October 2015

In This Issue

The Neighbor

Jim's Reflection OCC Auction Blessing of the Animals Animal Theology Forum Crop Walk

October 2015 NEWSLETTER OF THE ORINDA COMMUNITY CHURCH

Jim's Reflection

Women helping Women Men's Group About Kelsey P. Youth News New Members

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Dear Friends: This past Sunday night, we had the first of our quarterly potlucks and program - an idea dreamed up at our Next Steps Cafe. We had a great turn out, and were lucky to hear stories from eight different members of our congregation. They shared their lives with us, gave little windows into who they are, and hopefully moved us further along the path of being willing to share ourselves with one another. On Homecoming Sunday, I encouraged us to be people who work to Seek God, Love Others, and Care for the World. This comes out of our vision statement, and is a call we need to keep circling back and reminding ourselves of. It comes out of our discussions at last spring's long-range planning and dreaming event. And it comes from the core of our scriptures, the teachings of Jesus, and our Christian tradition. In the next few days, you will be receiving a mailing and brochure that lays out our fall schedule. Our goal is to be guided by these three ideals: Seek God, Love Others, Care for the World. We have much to look forward to, and many ways to be community together.

Neighbors in Need (NIN)

In the next month, we will be offering a Busy Person's Retreat on Tuesdays (11 am and 5:30 pm), with a chance to walk the labyrinth, practice different types of prayer, and journal. Even if

is a special mission offering of the UCC that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry(CAIM). Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries(JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants. OCC will receive the NIN offering on October 11. Busy Person's Retreat Tuesdays: October 6, 13, 20, 27 11:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Fellowship Hall (both sessions are the same) In the midst of our busy lives, we often neglect our need for reflection and care of our spirit. During the month of October, we will gather in the Fellowship Hall and offer space and time for "mini-retreats." These hour-long gatherings will include different forms of meditation and prayer, walking the labyrinth, written reflections, and journaling. The themes for our four weeks will be Awareness, Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Hopeful Imagination. Additional materials will be available throughout the weeks, so that the retreat can continue day to day. Come to one session, or come to all four. Remember, we know that you are busy... Contact Rev. Jim Brommers Bergquist or Rev. Nate Klug with questions.

Second Hour Programs in October Mark your calendars for educational and spiritual programs on offer most Sundays (in Fireside Room, unless otherwise noted). -October 11: Care Team Review and Discussion -October 18: Sanctuary Art Gallery Talk (Sanctuary)

you can't make the sessions, we will have daily materials for you (both handed out at church and online). I encourage you to take at least a few minutes each day to reflect on the quote, the prompt, and to listen to what is stirring within you. Life gets busy, and we need time to slow ourselves down. This upcoming month is full of many other wonderful ways to be together - whether through the Blessing of the Animals, Adult Education classes, field trips, Adult Sunday School, worship, and more. A big part of this will be our Annual Fundraiser and Auction / Pie Fest (Oct. 25th after church) and kicking off our Stewardship Campaign (to conclude on Nov. 22). When we share what we have with generosity, this ultimately allows us to be the church we are called to be: 1.) To Love Others... as we worship and experience the Spirit of God side by side, hear each other's stories and be church for one another, take care of our youth and children, learn with each other, memorialize passages and significant events, and dream about what all our church can be. 2.) To Care for the World... as we support partner agencies with our donations, offer our space to Holden High School, host Winter Nights, give generously through the United Church of Christ, and find a variety of ways to be God's hands and feet in the world. There is so much more in front of us as a congregation, and so many ways we can improve our love for each other, care for the world, and opportunities to seek and experience God together. I hope that you are excited as I am by the possibilities that we can create together. With gratitude for all of you. Jim

Adult Sunday School, 8:45 a.m., Fireside Room Called to Be Church - The Book of Acts for a New Day Ever wondered how the Christian church started, or what we can learn from these first Christian faith communities? Plan to join us on Sunday mornings in the Fireside Room, at 8:45 a.m., as we study our way through the Book of Acts. We will use the book Called to be Church, by Anthony Robinson and Robert Wall, as our springboard for conversation. Feel free to join us even if you haven't read that week's chapter. There will be many ways to participate. Rev. Jim Brommers Bergquist and Rev. Nate Klug will lead the classes, and we look forward to learning together.

Writers' Group Wednesday, October 7 10:30 am in the Fireside Room

Care Team Members Meeting Sunday, Oct. 11, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

O.C.C. SILENT AUCTION AND PIE FEST

Orinda Community Church's 2015 FUNdraiser SUNDAY, OCT. 25, 2015 in following worship

You can offer a feast, an adventure, a service, or an item by completing the form on the opposite side and submitting it to the church ASAP, no later than OCTOBER 18, 2015. ON OCTOBER 25th: You, your family / friends can purchase a feast, an adventure, a service, or an item at OCC's SILENT AUCTION AND PIE FEST. If you can't be there, ask someone to sign up for you - or talk to Patti or Trudi. Donation ideas and forms here Past items have included: Condo's, Dinners, Activities, Tickets, etc.

