The Soul Truth
Volume 7, Issue 1
July 2012
SOJOURNER TRUTH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Reverend Kamal Hassan: How Open Are Our Arms?
Special Interest Articles
Message from the Pulpit
STPC celebrated 40 years
of Christian Service and the
Installation of Pastor Kamal
Hassan
STPC Golf Tournament
“Then little children were being brought
to him in order that he might lay his
hands on them and pray. The disciples
spoke sternly to those who brought
them; but Jesus said, let the little
children come to me, and do not stop
them; for it is to such as these that the
kingdom of heaven belongs.”And he
laid his hand on them and went on his
way. Matthew 19:13-15
The flickering images and angry voices I saw and
heard in the videos from a recent meeting of the
Richmond City Council caused sorrow and anger
to rise in my heart. The occasion was the
presentation of a proclamation naming the
month of June, “Gay Pride Month” in our city.
There to receive this document were six African
American youth from a local community agency.
All of them were female. All of them identified
themselves as members of the lesbian, gay,
bisexual,
transgender,
and
questioning
community. The Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, and
Councilperson Jovanka Beckles read the
proclamation and gave a replica of it to these
young women. Then some of them offered words
of thanks to the elected officials and of gratitude
to Ryse Center, because it provides a safe space
for them in a hostile environment.
That is when the trouble started. The public
comment part of the meeting followed this
event, and several African American Christians
cried foul. One after another said it was an insult
to our heritage to have such a designation for a
month in which Juneteenth (an African American
holiday honoring the abolition of slavery) would
The Omnipotent Power of
God
Continued on Page 7
In This Issue:
Message from the Pulpit 1
STPC News
2
Free Finally
3
Institutional Injustice
by Albert Brown
4
Free Food for Families
5
STPC Village
Festival
5
Meaning
of Pentecost
6
Today’s Family
by Cora Brown
7
Dedication to
Black Fathers
8
A Call to Serve
8
Sojourner Truth Presbyterian
Church celebrated 40 years of
Christian service to the East Bay
and the Installation of
Pastor Kamal Hassan
Richmond, California – Sojourner Truth
Presbyterian Church (STPC) a pillar of
strength and service to the Richmond
community for 40 years installed Reverend
Kamal Hassan as Pastor and Teaching Elder
on January 22, 2012, at 3 pm in the church
sanctuary located at 2621 Shane Drive.
Members
of
Presbyterian
churches
throughout the Bay Area participated in
the service.
Reverend Kamal Hassan has served as the
Designated Pastor of Sojourner Truth
Presbyterian Church since 2008, and is
excited by the opportunity to make a
positive impact on the community. “I
strongly feel that God called me to ministry
for a time such as this.” He believes the
church, “must be involved in the lives of the
people and community where it is located,
and it must be engaged in the social, political,
economic, and cultural lives of people in a way
that reveals God’s will for all humanity.”
Sojourner Truth Church held its first worship service
in 1972 at Fairmede Elementary School in the
Hilltop community of Richmond. STPC is named
after Sojourner Truth, a strong and exceptional
Black woman who, like the church’s founders,
refused to separate faith from action, strongly
believed in the salvation of the soul, and fought for
the freedom of all God’s people.
Over the past 40 years STPC has worked to live out
the creed of its preamble which charges it to be
“…dedicated to enhancing the spirituality of the
dispirited, restoring dignity to the disinherited, and
bringing justice to the oppressed; with our first
responsibility toward God in worship and study,
and then toward the people in discovering and
presenting the meaning of the Gospel for our
times…” Rev. Hassan feels this mission statement
gives hope for the church because it is calling it to
a socially relevant faith.
Continued on Page 3
STPC Golf
Tournament
The
STPC
Golf
Committee needs help
with silent auction and
raffle prizes for the
tournament scheduled
for August 25, 2012.
Flyers are available in
the Narthex for golfers
to register to play.
Please
see
Wanda
Barfield,
Janet
Johnson, Bea or Ken
Jett, or LC Fuller for
more information on
how you can assist with
auction
and
raffle
prizes; or if you, or
someone you know
would like to become a
Tournament Sponsor
for $475, a Hole
Sponsor for $100, or a
Donor for $10 or more.
