August 20, 2013
This is the week that many families make the Back to School transition. Prayers for all who are negotiating this sometimes difficult adjustment. It is also the week that life at Lakeshore gets back to full speed with the restart of our Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning Bible studies (we will continue our reading of Exodus with chapter 21) and the first Church Council meeting since June.
The memorial service for Beverly Cooper will be help Saturday afternoon at 3:00. I hope many of you will be able to attend and share your gratitude for all that Bev meant to us. If you can bring a plate of cookies for the reception it would be greatly appreciated.
On Sunday we will commemorate the 50th anniversary (August 28, 1963) March for Jobs and Freedom at which Dr. King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. The march was a tipping point in the history of the United States. John Yemma, editor of the Christian Science Monitor writes, “Millions changed their minds. Within a year the Civil Rights Act was law, Public space and workplaces changed. Discrimination was outlawed.”
Sheila Brown, who traveled from her home in Rochester, New York to participate in the march, will share her recollections. The theme of my sermon will be that tit was he hundreds of thousands who attended the March made the speeches of the day, as important as they were, significant. It remains true; showing up is often what matters most.
The Reverend Stacey Reid Johnson will be in town to visit her mom (Kay Baxter) and will participate in the service as will a gifted young cellist, Hallie Pridham.
Prayers of the Congregation
- Phil and Gloria Meads – Max Powers (hospice care), People of Egypt, People of Syria, Peace talks in Israel, June and Billy
- Thanksgiving with Warren and Camille Parker as they celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary on August 30
- The Dees-Dickerson family – Grace as she heads off to college and for all other new and returning students and their families
- Larry Sims for his sister Rene and his daughter in law Sheila (surgery on August 22)
- Jim Jeffrey – medical concerns
- Joan Thatcher – medical concerns
- Cecil White for his brother Sam hospitalized in Illinois
- Steve and Carol Leichter
- Kay Baxter – Stacey and Jamie
- Helen Harrison – the Espaniola family
- Katrina Lau for her father and grandmother
- My sister Beth – medical concerns, in the midst of moving to Denver area
- Fannye Leary – Alta Bates Hospital
- Johanna Wilkinson and family on the death of a three year old cousin, Jezzrial, in Las Vegas
- Evelyn Wong on the death of her son Johnathan
Announcements
The American Baptist Seminary of the West is looking for both a Director of Development/Communications and a Registrar/Director of Student Services. Job descriptions and resume submission information are available at www.absw.edu.
Thanks to the multi-talented Karen Okusu for seeing to it that the decorations for Vacation Bible School were taken to Mexico by one her friends for use in a VBS there.
The New St. Paul Community Baptist Church is hosting its Annual Prayer Breakfast on Saturday, August 31 at 9:00 at the West Oakland Senior Center. I will be serving at the Master of Ceremonies for the morning. I have some $10 tickets if you would like to join me.
The Recycling Crew tells me they could use a few more volunteers. Contact Ann Fields or Jessie Lucas.
Got a text from Griff Rollefson and Mary King. They, and Augie, are well. They send their greetings to everyone and want us to know that instead of moving to Berlin as planned, Griff has accepted a job at Cambridge and they are scrambling to change visas!