May 17, 2016

Dear LABC,
Let be begin with a thank you from the Hopkins family for all the prayers, congratulations and good thoughts on the birth of Thomas Hudson Hopkins (son of Aaron and Teresa, little brother of Henry) on May 12. He and his mom are home from the hospital and doing well.
Among the major invitations for the week ahead are a lecture at ABSW on Thursday evening by Brent Walker of the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty, the ABSW graduation on Saturday (congratulations to Curtis Brown and Paul Keener), and worship on May 22 with longtime friend of Lakeshore, the Reverend Dr. Don Ng (immediate past-president of the American Baptist Churches as well as Lauren’s dad) preaching.
Don will be with us as we continue our celebration of Asian – Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The Reverend Margaret Cowden, retired American Baptist leader, will be the speaker at the ABSW graduation (2:00 at the Oakland Burmese Mission Baptist Church/ Oakland FBC). There is no more timely topic than the place of religious liberty in our society, the subject of Brent’s address (7:00 in Hobart Hall, ABSW).
The following quote from the April 17 Los Angeles Times represents the kind of reasoning that is much needed in the current debates about the place of religion and religious liberty in our society. “Bill Haslam, Republican governor on Tennessee, recently vetoed a bill that would have made the Bible the official state book. Haslam is a Christian who says his favorite authors are Phillip Yancey and Eugene Peterson. The governor saith the nation’s founders ‘recognized that when the church and state were combined, it was the church the suffered in the long run.’ Treating the Bible as a cultural artifact trivializes it, he argued. ”
I hope to see you in the week ahead as we study, serve and worship.
Jim H.

Prayers of the Congregation

• Thanksgiving with Aaron and Teresa and Henry on the birth of Thomas Hudson
• Thanksgiving for the ministry of East Bay Housing Organization as Affordable Housing Week begins
• Thanksgiving for the ministry of ABSW as Commencement Week begins and as Interim President Nick Carter begins his work
• Thanksgiving with Jamie Reid and family on the completion of his training program
• Thanksgiving with all who are celebrating birthdays in May
• Michelle Smith as she mourns the death of her mother
• Joan Thatcher (health concerns)
• All our home bound members
• Rowena Jackson for her granddaughter, Ivy, as she turns 13
• All our students, teachers and school employees
• All who participated in Thursday evening’s Ceasefire Call-in, may they find opportunity, stability and encouragement
• Al Johnson and Roy Browner
• Safety for all who are traveling
• Thanksgiving for all the beautiful music that is part of our life at LABC
• Geetha Thaker as she interviews for jobs in the Bay Area
• Charlotte Myers for her sister, Myrna (hospice care)
• Idris Webb and family
• Gloria Meads (health concerns)
• Thanksgiving with Greg and Jan Ledbetter on the birth of their second grandson, Jack
• Elizabeth Osajindu and family
• Michele Austin as she preaches at FBC Berkeley this Sunday
• The Seafarer’s Ministry of the Golden Gate as it plans for the future

Announcements

The memorial service for Greg Murai (LABC has been greatly blessed by his music) will be this Saturday, May 21 at 3:00 at Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church