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MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF PIONEER CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRISTJULY 2017 – VOLUME 17 ISSUE 7
PIONEER POST
Rev. Phil Konz
God Bless Us, Whoever We AreLetter from the Pastor
Did you know we live in the United States of Henry? Well, we would have if
Vespucci, the explorer that gave his name to the “new world” continents, had
been English instead of Italian. The name Amerigo was the Italian version of
the Hungarian saint name Emeric, a prince of Hungary who died in 1021. The
same name became Emrik, then Enrick, then Heinrich as it traveled across northern Europe. InEngland it is known as Henry. So Amerigo Vespucci would have been known as Henry if he had beenEnglish.
I know what you are thinking. North Henry just doesn’t work as the name of a continent. It would nothave been accepted as the name on maps.
I really can’t imagine what America would be called if history had not worked out the way it did. Asidefrom some trivial wondering, it doesn’t really matter. The name has come to mean what it doesbecause many people have acted in certain ways to make it gain its present meaning.
We are who we are because of what we do, not because of a name placed on a piece of paper.
In July, we will hear “God Bless America” quite often I am sure. That song will conjure up manydifferent feelings in people. Some may be thinking God should bless us because we deserve it.Others are thinking God should bless us because we need it. Whichever thoughts you have, it isappropriate to ask God’s blessings on our country.
We can’t rewrite history. We have enough history as a nation to evaluate our founding principles.Equal human rights is a founding principle that is still being worked out. Majority rule while stillprotecting the rights of minorities is another principle that still seems to be a struggle. Checks andbalances and separation of powers in the branches of government are principles that are constantlybeing challenged and refined. We struggle to fulfill our vision of America, but still “God Bless America”is a good prayer.
Pastor Phil`
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Letter from the Pastor........ 1In the Know....................... 2Performances at Pioneer.. 5Our Community….............. 6Get Involved..................... 9Be the Change..................10Feed Your Spirit............... 11Keeping You Posted.........13Who We Are.................... 19
NEWSLETTER SECTIONS
Jul 1 - Women’s Breakfast Jul 2 - Social Justice MeetingJul 3 - Office ClosedJul 4 - Fourth of July – office closedJul 9 - Favorite Hymn SundayJul 9 - Finance Committee MeetingJul 15 - Men’s BreakfastJul 21 - SafegroundJul 22 - Church Council Planning RetreatJul 23 - Pioneer Foundation MeetingJul 28 - Rivercats Game
THIS MONTH’S EVENTS
WHAT’S INSIDE...WHAT’S INSIDE
IN THE KNOW – NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
See You at the Ball Game!Join us on Friday, July 28th for the River Cats vs. the Round Rock Express
We hope to see you at our annual Pioneer outing with the River
Cats! Located at Raley Field with a 7:05 pm start, our seats are all
together in Section 107 behind the 1st base line. Whether you’re a
baseball fan or not, join us for an evening of fun and fellowship!
Tickets are only $28 each.
Orange Fridays at Raley Field feature
live music, awesome drink specials in
the Beer Garden, post game
fireworks, giveaways, and of course,
orange Sactown jerseys.
The signup sheet is on the Pioneer
Events table in Fellowship Hall.
Please contact Philip Jackman at
916.204.1187 with any questions.
Come and enjoy a fun night at the
ballpark!
Philip Jackman
IN THE KNOW – NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Commemorative World Peace Garden
Cultivating a Community of Peace
Artist’s rendering
The Peace Pole is not intended to be strictly a religious experience, but May Peace Prevail On Earth, continues to unfold in the spirit of love, peace and global oneness.
Commemorative and memorial personalized historic bricks will be installed to surround our World Peace Pole. Bricks can be personalized to honor your special occasions: weddings, graduations, memorials, births, special birthdays, milestones, christenings, anniversaries and reunions. Or you may dedicate bricks to your special loved ones. Every brick will remain visible for generations to come.
Thank you for contributing your special memory to our to ourWorld Peace Garden! Brick donations are tax-deductible.
Size Engraving Price4” x 8” 1-3 lines of engraving, up to 20 spaces $1008” x 8” 1-6 lines of engraving, up to 20 spaces $250
Please go to pioneerucc.org for more information. Contact Elizabeth Kordahl at [email protected] or601-870- 8975 with any questions.
Pioneer Congregational Church is creating a Commemorative World Peace Garden. In its center is our World Peace Pole proclaiming, “May Peace Prevail On Earth.” Eight languages—Spanish, Japanese, Hebrew, Miwok, Arabic, Hindu, Russian, English and English in braille are on the four-sided World Peace Pole.
