Every year, the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Peacemaking Program sponsors individuals from all over the world to speak on their work for justice and peace in their homelands.  This year, ten “International Peacemakers” were chosen, and San Gabriel Valley was the host for one, thanks to Liz Daley, a congregational leader of Calvary Presbyterian Church in South Pasadena.

Fabienne Jean, coordinator of FONDAMA, is spending this week in Southern California, accompanied by Presbyterian World Mission Co-Worker Cindy Correll.  FONDAMA stands for “Fondasyon Men Ansanm Ayiti” or “Hands Together Haiti.”  My college French helped me figure out this is an example of Haitian Creole for “Fondation Mains Ensemble Haiti.”  This community development network advocating for local farmers is in partnership with the PC(USA)’s Presbyterian Hunger Program.  Their focus is to listen to the stories and experiences of local farmers, work with them on adaptive agricultural techniques, raise media visibility to their challenges, and alert them to their rights and responsibilities as citizens in this democracy.

You still have opportunities to meet Ms. Jean and Ms. Correll this Wednesday:

• 26, 10:30 am, Westminster Gardens Duarte
• 26, 3 pm, Marwick Place, Monte Vista Grove

You may know about Haiti as the only nation to gain sovereignty and freedom by and for African people enslaved and taken to the Americas.  You may know of Haiti as one of the poorest nations in the world (according to our Peacemakers, listed as 17^th of the 25 poorest countries).  You may know about the terrible earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010, or the Temporary Protective Status which the United States government gave to Haitians fleeing the earthquake’s destruction, or the fact that the government plans to cancel their Temporary Protective Status in July 2019.

Ms. Jean shared that about a third of Haiti’s 10.5 million people face food insecurity.  She outlined several causes of the rampant poverty in Haiti:

• Land-grabbing:  multinational corporations buy land from the Haitian government in order to grow crops profitable to the multinationals, but taking land that locals used to grow food staples
• Illiteracy:  4 of 10 children in Haiti are not able to go to school, and as we Presbyterians know, education is the best path out of poverty, and lack of education restricts opportunity and self-determination
• Food imports:  unrestrained food “aid” from the United States, which dumps excess rice from North American farmers in Haiti, pushes out the local rice farmers and changes the Haitian diet in unhealthy ways
• Deforestation:  50,000 trees are cut down each year in order to make charcoal for fuel, which results in topsoil in this mountainous nation flowing into the sea.

Sadly, as she spoke, I immediately recognized the story, as it has been played and replayed all over the world, for centuries.  The kingdom of Hawai`i was illegally overthrown by the United States so that its fertile lands could be used for massive sugar plantations owned by American, British, and German interests.  Local food-growing lands in Africa are being converted to luxury crops such as strawberries for international export.  Sometimes the land isn’t even used for agriculture; farmland in Southeast Asia was purchased by Japanese for development into golf resorts (though, ironically, golf is now declining, so at least in Japan itself, some golf courses are being converted back to farmland).

But as far back as the Bible, there is clear understanding of economic justice and land use.  The motif of who builds houses and lives in them, and who plants vineyards and enjoys its fruit, is repeated several times through the Hebrew Bible, with a few variations:

• In Deuteronomy 6:10-12 and Joshua 24:13, the Israelites are reminded that in Canaan God gave them homes in cities that they had not built, and the fruit of vineyards that they did not plant.
• In Amos 5:11 and Zephaniah 1:13, those who use their power to oppress the poor will no longer be able to live in the houses they build or drink the wine of the vineyards they planted.
• In Amos 9:14 and Isaiah 65:21, the culminating promise of the restoration of Israel is prophesied, as God’s people are again able to build (or rebuild) their houses and cities and live in them, and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant.

In this micro-sweep of God’s intentions for Israel, we see a vision for shalom for all of us.  As I’ve been taught, shalom is not just “peace” however we tend to define it (Is it simply the absence of violence which may be reached through totalitarian order?  Or some fairyland where everyone magically loves each other?).  Instead, shalom is the culmination of God’s justice finally being established in our midst.  If we consider these few verses, we see that God takes the initiative of grace to give what we may not even deserve or work for, and asks in return that we remember God’s blessing and enact justice and forgiveness that honors and emulates God’s grace.  However, too often we forget, and we act in ways that are greedy and oppressive, honoring instead the ways of a broken world.  While God warns that our greed will result in our destruction, God yet holds out the vision that we may be restored.

