at 6PM
in our Fellowship Hall, Worship service follows at 7:30

April 22, Good Friday
“Way of the Cross” worship service in Alum Rock Park at Noon
Worship service will be held in our sanctuary at 3PM

April 23, Great Vigil of Easter
Easter Vigil Service will be held at 8 pm in our sanctuary

April 24, Easter Sunday
Join us in the celebration of the Risen Lord
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Planning Ahead in the Garden
Jump Into Spring
-Marilyn Kromrey

The Community Gardens of Foothill Presbyterian Church will host a Saturday morning question & answer seminar featuring Bob Tanem on April 9th at 9:30am in Fellowship Hall.

Bob is a retired nurseryman and is referred to as "America's Happy Gardener". Bob hosts a Sunday morning radio show from 7am - 10am Sundays on Hot Talk KSFO 560 AM. He has a great sense of humor and a wealth of knowledge about gardening. He will be answering your questions about garden pests (ants, deer, varmints), fertilizer, sprays, organic gardening and composting to name a few.

His books "Annuals for Northern California", "Perennials for Northern California", "Trees & Shrubs for Northern California" and "Gardening Month by Month in Northern California" will be available for purchase.

So if you have garden questions now is the time to ask an expert. Pass the news along to your gardening friends and neighbors. Come join us for morning coffee and a chat with Bob Tanem. Call the church office if you have questions at 258-8133.
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Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

Disaster Relief--Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Donations can be made to Foothill and we will forward your money to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. If you would like to make a donation directly to PDA, you can go online and reference DR000117.

This designated account supplements the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) offering to enable a significant response for relief and disasters in Japan. 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.

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Per Capita Progress
$1,908 Still Uncollected

Thank you to all who have paid per capita. We’ve still got a way to go. Here’s our progress:

Per capita bill $5,975
Collected to date $4,067
Variance $1,908

As you can see, we still could use your help. Per Capita amount is at least $30 per person again this year. We ask that you pay your per capita as soon as possible. If you are unable to pay your per captia, please contact the church office.

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

Cost: $25 per week
($100 for months with 4 Tuesdays & $125 for months with 5 Tuesdays)

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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Recipe Corner

BAKED APPLE AND CARROT CASSEROLE

5 tart apples such as Granny Smith, thinly sliced
2 cups cooked carrots sliced
6 T sugar mixed with 2T flour, dash salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg
3/4 cup of orange juice
2T triple sec (orange liqueur)

Place layer of apples in a 9 by 12 Pyrex. Cover with carrots, sprinkle with 1/2 of dry mix. Repeat layers.

Pour juice mixture over all.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Test apples for desired tenderness.

Nutrition Facts based on 8 servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 129, Calories from Fat 1, Total Fat 0.2g, Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol, 0mg 0%, Sodium 335mg, Total Carbohydrates 30.4g,
Dietary Fiber 4.4g, Sugars 26.4g , Protein 0.7g
Vitamin A 135% • Vitamin C 34% •Calcium 3% • Iron 3%
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*Bible Lesson*
Chapel Day with Pastor Ben
Wednesday, April 6

*Spiritual Message*
Kindness
The generous person will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.
-Proverbs 11:25

*Special Days in April*

4/19
We are making Cascarones. A Mexican tradition. These are eggs that have been hollowed out and have a surprise filling.
4/20
Easter Egg Dyeing Day
4/21
Easter Egg Hunt
4/29
Fieldtrip to Bounce-A-Rama

Just in time for Easter
Foothill Christian Preschool’s See’s Candies Fundraiser

Foothill Christian Preschool is having a See’s Candies Fundraiser and we are inviting all the members and friends of THE FOOTHILL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH to join in. Order forms with more information will be available in the Narthex.
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Refugee Foster Care Team

The Refugee Foster Care Team is urgently looking for a temporary foster placement for a 13 year old Sri Lankan youth.

He has family in Toronto, Canada and will likely reunify with them but there are several steps his attorneys must take first. We think that he will need placement for about 6 months or less while the legal process is completed. He has cerebral palsy which came about because of a head injury he suffered when his village was attacked by Tamil rebels when he was a young child. Shrapnel entered his brain and caused some physical disability: his arm is deformed and he walks with a limp. He is on medication for epilepsy and has not had a seizure in over a year. Aside from the physical disability, he's quite a charming young kid, bright, energetic, active, and a normal 13 year old. He's been in a shelter with 25 other youth for 6 months now, and should instead be in a family environment.

If you know of anyone who might be a match for this boy and is willing to get certified, please contact Pastor Ben.

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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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No More Household Battery Collection

The County of Santa Clara Household Hazardous Waste Program has discontinued it's battery collection partner program. As of March 30, 2011 Foothill is no longer a battery recycling partner with the county.

