Choir rehearsals - cancelled until further notice. Bell choir - cancelled until further notice. Worship in the church - cancelled until further notice. It was a very tough way to enter the Easter season of 2020. Everything that I do at the church revolves around gathering groups of people to sing and or play instruments but all were cancelled until further notice. Fortunately, the Director of Music was not yet cancelled but what was there left for me to do?

Online worship experiences began almost immediately and that was ok, we could have the organist, Hyunju play and that would be the music for the service. It took several recording sessions but we finally figured out the best way of recording the organ to get the best sounding result. Suddenly I had become a recording engineer with very limited skills and equipment. In addition, some of my time at the church was then spent shoveling out my office. Some of you have snuck a peek inside and know how scary that was. Well, it did improve but I’m not sure it would be noticed, it is still far from finished because as time moved on there were more new things to do.

An occasional soloist was now to be part of our recorded worship. Recruiting solo singers and setting up recording sessions was now part of my new job description. This also brought about the need to use more time as a recording engineer.

Both the Covenant Choir and the Neighborhood Brass Rings were desperately missing being together as a group. Wasn’t there some way that the group could be together? Wanting to keep the group in communication with each other, we began meetings on, guess what?, Zoom of course. As time went on, talking on Zoom was not good enough, one group wanted to sing and the other group wanted to ring! There was almost a demand that we had to try singing on Zoom. “There must be a way”. You should have heard our first attempt at Happy Birthday, it wasn’t pretty and it didn’t get better. After several more attempts most of the singers were finally convinced that it is impossible to sing as a group on Zoom.

In exploring what other churches and choral groups were doing, I soon became aware of the virtual choir concept. Members of the choir and even the congregation had also seen and heard such things and thought that we should be able to put one together. My question, who would put it all together? After acquiring the appropriate audio and video editing programs and with numerous hours of reading and instruction via YouTube, I guessed it would be me. Every step in the process of putting these things together is laborious. First is finding and getting music in a pdf format which can be sent via email. Then .mp3 recordings of all of the parts and accompaniment were made so that the singers would have something to rehearse and recored with. We then had several meetings on Zoom discussing musical aspects of the piece and where problem spots might be. It was finally time for each of the singers to record an mp4 video of themselves singing their part. The result………nobody wanted to send their recording to me because no one was satisfied with their results. Most of the singers recorded themselves several times, finally sending me a recording with which they were still not satisfied but they hoped that I could use it.

Our first recording was for Thanksgiving Sunday. I had requested that I receive the singer’s recordings so that I would have two weeks to put it all together before getting it to Lauren who would edit it into the online worship service for Thanksgiving Sunday. It was a super long and frustrating process. I was at the computer day and night for two weeks. Had I given myself three weeks, I probably would have been able to fill that up too. In the end, things came together and we had a very nice presentation with about 16 wonderful singers.

In the midst of all of this the bell ringers were getting antsy and wanted to be able to, somehow, ring! After much back and forth the group was allowed to meet outside to rehearse and to record in Fellowship Hall with no more than eight ringers wearing masks at all times. It worked!

By Christmas all was running fairly smoothly and the groups were able to participate in what turned out to be some very meaningful Advent and Christmas worship videos. We were able to continue with similar participation in online worship through Easter 2021.

A big thank you to the members of the Covenant Choir and the Neighborhood Brass Rings. Even in a year when so many things had to be cancelled, they rose to the occasion and were able to contribute beautiful inspirational music to the new form of worship at Neighborhood Church.

The year has been challenging but also rewarding, I am grateful to have learned some new ways of making music. I thank God and this church that I have not yet been cancelled!

Join us for live worship in the Sanctuary this Sunday, July 18, where we will have a live choral presentation from about 20 members of the Covenant Choir. They are very excited to have the opportunity to sing together again. Hopefully, soon we will all be able to join our voices, to make a joyful noise.


God bless you all!

David Sateren
Director of Music

This article appeared in the Wave on July 15, 2021

We love hummingbirds – the sound and sight of them is never tiring.  This photo is right off our deck looking out at the lake.  Every summer we put out 4 – 5 feeders around the cabin and every year without fail dozens and dozens of hummingbirds remember where to come for a regular food source.  Our most common companions are the ruby-throated hummingbirds and keeping the feeders full is more than a weekly job.  It’s great fun to see these amazing flight artists dive and play as they dance and dart around the feeders.   Here’s a wonderful piece I discovered in my devotional reading just a few days ago.
 

Hummingbirds
by Jonathan Greene

Can fly every which way.
Taught helicopters to rise
straight up from the ground.

What does not work for us
works for them: being overly industrious,
overeating, surviving a sweet tooth,
a non-stop exuberance.

No down time to sing alleluias,
even after arriving at a distant home,
having crossed continents.

