National “Move Your Money” Day

by Richard Wong, a member of First Church Berkeley

National Move Your Money Day is November 5^th—A way to participate in the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

On October 13^th about 30 people from FCCB, the GTU community, and local clergy met to discuss how people of faith can support the Occupy Wall Street movement. One idea was to encourage people to move their money from major banks to more local options. This is not a new idea. It was first proposed by Arianna Huffington in December 2010 as a New Year’s resolution to address the excesses of the banking industry and the havoc they have played in the housing market and in the economy at large. This idea has now gained national momentum because of Bank of America’s debit card fee and the Occupy Wall Street movement.

On October 25^th, Jody and I completed transfer of our bank accounts from Chase to First United Services Credit Union. We did this to align ourselves with the National Move Your Money campaign, which has declared November 5^th as the day to move your money from large banks to credit unions and local community banks. We feel that we can make a difference in a concrete way by this action. We are standing with “the 99 percent.” So far, over 45,000 people have pledged on Facebook to participate. For more information on the ‘Move Your Money’ campaign, visit online at www.moveyourmoney.info.

The “Big Six” banks, JP Morgan/Chase, Citibank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have evolved in the past few years to become the institutions “too big to fail.”  Why do we have this situation?  In 1990, the six largest banks accounted for 9 percent of all U.S. deposits.  By the end of 2010, the six biggest banks accounted for 36 percent of deposits.  This concentration of deposits into the major banks was the result of 37 regional/national banks (remember Security Pacific Bank?) in 1990, merging from buyout, acquisition, and bankruptcy to become only four in 2009 (Citibank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and JP Morgan/Chase).  Add the investment banks, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley and we have the Big Six.

The result of this shift was that the largest and most profitable banks have moved away from being traditional lending institutions and have become speculative trading entities.

This collective mismanagement has resulted in the foreclosure crisis, record high levels of unemployment, and the American and world economies in turmoil. It is time to reverse this trend.

Jody and I invite you to join us in the Move Your Money campaign as a concrete way to “do something” in the face of our current economic crisis.

To find a local credit union go to www.findacreditunion.com, submit your address, and a listing of credit unions in the area will be given.

Fed by the 3000: An Experience of Occupy Oakland

by Phil Porter

I am 58, white, gay, a property owner and resident near downtown Oakland, somewhere in the middle on the income scale (and have more than one job to be in that position), President of the Koreatown Northgate Community Benefit District Board of Directors, Minister of Art & Communication at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, political and theologically progressive but not radical, inclined toward art rather than politics, co-director of a non-profit organization, grew up in Indiana and claim my Midwest roots, am the adult child of normal parents, am responsible to a fault, a Pisces, an introvert…

This is all to put into some sort of context what I am about to report. You can interpret as you well, but it seemed important to “place” myself a bit before I share what I witnessed.

I went downtown on Wednesday, October 26, the night after the police broke up an Occupy Oakland rally with tear gas, to “check out the scene.” I had heard there was to be a “General Assembly” at 6 pm. I wasn’t sure what that was, but assumed that it had something to do with the way that the movement was being conducted.

What I witnessed was nothing short of incredible. I expected to stay for a half hour but didn’t leave for three hours.

A huge crowd of people gathered in the amphitheater next to City Hall. I’m not good at estimating but some were saying 3000. There were a few “facilitators” with a small microphone system. The meeting began with people having a chance to speak for a minute or two about anything. They shared experiences about the night before and the encampment in general. Some railed against the police’s actions the night before, others claimed the police as part of the “99%”. The crowd was respectful and caring and excited to be back together in force.

And then they began a “resolution” process based on a modified consensus process (they seek 90% agreement.) Although I can’t quite capture the whole process, let me share some of my own experience of it.

The group was using the “human mike” technique where the speaker at the microphone says a few words and then the whole crowd repeats it so that those at the edge of the space can hear what is said. Sometimes it is repeated in two waves. If you haven’t been in a large group doing this, you should try to get a chance to experience it. Besides the amplification of the speech, it takes on the powerful quality of “litany”, of the back and forth of speaking and listening. It was creates engagement and a sense of solidarity with the whole group. At one point those at the microphone asked the people near in to turn around so that they were actually speaking outward in the circle. From where I was sitting on the amphitheater steps, suddenly there were then a whole group of people sitting in the middle of the space facing me, speaking the words coming from the microphone right toward me.

The commitment to inclusion in decision-making was extraordinary. After the first resolution was presented (to call for a General Strike on November 2) and clarifying questions were asked, folks were invited to gather in groups of 20 to discuss the resolution. And we actually did. Mind you, at this point it is dark, with mostly just a few street and building lights, the flash of cameras and the glow of cell phones. The crowd is still huge. We could barely see each other but we gathered and talked. The comments were insightful, considered, serious and thoughtful. I don’t say this to suggest that it was surprising to me, but rather to emphasize that this was the tone I perceived in the whole crowd. Folks may have been impassioned, but they were also calm, considerate and committed to the conversation. And even as the time passed (and I must say, this process is a slow one) people stayed with it and were exceedingly patient. Remember, the crowd has not diminished over the course of the evening, perhaps it has even grown.

