June 12, 2009 Community Church of Mill Valley Newsletter

8/8/2019 June 12, 2009 Community Church of Mill Valley Newsletter

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Barbara Strader EditorVol. 58, No. 11 June 12, 2009

In This Issue

Day Lockers for the Unhoused 2Board Report 2Summer Reading and Viewing 3Congratulation Graduates 7Calendar of Events 8

On Sunday, June 7 about twenty-eight people metin Tamalpais Hall at noon for the annual congrega-tional meeting of the Community Church. MikeWebber, Board President, led the meeting whichbegan with an opening prayer by Sue Blanchard.The minutes of the last congregational meeting onMarch 29 were duly approved with just one absten-tion by the secretary who didnt like how she'dstated something! Sue, our treasurer, gave a brief report on the state of the existing budget. With justa month to go, only $116,000 of the pledged$125,000 has come in. Nevertheless, no moneywill be needed to be withdrawn from savings. Ouraccounts show $119,000. However, this includesprepaid pledges for next year as well as $55,000 indesignated funds. Just $2,900 is in the organ repairfund, an item to be discussed later in this report.Vice President Jamie Clever reported on the Stew-ardship Campaign and thanked both callers andpledgers. Happily we are now ~$1,000 over thepledge campaign. Jamie noted that the staff hasmade a generous donation to the balancing of thebudget by agreeing to take no increase in salary thisyear. In this very difficult economic time we aregrateful for keeping our heads above water.

The Annual Report was accepted by vote of the

Annual Meeting News continued on page 7.

Annual Meeting NewsBen Hulan NamedVolunteer of the Year

It was with enormous pleasure and deep gratitudethat CCMV named Ben Hulan as its Volunteer of the Year at the Annual Congregational Meetingheld on June 7. Ben was honored for his work asconvener of the Kiyija Keneth Task Force thatspearheaded the Churchs efforts to bring Kenethto San Francisco for life-saving heart surgery.From Keneths arrival in early August until hisreturn to Uganda in early November of last year,Ben not only helped with all of the logistics of thevisit but he also became one of Keneths closestand most trusted counselors. As such, he was in-volved in both the organizational and emotionalwork necessary to make this impossible dreambecome a reality.

Many people worked with Ben on the task forceand its fair to say that Keneths visit to Mill Valleytouched and galvanized the Church in ways thatwere unimaginable when the venture started lastspring. Since returning to Uganda, Keneth hasestablished his own mission, Hope for AfricanChildren Ministries, and will return to his studiesat Makarere University in Ugandas capital, Kam-pala, in August. This event changed, and will con-tinue to change, the Church in profound ways andwe are all deeply grateful to Ben for all his hardwork, dedication and patience in making KiyijaKeneths visit such a memorable moment in thelife of the Community Church of Mill Valley.

- Mike Webber Board President

think on these things

Whatever things are


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Of Good Report is published on the second and fourth Monday of eachmonth. Deadline for submissions is the previous Monday at noon.

Pastor: Pam ShortridgeMinister Emeritus: Jack BartlettParish Associate of Mission: Dora FordMinister in Covenant: Jacquie HoffmanSeminarian In-Care: Arn Lou MutiaSeminarian In-Care: James ChristieDirector of Music: Esther ArcherExecutive Editor: Barbara StraderFacility Operations Manager: Aaron Young

Sunday Morning: 9:00 a.m. The Unexpected Word Class, Foster Room

10:00 a.m. Worship Service, SanctuaryNursery Care for Infants & Toddlers, NurseryProgram for Children in Preschool through ThirdGrade, Children gather in the Chapel

11:15 a.m. Coffee Hour in the Tamalpais Hall

The Community Church of Mill ValleyUnited Church of Christ

An Open & Affirming Congregation8 Olive Street, Mill Valley , CA 94941

Phone 415/388-5540Fax 415/388-1678

e-mail [email protected]

During the past 6 months of congregations offeringshelter for those living outside, many congregants

heard a consistent plea from our unhousedneighbors: space to store their belongings.

Thanks to Dianne Linn, Executive Director at theRitter Center, and Michael Tupper, one of the staff with the winter shelter, a pilot program is beginningon Monday, June 1st, at the Ritter Center. Theywill provide day locker space for 40-60 persons.

What is needed: 2-4 volunteers per dayTwo 1 hour shifts: 7:30-8:30a.m. AND 2:00-3:00p.m.