Never thinking to preen
to show off a ruby throat,
iridescent feathers.

Consider yourself blessed
by their visits.

My hope and prayer for you is that you find joy and moments of delight this summer whether through family, friends, prayer, meditation, communing with nature or any other blessing with which you are visited.
 
Humming along in faith, hope and love…

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

This article appeared in the Wave on July 7, 2021

Hello everyone, my name is Myra Ghabrial. I am the Director of the Children’s Ministry and have been running the Sunday School since 1987. I have been the Preschool Director at Rolling Hills United Methodist Church Preschool (“RHUMPS”) since 1985. 
 
Working with children is just so rewarding. I genuinely love what I do and have made it my life’s work. My daughter Shareen gave me a children’s book by Kitty O’Meara that taught of life’s changes during the Pandemic – “And the People Stayed Home.” In essence it read: 

And they listened, they read books, they rested, they exercised,
they made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, 
and were still.
 
And they listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced.
Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.
And the people healed.
 
And in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, and heartless ways, 
the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, 
and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses,
and made new choices, and dreamed new images,
and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully as they had been healed.

 
A beautiful book. All of it true.
 
When the Pandemic started, churches were no longer meeting in person. It was important to me to stay connected with the Sunday School children. I contacted Shannon Ebers and Allison Schmitz. We held a masked and socially distanced meeting and assembled packages for the next six weeks. And then another six weeks. And another. And … Some were mailed. Some hand delivered. 
 
The curriculum ended in June, but we were still locked down. We held a virtual Vacation Bible Camp. We set up drive-through arts and crafts. Enter from one way, exit from the next. Families were greeted music and pom-poms, and they exited with their supplies for the projects to be continued at home. 
 
Home. So many of us were home. 
 
We still stayed in touch. We Zoomed and we emailed. New worksheets and activities were emailed every week. New pets were shared in video chats. We saw their finished crafts. Allison kept the kids “Movin’ N Groovin.’ And the third graders still received their Bibles in June (their life-long companions). 
 
One last in-person Sunday School session had been on March 8, 2020. Fifteen long months later, we welcomed the children back on June 6, 2021. They had all grown so much, were a grade higher, had so much to share. 
 
Fifteen months.
 
Vacation Bible Camp is upon us again, running from June 28th through July 2nd. We will be ending the week with our famous waterslide. The five Mommy and Me sessions will begin on July 13th and end August 10th. Kids’ Night Out will resume in September, along with a picnic and another waterslide. 
 
Thank you for sharing your children with us.
Thank you for staying connected to us.
“Together Again” is the theme of this year’s Vacation Bible Camp.
 
I cannot think of a better name.
Children, I am so looking forward to seeing you!

Myra Ghabrial
Director of Children’s Ministry

This article appeared in the Wave on June 30, 2021

It was 2005. I had just moved to Los Angeles from Cleveland, Ohio, where I had been studying at the Cleveland Institute of Music. I was now about to embark on the long (and winding) road to getting my DMA from the University of Southern California.

That’s when a classmate asked if I wanted to go to a organ recital by Paul Jacobs, and that’s when I fell in love. It was my first visit to the Neighborhood Church, and I immediately fell in love with our magnificent pipe organ, a Glatter-Götz Op. IV (1999). Then and there, I started to dream of someday being the organist at the Neighborhood Church, and 14 years later, my dream came true.

Glatter-Götz is a world-renowned organ builder in Germany. Their pipe organs can be found in some of the most prestigious churches and concert halls around the world, including Trinity Church Wall Street in New York, the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre in Russia, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and of course ... the Neighborhood Church in Palos Verdes Estates.

Our pipe organ is a tracker-action organ, which is rare and special. What is tracker action? It means that all the connections in the organ are mechanical rather than electrical. The keyboards and the pedal board are directly linked to the trackers that connect to the wind chests which play the notes, in contrast to an electro-pneumatic instrument where there are electrical relays between the keyboard and the pipes. (Like a manual typewriter in contrast to a computer keyboard.) This in turn results in more responsiveness and sensitivity. As an organist, I am able to better control the sound the organ makes, a greater variety of articulation in musicspeak. In short, when I play, I feel as if our pipe organ is alive and breathing, and another member of ourNeighborhood Church family.

Recently, I was invited to perform at a recital sponsored by St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco. For the recital, I recorded a number of pieces on our magnificent pipe organ which can now be viewed on YouTube and which I hope you enjoy.

Blessing on you all.

Dr. Hyunju Hwang
Organist

This article appeared in the Wave on June 23, 2021

… or anyone who helped with virtual learning this year.

The ending of the school year, and the "opening of California" yesterday has given me a moment of pause and deep reflection over how much we've gone through, and especially how much our children have endured.

