Dear Ones,
I wanted to let you know that our dear Don Grove passed away on earlier this month.

I visited with Don on Sunday after church, at the Mercy Center. He was in good spirits, joking even then, that he felt that a 600 pound gorilla had been sitting on his chest, and he was relieved that it was only a 200 pound gorilla now.  I had a chance to thank him, on behalf of all of us, for his kindness, and dedication to us at Skyline, as a loving member,  and as a talented member of our Green team. 

Don was calm, and at peace. He had just seen a grandson that had been estranged from the family for 10 years. My sense is that Don was ready.  My sense is also that his family, while sad, were prepared for his passing, and are at peace. 

Don and his family shared a “sweet tooth.”   I shared Bee Frank’s cookies from Sunday hospitality with him and his daughter and granddaughter, who in turn shared these with the care team at the Mercy Center. It was a bit like communion. 

Don was an extraordinarily kind, intelligent, curious, hardworking,  fun loving, authentic, and loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, friend and human being. 

I give thanks to God for his life, and for the gift of having him in our lives. On a personal note,  I will always love him. 

Cards may be sent to his daughter Barbara Grove at 353 Crestmont Drive, Oakland CA 94619. 

We will be celebrating his life here at Skyline, Saturday, April 7 at 2 PM.

with love, Pastor Laurie 

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Today, Wednesday, at 10 am local time across the US, students are pouring out of their classrooms into the streets for 17 minutes, holding assemblies, writing, performing and more to take a stand against gun violence. No longer will they remain silent. No longer will they wait for the adults to “do something”. Thirty thousand people a year are killed through gun violence in this country, through mass shootings, domestic violence, accidents, suicides, and other senseless violence. They know that more could be done to end the senseless violence if there were simply the moral will to do so.

I am inspired by their prophetic witness, their courage, and their brilliant organizing. May we, too, be inspired to strengthen our own resolve to work for justice.

Related to inspiration, this Sunday, March 18, we are thrilled to have with us the boy’s choir, Cantori.  Cantori is the advanced, after school choir from the award winning Pacific Boychoir Academy. They will sing beautiful selections of music in a child friendly service.  Proceeds from the service will support advocacy for homeless people in Oakland.

A friend of mine shared a poem,“School Prayer” by Diane Ackerman, with me last week and I offer to you in the spirit of our youth and of hope for our future.

                 With love, Pastor Laurie 

This Sunday we spring forward into daylight savings time! Rise and shine! 

I’m grateful for the gentle rains, and the deep green hills, which I promise never to take for granted.   May the miraculous growth of this season inspire us in our journeys, to never lose hope in the promise of new life.    This Sunday in worship we focus on the essence of this faith, love, and hope.  Enjoy this beautiful seasonal poem entitled “A Prayer for the World”, by Rabbi Harold Kushner.

with love, Pastor Laurie 

A Prayer for the World

Let the rain come and wash away
the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds
held and nurtured over generations
Let the rain wash away
the memory of the hurt, the neglect.
Then let the sun come out
and fill the sky with rainbows.
Let the warmth of the sun heal us
wherever we are broken.
Let it burn away the fog
so that we can see each other clearly.
Let the warmth and brightness of the sun
melt our selfishness.
And let the light of the sun be so strong
that we will see all people as our neighbors.
Let the earth, nourished by rain,
bring forth flowers to surround us with beauty.
And let the mountains teach our hearts
to reach upward to heaven. Amen.

—Rabbi Harold S. Kushner

We live in time,  where, if you’re paying attention it is easy to become cynical. What’s needed in these messy, empty and unsettling times; beyond reason, beyond doubt, beyond fear; is faith.  Join us as we walk together, not in certainty, but in faith. 

Blaise Pascal, 17th century
“It is the heart which perceives God and not the reason. That is what faith is: God perceived by the heart, not by the reason.”
Khalil Gibran, 20th century
“Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.”
Anne Lamott, 21st century
“I have a lot of faith. But I am also afraid a lot, and have no real certainty about anything. I remembered something Father Tom had told me–that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns.
Augustine, 5th century
“Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.”