If you or someone you know is available to volun-teer, please contact Michael Tupper [email protected] or 415/879-2962.

Thank you for your consideration of this importantneed.

- The Reverend Carol HovisExecutive Director, Marin Interfaith [email protected]

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Day Lockers for theUnhoused The board met as usual on the fourth Tuesday eve-

ning of the month in the ChapelMay 26. Weopened with a prayer and closed with a prayer.

In between the prayers, we considered steward-ship, property management matters and congrega-tional matters. We heard the good news about thestewardship campaign and our every member con-versations. We considered stewardship of our pieceof ground re-roofing, fencing some beds fromdogs, thanking Aaron for often picking up five gal-lons of dog droppings, brightening up the Narthex,completing security adjustments, and changingsome plumbing to increase water conservation.

A pleasant part of the short evening was agreeingto responsibilities for different parts of the AnnualMeeting after church on Sunday, June 7 and pre-paring for the transition to the new church year.

-Betsy BikleSecretary to the Board

Board Report


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Book Recommendation from Anonymous Meeting with Remarkable Men (All and Everything), by G. I . Gurdjieff. A Road Trip in search of theroots of spiritual practice.

Book Recommendations from Jack Bartlett

The Moral Measure of the Economy (Paperback) by Chuck Collins and Mary Wright.The authors provide a clear and insightful look at the economy through the lenses of Catholic social teaching.

The First Paul (Hardbound) by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossman. Borg and Crossman have ap-plied top notch Biblical scholarship to the Letters of the Apostle Paul and made them understandable in away for which we can all be thankful.

Cold Service (Paperback) by Robert B. Parker. Looking for a mystery that is fast-reading, well written,contains snappy dialogue and good humor? Try this Spenser novel or any of Parkers Spenser novels.

Book Recommendations from Karen Benoit Eat Pray Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert. This is a memoir about a mid-thirties woman who, following her di-vorce, takes a year to live first in Italy to enjoy the food, than in an Ashram in India and ends the year inBali. She is a delightful story teller with the ability to say things in such a way as to provide new insight.My book is marked through out with passages that I go back to for inspiration.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Shaffer and Anne Barrows. This book is setin England and Guernsey immediately following World War II. It is written as a collection of letters beingexchanged between the main character, Juliet, and the people in her life. The character development andwriting is delightful. It will make you think about writing some old fashioned letters or at least a journaland cut back on email.

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, by Robert Fulghum. This book was published in1989 and I originally read it back then, but I had been thinking about it recently and found a copy whilebrowsing a used book shop. The subtitle of the book is, Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things andthough a few of the essays are a little bit dated, most still have the little gem of wisdom that carries acrossthe decades. Because they are essays, it is easy to pick up and read one or two then set it down for anotherday.

Book Recommendations from Betsy BikleString of Pearls , Edited by Carolyn Myers. An army doctor's wife writes about life on a remote island inthe Philippines during the American occupation. Carrie Ida Ford wrote her original impressions of thePhilippines back in the very early 1900s. The writings were compiled last year into a short book of 117

pages by our own church member Carolyn Myers. Carolyns grandmothers sister (her great aunt) wasCarrie Ida Ford. The book starts in 1906 - and is enjoyably written and engrossing in a far away time andplace. Carolyn has given a copy to the church because she knows of our interest in the Philippines throughArn Mutia and his family and work. I've just finished it and will leave it at the church office. You are wel-come to borrow it. If you would like it mailed to you, send postage of $5 to Community Church, 8 OliveSt., MV, 94941 to cover costs of shipping.

Summer Reading and Viewing continued on page 4.

Summer Reading and Viewing

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Summer Reading and Viewing continued from page 3.

Solitude, Seeking Wisdom in Extremes , A Year Alone in the Patagonia Wilderness , by Robert Kull. (NewWorld Library, Novato California, 2008.) I know he made it back, because I met Bob at a luncheon at Book Passage as he sat at my table with my friend, Nancy, his sister! It's an interesting mixture of self doubt vs.attempting to achieve wisdom, and modern technological aid such as a generator for sending monthly emailcheck-ins vs. the wonder of nature and weather down in the southern tip off Chile. An admirable feat and funto read about from the comfort of your cozy surroundings.Summer Reading continued from page 3.

Book and Film Recommendations from Chris BikleTake the Cannoli: Stories From the New World, by Sarah Vowell. Wonderful collections of essays about theAmerican experience from an eclectic historian.