My kids like many spent the entire year doing school via Zoom at home. Our dining rooms and bedrooms had to change into school rooms. Homework took on a whole new meaning, it was no longer an "after school obligation" - it was an all day, complicated, sometimes torturous event. There were tears and there were laughs, there was learning academics, but more so, there was learning patience, and deciding what really mattered.

For my family, I chose to focus on peace and mental health. We missed some assignments, sometimes we logged off of class a few minutes early, because a crying, overwhelmed child needed to be hugged. Our family came together, day after day -- ALL day, every day....and I am going to miss that.

As I write this my kids are at a Surf Camp, and I miss them. The house is quiet, and I realize that this year has given me that perspective to truly cherish their time at home.

Happy Summer to you all,

Kat Corbett
Youth Director

This article appeared in the Wave on June 15, 2021

In the first four years that I worked at the Church, I attended a Sunday Service exactly once.

Attending Worship has never been part of my job description, but David encouraged me to come just to see how the service went. I did, it felt familiar, and somehow four and a half years went by. In the fifteen months since, I haven’t missed a Sunday. Well— a Friday.

By now, most of you know that our Online Worship Experiences are filmed Friday mornings at the Church.  By the time Doug gets the clips uploaded and we have overcome whatever emergencies inevitably arise (because there is almost always something), it’s usually Friday afternoon by the time I get the clips. And so, this is how I started going to Church on Friday nights. 

My first Friday night at Church? Well, that service lasted until almost midnight. A video vigil of sorts. It turns out there is a pretty steep learning curve when it comes to editing video. Some of you probably remember our early services which I am convinced made it through on a wing and several prayers. These days, the videos take much less time, but I’ll never forget the bleary eyed nights eating takeout in front of my computer willing YouTube to upload faster, please, it’s already 10pm. 

As the Fridays went on, we learned with each service. Our product got better, our processes got more efficient, and I, ironically, felt myself slowing down.  My Friday night editing sessions felt like an island of constancy amidst the enduring pandemic.  When grocery stores could not keep essentials stocked, I edited the videos. When schools closed and major league sports were suspended, I edited the videos. When my family cancelled our Thanksgiving, then Christmas festivities, I edited the videos. When positivity rates and fatalities soared, I edited the videos.  Somewhere along the way, I realized that I was going to Church. The editing process is meditative, yes, but feeling the service come together each week through the prayers and the music and the sermon brought me peace at the end of weeks that more often than not felt hopeless.

I have a notebook on my desk with my notes from each sermon over the last year. There is our very first service which muses whether we should be hoarding toilet paper. There is David’s sermon on boredom, one on hope for the future, the Christmas Eve service that made me cry,  all the way through to Michael’s this past Sunday on grace. I distinctly remember each of these services bringing moments of clarity and calm. You probably have some of your own favorites from the past year— maybe some are even the same as mine.  I am confident that these messages will stand the test of time, but I also know that one day, years from now, I will find this notebook in a box somewhere and instantly remember the year that I went to Church on Friday nights. I don’t think I’ve ever learned so much. 

Until Friday,

Lauren R. Hardin
Marketing, Communications & Office Manager

This article appeared in the Wave on June 9, 2021

As summer now unfolds and I have departed for the north woods of Minnesota, it seemed like a great idea to ask the staff to help with writing the weekly piece for the Wave. Today begins that sharing and I am confident you will enjoy hearing from different members of our ministerial team as they share their particular perspectives about our life together in the Neighborhood Church family.

With Gratitude,

Rev. Dr. David D. Young

Difficult though it has been, thanks be to God!

Through our different paths of faith we have traveled this journey through a pandemic, which, pray God, is coming to a close.

At least through Zoom we could 'attend' church at a time convenient to ourselves this past year.

Then we started outside services, and now have moved inside. It definitely is different from the point of view of someone who loves to sing ,to humming gently whilst wearing a mask.

For me, singing is a method of praying, but it is certainly worth the effort praying or humming with one another - our church family - in person.

Even though I am a technological dinosaur, electronic communication has been such a help this past year. Through Zoom I have been able to see - and hear - some of our wonderful young parishioners during our Sunday 'Wee Sing Bible Songs' zooms. There have been bi-weekly Zoom meetings with other staff from the church. And seeing members of the Covenant Choir about every two weeks on Zoom has been an alternative to gathering 'live'. With David Sateren's learning the convoluted ways of putting together a virtual choir, we have been able to ultimately sing with one another for some services - also Zoom.

My husband and I have been blessed with our first grandchild - Millie Grace Magill - born April 2020. Thankfully she and her parents live in Australia where Covid has been mild. One of the reasons that Australia has avoided the devastation of Covid in the US and other countries is that Australia does not allow 'foreigners' in. Now they predict middle of 2022 their 'welcoming' US travelers. So our third set of tickets are yet again being put on hold... However, through Facetime and Zoom we have witnessed some of Millie's progress in growing!