STPC News – “We’ve Come This Far by Faith”
July Theme – The Way, The Truth, and The Life
You are invited to join Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church
for Sunday worship. Come and be blessed.
Sunday, July 1, 2012 – Keeping It Real
Sermonic Text(s) Ezekiel 34:17-24; 1 John 3:11-18
Sunday, July 8, 2012 – The Help
Sermonic Text(s) Genesis 21:8-19; Luke 8:1-3
Sunday, July 15, 2012 – Open Arms of Welcome
Sermonic Text(s) Micah 6:1-8; Matthew 18:1-5
Sunday, July 22, 2012 – Work and Rest
Sermonic Text(s) Proverbs 2:1-11; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Sunday, July 29, 2012 – Damage Control
Sermonic Text(s) 2 Samuel 11:1-15; Ephesians 3:14-21

Most gracious God,
We humbly pray for
your Church.
Fill it with all truth; in
all truth with all peace.
Where it is corrupt,
purge it;
Where it is in error,
direct it;
Where anything is
amiss, reform it;
Where it is right,
strengthen and
confirm it;
Where it is in want,
furnish it;
Where it is divided,
heal it,
and unite it in your
love;
Through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
New Church Members
There were 4 member candidates for the month of June 2012: 1) Martha Figueroa; 2) Florence
Mensah; 3) Beatrice Louise Schine; and 4) Kevin Schultz.
STPC Upcoming Events
July 3, 2012 – Bible Study
July 5, 2012 – Bible Study
July 21, 2012 – Food Pantry
August 2, 2012 – Workshop on Power of Attorney & Advance Health Care Directives (1st Session)
August 16, 2012 – Workshop on Power of Attorney & Advance Health Care Directivies (2nd Session)
August 18, 2012 – Food Pantry
August 25, 2012 – STPC Golf Tournament
August 25, 2012 – STPC FREE Teen & Youth Social
September 8, 2012 – STPC 40th Anniversary Celebration Dinner
September 15, 2012 – Food Pantry
September 29, 2012 – STPC Village Festival
October 20, 2012 – Food Pantry
October 27, 2012 – STPC Annual Kids of the Kingdom Fall Festival / Halloween Celebration
Reverend Kamal Hassan:
How Open Are Our Arms?
Continued from page 1
also be celebrated. Some quoted phrases from the Bible that
they claimed meant that the young ladies from the Ryse
Center and people like them were an abomination to God. It
got so bad that these young folks decided to leave the
chamber so as not to be subjected to further abuse.
I was shocked, but not at all surprised. In the scripture above
is an indication that disciples of Jesus have had long standing
problems with the radical inclusion that he lived and taught.
We are often preoccupied with who should be “in” or “out,”
but our thoughts are not his thoughts and our ways are not his
ways. Somehow the speakers who were upset saw gay when
they looked at these courageous young women, but they
didn’t see Black. Somehow the Bible became a weapon they
could use against those whom they fear and do not
understand, even if they are their own children. Somehow
they forgot that Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as
ourselves and to stand with those whom society rejects.
Somehow they don’t know that you can’t fight injustice by
committing injustice.
These baleful Bible rattlers all had one thing in common: none
of them mentioned the name of Christ. Maybe that is
because Jesus welcomes everyone into loving relationship
with him, and into their rightful places in a beloved
community. Whether we like it or not and no matter how hard
we try to prevent them, the kingdom of heaven and honored
places in our community also belong to lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgendered and questioning people. ■

SFTS Inaugurates New President
On February 11, 2012 The San Francisco Theological
Seminary inaugurated its 11th president, the Reverend Dr.
James L. McDonald. McDonald, is the former director of
Bread for the Word, which is described as, “a non-partisan,
Christian citizens’ movement in the United States urging the
nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and
abroad.
The over 500 people attended the two day event in San
Anselmo, attended workshops, lectures, and shared
fellowship. McDonald preached his inauguration address
on February 11th at First Presbyterian Church. Its title was,
“The Real Presence of Christ in the 21st Century.” McDonald
called on those in attendance to seek justice, continuing a
long tradition of service by the SFTS community. He pointed
out that, “Compassion is the essence of what it means to
be the human beings God made us to be.” ■
Today’s Family
by Cora Brown
AFFIRMATION:
You are fools because of your rebellious ways.