The process of discussion and debate put our national political process to shame. They (we) listened to each other, were genuinely committed to finding the right common decision and stayed with the process for a long time, even in this huge crowd in the dark, with relatively little previous “coming together,” even without a direct connection to the folks way on the other side of the crowd or even being able to clearly see who was speaking.

I did finally leave at about 9 pm before this resolution was voted on (I read online that it passed with a 96% vote from almost 2,000 people.) I found myself worrying about how the evening would end when the legal time for gathering would pass, but as I walked home I saw no police presence at all, other than the helicopters that circled overhead. I haven’t heard or read anything about what happened so I assume it ended peacefully.

And this is the another important point: the media will cover the drama and the clashes but they probably won’t report that real news: the 3,000 people gathered in the dark committed to working together to make some decisions for their own good, for the good of others, the country and the world.

I went because it is one of my practices to try to witness first-hand events that I’m not sure I can trust the media to report accurately, especially when it happens in Oakland. Because of who I am in my communities (and some of the qualities I listed at the beginning), I think people will trust what I am reporting, even as my reflections are shaped by my “place” in the world.

I left, though, as something more than an observer. I sat in that crowd for three hours on the cold, hard steps of the amphitheater. I was surrounded by voices chanting back the words of the speakers, I joined in a discussion circle. In the dark, in a crowd that stretched in all directions around me.

 

 

 

What Ever Became of the Common Good?

by Phil Porter, Minister of Art & Communication, First Church Berkeley

The Good News calls forth compassion: whatever you do for the least of these, love one another as you love yourself, when one person suffers we all suffer, love your enemy…

We are called by our faith to exercise care for each other. Does that not extend to public policy? Isn’t government one of the ways that we can bring about justice, equality, opportunity, and care? What happened to our ability to come together to solve problems, to encourage the give and take of ideas that leads to the best solutions?

Our rush to individual freedom—don’t get in my way with your rules or regulations—is running roughshod over our ability to discuss, debate and discern what is best for the whole. Compassion has become a dirty word. The common good has been sold out to political inflexibility, corporate greed, monied interests, the will of a few. It is no wonder that the “99%” are raising their questions and concerns. Self-interest alone (or “leave me alone”) in a world where we are all interconnected is lifeless, unsustainable and even immoral.

We are called to care for each other and that must extend into the way we govern, the way we structure our economic agreements, the way we protect the vulnerable.

A single political point of view will always be insufficient. We are far too complex as human beings and as a culture for a one truth. Instead we must listen for the larger voice, bend our rigid will, act with humility.

There is a distinct intersection between faith and politics. Our values must inform the way we conduct our public life, whether it is in a tiny local civic organization or in Senate chambers. Good—and the greater good—can be created through political activity and discourse and well as through other forms.

May we hold compassion as one of our highest values in the conversation.

First Church Berkeley is a progressively faithful, welcoming community.

Adding our Voice to the 99 Percent

by Sam Rennebohm

“Justice is not an ancient custom, a human convention, a value, but a transcendent demand, freighted with divine concern” —Abraham J. Heschel

We stand at a point in history when the onerous weight of inequity has become so burdensome that it calls forth the forces of resistance. We are witnessing one of the most pronounced divides between rich and poor in the history of this country. That divide has manifest  itself in the most palpable ways: months of unemployment, foreclosed homes, mounting debt and precipitous loans, and cutbacks in social services. We would be remiss to ignore that those who have been most adversely affected are disproportionately people of color, further cementing our history of racial disparity.

The circumstances we now face are similar to those described by the prophets of the Old Testament. Amos decried those who “trample on the poor” and “push aside the needy at the gate,”  Jeremiah spoke out against those who “have become great and rich” with “deeds of wickedness,” and Isaiah railed against those “who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is room for no one.” In the New Testament, we read of Jesus overturning the money changing tables and calling on the wealthy to give their possessions to the poor,  These are the voices of our tradition, crying out from the pages of our most sacred text.

Those same words of righteous indignation now echo through the streets of our nation. They can be read on the signs of people camping out on Wall Street. They can be heard on the lips of seasoned protestors and disillusioned young people, returning war veterans and longtime union members. The spirit of principled resistance, so epitomized in scripture, is now spreading through our country.