So - thank you, God, for blessing us with our church family, immediate family, AND technology! And, thank you for easing restrictions so that we can actually see one another!

Blessings on you all -

Ellen Steinmetz
Children’s Choir Director

This article appeared in the Wave on June 2, 2021

“Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God.”

— I Peter 1: 18 (The Mesage Translation)

Summer is quickly approaching and following worship this coming Sunday, Michelle and I will be heading up to Boise to see our three grandsons for a few days and then heading on out to our Minnesota family cabin. I will be returning to California and be preaching three Sundays at the end of July and early August.

Since Davida Foy Crabtree will not be joining us this summer due to the lingering challenges of the pandemic, I thought it would be a wonderful time to draw on the richness of our congregation by having several members share something of themselves over the next few months. We have been isolated from one another for the past 15 months and this will provide a special way to reconnect as a church family. Six people have graciously agreed to offer reflections on their faith journey by sharing formative foundations, faith experiences, beliefs and what the church means to them and how they have contributed and been shaped by it. Peppered throughout the summer, their faith journeys will be in lieu of the sermon for their respective Sundays. Each person will be featured in our regular 10:00 a.m. service in the sanctuary and as part of our online worship opportunities. I am really looking forward to what promises to be a very enriching and meaningful part of our summer spiritual journey as a people of faith on the grow.

“If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.”
- Yogi Berra

Being on a journey of faith is something we can all relate to. It was certainly true for the people lifted up in the Bible. The motif of journey is referred to over 30 times and permeates the movement and purpose of God working in the lives of people of faith in both the Old and New Testaments. Facing an unknown future with faith is different than not knowing where we are going in life. We believe that God is truly with us on the journey even during those periods when we don’t sense it or feel it.

I hope you will join me in celebrating our participants and their stories by receiving and appreciating their unique perspectives, experiences and beliefs. I trust we will all be strengthened on the way of life as we hear from these fellow journeyers: Jim Hendrickson, Karen Tucker, Karl Snider, Roberta Philbrick, Grace Crofton and Meena Lagnese.

Blessings on the Journey,

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

This article appeared in the Wave on May 26, 2021

““Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”  (words of Jesus to disciples)”

— John 14: 27

Peace is multi-layered and multi-faceted and its pursuit has been problematic and pervasive  since humans began interacting.  For today, I would like to point to four: peace among nations and around the globe – world peace; peace in neighborhoods, cities and countries – national peace; peace in families and between individuals – relational peace; and peace within the self – inner peace.
 
And the peace of God?
 
God’s peace includes vastly more than those four aspects and encompasses more than we can ever comprehend.  We long for peace, yet peace is a mystery and a reality that is always unfolding. 
 
One of the great preachers of recent years was Fred Craddock and here is what he had to say about the peace of God,
 

 "The peace of God is the confidence that God is God and neither our gains  nor our losses are ultimate. It is the truth that God loves the world,  is for all creatures, and is present with us in every endeavor to make real  that love in concrete ways. Hassles as we go through life neither prove nor disprove God's presence and therefore neither create nor void  the peace of God." 

 
Jesus lived out that peace in all his encounters – bringing healing to those who knew brokenness, truth to those who needed to hear it, justice to unjust situations, compassion to those who were suffering and peace to those who were in turmoil.  Jesus withdrew for inner renewal (and inner peace), but it was always to propel himself back into the engagement of life with all those around him – his disciples, his enemies (both religious and political) and his brothers and sisters of all backgrounds and circumstances that crossed his path.
 
There is so much conflict, alienation and violence in our world.  That was certainly the case in Jesus’ day.  Jesus prayed for peace and he worked for peace from God’s perspective.  Praying for peace is important and for me it means asking God to help me grow in all aspects of peace (as best I can) to be sent out into the world as an agent of reconciliation, joy, justice, light and love.  And my prayer is also that you, too, may know more of peace and live as a minister of God’s peace today and in the coming days!
 
Shalom,

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

This article appeared in the Wave on May 19, 2021

There is a legend about a woman who prayed to God for patience. In answer, she received nothing but trouble. She then said to the Lord, “I did not pray for trouble, I prayed for patience.” The Lord answered her, “How else will you learn patience, or even know you have it?”