Blessing of the Animals Saturday October 3, 3:00 pm

We will have a gathering of all the current Care Team Members and Leaders in the Fellowship Hall. In our time together, we will discuss how things are going, and what we might improve as we seek to care for one another in the OCC community. If you aren't yet on a Care Team, but are interested in being part of this care-giving ministry, feel free to join us.11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Join us for Orinda Community Church's Annual Blessing of the Animals. We gather in the courtyard on the weekend of the Feast of St. Francis, and all animals are welcome. RSVP to the church office, especially if you're bringing an animal other than a dog or cat, so we can be sure to have treats for all.

We will have a gathering of all the current Care Team Members and Leaders in the Fellowship Hall. In our time together, we will discuss how things are going, and what we might improve as we seek to care for one another in the OCC community. If you aren't yet on

A conversation led by John and Katrina Staten on what it means to experiece God through other living creatures. Come perhaps to share a few words about your special animal and discover ways of enlarging our "Compassion Footprint" to include all of God's creatures.

Animal Theology Forum, Sunday, October 4th 2nd hour after Fellowship Hour

a Care Team, but are interested in being part of this care-giving ministry, feel free to join us.

FIELD TRIP TO SAN FRANCISCO CITY ARTS AND LECTURES Karen Armstrong (in Conversation with Jane Shaw) Tuesday, October 13, 2015, 7:30 pm. Venue: Nourse Theater (275 Hayes St., in downtown SF). A chance to see the author of our book club in person! Thanks to some detective work by Meg Nicholes and Katrina Staten, tickets are available for the OCC community at a discounted rate! Go to cityarts.net, click on EVENTS at the top, then click on "Karen Armstrong." On the Armstrong event page, click "Buy Tickets." Enter ORINDA20 at checkout to access $20 tickets (regular ticket price is $29). Folks who are interested should buy their own ticket(s), then get in touch with Katrina Staten ([email protected]) to coordinate carpooling and meeting up. The seats are General Admission, so our OCC group will get to sit together.

New Art Show at OCC, opening October 18! "Who Do YOU Say That I Am?" A Collection of Images of God. Many members and friends of OCC are contributing paintings, photographs, mixed media, and poetry -- all centered around the theme of "Names and Images for God." Come to worship on October 18 to see all the new art, and stick around for a Second Hour gallery talk. (Thanks to all of you who are contributing work! A reminder that we will hang the show after worship on October 11. Contact [email protected] with questions.)

Women Helping Women We will be meeting in the Fireside room on Saturday, October 24th from 10:00 a.m. to noon. We invite all of the women of OCC to join us and share your ideas and suggestions as we begin this new chapter in our program. A steering committee met this summer and will be presenting some ideas and options for the coming year. These include a sale to benefit Asante, which supports women in Africa, a possible forum on senior resources, and providing a dinner for Winter Nights. We look forward to a productive year of fellowship and service and welcome your suggestions.

Save the Date! O.C.C. Men's Group / Theology on Tap Thursday, Nov. 5, 7:00-9:00 p.m. - Fireside Room In the spirit of Martin Luther, we will have some snacks and sample various beers (and maybe a wine or two). At 7:45, Mitch Breitwieser (Professor of English at UC-Berkeley) will lead a discussion on two essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson, one on his early explanation for his rejection of the Lord's Supper. The other on his essay "Compensation," in which he tries to argue there actually is a mechanism of justice built into the nature of things, trying to substitute something for the punishment of sin and reward of virtue. Essays will be on the OCC Website, and handed out that evening. Invite your friends to this great event.

CALLING ALL OCC HISTORY BUFFS We need some help in organizing the Archives of OCC Records and assembling a summary of the 75tth Celebration - pictorial and written. There are special memories that have been displayed on the OCC Doug Adams Gallery Wall that need a permanent location. Photographs of present and former ministers need a special display. There are celebrations of significant events in the life of our Church which need accessible storage, as well as fascinating stories about the Memorials that have been entrusted to the Church. If this project captures your interest, please volunteer to be a part of the History Committee to help accomplish this important effort. Please contact Joy ElkintonWalker (925) 254-8754 or [email protected]

