Breaking Bread, June 2020

May the peace of God be with you. 

These days are bringing to our Region (and nation) many challenging moments, some which are unfathomable, and others not lived before in our lifetime. We may be in great pain or concern for the here and now. There are many more questions that swirl about our church, society’s current state, and the future. In these times, we do not lose hope, drawing our strength from the promises and peace of Christ. In Hebrews 13:5, we hear the promise “I will never leave you or forsake you.” 

No matter the challenges, we know love will win as it always does. Our prayers will sustain, carry, and move us on to courage. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Hescehel has famously been quoted as saying, “When I marched in Selma (in 1965), my feet were praying.” Amid the civil unrest, may the usurped troubles we see not drown out the cries we hear from our sisters and brothers of color. Let us work that justice not be elusive for some and made real for everyone. Let us live into the truths, that “there is no distinction… the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him.” (Rom. 10:12).  I invite us all into a season of prayer for our Region (and nation), whether that might be with your feet in a march or in our secret place/s with the Lord.      

Please let me share with you these important sentiments, sent to me from one of our beloved past Regional staff, who served our ministry, faithfully and with dedication from almost 40 years ago.

I write this quick line to express my thoughts and concerns for you in the life and ministry of our Regional Church.  Without question, your commitment to the ‘call’ of ministry and your skills of leadership equip you for a wholesome and abiding ministry.  

Given this, the measure of your witness is met with chaotic turbulence in which we live.  The church faces decisions never captioned before.  In best of times, Regional Ministry is complex – but now it is layered with unexpected involvements that the church must address with compassion and fruition.  It’s difficult!

I am grateful for you and I express concern for you in these days many intersections and uncertainties.  Do take care of yourself, be healthy and find fulfilling blessings in each day’s landscape.

Thank you for your gifts, concern and cares for us.  With the help of God.  These things we will do, together. 

Blessings,
Richie

Below is a webinar sponsored by Church West Insurance Services coming up on Tuesday, June 2nd @ 11 am PDT.  Participants will need to register here.

Before We Gather: Reopening Your Worship Service

There have been plenty of guidelines provided by state, local, ministry & legal resources lately. However, there hasn't been much provided in the way of actionable plans that you can use to model a plan for your ministry. We've looked at the guidelines for California and will be providing you with a plan you can use through this first stage.

All attendees will receive a model program for you to tailor to your ministry for reopening.

2020 PSWR Pentecost Offering

by Nadine Compton, New Church Ministry Marketing Team

Since 2001, new church leaders have been answering the call to continue the new church movement and see the 2020 Vision come to light by starting 1,034+ new places of worship across the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

This Special Day Offering gives Disciples the opportunity to support these courageous leaders by making a gift to Disciples Mission Fund.

Every year, half of these gifts stay in local Regions to support and sustain new churches near you. The second half helps train, equip, assist, and nurture leaders across the United States and Canada through New Church Ministry programs.

These programs include Leadership Academy, which brings together new church leaders to learn about branding, budgeting, and more, New Church Hacks, a free webinar series that provides clever solutions for tricky church problems, and Coaching, which pairs new/affiliating pastors and leaders to help them remain on track and accountable for the goals they have set for themselves and their faith communities.

Let’s celebrate these brave leaders and the diversity in language and life experience that they have brought. 20 years ago, our Church had the bold vision to start 1,000 new churches… and we did it!

Participate in the Pentecost Offering here.

Promote the Pentecost Offering to your church–visit the DMF  website
https://disciplesmissionfund.org/special-offerings/pentecost/ for sermon topics, scriptures, Moments for Mission, banners, and a special video (available with Spanish, Korean, French subtitles on the website).

Re-Opening the Church and Security Efforts for the Days Ahead

PSWR Disciple,

May the peace of God be with you.

As we are nearly two months into the pandemic, there are some concerns we are all thinking about and I would like to address the ones we are aware of. This week, letters were released from the General Minister and President, Rev. Teresa “Terri” Hord Owens and the College of Regional Ministers (I am a member) regarding re-opening the physical doors of the Church. These letters are vital and important for us all.

During our Zoom call with over 30 PSWR Disciples Church Moderators (April 16th), we began to hear about the reports of church break-ins during this “safer-at-home” period. I have asked Joe Perring, our project manager and a member of First Christian Church, Orange (FCCO), and Bruce Indermill, our administrator, to compile some suggestions that will help make our facilities less likely to be a target. Our list below has items that will require some planning, budgeting, scheduling and safety considerations.  

