The Tragic Death of Trayvon Martin

by Phil Porter
Minister of Art & Communication

Last Sunday, a photograph of Trayvon Martin and a “hoodie” were placed on the communion tables at both services at First Church. Trayvon was a 17-year-old African American who was shot by a neighborhood watch captain in Florida. The man who shot Trayvon was not arrested based on his claim that he fired in self-defense. Public attention and outrage has grown steadily in the month since the shooting.

This case has touched a nerve for many, inviting us to look not only at instances, but at patterns. This situation is not just about the tragic death of one young man. It is about perceptions of young African American men. Though some may see the murder as out of the ordinary, many are seeing it as something that could easily happen to them or someone they love. Thousands upon thousands of parents are now even more concerned and apprehensive about the safety of their sons.

Philadelphia AP writer Jesse Washington talks about having to give his 12-year-old son the talk about the “black male code.” He gave his son this advice:

“Always pay close attention to your surroundings, son, especially if you are in an affluent neighborhood where black folks are few. Understand that even though you are not a criminal, some people might assume you are, especially if you are wearing certain clothes.

Never argue with police, but protect your dignity and take pride in humility. When confronted by someone with a badge or a gun, do not flee, fight, or put your hands anywhere other than up.

Please don’t assume, son, that all white people view you as a threat. America is better than that. Suspicion and bitterness can imprison you. But as a black male, you must go above and beyond to show strangers what type of person you really are.”

(Read Jesse Washington’s full article “Trayvon Martin, my son, and the Black Male Code”.)

Trayvon is both a victim and a symbol. The tragedy of his death stands alone, but as we mourn him, we are also mourning many lives lost. We have an opportunity to stop and call ourselves and our culture to account for the ways that young lives are cut short or derailed because of race or class.

One of the things that church can offer is a place where the family is extended. In so many ways, teenagers and their parents need the support of the wider community. We can help hold the lives of our young people during a period that is often fraught with challenge. Perhaps Trayvon’s death can spur us to take even more seriously our opportunity to spread our collective wings over our young ones—those right next to us, those we pass on the street and those we only hear about through the news.

The Rights of Women

by Patricia de Jong
Senior Minister, First Church Berkeley, UCC

The Women of the World Summit in New York City this week celebrated the gifts of women and girls throughout the world. Keynote speaker Hillary Clinton spoke about the responsibility of the US as a role model for women around the world by standing up for women’s rights here and throughout the world. She reminded the audience that women should always have the right to make their own choices about what they wear, how they worship, the causes they support and, finally, “the right to control the decisions we make about our own health and our own bodies.”

Her message reemphasized the importance of our nation’s role in the rest of the world, especially with regards to how governments treat women.

At the halfway mark in this extraordinary season of Lent, it is good to remember that Jesus took a similar stand when it came to the role and rights of women in his time. He publicly included women as his disciples, infuriating religious leaders. He healed women as readily and powerfully as he healed men and he even took on the issue of divorce, announcing that men and women had the right to divorce the other.

Walter Wink asserts that Jesus violated the mores of his time in just about every encounter with women that are recorded in all four of the Gospels. Do you remember who was standing at the foot of the cross on Good Friday? And to whom Jesus first appeared after the crucifixion? The Gospels present us with a prophet who turned the expectations of the world as it was upside down, pointing toward liberation for all people, especially the poor, who were often women.

Our Lent journey touches on matters of life and death, not just for ourselves, but for the difficult issues confronting our world and the people who live in it. For women and girls in this country and in all countries, the respect, care and right to make our own decisions about our health and our bodies is fundamental, not only for individuals, but to the life and livelihood of the world.

The Use of Religion in Political Debate

From First Congregational Church of Berkeley, United Church of Christ:

As progressive Christians we are concerned about the way that religion is being used in the current political debate on several counts:

1. Statements are being made that suggest that one religious point of view is superior and others are being disparaged. We are a Christian congregation and we recognize that there are many ways that people practice their faith. We also understand and accept that many do not claim a spiritual tradition. In the public sphere many different points of view about religion must be honored.

2. Certain policy decisions are being debated as if they dramatically infringe on the religious freedom of some Americans. We consider this to be a misleading overstatement.

3. We are concerned that messages both overt and covert rooted in racism and sexism are being used as a wedge to divide us as a people. We believe in straightforward and honest debate and respect for differences.

4. Although our faith informs our politics, we recognize that if those two strands are too intertwined they strangle diversity and debate. We honor the long tradition of the separation of church and state and resist impulses to shape government policy based on a single religious point of view.

We call our politicians to civility, honesty, respect for diversity, and open-mindedness.

We invite your comments below.

Places for Grace

Throughout the Advent Season, we have been looking for “Places for Grace”—in our lives, in the world and in the stories of the season leading up to the birth of Jesus. Each Sunday we have explored Grace in a variety of ways using personal stories, scripture, music and preaching. Here are some videos from the fourth Sunday of Advent.

Angela Arnold and Matt Reed share ways in which they find grace in their lives as they light the fourth Advent candle.

The First Church Flute Choir plays “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”.

Phil Porter tells the story of the Angel Gabriel visiting Mary from the Book of Luke.

Patricia de Jong preaches the sermon “Full of Grace”.

First Church Berkeley is a progressive Christian church with two services on Christmas Eve—a Family Service at 5 pm and a Candlelight Service at 10 pm. Both are full of sights, sounds and inspiration.

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…

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…

What Feeds Us?

Meredith Jackson used the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 as the basis of her sermon on Sunday, July 31. She asked a few people to share some of the things that fed them personally. This was what Bonnie Hester shared in the service:

 “I am sustained by a deep sense of God’s presence in my life, embodied in ordinary daily interactions I have with people—friends, family and people I don’t know. God is in the experience of a friend calling to check in or a neighbor sharing his freshly baked bread with me. The joy I feel as I see the world through the eyes of my 5-year-old grandson and the twinkle in the eye of his grandfather is sacred. It is even there in the impulse I feel to hold my irritation in check while driving or let someone go before me at Trader Joes. I feel a sacred presence as well as surprise when I am somehow better than myself. Every interaction is an opportunity for me to notice God’s presence. Through countless small nourishing exchanges imbued with holiness, my life is enriched and I am sustained.”