Alison's final New Orleans Update

I have just finished saying all my goodbyes and am sitting at the airport waiting for my flight home with mixed feelings. I am ready to be back in California and excited about my January classes, but have made many good friends during my time here, and it is hard to leave them behind. I have already arranged to return for a week in March, so I know it is more of a “see ya later” than “goodbye” which has certainly made the farewells easier!

The last couple of weeks have been full of fun, laughter, and friends. A team arrived from South Africa in the middle of the night after delays, lost luggage, and a quick trip through snowy airports. The team had five teenage girls with them, and about half the team was under 25. Their energy and enthusiasm was amazing. They bounced out of bed each day ready to work, struggling through their jet lag without complaint, and they still had the energy to play when the day was done. The only drawback was that they liked to shop……and, to make matters worse, their favorite store was WalMart. We made the trip at least four times during their two week stay, until, finally, they decided they didn’t like WalMart any more…….. on their last day!

The team was 22 strong, and in the first week they ripped through three and a half houses. I have rarely seen a team work with such

persistence and energy. The weather was cool,

which helps a lot, but they still were like a bunch

of locusts ripping through a field of corn! The first

house we worked on belonged to Jose Fracois, a local musician, who worked side by side with us despite having a torn rotary cup in his shoulder. He blessed the team with his spirit and gave everyone a CD of his music to take home. The second and third houses belonged to an older lady who is confined to a wheelchair. She is staying in Mississippi at the moment, but her brother and nephew came down to meet us. The team was so excited about gutting that they asked for another house for their second week, which they had to work around trips to Mississippi and working at St. Mark’s.

As well as gutting homes the team spent time with the Awesome Girls program, especially the teenagers. They soon formed a bond that stretched beyond race, class, color, and ethnicity, and the girls were sharing their lives and dancing together. Four of them stayed behind one day to paint one of the Awesome Girls rooms, which is being renovated as the office for the new social worker who will be beginning in the New Year. They even stayed up until midnight to put the finishing touches to the trim.

I was gone most of the second week of their stay on a much needed break in Jacksonville, Florida. I stayed with Rebecca, and was blessed to find peace, beaches, the laughter of children, and great companionship! It was a time of rejuvenation and processing, which I needed before my last busy week in NOLA!

I returned just in time for the Awesome Girls ‘Tree Lighting Ceremony.’ This is an annual event where the girls perform for their parents and friends, a celebration of their growth and a time for them to give back to the community. They invited the South African girls to be a part of it, and it was a blessed evening of dance, song, drumming, and prayer. One highlight was when one of the new Awesome Girls sang Silent Night, and, even after her voice cracked with fear, continued with a heart felt rendition of the song. The Lord’s Prayer was spoken in Soto, a South African language, and their national anthem was sung in several different languages. A small tree was lit as a symbol that no matter how you or others view you, it is important to shine your light into the world. It was a beautiful return to the city.

Since Friday it has been round after round of goodbyes, with some tears, lots of laughter and many sharing of blessings. I have learnt during my time in NOLA that I really am more extroverted than I knew, I have loved working with the many teams that have come through, and I can ask for help! The rest still remains to be discovered as I continue to process.

Thank you ALL for your prayers, letters, e-mails, and phone calls. I would not have been able to do the work I did without my angels from God supporting me. Have a blessed Christmas, and a great 2007!

With love in Christ,

Alison.

Alison Update from New Orleans

Thoughts from NOLA #4

Thanksgiving week was a busy one for me. Celebrations began on Tuesday with the Awesome Girls. They have a tradition of going shopping and then going out for a meal. Before we left we gathered around and remembered the girls who were not yet back in town with some of them naming the ones they remembered and missed. We then each said what we were thankful for, from family to a roof over their heads, from being somewhere safe and where they trust people to the program. I led a prayer giving thanks for all we have and for the gifts and uniqueness of each girl.

Unfortunately the restaurant they normally went to is still closed from the storm, so we took them to a Chinese/American buffet instead, but first we hit the mall! The girls were excited walking through various shops, and first went to Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and so on. They walked out empty handed as everything cost too much. Then they spotted Coach, and asked if they could go in there. We went in and the girls were looking at the bags, wallets, coats and sunglasses. One girl, aged nine, tried on a pair of sunglasses and like the look of them…..until she looked at the price tag. “$188 for a pair of sunglasses” she exclaimed loudly, drawing stares from other shoppers. She couldn’t help but go up to each one of us and tell us how outrageous the price of these glasses were! Time was running out and so we took the girls to Claires, where they each managed to find something to buy in their price range.