The program is ending because it is too successful. The cost to pick up and process the batteries from non-retail battery recycling partners was too great and cut from the operating budget. By allowing drop off only at stores, the cost of the program is transferred to the retailer.

Household batteries can be dropped off at Orchard Supply on Alum Rock. For more drop off locations go to http://www.sccgov.org/SCC/docs/Environmental%20Health,%20Department%20of%20%28DEP%29/attachments/HHW%20Attachments/Battery%20Recyclers.pdf.
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The Semibreve
Jay Jordana, Director of Music Ministries


MANY THANKS
to Greg Hill, Dawn Imada, Benjamin and Dana Marino, Patty Potter, Jerry Siegfried, Carol Tillman for help in concert production of the Gabrieli West. Many thanks to Kraig Williams for the work he does in promoting early music at Foothill, and in the South Bay.

APRIL OFFERINGS
Flauti Dolci & Amici II
Saturday, April 2nd, 3 PM

More recorder consorts and mixed ensembles from around the Bay Area: Camerata California, Quartetto Paradiso, Ensemble Sonoma, and SDQ come together to perform early music and recent works.


National Association of Composers USA (San Francisco Chapter)
Sunday, April 10th, 3 PM

Composers & Friends Concert II presents new American music for piano, guitar, violin, clarinet, and voice written by outstanding Bay Area composers: Michael Barnett, Mark Behm, Simon Bokman, Robert R. Conrad, L Peter Deutsch, Hubert Ho, Joanne Reinecker, and Davide Verotta. http://www.music-usa.org/nacusa/


Harmonie Felice
Saturday, April 16th, 3 PM

Featuring music of the late French Baroque, Kati Kyme, baroque violin; Yueh Chou, Baroque bassoon; Amy Brodo, cello and viola da gamba; and Katherine Heater, harpsichord will perform works by Marin Marais, Elisabeth Claude-Jacquet de la Guerre, Francois Couperin, and others.


Suggested Donation: $10/person per concert


SNEAK PEAK
Doris Williams - Sunday, May 1st, 3 PM
Featuring Love Songs of the Renaissance, vocalist and lutist Doris Williams performs the music of Dowland, Morley, Hofhaimer, Johnson, Guedron, and Attaignant. www.doriswilliams.com

Monteverdi Brass Quintet – Friday, May 2th, 8 PM

WHAT’S UP IN THE HOOD?
West Valley College Music Department boasts of two choirs: Chamber Singers, and West Valley College Masterwork Chorale. The latter is a chorus of 30 members whose ages range from 19 – 70 years. As members of West Valley College Masterwork Chorale, Libby and Woody Moore performed in a successful concert on Thursday, March 24th in the school’s Performing Arts Theatre. Conducted by Director of the Choral Department Lou Dela Rosa, the well-attended concert featured Faure’s Pavanne, local composer Henry Mollicone’s When the Stars Are Gone, Paul Halley’s Ubi Caritas, which featured Gregorian Chant over West African Yoruba. The exciting part is that our own Libby Moore was the featured soloist in a Norman Luboff arrangement of All My Trials.

For more information on their upcoming May concert, stay tuned!

Congratulations to Libby and Woody!


MONTHLY TIDBIT
Congratulations to Joanne Reinecker for getting the correct response to the question:

What is tactus?

More on tactus…
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the word beat was called tactus. Marked by the rising and falling of the hand, tactus was thought to equal the pulse of a man breathing. That would be 60-70 beats per minute.

*Randel, Don Michael, ed. The New Harvard Dictionary of Music, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1986.


APRIL TIDBIT
Who was the first musician that was mentioned 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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Presbyterian Women’s Spiritual Nurture Retreat
Saturday, April 30th, 9 am- 2:30 pm

Santa Teresa Hills Presbyterian Church
5370 Snell Ave, San Jose.

The theme of this retreat is “Letting Scripture Read You: Experience God Through Guided Meditation”. Registration fee is $30 (before April 9th), $35 (after April 9th). The presenters are The Rev. Kim Engelmann and Nancy Aird. Anyone interested in attending should contact Claudia Hamm (408) 356-6665 or Jane Odell (408)279-0220 (Presbytery Office).
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Foothill Women’s Fellowship Group

Women’s Brunch was held on February 22, 2011. Thanks to everyone who attended and especially those who contributed food.

The women of Foothill decided to create a committee to carry out the goals that the Foothill Women’s Fellowship Group hope to achieve. Suggestions for goals are: focus on friendship and service; keep the projects local (i.e. Teen Challenge); create a phone tree for the group for communication purposes; encourage support for each other (i.e., visits with those who are ill); put together the cookbook; bible study group; and continue having the Women’s Brunches. A suggested alternative to brunches is a Coffee and Dessert gathering after church on Sunday.