INTERROGATION:
Why do you call us fools and how are we rebellious?
A Father’s Day Litany
This is a tribute to the Fathers in Our Worship Community
and Beyond.
REFUTATION:
O Lord, today we celebrate you and the model you
have provided us through the men of your kingdom.
Thank you, O Lord, for our grandfathers, fathers,
uncles, brothers, and elders who teach us, guide us, and
protect us.
Thank you for the women in our lives who
sometimes have to fill these roles in the absence of our elder
men.
Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the
wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat
of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on
his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not
wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
O Lord, may we always be mindful to love on
another, even as you love us.
O Lord, may we always be mindful to teach our
children to love as you love.
Teach us your ways, O Lord, and we shall commit
to them with sincere hearts.
Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our
hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and
our redeemer. ■
You have not disciplined your children
You have not trained your children in the ways of God
You have not taught them the commandments
You have put your children’s and your wants and desires
over me and not given your tithe to the church but to
apple and other stores
You have not been faithful or trueful to each other and
God
That’s why there is brother against brother, father against
his children, daughters against mothers
That’s why your families are sick with disease
That’s why the prisons are full of people in misery
That’s why your churches stand on the brink of closing and
your neighborhoods are not safe
That’s why your children are joining gangs looking for a
family
If you will train your children in the way they should go and
turn from your wicked ways
Your father in heaven will set you up on high
Away from affliction and make your family his flock. He will
feed them knowledge and understanding and pour out his
protection and blessings
◊◊◊
Sojourner Truth
Presbyterian Church
2621 Shane Drive
Richmond, CA 94806
Church Phone
(510) 222-2020
Church Fax
(510) 222-6551
Church Web Page
http://www.stpcweb.net
Church E-mail
[email protected]
Rev. Hassan
(510) 691-5204
Pastor’s E-mail
[email protected]
Health Ministry
[email protected]
San Francisco Presbytery
www.presbyteryofsf.org
Weekly Calendar of Events
Sunday:
10am
Sunday School
11am
Morning Worship Service
Tuesday:
2pm – 5pm
Pastor’s Office Hours
12pm
Bible Study
5:30pm
Prayer Ministry
7pm
Senior Choir Rehearsal
7pm
Youth Choir Rehearsal
Wednesday:
10am – 2pm
Pastor’s Office Hours
Thursday:
10am – 2pm
Pastor’s Office Hours
7pm
Bible Study
AGBM.com Salutes Black Fathers
Dedication To Black Fathers by Richard Rowe (email to: [email protected])
To Black fathers who have tried to provide and protect.
Stay strong.
To Black fathers who continue to encourage and empower their children.
Continue.
To Black fathers who love Black mothers.
Thank you.
To Black fathers who practice what they preach.
Set the example.
To Black fathers who reach out and reach back.
Continue to uplift.
To Black fathers who are honest and honorable.
Remember Martin King.
To Black fathers who are determined and disciplined.
Remember Malcolm.
To Black fathers who have not given up.
Remember Mandela.
To Black fathers who are courageous and demanding.
Remember Douglass.
To Black fathers who are systematic and work hard.
Remember DuBois.
For Black fathers who are self-determining.
Remember Booker T.
For Black fathers who have decided to win,
who have decided to fight back,
who don’t make excuses and
who promote and practice the essence of
Black fatherhood/manhood/brotherhood…
Let’s continue to celebrate the power of our endurance.
Let’s continue to choose the right path.
Let’s remain strong and let’s keep the faith.
A Call to Serve
by Elder Vera Labat, Nominating Committee Chair
Exodus 18:13-27; Verse 21: …select capable men from all the people-men who fear God,
trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain-and appoint them as officials over the thousands,
hundreds, fifties and tens. Mark 3:14-19; Verse 14: …He appointed twelve – designating them
apostles – that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have
authority to drive out demons. Acts 6:1-7; Verse 3: Brothers, choose seven men from among you
who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.
