Dear Siblings in Christ,In mid-October I joined other clergy of JAUMCs in visiting the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. We went to see the special exhibit Sutra and Bible, showcasing altars, statues, prayer books, and - accidentally found stones with Lotus Sutra inscriptions and handwritten annotated bi-lingual Japanese and English Bibles, called the Kitaji Bibles. We were blessed to be led through the exhibit by one of the curators, Emily Anderson. The exhibit displayed the power that religion both Buddhism and Christianity, faith, ritual, and community carry in all circumstances, but especially in the most heartbreaking of times.It was my first visit to the JANM, so I was not only viewing the special exhibit, I was also … [Read more...]
Craig’s Corner 2021 November
What I did forsummer vacation Sabbatical Having the opportunity to take time for education is a blessing! I love learning and sometimes it’s hard to take time out from our regular routine to pursue new interests. But it is important because when we have time to explore new ideas and new ways of thinking we have the chance to grow in new directions. During my time away, I attended two different conferences. The Experience Conference was all about worship and I really enjoyed it. Not only was it well done, but they had a good slate of topics and smaller workshops to attend. I went to one about copyright use in the streaming age, one on how to use social media effectively, and “Be Our Guest” – The Value of Positive First Impressions on … [Read more...]
Craig’s Corner 2021 August
And so…we wait. As we are preparing to return to in-person worship, the world around us continues to surge in COVID cases. While certainly not as bad as it was back in January, the trend we had seen curving down has gone back up. We had hoped to re-open for in-person worship this coming month (August) but instead we are planning on an October opening tentatively. Over the next few weeks, your COVID Task Force will be considering how we can best open safely. We will be examining trends in COVID cases, reading up on the best advice from health officials and the CDC, and continuing our work to prepare the church for our return. Right now, the Trustees are coordinating efforts to give the church a deep cleaning. Our Worship Team is hard at work assessing our needs for … [Read more...]
Youth Planning Committee Notes
Here are my notes from this morning's meeting. All mistakes are mine - feel free to correct, clarify, or expand on my notes. … [Read more...]
UMW: Dates to Remember
September 8: WORLD THANK OFFERING PROGRAM 9 a.m. Our offering given out of gratitude for God's abundance and celebrating the joys of life Begin Fall Program: 5 Star Giving September 28: Bridges District Annual Celebration 1473 S. Novato Blvd., Novato, CA "Open the Eyes of My Heart" Speaker: Donna Fado Ivery October 19: Conference UMW Annual Celebration Reno, NV UMW/Craft Group will commence Fall Meetings on Wednesday, August 28 at 10 am in the Issei Chapel. Lunch with the J-Sei lunch program. … [Read more...]
Our Search for a New Family and Young Adult Minister
As many of you know, we are now searching for a new minister for our families and young adults. If you or anyone you know might be interested, please direct them to the job description … [Read more...]
