Thursday's Thoughts 2/25/10

 

Ruby’s on the Brain and in the Tummy!

 

Hiya Fairview!

 

As you probably can imagine, I’m a little Rubied out!  But there’s still two more meal opportunities left before the end of the Fundraiser.  I’ve set up office there the last few days having managed to eat 5 meals there in the last three days and am hoping to hit two more before we’re done!  So, if your pastor can shooby dooby…you can too!  Hope to see you there today!

 

I hardly have room to chew on those Ruby tacos because I’m chewing on all this great food for thought!   Over the last week I had the opportunity to fill my brain up with some incredible speakers all focused on the church.  A week ago Monday I attended the Progressive Christians Uniting Gala where I heard Diana Butler Bass speak about progressive Christianity today and who and how we can be Christians in the world.  What does it really mean to be progressive?  I often think about a phrase our pastor emeritus says, “we’re supposed to be as forward thinking in our time and culture as Jesus and the early Christians were in theirs.”  This means, of course, that we’re not supposed to get stuck doing things the way we always did just because we think we’re keeping up tradition.  In fact, Jesus was stirring things up in the first century, and we are called not to be just like him in our culture, but be as forward thinking and acting in our culture as he was in his.  

 

Then on Thursday I was invited by Mark and Leanna Ramsey, members of our Fairview family to attend a lecture/sermon/experience by Rob Bell.  Now, I have to admit, I’d never heard for Rob Bell before Leanna told me I should.  The event was held at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles and it was packed!  I was shocked by how many young people were in attendance.  Leanna’s parents probably thought I was crazy, because I kept commenting on the young people…but in case you haven’t noticed, our mainline traditions aren’t packing the under 40 group in the house.  I’m used to being the youngest in most church crowds.  Looking around and being the median age of everyone in the theater was not something I’m used to!   Truth be told, I went into the evening not sure what I was going to think.  I love Mark and Leanna and the way they think and believe….but I was skeptical about going to see a young man who packed the house at $17 a ticket.   And so I kept waiting to be offended….waiting not to like his theology…waiting for him to use sexist language….waiting for him to be exclusive and ethnocentric….and finally I just had to give up on all the waiting because he never did any of those things!   I have been contemplating this experience ever since and wondering what it might mean for us: this small church on the corner of Fair and Fairview.

 

As if that were not enough, I then spent the next two days at the United Church of Christ Church Vitality Conference in Long Beach where I was enthralled by the Rev. Michael Piazza (no…not the catcher) the former pastor of the Cathedral of Hope, now one of the largest congregations in the United Church of Christ.  He talked about church re-vitalization.  So many mainline churches are on the verge of death.  It is something I think about often.  And yet, there is hope.  I am looking forward to working with our new steering committee as we begin to vision into the future, because I do believe that there is hope for Fairview!  There’s a lot to chew on.

 

Finally, I left the Vitality Conference and went directly to meet up with our Regional Minister, the Rev. Dr. Marcia Patton who, as you know, visited us this past weekend.  I had a wonderful time with her from dinner on Saturday, to an all day adventure on Sunday beginning with worship, lunching with a handful of you, and ending in dinner and extended conversation.  The fun didn’t stop because on Monday morning Gary and Marti took Marcia and I out sailing!  We capped the trip off with dinner at Ruby’s!   I so relished the time spent with her!

 

So, as you can see… I’ve been chewing on more than Ruby’s veggie tacos the last week or so…

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts…and if not…I hope you’re at least salivating for Ruby’s Diner!

 

See you at Ruby’s and church on Sunday!   Families –don’t forget we’re having Family Fun after church!

 

 

Please continue to help Haiti relief efforts by donating through our denominations. You can give online by clicking here through the UCC website or here through our ABC website. 

 

 

 

Please take a moment to read through the prayers of our community,

 the prayers that matter to us, and lift them up in your hearts this moment.

 

If you have an a prayer request you would like to add to our list, please email or call the office714 545-4610.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thoughtfully,

 

 

Reverend Sarah Halverson

Fairview Community Church

2525 Fairview Road

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

(714) 545-4610