1. Lighting and Visibility

·    Inspect exterior lighting regularly, especially during the lock-down.

·    Immediately replace bulbs and fixtures that are not working.

·    Plan to install lighting as needed to illuminate exterior access points.

·    Consider installing motion sensors.

·    Install timers for interior lighting and set to come on at random time intervals when the facility would normally be occupied.

·    Eliminate taller shrubs that provide hiding spots and places to stash personal belongings.

2. Presence

·    Encourage pastors and other staff to work in the office several days a week, when it is safe to do so. Park cars where they are visible, so that passersby know someone is on-site. Observe physical distancing protocols, don’t open doors for visitors.

·    Consider enlisting members to visit the site throughout the week and check for open doors and other irregularities. Stay safe: retreat and call 911 if anything suspicious is encountered.

·    Consider doing larger projects that might normally disrupt activities. Many contractors are still working.

·    The property management function is considered essential. That includes supervision, oversight, maintenance including janitorial and landscape maintenance. Keep lawns maintained, sidewalks clean, etc.

3. Relationships

·    Find and establish relationships ahead of time with local contractors who can respond quickly to secure facilities if needed because of break in or utility system failure: a glass replacement company, a plumber, an electrician.

·    Contact local police departments and request periodic drive-by. (At FCCO), police use the parking lot for lunch breaks and as a place to park while writing reports.)

·    Participate in or help to create a Neighborhood Watch program

·    Introduce your congregation to neighbors, local schools, local businesses. Exchange emergency contact information.

·    Identify an already engaged, well-meaning neighbor to keep an eye on the place.

·    Reach out to organizations within the community to explore how the church can help support community efforts that would also provide some activity on the campus.

·    FCCO is hosting a local Farmers Market drop off in the parking lot once a week. Their normal site doesn’t have enough space for physical distancing.

·    FCCO also hosted a recent blood drive. They set up in our Fireside Room because the bloodmobile didn’t have proper separation. The contact person to set up the drive is Vanessa.VanMil@redcross.org.

4. Utilities

·    While buildings are unused, set thermostats and water heaters appropriately to save energy. 

·    Inspect periodically for water leaks, especially running toilets and sprinkler valves, and other system failures.

5. Security System

·    Inspect security systems and replace malfunctioning parts.

·    Consider adding a security system that includes cameras and monitoring services.

·    Enlist members to be part of a security team that can respond quickly to emergencies.

6. Expensive Items

·    Plan to remove smaller items such as laptops, microphones, sound boards, etc. until after the lock down is over.

·    Store items in closets or behind interior doors with dead bolts.

A truth: If your property looks occupied, well cared for and well-secured, the thief will move on to a more vulnerable target. Make it as difficult as possible for the thief to succeed.

Additional resources:

·    Church Mutual

·    Insurance Board

·    The Foundry

As we gather more information, and begin to consider preparations to reopen our facilities, these are helpful security practices to implement for the short-term and long-term. During this emergency, we have learned so much that can help us to prepare and meet the growing needs of our congregations, local communities and facilities.

Blessings,

Rev. Richie Sanchez
Region Minister and President, Pacific Southwest Region

You, Too, Can Become a Green Chalice Congregation

by Eileen Vincent, Member
 PSWR’s Church in Society Committee 

First Christian Church of Orange, my congregation,  is a Green Chalice Church. We have continued to work on projects that help our church members be greener individually and as a unit.   Here are some of the things we have done, and you may wish to use some of them, too.

·  We continue to have 2 little reminders of green life habits in our weekly newsletter.

·  We put in solar panels for electricity, which also freed up some funds to continue to work on other church projects.

·  We have explored using reusable tablecloths, compostable cups, utensils, and plates.

·  We are proud to use products from Equal Exchange*. It gives us a little smile to know that children are not being used to pick the coffee beans, and the businesses are small, often female managed. We sell chocolates, olive oil, and coffee once a month; the proceeds go to our youth groups.

Coffee has been our recent challenge. In the dark ages, we started with 2 huge percolating pots and found we were wasting lots of coffee at the end of events, someone had to arrive an hour early to start the coffee, and the pots had a measuring rod that was never able to be cleaned. Yuck!