As outreach to our community, our World Peace Pole symbolizes the oneness of humanity and our common wish for a world at peace. It reminds us to think, speak and act in the spirit of peace and harmony. Today over 200,000 Peace Poles exist in over 191 countries.
UCC Condemns Political Violence article by Connie Larkman June 15, 2017
At Pioneer Church, we stand for walking in the way of Jesus, including love and peace towards fellow man, regardless of their race, language, age, gender, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, economic status and personal opinion. In response to the shootings in Alexandria, Virginia, where republican lawmakers were practicing for an annual baseball game, UCC President Rev. John Dorhauer says, “We are living in and through a season in which the political divide is sharp - but violence is never an acceptable remedy for whatever frustration or anger one is feeling. We condemn this action with vehemence, and pray for the victims."
Rev. Amber Henry Neuroth, the pastor at Hope UCC in Alexandria says, “We cannot allow hatred and violence to stand no matter the circumstances. Our prayers go out for the victims of the attack, for the perpetrator, and for our community of Alexandria.“
For the full article and video statement by Rev. John Dorhauer, see article by Connie Larkman at http://www.ucc.org/news_ucc_president_condemns_violence_spawned_by_political_divide_06152017
IN THE KNOW – NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Flower SponsorshipSign up to sponsor a beautiful flower arrangement at the events table in Fellowship
Hall. If you have already signed up and would like to dedicate or give flowers in honor
of someone, please email the office at [email protected] at least one week
before your scheduled Sunday, so that this information can be placed in the bulletin.
Bouquets are $45 and are yours to take home following the service.
This month’s flower sponsors:
Jul 2 Mary Kay Rose in memory of Bob Hosmann
Jul 9 Caryl Butcher in memory of Goler Teal ButcherBob McGrath in honor of Bill Witcher’s birthday
Jul 16 Heidi & Manuel Munoz in honor of Heidi & Mel's 38th AnniversarySteven Schulman in honor of Bruce & Stephen's 16th Anniversary
Jul 23 Claire Chase… just because!
Jul 30 In loving memory of Harry & Olez Thompson
Congratulations Pastor Phil!
Pastor Phil will serve as an officer of the conference who will lead next year’s Annual Gathering and run the meeting with a measured, respectful tone that seeks to build consensus rather than victory. He is charged with planning the Annual Gathering with a multi-cultural, multi-racial sensitivity and will no doubt seek to build an inclusive consensus.
Congratulations to Pastor Phil! Our prayers for successful endeavors will be with you!
2018 Annual Gathering will be June 14 to 17 at Sonoma State University.
Source: https://ncncucc.org/annual-gathering/
Pastor Phil Konz was elected Moderator of the Northern California Nevada Conference UCC at its Annual Gathering held at Sonoma State University June 15th –18th. NCNC-UCC is our regional setting of the UCC with 118 churches and nearly 400 ordained ministers from Crescent City to Fresno and Reno to the Golden Gate. Members at the Gathering came together to discuss the mutual work of the church. This year’s theme was “Come Home to Peace; Go Forth to Disrupt.”
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PERFORMANCES AT PIONEER
Mark your calendar today for these upcoming performances at Pioneer!
PERFORMANCES AT PIONEER
Sat Sept 9 at 7pm– Beethoven and Friends, Chamber Ensemble – A group of friends who enjoy performing great music together. Their ensemble name honors a favorite composer, whose music is generally featured in their performances. The group’s music not limited to a single era, country, or style, believing that good music is timeless and not confined by the lines on a map. Free Concert.
Sat Oct 14 at 7pm – Bill Damian and Friends, Harp – Our own Bill Damian will present a concert of Harp music sure to please! Watch for more details. Free Concert.
Sat Oct 28 at 8pm - SPOOKTACULAR Silent Film & Organ – Jim Jordan at the Pioneer Hybrid Pipe/Digital Organ, Free Concert.
Sat Nov 11 at 7pm – Jason Sia, Concert Pianist – Mr. Sia’s repertoire as a solo performer and a concerto soloist spans the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and the 20th century. Free Concert.
Sat Dec 2 at 7pm – Songs of the Season – Pioneer’s Sixth Annual Holiday Extravaganza! Tickets go on sale November 1, 2017.
OUR COMMUNITY – MEMBER SHARING & ACTIVITIES
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John Wallace is on the road to recovery!
Have good news to share? Send it to [email protected] today and help us illuminate blessings in our community.
