SPINN Newsletter

SPINN - Sausalito Presbyterian Inner Network Newsletter

DR. JOHN HUTCHINSON MEMORIAL SERVICE John Corrin Hutchinson, M.D., Cardiologist at UCSF Medical Center and beloved SPC choir member passed away peacefully on January 14, 2012.

A memorial service for Dr. Hutchinson will take place on Saturday, February 4th at 2:00 PM at Sausalito Presbyterian Church 112 Bulkley Ave., Sausalito, California.

Memorial donations in Dr. Hutchinson's memory can be made to the Department of Cardiology at UCSF Medical Center.

This Sunday in Worship Join us for communion and a message on The Lord’s Supper called Unbroken Life in Broken Bread.

Last week we used the occasion of Paul’s ordination and installation as an opportunity to consider our own baptism. We all walked along a river of life created by Alison Deal and refreshed ourselves with the living water of God.

**SPC’s ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING** Sunday, February 12, 11:00 AM after worship Our Annual Congregational Meeting will include the usual wonderful brunch and election of officers. Come and join us as our church community embarks on its next exciting journey! Brunch following in Thomson Hall.

MARIN IJ FEATURE: Sausalito Presbyterian Church Welcomes First Openly Gay Pastor http://www.marinij.com/sausalito/ci_19848811?source=most_viewed Posted: 01/29/2012 06:20:38 PM PST

When he was 18 years old, Paul Mowry came out to his mother as a gay man.

"She said, 'I love you and support you — but two things pain me," Mowry said. "One is that I think you would make a great dad, and I'd hate to have you not have that experience. The other is that Presbyterians don't ordain gay people."

Mowry's mother mentioned ordination because Mowry — whose father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all served as Presbyterian ministers — had felt called to the cloth "ever since I was a really small child," he said.

On Sunday, Mowry's long-held dream came true, as the Sausalito Presbyterian Church ordained the Pittsburgh native as its newest pastor, the first openly gay pastor in the church's history.

For the ministers and parishioners of the hillside church, the arrival of Mowry — a highly-regarded graduate of New York's Union Theological Seminary — was cause for celebration.

"Paul preached here as part of his interview, and when I heard him, I thought 'I hope they call him. I hope they don't let him get away,' " said the Rev. Daniel Christian, pastor of St. Luke Presbyterian Church in San Rafael, who took part in Sunday's event. "I'm really happy that he's here."

For the Rev. Mowry, the event marked the latest stage in a long journey that had taken him through careers in the film industry and in corporate banking, and from decades of self-doubt to an acceptance of his mission.

"I've always been the person who was most likely to get into a conversation with someone who was trying to understand their place in the universe," said Mowry, who recently moved to Sausalito with his partner and their 5-year-old daughter.

Mowry left his home in Pittsburgh at the age of 18 to study film at New York University, and made that city his home for nearly the next 20 years. He spent much of that time working in production, most notably as a director's assistant on the 1989 Meryl Streep-Roseanne Barr comedy "She-Devil."

"Roseanne had been rumored to be difficult to work with, but on this film she was absolutely fun and agreeable — even though this was a difficult time in her life, when her first marriage was breaking up," Mowry said.

Hoping to give himself time to work on a screenplay, Mowry decided to take a temporary job with a Wall Street bank. He did so well at his job that the company hired him full-time as an officer.

"I really enjoyed the challenge of humanizing an environment like that," Mowry said.

Mowry admits that he had considered seeking ordination in another Christian denomination that welcomed gay men and women as ministers, such as the Episcopal Church or the United Church of Christ. But his ties to the Presbyterian Church were simply too strong, he said, even though he had drifted in and out of the church over the years as he had wrestled with his conscience.

"My father, grandfather and great-grandfather were Presbyterian ministers. I still have some of the handwritten sermons my great-great-grandfather wrote in the 1790s," Mowry said. "I'm proud of all the denominations that have moved forward on this issue, but I guess I've always felt bonded to the Presbyterians."

Spurred by his friends, his partner and his mother, Mowry decided to take the risk of entering the seminary, knowing there was little chance he would ever be ordained as a Presbyterian minister. But last year, a majority of the Presbyterian Church in the United States voted to permit the ordination of partnered homosexuals.