I do not believe God gives us trouble or suffering as an answer to prayer any more than I believe God’s finger is helping to pull the trigger on the gun of a mass murderer during these days of ours.  I do believe however, that God can help us through whatever troubles and suffering come in life.  Which is why I believe God did not cause our current pandemic.  Yet, as a result of it I have learned patience – and I bet you have too.  All that is to say, it has been a long time coming to regather at the church and our patience has been tested.  Our outdoor worship has been successful in many ways and now I am very pleased to announce that beginning Sunday, May 23rd we will be moving back into the sanctuary for live, in-person worship.  After careful consideration, the staff, reopening taskforce, and Church Council have unanimously affirmed this decision – urging that we do so with continued concern for the safety and well-being of our members, friends, staff and volunteers.  To that end, reservations will still be required, masks will be worn and social distancing will be observed.  Unison prayers may be spoken while singing will be limited to soloists.  The service will be similar in length and style to what we’ve done for the past year and the same online version will continue to be available.  Our hope is to meet the greatest needs for our church family in the immediate future.  Over time as things progress, we look forward to phasing in additional elements like Sunday School, Hospitality Hour and choral singing as soon as it is safe to do so.

Worship is at the center of our life as the body of Christ – and we have been able to do that in a new and different way due to the pandemic.  Now we are able to return to communal worship in the company of one another (for those who are comfortable doing so) in the familiarity of our sanctuary. 

Worship is like a strong tree whose beauty is derived from the continuous
renewal of its leaves, but whose strength comes from the old trunk, with
solid roots in the ground.

                                                                                    Pope Paul VI

2021 is turning out to be a year of embracing the new (and renewed) while being rooted in the strength of our faith and religious traditions.  Wherever you find yourself during these transitional days - I am grateful for our life as The Neighborhood Church and wish you blessings, good health, and a growing faith and trust in God…and oh yes, patience…for we are getting through this to the other side…together!

With Gratitude,

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

This article appeared in the Wave on May 12, 2021

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

                                                                                                I Peter 1:3-9

For all we have been through in over the past year now - and for all we have received and the many ways we’ve been blessed, we know that God cares for us beyond our deserving.  In light of all our struggles and the many things we have endured throughout our life - along with the many times we have celebrated and enjoyed life, we know that God is present with us even when we are at least aware of it. 

In this Eastertide season and in the light of resurrection, we know that God offers us newness of life in the here and now as well as eternal life beyond death.  Easter holds the promise of eternity’s Son-rise both now and forever.

“After the final no there comes a yes
and on that yes the future world depends.
No was the night.  Yes is the present sun.”

                                                                                   - Wallace Stevens

During Lent and leading up to Easter we were “Journeying with Christ” as we affirmed his “I Am” identities as our teacher, leader and Savior.  And now we are engaged in the challenge of “Light Living” as we move forward in the light of Christ as his modern day disciples.  In the words of the Apostle Paul:

“As surely as God is faithful, our word
to you has not be ‘Yes and No.’  For
the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom
we proclaimed among you…was not
Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes.”

                                                                        II Corinthians 1:18-19

During this seasonal time, may we know a larger “Springtime of the Soul” as our lives and the world around us open up more and more – and may we affirm our “Yes” in Christ as we grow in his “Light Living!”

Joyfully,

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

This article appeared in the Wave on May 5, 2021

“The best thing for being sad is to learn something.  That is the only thing that never fails.  You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world around you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled by baser minds.  There is only one thing for it then - to learn.  Learning is the thing for you.”
- T. H. White, The Once and Future King
 

Beginning Saturday, May 8th – a new class begins to help us learn and grow in our faith.  It’s called the ABC’s of Faithand will cover many words and concepts which are central to the Christian faith.  The group will be informal and conversational in style providing for a great deal of participant participation.  Each week will offer a deep dive into a different word and it’s meaning.  One of my favorite seminary professors had served as the Senior Minister of our UCC church up in Berkeley and knew well the experience of people in local churches writing in his book, The Well Church Book, 
 

“Speech is a rare and precious gift, much underestimated by many specialists  in communication who view it primarily as an instrument to convey ideas or  information.  Faith knows that it is much more.  Language is a great and holy mystery and words are symbols and symbols participate in the realty they symbolize.  Or why the sacraments?  Or the shock of profanity?”

 
Here’s a sampling of some of the words we’ll be looking at and discussing: Angels, Atheist, Aging, Animals, Awe, Baptism, Bible, Blessing, Bread, Beauty, Believing, Charity, Christ, Christian, Church, Compassion, Covenant, Creation, Cross, Christmas, and Communion (and so on...)  You get the idea of why the group will be called the ABC’s of Faith – however, we won’t go alphabetically and participants will pick the weekly words. 
 
Each week we will begin with community building, catching up and an opening prayer.  Then the word of the day will be presented along with why that word is special, a scripture passage that addresses it, and an additional piece of literature, quote or poem that further elucidates the meaning.  Additional background will be given and a few prompting questions - all leading to generative group discussion.  
 
Words are how we build our worlds and find bridges and connections to each other.  We cannot see each other’s thoughts and feelings directly – words are so important – especially when it comes to matters of faith and our understandings of God.  As Sidney Jourard  observed, “Learning is not a task or a problem.  It is a way of being in the world.”  I hope one of the ways you will “be” in the Neighborhood Church is by joining the ABC’s of Faith.  