While I tend to dream of a time when we all can sit back and eat bon-bons (the animated film “Wall-E” gives a horrifying vision of such a world), it seems that God’s vision is not for us to go on permanent vacation and be waited on.  Instead, God’s vision is for us to work, but to be able to benefit from our work.

As developing nations have pointed out, they benefit from this type of grace more than from the flood of oppressive compassion from well-meaning dumps of excess rice, used clothing, or cash that ends up in the hands of sometimes corrupt officials.  Certainly there are times when mercy is called for—the Bible speaks often of jubilee, or a time when debt is forgiven, and there have been times when the crushing debt burden of nations has been forgiven.  And there are times of crisis when a nation needs outside help.  But we now attempt to relate to others not solely as objects of pity and charity, but as sisters and brothers and potential partners in life and ministry, who are just like us as we seek the dignity of purpose and work.  When possible, may we take the time to connect with people in need in respectful ways, looking for their core as worthy and wise children of the same God who made us.  And may we accept our own limitations, that we know—and share—the persistent and patient grace that God offers all of us.

Thanking God for God’s grace,

Wendy

What a joyous Presbytery meeting we had this last Saturday!  We welcomed seven new members, and as they shared their statements of faith and answered questions, we could tell how they will be gifts to us as a Presbytery family.  Blessings to ordinands Deidra Goulding, Stephanie Kang, and Steve Wiebe, and transferring members Tod Bolsinger, Brian Gaeta-Symonds, Ralph Su, and Jessica Vaughan Lower as they and their families make their new homes here.  And congratulations and blessings to Shepherd of the Valley, PIH Health Whittier, Pasadena Presbyterian, Fuller Seminary, Claremont Presbyterian, Good Shepherd, and San Marino Community as they partner with these faithful servants of Christ.

This fall will be a season of ordinations and installations!  Please come to as many as you can.

Ordinations and Installations

• 30, 3 pm, First Presbyterian Altadena:  Stephanie Kang’s ordination
• 6, 4 pm, Claremont:  Brian Gaeta-Symonds’ installation
• 7, 3 pm, Shepherd of the Valley:  Deidra Goulding’s installation
• 28, 9 am, San Marino Community:  Jessica Vaughan Lower’s installation
• 4, 2:30 pm, Pasadena Presbyterian:  Steve Wiebe’s ordination and installation.

We also welcomed Rev. Elizabeth Gibbs-Zehnder of LAC+USC Chaplaincy and Rev. Megan Katerjian of Door of Hope, and heard inspiring stories of people whose lives have been touched in profound ways through these ministries.

I expect that more incredible stories will be shared when International Peacemakers Fabienne Jean and Cindy Corell visit us from Haiti this coming week.  Please make every effort to hear them at the following events:

International Peacemakers from Haiti

• Sept. 23, 9 am, Claremont:  Adult Education and Worship (with Fabienne Jean)
• Sept. 23, 10:30 am, Westminster Temple City:  Worship (with Cindy Corell)
• Sept. 23, 5 pm, Calvary South Pasadena:  Potluck dinner and program
• Sept. 26, 10:30 am, Westminster Gardens Duarte:  Bible study and lunch
• Sept. 26, 3 pm, Marwick Place, Monte Vista Grove:  Presentation

During the Presbytery meeting, some of our new friends commented on what they see in San Gabriel.  Of course they mention the cultural diversity.  In fact, I was reminded of First Presbyterian Church Altadena’s Fall Festival this Saturday, Sept. 22, 4-8 pm.  I grew up at these events.  Back then we called them church bazaars, but my theory is that their roots are in the Japanese matsuri, especially the fall rice harvest festivals.  The theme for 2018 is otomodachi, or “friends building relationships,” with taiko drumming, arts and crafts, food, a raffle, and music.  My sister comes down from Spokane every year just to see her old friends there.

But in addition to the cultural diversity, one seasoned pastor commented on the blessing of many young, gifted leaders in our Presbytery.  I also heard from one of those young, gifted leaders how the Presbytery is a blessing for them, by inviting them into leadership.  When I first came to San Gabriel, I noticed the presence of several young pastors, and it’s a joy to see them and even newer pastors blossom as creative and enthusiastic leaders for their churches and this presbytery.

As life happens, later that night my uncle Calvin passed away, at Monte Vista Grove in fact—boy are we Presbyterian or what.  At 94, Uncle Cal was the last living sibling of either of my parents (though I still have three aunts by marriage who are amazingly vital, one at the age of 101).  I think everyone would agree that Calvin’s best legacy is his children, who work for justice and love of family with every breath they take.