The committee members are: Karen Withrow, Joyce Banks, Glenda Parmentier, Isabelle Taylor, Pat Heisey and Marilyn Kromery. We welcome and encourage all of the women of Foothill to become involved with the Foothill Women’s Fellowship Group.
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Just Coffee Group Order

If you are interested in trying this fair trade coffee, you can get in on the next group order by contacting Peg in the church office. By placing group orders we are able to reduce our cost by sharing the shipping expense.

To see what products are available and to learn more about Just Coffee, go to http://www.justcoffee.org. Contact Peg in the church office to place your order.
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The Life of a Seminary Student & Chaplain
-Maxine Millender


Losing your temper is no way to get rid of it-anonymous

The month of February is a month to remember because we had a week off due to bad weather. During this month I have seen many deaths, gunshot wounds, multiple assaults, motor vehicle accidents, heart attacks, withdrawals from life support, and a bull riding accident.

When I am called to a crisis and family is not available, I immediately put on plastic gloves and go through the patient’s personal belongings. If the person has a cell phone I am hoping it has ICE (in case of emergency) in the contact’s list and this way, I can make a call immediately. If not I call the police department, get on the internet, or call information. Sometimes it is difficult to get a family member to come without giving them medical information due to the HIPPA laws. I have learned never to say I am a Chaplain because this can cause anxiety in some people. When a family member comes to the hospital, this is my joy because I have connected the patient with someone familiar. Sometimes the patient does not want anyone called and I spend a lot more time with them.

When a young man (28 years) was brought in because he was involved in a bull riding accident, I could not imagine what type it was. The clouds were not right for care flight to bring him so they had to put him in an ambulance and drive for one hour but we were all ready for him. When I saw him, my mouth hung open and I thank God his brother in law rode with him. The bull’s head jerked up and the patient went forward and both met in mid-air. Most of the patient’s jaw was missing and I am not sure if he had many teeth left. When I spent time with his brother in law, I was informed that he is a professional bull rider and his Dad is also. The patient has been hospitalized before but this is the worst accident he has had. He was rushed to OR where they worked on him for 4 hours. His Dad drove from New Orleans and his Mom drove from Corpus Christi. His sister came from 1 hour away and his girlfriend drove with her. I spent a lot of time with this family and when the entire family was together, I advocated on their behalf to the RN and was able to get them to his room, especially his Mom and Dad. This is the joy I get when everyone can feel and breathe much better. He is in intensive care and will be for at least one week.

A lady (51 years) was brought in from church because she had a headache and then passed out. When they took what’s called a CATscan, they discovered a very large mass which was inoperative. This was a very large family who were in shock. The patient’s husband was so shocked, he could not speak. Imagine going to church, you have a headache, and never wake up from it. The family was informed their loved one would never have a quality of life and they were asked what they would like to do. The Father said his wife would never want to live this way. Her children (2 daughters and 4 sons) was crying hysterically and trying to understand how this happened and how they would live without their Mom who was their lifeline. I offered prayer but they did not want it because they informed me they were Mormon and explained to me their Pastor had been with them and prayed. After making a decision to make her a DNR (do not resuscitate), she was withdrawn from life support and immediately taken to our palliative care unit. She was in this unit for 15 minutes and quietly died with her children at her bedside. Her husband had left the hospital to find a funeral home. When we called the medical examiner, they worked with us and said if the Doctor would sign the death certificate, they would release to the funeral home. The RN called the emergency doctor and he said he would sign and we were happy about this. Before leaving the hospital, the family hugged me and thanked me for being there with them and explaining everything to them. I don’t look for praise or anything but when it comes, I am happy that I can be there to help a family in crisis.

I don’t particular care for guns now with so much violence and know if you are not careful it can go off when you least expect it. This was the case of a young man (25 years) who was partying with his wife. He got jealous, left the club, was driving down the freeway, reached into his glove compartment, took out his gun, and was trying to balance it on his lap while driving. The gun went off and he was shot in his right leg and private parts. He drove himself to the hospital and when I went into the room, he proceeded to tell me what happened and said, “I know it was stupid but I was mad.” When I called his wife she did not want to come to the hospital but I convinced her it was the right thing to do. When she arrived, I took her to his room and spent time with her. She thanked me for being there for him. He was released after being stitched.

Seminary status
I received a B on my 2nd Religion and Violence paper and a B- on the third one. I have one due this week and I have to complete the reading. I was able to complete my 15 page paper for Education and hope to get a good grade on it. I am enjoying teaching but it is a lot of work and I have 3 more classes to complete. We are all looking forward to our spring break during the week of March 14th.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

~ to be continued~

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