Each year the congregation elects 4 members from the congregation, along with 2 elders and 1
deacon, to come together and form a committee to take on the responsibility of interviewing and
selecting a slate of individuals to serve as leaders to the membership. This is not a minor or
insignificant task. The scripture speaks to selecting persons who are trustworthy, called, motivated
and inspired to serve.
The Committee’s task to select able, sensitive, compassionate, caring and loving potential leaders
requires that Committee members prepare themselves for the process. We have been meeting bimonthly to review the biblical references for church leaders; the Book of Order for what the PCUSA
requirements of its leaders, and to explore what the needs of a discerning, knowledgeable and
committed congregation requires of individuals taking the oath as a church leader. The
Committee’s conversations, dialogues and discussions provide opportunities for members to
become acquainted with our different perspectives of leadership, roles and responsibilities. We are
striving to come to a collective understanding and appreciation of what God has called us to do,
as we work and agree on interview questions, deliberate and finally, select a slate of candidates to
present to the congregation. It is an awesome task and a privileged responsibility to serve and to
serve well with love and sincerity. ■
2012 NOMINATING COMMITTEE:
Pastor Reverend Kamal Hassan, Ex-Officio ● Elder Jonathan Mobley, Co-Chair ● Joe Smith, Deacon
Designee ● Sharika Gregory, Member-at-Large ● Joan Kelley-Williams, Member-at-Large ● Ken
Tramiel, Member-at-Large
Free Finally
Long before Rudolf Bultmann preached about the
existential power of the Easter message, slaves in the
American south lived it. Like the earliest Christians, driven
to the catacombs, these enslaved men, women, and
children lived in hope that earthly chains could not hold
them forever, that no earthly tyrant could finally enthrall a
people created by God for freedom. They heard the story
of Moses liberating the people of Israel as a clear and
direct promise. And they held to the hope of Jesus whom
even a grave could not imprison forever. Slave owners in
many places were, in fact, so concerned about the
liberating power of the gospel that unsupervised Christian
worship for slaves was forbidden.
Without a doubt, the secret midnight prayer meeting was
the most daring practice of enslaved persons in the South,
according to Sydney Nathans, Professor Emeritus of History
at Duke University. He elaborates: “Forbidden to meet for
unsupervised ‘prayer & singing & reading the Bible,’ they
arranged their gatherings ‘with the greatest care &
secrecy’ in ‘some lone hut, where one or two are
stationed outside…to warn them if their voices rise too
loud.’”
In his superb new book, To Free a Family: The journey of
Mary Walker (Harvard University Press, 2012), Nathans
invites us to understand something of the experience of
enslaved African Americans in the nineteenth century
through the prism of the life of one particular woman, Mary
Walker. In her youth, Mary refused to attend the secret
worship services on account of her fear regarding the fate
of those slaves who were caught in the underground
services and who suffered imprisonment and the lash. Yet,
she later found the courage to escape slavery; make a
new life first in Philadelphia, then in Cambridge,
Massachusetts; gather her previously enslaved children
together in safety after the Civil War; and, at long last, find
peace and redemption in her faith.
In those secret gatherings, the elders had slung the lines,
“Our bondage it shall end…Jesus shall break the chain…”,
from a hymn slave-owners found “especially obnoxious.”
As she continued to avoid the worship services a gulf
formed between Mary and her mother. When, however, in
August 1848, Mary escaped while on a trip to Philadelphia
with the family that enslaved her, perhaps without realizing
it she set herself on a torturous journey that closed the gap
between her mother and herself. It was a journey that
would lead Mary to her own spiritual awakening and the
spiritual rebirth of the white family that offered her
protection from the authorities, who were seeking to return
her to slavery, along with assistance in securing the
freedom of her family still in chains.
The story that Nathans tells is searingly honest. The
sometimes subtle racism and condescension of even
Mary’s champions (abolitionists and emancipationists
included) is on display, along with the venality, bigotry,
and manifest cruelty of the powers that justified slavery
and subverted human rights to economic and social
privilege. But, because the story is told with such honesty,
one gains a real sense of perspective, not only on a pivotal
historical period, but on the human condition.
