by Caroline Hamilton-Arnold
Luke 14:12-14 NRSV  

He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
 
Earlier this week, people gathered in a fellowship hall for fried chicken. The meal was catered from a favorite local place, because the volunteers in charge of the meal were exhausted. In fact, everyone who walked through the doors was worn out-emotionally and physically. This meal was a free dinner hosted by St. Paul Lutheran Church and First Christian Church Baton Rouge. The community gathered around that table included people who have lost everything to the floods, people who have devoted every waking moment in the past two weeks to helping their neighbors and friends, and people who are unsure about what tomorrow would bring.
 
Those tables seem to me quite a bit like the banquet table Jesus mentions in our scripture for today and very much like the table to which Jesus invites us every week. I see: food freely offered, with no expectation of repayment; comfort mutually given, strengthening all; love made known in the crispy goodness of fried chicken and the breaking of bread.
 
Our call into mission is to set these tables for our neighbors, not just in the wake of disasters, but always and everywhere-in the struggles of every day, in the midst of inequality, in the face of mistrust and misunderstandings, at kitchen tables and cafeteria tables and bus-stop benches. We are called to set tables of grace, with an open invitation to all, and a special welcome for those whom the world has pushed aside. Our mission is found around tables.

• As a practice of prayer, sketch a table full of food, with seats all around. Don't worry about the artistic value-it's not for display, but for prayer. Label each seat at the table with a person or group of people to whom you would struggle to offer an invitation (e.g. your grouchy neighbor, a family member you have conflict with, people of a different political or religious identity, immigrants, or people in prison.) As you label each seat, offer a prayer of blessing for that person or group, and pray that God's Spirit of compassion will fill and guide you.

Amen.

It is with regrets that we announce that our brother George [2/17/57 - 8/23/16] - son of Elizabeth Bacchues - departed this life on Tuesday August 23, 2016 at 4:58 AM at the home of his youngest brother: James & Denise Bacchues of Lindenwold, New Jersey.
Arrangements are under the care of Carl Miller Funeral Home - Camden, N.J.
Following a private Family service a community service will be held on Monday August 29, 2016 at the home of James and Denise Bacchues

James and Denise Bacchues
12 Joel Court
Lindenwold, N.J. 08021

-- Rev. Dr. Leon Bacchues & Family

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Dear Clergy Friends,

I wanted to share the sad news of our beloved friend and respected Disciples clergy, Edgar Peck. Edgar passed from this life to life eternal early Thursday morning. He had been on Hospice care, and was at home where he wanted to be with his wife Janet and family. Edgar was a graduate of Pacific School of Religion and served on several regional committees. He was familiar to several Disciple and UCC churches as a guest preacher.

There are tentative plans to have his Memorial Service on September 10, the date of his 84th birthday. I am sure there will be information forth coming about his service in the regional newsletter.

Cards and messages of condolence can be sent to his family:
Janet Peck
2032 Avignon Lane
Roseville, CA. 95747

With gratefulness to God for the life of Edgar Peck.  And thankfulness for your ministries and prayers.

-- Mike Carlson

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--Rev. Yolanda Márquez-Lúcar

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New Members
FCC Sacramento has two new members

REMINDER:  Pastors and church secretaries, the region wishes to acknowledge and congratulate those children, youth and adults who make the decision to join a church by transfer or baptism, as well as the names of any child and the parents' names of a dedicated child.  Please send names, addresses, type of membership, child, youth or adult and church name to Cliff Cole (23mcc24x@comcast.net) whenever this occurs.

Let us pray for their vitality, spiritual and numerical growth, their commitment to serving their neighborhood and their openness to the Spirit of God calling them into ministry in the 21st century. Please consider incorporating this congregation into your congregational prayers this week during worship or in your newsletter, so we can grow together in prayer.

Please pray for the churches who are in transition.

Christian Church of  Northern California-Nevada