A Letter from Our Bridge Pastor: July 23, 2021

A Letter from Our Bridge Pastor

Rev. Barbara K. Peronteau

I remember watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom when I was kid. The show, as most of us might remember it, ran from 1963 -1988. Somehow, in my mind, I have it connected to The Wonderful World of Disney.  Nothing in particular about Wild Kingdom sticks in my mind. It’s not as if a certain show stands out in my memory. What I do remember though, is learning all about the animal world and how both precious and fierce it is at the same time.

 I have vague memories of young fawns at birth, and mountain lions, wolves, and polar bears roaming in their natural habitat. I came to appreciate the animal world. A few years ago I watched an episode of NOVA, a show on PBS, about the Loggerhead Turtle and how it’s whole life is about crossing the treacherous oceans to lay eggs on a distant beach and then return home. I fell in love with that tenacious creature.

 Where I used to live in Pennsylvania, many moons ago, there is a narrow valley with a creek running through it on its way to the Schuylkill River. The creek got a little swampy at one point and quite deep in another. This micro ecosystem supported a lot of wildlife. The deer would come for the water, the geese would find refuge, a snapping turtle and its family made a home there, as did a family of turkeys. I remember one of my neighbors rushing up to me one day telling me not to shoot the turkeys. “Let the turkeys live,” she implored. I was wondering if she thought I was going to bring out my blunderbuss and go get dinner.

 When I first moved here almost four years ago I was surprised to see a family of turkeys strutting in the middle of the intersection of San Pablo and Marin. I prayed they wouldn’t get run over. I felt being fearful for their lives. I prayed. O God, protect them.

 Then when I started here, as your bridge pastor, I was greeted by a couple of turkeys. It was Arlo and Arlyss! They were sauntering around in the parking lot. I felt a sense of wonder and gratitude. “Good morning, it’s nice to see you,” I said. They ignored me. They were busy being themselves. As well they should.

 In the last few days there’s been an email thread about our pair of turkeys and a coyote. My mind went to the worst possible scenario. For the turkeys anyway. But as I read the thread, I was relived to find out that Arlo and Arlyss were just fine and were, in fact, proud parents of three babies.    

 The thing is, I find myself rooting for the coyote too. I didn’t like it when the pride of lions attacked the heard of wildebeests on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. I wouldn’t like it if the coyote had a nice turkey dinner either. But all this reminds me that this is where we live. We live in the middle of God’s creation, not apart from, but within. As the temperatures climb, we are made aware we are more connected than we think. We are more responsible than we think. 

 And so, with a tender heart for all of God’s creation, including us humans, I am reminded that all of life is precious, and we are called to respond with understanding, kindness, and care.

 Peace and wonder,

~ Pastor Barbara

A Letter from Our Bridge Pastor: July 16, 2021

A Letter from Our Bridge Pastor

Rev. Barbara K. Peronteau

Once I realized that life was weird, I was able to roll with it a lot better. Life events that tend to be described as weird are usually unexpected and exciting at the same time. That’s a good thing. The typical response might be, “I didn’t see that coming.”  We make plans and then weird happens.

 After being unemployed for 29 months, I was hired by Wal*Mart. Three years later I was asked to be part of a year-long CPE experience at the Reading (PA) Hospital where I served as a Resident Chaplain. After which, I moved to Berkeley to live with my old flame from over 30 years ago. I was given the opportunity to serve a Lutheran Church in San Leandro. I didn’t see any of that coming. I am seriously grateful for it all. 

 Now, here I am. Not only am I a member here, but now I am also your Bridge Pastor. I didn’t see this coming either. The opportunity arose and I threw my hat in the ring. The Bridge Pastor Search Team liked my hat, and so, here I am. I remain seriously grateful.

 You might ask what a Bridge Pastor is. I am here to bridge the gap between Pastor Nate and our next pastor. I am here to help you turn the page to the next chapter in the life of ACC.

 Just like any other pastor, my job description includes preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ, celebrating the sacraments, pastoral care, teaching, attending meetings, preparing for worship, and writing newsletter articles.

 As we walk across the bridge together in covenant with God, the other side of the bridge may appear foggy and unclear. Together we will get there, because like anyone who lives in the Bay Area knows, at some point the fog rolls away and the day becomes clear and bright.

 Peace and wonder,

 ~ Pastor Barbara    

Meet Rev. Barbara Peronteau! ACC's new Bridge Minister!

Rev. Barbara Peronteau

ACC Bridge Minister

Reverend Barbara Peronteau was selected by the Bridge Search Committee, and unanimously approved of Council on Thursday, She will serve as our Bridge Minister until we find a Settled Minister. Some of you know her because she has been a member of ACC for some time, and has preached for us on occasion.