Continued on Page 4
Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church
celebrated 40 years of Christian service
to the East Bay and the Installation of
Pastor Kamal Hassan
Continued from Page 1
Rev. Hassan also believes “The church must be engaged in
efforts to mend the tear in our social fabric that has
caused so many of us to focus solely on our individual
needs and ignore the sufferings of others.” Although
Sojourner Truth is his first call as a Presbyterian pastor, Rev.
Hassan has more than 20 years of experience as a religious
worker and more than 10 years as an ordained minister in
the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a powerfully
gifted preacher and Christian educator whose message is
rooted in the African American prophetic tradition. He is
also a community organizer who has toiled for decades in
low wealth communities of color for social justice. Under his
leadership STPC has produced its first website and now has
10,000 Twitter followers, a vibrant Bible study, a revitalized
prayer ministry, and has increased its profile in the
community by hosting events like healing services, a
monthly Food Pantry, and the first annual Sojourner Truth
Village Festival.
Prior to coming to Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church,
Rev. Hassan spent 30 years in his first career as an
educator; teaching at all levels from elementary school to
university. Rev. Hassan received his AA in Radio
Broadcasting from Los Angeles City College, his BA in
History from California State University Los Angeles, and his
Master of Divinity degree from the San Francisco
Theological Seminary.
He is the husband of Makini Hassan who is the executive
director of the Marin City Housing Development
Corporations (MCCDC) where she leads the economic
development efforts of the Marin City Community through
high-growth sector based employment and training
programs, affordable housing initiatives, small business
development, and other asset development efforts of the
agency.
Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church holds regular church
service on Sundays at 11 am. They have a wealth of
ministries and programs including Bible study, health
ministry, men’s fellowship, seniors group, women’s
auxiliaries, senior and youth choir and many other events
and programs to serve the community.
Visit their website to learn more.
http://www.stpcweb.net
Free Finally – Continued
Because To Free a Family makes no pretensions to a faith
perspective, the story of Mary Walker’s own faith struggle is
all the more compelling. She struggled with the guilt and
shame of leaving her children in bondage when she
escaped slavery. No amount of rational reflection could
assuage this guilt, a fact with which any parent can
identify. Her guilt as well as her love motivated her to
redeem her children. Her fear over what would become of
her daughter, approaching puberty, drove her to scrape
together whatever she could earn to commission one
failed attempt at negotiation and escape after another.
When, in 1855, after a long illness and years of separation
from her enslaved family, Mary was baptized, she at last
experienced the rapture felt by her mother at secret
midnight prayer meetings in slavery, where they had sung,
“Jesus shall break the chain…And they shall part no more,
who have loved, who have loved.”
The story of Mary Walker’s journey takes us from the depths
of bondage on a North Carolina plantation to the lofty
social circles of New England, from the cruel caprices and
breath-taking rationalization of slave-owners to the wellmeaning, but sometimes doomed, idealistic schemes of
white social reformers in the wake of the Civil War. Through
Mary’s eyes we see a country struggling to come to terms
with what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. referred to as the
unredeemed “promissory note” of American freedom. We
also see through Mary’s eyes the personal and spiritual
dimensions and the familial cost of slavery and its
aftermath.
Grandparents’ Day
Grandparents’ Day is the day to celebrate the lives and
faith of the generation that continues to lead the church
and our country.
When Joshua was 85 years old he was still looking toward
the future by driving out the enemy and taking the land
God had promised. At that age he had not given up the
fight. Twenty-first-century grandparents need to be looking
toward the future as well. We are in a spiritual battle for the
bodies and souls of our children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren.

Model faith: Fortunate is the grandchild who hears of
the experience of saving faith from a grandparent
who knows Jesus as Savior. Look for opportunities to
nurture your grandchild’s natural curiosity about God.
Talk about the Creator. Read or tell Bible stories
together. Sing praises together. Share how God has
and is working in your life.

Model hope: Our world is short on hope. Christian
grandparents understand the need for hope. They
have lived through a World War, Korean conflict, the
Cold War, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars. Grandparents
know that their hope is not in politics, stock markets, or
worldview philosophies. Their hope is based on Jesus
Christ.
Christian
grandparents
can
assure
grandchildren that no matter what is happening
around them, they can have the confidence that
comes from knowing the Anchor of Life.

