Dr. Jeremiah Wright Can Preach. Amen!

One of our goals while living in Berkeley and attending the Graduate Theological Union is to participate in the many prayer opportunities offered by the various member seminaries and denominations. Monday night we were invited by our friend Tripp, a Baptist minister, to attend a prayer service that was part of a conference sponsored by the American Baptist Seminary of the West. The conference was a three day conference on Radical Hospitality: Reaching Across Barriers of Faith, Class and Culture. The event was at McGee Baptist in Berkeley. The guest Revivalist was Dr. Jeremiah Wright. Yep, that Jeremiah Wright. He preached three nights and we privileged to attend Monday night and hear him preach and experience a black church in all its glory. It was an amazing spirit-filled night. The choir was amazing and were backed up by the organist playing on what sounded like a Hammond organ. Dr. Wright, regardless of how he may have been betrayed in the media during the 2008 election, is a faith filled man who had been a faithful minister who served as Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ from 1972 to 2008 and built the congregation from 80 members to over 6,000. He preached a Gospel of God's love for all of us. 

 The other inspiring part of the service was the ushers. Six very dignified black women in matching suits and white gloves who would put a West Point Drill Team to shame with their precision and commitment to the mission. All in all we were blessed to be part of an amazing evening. Can I get an Amen?   Phil

Our First Earthquake(s)

We are now official Bay Area residents.  We have felt our first earthquake and its after shock.

The first one was a 4.2 that struck at 2:31 p.m. October 20.  The epicenter was less 1 mile from our apartment.  Sheryl and Bella were at home and I thought it was someone jumping on our metal tile roof.  I went outside to see what was happening and realized other people were also going outside.  It was then I learned it was an earthquake.  I felt a little shaky for awhile.  Phil was in class and it sounded like a sonic boom.  And even long time Bay Area residents thought that it was unusual because it was so short and noisy,

The second one, the after shock, was a 3.9 that struck at 8:16 p.m.  We were climbing a hill on a trail (in the dark) behind the Greek Theater at CAL.  I remember stumbling a bit, but thought I was just off balance because of the steep trail that I couldn't see very well.

Coincidentally, these two earthquakes happened on a the same day as the 2011 Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill that 8.6 million were involved with.


Why were we climbing a trail in the dark?  Because we were on our way to "Tightwad Hill" because Paul Simon was playing a concert at the outdoor Greek theater at CAL and this is where the locals go to hear the concerts for free.  Plus the view from there is outstanding.  It was great!  We didn't stay for the whole thing but heard music walking back and then also could hear some of the music and cheering from our living rom!

 

St. Gregory of Nyssa Wow!

Two weeks ago Sheryl promised that next up on the blog would be St. Gregory's and finally here is that post. A couple of reasons for the delay. One, is that I do have school and just a little bit of reading to do. But the bigger obstacle to writing this blog is what can one say about St. Gregory's? It is an amazing and fascinating place and I was/am more than a little bit daunted by trying to give a sense of the place in one blog post. But here goes. We have been there twice for Sunday liturgy and I have been there once to volunteer at the Friday Food Pantry.

The first thing you notice when you enter St. Gregory's is the beautiful Dancing Saints painting in the Rotunda.

This picture does not do it justice. The painting done by Iconographer, Mark Dukes, covers 3,000 square feet and has ninety saints (modern & traditional), a number of animals and a 12 foot high dancing Jesus. All of the saints are dancing! The Eucharistic table is in the center of the rotunda and when it comes time to celebrate The Great Thanksgiving, everyone dances as a group to gather around the table.




The liturgy of the word is celebrated in an oblong space with the presider's chair at one end and a very unique ambo on the other end. The preacher, lay or ordained, preaches from the colorful presider's chair. The liturgy is a mix of Anglican and Catholic with a heavy dose of Byzantine. It is complete with lot's of silence, a shared homily, Tibetan singing bowls of all sizes and pitches.

Check out these links to learn more about St. Gregory's.

The Food Pantry at St. Gregory's
and
Dancing with God

Peace,
Phil