Clarion Articles of September 3, 2008 

Seven Days of Stillness

A Prayer Focus to Renew Our Spirits

By Dr. Margo Houts, Interim Pastor

Below are seven days of study helps and scriptures that will help you and me still our hearts and ready ourselves for ALL that God has for us in the coming season.  To receive it ALL, we must press in.  This insightful seven-day study was prepared by Chuck D. Pierce.

Day 1:  Read Psalm 23 and 46.  Sit beside the still waters until you feel the new anointing begin.

Day 2:  Read Hebrews 11.  Let Faith arise.  Elevate and establish trust in a new way.  Let God show you one of the people of faith that He wants you to model after and understand at this time.

Day 3:  Read Leviticus 8.  Let God consecrate your heart and life in a new way.

Day 4:  Read Ezekiel 3.  Receive the prophetic voice of God into your life and allow Him to establish His presence.

Day 5:  Read Exodus 12-15.  Remove any sin in your life and ready yourself to advance forward QUICKLY.

Day 6:  Read Joshua 3-5 in the a.m., Joshua 6 at noon, and Joshua 7 at night.  Define your Jericho.  Ask God to establish your walk in such a way that you surround your enemy.  Ask Him to develop a new sound in you.  Let the shout of the Lord rise up and watch your Jericho fall.

Day 7:   Read 1 Samuel 11-13.  Cry out for deliverance and tell God you will wait as long as it will takes to see things change and breakthrough come. Ask him to give you a pure heart to see and fully obey Him.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray to the Lord and in faith declare that at the end of these seven days, our spirits shall be renewed! 

I invite you to join me in declaring aloud, in faith --

·          ALL staleness is broken from my spirit.  I break agreement with every stale attitude, thought, teaching, philosophy, and tradition.  ALL deadness is broken from my spirit.  I break agreement with every dead work.

·          In Christ Jesus, ALL things are made new.

·          Through the Holy Spirit, I welcome the Lord’s wind and word, in ALL ways fresh and new.

·          “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and ALL that is within me, bless God’s holy name!

Pastor Margo

To Honor Pastor Blair - We say ‘Thanks’ at Luncheon

A pot luck luncheon on September 14 will honor the Rev. Dr. Christine Blair and daughter Gillian.  It will be in the Social Hall.

Dr. Blair served as Moderator of our Session after the resignation of Rev. Keith Edwards until the calling of the Rev. Dr. Margo Houts as our Interim Pastor. 

Dr. Blair was assigned by the Presbytery of San Gabriel, to lead us in this time of transition.

She moderated all Session meetings, many of them meetings called because of problems in a period of transition.  She also served as pulpit supply and gave the sermons every other Sunday during this period.  During this time she cared for her husband, the Rev. Marvin Steinmetz, who passed away on July 22. 

Love offerings for the Rev. Dr. Blair should be addressed directly to her.  They will be greatly appreciated.

Dishes for the pot luck will also be appreciated.  They may be brought to the Social Hall that morning. 

We Remember New Hope and Pasadena

In our Prayers of the People this week, we remember New Hope Presbyterian Church of Pasadena as the sister San Gabriel Presbytery church we are remembering.  The congregation was organized when the New Hope and Michillinda congregations were merged.

The staff includes the Rev. Mariko Yanagihara as an Associate Pastor.  Mariko is a former Associate Pastor of our church.

Please also pray for the saints at Pasadena, Pasadena.  May God bless their co-pastors, the Rev. Drs. Barbara Anderson and Mark Smutny, their staff, elders and lay leadership, along with the community of saints, as they seek to be ever-faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.   

Worship Thanks

Joining us in worship last Sunday was Kevin Hom (Hillsborough, CA).  He is a new student at Occidental College and attended Sturge Presbyterian Church in San Mateo.

Sturge is a Japanese American Presbyterian church in San Mateo, Pastor Margo served as an interim pastor there a few years ago.

In the service Sunday, Nina Lau-Branson served as Liturgist.  The Clarion Editor regrets having mistakenly listed Dorothy Kirkland as Liturgist.  Dorothy will serve in the month of September.

We thank Ryan Bolger, who led us in the Prayers of the People.

Please be sure to visit our Prayers and Concerns page for the names of all those in need of your prayers and remembrance.

The Sunday Morning Adult Bible Class is meeting again at 9:00 A.M. in the Fellowship Hall.  It is open to everyone.  

The Sunday Morning Seekers Class is meeting at 9:00 A.M. in Library­. It is also open to everyone.   

