BCC News for January 6, 2019
- Worship Sunday January 6. Topic: “One Light” (An interfaith reflection for Epiphany) Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12. Please join us for a brief Congregational Meeting 11 am (after worship.) First Food Sunday (bring food items for the Brea Food Shelf) and Potluck after Worship too! Lastly, your Christmas Undecorating help is appreciated.
- Wednesday January 9, 2-4 pm: Art and Soul.Janine Arp will have another fun craft activity for us: stay tuned!
- Thursday January 10, 6:30 pm: Worship Team meets in Church office.
Ongoing
- Tai Chi is Thursdays at 6:30pm in the Sanctuary, January 17 and 24.
- Bible Study is on Thursdays at 2-3pm. We will resume after the holidays January 10. Join us in the pastor’s office; you are always welcome. We are studying the Gospel of John. Lively discussion about what scripture means to us today. No homework!
- Choir practice Thursdays at 7:30pm. Like to sing but not sure you’re ready for prime time? Jessica Cosley is a fabulous teacher and our choir is a great place to grow musically. Join us!
- The BCUCC Theological Book Club will begin reading a new book, In the Shelter, by Padraig O Tuama. There’s an old Irish proverb: ‘It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.’ Interweaving everyday stories with analysis, gospel reflections with mindfulness and Celtic spirituality with poetry, this book explores the practice of welcoming as a spiritual discipline. It is comforting and inspiring. Come join the fun and discussions at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, January 9th for chapters 1-3, January 23rd for chapters 4-6, and February 6th for chapters 7-10. We’ll meet at the Hill household. Please email at jandkhill@mac.com or call 714-693-0261 for directions. See you then!
At the Jan. 6 Congregational meeting,we will vote to become a UCC Creation Justice Church. Your Church Council proposes we adopt this Creation Justice Covenant:
We, the members of Brea Congregational United Church of Christ
- Embrace our responsibility to be good stewards of God’s earth
- We feel God’s presence in nature
- We strive to treat the environment with respect; to preserve it for generations to come.
- We believe this is fundamentally Christian, and that we are called to care for one another and for all of Gods creation.
- We recognize that those negatively affected by environmental degradation and an unstable climate are often those least able to cope and who need support.
- We will work to do our part, with God’s help.
Making Justice Connections: by Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt, Environmental Justice Minister for the United Church of Christ. In an article entitled “How Gay Marriage Suggests a Strategy for Climate Change,” Jeff McMahon recounts how marriage equality seemed to be nowhere near the horizon of possibility in 2004, but then something started to happen. It became adopted state by state. Momentum gathered, and now it is the law of the land for the entire nation.
So what is to be learned from this? David Hochschild, the environmental commissioner for the California Energy Commission, contends, “I think there’s actually some lessons for the climate movement in what happened with marriage equality, because they framed the movement in terms of love: Government has no place to get between two people who love each other.” He adds, “I actually think climate change is the same thing. It’s about loving the next generation.”
As Christians, we frequently root our sense of calling in love, and I have observed that the strongest motivator for many who engage in the work of addressing the damage done to our climate is a love of children. We care about the environment they inhabit, and we care about the future they will inherit from our actions today.
Churches know how to speak of love. It is the grounds of our theology, purpose, and passion. We have an immense potential to lead on climate because of our ability to articulate what fundamentally drives so many of us to action. In truth, we should be at the forefront of the climate movement.
In this struggle, time is of the essence. Rapid change is needed. Let’s rise to the occasion.
Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike?
-John Wesley
BCUCC News and Reminders
A weekly publication of Brea Congregational United Church of Christ
300 E. Imperial Highway, Brea CA 92821, 714-529-3014, www.breaucc.org