Model holy living: Christian grandparents have the
responsibility of living their lives by the sanctifying
power of the Holy Spirit. Grandparents understand
that we, as a church and as individuals, need that
power for holy living. This sanctifying power cleanses
our heart, sets us apart, creates a Christ like character,
and liberates us to a lifestyle that honors God.
Posted by Michael Jinkins Source: Louisville Presbyterian
Theological Seminary 800.264.1839 ● www.lpts.edu
Institutional Injustice
by Albert Brown
AFFIRMATION:
You set up your institutions in a manner that is an injustice
to the poor.
INTERROGATION:
How do we establish our institutions in a way that is an
injustice to the poor?
REFUTATION:
You systematically arranged congress and the presidency
to eliminate the military draft and make it easier for the
nation to wage war against other nations that is not in our
self-defense, but wars of adventure and greed. The poor
are left to fight and die in these wars.
You have modified your financial institutions in order to
mislead, cheat, and defraud poor and middle-class
people. This has resulted in more middle-class people
entering the ranks of the poor. Your financial institutions
have preyed upon hard-working people in granting
fraudulent mortgage loans, breaking the chain of
ownership of these loans, turning these loans into securities,
which results in people losing their homes.
Friday Family Game Night – An
Evening for the Whole Family –
Toddlers to Grandparents!
Games, Music, Snacks and More!
Where: Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church
When: Friday, July 27 and September 21
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE
Free Food for Families
Health Ministry Food Distribution to Community:
Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church
Village Festival
12 pm to 2 pm every 3rd Saturday of each month at
Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church H. Eugene Farlough Jr.
Fellowship Hall.
Celebrating Health ● Faith ● Education ● Arts
Food Pantry Dates for the New Year are:
When: September 29, 2012
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
January 21, 2012
February 18, 2012
March 17, 2012
April 21, 2012
May 19, 2012
June 16, 2012
July 21, 2012
August 18, 2012
September 15, 2012
October 20, 2012
November 17, 2012
December 15, 2012
Information is also
www.stpcweb.net
available
on
Admission: FREE
Place: Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church
2621 Shane Drive
Richmond, CA 94806
Church Office Phone: 510.222.2020
E-Mail: [email protected]
Church Website: www.stpcweb.net
our
website
at
_________________________________________________________
STPC Bible Study Class Summer
Read
Texts:
Harper Collins New Revised Standard Version Study Bible
The Warmth of Other Suns – Isabel Wilkerson
Description:
A course of collective study, analysis, and dialogue about
the Biblical text (Hebrew Bible, New Testament) and
related texts for faith formation, missional clarity, and
theological growth.
Goals:

To gain a nuanced understanding of the scriptures

To introduce and deepen understanding of reformed
theology

To deepen personal faith and an understanding of its
intersection with the African American experience
Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church
40th Anniversary Celebration Dinner
Date: Saturday, September 8, 2012
Guest Speaker:
Reverend Dr. J. Alfred Smith Jr. of
Allen Temple Baptist Church
Event Location: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel on
3600 Broadway Street
American Canyon, CA 94503
Tickets: $65
Tell Your Family and Friends!
Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church
Activities Committee 5th Sunday
Fellowship – Worship Service and
Annual Church Picnic
Date: Sunday, July 29, 2012
Course Schedule – The Warmth of Other Suns
Week – Tue
3 July 2012
10 July 2012
17 July 2012
24 July 2012
31 July 2012
Topic
A Changing of Horizons
Exodus Beginnings I
Exodus Beginnings II
Exodus Beginnings III
Exodus Beginnings IV
Reading
Pg 1-35
Pg 36-71
Pg 72-104
Pg 105-139
Pg 139-170
Week – Sat
7 July 2012
14 July 2012
Topic
The Called Out I
The Called Out II
Reading
Pg 170-204
Pg 205-221
Instructor: Rev. K. Hassan ● Tel: 510.691.5204 ● 510.222.2020
E-mail: [email protected]
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location:
Refugio Valley Park ● Hercules, CA
Church will be open for those wanting a formal setting for
worship. Encouraging a dress down Sunday and a day to
worship and fellowship in God’s natural environment. It is a
potluck affair! Please bring a dish. Use your last name as a
guide: A – E = deserts; F – J = vegetables & beans; K – O =
pasta dishes; P – T = salads, U – Z = drinks
Contact Person: Pat Gregory 510.638.8087
Meaning of Pentecost
The miracle of Pentecost was a miracle of hearing. It
still is.