We left the mall with happy shoppers, and went to the buffet. Mr. Rodgers had phoned ahead to book a table, so despite the crowds we were seated right away. Plates soon came back to the table loaded with shrimp, chicken, noodles, mashed potatoes, rice and sweet corn. As the girls ate they talked about their plans for Thanksgiving. One girl was sad to say that she had to go to Baton Rouge for the celebrations as they had no space to cook in the trailer, and another said that they were not having a big feast this year as there was nowhere to sit everyone. Then began a debate of which was better…to go somewhere you didn’t want to be or to not celebrate but be where you lived. They decided it was better not to celebrate as at least you could be at home, but they all agreed that they want to be back in a real house not living in a trailer park.

After the girls were full there came the test of the meal….to eat squid. The restaurant had boiled squid, and the girls went and got one on a plate. They each cut off a leg and on the count of three put them into their mouths. Only one girl refused, and the rest said they were okay, but too chewy. A couple of the girls went back to get one to take home to show their moms, as they had never seen anything like it before.

We drove the girls home, and I was able to see one of the trailer parks where two of the girls live. The trailers are surrounded by chain link fence topped with barbed wire. They are set on loose gravel and are parked as close together as possible. The atmosphere is oppressive and depressing. The trailers themselves are small, and have only one bedroom in them. The other beds are doubles up as couches and tables during the day. Both of the girls have 3 siblings, so there are five or six people crammed into each trailer. Rodents are rampant in the park, and there is nowhere to play outside or in. I left praying that these girls would soon be able to return to their homes and some sense of space and freedom.

On Wednesday I was doubly blessed by two packages that arrived in the mail. One was from my brothers and sisters at Trinity House, a beautiful care package stuffed with English chocolate, letters, drawings, bubbles and fall leaves. I have not seen autumn this year, so I especially touched by the leaves which I added to my altar. The other package was a complete surprise from one of the members of an early team from Las Vegas. The team had come with prayer shawls that members of their church had made, and I opened the box to be greeted by an amazing shawl. As I wrapped it around my shoulders I felt the love and blessings that came with it, and cried with tears of thanksgiving.

We had a team at St. Mark’s during the days leading up to Thanksgiving and one that came in the day after, so it was nice to have the day off and escape from people! I cycled up to the City Park and sat by the water, warmed by the sunshine, and surrounded by God’s awesome creation, broken by Katrina but returning to life once more. A spider’s web glittered in the sunshine reminding me of the resilience needed to build and the thin threads of faith that we cling to as if they were thick ropes. (and indeed that they are sometimes the only thing we have to hold on to!) The nature around me was a reflection of the people of New Orleans….broken but being resurrected; hurting but still growing in faith and hope; knocked down but not out. It truly is a humbling experience to be surrounded by such folk.

Thoughts From New Orleans #2 - Alison

I have been here a month now and have moved to St. Mark’s Community Center in the French Quarter. I am living in one of the dorm rooms, sleeping on a bunk bed, and surrounded by construction work. I am praying daily for hot water in the showers, (my number one priority), and that my four legged friends will leave the building. The cockroaches I can handle, but the mice are not fun. It is great being in the French Quarter as everything is easy to get to, and I now have a bike too. I can walk to church without even leaving the building, and there is a grocery store four blocks away.

Last weekend I helped to lead a retreat for the workers at the storm centers. We drove to a place just south of Alexandria, and had 24 hours together. There were 45 people there, including a psychologist from Redwood City, CA. The highlight for many of us were the small groups we went in to. I was one of the facilitators, and was concerned going into the group that we would not have long enough. I had a list of nine questions to ask, and we were soon deep into conversation and sharing. Once again, people were eager to share their stories, tears and laughter. We had discussed two questions when our time was up, and although the length was short, the sharing was deep and healing.

On Monday this week Marva, whose story I told in my last letter, was rushed into the emergency room with heart palpitations. Like many, she has come out of semi or full retirement to take work at one of the storm centers. She is working on restoring her own house in addition to the stress she has at work. Her neighbor is also working on his house, and, since the storm, has been very angry. He has had many words with Marva, and on Monday morning he picked up a toilet that was waiting to be installed, and threw it at the side of her house. Marva was working on getting an injunction against him when she began to feel unwell. Thankfully she did not have a heart attack, but this is one more example of how the storm is continuing to have an effect on people’s lives.

Living at St. Mark’s is allowing me to spend more time with the Awesome Girls Mentoring Program. This week I did a painting exercise with them based on their feelings, which produced some interesting and insightful results.