Barbara is an Ordained Minister (since 1988) with full standing in the United Church of Christ. She completed her Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Level II at the Reading Hospital in Reading, PA in 2017 where she was employed as a Resident Chaplain responsible for four medical units as well as the Center for Public Health (HIV/AIDS Clinic). As a resident, she developed and linked Chaplain Services with the Center for Public Health and the new Women’s Center for Transgender Health in Reading, PA.

Throughout her career, Barbara has been an Interim Pastor, Pastor and Resident Chaplain.

Barbara first felt a connection to God when she was a child and learned the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments from her mother. She has pursued her call to ministry over the last three decades, relentlessly. Earning her Master’s Degree in Divinity in 1988 to the present day when she was the Interim Pastor at St. James Lutheran Church in San Leandro, CA. She has never lost sight of her calling to be a Pastor in spite of discrimination. What stood out to the search committee was her undying commitment to God and her faith.

Those of us who have interacted with her have found Barbara to be genuine, honest and easy to talk to; extremely empathetic and a good listener. The search committee was heartened to hear how passionate she feels about Pastoral Care given the demographic of our congregation. It is evident she genuinely enjoys this aspect of being a Pastor.

Barbara’s references feel she is a good communicator, a personable and a strong preacher. She has a great ability to speak of God in a down-to-earth way; she laughs easily and is clear about God’s grace. Barbara is someone who truly lives by her faith rather than just speaking to it. She is considerate of the feelings of others and is a rare individual who is honest, sincere and true.

Barbara would make a good Bridge pastor for ACC because of the person she is. She strives to be an inspiring preacher. She has a strong sense of social justice and is an active advocate of it. She embraces diversity and is impassioned to welcome all regardless of race, ethnic orientation, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. She can pray with others of different faiths and is dedicated to listening to those at the end of their lives or who are struggling and in need of Pastoral Care. Barbara is dedicated and committed to her faith. She loves what she does.

Barbara’s first Sunday leading worship will be July 18th. She’ll be in the office Wednesday – Friday the week prior. We have yet to determine office hours.

Ethical Guidelines for Contact with Nate

Hi friends,

Thanks to all of you for a beautiful farewell worship and goodbye party last Sunday. The green runners, the flowers, the food, the gifts...it was all perfect. I'm only sorry that Kit (now finally feeling better!) and Gwendolyn couldn't join as well.

I wanted to write today to remind us all of the ethical guidelines around communication after a pastor's departure. In general, the UCC teaches that pastors observe a 1-year no-contact boundary with their former congregants. This enables a church to go forward and build a new relationship with their next minister.

What this means in practice is: if you email, call, or text me over the coming year, please know that I will not be able to respond (unless we need to be in communication about some particular loose end).

Sometimes, this rule can feel harsh, especially when the former pastor is moving across the country. Here's what I can promise: I will send an update to the Parishscope a few weeks after our move to Massachusetts. We'll make sure ACC is first on our Christmas card mailing list. And once that year passes, I sincerely hope that we can find the appropriate way to remain in each other's lives, as friends.

With profound gratitude,

Rev. Nate

Pastor Transition Update, May 28, 2021

Pastor Transition Update

May 28, 2021

Many of us are continuing to process Nate’s upcoming departure and enjoying the time we still have with him as our Pastor. In the meantime, ACC also needs to move ahead. Following is an update on efforts to move ahead.

Last week at Council we decided to first focus on the pastor who will continue ministry shortly after Nate leaves. The Council was unanimous in its decision to assign a “Bridge” pastor rather than an “Interim” pastor. A Bridge Pastor would continue the ministry work with the congregation until the Search Committee has found a Settled Minister to recommend to the Congregation. You may recall that when a pastor first leaves a congregation, an Interim Minister is chosen to help the congregation go through an Envisioning/Discernment process to determine who we are, who are our neighbors, and what we envision for the future of ACC. This process can go on for many months. We’ve heard from several in the congregation and the Council agrees that we don’t really need such a process, as we have gone through several of them in recent years. We have a great deal of documentation that answers the above questions. Therefore, a Bridge Pastor, will come in to serve the church and give us the time we need to search for a Settled Pastor. Tom Dean chairs the Bridge Pastor Search Committee and will work with Natalie Morrison and Eleanor Crump.