The PW Bible Study Meets on the third Sunday of the month at 8 A.M. in the Social hall kitchen.  Breakfast is included.  Open to all women.  

CUT SHORT

Allergies will be the health topic subject of the next Huntington Senior Care Network meeting on September 10.  Dr. Reneiro Castro will speak on how to protect oneself by becoming more aware of environmental factors.  The session is free and begins at 12:30 p.m. in Braun Auditorium.  Call 397-3147 to reserve a place.

Fall Festival Wants You - Creativity will be on Exhibit!

PROGRESS REPORT                                                                                                                                                                 Work on the 2008 Fall Festival has gotten started and now needs to shift to a higher gear.

On August 23 one of the tedious chores of the festival - making cascarones - began but a second work day is needed.  Chairman David Sakamoto asks for volunteers to turn out on September 6 and serve a second day from 9 a.m. to noon, making cascarones.  And he thanks those who helped last Saturday.

Also, empty shells should be turned in at the Church Office or this Sunday’s worship service.

GREAT IDEA

Pete Morris will head up a project - a display room at the Fall Festival.  Everyone is invited to display art work, crafts, hobbies, collectibles and other collections of interest.  We have artists in our midst.

In the past one of the most interesting features of the Fall Festival was the creative exhibits in the library, the room next to the Church Office.

TICKETS IN THE MAIL

If you hadn’t received yours, give the Church Office a call.  For more tickets, too.

SET-UP TIME

Dave says the Fall Festival booths, etc, will be set up on Saturday, the day of the Fall Festival - September 20 – starting at 8:30 a.m.  Everyone’s help is invited.  If anyone is looking for a festival job, call Dave.

Two weeks from this Saturday…  

Northern California tour – Fellowship and History are Tour Goals

A tour offering visits to Northern California churches will be held September 23-25 by JEMS and Retired Nikkei Ministers Association.  The three-day tour will bring together Christians for a time of sharing and fellowship and learning of the history of Christian Nikkei.

The tour by chartered bus will stop at Lincoln Avenue Presbyterian Church in Salinas, Mayhew Baptist Church in Sacramento and a church in the Cortez/Livingston and Fresno areas.  At each stop churches in the area are invited to send interested members to share highlights of their ministries and something of their history.  One of the tour sponsors, the RNMA, has Japanese Christian history in America as an ongoing project.

In 2006 a similar tour was taken by 36 Southern Californians to Imperial Valley, where only a small percentage of pre-World War II Nikkei returned.  The tour enabled some of them to visit their home communities.  Similarly former Northern Californians are invited to visit communities in the three areas - Salinas Valley, Sacramento and Fresno.

For information and registration call the JEMS Office, 948 East Second Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012; phone (213) 613-0022.  September 10 is the deadline to apply. 

Renee Tajima’s Documentary at Festival

Documentary filmmaker Rene Tajima-Pena is screening her most recent film, “Calavera Highway,” September 13, at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival.

Rene’s film tells what happened to a family broken up in “Operation Wetback,” a US government program that deported over a million Mexican and Mexican Americans in 1954.

“Calavera Highway” will be shown at 5 p.m. at Mann Chinese 6 Theaters, Highland and Hollywood Boulevard. For more information - http://www.latinofilm.org/documentaries.php 

Paul’s Play Readings in Seattle

We say a hearty “Thanks” to all the good folk who lead us in worship and we welcome with warmth the friends who joined us in worship.

“Ixnay,” Paul Kikuchi’s new play, will be given three readings by sis-productions, a Seattle dramatic group.  The play is a comedy with an Asian American hero and will be read by a cast on September 21 and 28 and Oct 12 at Richard Hugo House, Seattle.  Reservations are recommended and can be made by contacting (206) 323-9443 or tickets@sis-productions.org

All three readings will be at 4 p.m., Sundays.  After the September 21 reading, Paul and the cast will give a Q and A discussion period.

We congratulate Paul and wish a successful reading of his original play.

Based on the work we have done this year with our worship grant, the Calvin Institute of Worship is making us a featured grant on their website!

Barbie and I just returned from the annual conference where we shared what our church has done and I just finished turning in the final report along with pictures of our inter-generational services and our community art project.

The Institute of Worship serves as a worship resource for hundreds of churches across the US and Canada.

 Let people know the church has been honored in this way and also give them the information to link into the website so they can see the posting.

Link to the Calvin Grant site --

http://www.calvin.edu/worship/grants/featured/altadena_firstpres.php