Whatever things are
think on these things
Vol. 58, No. 6 March 20, 2009
Drama on
Palm Passion Sunday
April 5 at 10 a.m.
Everybody loves a parade. On Palm Sunday we
wave palm leaves and sing “Hosanna” in celebration
of what is sometimes called Jesus’ triumphal entry
into Jerusalem. In Mark’s Gospel Jesus enters Jeru-
salem on a colt that has never been ridden and is
honored by the people who spread his path with
their cloaks and with reeds cut from the fields. To-
gether they sing “Hosanna” (save us) from the open-
ing liturgy from Psalm 118 and acclaim him as the
“one who comes in the name of the Lord.” They
sing their hope that he will save them by inaugurat-
ing “the rule of David.” The story in Mark is brief,
even austere in comparison to the other gospel ac-
counts, the crowd is smaller than in Matthew (“a
very large crowd . . . the whole city was in tur-
moil”), or Luke (“the whole multitude of disci-
ples”), or John (“the great crowd”).
Mark was the first of the gospel writers to tell the
story of Jesus’ passion and death, and it is “stark,
lean and filled with vivid pain.” Just a few days af-
ter Jesus’ arrival in the city of Jerusalem, the ruling
elite will take action to bring about his death: Jesus
will be betrayed, arrested, abandoned, crowned with
thorns and crucified as “King of the Jews.” The
movement is swift and relentless. At the end, Jesus
utters a cry of desolation and dies and the curtain of
the Holy of Holies in temple is torn in two. The old
order of separation and division is abolished by Je-
sus, the New Human Being.
So it is that we celebrate Palm Sunday and Passion
Sunday together on April 5 at the ten o’clock ser-
vice. We enter with joy and shouts of “Hosanna,”
“Drama continued on page 3.
Barbara Strader Editor
Celebrate Easter
We understand death. We have seen it again and
again so we have no trouble imagining the crucifix-
ion, it’s the resurrection that confounds us. Poets
struggle to put it in words: “the stirring wildness of
God,” “hope restored,” “no dead ends to growing,”
“suffering love that saves,” “beauty and mystery,”
“Whatever that something was, it had power! In-
credible power!” “life out of death” “divine victory
over suffering,” “the origin of a new form of life”...
As Harvey Cox reminds us, “Telling the Easter
story . . . is a risky enterprise.” Yet we cannot re-
sist this risky enterprise, each year we tell it anew,
and when reasonable words fail we shout it out:
“Alleluia!” Easter may not rest easy in our minds,
but it comes alive in our bodies: healings experi-
enced, hugs given and returned, the smell and taste
of spring in the air, visions of new life . . . We
celebrate Easter and rejoice: “All things are made
new.” Join our exuberant Easter celebration
service on Sunday, April 12, at 10 a.m.
Congregational Budget Meeting
Sunday, March 29, 11:30 a.m.
Tamalpais Hall
Finger Food, Childcare
In This Issue
One Great Hour 2
April Birthdays 2
Summer Camps 2009 2
Help Beautify the Sanctuary for Easter 3
Congregational Budget Meeting 3
Northern CA Economic Summit 4
James Christie In-care News 5
Calendar of Events 6

One Great Hour
One of the gifts of being God's children is that
sometimes we are called to be "treasure tenders" for
God. We tend God's treasure here in our congrega-
tion with the love and care we show each other.
We are also invited to tend God's treasures beyond
our congregation by participating in One Great
Hour of Sharing (OGHS.)
Life can be tough at times. Hurricanes, earth-
quakes, cyclones, and tsunamis smash communities
to bits. Wars and ethnic conflicts shatter the very
foundations of life, shoving people out of their
homes and transforming them into frightened refu-
gees. Persistent hunger, drought, poverty, lack of
education, and ill health shrivel the life and dry the
spirit, leaving individuals to crumble from the in-
side out.
Through OGHS, we gently, persistently, and
strongly care for God's treasures. By sharing some
of our earthly treasure—our money, our time, our
energy—decisive aid can be sent when disaster
strikes. Refugees receive help in the long term as
they rebuild their lives. We help people help them-
selves through education, health care, tools, seeds,
and resources to improve community infrastructure.
And the sharing is mutual. When we care for peo-
ple, we can be transformed by experiencing the
presence of God. Seeing what others have lost, we
are reminded what matters most in life. Seeing
what others live through, we are inspired to live
courageously. Seeing that new life is possible, our
hope rises. Working with others, we realize that
God reaches out to all of us. Relying on God for the
outcome, our faith increases.
Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also" (Matthew 6:21). May you find your
treasure, and your heart, by sharing resources and
changing lives with a generous gift to One Great
Hour of Sharing. The collection will be received
during worship this Sunday. Gifts may also be sent
to the church office (marked “OGHS.”)
April Birthdays
April 2 James Christie
April 14 Pam Shortridge
April 25 Dan Bikle
Summer Camps 2009
The Northern California Nevada Conference of the
United Church of Christ sponsors Summer Camps
for children, teens and young adults each summer.
For information and registration visit ncncucc.org
or contact Sara Steenhouse, Director of Outdoor
Ministries (510/918-0751) or sara@ncncucc.org.
Kids Camp for children entering grades 2-24 is
scheduled for Tuesday, July 7—Saturday, July 11.
Junior Camp for children entering grades 5-6 is
scheduled for Sunday, July 19—Saturday, July 25.

