Life together                                                       By Pastor Tedd Lyons

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)

As many of you know, I have been fascinated with the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer for most of  my adult life.  I remember first hearing his name when my father was a delegate to the General Assembly in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1961.  During college, and then seminary, I read as much of his writings as time would allow.  That included his 800-page biography.

     There was so much to admire.  Born into a family that was part of Berlin society, he had unlimited opportunity and possibilities.  He was personable, athletic, and an exceptional piano player.  He earned his Ph.D at 21, and he taught at Berlin University.  He chose, however, to become a pastor.  There was something about Jesus Christ, and the God whom he made known, that consumed Bonhoeffer.

     His faith, not totally embraced by the rest of his family, took him into some diverse directions.  Born into privilege, he taught confirmation to children in Berlin's most impoverished parish.  During the academic year of 1931, he studied at Union Theological Seminary in New York, and the German Lutheran Bonhoeffer worshiped at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.  When he returned to Germany, he had a record collection of Negro spirituals that he insisted his students listen to.  

      He was a pacifist who wanted to meet and study with Gandhi in India, but he found it necessary to join the conspiracy that attempted to assassinate Adolph Hitler.  For his faithfulness to the Gospel, which put him in opposition to the Nazi regime, he was martyred less than a month before the Nazis surrendered in 1945.

     But his greatest passion was the Church.  Raised in a nominally Lutheran family, he visited Rome and was captivated by the grandeur of the Catholic Church.  His doctoral theses became a book titled Communion of Saints.  He opposed the Nazification of the Church in Germany, was a leader of the "Confessing Church" (an underground church), and refused to take an oath of loyalty to Hitler.  He became the director of the Confessing Church's seminary, and in 1938 the Gestapo shut it down.  While directing the seminary, however, he put into place among his students a vision of what the Church should look and act like, and that vision ended up being the theme of a little book titled Life Together.

      The vision put forth there is the vision of the New Testament.  Jesus Christ is the Word of God in the flesh, living and acting in the world, revealing God to the world in Word and Deed. Taking the Word of God as life-sustaining food that gives energy, Christian disciples (those who follow Jesus) practice "life together" in Word and Deed. They engage the Word of God and the Work of God in community, being sustained and strengthened and sustaining and strengthening the world through prayer, worship, scripture-meditation, and service to one another and the "least of these."  The Church is not an ideal, but a concrete reality, enacting and indeed being Christ (the Church is the Body of Christ) in the world, to the world, and for the world.  Believers in concrete, real community are the bearers of grace and life and forgiveness to a fallen and sinful world, and to those broken and wounded in the world.  Finding life organized in community and faith lived out in community is God's vision for all believers in Jesus Christ.

       You can only imagine, with my great admiration for this man and his vision, how thrilled and anxious I am to enter the fall season at UPC, where we will be thinking and planning together to form our life together more fully into this vision.  In worship, the preaching will reflect on the Letters of John, and we will encourage one another to find ways where we can live more fully in community through a pattern of small groups, practicing with courage, faith, and determination this great vision of what it means to follow Jesus Christ.  

     I pray that the Spirit of God will move among us, and that we will find ways to live life together, being Christ in the world, to the world, and for the world in and through the community that Christ gives.

 

Chancel Choir - Christmas 2011

Calling all movers, shakers, and singers!
Chancel Choir rehearsals begin Wednesday, Aug. 15 in the Choir Room, 7-9 p.m.

It's that time again, and we're getting ready to start another exciting season with the Chancel Choir.  I have been so blessed b y the growing numbers of our Chancel Choir this past year. When I was first employed at UPC in October of 2010, there were probably 15-16 regular members in the choir.  At the end of May 2012, I counted 25-28 regular singers in the chancel each week.  This is amazing to me.  As I talk with other local church music ministers, the message I receive is that church choirs are dwindling down to almost nothing in the area...but not at UPC.  There is a spark of life and joy that emits from the chancel each Sunday as the Chancel Choir sings out the praises of our Lord.  We are doing a NEW THING in worship with our Chancel Choir.
     My heart's desire is to see the choir grow to the point that we need to add chairs to the choir.  Even though we've grown in numbers, I am confident that there are still some of you that would be immensely blessed by joining the choir.  Here are just a few exciting things we've done in the Chancel Choir over the past few years:

