Sunday, October 9, 2011:

In Parker Palmer’s new book, Healing the Heart of Democracy, he writes that the two qualities most needed at this time are chutzpah and humility.

• Chutzpah gives us the courage to say how we feel, what we think and see.
• Humility gives the patience and the curiosity to listen to someone whose feelings, thoughts and perspectives may be different than our own.
• Chutzpah and humility combined allow us to have meaningful dialogue, which is an essential foundation for democracy.

Recently I participated in a retreat sponsored by Courage for Renewal, an organization founded by Parker Palmer “to nurture personal and professional integrity and the courage to act on it.” This retreat was a first step in the process of becoming a trained Facilitator in a process called a Circle of Trust.

At the same time I have been reading about a dialogue process known as World Café, which has a purpose very similar to that of the Circle of Trust. Through an open-hearted and non-judgmental conversation, individuals and communities can deepen the connection between their role and their soul.

Last week I shared a story about a monastery that was reinvigorated when it received a message from the “rabbi in the woods” that the Messiah was among them. They mistook the meaning of the message to be that one of them was the Messiah and so they treated each other and themselves with greater respect. In so doing, the Messiah became manifest among them.

A safe and sacred community of open dialogue based upon honesty and patience, chutzpah and humility, is a good thing to become. I see signs of that happening at Bridgeport UCC. Join us this Sunday, and see for yourself.

Then, be on the look-out for an invitation coming in the mail to our ReVision Café, which will be open on Sunday, October 30.

Bridgeport? Yes!

Rev. Alan Claassen
Interim Minister

October 2, 2011 – 5th Sunday in the Season of Integrity

In this Season of Integrity, we celebrate the privilege and responsibility we have as stewards of our resources and our relationships. We seek accountability, openness and trust in our decisions, and thoughtfully invest in our future together.

Join us this Sunday as we gather for worship beginning at 10:30 a.m. Our interim pastor, Rev. Alan Claassen will be sharing his message entitled, “A Hidden Wholeness.”

Bring your own brown bag lunch and join us following the worship service for our First Sunday Social! Instead of going out to a local restaurant, we will be meeting downstairs for a time of food and friendship. Folks are invited to bring their instruments and voices, too–because singing aids the digestion!

September 25, 2011 – 4th Sunday in the Season of Integrity

Join us as we gather for worship beginning at 10:30 a.m., and welcome our dear friend, Rev. Don Sevetson, who will share the message entitled, “No Spirit Left Behind.”

In this Season of Integrity, we celebrate the privilege and responsibility we have as stewards of our resources and our relationships. We seek accountability, openness and trust in our decisions, and thoughtfully invest in our future together.

There was no e-mail message sent this week, as Rev. Alan Claassen is attending a conference sponsored by Courage for Renewal, where he is learning how to become a Circle of Trust Facilitator. We look forward to his return and what he will be sharing at that time.

See you Sunday!
Paula Cole

This coming Sunday, September 18, we continue our series of sermons presented by members of our church. Kaye Exo and Molli Mitchell, the core members of our Justice and Witness Team, will be addressing two provocative questions:

Why Am I Still Here?
and
Where Is My Voice Needed?

Immediately following the worship service there will be a brief Congregational Meeting. The agenda for the meeting includes a report on our current financial situation and a proposal from the Transition Team and approved by the Administry Team that I be called as the Interim Minister of Bridgeport UCC. This means that I will continue doing the same work that I have been doing, as well as facilitating the five developmental tasks of Interim Ministry. And I will be with you until you are ready to call a new Minister.

Following the Congregational Meeting, we will meet downstairs and share in a scrumptious spaghetti luncheon prepared by Mandi Hughes (with gluten-free and vegetarian options available). A $10 donation is requested for lunch because we are raising funds to help pay for the Choir Director. We will also be receiving contributions for this position that is so central to the life and mission of Bridgeport. If you are not able to attend this luncheon and would like to help us raise the needed funds, please send your contribution to the church and make a note that it is for the Choir Director Fund.

We are aware that we have chosen to have all these great events on the same day as the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. Blessings to all who are running and walking for the cure on Sunday morning. We know where you can all come to replace those used up carbohydrates!

May we all choose to be where we want to be on Sunday, and may we be in a place where we know our voice is needed and heard.

We make the path by walking,
Rev Alan Claassen
Transitional Minister

for Sunday, 9/11/2011…

The World Trade Center rebuilding project is nearing completion; at least enough so that people will be able to walk across the courtyard. Once there, they will see beautiful fountains of water in the footprint of the Towers that were destroyed.

They will also see hundreds of trees that have been planted including one very special pear tree. One tree that was discovered under the steel, concrete, and debris. A tree that was still alive.

One city worker who was a part of the clean-up and reconstruction saved that tree, cared for that tree, and made certain that this scarred tree be re-planted in the World Trade Center Plaza.

He said it was the only thing that came out alive from that day. Yet, his act of devotion to that tree is symbolic of something else that came out alive from that day of destruction. His soul, though scarred is also sacred, and is still alive, resilient, and creative.

We will have our own observation of the anniversary of 9/11 during our  worship service on Sunday. SarahAnne Hazlewood has found a thread that connects her experience with Native American ritual, her love of the Christian tradition, the poetry of William Stafford and Wendy Thompson, and the many conflicting feelings that we have as we remember that day and its aftermath.

We will sing, pray, listen, and be silent together in the blessed vessel of the Sunday morning  sanctuary of time and place.

We will remember that nothing can separate us from the love of God, which we find in nature, in all the world’s wisdom, traditions, and in the human spirit.

Between memory and hope,
Rev. Alan Claassen
Transitional Minister