September 22, 2015
Greetings on this last day of Summer 2015,
Thank you to all who made Homecoming Sunday a beautiful and encouraging day. It was a very warm day not only in terms of temperature but in terms of spirit.
In my sermon I talked about the fact that congregations, for all the right reasons, often covet all the wrong things. In an effort to help us think critically about what we covet I asked to you to pick three “full” words for LABC. These are words you would choose to define, describe and direct us. Here is the list of words I shared. Feel free to list your own but please, let me know your choices and, if you like, a bit of the reasoning behind them.
Helpful, faithful, graceful, merciful, beautiful, wonderful, careful, artful, bountiful, purposeful, forceful, grateful, colorful, powerful, skillful, thoughtful, truthful, delightful, hopeful, thankful, joyful (thank you Cecil White for reminding me I forgot to include joy!)
The Scripture for Sunday, September 27 is Esther 7: 1-6, 9-10; 9: 20-22. I will note that Esther is the one book in the Bible in which God is not mentioned and draw the conclusion that in situations in which God cannot be named, God can still be known.
Prayers of the Congregation
- Natalia Sandoval (Mills College) for college students who feel alone
- Kay Baxter for Stacey (in the midst of a very frustrating search for housing) and Jamie
- Larry Hutchings for he and Dennis as they (at last) move into their new home
- Alean Saunders-Coffey for her daughter-in-law Kaneisha (recuperating from surgery
- Jeanne Robinson for all the residents of Westlake Christian Terrace
- Charlene Wolf for her mom
- Those fighting the wildfires in California and the West and those impacted by them
- All who are fleeing war, devastation and famine as well as those who are responding to their plight
- Thanksgiving for all who are involved in the ministry of Christian Formation at LABC
- Helen Harrison for Mike Casey and Amy Huh
- All who are grieving
- Ted and Doris Evans
- Joan Patten for Peter and Paula
- Margaret Oladoja and family
- Paul McClendon, searching for housing
- Ratna Singh, recuperating from surgery
- Katrina Lau for her sister-in-law’s mother
- Sheila Sims for her brother, Charles Tregle
- Tyrone Mack for Mrs. Moore
- Carol and Steve Leichter
- Bjoe Morris, recuperating from a broken hip (Needs a bed at home he is going to. Call him at 510-712-4532)
- The leaders of Oakland as they consider whether to support the transport of coal through Oakland and the shipment of coal from Oakland
- Governor Brown as he decides whether to sign AB 953 (The Racial and Identity Profiling Act of 2015) into law
- Dave Robinson and the Staff of Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy as they minister in the Santa Clara County Jails
- Thanksgiving for the Seafarers Ministry of the Golden Gate (Alice Edmonson, a Board member, invites you to help her celebrate her birthday by dropping by the International Maritime Center, 4001 7th Street in Oakland, on Wednesday night for an introduction to the ministry and a piece of birthday cake.)
- Thanksgiving with the congregation of Grace Baptist Church as Liliana DeValle is installed as their pastor
- Thanksgiving with the congregation of Shell Ridge Community Church, Walnut Creek on the call of Jeremiah Carlton as their pastor
Announcement
Please let Pastor Jim, Pastor Allison or Mary Alice know if you can provide a ride to Palo Alto for the Evergreen Baptist Association Convention or if you need a ride.