Habitat for Hymns:  A hymn fest that spotlighted local singing group Soli Deo Gloria and raised funds for Habitat for Humanity
Bachtober:  A musical event in October, that featured the music of Bach's holy compositions by guest artists and our own talented musicians of UPC
Christmasfest: This UPC tradition was brought back after many years, but the Chancel Choir added a twist.  It was such a glorious gathering of our church family and community members as we listened to our beautiful Bell Choir, laughed at the humor of our hilarious Chancel Choir, and were blessed at the fellowship in the Great Room after the event.
An Appalachian Spring:  A musical event throughout April and May that featured beautiful music of Aaron Copland and pastoral music of various other composers, allowing us to enter into worship in a new, fresh way
  
     Worship has been so exciting these past few years, and I have seen the effect of this joyful worship in the lives of various people in the church. There are so many wonderful things to look forward to as we embark upon the end of our liturgical year and the beginning of our next choir season.  As a member of the Chancel Choir, here are just a few exciting activities you can look forward to:  Annual Choir BBQ in August; one-day choir retreat in September, with rehearsal of Advent and Christmas music, refreshments and fellowship; "Bachtober," a musical treat in October; a one-day workshop in November, with Fresno Pacific University's choral director, Dr. Zachary Durlam; " Christmasfest" in December; Annual Chancel Choir Christmas PARTY!!; a one-Day choir workshop in February, with California State University's choral director, Dr. Anna Hamre; a one-day choir retreat in March, with rehearsals for Easter music, refreshments, and fellowship; Easter service featuring Chancel Choir in March; dinner theater fundraiser for the Chancel Choir in June; "Jazzy July," with a Jazz Mass and other "jazzy" contributions to worship

     These are only a few activities you can expect to enjoy with the Chancel Choir.  Each week that we gather for rehearsals, we LEARN, we GROW, we WORSHIP, we LAUGH (hysterically!), we LOVE one another, we PRAY, and we ENJOY the fellowship of one another.  It takes ALL KINDS of singers to make the beautiful sounds of a choir.  Some of you may be insecure about the sound of your voice, but I guarantee your voice is valuable and can be used to blend into a room full of voices.  Come see what the Chancel Choir is all about!  All are welcome. Please email me at elisha@upcfresno.org, or see me after a church service.  I'm the one on the chancel each week with a big smile on my face!!

I look forward to seeing YOU in rehearsal on Aug. 15!  

August 12:  Worshipful sounds of the marimba played by UPC's very own Aaron Grisez.  Jim Brannan will also join us in worship with light percussion to accompany our singing.
August 19:  Cathy Wingert will bring us the Message this day, and we will also feature a   10-year-old guest artist, Marcus Andrews, as he plays horn in worship accompanied by his father, Erik Andrews, on piano
August 26:  Be blessed by the special music of Dean and Jeanette Hodgson, Christine Gromis, Doug Lowe, John Sunderson, and Jim Brannan  

Organ recital

Hsaio-Ching Chao, a former student of local organ teacher Laurel Huber, will be performing at UPC on Friday, August 24, at 7 p.m.  This performance is one of her six required recitals in pursuit of her doctoral degree from the University of Southern California.  She is an alumna of Fresno State.  Come hear the gorgeous sounds of this talented organist!  Admission is free.   

Our Lao service needs your help.  If you are a guitar player, keyboard player, or singer, and you'd like to help out the Lao Worship Team, please contact Tony or Tout Tou Bounthapanya.

