Drums in Church?!

Just as the First Samoan Congregational Christian UCC has shown us a new way to sing God's song through their ministry of drumming, song and dance, new member Adwoa Kudoto has begun to teach us about a new way of keeping time with God's rhythm of abundance.

 

In Ghana, where Adwoa  comes from, drums are used in every aspect of life: births, deaths, marriages, celebrations and rituals of every sort are marked by music and dance punctuated and set apart by the rhythms of the different drums. Drums are central to West African cultures just as our music is central to our western culture. As the organ has occupied a central place in the church music of Europe for centuries, so the drum in the West African cultures. All this is to say, we have much to learn. So, we have begun to add some drumming to our 10:30 am worship service. For me it has been particularly meaningful to hear the scripture "read" with the talking drum. Those who know the "language" of the talking drum can understand the scripture as it is played, or better, spoken through the drum. The first time I heard scripture thus presented, inexplicably (at least to my western mind), it brought tears to my eyes. I am amazed that God has brought Adwoa  to us. We have so much to learn from them and their Ghanaian culture. Adwoa  will present a concert on November 7th, beginning at 8 pm, in our church's sanctuary.

 

Drumming Lessons: 5 pm on Fridays -- this is a beginning class.

 

Drumming Concert: Friday, November 7th, 8 pm

The Joy of Thanksgiving

Hello Friends,
This is Thanksgiving month. As the month opens I am aware that there is so much for me to be thankful for, as an individual and as a member of our beloved spiritual community, the First Congregational United Church of Christ. So, a list is coming. But, before that just a bit about gratefulness.

Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk who lives nearby in Sonoma, speaks almost exclusively of gratefulness. He looks at gratefulness as the center of our spiritual lives. In his article, A Deep Bow, he suggests what happens as we receive something from someone else is that we feel joy. So, beyond the gift received we come to appreciate a far deeper gift, joy itself. As we experience this joy, gratefulness extends beyond the usual social obligation to say thank you, into the mystery of life itself. Soon, with Joy we begin to realize that we are connected (put your whole self in: connection) to someone else and through that someone to life itself. The blessings of this universe, the blessings of God are coming to us through to the other. As we receive these gifts we come to know the great love that holds us and we are moved to expressions of gratefulness, thanks-giving. The beauty of thanks-giving, the giving of thanks to another, is that the gift keeps on giving, endlessly -- our expressions of thanks works like this: the joy that we experience in being gifted by another is passed back to the other, who experiences joy at our giving of thanks. We are united in joy. Brother David puts the joyful encounter of giving and thanksgiving at the center of our faith. We are united in joy with others. Indeed, we are united with the Giver of Life as we come to appreciate deeply the great gift of our lives. As our joy is in Christ and Christ's joy is in us, joy is made complete. For that there is nothing left to do but to give thanks. Now my list:

1. I am thankful that our Samoan brothers and sisters have broken ground for their new building and that Pastor Eddie Sunia is now licensed by the Conference to fully serve the First Samoan Congregational Christian UCC in Santa Rosa.
2. I am thankful for our Music Department, for Ron Hawks, musician extraordinaire, our choir, and unbelievable depth and variety available to us.
3. I am thankful for Jess Bradley, our Director of Children and Youth Ministries. She brings a dedication and purposefulness to her work.
   
4. I am thankful for the endless support and help that I receive from Carmen Rapp, our Church Administrator.
   
5. I am thankful to our denomination for once again recognizing the vitality of our ministry and granting us a "renewing and revitalization grant" for two more years.
6. I am grateful for our Stewardship Campaign and the way it asks us to focus on 'our whole selves' as a way of giving to God. I am hopeful that the Stewardship Campaign will help us to become a more fully involved congregation, on all levels.
7. I am grateful for those pioneers in our church who have undertaken a study of Unbinding the Gospel as we begin to look at a new way of promoting faith through small group communities in our church (more on this is coming up in December and January -- if you have questions, please ask me.).
8. I am grateful for the developing relationships among the young children in our Sunday School. Real connections are being made in the 5 year old age group. What a joy!
9. I am thankful for the way our church has taken a stand on "No on 8," promoting the Civil Rights of all the people.
10. I am thankful that we will be able to run some newspaper ads moving into Christmas, in part thanks to a Media With a Mission Grant from the United Church of Christ.
11. I am thankful that Adwoa Kudoto, a master drummer from Ghana, and her daughter, Sena Kugbega have joined our church and brought their drums and culture for our enrichment.
    

Gosh, the list goes on and on: Debbie Studebaker, moderator; Board Chairs, the energy of our congregation....etc.... Well, call that my partial church list. All these things bring me joy, a joy I would like to share with you and with our Creator -- that our Joy might be complete. I have a personal list as well -- why don't you ask me?

Blessings and Peace,
David

What a Picnic!

Hello Friends,
What a wonderful weekend! We celebrated our annual picnic and had a chance to meet Steve Sterner, Acting Executive Minister of Local Church Ministries of the United Church of Christ. With Steve we talked about the future of the Church and our denomination and we were able to reflect a bit upon the life of our church. Then, at the picnic we experienced again the vitality and richness of our community. All of this has caused me to reflect deeply about our church and its place in the wider Santa Rosa community.

At the picnic this year we had a number of guests from our Santa Rosa Junior College Neighborhood. Some of our guests participate regularly in our Wednesday evening meditation program, while the majority were stopping by for the first time. There were skateboarders and musicians, some were intrigued by our Tent of Hope while others just stopped by because they heard the commotion. Children came to bounce in the Jump House and to get their face painted. Many came to dance and hear Adwoa, Sena and their friends play the drums. It was a marvel for me to be at the picnic. It was simply beautiful -- all the people in out parking lot. Our Samoan brothers and sisters provided a wonderful barbeque. Someone made some beans that were unbelievable. So my reflections:

The picnic reflected well the church that we are. By this I mean that we enjoy one another, that we are open to other, strangers and friends, and that we seek to be good neighbors to the folks around us. When I look at the inclusive community that is our congregation, I give thanks to God that we are so blessed.

The picnic showed us the church we are becoming. As we amplify our strengths we become stronger and more mature in our christian walk. For me this means that the church we are becoming is even more inclusive and that we will welcome the changes that will come to s over the next years.

So, what are we becoming? You may remember the Hunchback of Notre Dame where the townspeople are chasing Quasimodo and he runs into the Notre Dame Cathedral. Entering the cathedral, he looks out to the crowd and cries out "Sanctuary, Sanctuary/" He is safe on the hallowed grounds of the cathedral. I see the church as a sanctuary -- people are safe under our care. As a sanctuary we may be church for some -- people will come and join our number. For others we may be a spiritual center -- a place where they can come to pray and meditate, study scripture, etc...all without joining the church. For still other folk we might become a community center, a place to meet friends, to have meetings. This is to say that we might not be church to everyone - but we can provide sanctuary for all who come our way. Let's look for ways to be a light to our neighbors, blessing to all we seek sanctuary in a busy, mixed up and anxious world.

Blessings,
David