Wacky August

A Word from Our Pastor

It’s that wacky time of year again. I know many of you have been waiting excitedly for Wacky August — our opportunity to try some wacky things to deepen our faith and our community. . . (I know not everyone likes the wackiness, but it will keep us young!)

On July 29, we will have “Welcome Sunday” — a variety of activities to help us welcome new folks to our church and incoming seminarians to PSR. There is also a contest involved — for the best 20-second speech about why BMU is a great church. There are other fun things to do that day, all focused on helping us think about and practice our skills, making our church a more welcoming place.

On August 5, our UMC missionary to Israel/Palestine, Janet Lahr Lewis, will be our guest speaker. (Well, this isn’t wacky . . .) Since the beginning of this year, BMU has been an official covenant partner with Janet, by pledging our financial support and our prayers. So, this will be an excellent occasion to get to know her first-hand. Janet’s trip to the West Coast is focused on Wadi Fouquin, the Palestinian village (very near Bethlehem) that we are supporting. As we have discussed in church, Wadi Fouquin is in the midst of a crisis. Recently, settlers from the illegal town (of 40,000 people) attacked Wadi Fouquin’s olive groves, and had to be dispersed by Israeli police. Even more threatening — they have received a confiscation order from the Israeli government, indicating that they intend to use Wadi Fouquin’s land to build a 25-foot wall. This wall will separate the villagers from their farmland — so the land will only be accessible to them during restricted hours; they will not be allowed to move farm equipment past the wall without special permission (which is often denied). As a result, the California-Nevada Annual Conference passed a resolution to contact US legislators protesting these actions, and asking for intervention. The text of the resolution has already been distributed to folks at church; we will have an opportunity after service to participate in a letter-writing campaign.

August 12 will be an “all music” Sunday — combined with some Bible stories that highlight the theme of our upcoming Choir Blast, “Love Changes Everything.” So, you will be able to sing lots of your favorite hymns, and perhaps learn a new one or two. But pay close attention to the Bible stories because they will be the basis for the next Sunday, which will be —

August 19 CHARADES. . . back by popular demand, we will have our team competition of Bible charades. Remember, our “celebrity” judges will be looking for how well the whole team is utilized, and the originality and theatricality of the performance! The stories I choose will offer lots of chances for dramatic action . . . It should be great fun, so bring your competitive edges . . .

Our last event, on August 26, will be “Hawaii Sunday.” Wear your aloha attire, bring your ukulele and be prepared for lots of fun. Lois Kaya will be teaching us some hula steps (for those who are especially interested, Lois will be teaching after church on Sundays in August, so that there will be a group prepared to lead the rest).

Wacky August is a way of reminding all of us that our faith can be expressed and experienced in every kind of setting — God is always with us, and everything (EVERYTHING) we do can be an act of worship. It is also a great way of building up our community, as we participate with church folks who we may not normally interact with.

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!
–Rev. Naomi