As Progressive Christians, we speak of God’s call to work for justice and righteousness in the world. We speak of the good news promised by Jesus—that the last shall become first, the hungry shall be fed, the naked shall be clothed. We speak of an age of hope and possibilities, of new beginnings that draw ever closer to God’s kin-dom. This nascent movement is an opportunity for progressive Christians to add voices and our vision to the plurality of people calling for change. The occupation of Wall Street and the subsequent protests that have sprung up across the country call us forward to live into our faith, to lend what resources we have, to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters, to articulate our expectations and our dreams.

People of faith will gather for a meeting on Thursday, October 13 led by Sam Rennebohm. Read more…

The Axis of Friendship

These words were spoken by First Church member Kevin Omi at an Axis of Friendship event held at the time of the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The event honored relations between people of the United States and Iran and celebrated connections with people of all cultures and nations.

I am a member of First Congregational Church of Berkeley, a progressive Christian congregation serving the East Bay. In church this morning, Dr. Rahim Nobahar, the new Imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California, was our special guest for our 9 am service. Amir Soltani who has visited with us several times, read poetry in our 11 am services.

More about the various ways First Church commemorated the 10th anniversary of 9/11…

Two years ago our congregation in conjunction with churches and Conferences throughout the country brought a resolution called the Axis of Friendship to our denominational meeting in Grand Rapids, MI. I am proud to say that our denomination agreed to:

• stood in solidarity with the people of Iran as they expressed their will toward self-government;

• promote and work for friendship between the people of Iran and the United States of America,

• call for an end to the violence, repression, and bloodshed, against peaceful Iranian demonstrators, media, and others

This July our denomination declared its support for our neighbors in the Muslim community, both in the United States and around the world, who feel the impact of anti-Islamic rhetoric and action.  We agreed to denounce actions against Islam or Muslims based on ignorance or fear; and to learn more about Islam and to build relationships with Muslims and peoples of all faiths.

I am also a Japanese American, the proud son of soldier in the 442nd regimental combat team.  The 442nd was the most highly decorated regiment in the history of the United States armed forces. My father fought in some of the most brutal battles of WW-II while the rest of his family, along with 110,000 other Japanese Americans were stripped of their belongings, property, and dignity.  Some were forced to sleep in horse corrals in Tanforan before they were sent on trains to the most desolate parts of the county. They lived in concentration camps surrounded by barbed wire, in tar paper shacks, during brutally hot summers and freezing winters; because of wartime hysteria and a long history of racism against persons of color.

Japanese Americans have been among the most vocal and passionate supporters of embattled Muslims. When we heard talk of “rounding up Muslims”, we immediately saw the potential parallel with our own history. We have folded thousands of paper cranes, which are a symbol of peace and decorated the windows in an Islamic school in Sacramento. We have rallied public support against hate crimes at mosques, signed on to legal briefs opposing the government’s indefinite detention of Muslims, organized cross-cultural trips to the Manzanar internment camp memorial, and held “Bridging Communities” workshops in Islamic schools and on college campuses.

As a member of the United Church of Christ, I believe that God is still speaking and urges us on to work with people of all faiths for the causes of peace, justice, and love.  As a Japanese American, I stand in solidarity with Muslims and all persons who are the object of suspicion, ignorance and fear.  Thanks be to the God that unites and sustains us.

More about First Congregational Church of Berkeley…

I Choose Love

On Sunday, September 11, First Church musicians Vickie Crebbin, Greg Beattie and Olivia Beattie sang one of their original compositions “I Choose Love” for the church’s commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the events of 9/11. They sang in both services, blending beautiful three-part harmonies with these powerful lyrics.

I Choose Love

Sound and fury, drums of war
In the name of a God with a different face
In the midst of hatred and despair
God of us all, give me grace
To choose love, love

May the seeds of love spread like prairie fire
With wild abandon catch a passing breeze
Scatter far, fill the divide
reaching heaven, rooting deep
I choose love, love

When I stumble, when my heart falters
should thoughts of kindness fade
Lead me to still water
Help me find a way to choose love

To choose love, love

© Victoria Crebbin Blythe and Greg Beattie 2008
835 Sibert Court Lafayette, CA 94549
925 284-3250 beatman@sbcglobal.net

Tampering With Dreams

In her sermon “Tampering with Dreams”, Senior Minister Patricia de Jong weaves together the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the March on Washington with the story of Moses and the burning bush. Below are some excerpts from her sermon.

Watch a video of the whole sermon.

Watch Phil Porter’s telling of the story of Moses and the burning bush.

We need, this morning to be awed and yet cautious, just as Moses was when he saw the burning bush. We stand in awe; so much has been pursued in the cause for justice since that day. Following the March on Washington, people got to work and began to carve a way out of no way for American Blacks in the South. The Southern Leadership Conference got busy and so did all the people around Dr King. Racial injustice was challenged at every turn and broken open through the courageous acts of hundreds and thousands of people who refused to tolerate hatred and violence.