"This was an issue that Presbyterians had been debating openly and honestly for the last 30 years," Mowry said. "It's just amazing that the church voted to change its constitution while I was in the process of being called. The timing has baffled everyone I know."

Mowry said he was overjoyed by the church's decision, though he recognizes that it has led to some dissension within the church's membership.

"The church is at its best when it creates an environment in which people can see each other's humanity," Mowry said. "If the church is doing its job, it's pulling together people from all walks of life, with different points of view — so of course there are going to be theological differences. The work of Christ is to bring everybody together not in unanimity, but in unity. We don't have to agree on anything except that we love God, and believe that we have been called together."

Although he is one of the first openly gay Presbyterians to be ordained as a minister, Mowry said the response he has received from others within the church has been almost universally positive.

Each Presbyterian church chooses its own pastor, and Mowry said he was thrilled that the Sausalito congregation had chosen him.

"This is a church that is very diverse politically, socially and theologically. It's perhaps the greatest range of people assembled under one roof that I've ever experienced," said Mowry, who admitted that living on a Sausalito hillside was quite a departure from the New York City apartment he inhabited for two decades.

Mowry's mother, who is 90 years old, was unable to travel from her home in Portland, Ore. to attend her son's ordination. Yet she was able to watch the ceremony, thanks to a laptop computer, a webcam and the video chat program Skype.

"She had been working hard inside the church to change things," Mowry said. "At one point, she got fed up, and stopped going to church. She said she was a Presbyterian in exile, and told me 'I'll come back when they're willing to ordain you.' "

When Mowry told her he was applying to seminary, and planned to become a minister, his mother "made such a joyful noise," Mowry said. "Had I known, I would have recorded it."

DRY BRANCH FIRE SQUAD A CONCERT IN CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF WARREN HELLMAN AND A BENEFIT FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO FREE CLINIC SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH, 2012, 8 PM $25 ADMISSION SAUSALITO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 112 BULKLEY AVENUE, SAUSALITO, CA

On Saturday, February 18th, at 8 p.m., the Dry Branch Fire Squad will be playing a special concert of old-time and bluegrass music at the Sausalito Presbyterian Church at 8 p.m. Formed in 1976 and led by the highly entertaining Ron Thomason, Dry Branch is known for its exceptional live performances, which include hot picking combined with self-deprecating humor and intelligence.

This concert will also be a celebration of the life of the late San Francisco investor, philanthropist and banjo player Warren Hellman, who also sponsored the highly successful and popular Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festivals in SF’s Golden Gate Park every October. Hellman passed away on December 18th, 2011. Partial proceeds from the concert will benefit the San Francisco Free Clinic, which was founded by Hellman’s daughter and son-in-law.

For more information about the show and tickets, call Don Koc at (415) 383-8716 or email Don at d.koc@comcast.net.

SPC's MISSION COFFEE IS FROM THE AWARD-WINNING EQUATOR COFFEES This is the same great coffee you can get at Citizen Cake, The French Laundry and La Boulange.

The Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, I.J. has an article titled "A toast to Equator Coffees etc....." This is the coffee that the SPC Mission Committee has been selling and advertising here in SPINN for many years. To quote from the I.J., "The San Rafael company was a winner in the 2012 Good Food Awards (GFA), which recognizes those companies nationally that not only make the finest tasting food, but also honor environmental and social responsibility."

SPC Mission Coffee is Fair Trade, Organic, and Delicious... it's Coffee with a Conscience

All proceeds go to support Bridge the Gap Tutoring Program and Leon Mission Summer Camp. Order yours today by contacting Rick Brusseau, (415) 317-7898 or rbrusseau@seaviewpartners.com

NEW TALES OF ROMANTIC WEDDINGS Look for a new story in SPINN each week from Down the Aisle, Shirley Latta's blog, and enjoy all the stories and pictures on http://weddingsinsausalito.wordpress.com .

Post # 4 – An elegant Korean Wedding Bride Janice and Groom Isaac planned a full day of wedding activities. The celebration began with the bride's sister preparing a traditional tea ceremony for their families. Mothers and grandmothers wore pastel silk Korean costumes.