Many of the girls are living with relatives or in FEMA trailers. One just returned from Houston 3 weeks ago, and is grateful to be back with the Awesome Girls. The girls said she used to be really loud and lively, but this week she has been watching the others closely and not participating very much. Her eyes are big and full of worry, and she is taking everything in. She says that her family has just moved into a trailer, but it is not safe to go outside. There are gangs of girls who hang around bad mouthing everyone and getting into fights. She feels like a prisoner when she is at home, but that it is still better than being in Houston where she was ridiculed and attacked just because of where she came from. She said, “I like being back at St Mark’s because I don’t have to look out for myself here. I can relax and still be a kid.” In fact, as the week went on and she began to open up a little, she was joining in the age old pastime of ‘double dutch’ jump roping which the girls were playing with a telephone extension cord! Many of these girls have had such a lot to deal with in their short lives, yet this program gives them hope and teaches them that they DO have choices. They can choose to rise above their situation and experiences. They can choose to risk ridicule by doing well at school. They can choose to say no to boys, alcohol and drugs. And while the program does not change their physical surroundings, it does change the girls on the inside, teaching them skills, helping them find themselves and rise to the best they can be. I am grateful to be a small part of the program, and am loving getting to know these wonderful young ladies….and am learning to speak their language!

Hunger Action!

Dear Community,

At chapel on Friday, join in SFTS action on hunger!
During the Passing of the Peace, we will bring forward
our offering of canned goods and advocacy letters as
part of peacefull effots at Hunger Action on campus.

We will:

1) Collect and then donate our canned goods to the
Marin Community Food Bank, which provides emergency
food for low-income seniors and families in short or
long term crisis. (Most needed food items are
canned/boxed tuna, chili, macaroni & cheese, spaghetti
and spaghetti sauce, cereal,pork and beans, meat and
fish (canned, dried or in pouches),  peanut butter, rice
and dry beans, canned vegetables and fruits.) Boxes will
be available for collection in the Student Lounge,
Montgomery Hall, and the library/computer lap starting
on Wednesday for those who'd like to contribute to the
canned food drive earlier in the week.

2) Collect and then send advocacy letters to Congress,
asking them to take public policy action on hunger issues.
We are using the sample letter below—asking our Senators
and Representatives to increase our federal budget’s
poverty-focused development assistance by $5 billion for 2007.
You are invited to write letters and bring them with you to
worship, so we can mail them as a group—or to bring to worship
printed-out copies of the emails you have sent online through
the Bread for the World’s web site tool
(http://capwiz.com/bread/issues/alert/?alertid=8839016&type=CO).

This is our 5th Hunger Action worship service where we have
collected both canned goods and advocacy letters/postcards.
We hope you will join us!

If you cannot attend Friday’s worship but would like give
canned goods or send letters please contact
Rebecca Barnes-Davies at 451-2826 or prc@sfts.edu.

Blessings,

Rebecca

>>>>>
SFTS HAE Worship Letter Writing 2006

Sample Letter               
Your name
Your address
Date

Rep. _______________  or Sen. _______________
U.S. House of Representatives              U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20515   Washington, DC 20510

Dear Rep. _______________ (or Dear Sen. _______________):

Poverty-focused development assistance helps poor people
around the world to overcome hunger, poverty and disease. 
500,000 Africans now have access to HIV drugs, in part
due to U.S. government funding.  This shows that our nation
can make a difference.

Currently we give less than half of one percent of our
federal budget to poverty-focused development assistance. 
I urge you to increase that amount by $5 billion for 2007. 
This will help move us toward the international commitments
our country’s leaders have made.  We have a monumental
opportunity to cut global poverty in half. Let’s take it.

Sincerely,
Your Name

** Find Your Rep: http://capwiz.com/bread/dbq/officials/

** Send your letter online:
http://capwiz.com/bread/issues/alert/?alertid=8839016&type=CO
But don’t forget to let us know you did it—print it out
and stick it in the offering basket or email/call Rebecca
to add you into our count!

** For more information on this campaign:
http://www.bread.org/take-action/letters-campaign/take-action.html

** Letter Writing Tips
1  Be personal. Handwritten letters still get more attention.
2  Be concise and request specific action.
3  Send your letters to the Washington, D.C, offices of
your members of Congress.
4  Since the anthrax scare of 2001, it takes 2-4 weeks for
letters to get to your members of Congress.
5  Continue to write to ask for co-sponsorship into the summer.
6  A good formula for letters includes the following components,
in any order: make a specific legislative request of your members
of Congress, give a reason - talk about your motivation and/or
provide a fact, write your name and address on both the letter and
the envelope. Members of Congress pay primary attention to their
own constituents.

