Have You Heard?

by Grant F. Sontag I don’t think there’s any question that, for most of us, the structures put into place to prevent the spread of Covid-19 are as annoying as they are necessary. We want to protect ourselves and those in our communities from contracting—or spreading—the Coronavirus. We have been well informed that those most at risk are persons in senior residences or nursing homes, and those with pre-existing conditions that can jeopardize health. Missing from public discussion until now has been the added stress that sheltering in place and the need to maintain “physical distance” ( the term preferred…

Conference Minister Diane Weible If I did my math right, we are in our seventh week of Shelter in Place. And, many of us have just received notice that the Order has been extended through the end of May. We are anxious for this order to end even as we know that staying home and following the order is crucial to the health and well-being of everyone. I have said that I believe every person experiences this pandemic in a different way. There may be common emotions of grief, anxiety, fear, concern, exhaustion. We experience these emotions within our particular…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible On Ash Wednesday, 31 East Bay churches, serving in the Contra Costa and Alameda Counties, joined together with a lofty goal—to raise $44,000 in order erase a combined $4.7 million in medical debt for their neighbors. They partnered with RIP Medical Debt in this effort. RIP Medical Debt purchases medical debt that has been in the collection system for years and, therefore, can be purchased at the cost of $1 for $100 of debt. Relieving people of the burden of this kind of debt that has been weighing on them for years, even decades, is…

By Associate Conference Minister Daniel Ross-Jones  I just came back from a week of vacation. Living in our California and Nevada environments sure spoil us with wonders that abound. Have you seen the beaches of Los Living Room? Or the wildlife in the Sierra Backyard? And for a real treat, Santa Couch has a great movie festival happening right now. As a judicatory minister, I often schedule my spring vacation to coincide with Holy Week. This year, it overlapped with my husband’s (original) spring break in the school system, meaning we could enjoy time away together. As a pastor, however,…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible “My congregation thinks I walk on water because I taught them to use Zoom.” A colleague said this to me today and it made me laugh. As her words continued to echo in my mind, I asked her if I could share this in my newsletter article for this week. Jesus walking on water is a story we know well. And when we think of this story we can’t help but think about Peter. Peter, who wanted desperately to join Jesus out on the waves but lacked the faith he needed to be able to…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible And, Jesus wept. In John 11 we read the familiar story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It is a miracle, no doubt. It is a foreshadowing of his own resurrection. And, it is a deep and poignant reminder of his humanity. Jesus said Lazarus would be raised and he was completely confident that Lazarus’ death was not the end of the story. And, yet, he wept. Scripture said he was deeply move and his spirit was troubled. Even with all he knew and his confidence that his friend would be resurrected, he still…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible This is a good time to bring back one of my favorite topics: Abundance. If ever there was a time for us to be reminded (and to remind one another) about the importance of living from a place of abundance, this is it. God’s abundance does not wane, even if the store shelves are empty. The Spirit’s abundance is not diminished even if we are feeling pulled in so many directions (yes, that can happen even when we spend 24 hours inside our homes) that we fall exhausted into bed each night. When Jesus’ reminds…

By: Conference Minister Diane Weible Deep breaths. Everywhere I go that seems to be the anchor for many of us. Take a moment to breathe. Deep. Breathe in God’s love; breathe out the anxiety and concern. Now that we have all had a moment to ground ourselves, I wish I could say I will now offer solutions. I can’t. Like me, I’m sure you all are inundated with emails, news stories, suggestions and advice as to how to address the COVID-19 pandemic in our communities. The consistent and, I think, best advice I have seen is to follow your county’s…

By Conference Minister Diane Weible In John 20, we read the familiar story of what happened to the Disciples after Jesus was crucified. They were terrified and locked themselves up in a room, trying to keep out those they believed were seeking to do them harm. And, Jesus entered the room anyway. He brought with him words of peace and calm. He reminded the Disciples that locking themselves away from community was not what would take away the panic and the fear. He gave the Disciples the gift of peace and invited them to embrace that peace and focus on…