Introducing Our Seminarian Intern Kelsey Peterson As your new Seminary Intern, I was asked to share a bit about my journey, my experience, and what I am doing in life. Ever since I preached my first sermon at age 14, I have been referred to as the Dancing Pastor. I took my first dance class at age 4 and first announced that I wanted to be a pastor at age 9. My faith journey really began in the womb. My mother was a UCC pastor in Federal Way, WA before she passed away in 1996. We have remained in the same UCC church where she served (fun fact: at my baptism, all members - past, present, and future - of the church were named my Godparents). After my dad remarried a Lutheran woman (whose father and brother are Lutheran pastors), we began attending a Lutheran church every other Sunday. I have a deep love for both traditions. I grew up with a beautiful blended family, full of Norwegians, Germans, Colombians, and now after my sister's marriage, Puerto Ricans. I refer to my stepmom as "Mom" because she's raised me since I was 6. I have a sister and two older brothers, and though the two oldest are my "step" siblings, we choose not to use the term "step" because we believe we are all one family. They all live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where I grew up. I started dancing at age 4 and first announced that I wanted to be a pastor at age 9. My UCC pastor saw my gift for ministry early on, and I gave my first sermon after being confirmed at age 14. I've preached at my home church multiple times a year ever since, and it was there that I was given the name Dancing Pastor. My work with youth began when I started counseling at the UCC church camp that I grew up attending. I was 16 and fell in love with the work. I've been counseling every summer since, volunteering 3 straight weeks of time, love, and energy. For the past 3 or 4 years of camp, I have been serving as "chaplain-ish," leading all the educational and faith-based programming. I also served at my home church as Co-Director of Continuing Education, where my Co-Director and I grew the Sunday School program up from 0-2 kids each Sunday back up to 10-12 each Sunday. I did my undergraduate work at Saint Mary's College of California, majoring in Dance and minoring in Theology and Religious Studies. It was during my time at Saint Mary's that I truly felt called into both ministry and dance. I am currently in my last year working towards a Master of Fine Arts in Dance at Saint Mary's College, focusing my research on how movement is a manifestation/embodiment of the soul. I am

also in my second year of a Master of Divinity at Pacific School of Religion on a full scholarship. At Orinda Community Church, I will be working directly with the youth, helping lead various aspects of worship, and working with Community Life. Outside of OCC at Saint Mary's, I work as an Administrative Assistant to the Performing Arts Department, I teach ballet, I am a Teaching Assistant for two courses (Intro to the Bible and Dance Science), and I serve as a Resident Director in a sophomore residence hall. I dance and perform as often as time allows, and in my spare time I love to paint. I feel truly blessed to have this opportunity to serve as Seminary Intern and I look forward to walking this journey with all of you. Thank you! Kelsey Peterson YOUTH NEWS

Part of this year's initiative with the youth is to focus on service service to one another, to the church, and to the wider community. We are looking towards doing a service trip during summer 2016 with the youth, and we have several options from which to choose. If you are interested in helping decide where our youth go to do service, please contact Kelsey Peterson at [email protected]. Thank you! Looking Ahead October 11: High School Youth Group meets after church, 11:15-1pm 6:8 (Middle School Youth Group) Sunday School & 4:30-6pm October 18: High School Youth Group meets after church, 11:15-1pm 6:8 meets 4:30-6pm October 25: 6:8 and High School Sunday School (meet during church) Church Auction

Meet Our New Members: Jan Rosefield I have lived in the Bay Area all my life. After my time at Cal, I married my high school sweetheart, Rick Rosefield, and was a stay-athome mom for our five children. After they were on their own, I took some classes, played competitive tennis in local leagues, and became a literacy tutor for two adults, one of whom I still work with today. I am planning to teach young children how to read as my next project. In retirement Rick realized his dream of becoming a cinematographer. I did the research of the islands surrounding Great Britain, he shot and edited the footage while I logged every shot, and we spent five years traveling across the U. S. and Canada showing that film and our second one (about San Francisco) at theaters, schools, universities, and even at The National Geographic Theater in Washington, D. C. Life threw us a curve which brought the film career to a halt. Rick was diagnosed with a progressive muscle disease which ended his life after 10 years. Taking care of him meant we had lots of time together to reminisce and celebrate our almost 56 years of marriage. My family, which includes seven grandchildren, is my number one passion. I love being outdoors, hiking Bay Area trails, canoeing and kayaking. I plan to travel to Alaska, the only state I have not ever visited, next year. I am delighted to have found a church that feels just right. Thank you for welcoming me to the fold. Allison and John Skidgel (and their daughters Beatriz and Ava) Allison arrived in San Francisco on the same day as Jerry Garcia's passing just twenty short years ago. Prior to her arrival, she taught English in Asia for three years split between Taiwan and Japan. (yep, another Liberal Arts major.) Originally from a spot on the map named Hudson, Ohio, she now visits her parents in Roswell, Georgia, with her family, John, Beatriz (11) and Ava (8). Several careers later have prepared her for teaching in a fifthgrade classroom in Richmond. John grew up in Maine and attended elementary school with Stephen King's children, which incidentally wasn't scary at all. He arrived in San Francisco around the same time as Allison but didn't meet her, the love of his life, until five years later in Union Square. When he's not designing products at Google he enjoys chauffeuring Bea and Ava around Orinda, making sawdust in his tiny wood shop, and cooking fine food that the whole family will eat.