Thankful for support from family, church members, friends and neighbors
John & Bernadette Wallace
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OUR COMMUNITY – MEMBER SHARING & ACTIVITIESOUR COMMUNITY – MEMBER SHARING & ACTIVITIES
Book ClubJoin us Tue. Sept 26th at 6:00pm in Fellowship Hall for a potluck and to discuss two books. We don't require that you have read the books before coming to our meetings. You will get a good synopsis at the meeting and lots of laughs to go with it!
The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person can Create Extraordinary Change by Adam Braun (288 pgs)
The riveting New York Times bestseller about a young man who built more than 250 schools around the world—and the steps anyone can take to lead a successful and significant life.
Adam Braun was sprinting down the path to a successful Wall Street career. But while traveling he met a young boy begging on the streets of India, who after being asked what he wanted most in the world, simply answered, “A pencil.” This small request led to a staggering series of events that took Braun backpacking through dozens of countries before eventually leaving a prestigious job to found Pencils of Promise, the organization he started with just $25 that has since built more than 250 schools around the world.
The Promise of a Pencil chronicles Braun’s journey to find his calling, driven by inspiring stories and shareable insights that are tools for your own life story.
Want more information about Book Club?Feel free to email Claire with any book club questions at: [email protected].
North Dakota, late summer, 1999. Landreaux Iron stalks a deer along the edge of the property bordering his own. He shoots with easy confidence—but when the buck springs away, Landreaux staggers closer, and realizes he has killed his neighbor’s five-year-old son, Dusty Ravich.
The youngest child of his friend and neighbor, Peter Ravich, Dusty was best friends with Landreaux’s five-year-old son, LaRose. The two families have always been close, sharing food, clothing, and rides into town; their children played together despite going to different schools; and Landreaux’s wife, Emmaline, is half sister to Dusty’s mother, Nola. Horrified at what he’s done, the recovered alcoholic turns to an Ojibwe tribe tradition—the sweat lodge—for guidance, and finds a way forward.
Inspiring and affecting, LaRose is a powerful exploration of loss, justice, and the reparation of the human heart.
LaRose by Louise Erdrich (400 pgs)
In this literary masterwork, bestselling author Louise Erdrich wields her breathtaking narrative magic in an emotionally haunting contemporary tale of a tragic accident, a demand for justice, and a profound act of atonement with ancient roots in Native American culture.
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OUR COMMUNITY – MEMBER SHARING & ACTIVITIESOUR COMMUNITY – MEMBER SHARING & ACTIVITIES
Join Us for Breakfast See you there! Ok to bring a friend!
The Women’s Breakfast meets on the first Saturday
of the month at 9am at Mimi’s Café at 2029 Alta
Arden Way. Please email Robyn Taylor at
[email protected] for more information.
The Men’s Breakfast meets on the third Saturday of
the month at 9am at Chargin’s Bar & Grill at 4900 J
Street. Please email Dean Wakefield at
[email protected] for more information.
Happy Birthday!2 – Vanessa Nino-Tapia
17 – Alice Garfield
19 – Garylee Stephenson
20 – James Kosko
22 – Caryl Butcher
25 – Joe Thomas
29 – Eloise Nielsen
29 – Vi McNally
31 – Issac Hinman
Our beloved Pastor Phil will be on vacation from June 26 to July 18. We wish him happy travels and a safe return from his adventure on the open road!
During Pastor Phil’s vacation, Rev. Bob McGrath is on call for pastoral emergencies. He can be reached via the Church Office, (916) 443-3727, at home at (916) 419-1576, or by email at [email protected].
Volunteer Schedule
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We love our volunteers! Thank you for your time!
DATE READER USHERS FELLOWSHIPSUNDAY SCHOOL
TEEN GROUP ACOLYTE TELLERS
Jul 2 Vi McNally Shipman-Jackman Family
Joann Musholt
Shannon Miles
Kevin Mahan
George Hinman
TBD RobynTaylor
Karen Wakefield
Jul 9 TBD Andy Balog
Nancy Alex
TBD
Colonial Potluck
Claire McKnight
Claire McKnight
TBD Crystal Taylor
Michele Champion
Jul 16 TBD BillWitcher
Bob McGrath
Elizabeth and Eugene Kordahl
Robyn Taylor
Philip Jackman
TBD George Hinman
Mary Kay Rose
Jul 23 TBD TBD
TBD
Andy Balog Claire McKnight
Claire McKnight
LaurynTaylor-Piazza
Caryl Butcher
TBD
Jul 30 TBD TBD
TBD
Mary Kay Rose
ChristianEducation Outreach
ChristianEducation Outreach
TBD Karen Shipman
Heidi Munoz
GET INVOLVED – VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Thank You Volunteers!Spiritual Life Board is looking for team members to volunteer for Fellowship Hour.