At church Sunday morning, the impact of Calvin’s death hadn’t sunk in until we started singing “The God of Abraham Praise,” which happens to be one of those hymns I grew up on.  Rev. Ralph Hamburger, who passed away on September 2^nd, whose memorial will be at Monte Vista Grove on Friday, October 26 at 3:00 pm and was Calvin’s roommate at the Health Center, once shared with me memories of my uncle Don Toriumi, who was also my pastor in my formative years.  Uncle Don regularly included “The God of Abraham Praise” in worship; the others I remember best are “Be Thou My Vision” and “Once to Every Man and Nation.”  Yes, music is a powerful part of our formation and our spiritual life.

Back to Sunday morning—in the back of the sanctuary, a little girl was waving a white Kleenex.  Just a week ago, Shepherd of the Valley held a wonderful farewell for Pastor Nancy Moore as she returns to retirement.  Nancy gave each person a white Kleenex, and told a story she heard (from Gary Demarest, I believe) about a congregation in Africa who would remember the cloud of witnesses that surrounds them by waving white handkerchiefs over their heads.  So Sunday, as this little girl waved her white Kleenex, I could remember the Tajima collective welcoming home their youngest brother, and I can only imagine the huge cloud of witnesses that have brought our new friends into faith, into ministry, and into this Presbytery.

My heart is overflowing with gratitude as we witness the good news of the mighty acts of God, the life-giving, grace-bearing love of Jesus Christ, and the eternal connecting power of the Holy Spirit that blessed our ancestors, bless us now, and call us to bless those who are being raised in our midst.  Thanks be to God.

Blessings and thanks,

Wendy

This weekend has been one of those deep dives into the rich community of Christ’s church.  On Friday, I was blessed to be included in a dinner of the two sister churches who share our new facility in Temple City, Mideast Evangelical Church and Grace Taiwanese Presbyterian Church.  On Saturday I witnessed a heartfelt farewell for Rev. Nancy Moore, who returned to “retirement” after eight wonderful years at Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian Church.  (I also went to a choir rehearsal for a concert of “Gloria” movements from various choral masses, which has become my personal source of energy and joy.)  And on Sunday I attended a congregational meeting at a church in the midst of a critical time of transition, with all the uncertainty, grieving, and hope that accompanies significant change, even faithful and positive change.

During the weekend, I remembered one important aspect of Christian community—that the joys of some can encourage others who are struggling, and that the love and power of many can join together to bring a friend to the healing power of Jesus Christ.  Even in the interviews leading up to this Saturday’s celebration of several new partners in ministry joining San Gabriel Presbytery, stories were shared of ways that a church, a pastor, or even a presbytery committee was able to say to someone in doubt or despair, “We see God’s call in you, even if you can’t right now.”  And as I heard one church in celebration and confidence recall a time when they were at the brink of breaking apart, I could take hope to other churches in the midst of conflict with proof that healing and renewed ministry is possible.  I have also been hearing the good news of welcome and care that our churches are showing to each other, as some of our church families are visiting other churches as a possible future home.

But being community isn’t just about providing encouragement and positive challenges to despair.  At the dinner between Mideast Evangelical and Grace Taiwanese, we recalled amazing images from the turbulent times of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in early 2011, when Christians were being persecuted—and a group of Muslim neighbors encircled a Christian worship service to protect them.  People of faith can follow their teachings to honor all life, whether or not we are in agreement.

In turn, Egyptian Christians did the same for Muslims in prayer; we must remember that the people most likely to be hurt in violence in the Middle East are Muslim.

In addition to mutual encouragement, teaching, and solidarity, many Christians will attest to the power of prayer in their healing.  This was quite evident this weekend, as individuals recounted answered prayers, and ongoing prayers for individuals and families facing cancer, marital trouble, and grief, among so many other things that hurt us.  I am encouraged by this, because sometimes I have feared that the mainline churches have become so rationalistic that we no longer believe that God has the power to heal, only doctors do.

So I am glad to hear many stories of answered prayers for healing, even as I consider the mystery of prayer.  For instance, we Presbyterians believe that nothing is unknown to God or more powerful than God’s power to heal.  And yet, Jesus tells us to pray.  If God’s will and knowledge and power are supreme, what difference does it make whether we pray?  I have no answer for this, except that throughout the Bible, we are told that God wants us to lift up our joys, our concerns, our thanks, for ourselves and for others.  And so we pray.