The Community Church of Mill Valley

United Church of Christ
An Open & Affirming Congregation
8 Olive Street, Mill Valley , CA 94941
Phone 415/388-5540
Fax 415/388-1678
e-mail CCMVUCC@comcast.net
www.millvalleyucc.org
Pastor: Pam Shortridge Sunday Morning:
Minister Emeritus: Jack Bartlett 9:00 a.m. “The Unexpected Word” Class, Foster Room
Parish Associate of Mission: Dora Ford 10:00 a.m. Worship Service, Sanctuary
Minister in Covenant: Jacquie Hoffman Nursery Care for Infants & Toddlers, Nursery
Seminarian In-Care: Arn Lou Mutia Program for Children in Preschool through Third
Seminarian In-Care: James Christie Grade, Children gather in the Chapel
Director of Music: Esther Archer 11:15 a.m. Coffee Hour in the Tamalpais Hall
Executive Editor: Barbara Strader
Facility Operations Manager: Aaron Young Of Good Report is published on the second and fourth Monday of each
month. Deadline for submissions is the previous Monday at noon.
2
2
 Help Beautify the
Sanctuary for Easter
This year, beautiful cut flowers will be used to
enhance our Sanctuary for our Easter Celebration
Service.
Volunteers are needed for the following:
1) Donations of spring flowers from your garden
2) Donations of money in any amount to help
offset the cost to purchase special flowers and
decorations
3) Assistance on Saturday, April 11 at 1:00 p.m.
to decorate the Sanctuary.
If you would like to make a monetary donation for
Easter flowers, please make your check payable to
Community Church with the notation: “Easter
flowers.” If you can donate flowers or are able to
assist with decorating, please send an email to the
church office (ccmvucc@comcast.net) or phone
415/388-5540.
3
Congregational
Budget Meeting
Article IV. Section 4 of the church bylaws reads as
follows:
A Meeting of the members shall be held on a
convenient date and time during the spring of
each year prior to the annual meeting as de-
termined by the Board of Directors, at which
time the members shall adopt a goal budget
and transact such other business as may prop-
erly be brought before the meeting.
On Sunday, March 29, at 11:30 a.m. in the Ta-
malpais Hall the Board of Directors shall present a
proposed budget for 2009-2010 to the congregation.
(The church’s fiscal year is from July 1 through June
30.) The proposed budget will be reviewed and
adopted by the directors at their meeting on March
24th in preparation for the congregational meeting.
A copy of the budget shall be sent to members via
email or by post to those who do not have access to
email as soon as possible after their meeting. It is
hoped that all members will have a copy of the pro-
posed budget to review prior to the meeting on Sun-
day.
On Sunday, Sue Blanchard, church treasurer, shall
present the proposed budget and explain key items.
Following her presentation, the meeting will be open
for questions, comments, and possible amendments
from the members. A majority vote from the mem-
bers will adopt the goal budget for 2009-2010. The
Stewardship Campaign will commence under the
leadership of Jamie Clever after Easter in April.
Light refreshments
(finger food) will
be served to help
stave off hunger
during the meeting.
Child care will be
available in the
nursery for small
children.
 Northern California organizations of the Industrial Areas Foundation*
Invite you to join us for a:

Northern California Economic Conference

“Reclaiming the Public Good”

Sunday, May 17, 2009
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

1st Presbyterian Church of San Rafael

1510 5th Ave. (at E Street)
San Rafael, CA 94901

Together with local and national economists:

Learn about current economic shifts;
Share how our communities are effected;
Reflect on what our traditions have to say about the economy;
Plan how we can act together during these challenging times.

Confirmed Guests include:

Dr. Dowell Myers, Professor of Urban Planning and Demography, USC
Dr. Paul Osterman, Dean, Sloan School of Management, MIT
Stephen Levy, Director, Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy
Scott Graves, Senior Policy Analyst, California Budget Project
Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Director, Just Congregations, Union for Reform Judaism
Ernesto Cortes, Jr., SW Regional Director, Industrial Areas Foundation

Parking:
Street Parking: Metered parking is free on Sundays

Public Lots are located at:

• Mission Ave. and E Street
• Mission Ave. between E and C Streets
th
• 5 Ave and D Street
th
• 5 Ave and C Street

Please register your attendance with your institution!

Contact the Bay Area IAF offices for more information at (415) 563-0262.