Fellowship hour is an important part of Pioneer’s ministry. It is a way to reach out to visitors looking for a welcoming community of faith. It is a wonderful opportunity to create or strengthen friendships. Thank you so much for helping with this ministry! Sign up sheets are found in the fellowship hall on the events table for all Spiritual Life volunteer opportunities.
For more information, please contact Vi McNally at [email protected] or 916-896-7766.
Vi McNally
BE THE CHANGE – OUTREACH
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Help Those in NeedYou can help by donating the following:
• “One Can a Week” for River City Food Bank• Hats, scarves, toiletries and flip-flops for WIND• Assorted monthly items for Safe Ground Pilgrimage *
In 2017, we will collect different items each month for Socks for Safe Ground. The item(s) requested will be printed in the weekly bulletin and here in the Pioneer Post. Please place your donations in the designated basket in the front of the Sanctuary.
Safe Ground Monthly ItemsJULY – Toiletries collected from hotel/motels during summer travelsAUGUST – Playing cardsSEPTEMBER – Small note pads & pensOCTOBER – Individual-sized packages of hard candies, peanuts, trail mix, granola bars & gumNOVEMBER & DECEMBER – Will be catch-up months for needed items – donations will be counted monthly in order to make sure we have 75 of each item.
Socks for Safe GroundAbout 10 years ago, Pioneer started the Christmas Project “Socks for Safe Ground.” This was part of the Safe Ground organization, now called The Pilgrimage. Homeless participants of The Pilgrimage move from church to church to spend the night, have dinner and breakfast.
Pioneer hosts The Pilgrimage once a month and volunteers are welcome! (See Greg de Giere or Pastor Phil for details).
Items for the Socks for Safe Ground project are collected weekly and placed in the basket at the front of the Sanctuary. Items are counted monthly in order to help us reach our goal of 75 for each item (travel size: tooth paste & brush, shampoo, lotion, soap, deodorant, Kleenex and most important gender neutral socks! This year we hope to be able to give each participant two pairs of socks!
Socks for Safe Ground gift bags will be filled with the donated items and given to the Pilgrimage participants on December 15th at the annual Christmas Carol sing in the sanctuary.Socks for Safe Ground is a function of the Christian Outreach Board, chaired by Greg DeGiere.
5615
23
2535
71
9460
52
5040
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150 Gender neutral adult size socks
75 Deodorants
75 Toothbrushes & toothpaste tubes75 Travel size lotion bottles
75 Travel size shampoos & conditioners75 Small Kleenex packs
Socks for Safe Ground ItemsHave Still Need
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Participation in the Prayer Chain is open to all. When a prayer requestis received, it is sent out by email. Those on the list are asked to prayfor the person or situation. The purpose is to be in prayer as soon aspossible. Nothing else is required.
You Are Not Alone – Join the Pioneer Prayer Chain
If you would like to participate in the Prayer Chain, or to request a prayer, contactcoordinator Betsy Wilson by email at: [email protected] or by telephone at (916) 393-1249 or the church office at (916) 443-3727.
Personal prayer time with a Pioneer Friend is also available immediately following theservice in our parlor.
Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7
Pioneer offers safety pins to the congregation during the worship service. If you follow social media, you may have seen that the safety pin has become a symbol of safe spaces for people who feel threatened by harassment or discrimination. We hope all who enter Pioneer know that our church is a safe place for all people.
FEED YOUR SPIRIT – INSPIRATION & GUIDANCE
Pioneer invites members to wear a safety pin as a gesture of silent reassurance that anyone experiencing fear or insecurity does not stand alone.
The pin also serves as a reminder to the person wearing it of their promise to offer support if somebody else is harassed, threatened or hurt.
Safety Pins Offered During Worship Service
FEED YOUR SPIRIT – INSPIRATION & GUIDANCE
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of a noble of some rank. Those oaths might have been given willingly. However, the idea of
allegiance, or being bound to a noble’s service was not always willingly given. Allegiance was
demanded of those who did not own, and could not legally ever own, land and home. A noble
owned the land and everything on it. The serfs who worked the land and served the nobility
could not leave the land or change the work they were assigned. Their positions of servitude
were passed down for centuries. The rise of the middle class in cities broke up some types of
required allegiances. Napoleon Bonaparte broke up the feudal system in some areas of
Europe. In other areas, serfdom remained up to the early 1900’s.
So the idea of allegiance is problematic for me.