Several months ago a report about current linguistic research
caught my attention. The report began by asking the
question: “Where in the world is the largest number of
different languages spoken?”
Conventional wisdom, even among experienced linguists, the
report went on to say would probably offer New Guinea as
the answer. The island offers more than 800 distinct
languages “scattered around its isolated, jungle-covered
valleys.” However, there is another place in the world that
now surpasses the remote island when it comes to diverse
languages. “The five boroughs of New York City,” according
to recent linguistic studies, “are reckoned to be home to
speakers of around 800 languages, many of them close to
extinction.” (The Economist, Sept. 10, 2011, p. 93)
The world in all its startling and sometimes indecipherable
diversity is no longer on the other side of the globe. The
world, the whole wide world, is on our doorstep. This makes
some people nervous and unhappy. Some people see the
world of difference as a threat to their way of seeing the
world, a threat to their own culture, their faith.
Consequently, they sometimes try to bar admission to their
society. Reacting with a fortress mentality, they may try to
erect walls and dig motes to keep difference out. Not only is
this reaction ill-conceived and counter-productive for all sorts
of economic and social reasons, it runs exactly opposite the
expansive message of the Gospel. In fact, I would propose
that a fortress mentality is not an option for those of us who
follow Jesus of Nazareth.
When the church was born, it emerged in a world almost as
diverse as our own. The story of the church’s birth is set amid
a cacophony of different tongues, people chattering away in
Aramaic, in Latin, Greek, and in tongues most of us only
encounter when we draw the short straw and are asked to
read the second chapter of Acts on Pentecost Sunday. People
from language groups scattered throughout the ancient world
were together on the day the church was born, “Parthians
and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia,
Judea and Cappadoccia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and
Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene,”
as well as “visitors from Rome,” Cretans and Arabs. There
were people present whose language the Romans derisively
called “barbarian,” because to Roman ears it sounded like a
repeated, “bar-bar-bar.” They were all chattering at once.
And, we are told: “when this sound occurred, the multitude
came together, and were bewildered, because they were each
one hearing them speak in his own language” (Acts 2:6).
This was the miracle of Pentecost. And it gave rise to the
question: “How is it that we can each hear them in our own
language?” Pentecost was a miracle of hearing, of
comprehension, of listening.
That should give us pause in these days when so many people
strain to shout their views at others, but seldom strive to
listen. The church’s birth is swaddled in listening to people
who speak differently. And as any linguist will tell you, to
speak a different language means to experience the world
differently. A language marks the boundary between
different cultures, different ways of understanding the world
around us. Christian faith crossed these boundaries not by
force of argument, but through the generous act of hearing,
listening, entering into the ways others conceive of the world
we all inhabit.
And when the church did utter its first words at its birth,
they were words that bore witness to the fact that in Jesus
Christ God has come into the world to seek out sinners, to
forgive us, to redeem us. The church, at its birth, did not
attempt to force others into rigid agreement. And the church
certainly did not attempt to build walls and construct motes
to keep out those who are different (that reaction came a
little later, though the gospel broke through those barriers
and even gentiles were admitted to the faith). At its birth, the
church entered the language worlds of those around us so
that it might articulate the good news of Jesus Christ in
terms that could be heard and understood.
The miracle of Pentecost was a miracle of hearing. It still is.■
Posted by Michael Jinkins
Source: Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary ●
800.264.1839 ● http:// www.lpts.edu
The Angel in Your Life
When the time comes and you feel down
Remember the laughter and joy
that you and your mom found
It’s that simple thing
that makes you glad
That she was the best mom
you could’ve ever had
There was no one better than she
As she taught you who to be
God created her with a purpose in mind
And she turned out to be one of a kind
So be thankful for the times you shared
And the lesson you’ve learned
from her gentle care
She’ll be that angel leading the way
When sometimes you feel
you’ve lost your way
She is not gone
You know where she is
With God in heaven,
where she now lives…
Written by Linda Townsend