*Marin Organizing Committee (MOC), Bay Area Organizing Committee (BAOC) in San Francisco, North Bay Sponsoring Com-
mittee (NBSC) in Napa and Sonoma Counties, Communities Organized for relational Power in Action (COPA) in Monterey and
Santa Cruz Counties, and Sacramento Valley Organizing Committee (SVOC) in Sacramento and Yolo Counties.

4
 tions with people in general. In fact, my latest ser-
James Christie mon, was probably the best and "most adult" I have
ever preached.
In-care News The two academic classes I am taking are the sec-
ond half of Old Testament, taught by Carolin Sharp
On Wednesday, March 18, I flew to California for (an amazing professor) and Islam Today (yeah, I
my Friday afternoon in-care renewal appointment. know, it sounds like a magazine), by Frank Griffel.
They are both survey courses, hence they demand a
In January I went to Washington DC for the inau-
lot of memorization, but I am having a great time
guration. I had tickets to get in but I was unfortu-
with them. The Islam course is at the college and I
nately in a section where they gave away too many
am the only graduate student in the class. So, its
tickets. I found out after waiting in line for two
me and a hundred Yale undergrads.
hours that I was not going to be able to get in
about 20 minutes before the ceremony. But I still
I just spent the last week in Florida with my aunt,
had an absolutely amazing time. Words can not
uncle, and their pugs on my spring break. Half of
describe what Washington was like during those
my time has been spent by the pool recovering
hours. I have never seen so many happy people
from Nicaragua and everything else I have had to
collected in one place in my life. I ended up listen-
do these past two months. The other half has been
ing to the inauguration on a radio about 1000 feet
spent catching up on my reading in Old Testament.
away from the capitol dome. I could not see Presi-
dent Obama but I was about 1100 feet away from Please keep, Paul, my internship supervisor, and
him the whole time, and I did get to see the Presi- Bedford Presbyterian, my internship site, in your
dential motorcade and the cannons going off during prayers. Paul's been feeling ill since December and
the swearing in. Needless to say, I will have a lot last week it was discovered that he will need emer-
of stories to tell to the grandkids. gency heart surgery. He is currently in the hospital
awaiting surgery.
Three weeks ago, I went down to Nicaragua for a
week to build houses with the high school youth Also, please keep my love life in your prayers. On
group at my internship site and a reformed Jewish top of everything else I have had these past two
temple. It too, was an amazing experience. There months, I was dating a girl and got my heart
were 14 kids and 3 adults in the group. With the "bruised" about two weeks ago.
help of six Nicaraguan masons and the local com-
munity, we built two houses. What was most phe- Lastly, I accepted a position for Clinical Pastoral
nomenal about the experience was witnessing the Education this summer at Yale-New Haven Hospi-
growth of the kids during the trip. They became tal. I will be interning, along with five other semi-
not only startlingly aware of third world poverty narians, as a hospital chaplain. The 11 week pro-
but also learned a great deal about themselves and gram also entails four overnights a month, where I
God in the process. will be on-call as the hospital's only chaplain.
I am taking three courses this semester Including -James Christie
my internship. I am doing this, instead of the stan- Istanbul Blog: http://jameschristie.livejournal.com/
dard load of four courses, in order to devote more
time to my internship (it has also allowed me to go
down to the inauguration and to Nicaragua). I have
grown in a lot of ways in my ministry because of it.
In the last seven weeks, I have preached twice,
taught a well-attended adult ed class on Muslim-
Christian dialogue, led a few pastoral prayers, re-
mained active in the high school youth group, and
went to Nicaragua. I feel a lot more comfortable
and confident in my ministry and in my interac-
5
The Community Church of Mill Valley NONPROFIT ORG.
United Church of Christ U. S. POSTAGE
8 Olive Street PAID
Mill Valley, CA 94941 Permit # 24
Mill Valley, CA
Return Service Requested

Upcoming Church Events

Sunday
8:30 a.m. Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary
9:00 a.m. Bible Class on Gospel of Mark, Foster Room
10:00 a.m. Worship (Special Offering, One Great Hour of Sharing)
Child care in the Nursery
11:15 a.m. Coffee and Conversation, Tamalpais Hall; All are invited.
11:30 a.m. Second Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary
Executive Committee, Foster Room

This Week
Mon.-Sun., Mar. 23-29 Pam Shortridge will be in Colorado
Tue., Mar. 24, 7:30 p.m. Board of Directors, Chapel

Coming
Sun., Mar. 29, 10:00 a.m. Guest Preacher, David Martin
11:30 a.m. Congregational Budget Meeting, Tamalpais Hall
1:15 p.m. Fifth Sunday Worship, The Redwoods
Tue., Mar. 31, 7:30 p.m. Christian Life Team, Foster Room
Thu., Apr. 2, 11:30 a.m. Lunch for Homeless People, Westminster Presbyterian
7:30 p.m. Last Lenten Film Discussion on In God’s Name, Fireside Room
Sun., Apr. 5 10:00 a.m. Special Palm/Passion Sunday Worship, Sanctuary
Sun., Apr. 12 10:00 a.m. Easter Celebration Service