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July 22-29, 2018
Volume, 329
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Letter from Pastor Tony
July 20, 2018
To the Family of Christ at Arlington Community Church UCC:
Nina Harmon and I write to announce that I have been called by the Holy Spirit to join the staff of the national setting of the United Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio, as the Minister for Committee on Ministry Development and Leadership. I will be starting on October 1, 2018, and over the next few months Darrell and I will be looking for housing and getting ready to move to Cleveland, Ohio. My final day as the Minister of Arlington Community Church will be sometime in September, to be announced in the coming weeks.
Eight years ago, led by God, the search committee and I began the dance of being called into community together. In those intervening eight years, our entire community has changed tempos many times, sometimes moving to a quick-step and other times rhythmically swaying to a slow beat of life together. We have sung a variety of melodies from praising God to crying out in grief, remembering a long tradition of musical types and tentatively trying new forms. Many people have left the dance floor to continue in the eternal dance with God, many people have joined us in the dance, and some have taken a turn on the floor and then moved along to another party. Now it is my turn to leave this dance to join another.
Eight years ago we were a community with few long-term visions; now we are a proud people with purpose as both a community center and a center of the community. We know we are called to steward creation, build a just society, and live our faith as a verb. Together we have written new By-Laws, had an almost complete staff turn-over, became a solar congregation, and faithfully participated in New Beginnings, which led us to approving a new Vision and Mission statement. We developed a plan, Vision 2020, that will continue to improve the facility over the next years. We did all of this as a community of Christ, with input from various voices, paying attention to each other's passions and gifts, and the presence of the Holy One dancing with us, holding us, swaying with us, leading us, and choreographing our next moves.
The Holy One continues to hold, guide, and urge us on as we dance on to sweet, sad, celebratory, and soulful music. Even as we are called to dance with new partners, I will continue to love you, as many of you will continue to love me. While I am honored and humbled to be asked to join the national staff, I am more than a little scared of what lies ahead of me. Your emotions may be mixed, too; as we celebrate our accomplishments together, you may also wonder what will happen next.
Over the next few months, it will be necessary for us say good-bye to one another, and after the final good-bye, I will need to have no contact with you for some time. While it is appropriate for us to follow each other from a distance, and I will celebrate and mourn with you from Cleveland as life's dance takes friends and family in and out of the circle, I will not be available for any of the day-to-day needs of ACC. This is part of the covenant we clergy make with the United Church of Christ. It allows the next pastor to form bonds with you that are needed to lead a community, you as a congregation to reflect on our time together without interference from me, and for me to start a new ministry without being distracted by the needs of Arlington Community Church. I will continue to serve as your pastor.
The ACC By-Laws are very clear on this transition time: The Council is to appoint an Interim Search Team to find an Interim Pastor, and through the interim period a Search Team will be formed to find your next settled pastor. Through all of this time, the Church Council will be working with Rev. Davena Jones, our Associate Conference Minister, to assure as smooth a transition as possible.
I have enjoyed and grown from our time on the dance floor together. I pray that you have as well, and that the dance will continue on.
Peace,
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Sunday July 22 @ 11:30 AM
Spectrum: A Conversation with Pastor Tony
Meeting with Pastor Tony about upcoming changes at ACC.
Sunday July 22 @ 4:00 PM
Person of the Planet Film Series: "Bag It!"
Try going a day without plastic. Plastic is everywhere and infiltrates our lives in unimaginable and frightening ways. In this touching and often flat-out-funny film, we follow "everyman" Jeb Berrier, who is admittedly not a tree hugger, as he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world. What starts as a film about plastic bags evolves into a wholesale investigation into plastic and its effect on our waterways, oceans, and even our own bodies.
Wednesday July 25 @ 7:00 PM
Person of the Planet Speaker Series: Climate Reality Leaders
Come learn about the fundamentals of grassroots climate action with three Climate Reality Leaders who trained with Al Gore. Not only will you hear the abbreviated climate reality talk, but you'll learn tactics for generating change in your own community that allow you to take action in small ways when you have the time. In fact, everyone will leave this presentation having completed one act of grassroots activism. So even if you've only got time for the planet for this one evening, you can be guaranteed to make an impact!
Sunday July 16 @ 10:00 AM
Spectrum: Jill Kilty Newburn from Heifer International
This coming Sunday a representative from Heifer International will join us for worship and present a spectrum on Heifer projects after worship. We hope you can join us. A special offering will be held on the 29th and the following Sunday. Board of Missions and Social Justice.
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Hi Everyone,
As I prepare to leave for grad school in Montreal, I wanted to let you all know about an upcoming July concert.
With my longtime collaborator Mary Ellen Callahan, and fab tenor Jonathan Smucker. This is a concert of operatic arias and duets that run the gamut from Monteverdi to Puccini. The singing is thrilling, and we've done versions of this program for enthusiastic crowds in San Francisco, Oakland, and NYC.
Sunday July 29th at 4pm
Piedmont Piano Company, 1728 San Pablo Ave, Oakland
You can purchase tickets from the link below
Hope to see you there!
Love,
Nate Ben-Horin
Past interim choir director of ACC
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June-August at 9:00 AM
Gather for singing each Sunday morning at 9:00am for a review of upcoming music to be used in the worship service. The "Summer Singers" is open to everyone. Come sing and socialize before the 10am service.
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July 14-21
Camp Tamarack in Sierra Mtns.
(Will miss worship July 15.
Pastor Todd Whitley Atkins preaching
)
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Mark Your Calendar
Summer Person of the Planet Events
FILM SERIES
JULY 22, SUNDAY, 4PM
"BAG IT "
SPEAKER SERIES
JULY 25, WEDNESDAY, 7:00 PM
CLIMATE REALITY LEADERS "FIVE MINUTES FOR THE PLANET..."
FILM SERIES
AUGUST 12, SUNDAY, 4PM
"PLASTIC OCEAN"
Free Movie/event location at
Arlington Community Church, 52 Arlington Avenue. Free.
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The 2018 ACC Directory is Now Available!
The 2018 Directory is available and copies will be provided after morning worship. If you are unable to attend Morning Worship and would like a copy mailed to you please email me at [email protected] and I will send you a copy.
Cheers,
Jacob Day
ACC Administrative Assistant
2018 Directory Corrections
Missing from the 2018 Directory
Larry Brookes & Nina Dodonova
(H) 510-527-3371
986 Euclid Avenue
Berkeley CA 94709
Barbara Peronteau
Corrected address
1618 Alcatraz Ave
Unit B
Berkeley, CA 94703
Eleanor Power
New Number & Correct Address
(510) 309-2394
5742 Skyview Place
El Sobrante CA 94803
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Person of the Planet Now of Facebook!
Like & Share Our Page with your friends!
Follow and Like Person of the Planet on Facebook. Share our Articles with your friends, and post you own ideas, articles, and ways that you are an active PERSON OF THE PLANET!
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Visit Our Official Website
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Need a Ride to Church?
Call Tim at Elite Car Service (510) 926-0121
If Tim is not available, you can call a cab or any of the other ride services. You will have to pay and give a receipt to Randy for reimbursement. You can use these options for a ride to any church activity.
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