Dr. King’ lasting legacy and dream is not only for Americans, but for all people who have had to fight their way out of fear, violence and inequality.  We see his image today in the eyes of those freedom fighters in Egypt, Libya and Syria and in the hearts of people everywhere who understand what it means for the human heart and spirit to be trampled upon and held down because of repressive regimes, hostile dictators, and those who promote hatred instead of love and war instead of peace. And we see him in those who have dedicated their lives to creating justice, compassion and freedom throughout the world.

……

We as Progressive Christians are called to continue to press for love, justice and compassion in a culture that is threatened at its most vulnerable points. In our times, the burning bush is the call of an awesome and holy God who demands active and lively partners in the quest for a better and more just nation.

……

Many Americans are out of work and unemployment stands in the double digits. While the weathier are getting wealthier, the poor staying poor, those we are in between are disappearing.  Our prisons are filled with young men who cannot find their way in this society, who end up making a way to prison. Our universities are training people for jobs that may not exist upon graduation for some men and women. We have an African American president, but that does not mean that we have achieved racial equality or that he is free from attacks which have occasionally been about his race rather than his record. We are living in a time when some Americans are less tolerant of the differences between us rather than more tolerant, caring and forgiving.  Someone has been tampering with the dream that all of us in this nation have the chance for a just and equal existence.

Watch a video of the whole sermon.

Watch Phil Porter’s telling of the story of Moses and the burning bush.

The 10th Anniversary of 9/11

On Sunday, September 11, 2011, First Church will commemorate the 10^th anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11 in a variety of ways.

These events have changed the landscape of our country and the world. We stand with those who still grieve their losses, with those who were shocked and traumatized by these events. We also grieve the loss of life and limb that has occurred in the wars that have been fought since then in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As people of peace, we must lift up the futility of war and the seeking of vengeance. We also stand against the demonization of individuals, groups and countries. Even as we claim our loyalty and love for our country, we also claim our global citizenship. All of us are brothers and sisters, even as we sit across the divide of nationality, religion, or conflict.

One of the outcomes of the events of 9/11 and the ensuing political and social turmoil, is that we have reached out hands of friendship to people of other faiths and are richer for these new connections and new understandings.

On this special Sunday, we will commemorate 9/11 in both worships services, welcoming guests from the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California, a mass choir will sing Verdi’s Requiem at 3 pm in the Sanctuary, and in the evening we will take part in an Axis of Friendship event at the Oakland Peace Center.

Read more…

Living in Unity Can Be…

This is a condensed version of Phil Porter’s sermon “Living in Unity” that he preached on Sunday, August 14 at First Church.

The first verse of Psalm 133 says: “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” I found this simple declaration powerful and uplifting. I assume the intent of the second verse was to illuminate this idea with a luxurious and sensual metaphor: “It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.”

And that is just the way I read it the first couple of times through. But then I began to see the image from my own modern (and, yes, somewhat fastidious) point of view. Oil? In your hair? Your beard? Running down onto your clothes?”

And that is when another truth hit me: trying to live in unity can be a sticky mess.

Yes, we know the delights of community: support, connection, continuity, friendship, collaboration, energy, care. But if we approach the task of being together from our “lower selves”—those parts of ourselves that are insecure, needy, self-absorbed, unlovable and unloved, community is a huge challenge. We can be inflexible, unforgiving and intolerant, all qualities that are deadly in community.

Fortunately our spiritual tradition calls us to a bigger vision. It calls forth our “higher selves.” Perhaps it is the larger circle that God draws that can encompass our delightful but sometimes exasperating differences. It is this larger circle of love and acceptance that can fill our hearts and soften the challenge of living together. It is this larger circle that invites forth our openness, our acceptance, our service, our care.

And things become noticeably less sticky!

Get a video sneak peak of Phil’s sermon…

Watch the complete sermon on video…

Feeding the 5000 in Somalia

FCCB member Liz McBride has been paying close attention to the famine and refugee situation in Somalia. She encourages us to contribute financially:

FCCB says “Imagine another world is possible.” Imagine it.

I had recently donated to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees for Somali refugees. Then on Sunday, July 31, I saw Phil Porter’s video of the “Loaves and Fishes” story at First Church. It told the old story of Jesus feeding  the 5000 in pictures and words. I was so inspired, and I felt the need in Somalia so deeply that I  decided to give $365 to this every pay day for the rest of the year, because I can. If we each do what we can the hungry will have food, and clean water.

In one week, UNHCR moved 5000 refugees to safety and is supplying food. Feeding the 5000! I chose UNHCR because they are already mobilized, already committed, and large enough to reach so many quickly.

So when I imagine another world is possible, I know it can be. Let’s get a million to give. Spread the word and we can make it happen!

Read more about the situation in Somalia.

Contribute here.