~After Orlando~ “I won’t go to your church because it’s too liberal.” Someone recently shared that this comment was made about First Christian Church Pomona. More specifically, it had to do with the fact that our ministerial intern is openly gay and that the congregation is open and affirming. The
Continue readingBen Bohren is preaching very soon and when I read his sermon title “What Does Your Church Stand For?” my first thought was “With WHOM Does Your Church Stand?” FCC Pomona is more and more a place of relationality. Relationships with God, Christ and with people are primary. Issues come
Continue reading~Protecting Our Memory~ A deeply held fear people across the world share is the fear of losing their memory. We lament the loss of recognition in family or friend whose mind experiences the wasting of dementia. We grieve amnesia in people we know and we fear our own forgetfulness. Why
Continue reading~Elders on Evangelism~ Candidates for ordained ministry meet with the Committee on Ministry of our Region in order to get approval for ordination. Among the many requirements is a set of 16 competencies which the candidate is supposed to be proficient, in conversation and action. Ginger Eckeard, current chairperson of
Continue reading~Good Grief~ Mike and I attended a symposium recently at Claremont School of Theology. It was co-sponsored by Forest Lawn and the topic was “Traumatic Death and Suicide”. Over 100 people attended: nurses, parole officers, clergy – pastors and chaplains, and people who are surviving the grief wrought by these
Continue reading~A Welcoming Word~ How do most people find FCC Pomona for the first time? Over 90% of first time visitors find us on the internet. Many of them are looking for a church that is welcoming and affirming of people who are gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender. Often they will
Continue readingWhat is the opposite of presence? Christian writer John O’Donohue writes that the opposite of presence is not absence. Absence leaves a feeling of longing, an energy that lingers for what or who is absent. For him the opposite of presence is vacancy. “Vacancy is neutral and indifferent space. It
Continue reading~Women’s Convocation Reflection~ I attended the Women’s Convocation of the Pacific Southwest Region with Ginger Eckeard and Julie Zivnak. The Hispanic Convencion and African American Convocation and NAPAD women’s organizations have always had their own women’s retreat. Some of the women from these groups also attended Women’s Convocation in the
Continue reading~Everything Does NOT Happen For A Reason~ When I hear someone say, “Everything happens for a reason,” what he or she often means is, “Everything happens for a divine reason.” This phrase is most often said to explain or explain away events both joyful and tragic. The underlying theological assumptions
Continue reading~Holy Adventure~ Today is Monday, January 25. Tomorrow Mike and I leave for Cuba. There will be no telephone calls, no texting and no email. By the time you read this (for those of you who do read the Caller – thank you), we will likely be on the way
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