Next, someone gave us a Keurig coffee pot; we bought another one to make service faster (not ‘THE SERVICE’). We regretted the K cups that were not green appropriate and, even with 2 pots, we didn’t get our coffee fast enough, often with regret that we had lots of choices including hot chocolate, but they were always out of the one you wanted. Also, each cup was expensive.

We thought we had it corrected with a BUNN coffee pot. However, it had an electrical cord that was not supposed to be removed. Even with many signs, “Don’t unplug the coffee pot,” it was actually unplugged and therefore damaged.

Persistence is the name of the game. Now we got a new BUNN coffee pot that brews 12 cups into an air port. There is no plug-in; we hardwired it into the electricity and filtered water sources. It has an economy mode. NOW, we can use our special bulk, Equal Exchange coffee. Success!

Come have a cup of coffee, brown in color but green in composition.

_______________________________________________________

*Equal Exchange | Fairly Traded Coffee, Tea & Chocolate

 equalexchange.coop

Breaking Bread, April 2020

Let me start by expressing deep gratitude to our PSWR Disciples leaders, clergy and congregations for making safety a priority, honoring the health department’s recommendations, temporarily closing the doors of our physical locations, staying at home, and saving lives. While sheltering in place, PSWR Disciples opened our doors online and by phone, setting out, in new ways to share the Gospel and provide care for each other.  We are learning how to be the church in a time of physical distancing, letting love expand and find other ways to reach each other. We invited a wider audience into our worship experiences, ministries and worshipful work. As your Regional Minister, I have focused our team’s ministry by staying connected with you, and providing pastoral care and concerns, financial support and online resources / coaching (by request). During this coronavirus fight, our Regional leadership, ministry team and staff (practicing physical distance) have been able to connect via Zoom with over 130 pastors in English, Spanish and Korean, over 30 congregational moderators and many, many more individual contacts via phone and email. We have stayed together!

Amid this pandemic, existing “safer at home” orders by health and elected officials are being reconsidered and evaluated. Our region manifests itself in three states, please continue to follow your Federal, State and local governments on the most up to date orders and guidance. As these decisions are being made regarding the lifting of this order, whether in phases or in ways beyond our control,  I ask you join me in prayer and deep reflection about our health concerns, making the safest decisions for our congregations and neighbors. While much is still uncertain and a decision for lifting loom,  I encourage us all to take time and consider what has happened. Make space to grieve the magnitude of this pandemic’s impact upon us all. Let us find the very best health practices and ways to prepare before re-opening the doors to our physical locations and prematurely closing those new doors online. Below I refer to two articles that can be used to formulate questions and / or practices before our return. Our congregants and visitors deserve our very best efforts toward providing a sacred and safe space.

Weeks ago, I received the call from one of our pastors, with news about his beginning battle with COVID-19. I was prayerful, pastoral, concerned and continued to follow his recovery. Much was happening in the beginning of this coronavirus fight for all of us. I shared this news only with some neighboring clergy, inviting prayers and support. Admirably, rallied for this battle were his family, old and new friends, and his Disciples church, Local, Regional and General. Mobilized were prayers, food drop-offs, grocery shopping, check-ins, and overall care. Their story is yours and all of our story, now. 

“The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea.” – Acts 11:29 NIV

 “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” - MLK Jr. This pastor is doing a lot better and if he were asked if you could do anything, it would be for you to consider making a donation, high on the list would be to help support the ministries of Week of Compassion, the Disciples Mission Fund and our Region. Thank you in advance for your support and generosity, together we’re making a difference, here and all around the world.

A final question, what will we do with what we’ve learned and how will it shape our continued being, living and moving as congregations and Region? In these next weeks, I will continue to reflect on who we became on the inside, what will we need going forward and how will we be experienced from the outside. Thank you for your support of our Region and our General Church through your giving to Disciples Mission Fund. We’re praying for all of you. Please refer to our COVID-19 page for up to date Regional and other helpful information.

With prayer for healing and safe concern,
Richie

HELPFUL LINKS:

The first is regarding a story in the Wichita, KS paper. The judge who ruled in favor of the two churches that sued the governor in order to meet, nonetheless imposed 24 criteria for them to follow (which would be difficult for most to accomplish, but they offer some great criteria).

The second is an article with 24 questions your church should answer before people return. 

The third we received from another region, created by a Unitarian Universalist Church in Oak Ridge, TN. It provides a well-done video discussing thoughtful next steps for their church.

The fourth is a resource made available from Beloved, San Diego (a PSWR congregation). It is an upcoming free online course for stress management and emotional health.