In the mean time, several of our members will be pulling together documentation that answers the questions: Who are we? Who are our neighbors? And Where are we going as a congregation? The Profile Writing Team includes, Ruth Robinson, Susan Russel, and Sara Laferte. Once the Profile is written, and posted, we will have a Search Committee assigned to begin reviewing candidates for Settled Minister.

Both teams are well on their way with support from the NCCUCC Conference Office. Rev. Davena Jones is already helping by using the Conference's broad network to contact potential candidates and by vetting applicants for the Bridge Pastor.

Please feel free to call or write if you have questions.

Linda Young, ACC Moderator

Letter of Transition from Rev. Nate Klug

Dear beloved people of Arlington Community Church,

It is with mixed emotions that I write to share some news. My family and I will be moving back to Massachusetts this summer, to raise our children closer to our families. My last Sunday at ACC will be either July 4 or July 11.

As some of you know, both sets of our parents live in the Boston area, and Kit and I have always imagined raising Zoe and Gwendolyn closer to their grandparents. The stress and uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic encouraged us to make this a priority sooner rather than later. 

While I’m excited for what our move will offer, there are so many things I will miss about Arlington Community Church. You are a congregation who has found ways to love God by supporting one another, by working for justice, by celebrating music and the arts, by welcoming all people…the list could go on. The Holy Spirit is present in a unique way here, and I will always treasure what I have learned from you. I’m especially grateful for the way you’ve embraced my family, and  your patience and good humor as I’ve balanced ministry with parenting responsibilities. ACC has been a home for me.

Looking ahead, planning for the second half of the summer is getting underway. Linda Young, our Moderator, has already been in touch with the Conference staff. I encourage you to join our Zoom Social Hour this Sunday, May 16, at 11 am, to hear more from myself and Linda about next steps for ACC, and share any questions and thoughts you might have about the upcoming time of transition. 

As we begin the process of saying goodbye over the next two months together, please know how special it has been for me to serve as your pastor.

God’s peace,

Rev. Nate Klug

Pastoral Transition Letter from the Moderator

Dear Members and Friends of Arlington Community Church UCC,

It has been with sorrow for us, and joy for him that I received the resignation call from our Rev. Nate Klug at the beginning of this week. In line with the ACC Bylaws, his notice of resignation has been accepted. He began with us with a Designated Term Ministry of two years and has graciously served us beyond that. 

Each of us has met the news of his upcoming departure with sadness for our church and for ourselves.  Yet we also understand that it is a good decision for Nate and his family to be closer to grandparents, and we rejoice with them.  We will take faith in the Holy Spirt that moves among us, as we move with Nate through the weeks ahead, reflecting on the blessings received through his two years plus ministry among us. We are also strengthened by what we have accomplished as a church community. During the first months of Nate’s ministry, our congregation added 10 new members, we took inspiration from his storytelling that always bound scripture with the reality of our current lives. We have weathered a major pandemic and we’re coming out whole and thriving. Beyond that, we have continued our vital service to those in need, participated in small group intimate conversations, bible studies, poetry readings, supported and checked in with one another through grief and sorrow, built a virtual holiday bazaar, and began again to move ahead with capital projects. All along the way we have been blessed by Nate’s reflections during worship, his insights, prayers and support.    

These next few weeks, we’ll be developing plans to celebrate Nate’s ministry, and to begin the search for, first an Interim Minister and then a Settled Minister.  We will also all have opportunities to give your thoughts and ideas into the process. We’ll keep you posted along the way. Next week, Council will be discussing some of the details. Please let me know if you feel called to step in to assist with tasks: celebration and/or search.  Thank you.

I have contacted Davena Jones, Associate Conference Minister with the Northern California Nevada Conference of the UCC, who will be supporting and assisting with our transition. She will guide the Interim Minister Search Committee (approved by Council) to select a trained interim minister who will provide continuity in worship, pastoral care, and program/staff oversight. This minister will not be a candidate for the “settled” position as our senior minister but will help facilitate our transitional work in preparation for the settled minister search.   In the meantime, there will be planning for Nate’s exit interview lead by his Pastoral Support Committee: Ruth Robinson, Anita Baker, and Tom Dean.  And finally, during his last Sunday with us, Worship will include the Liturgy of Farewell with a formal Release of Ministry. We will keep you informed as we move toward our future.

For now, let us express our gratitude for Nate’s ministry here and enter a time of celebration and prayer with him.   Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have. 

Linda Young, ACC Moderator 

Webinar from UCC Creation Justice Ministries

Webinar from UCC Creation Justice Ministries

Wednesday, May 12th at 10 AM PT, 1pm ET. 

“The good paying jobs are the ones that require us to destroy our world around, to destroy our own backyard,” came a plea from a woman in rural Minnesota. She was calling in to a recent UCC  hosted summit on Climate Leadership. 