This year, Lent begins on Valentine’s day, inviting us to consider the relationship between love and our own mortality.   I believe that facing our own impermanence brings with it the gift of awareness of how precious everyone and everything is, and the urgency to love now.    Join us this Wednesday (yes Valentine’s day) for a short and beautiful beginning to our spiritual journey of Lent, to strengthen our soul’s capacity to love.  And,  join us this Sunday as we enter the wilderness together. 

In the words of the Hebrew scripture’s Psalmist, “Create in us, a clean heart oh God”,  I leave you with the beautiful words of the poet, Mary Oliver, and the Psalmist from the Hebrew scriptures.

“When it’s over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement.
“There are a hundred paths through the world that are easier than loving. But, who wants easier?” 
—————————————————————-
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?” 
————————————————-
“to live in this world
you must be able
to do three things
to love what is mortal;
to hold it against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go” 

Two Opportunities to Take Action

by Mirtha Ninayahuar

Work Opportunities
Opportunity to Help Asylum Seeker by Offering Odd Jobs: Caregiving, gardening, handyman services, and more. Mount Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church’s immigrant accompaniment team is assisting a young Nigerian man, Justin, who recently fled his country to escape violence against his family. He has applied for asylum and is awaiting his verdict. Meanwhile, we are soliciting offers for temporary work or odd jobs to help him support himself. Raised on a farm and holding an Australian nursing degree (experienced with the elderly as well as disabled adults/kids), he could provide caregiving, babysitting, pet sitting, gardening, and handyman services. Please contact: MDUUC accompaniment team member Will Dow at 925-639- 2708, willdow12@gmail.com.

Immigrant Preschool Needs Volunteers
 
The Nueva Esperanza Preschool for the Mam-speaking families from Guatemala at the Iglesia de Dios Church, 3315 Farnam Street, in the Fruitvale area is looking for volunteers. The preschool meets each Sunday from 3–5 pm. Volunteers should be able to commit at least one Sunday a month to help in interacting with the children, organizing the snack time and setting up and breaking down the items associated with the preschool. The children speak both Mam and Spanish and some speak some English. English-only speaking volunteers are welcome as well as Spanish speakers (at any level).
Please let Mirtha Ninayahuar if you are interested or would like more information via the office at 510-531-8212   office@skylineucc.org.

Transfiguration …the indescribable mystery and beauty of standing upon the mountaintop, in radiant glory,  and seeing for one brief moment the place where heaven meets earth, God incarnate.  Savor the words of Pulitzer prize winning poet Mary Oliver that speaks of our desire to behold Jesus in the flesh.  Join us this Sunday as we seek to experience Transfiguration as well. Also, join us for a conversation after the service to explore Transfiguration more deeply together. Childcare is provided, if needed. 

The Vast Ocean Begins Just Outside Our Church: The Eucharist – by Mary Oliver

Something has happened
To the bread
And the wine.

They have been blessed.
What now?
The body leans forward

To receive the gift
From the priest’s hand,
Then the chalice.

They are something else now
From what they were
Before this began.

I want
To see Jesus,
Maybe in the clouds

Or on the shore,
Just walking,
Beautiful man

And clearly
Someone else
Besides.

On the hard days
I ask myself
If I ever will.

Also there are times
My body whispers to me
That I have.

On the eve of the State of the Union address several young people (young is a relative term, right?!) in their 30’s and 20’s sought me out to set up a time to walk and talk, and of course I happily agreed. 

1. The twenty year old shared with me, “I’ve been thinking about my legacy,  what I am called to do with my life?”

2. The father of two in his mid 30’s shared with me, “I’m happily married, I have my wife and kids; we have our jobs and a house, and all of our basic needs are met. I’m searching for something more. There must be something more  that has to do with why we’re here, why I am here, and what’s my purpose in this life? 

3. Another woman in her mid thirties shared with me, “sometimes the world seems so competitive and divided, and at its worst, religion can exacerbate it.  Can we find another way to live with one another?”

To me, these are profoundly spiritual questions. Asking these questions is a sign of being alive; questions that we need to ask throughout our lives, individually, and as a society. Join us this Sunday as we explore these questions of meaning in our lives. And, if you’d like to explore more after the service, join us for our Inquirer’s Session from 11:30 am -12:30 pm. Childcare is provided.

I’d like to share with you a few responses from various traditions to these questions: 

Paul Tillich, 20th century:  “Being religious means asking passionately the question of the meaning of our existence and being willing to receive answers, even if the answers hurt.”