Freedom Writers with Hilary Swank. The movie is a stand and deliver story of disadvantaged youth andtheir awesome teacher.

Book and Film Recommendations from Sue BlanchardThe Ambassadors, by Henry James. My nominee for the great American novel. Not an easy ready but a re-warding one.

Paris When It Sizzles, with Audrey Hepburn and William Holden. Funny and light, the script which the char-acters are writing keeps intruding on the movie itself.

Book Recommendations from Linda CleverYou may know that Jamie's family had a Guernsey dairy. In fact, his mother was so gifted at genetics thatthe herd became the best large herd in the world and she won the Guernsey Cattle Club "Man of the Year'award. We have visited the Island of Guernsey and hold it in our hearts. With that, might I add to the list?

A Marin County original: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (Dial Press, NY 2008) is by MaryAnn Shaffer and Annie Barrows, her niece, who polished the book after Mary Ann died. It is entirely written

as correspondence and tells stories about Guernsey during the Nazi occupation.

The Book of Ebenezer Le Page is also the only novel by its author and also one that is NOT put-downable. Itis by G.B. Edwards and John Fowles. ( Avon Books, NY 1981) (Its vailable at Amazon. I just ordered an-other one for a gift.) It covers the years of about 1896-1970 and tells of Guernsey life and values by a funny,crusty old man whose life on the tiny island (with ties to William the Conqueror) is bounded by the sea.

Here's an unusual entry that I heard about on Weekend Edition: a list of 10 top new cookbooks, ranging frombarbeque to vegetarian. The review was positively salivating. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103675257

Book Recommendation from Dora Ford

The Shack, by William P. Young. An intriguing tale which offers an opportunity to think about what Godmight really be like.

Book and Film Recommendations from Bob HarmonOutcasts United: A Refugee Team, an American Town, by Warren St. John, is a recently-published book about a boys' soccer team, made up of young war refugees who had ended up in Clarkston, Georgia. It's thestory of how they succeeded against language barriers and local hostility, under the guidance of their coach, awoman from Jordan. Nonfiction and highly inspirational.

Summer Reading and Viewing continued on page 5.

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Summer Reading and Viewing continued from page 5.

Book Recommendations from Carol SchmiedelTea Time for the Traditionally Built: The New No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith.I have read a number of Smith's books and I think this is one of his better ones. I like the reasonable, per-sonal evaluation to problem solving. I was attracted to the book because I identified with traditionally built.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society , by Mary Ann Shaffer. What can I say? It's been a bestseller for months. I learned and thought about the second world war in a different light.

Heat and Soul , by Maeve Binchy. I have also read several of Shaffer's books. You don't have to read thesebooks in any order. Each book has an interesting story about what could be real people.

Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contemporary Faith, by Mar-cus J. Borg. This is a book I will look into over and over again. There are answers to things I have thoughtabout and got answers.

Book Recommendation from John SchmiedelI recently read a fascinating book entitled Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines,

by Richard A. Muller, a professor of physics at UC Berkeley. This book deals with many of today's prob-lems such as terrorism, energy, solar and wind power and global warming. The author clears up the hugeamount of conflicting information which could lead to solutions that could exacerbate the problems. Don't beintimidated by the subject -- it's written in easily understood language. W. W. Norton is the publisher. I amwilling to lend my copy to anyone interested.

Book Recommendations from Mike WebberThere are two books that have given this history buff particular pleasure in recent months. The first is byH.W. Brands and is a biography of FDR entitled Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presi-dency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt . There have been a number of books on FDR and the New Deal in re-cent years (and there will be more to come as comparisons are made with Obama's election) but this book is

probably the best single volume account of FDR's complex life and politics. It is lively and informative andnicely balances personal detail and historical context without becoming bogged down in footnotes.

The second is by William I. Hitchcock and is entitled The Bitter Road to Freedom: A New History of the Lib-eration of Europe . This history of Europes liberation in 1945 takes a somewhat different approach to theusual triumphalist military accounts of WWII by centering on what happened to civilians as, and after, theAllies overran Germany. Using personal stories and accounts, Hitchcock gives us a searing portrait of howtraumatized survivors coped with liberation.

Book and Film Recommendations from Marin Xiques Little Heathens: Hart Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Grat Depression, by Mildred

Armstrong Kalish. This book is about a family making do during the Great Depression. It has some greatsuggestions for making things from scratch and doing stuff without money.