Zoom links will be included in the Wave and Sunday emails. Additionally, I will send out a reminder email each weekend, either Friday evening or Saturday morning. To be added to this email list, simply contact me. If you were previously on the 5x5x5 email list, you do not need to re-register.
 
Growing Together…

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

This article appeared in the Wave on April 28, 2021

But Thomas, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.  So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:24-25)

This is the familiar story of doubting Thomas - characterized by Thomas’ testing touch.  He was a matter of fact kind of person, with his feet firmly planted on the ground, who saw himself as a reality tester.  But the most surprising thing happened, which is what the Easter message is all about.

“A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them.  Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’  Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side.  Do not doubt but believe.’  Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”  (John 20:26-28)

Astonishingly, when Thomas touched Jesus, it was really Thomas who was touched by his living Lord.  Else why the sudden response from Thomas, “My Lord and my God!”  One of the great English Congregational preachers of a previous generation, P. T. Forsyth, said,

“Faith is our relation not to what we possess, but to what possesses us.  Our faith is not in our experience, but in our Savior.”

Faith then, is our relation not to what we touch, but to what touches us.  And it takes eyes of faith for such seeing, for Jesus says in the closing verse of this passage with Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me?”  And then it is as though the text shifts directly to us in a resurrection beatitude, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”  John 20:29

Instead of touching Jesus to know for sure and thus believe, it is when we are touched by his spirit that we know the presence of Christ.  Perhaps we could change the little rhyme many of us grew up with in Sunday school to “Jesus touches me this I know, for the Bible tells me so!”

We see with eyes of faith because spiritual sight requires knowing Christ as our light.  Resurrection light changes us and the world offering a new way of seeing and being.  We cannot simply go back to the way things were – we must move into God’s new future where the forces of life and love overcome death and violence.  Resurrection power can be a realty in the struggles of our world today.  Our current sermon series, “Light Living”, is calling us to both live in the light of Christ and as the light of Christ to a dark and needy world.

When we are touched by Christ and the light of resurrection, we can truly live as Easter people bearing witness to new ways of being and caring for all life.   We can proclaim with Thomas, “My Lord and my God!”  All because with eyes of faith we “see” there can be new life and true life for all.

In that Spirit,

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

This article appeared in the Wave on April 21, 2021

I can’t get the shooting of Daunte Wright off my mind.  It is heart-breaking, horrific and hard to comprehend.  Events such as this have been happening with far too much regularity.  There is no excuse for complacency or shrugging our shoulders and saying, “Some things will never change.”  Friends, it’s time for change.  When it comes to the killing of people of color in our country, it is high time for change.  Police killings of unarmed Black men have been happening with such frequency and for so long that it now is one of the leading causes of death, with 1 in every 1000 young Black men killed by police officers in this country.  As people of faith, we dare not sit back as though there’s nothing we can do.  Raising our voices and actions calling for justice is precisely what is needed.  
 
Some might say that as Christians we shouldn’t get involved in political issues, but this is not simply a political issue – it is a moral and societal issue and our faith has something to say about it.
 

“Stay on good terms with each other, held together by love. Be ready with a meal or a bed when it’s needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it! Regard prisoners as if you were in prison with them. Look on victims of abuse as if what happened to them had happened to you.”    

Hebrews 13:1-3

There will be no easy solutions going forward, but I believe more than ever that a good starting point is compassion - compassionate, Christ-like caring that dares to walk alongside those who suffer offering respect and a hand of support. We need to look into the eyes of others and love others - especially those who do not look like us and who experience a world totally different than our own.  This means taking the time and having the concern to explore actual human stories beyond today’s headlines.  It means looking into the faces of victims and seeing their individuality and character, not their shortcomings.  It means demanding justice as if we were their own family and friends.  Isn’t that what being part of God’s family is?  Imagine how you would feel if what happened to Daunte Wright happened to one of your children or grandchildren.  When it comes right down to it, that’s the thing I just can’t get out of my mind.

 
Longing for Compassion and Change,

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

Easter is always associated with spring and therefore, is celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or just after the spring equinox. This year it was celebrated April 4th. As people of faith, we can affirm that Easter is not just a day – it is a promise, presence and power. That’s what touches us no matter what day or season it is – the inexpressible sounding which shrieks of dawning at the point of our deepest darkness.

God knows…the past year has been a time of struggle and suffering for the entire global community as life’s primal face carries the signs of loss and diminishment. We all can share the pathos of the human journey. But darkness is not the final word. We are a people of the light! Jesus is the true light which came into the world and he said,

“I am the resurrection and the life…those who
believe in me will live, even though they die.”
John 11:25

The promise, presence and power of the resurrection will carry us to life beyond this life…and there is tremendous promise for life right now, right here. In the sense that we say a young person has real promise when they use the gifts they have been given – so too, does resurrection hold real promise for us in the living of our lives as we allow the presence and power of Christ to live in us.

