October 30, 2012
It is Monday morning. I am pondering the Giants World Series win. As a loyal A’s fan I have difficulty joining the celebration. Still, I am happy that so many of my friends are happy – just as long as their joy does not cause me any discomfort, inconvenience, expense or irritation.
The prayers of the nation are with the citizens of the mid-Atlantic states where Hurricane Sandy is soon to make landfall. The forecasts of extensive damage are foreboding. Karen, her mom, her aunt, Kristen, David and I are scheduled to travel to New York City on Thursday. I am planning to attend the 221st Annual Meeting of the American Baptist Churches of Metropolitan New York on Saturday and scheduled to preach at Madison Avenue Baptist Church on Sunday. We are monitoring the situation and trying to anticipate how the aftermath of the storm might affect our plans. (Tuesday update- Prayers continue for the people of the East Coast. The Mayor of New York is calling Sandy the most devastating storm in the history of the city. We have decided to cancel our travel plans. I have been in touch with Susan Sparks, the Pastor of Madison Avenue Baptist, where there is currently no water and no power. She is appreciative of the prayers of Lakeshore. She was scheduled to speak in Atlanta this weekend but will likely be staying in NYC,)
Allison will be our preacher at LABC as we observe All Saints Sunday. Her sermon is titled “Living Like Saints.” She will lift up the everyday, as opposed to the extraordinary, dimension of sainthood. As I listen in on her pre-sermon deliberations I hear her echoing Martin Luther who, in the words of Professor Lisa Driver, was upset with his fellow Christians for “scorning God;s everyday miracles in everything from agricultural production to family life to Christ crucified.” Luther’s words were “But we are deaf, blind, and stupid; nor do we marvel at anything except at those things that appear to be extraordinary.”
Thanks to Paige Bence, members of the Department of Worship and Congregational Care and to all who helped make Diversity Month a wonderful experience. May we continue to value persons of every age and every stage. Thanks also to Helen Harrison and all who volunteered for another outstanding Harvest Festival and Halloween Parade. It was another outstanding gift to our community.
Prayers of the Congregation
- All who are grieving
- All who are traveling
- All who are preparing to vote
- Kay Baxter for Stacey, Jamie and herself. Also, Thanksgiving for the life of Tina Jones
- Bette Pancoe
- Sandra Dunn for her father
- Jessica Ross and Jeanette Paige for Joshua
- Shirley Jones for Andrew Groth and family
- Rowena Jackson for Erica Lucas and Peg Shaw
- Warren and Camille Parker for Warren’s sisters Minnie and Glenora and for their friend Betty
- Jan Scott and family, a week of remembering
- Helen Harrison for Mike Casey and family on the death of his wife Karen
- Thanksgiving for the work of the LABC Nominating Committee
- Thanksgiving for the work of the LABC Budget Committee
- Thanksgiving for the ministry of the American Baptist Churches of Metropolitan New York and Executive Minister James Stallings
- Thanksgiving for the ministry of Madison Avenue Baptist Church and Pastor Susan Sparks
- The Oakland community as it mourns the death of attorney Warren Wilson