August 19, 2014

Thanks to Sydney Webster for her excellent pulpit work on Sunday and to Gerry Grosz for the wonderful music. Both spoke grace to a congregation that, as evidenced by the concerns lifted in the Concerns and Celebrations portion of the service, is bearing some heavy burdens.
We continue to listen to the voices of the Psalms this Sunday as we turn our attention to Psalm 138. This Psalm of praise extols the ways and words of the LORD. One verse of this hymn of thanksgiving is, “For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away.” My translation – “Our God is drawn to those who acknowledge their own need; this same God, however, is put off by those who specialize in singing their own praises.”
The psalm directs us away from self-congratulation and toward involvement with those who are mentally, physically and spiritually worn out, to those who need our prayerful support and our political attention.

Prayers of the Congregation

• George, Sandra and Victor Lee as they mourn the death of Sylvia
• Zondra Martin as she mourns the death of her mother, Letha Bryant
• Sheila Sims for her father
• Jewelle Gibbs for her the health of her niece following surgery and for all victims of racism, ethnic and religious intolerance in this country and the rest of the world
• Georgia Upshaw for Irene Jennings
• Karen Hopkins for her friend Connie and all who are looking for jobs
• Kristen Wilson for Steve who is facing brain surgery
• Thanksgiving with Kay Baxter for Stacey (job hunting) and Jamie (new rehab program at Paradise Baptist Church)
• Thanksgiving with Celestine Bennett on her return home and for the improvement in her sister’s health
• Connie Hector as she cares for her mother in law
• Ann Fields for her family
• Helen Roberson and family
• Barry Breaux for his  mom and his aunt
• Phil and Gloria Meads for June and Billy
• Dwight Dickerson for his family
• Al Johnson and Roy Browner (stability)
• The Milcoff family
• Dave and Sheryl Gattey for friend Lori and for Dave Ferguson (Open Door Mission)
• Peg Shaw (The Grove, Piedmont Gardens)
• The peace of our city
• Toni Daniels and all who are incarcerated
• All our college age and young adult members
• Sandra Dunn for her father
• Jamal Fountaine for his dad
• Theresako Harris and Doris Evans both request prayers for all the  students who are heading back to school
• The Wilkinson family for Gloria Joseph and  for their housing search
• Pat Hughes for her sister in law, Florence
• Mary Karne for her daughter Maryla
• Shirley Jones
• Steve and Carol Leichter
• Katrina Lau for her grandmother
• Margaret Oladoja and family
• Charlene Wolf for her mom
• Maxwell Vines for his family and for safe travels
• Crena Alexander for her mom and dad
• Jan Scott as she continues to recuperate
• Joan Thatcher recuperating from eye surgery
• The State of California as it responds to the current drought
• Ken Kirkey for his father Ken Kirkey Sr., recuperating from cancer
• The immigrant children (and their families) being held at the border and at centers around the country
• All who are traveling
• Peace in the Middle East and comfort for all the grieving families. May the cycle of atrocity upon atrocity be broken.
• Marie Johnson for Dahlia and Oscar (battling cancer), Doreen, Jamani, Amy and Kevin (unwanted workplace changes) and herself
• Sydney Webster for her Aunt Ayana
• All our students, teachers and school employees as the academic year begins
• Don Johnson and Nicole Pallios and their families as they prepare for their August 31 wedding
• The Kachin people as they seek justice and freedom
• President Obama as he leads in troubled times
• The Evans, Edwards and Leche families
• Warren and Camille Parker for Glenora  Smith (aging sister) and George Brown (ailing nephew)
• Paul Keener for his mother who has been hospitalized
• Jeanne Robinson for her niece Kristen Fry as she returns to her ministry at Dwelling Places (work with children and their families in Uganda
• Rowena Jackson for her family
• Thanksgiving with Patricia Butterfield on her daughter’s new job
• Larry Sims for his family
• Cordia Lee for her workplace, her family and her self
• Thanksgiving for the ministry of our Lakeshore Children’s Center as the school year begins and as many new students begin at the Center. It is an anxious time for many families.
• For our PICO friends and colleagues working for justice in Ferguson, MO. For information from the scene not available in the national press follow @PICOnetwork on Twitter

In an essay in the Sunday, August 17, San Francisco Chronicle Lakeshore member Jewelle Taylor Gibbs  writes of how the death of Michael Brown reveals the need for a new commitment on the part of the United States of America to the well being of the young citizens of our cities.

Announcements

The Funeral for Sylvia Lee will be held Saturday, August 30 at 11:00 at:

Albert Brown Mortuary
3476 Piedmont Ave
Oakland

The interment service will follow at:

Golden Hill Memorial Park
2099 Hillside Blvd
Colma

A luncheon will follow the internment to which Lakeshore members are invited. There will a Memorial Service at Lakeshore later in September.
Looking for a pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon? Join the “Walk For Congo” this Saturday  at 1:00. The afternoon will include a walk around the lake, speakers, music and food. The festivities will begin and end in Barnett Hall. The cost for this fund raising event is $35 per family.