I hope you will join us this weekend for virtual worship as Michael Moorhead shares the message: “Turn on the Power” And then join us the following Sunday, April 18th for either online worship or in-person worship outdoors on the terrace when we begin a Spring Sermon Series continuing the Eastertide Season of Resurrection entitled, “Light Living”.

May you know and grow…into the promise, presence and power of resurrection…both in the now and forever!

Eastertide Blessings,

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

As I look out my study window this morning, today promises to be an absolutely beautiful and warm day.  I see a gorgeous blue sky with only a few wisps of white clouds, I hear birds chirping merrily and the pond flowing – all signaling the joy of creation and what is to come in the unfolding month ahead.  My spirit says, “Yes” to life!  And we, as a congregation, say, “Yes” to beginning the first phase of our safe return to in-person services by offering outdoor worship beginning April 18th (more information explaining the outdoor worship polices and reservation process will be coming to you after Easter).

And then reality catches me – reminding me of the ongoing pandemic, wars, racial hatred and all the ways people hurt one another through discrimination, bias and oppression.  Problems are ever-present and one wonders if things will ever get better.   Death, destruction and violence are real and horrible.   I continue to pray for peace and reconciliation with justice – realizing the living of our lives is one of the most powerful forms of prayer.

My eyes have drifted outside again.  I know the same blue sky is meant to be above all the other countries of the globe and over those who do awful things to one another here and abroad – calling all peoples to the “Yes” of life.  God’s goodness is so far beyond our imagining and deserving. 

This Holy Week we are “Journeying with Christ” as we follow with Jesus through the passion of his last days on earth.  To help us on the path which entailed for him betrayal, desertion, violence and death the church is offering a virtual Maundy Thursday Service with a link which will come to your email inbox tomorrow.  I hope you will join us for this moving and meaningful worship opportunity as we experience the interplay of light and darkness in all that Jesus faced.  He taught love not hate, trust not fear, and he offered up his life to the way of violence rather than inflict violence on others.  He said the road is narrow and not easy that leads to life.  And so it is…

 Our Journey with Christ can drive us deeper and deeper into the reality of who he was and is.  Where the journey for you and me will end, I cannot say.  But I do know resurrection will come.  Whether God’s children around us and around the globe say “Yes” to life or not, I know God always says “Yes” and that God will keep on saying “Yes” no matter what.  That my friends, makes all the difference in the world, to the world, and for the world!

                                    “I am the resurrection and the life!” said Jesus.

May we hear that great “I Am” statement now more than ever – and respond with our “Yeses!”

 Celebrating the great Easter Promise!

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

Strange truth indeed…that out of suffering comes hope…that out of darkness comes light…that out of hatred comes love…that out of the worst men and women can contrive, God generates and gifts the mysterious energy of resurrection.

We’ve made this Lenten journey before, but each time there can be a new dimension of insight and meaning, because we are not simply defined by past responses, but there is a growing and evolving within us.  In a few short days, we will begin Holy Week as we continue “Journeying with Christ” as he makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.   Our Palm Sunday theme will be his empowering identity, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”  And then we will move with Jesus and the disciples to the Last Supper with the observance of Maundy Thursday.  As with Ash Wednesday, we will be offering a special service of Tenebrae a week from tomorrow.  You will receive an email with a link to the virtual candlelight worship service moving through each of the days of Jesus’ Passion Week.  We will celebrate communion as the lighting is diminished representing our Lord’s life coming to an end.  But as we pause at the Upper Room, we will share in the promise of New Covenant which Christ infused into the familiar Passover meal.  Then…on Good Friday, we’ll meditate on the meaning of the crucifixion – in the words of the Roman Catholic philosopher, Jacques Maritain:

  “The Christian takes a stand right at the joining of the arms of the cross. It is the only place from which one can see well.”

The world always seems to have moments of “Good Friday” when death and violence seem to be all too present in the world around us.  From the taking of 8 innocent lives outside Atlanta to 10 more in Boulder, Colorado – why do such tragedies keep happening?  From the continual death toll due to the world-wide pandemic to the care of God’s children at the boarder - how do we make sense of it all?  Perhaps we get a glimpse when we see that all of life is connected, that like it or not we are ALL part of God’s family and therefore called to care and watch out for each other.  God doesn’t rush in and fix everything, but God cares and God is present with all suffering as presence, in all darkness as light and in all hatred and violence as love.  As we approach our holiest week of the year, let us affirm this in our faith and in our living.