Plain of Jars - Xhiangkhoang, Laos

"Jars of Stone" is the theme for this year's Living Waters Festival, as UPC's Lao Partners prepare for our fourth Living Waters for the World installation in Laos.
    This year's installation is in the north central Lao province of Xhiangkhoang (pronounced "Cheng Quong"), a region famous for the Plain of Jars, sites along the countryside strewn with large stone jars dating back more than 2,000 years.  There is speculation that people from ancient times used some of these jars for purifying and storing water.
    Our festival will kick off right after Sunday worship on August 26.  Activities run until 12:30 p.m. and include:

• An array of educational and art activities focused around our own "Plain of Jars."
• Games for ALL ages
• Lao lunches featuring BBQ chicken, sticky rice, veggies and fruit.  Meals are $7 each, $25 for a family of four.  Soft drinks will be available for purchase.  
• The Dunk Tank returns!  UPC pastors and staff members have again agreed to serve as "dunkees."  Tickets are $3 each, two for $5, five for $10.
• The Living Waters for the World system board will be on display.  It's a working model of the LWW system that our team, working together with teams from the Lao Evangelical Church, will be installing at the Khangkhay Teacher Training College in Xhiangkhoang.
• Quilt raffle. Tickets are $5 each, three for $10. Proceeds will go toward helping the Lao Evangelical Church rebuild the Nakham Church, which was destroyed by fire in February.

Youth Group @ Laser Quest

Join us for two games of laser tag on Wednesday, August 1, from 6:30-8 p.m.  Cost is $15.  We'll meet at Laser Quest, 48 East Herndon Ave.  RSVP to Stephanie at (209) 345-1137.

Water Day and Ice Cream Social

Youth Group @ the beach! 

Come spend a day at the beach with the youth on Saturday, Sept. 1st. We'll meet at the church at 7:30 a.m. and return at 9:30 p.m. Cost is $25 and includes lunch, dinner and transportation. RSVP to Stephanie by Aug. 26.

Upcoming Events

August 1: Laser Quest, 6:30-8 p.m. $15 

August 5: Water Day and ice cream social, 3:30-5:30 p.m. $5 per family

August 10: Service project at FIRM

August 14: Cal Skate, 6:30-8:30 p.m. $9

August 19: Pool party at the  Stollings' home, 6:30-8 p.m. 

September 1: Beach day 7:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. $25

Join us for S.T.A.R.S. (Seniors That Are Really Special) on August 8 at 1:30 p.m. in the Great Room.  Dave and Nancy Youngs will demonstrate some of their fascinating wooden puzzles and tell us how wooden puzzles are used to motivate and teach students. We'll also get a chance to play with and try to solve the puzzles.  Contact the office at 439-8807 for more information.  Come join us!    

Fortress of Masada

This month we're continuing our exploration "That the World May Know" with the Rev. Ray Vander Laan.  Filmed in Israel and Turkey where Bible events actually took place, Vander Laan weaves together historical, cultural, and geographical contexts to reveal keen insights into how people in biblical times understood God and Jesus' teaching.

These are the new journeys we will be taking:

August 5: "The Lamb of God"  Jesus travels from Galilee to Jerusalem, coming as The Lamb of God, prepared to make the perfect sacrifice that established him as King of Kings.
August 12: "The Weight of the World"  Come and experience the events of the last days before the Crucifixion. What were his last teachings?  The significance of the Passover (to us, the first Communion) and the Garden of Gethsemane?
August 19: "My Rock and My fortress"  The story of Masada is one of the great dramas of the ancient world.  This magnificent fortress-palace suffered a long siege by the Romans and is an enduring symbol of Jewish freedom and the willingness to die for one's beliefs.

Stand-by for fall when we will be embarking on some new directions quite different from what we have been doing this past year. 

Members of the Presbyterian Women are meeting every-other Monday in workshops to get ready for our major fundraiser in November, the PW Boutique.  We create handmade "masterpieces" for sale.  Anyone who would like to come and help is most welcome!

If you have any old blue jeans ready to be thrown out, PW wants them.  Bring them by the office.  Also, start thinking about the White Elephant items you would like to donate for the Boutique.   

We will be meeting 9-11 a.m. in the Great Room on August 6 and 20; September 10 and 17; and October 1, 15, and 29.  Bring your knitting needles, bring your crochet hooks, bring your ideas (and old blue jeans!).