Eye of the Dolphin is a film that has a great environmental message about hope and standing up for what youbelieve in. Stars Katherine Ross, Carly Schroeder and Adrian Dunbar.

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Annual Meeting News continued from page 1.

congregation. Copies are available in Tam Hall.

Mike reviewed the situation of the organs state of nonworking and the deliberations of a gathering aweek ago to discuss the issue. T he best remedyfor the organs return to use is to install a newwhisper quiet blower motor in the room to the leftof the altar. With electrical work the best guess atcost seems to be between $16,000 and $18,000. Itwas recognized that the organ is not top-most inproperty problems and that immediate repair is notlikely. A task force was approved by vote to pre-sent options for the organ; volunteers were secured.

Next Mike called on the conveners to present infor-mation about their task forces. Bob Harmon spokeabout the Celebrations Task Force, Ben Hulan

spoke of the work of the Keneth Kiyija Task Force,Jack Bartlett spoke about the Lunch for the HungryTask Force and then the Marin Organizing Com-mittee (MOC) Task Force. The members presentvoted approval of these proposed projects that willbe in effect for one year.

Jamie Clever presented the report of the Nominat-ing Committee and thanked the committee. Theypresented the following slate: (a.) Board of Direc-tors 1st year terms: Claudia Lowder (continuingafter a partial term), Camilla Burraston, and LisaFilippi; (b.) Delegates to the Northern Californiaand Nevada Conference (UCC) and Golden GateAssociation of UCC: Ben Hulan and Lisa Filippicontinuing from this year; and (c.) Alternates forBen and Lisa: Jack Bartlett and Bob Larsen. Thesenominations were approved unanimously.

Betsy Bikle, Secretary/Clerk, led a moment of si-lence in loving memory of three congregationalmembers who died this past year: Josette Gavin,Don DuPertuis, and Pat Stephenson.

Ben Hulan was acknowledged as the Volunteer of the Yearearning this honor for his huge amountof work in the process of bringing Keneth Kiyija tothe US for his heart operation and preparation forreturn to Uganda for Christian service.

Other business included a report that it is antici-pated CCMV will be signing a new lease with OldFirehouse School this coming week.

CongratulationsGraduates!

Logan Shortridge graduates from the 8th grade(Del Mar Middle School) on Friday, June 12 andplans to attend Redwood High School in the fall.

David Strader graduated from California State Uni-

versity, Chico on May 25 receiving a Bachelor in

Business Administration degree. His focus of study was in Marketing and he also received a Mi-nor in International Business. Last week he ac-cepted a job offer from Victaulic, the world's larg-est developer and producer of mechanical pipe

joining systems. In his new position he will be aFire Protection Specialist in Northern Californiaafter he completes his training at the companyheadquarters in Easton, PA this summer.

Matthew Phillips graduates from Tamalpais HighSchool on June 11. He plans to attend the Univer-sity of Chicago in the fall.

Sonoma State University announced that VanessaLouise Bacon is a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with Honors onSaturday, Mary twenty third, 2009.

Cowell College, University of California, SantaCruz announced the candidacy of Jessica Arvidsonfor the degree of Bachelor of Science in Psychol-ogy. Commencement is Saturday, June 13.

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Jamie wrapped up the meeting by expressing thethanks of all to Mike Webber for his leadershipthis past year.

In short - in fact the meeting closed at 1p.m. - itwas a GOOD meeting!

- Betsy Bikle


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The Community Church of Mill ValleyUnited Church of Christ8 Olive StreetMill Valley, CA 94941

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NONPROFIT ORG.U. S. POSTAGE

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Mill Valley, CA

Upcoming Church EventsSundaySun., June 14, Annual Dipsea Race

Early choir rehearsal & adult class cancelled9:30 a.m. Choir Warm-up, Sanctuary

10:00 a.m. Worship and Recognition of Ministry of Music11:15 a.m. Coffee and Conversation, Tamalpais Hall.

All are invited.

Next Week

Tue., June 16, 9:00 a.m. Rally for Economic Justice, SacramentoWed., June 17, 7:30 p.m. Executive Committee, Pastors Office

ComingSun. June 21, 10:00 a.m. Fathers Day. Ben Hulan and Pam Shortridge will lead

worship.Tue. June 23, 7:30 p.m. Board of Directors meeting, ChapelSun. June 28, 11:15 a.m. Organizational Meeting for new Board of Directors for

2009-2010

Documents

June 12, 2009 Community Church of Mill Valley Newsletter