The gospel story of healing in Luke 5:17-26 is a wonderful lesson about Christian community.  The paralyzed man’s friends demonstrate prayer not only in word but also in action, or “prayer with legs.”  We can bring our friends to God with spoken (or unspoken) prayer, and we can also do for others what they cannot do for themselves.  As a presbytery, we have the opportunity to do the same for our partner churches.  We can pray for each other, as we do with our weekly prayer calendar.  We can help each other with words of encouragement, or by coming to each other’s special services (such as the ordinations and installations scheduled for this fall).  And we can pray with action, by giving financial support to church mission projects or just to help a church keep its doors open.  To a great extent, your support of the presbytery is your support of other churches, as most of the presbytery’s work is helping churches during pastoral transitions, or when facing severe challenges, or when they are embarking on a major new visioning process or mission initiative.

When Jesus heals people, he often says “your faith has made you well.”  In today’s story, Jesus acts when he sees the faith of the man’s friends.  I love that even if we are unable to help ourselves, even to go to God in prayer for ourselves, God in Jesus Christ recognizes the faith of others to intervene on our behalf.  This is the mystery of prayer, and of the community of faith.  As powerful as God is, God looks to us to lift up each other in prayer, and in action.  May we do this every day, within our churches, and within our presbytery, that we may continue to grow in strength to share Christ’s healing power with a hurting world.

I do pray that you will be able to attend this Saturday’s presbytery meeting, as one small step in praying together with and for our churches and their new pastors.  We have so many people to consider that some examinations (Stephanie Kang and Steve Wiebe) are happening under the CPM report starting around 9:30, then COM’s report will begin with Stephanie (chaplaincy and First Altadena), Steve (Pasadena), Brian Gaeta-Symonds (Claremont), and First Pomona’s innovative idea to become a joint witness.  COM will return later in the meeting, starting around 11:30, to examine Deidra Goulding for ordination and to consider the transfers and calls of Tod Bolsinger (Fuller Seminary), Ralph Su (Good Shepherd), and Jessica Vaughan Lower (San Marino Community).  Later today we will send an amended Presbytery packet to all presbytery commissioners, to include all these good folk.

May we be even stronger partners in ministry as Christ has called us together, for the sake of San Gabriel Valley, and for each other.  See you Saturday.

Praying for healing and peace,

Wendy

First, the good news—The South Hills property has been transferred to the new owners, after an incredible amount of work by former South Hills elder Don Sevesind, including days of painstaking work during the recent heat wave as Don and his crew had to individually take apart the dozens and dozens of individual garden plots, each bordered in a different way.  There are still some tasks that have to be dealt with, but my hope is that we can look back not on the recent troubles but instead, we give thanks for the 60 years of South Hills’ ministry, and their generous offer to their neighbors of garden use for over 25 years.  And now that the sale has been finalized, we can partner with the National Black Presbyterian Caucus and others to seek a new worshiping community that can proclaim the Good News through the gifts of the African-American church tradition, in honor of South Hills.

But I wanted to share a few events that caught my attention this weekend.  We are starting to look forward to the Presbytery meeting this September 15 at Calvary Presbyterian Church in South Pasadena.  This meeting has been unusual in a good way, because we have many pastors who are seeking to come into the presbytery, by ordination or transfer.  We had long planned to have a couple of guest speakers as well.  Elizabeth Gibbs-Zehnder will update us on her work as the only Protestant Chaplain at LAC+USC Medical Center, a joint ministry of Los Ranchos, Pacific, San Fernando, and San Gabriel presbyteries and the Synod.  We also have been planning to hear from Lt. Daniel Menza who wants to talk about opportunities for Navy chaplains.  He may need to reschedule to November, but in any case please find a flyer about this here and share with others who might be interested.

Through some various ministry experiences, I have gained great appreciation for military chaplaincy.

If you serve in Hawai`i, it’s likely you will have military families in your church.  And from them, I came to appreciate especially the excellent leadership development training the military offers their people.  And what little I have always known about the military was how it is a path for advancement for those who have been marginalized in civilian society, so this training and scholarship assistance is a key part of the opportunity the military gives to those who are willing to take the risk.  Now that the military is voluntary, many of the recruits are those who have this need, either from lack of education, poverty, personal trials, racism, or immigration status.

I know this because the Japanese-American community remembers the 442^nd Regiment, the most decorated unit in the history of the US Army, made up of Japanese-Americans who came to serve either from Hawai`i, or from the internment camps that imprisoned 120,000 Japanese and Japanese-Americans during World War II.  The motivation for these young men was to prove their loyalty to the United States, even if the United States did not honor their citizenship (2/3 of all the incarcerated were born in the United States).