Rabindranath Tagore, 20th century Nobel Prize-winning poet:  “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”

Albert Schweitzer, 20th century: “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”

Booker T. Washington, 20th century: “Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.”

Martin Luther King Jr., 20th century: “Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

Fred Rogers, 20th century: “Life is for service.”

Some of the Sanctuary Activities Skyline is Already Involved In – By Mirtha Ninayahuar)

Examples Accompaniment, Advocacy, and Rapid Response work

Accompaniment

I have accompanied Guatemalan mother and daughter for the last 2 years. We’ve built a strong and caring relationship. I visit or contact the family monthly to see how they are. I assisted them with finding urgent dental care for daughter. I act as liaison between school teacher and non-English speaking mother. I drop off items needed such as a bed, groceries, school materials. We went on picnic with other accompaniment families. I took her to court appointment and found that she and her daughter had been granted asylum. 

I’m a volunteer for Court Accompaniment. Went to Immigration court in San Francisco with a mother and her toddler son and after we went to breakfast. I went to S.F. Immigration Court in support of a father separated from his pregnant wife and children, one of the children having special medical needs. Shared the experience with other volunteers so we can learn from one another on what to expect at the court.

I’ve been a volunteer Sunday  Nueva Esperanza preschool teacher for more than a year at Guatemalan Mam Church, with Nancy Taylor.

Skyline Church families decorated Easter bags and filled them with toys and healthful snacks. E’lijah, Skyline Youth Director, Pastor Laurie and Nancy Taylor delivered the bags to the Nueva Esperanza Preschool and visited with the children.

David G. and his daughter came to the Nueva Esperanza Preschool to do an art project with the children. David made animal themed hats for all the children, too.

Suzie H. volunteered as a preschool teacher at the Nueva Esperanza Preschool.

Skyline Church supports Sanctuary by donating food, toys, and clothes to immigrant/refugees in Oakland via Iglesias Presbyterian on High Street and Guatemalan Mam Church on Farnam Street in Fruitvale area.

Advocacy

Requested Skyline Church to vote on signing an electronic petition to denounce the holding of undocumented families in for-profit inhospitable detention centers. Congregation voted to approve signing petition. Congregations support is of more impact than an individual signing. Skyline hosted movie/potluck and to educate and discuss the root causes of migration from Central America.

I continue to sign electronic petitions in support of the immigrant community. Nancy Taylor and I joined caravan to Sacramento to lobby for Ca Sanctuary State Bill. Nancy collected signatures in support of bill.

For many months participated in the 120 Montgomery SF Immigration Court Vigils with placards to bring attention to the plight of the refugees. Also handed out stuffed toys and snacks to children entering the court building.

Participate in monthly interfaith vigils at West Count Detention Facility to support immigrant detainees. Recently I’ve been asked to welcome people visiting the detention facility and ask if they would join the vigil and if they have any prayer requests.

Participated in Holy Thursday/Passover Foot Washing Ceremony at Immigration Customs and Enforcement Building in San Francisco. Religious Leaders washed the feet of immigrants and children from local congregations/community organizations. Some shared testimony of their hardships getting here. The washing ritual symbolizes respect, humility, servanthood and the ways in which we are to treat our fellow human beings with respect and love, without prejudice as to where they come from. Clergy, religious leaders and lay leaders, immigrant janitors (diverse ethnic group) members of SEIU Local 87, immigrant domestic workers from Mujeres Unidas y Activas were some in attendance as well as media.

 Participated in the same foot washing ritual last year in front of SF City Hall.

Acted in skit for International Immigrants Day held a Fruitvale BART bringing attention to story of son forced to leave his family and country to help his family survive. Photos of missing immigrants posted for mothers’ in search of their children.

I participated in Vigil at Santa Rita Jail to pray and show support against the expansion of jail and to bring attention to lack of due process for undocumented detainees.

Networks of Protection & Rapid Response

Nancy Taylor and I have signed up to be in network made up of many organizations under Bay Resistance. (https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-up-for-updates-27) We are part of the mass text alert for when a presence of witnessing or public action may be needed to show support for those targeted by the new administration. Interfaith group has a public action scheduled in March as part of Resist Trump Tuesdays.