September 20, 2016
On any given day in the life of a congregation Thank You’s and Recognitions are in order. Indeed, they could easily fill every Midweek Message. They are most certainly in order at this writing for everyone who came to the All Church Clean-up Day on Saturday, everyone who helped lead worship on Homecoming Sunday, everyone who participated in, brought food for and helped clean up at our Homecoming Luncheon and everyone who planned for, led and participated in the Long Range Planning Conversations. It wasn’t a perfect Sunday (I don’t know if such a thing exists) but it was a worthy Sunday, reflecting well on your faith in, and commitment to be part of, what God is doing at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church.
The Long Range Planning Conversations continue over lunch on October 16 (Subway will deliver sandwiches). I hope you will join in.
The theme in worship this coming Sunday will be “Welcome the Stranger.” Allison will preach a sermon with that title and Chaplain Jamieson Prevoznak of the Seafarers Ministry of the Golden Gate will bring greetings in worship and lead the Forum.
Every Monday I receive via email a reflection on Scripture titled “Ten Minutes with Torah.” It is written by different rabbis in the Reform tradition of Judaism. Ironically, or providentially, this week’s offering by Reuven Firestone is “The Commandment to Love and Help the Stranger” based on Deuteronomy 26:1 – 29:8. He writes “In fact, the commandment to care for the stranger is mentioned more times than any other commandment in the Torah, even more than the command to love God.”
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday,
Jim H.
Prayers of the Congregation
- Cathy Leaks and family as they mourn the death of her dad
- Sybil Alexander and family as they mourn the death of her mother-in-law
- Nedra Hathaway as she begins hospice care
- Joan Thatcher (health concerns)
- Sheryl Gattey (health concerns)
- Sandra Dunn (health concerns)
- Whitley Joachim (health concerns)
- Jewelle Gibbs (health concerns)
- The Reverend Dr. Jeremiah Wright as he recuperates from a stroke
- Ruben Artery for his father
- Sydney Webster for Gigi
- Zondra Martin for her family
- Ann Fields for her family
- Barbara Bowman (health concerns)
- Kay Baxter for Jamie, Stacey, Tess and herself as she begins as the LABC Business Manager
- Johanna and Paul Wilkinson for Evan and his continued recovery
- Gloria and Phil Meads for the Elias family
- Mary Karne for Maryla
- John and Jo Giles for their family
- Luke Oladoja for his family and for himself
- Larry Sims for his family
- Georgia Upshaw for her family
- Barbara Lafitte-Oluwole (OCO leader) as she mourns the death of her mother
- All our teachers, students and school employees
- All who are traveling
- Justice for the Standing Rock Sioux nation
- Justice for the family of Terence Crutcher, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Prayers for and enduring ceasefire in the Syrian Civil War
- Thanksgiving with John and Jo Giles on their 45th anniversary
- Thanksgiving with Geetha Thaker on passing her oral exams to become a California M.D.
- Thanksgiving with Jesse Guiton that Baby Valentina has almost reached 3 lbs
- Thanksgiving with Jennifer and Chad Pancoe Gurney as they prepare to move to Alameda
- Thanksgiving for the witness of Madison Avenue Baptist Church, New York City
- Thanksgiving for the ministry of the Seafarers Ministry of the Golden Gate
- Thanksgiving for the ministry of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and the leadership of Brent Walker as he is honored for his service on September 26
Announcements
LABC Reads meets this Saturday, September 24 in the Library at 9:00 to discuss “The Orchardist” by Amanda Copin.
There are California Council of Churches 2016 California Initiatives Ballot Recommendations available in the Narthex.