The benefits offered to veterans, especially the education support, was utilized by the Japanese-American vets to overcome the racism they faced back home.  In Hawai`i, these vets took over leadership of the territory.  And I have heard from individuals who have credited the military not only with training, but also discipline and a sense of purpose that they needed in their wild youth.

I am also aware that many immigrants have gained favorable citizenship status by serving in the military.  In fact, of the six military chaplains I worked with in Pacific Presbytery, four of them were immigrants and became citizens soon after joining the ranks.  There have been some disturbing signs that this benefit is being revoked or distorted, but it is still a stated benefit.

This led to a poignant moment for me while serving on Kaua`i.  The Army reservists were being activated for deployment in Afghanistan, which was a shock for people like a young man in my church, who had thought it would be easy scholarship money to volunteer for the Army Reserve, assuming they would just march in some parades and maybe help out at the airport.  The pastors on the island were asked to come bless the reservists as they were preparing to go to Afghanistan, so I went.  One of the people I met there was a Filipino doctor, 60 years old and shorter than I am, and he was getting sent to the front lines.  I didn’t ask him why he had joined the Reserve though I could guess that he was attracted to the citizenship benefit, or educational opportunities, or both.

Those six military chaplains in Pacific Presbytery were great colleagues, and helped me learn more about their roles as well.  They reminded me of Rev. Hiro Higuchi, a pastor in Hawai`i who founded several churches with the help of the 442<sup>nd</sup> vets he served as their chaplain.  His records were recently given to the University of Hawai`i archives, and researchers were surprised to find that Rev. Higuchi was a pacifist and opposed entry into the war.  However, he joined as a military chaplain in order to care for his boys from his churches.

For these reasons, and its great diversity, I do have an appreciation for the military.  It’s not that I celebrate war, or am ignorant of the dangers and injustices that have occurred, but I do see some underrepresented strengths.  And especially with a volunteer army, I worry about the loss of personal empathy for the horrors of war that would guide the opinions of the general populace as we continue to send the “warrior class” to places of danger.

Now I’ve said too much, but within this context I have listened to the many tributes to Senator John McCain upon his death.  It is surprising how many people, who agreed with his politics or not, have referenced his generous friendship and willingness to work together for the good of the country.  One friend and colleague was former Senator John Kerry, who was also a vet but came to be an outspoken critic of the military.  These two Vietnam vets worked together to normalize relations between Vietnam and the United States.  The thought that a man who had been tortured as a prisoner of war for over 5 years would then visit this place of his capture several times, and work to normalize relations, is astounding to me.

In Sen. McCain’s own words, he seemed to be a man of gratitude and purpose who always referred to his service as imperfect, and regularly and publicly apologized for his mistakes, which he confessed were “many.”  Yet he was a leader wherever he was, spoke truth even when it was unpopular, and regularly spoke of the importance of having a purpose greater than oneself.

On Sunday I had the opportunity to preach at Knox, which has become the vision of church that we all hold dear:  a lively mix of faith and justice, praise and traditional music, a fairly even distribution from little children to seniors, active leadership, and some diversity.  I chose to reflect on Ephesians 4:1-16, because I think it’s perhaps the most succinct and compelling description of my understanding of church.  It’s not complete, but there’s a lot to it.  And as I prepared the sermon (and following McCain’s lead, I do have to confess it was far from perfect!), I saw several parallels between John McCain’s values and those represented in Ephesians 4.  He may not have been gentle or patient, but he clearly lived out his sense of call, and was humble and capable of upholding others in love for the sake of unity.  In Ephesians 4:14-16, there are warnings against being deceived by the winds of doctrine and trickery, and how we should speak the truth in love, and to gain maturity in faith.

If we were to use this passage as a standard for Christian maturity, it seems that maturity means not age or experience, but humility and honest self-awareness, a dedication to unity and love, and understanding that we must be“joined and knit together” in order to build up the body of Christ.  John McCain did not speak much of faith, though he was active with a Baptist church in Phoenix, but his values of obedience to call, humility, truth-telling, love, unity, and connectedness are consistent with the marks of a healthy church.

There are many things I pray for in thanksgiving this week—for the South Hills resolution, for those who risked their lives to serve in the armed forces, for Knox Presbyterian Church, for John McCain, and always for this Presbytery.  I trust you have many blessings for which you can give thanks.

Peace,

Wendy