Labels aside, offering to serve a higher power, to dedicate ourselves to something greater
than ourselves is a good thing. I like to paraphrase a statement from Martin Luther in the
1500’s: whatever is done from fear of punishment or hope of reward is not a work of grace. I
firmly believe God is love, the kind of unconditional love we call grace. Oaths and offerings
that are not freely given are not done in grace. Just as we cannot coerce God through our
prayers, God will not coerce us to make oaths unwillingly. Forced allegiance is worthless to
God.
God wants us to live in grace. That means we will give and receive love. We will live
responsively with one another. We will be reflections of divine love. If that is what you mean
by allegiance, then, yes, that is what God wants from us.
It is easy to become cynical. Loving without hope of reward? Who is really that altruistic?
God is. Can we not reflect that image?
Do You Have Questions? Ask the Pastor!Every month, Pastor Phil will answer questions asked by the congregation
Have a question for Pastor Phil?
Send it to [email protected]
today and Pastor Phil will share
his insights on faith, Scriptures
and the Spirit of God.
Does God want our allegiance?
Pastor Phil: Full disclosure, I have trouble with the word allegiance. It conjures up the relationships in feudal societies. We have romantic visions of knights swearing allegiance to their liege lord. Oaths of allegiance bound them to the service
KEEPING YOU POSTED – MESSAGES FROM THE COUNCIL
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Church Council Meeting 21 May 2017
KEEPING YOU POSTED – MESSAGES FROM THE COUNCIL
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Church Council Meeting 21 May 2017 (cont’d)
KEEPING YOU POSTED – MESSAGES FROM THE COUNCIL
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Church Council Meeting 25 Jun 2017
KEEPING YOU POSTED – MESSAGES FROM THE COUNCIL
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Church Council Meeting 25 Jun 2017 (cont’d)
KEEPING YOU POSTED – MESSAGES FROM THE COUNCIL
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StewardshipFrom Elizabeth Kordahl and Bob McGrath, Stewardship Board Co-Chairs
Stewards of Responsible Freedom: 1
I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.
Deuteronomy 30:19
Saying Yes and Saying No
We are created in God’s image. As a covenant people we are given freedom, as individuals and communities, to choose life or death, blessings or curses. “Tough decisions and persistent effort are required of those who seek lives that are whole and holy. We must learn the practice of saying no to that which crowds God out and yes to a way of life that makes space for God.”1 Jesus calls us from certain behaviors, but always offers an alternative: “Come, follow.” A life-affirming “yes” is necessary to making an effective “no.”
Responsible exercise of freedom requires us to participate in generating good for all. We participate in making fundamental decisions regarding our national priorities, values and commitments, and how they will be expressed in public policy. We cannot ignore economic, social, and ecological realities that have led to greater abundance for some and scarcity for many others. We must learn to discern, choose and act in ways that bless all God’s people.
_____________________________________1 A Resource for Holistic Year-Round Stewardship. ucc.org
Who we areThe PPRC is a group of members who are collectively responsible for helping to provide for thepastor’s well-being and growth, and resolving frictions between the congregation and the pastor.
We invite all voices to be heardThe PPRC provides members of the congregation an avenue through which they can communicatepersonal needs, concerns and satisfaction in the event those members prefer not to contact thepastor directly. Feedback is welcome at any time in person or in writing. Also, the PPRC surveys thecongregation on an annual basis for written responses that are used by the PPRC to work with thepastor to determine how to best serve the needs of the congregation.
Contact usWe invite you to share any feedback/requests either directly to the pastor or to any one of us on thePPRC. Drop us a line, or stop us in the hall for a chat, even if it’s just to say hello. We look forwardto hearing from you! �
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
PPRC 2017
KEEPING YOU POSTED – MESSAGES FROM THE COUNCIL
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JoAnn [email protected]
Fritz [email protected]
Marietta [email protected]
Robyn [email protected]
Eloise [email protected]
Pastor Parish Relations Committee (PPRC)We are here to support an atmosphere of mutual understanding, trust and cooperation between the pastor and the congregation
WHO WE ARE – ABOUT PIONEER
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There is a great diversity of beliefs held by
our members. We find that unity in Jesus
Christ and our differences add to the
richness and strength of our life together.
We are an open and affirming church that
proclaims the love of Jesus Christ, the
compassion that his love serves, and the
humanity his love seeks to embrace.
Join Us for 10AM Sunday Service - All are welcome!“No matter who, no matter what, no matter where you are on the journey of life, you’re welcome in this place.”
2700 L Street
Sacramento CA 95816
Office Hours: 8AM to 1PM
Mon-Thu(916) 443-3727
[email protected] www.pioneerucc.org
Please send any questions, comments, orupdates you have for the Pioneer Post [email protected]. If you aresubscribed, please remember to add thisaddress as an approved email so it doesn'tgo to your "spam" folder.