Their own minister performed a Korean ceremony that included joyous singing. Red and gold flowers were elegant against the dark rich wood of the "arts and crafts" style of historic Sausalito Presbyterian Church.

Guests walked down the garden path to Thomson Hall where a Korean banquet had been prepared by the couple's aunties. The bride changed into informal red embroidered Korean dress and the celebration continued.

MARIN LAUNCHES ZERO WASTE MARIN - JOIN THE EFFORT Marin County is launching a new education program to reduce the waste we create. Check out more tips here http://zerowastemarin.org/tips

Part With Paper and Plastic Shopping Bags. For every shopping trip, we need a bag to carry our goodies. But single-use plastic and paper bags create way too much waste for the long haul. The US uses 100 billion plastic shopping bags each year, and that doesn’t even count the paper bags: 10 billion, typically made of virgin pulp. But by collecting reusable shopping bags for your milk runs and mall excursions, you’ll save tons of oil—not to mention 14 million trees and 267 marine species. Flipper would approve.

Main Challenge: Plastic Shopping Bags Instead of paper or plastic, use reusable fabric bags: canvas, nylon, etc. Keep ’em handy by the front door or in the trunk of your car for your next shopping trip.

Alternate Challenge: Avoid Excess Packaging If you’re already rocking the reusable bags, you can still help: Just choose products that eschew excess packaging. Try hitting up the bulk aisle for your staples, or write letters to manufacturers—they’ll get the message.

**LEADING CHANGE

HOW TO SUCCEED IN CHANGE WHILE TRYING** The book that is the basis of our sermon series, Our Iceberg is Melting, comes out of research by John Kotter at the Harvard Business School. Kotter studied various organizations to see why change succeeded in some organizations, and failed at others. The eight steps that he identified in his book Leading Change are: 1. Establish urgency 2. Create a guiding coalition 3. Develop a vision and strategy to implement it 4. Communicate the change vision 5. Empower broad -based action 6. Create short-term wins 7. Build on success and continue 8. Anchor the change in culture

Jill Hudson, a church consultant, has taken this work and looked at how it applies to voluntary organizations such as churches. She identifies these factors as those that can thwart change – some of which are church culture issues, and other factors related to church leadership (Including the pastor): 1. There is a high level of tolerance for complacency. 2. The basis of support for change has not been fully developed. 3. Pastors have been trained as “managers” not leaders. 4. Leaders do not believe the vision is enough to carry the change. 5. The vision is undercommunicated by a factor of 10 (maybe 100!) 6. Most pastors do not plan for “short term” wins, instead focus on long term. 7. People are reluctant (or unwilling) to remove obstacles to change. This is especially true when it involves employees or key volunteers. 8. Real change takes a long time. Patience doesn’t come easily in church organizations.

As we ponder the penguins road to living a different way, we can also be thinking about how to journey through the transitions that SPC is going through as well.

**FROM THE NET

5 THINGS PEOPLE REGRET ON THEIR DEATHBEDS** The top 5 regrets: http://thenextweb.com/lifehacks/2011/05/31/the-top-5-regrets-people-make-on-their-deathbeds/

For your consideration – how might you reduce your regrets NOW?

HISTORIC MOMENT IN THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Church Votes to Allow Gay Ordinations

Some of you may not be aware that a vigorous, and at times, rancorous argument has been occurring within the Presbyterian Church since 1978 around the issue of ordination of gay and lesbian members. SPC has, for many years, affirmed its own right to elect members that it believes are acceptable to lead the congregation, regardless of sexual orientation, but such congregations have been few.

This week, the larger Presbyterian denomination affirmed that Session, Presbyteries and Synods may ordain gay and lesbian members to the church offices of pastor, elder and deacon. We can expect that there will be dissent and a continuation of the argument, but for now, the policy of the church is now changed.

It is entirely possible that gay and lesbian candidates may have submitted applications to SPC’s pastor search committee, so such news from the denomination means that any decision by the PNC and the congregation can be strictly on the merits of the candidates, without consideration to their sexual orientation.

BRIDGE the GAP NEWS FROM THE MISSION COMMITTEE (taken from Tuesday, March 1, 2011 Marin I J --- A 10-HOUR SCHOOL DAY?)

