April 2, 2019
Family,
Your demonstration of love on the occasion of my 30th Anniversary as your pastor was amazing, moving, and inspiring. The entire Hopkins/Phillips family felt greatly loved. You made us feel like we matter. A profound thank you to all who planned, prepared, spoke, wrote, sang, cooked, cleaned, decorated, prayed, attended, congratulated or presented. The establishment of the H. James Hopkins Award is something I will always treasure. The weekend in The City is something Karen I will greatly enjoy. There is little more I can say beyond “Let’s spend many more years encouraging each other to be Jesus in our community!”
Worship this Sunday will include a service of Communion and a time of remembrance for David Rovenpera. The central Scripture will be Isaiah 43:16-21. In my sermon I will lift up the words of our own David Bartlett – A big part of what we do at church is “remember what God has done and anticipate the ever-new thing God is about to do.”
The sudden death of my beloved colleague, Father Jay Matthews, Rector of The Cathedral of Christ the Light, leaves a hole in my heart and a hole in the heart of Oakland. He was truly Oakland’s pastor.
This is my Facebook Post from Sunday morning.
I just learned of the death of my colleague, and one of Oakland’s great religious leaders, Father Jay Matthews, Rector of the Cathedral of Christ the Light. This verse seems to fit.
Jeremiah 42:2b-3 [The people] Pray for all of us who have survived. Once there were many of us; but now only a few of us are left, as you can see. Pray that the Lord our God will show us the way we should go and what we should do.”
Jim H.
Prayers of the Congregation
Sheila Sims and family for her mom, Helen; All who are grieving the death of Father Jay Matthews; All who are grieving the death of rapper and community activist, Nippsey Hussle; Thanksgiving with Pam and Garry Fingar as they celebrate their 50th Anniversary; Mary Karne for Maryla; Kay Baxter for Jamie; Joan Patten for Sierra; Thanksgiving for Oakland Fire Department and the first responders of our community; Thanksgiving for the congregational leaders of LABC; Zondra Martin for her family; All immigrants, refugees and displaced persons; victims of the flooding in the midwest; Elisabeth Middelberg as she mourns the loss of her mother; Peter Yuichi Clark (health); Pastor Naw San and the San Francisco Kachin Baptist Church; Tyrone Mack for his family; Jewelle and James Gibbs; Al Johnson and Roy Browner; Larry Sims for his family; Thanksgiving for all who are working to build affordable housing; Thanksgiving for the ministry of our Lakeshore Children’s Center
Announcements
The California Poor People’s Campaign Statewide Bus Tour will visit Oakland this coming Saturday, April 6, at 2:00 p.m. at Taylor United Methodist Church (11th and Adeline). For more information email amanda.baldiga@gmail.com.
Hunger Task Force will hold its annual Fair following worship.
April is Earth Month!