Alison Writes from New Orleans

Thoughts from NOLA

I have been here 10 days or so now, and am beginning to feel settled. I have spent much of the last week in meetings and trying to discern needs that I can fill. The needs are so great that it is hard to know where to start. I have been splitting my time between the Uptown Storm Center, where the volunteers are sent out from and clients come to request information; and St. Mark’s, where a team is staying and working. I have begun to work with the Awesome Girl’s program at St. Mark’s too, which serves at risk teenagers, focusing on drug and pregnancy prevention through building the girl’s self esteem and helping them see the choices they have. It is a powerful program, and very successful. The girls are learning to express themselves and their needs and desires, and plan for their futures rather than just letting them happen.

One of my main tasks in New Orleans is to listen to people. I have heard many amazing stories of survival and resilience, both connected to Katrina and from life in general. Some stories are those of success and others grieving losses and change. Many of the people working for the storm centers have lost their own homes and all their belongings. They have first hand experience of the problems and heartache their clients face, and can weep alongside them. Yet the faith I have seen is a strong testimony to God’s healing power. One displaced pastor, named Marva, told her story. She lost her church and her home to the storm, as well as all her possessions. She had purchased a double shotgun house and was renovating it with the thought that she would live in one side and rent the other out. She was due to retire at the end of 2006, and had one room left to renovate when August 29^th 2005 came. She came home to the total devastation, the effects of having 7 feet of sewage and water sitting in her house for two weeks. Everything was ruined. She was sitting out on her porch ready to give up. She could not sense God, was angry at God, and wanted to turn her back on all she had taught and preached for the last 30 years. She was alone in the world with no comfort and nothing to live for. As she was sitting there a stream of white cars drove down the street and pulled up outside her house. A young man got out. “Ma’am,” he said. “Can you help us? We have driven down here from Nashville and are looking for people to help. Do you know anyone that needs help?” A church group from Nashville had driven down, by coincidence all in white cars (which Marva refers to now as her fleet of angels), and were seeking to help people begin to rebuild their lives. Marva’s faith was restored. The team of people cleared out her house and began the gutting process. This led Marva to begin to volunteer herself at the storm center, were she is now the paid director. The volunteers daily bring relief and help to the people of NOLA, and are often the only source of hope. They remind the locals that the world has not forgotten them, as they bring teams down to lend a hand and to be the face of Christ amidst so much pain.

Each story I hear humbles me and gives me cause to praise God. While I have had many frustrations, delays, and days of sitting around without achieving much physical work, I am constantly learning and being reminded of God’s presence through the stories that people are eager to share. A large part of my ministry will be to listen to these stories, and remember that the retelling of them is a step towards healing for these people who, on the whole, are still in survival mode. I am blessed to be surrounded by such storytellers!

Sermon's To Share!

Following the requests of several students we have been able to get the manuscript of Dr. Greg Love's awesome sermon of a few weeks ago, entitled "God Knows". For those of you who were unable to witness this giving of the Word, you can enjoy it in written form and for those of you who have heard it already - here is your chance to analyze his method and see what you can learn for your own use. Let us all thank him for his willingness to share with the community.

In the future, anytime you enjoy a sermon in chapel please feel free to request a copy of the manuscript here on the blog. Though not all preachers write manuscripts and many may not be amenable to having their material shared in this format, there are also others who appreciate being asked. Rather than attempt to establish any policy whereby the Worship Team requests manuscripts from every preacher we feel it is best that the request always be a personal request from an individual student who enjoyed the Word that day. This way we show our appreciation for their work and hopefully provide a great opportunity for us all to learn from the fantastic quality of preaching we are regularly treated with here at SFTS.

Enjoy!

Parable Players

Are you secretly a thespian? Do you have dramatic talent? Do you sing/dance/talk-to-yourself/make-facial-expressions-in-the-mirror or otherwise make a fool of yourself from time to time? Have you got a heart for Jesus and a tongue for telling the gospel?

Then you belong in Parable Players!

This group of seminary students, staff, faculty and anyone who wants to join was started last year by the venerable Meghan Davis, and we of the Worship Team would like to see it continued. Involvement in this troupe of theatrical preachers will entail a minimum of commitment and time and a maximum of enthusiasm. We plan on having services approximately once a month in which the players enact the gospel for and with the congregation. It is an opportunity for everyone to learn the diverse forms that proclamation may take. A genuinely spirit-filled experience of incarnational worship!

If you are interested, even if you are unsure about your own skill-level or shy in front of audiences, please talk to any member of the Worship Team to find out more.

We Are Official

We are now linked to the actual SFTS website so people can find us!

Go to www.sfts.edu/nc/ - which is the Northern California Campus site.

In the sidebar select "Community Life".

Click "Worship" and you will see the link to this page along with the general description of our worship program here. We hope you keep visiting regularly and throwing your comments in about the various services... What did you think of Rev. Joanna Whitt and Rev. Samuel Poore last week?

Mission Trip to New Orleans

Hi Everyone,
Those of you who were in chapel yesterday (9/21) heard
Charles' impassioned plea for us to pray about going
to the areas affected by Katrina, and still so
desperately in need of help. I led a team to
Mississippi last October during reading week, and
Charles led a second SFTS team during the January
intersession. I went back this summer, and was shocked
at how little had been done, and the huge task that is
still facing us all.
I will be in New Orleans from next Friday until just
before Christmas, and would like to invite all of you
to come and visit and be part of ongoing volunteer
teams. I am willing to lead a team during reading week
in October, so if you have not yet made plans, please
consider this. Even if only two or three come, much
can be achieved.
The cost for each volunteer is estimated at around
$600. If you came during reading week, you would be
under the United Methodist Volunteer in Mission
program, and they have scholarships available to cover
up to half the cost, and many local churches are also
willing to help send people from their congregations.
Some professors are willing to extend deadlines if you
have papers due right after reading week too!
I have attached a of pictures from my trip, of
Blanche, the 94 year old lady whose house we worked on
in New Orleans. Seeing the change in the people we
helped is a true blessing. They move from despair to
being able to look to the future and imagine their
lives being rebuilt alongside their houses.
Please take this opportunity into your prayer life
and listen to God's calling for you.
You can contact me on this e-mail, or call my cell
415 847 1034. I will be around campus for the next
week too.
Blessings on your discernment,
Alison

It Begins...

Orientation week is half over and the worship program is underway! As we had hoped we've received a great response from the incoming class to chapel and we look forward to deepening our conversations about worship here at this Seminary and how we can make it a more integral part of all of our experiences of being formed into ministers for the people of God. To facilitate that I've begun posting the liturgies we've used on the site and I encourage people to comment on what they're seeing, hearing and feeling in chapel.

Welcome to Worship!!!

The Worship and Ministry Team invites you to worship as a part of the SFTS community during Welcome Week and throughout the school year.

During the school year, we worship every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:15 a.m. On Mondays and Thursdays, we worship together in Stewart Chapel. On Tuesdays and Fridays, we worship in Montgomery Chapel. Each day has a particular worship emphasis—Monday (preaching), Tuesday (prayer), Thursday (praise), and Friday (Word and Sacrament). We celebrate communion together on Fridays.

For Welcome Week, our worship will reflect upon a theme from Ecclesiastes:

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Please join us for the following worship services:

Monday, 10:15 a.m., Stewart Chapel

“A Time to Begin”

Ecclesiastes 3: 2-3 “A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant and, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up”

Focus: A service of welcome, introduction, and getting acquainted.

Tuesday, 10:15 a.m., Montgomery Chapel

“A Time to Pray”

Ecclesiastes 3:4 “[A] time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance”

Focus: A service of scriptural prayer and community prayer and meditation.

Wednesday, 6:45 p.m., Geneva Terrace (immediately following the potluck supper)

“A Time for Extended Family Worship and Fellowship”

Ecclesiastes 3:5 “[A] time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing”

Focus: An evening praise service that relates to families and children.

Thursday, 10:15 a.m., Stewart Chapel

“A Time to Praise God”

Ecclesiastes 3:6 “[A]time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away”

Focus: A service of praise, joy, and thanksgiving through scripture, song, and prayer.

Friday, 10:15 a.m., Montgomery Chapel

“A Time to Receive Word and Sacrament”

Ecclesiastes 3:7-8 “[A]time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

Focus: A service of unity in community, of unity in diversity, of response to God’s call to service, and of receiving nourishment for the journey.

Let’s worship God together!!!!!

Welcome!

Welcome to the San Francisco Theological Seminary's worship program blog. This space will be used to post information about upcoming events in the community's worship life as well as a space for us to be transparent about our pedagogy. Offering everyone a chance to gain insight into what goes into the planning of worship services for this community, the intent behind different plans and a space to provide feedback. As the site develops you may find complete liturgies, words of gratitude to those who participate in chapel and links to other seminary related sites.


Enjoy!