Denni Brusseau, executive director of Bridge the Gap College Prep, a Sausalito nonprofit that will provide English instruction for the new program, said, among other comments, "The extended school day is what gives these students the additional academic support that they need to be successful when they go into high school."

SPC COFFEE MINISTRY SPC's Mission Coffee from Equator Coffees

This is the same great coffee you can get at Citizen Cake, The French Laundry and La Boulange.

Equator Coffees is a winner in the 2012 Good Food Awards (GFA), which recognizes those companies nationally that not only make the finest tasting food, but also honor environmental and social responsibility.

SPC Mission Coffee is Fair Trade, Organic, and Delicious Coffee with a Conscience

All proceeds go to support Bridge the Gap Tutoring Program and Leon Mission Summer Camp. Order yours today by contacting Rick Brusseau, (415) 317-7898 or rbrusseau@seaviewpartners.com

FOLLOW @sausalitofaith ON TWITTER!! SPC Expanding Our Social Media Presence Our first venture is a new Twitter account: @sausalitofaith. If you are on Twitter, please follow this account – and spread the word!

FREE PARKING ON SUNDAY MORNINGS! The Sausalito Police Department has given us permission to park our cars at no charge in the metered parking lot directly adjacent to the downtown Bank of America (City lot #2) during church services on Sunday mornings. They will not ticket any car displaying the appropriate SPC PERMIT between the hours of 7:30-11:30am on Sundays. Permits are available at the church.

GREEN TIPS: SLOW DOWN YOUR DRIVING! You can improve fuel economy by 25-35 per cent by travelling at 70 mph not 90 mph. If you accelerate and brake gently, especially when starting and stopping, you'll also be able to improve fuel efficiency by up to 30 percent.

BRIDGE THE GAP NEEDS VOLUNTEER TUTORS FOR MARIN CITY CHILDREN www.btgtutoring.org Bridge the Gap needs tutors on Monday and Tuesday evenings this school year. Please consider tutoring and asking your friends and family who might want to help a Marin City child. Tutoring is a simple but powerful experience for us all. Please contact:Denni Locke-415-221-3592, dennilocke@sbcglobal.net or Samareh Eskandaripou 415- 810-3137, samarehe@yahoo.com

DONATIONS NEEDED FOR FOOD PANTRY Please bring your donations of non-perishable foods (canned meat, tuna, vegetable, fruit, etc.) to the church - a donation container will be placed by the sanctuary doors on Sundays.

MILL VALLEY MARKET DONATES TO SPC** Every quarter, Mill Valley Market donates 2% of all purchases that reach $500 per month to SPC. Mention the reference #7066 to the Mill Valley Market cashier before your order is closed.

STEWARDSHIP STOCK TRANSFERS Here is our stock transfer information for your pledges or restoration. This information and a draft example is available on our website under "Stewardship". Please mail a copy of the transfer to the church, Attn: Stewardship. Thank you for your generous donation and insure the stock gets credited to the right account. SPC is happy to receive stock in lieu of or in addition to cash stewardship contributions. Use the following information to transfer securities into the account of SPC:#61608; Receiving Firm: Charles Schwab 1. DTC Number: 0164, Code 40 2. FBO: Sausalito Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 236, Sausalito, CA 94965 3. Account Number: 3513-2986 4. Charles Schwab Information: 800-472-0083

BECOME INVOLVED IN OUR MINISTRIES Our new Mission Vision Study called for a new way to do ministry in and through the church.

PROGRAM MINISTRIES: Outreach: New Members, Greeters and Ushers, Fellowship, Visitors Welcome Worship and Liturgical Arts: Worship, Liturgical Arts, Music, Drama, Dance, Music Prayer and Healing Group Major Sustained Missions Weddings Board of Deacons (as elected)

OPERATIONS MINISTRIES: Communications: Graphic Art, Advertising and Public Relations Treasury: Elected Treasurer, Stewardship, Capital Campaign Financial Secretary Deacons Treasurer Mission Treasurer Facilities: House, Grounds, Manse Nominating Personnel Clerk of Session Session (as elected)

If you are interested in serving in any of these ministries please contact the office at (415) 332-3790.