UCC’s Creation Justice chair Brooks Berndt writes that the woman expressed her deep desire that her friends and family who were working in mines, and loggers have other options for jobs. 

One of the featured speakers at the next UCC Creation Justice Webinar will be Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, founder of Green the Church, which works at the intersection of Black churches and environmental justice. 

Sign-up today for this webinar on Wednesday, May 12th at 1 pm ET. We will also send out a link to the recording to all who register.

Brooks goes on to say: The comments from the Minnesota caller crystalize some of the critical moral issues at the heart of one of the most significant matters of public policy before our country today. With Biden’s announcement of the American Jobs Plan, we are at a vital moment of policy formation for our nation. To speak to this moment, the next Creation Justice Webinar will focus on job creation and climate action. It will feature:

• Natalie Mebane, a policy specialist for 350.org who has helped lead the organization’s response to Biden’s plan

• Bracken Hendricks, a climate advisor to former president Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation, as well as the presidential campaign of Jay Inslee

• Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, founder of Green the Church, which works at the intersection of Black churches and environmental justice

Sign-up today for this webinar on Wednesday, May 12th at 1 pm ET. We will also send out a link to the recording to all who register.

Re-Opening for In-Person Worship at ACC

 Re-Opening for In-Person Worship at ACC

We’ve missed you! We are gradually resuming in-person Sunday worship at ACC. Pre-registration, proof of vaccination (for adults), and masks will be required. Click here to view a list of our Protocols.

Our first in-person worship will take place in in the sanctuary on Pentecost Sunday, May 23, at 10 am. We’ll celebrate the birthday of the Church, and the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit, by returning to the ACC sanctuary for the first time in over 14 months together. Special music will come from the ACC Ensemble, and Nate will preach a message about the meaning of community.

Pre-registration, proof of vaccination (for adults), and masks are required for those attending. We are accepting RSVPs until May 14.

To register, please send an email to revnateklug@gmail.com with subject line “May 23 Worship,” and include a photo of your vaccination card (unless we already have it on file). 

If you aren’t able to join us in-person, we will be livestreaming this worship on Our YouTube page.

Have more questions? Please reach out to Nate or Linda Young. We want this to be an experience that is safe, comfortable, and enjoyable, and encourages as many of us as possible to consider attending. We’re planning to hold two in-person livestreamed worships in June, and build up from there.

Email Scams, Spoof Phone Calls, and Maintaining Congregational Trust

Dear friends,

As you might have heard, while I was on vacation last week, someone phoned several members of our community, using spoofing technology that disguised their phone number as the church’s, claiming to be me. In addition, email scams continue to circulate occasionally, where someone impersonates me (or Moderator Linda Young), using different email addresses than our own.

These occurrences are troubling and confusing – and also relatively common for churches in 2021 (see below). I’m so sorry that being part of a faith community today means being prepared for something like this. Being separated due to Covid-19 makes it even harder; I wish we could all see each other on Sunday and laugh this off at coffee hour.

However, with just a few adjustments in our behavior, we can ensure that these scams and spoof calls don’t take over our lives. Furthermore, we can decrease the likelihood of these events repeating themselves. Here’s an overview of what we know right now, and how we can best respond going forward.

1. Clearly, someone (or multiple people) has access to our church directory who shouldn't have access. This could have happened in a few ways: a) a physical directory got into the wrong hands; b) a congregant’s email was hacked or their computer otherwise compromised, and the directory was accessed that way. None of ACC staff email addresses, phone numbers, nor our newsletter system, have been compromised.

2. We should expect scams (and perhaps phone impersonations) to continue. The most we can do to stop them at this point is to train ourselves to spot them immediately and never engage with the scammer.

We are working on finding a cybersecurity expert who might be able to provide a comprehensive training that’s appropriate for ACC folks. In the meantime, please check out these helpful links for more information about how to protect yourself in the case of either occurrence.

Just as with the Covid-19 virus, everyone’s security is strengthened by all of us becoming more knowledgeable and better-equipped against these threats.

Email Scams

Bottom line: Read emails carefully, verify email addresses, and always confirm requests if you have a suspicion. If it’s a scam email, drag it into the spam folder and don’t reply.

https://www.episcopalri.org/warning-email-and-text-message-scams-targeting-church-members-by-impersonating-clergy/

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2019/07/worshipers-targeted-gift-card-scam

Phone Calls

Bottom line: If it’s not the person you expected, don’t hang on, just hang up.

https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/avoid_spoofing_scams_english.pdf