From Friday through Saturday night we will await the dawning of Easter Day.  A special period of time for us all…shaped by the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus the Christ.  In the words of G.K. Chesterton:

“The folk of the East may spell the stars,
and times and triumphs mark
but the folk signed of the cross of Christ
go gaily into the dark.”

Blessings for the Journey…

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

Although we can’t be together for our Maundy Thursday service, we’re sharing our Soup recipe to help bring the feeling (and taste, and smell!) of the service to your home. We recommend prepping this soup early in the day on Thursday and reheating it while watching our special Maundy Thursday Service that will be shared on Thursday, April 1. This hearty soup is vegetarian, but you could easily add cubed beef for an added protein boost. We serve both options at our Soup Supper.

Ingredients

1 package frozen chopped onion
2 large carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 leek, chopped
1/3 bunch parsley, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1 box vegetable stock
1/2 can diced tomatoes
1/2 can tomato puree
1 small green cabbage, chopped
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 package frozen french beans
1/2 package frozen peas
2 cups snap peas, cut in half

Optional: Add 1-2lbs of beef stew meat. Chop into bite size pieces, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder and saute in olive oil until browned. Set aside.

Instructions

Finely chop the hard end of the parsley. In the bottom of a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt the butter. Sauté the first four ingredients until tender (approximately 10-15 minutes).

Add stock, tomatoes, tomato puree, beef if using, and Worcestershire sauce to pot and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt, pepper, basil and garlic. Let simmer gently for one hour.

Add cabbage, french beans, peas, and most parsley, saving some for garnish. Return to a boil, then reduce to simmer and simmer 30 minutes to an hour. Allow soup to cool, then serve. 

To our Neighborhood Church Members, friends and community,

Almost a year to the day from when we suspended Sunday Services, we are incredibly excited to share that we will soon begin offering outdoor, in-person services! With LA County’s recent transition to the Red Tier, the Board of Trustees together with the Church Council have unanimously agreed to begin offering outdoor Sunday Services this Spring.  

We will begin with a single, outdoor worship service on Sundays at 10AM beginning Sunday, April 18, 2021. Reservations, masks and social distancing will be required, and reservations will be available on our website. More details, including the full protocol developed by the COVID-19 Task Force, will be shared in the coming weeks. The Task Force, Staff and Worship Ministry are already hard at work putting plans in place to welcome you back safely.

While we know that many in our Church family are eager to get back to in-person services, we also recognize that perhaps just as many are not yet comfortable gathering in groups for a number of reasons. We are committed to continuing to provide a connection to our Church for all of our members, not just those who have been vaccinated or are comfortable joining us in person. To that end, our prerecorded online Worship services will continue, just as they have been. The sermon and readings for the online and in-person services will be the same each Sunday. We expect this hybrid model to continue at least throughout the Summer.

We are sure you have many questions and as always, welcome your feedback as we navigate this time together. We do ask that you hold off on logistical questions until we have had a chance to share the protocol and additional information with you.

From the day we closed our building, our primary concern has been offering spiritual resources and a connection to God, your faith and to each other as safely as possible. That is as true now as it ever has been. We are excited to add the option for outdoor Worship to our current offerings and look forward to serving you, whether in person or virtually, as we begin a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Faith,

Cathy Hendrickson, Chair, Board of Trustees
Linda Cavette, Moderator, Church Council

People collect many things and I am always curious as to why people collect the things they do. Personally, I collect words. I am fascinated with words. I love words. For nearly 40 years since my ordination, I have been collecting them – quotes, stories, articles, anecdotes and poems. I have thousands upon thousands of them and they are filed for easy retrieval.

As I was thinking about our current sermon series, “Journeying with Christ” and this week’s focus of Jesus’ saying, “I am the vine” – I found a poem by a dear ministerial colleague written a number of years ago. I hope you’ll consider this poem a pump primer for this coming Sunday’s sermon – allowing your own thoughts to percolate between now and then.

“Making It in an Unmade World”

“I am the vine…
you are the branches.”
John 15:5

Everybody’s
into making it…
for though we start
from scratch
there’s a lifetime
to be torn
from the maw
of meaninglessness.

Some say
you’re on your own
with
grab-for-the-gusto
energy
the needed ingredient
for rendering a lifetime
into bubbling brilliance
and you-earned-it satisfaction.

And yet…
there is another voice
which speaks of connectivity,
and if we were to grow
and in the unfolding
bear fruit,
which is the fecund token
of some lavish investment
in our being.
“Abide in me”,
he said one day,
for in this unmade world
a deeper making
can be felt,
as love is born
and shared
by that Creator God
who knows our frame
and in the loving
destines us for joy!

Rev. Dr. Richard L. Stanger

As we are “Journeying with Christ” this Lenten season, may our spirits connect with one another and the One we seek to follow – the One who is the true vine, even Jesus Christ our Lord.

In Connectedness,

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister