So who is God or speaks for God? Muhammad? Jesus? Dali Lama?
A clash of cultures, religions, Â and centuries of modern change goes on in our midst. Two recent events show stark differences:
 An ISIS dude at Fort Lauderdale  Jan. 9  answered ‘Who do you say I am?’ with bullets, bloodshed and shouting  the  words of the Shahada,  ‘There is no god but God and Muhammad is …”
Twenty other dudes  met  Jan. 11  at  St. John’s church  in Aptos, CA Jan.11 to peacefully consider ‘Who do you say I am?’  while reading out loud  together the  Gospel of St. John which starts with:
1″In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God. 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
The presenter Alliee DeArmond told a story about participating in a Billy Graham Crusade held in Santa Cruz back in the early 1980s. Â As part of the training she was questioned, ‘What will you say to people…?’
John 1:12: Â But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Â
The ‘who do you say I am?’ discussion included time for personal reflection and general sharing. Â Sharing included drawings and discussion of other books participants were reading.
Meeting #2 Â for Who do you say I am? will be in a week, same day and time: Â Wed., Jan 18, 2016, at 7 pm – 8:30.
Nine attend Bible study First Baptist Church, Aptos, CA
The bible study is based on Entrusted, by Beth Moore, Study of  the book of 2 Timothy.
Questions? Â Please connect:
http://www.aptosbaptist.church/contact-us
*  Tuesdays, 1/10/17 – 2/14/17 *  1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.  Books are  available through the church for $12. Â
First Baptist Church of Aptos
Tired of ‘insiders’ running America? Lots of  voters chose  Trump because he was an ‘outsider’ who might shake things up.
The ‘insiders’ did not follow the rules for upcoming vestry elections of St. John’s, an episcopal church in Aptos, CA.
Pay to pray —  if you want to be on the Vestry says one episcopal  church  having just a few days ago accepted proposed revisions to their Bylaws.  [St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Aptos, CA]
Looks like  another instance of the’insiders’ doing what they want — and not following the ‘rules’ laid out for others.
These Bylaws still have to be approved as legal by the Chancellor for the Diocese  of El Camino Real. Â
The Chancellor  for the diocese is Nancy Mahomey Cohen.
Will  the Chancellor for the diocese agree that these proposed  revisions to the Bylaws for St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Aptos are indeed “legal”?
Will legal advise from the diocese agree that it’s  OK to require that potential Vestry members must make a Pledge of identifiable money during the preceding 6 months  to the Corporation  to be on the Vestry?
Her email: Â ncohen@family.stanford.edu
Here’s what happened:Â
At an episcopal church level it’s possible to self-nominate or nominate someone else to sit on the church board.
One long time  member followed the rules and submitted a petition to place  another member  on the list  for nominees.  The applicant  ‘an outsider’  strictly  in the sense that  the applicant  was  not nominated by the ‘insiders’ on the  Nomination Committee.
The Clerk appropriately followed the rules, kept the name secret,  and on the correct date  turned over the name of the applicant to the Nominating Committee.
Here’s where the  ‘insiders’  did not follow the rules.  The applicant only had to meet two requirements:  be over the age of 14 and be listed on the Parish Registrar.  The applicant met both conditions.
After receiving the name, the Nominating Committee should have put that name ‘in the basket’. Â That’s it. Â Job done. Instead, the Nominating Committee (no Chair) decided to turn it over to the interim priest and senior warden.
At the  most recent Vestry meeting  the interim priest said that he was asked by the Nominating Committee to ask the applicant two questions ….. Â
The Nominating Commitee  — the Vestry — stopped doing its job and turned it over to the interim priest and one warden.  Opps! The insiders did not follow the rules laid on in the Sept. 29 email
Per review of the Bylaws, the Vestry shall nominate a Chair of the Nominating Committee.  When asked,  Junior Warden Andy Pudan  stated that there was no Chair. Andy P. stated that he, Diane Scofield and Vicky Wilson  were on the Nominating Committee.   That meets the Bylaw rules that 3 members from the Vestry be on the Nominating Committee.  [The Bylaws also allow 2 other menbers.]  Another Vestry member Jon Showwalter  (not on the Nominating Committee)  said to the Clerk  that Charles Greenleaf  was an  ‘adviser’  to the Committee.
The most recent Vestry meeting was called to discuss and accept proposed  changes to the Bylaws.  Charles  Greenleaf, who was present as Guest for the preceding two Vestry meetings, was not present at the November 2016 meeting.
TakeAway from the November, 2016 Â Vestry meeting: Â A Pledge to the church is a requirement if you want to be on the church board.
Maybe someone will review these Bylaws and say No!
written by Cameron Jackson  drcameronJackson@gmail.com
Power. Â Winners and losers. Will the powerful have their own way? What agenda will be followed?
Read below and you decide.
To discuss and accept revisions to  the church Bylaws and nominations for the board,  the church Vestry held a meeting Nov. 22, 2016 at 6:45.
Very short  ‘notice’ of the November Vestry meeting:   An email was sent  the afternoon  of 11/22 which stated  that a Vestry meeting was happening at 6:45 pm that day.  No prior  notice of the Nov. Vestry meeting put on the church website or in the 11/20/2016  church bulletin.
At the beginning of the meeting C. Jackson asked that two handouts be given and discussed. One is a Letter from a member which states that she regularly sees the monies given weekly  by an applicant for Vestry.  The other  is a Statement  by C. Jackson detailing reasons why an  applicant meets criteria for nomination ‘from the floor’.
Both handouts were passed out to  all of the Vestry members present at the beginning of the meeting.  [The Treasurer came later —  and did not  hear what C.  Jackson said nor  did she  receive the two handouts.]
Early on in the meeting  the Vestry  discussed  the criteria persons who self-nominate  must meet to  run for election to the corporate board of the Parish.
The  current  Bylaws  rules  state that any contributing member who gets X number of persons to support  them can  stand for elections from the floor.
The existing Bylaws are ambiguous. They  do not  define  a ‘Member’ as someone who has  donated money via a specified manner , i.e., via a Pledge or  putting in the collection basket an envelope  containing money with one’s name on it.
C. Jackson was given the opportunity to speak and stated that overall communications need to improve.  In the past, there have been allegations of  possible spiritual abuse and not taking care of staff and volunteers. No discussion of these allegations or how they were being addressed had been discussed at the last 2 Vestry meetings stated Jackson.
One way to improve communication during  church meetings was suggested by Jackson:  Simple changes in communication:  Use  a format of
“I feel  [     ] when [   |   ] happens”  reduces finger pointing and encourages individuals to take responsibility for their feelings.
Notice and Agendas:  C. Jackson noted that providing better  Notice of meetings,  and providing  Agendas ahead of time will improve communication.
C. Jackson asked:  Does this church want to tell the world that you gotta pay money via a Pledge  to be considered a Member and  ‘be one of us’?  Â
Stacking the deck: Â Controlling who can stand for election is one way to ‘stack the deck’. Â At the national level many people are aware that the Democrat National Party ‘stacked the deck’ in favor of Hilary. Â The system is rigged claimed Bernie Sanders.
Will the current Vestry  successfully  stack the deck — shape in advance —  the church elections on Dec. 4, 2016?  Who can stand for election and who cannot is one way to ‘stack the deck’. Â
  Did you know?  Under the new, revised Bylaws to be a ‘member’  you must take communion 3 times ….  Who will count the wafers eaten?
Of course proof of Communion will be on the honor system. Â What about proof of giving/ donating also on the honor system? Â Â
See pg. 20 of the Dec. 20, 2016 church bulletin:Â No Notice is in the bulletin concerning upcoming Vestry meeting in two days. Â The next Vestry meeting is listed as Dec. 14, 2016.
To summarize:  Very short notice was  given to the congregation  that  who is a church  “Member”  becomes  ….  You have to Pay  to Pray as a  ‘Member’ of the Corporation.  Â
If the Vestry makes these changes then  — after the fact —  the church gives itself a Good Housekeeping stamp of approval for current nominations and proposed changes to the Bylaws.
During the election cycle,  the Democrat  operatives  –called journalists  — shaped what the general public got in the way of news.  Similarly, their are  ‘church operatives’  which shape the “news” that the church attendees get.
‘Don’t publicize this stuff’  a few people said to C. Jackson.  ‘It makes the church  look bad’ they said.  Oh?  My response:  Then read and re-read the Book of Acts.  The apostle Paul had a lot to say  about  the early Saint/ Sinners and their antics:  including dishonesty,  laziness and mis-guided actions.
So — who will be the winners and losers  at St. John’s Episcopal church in Aptos, CA? Â
**** The Vestry decides  at the Tuesday, Nov. 22 meeting  at  6:45 pm (in the Cafe)  whether to change the rules  — or stay  with the existing rules.  Come if you are able. What do you think?  Here’s the names to contact:  Â
Billl Kell – Â Senior Warden (appointed by Merritt)
Andy Pudan – Junior Warden (elected by Vestry)
Jane Dawson – Adult Education
Diane Scofield – Outreach
Suzanne Krakover-Nickel  – Stewardship
Jon Showalter – Building & Grounds
Vicky Wilson – Hospitality
Andrea Seitz – Newcomers
Debra Spencer – Worship
Anne Baker – Treasurer
Eileen Fernald – Finance
Peter Goodman – Children & Youth
Nancy Shephard – Clerk
_________
Back to basics: Â Who is a ‘member’ of an Episcopalian church?
To become an Episcopalian — what does a person have to do? Â The following is from Forward Movement which is a general resource for Episcopalians.
_____________________
“How Can I become a Member of the Episcopal Church? How can you become a member? First of all, we would love to have you join Grace and Holy Trinity Church! Please contact the Rev. Bo Millner or Carolyn Chilton and they will be happy to help you.
“Here is some general information about membership in the Church. Baptism makes us members of the Church. And, we can then live into the meaning of our baptism within specific congregations and Christian denominations. The five sections below will spell this out more fully.
1. “Most importantly, the sacrament of Holy Baptism, makes you a member of the Universal Christian Church. The Episcopal Church recognizes as Christian all persons who have been baptized with water and in the name of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).
2. “If you were baptized into the Universal Church in an Episcopal congregation then, in addition to becoming a member of the Universal Church, you were enrolled as a member of that particular congregation and also became an “Episcopalian.†You are member at the church where you were baptized until death or until you transfer to another congregation. So, if you were baptized at Grace and Holy Trinity Church, you are a baptized member here. If you have asked that the record of your baptism be transferred here, then you are a member here as well.
3. “If you were baptized with water and in the name of the Trinity in another Christian communion or denomination, you can become a member of Grace and Holy Trinity Church by asking that your letter of baptism be transferred so that you can be enrolled on the books of this parish. This makes you a baptized member of the Episcopal Church in general and a member of Grace and Holy Trinity Church specifically.
4. “All baptized members are encouraged to receive the sacrament of confirmation, either when they reach maturity or in connection with baptism if they are baptized as adults. In confirmation ‘we express a mature commitment to Christ and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop.’ After confirmation, a person is a confirmed member.
5. “If you were baptized and confirmed in another church you may be received (rather than reconfirmed) by a bishop of The Episcopal Church. This makes you a confirmed member of The Episcopal Church.
Adult (16 years of age and older), confirmed, communicants in good standing(you have been faithful in attending corporate worship and in praying, working, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God) may vote for Vestry (the ruling body of the congregation), run for the Vestry and represent the congregation in the diocese.
“We hope this answers some of your questions. And we encourage you to be in touch. You are most welcome at Grace and Holy Trinity Church! (Much of the information above was taken from the Forward Movement brochure on “Membership in the Episcopal Churchâ€. Forward Movement is an official, non-profit agency of The Episcopal Church and is sustained through sales of tracts and through tax-free contributions. They can be reached at 300 West Fourth Street, Cinicinnati, OH 45202-2666, 800-543-1813; www.forwardmovement.org)
written by Cameron Jackson, Ph.D., J.D. Â DrCameronJackson@gmail.com
Just as night clubs charge a cover  charge to get in …..  to be a  ‘member of  the corporation’  of  St. John’s Episcopal church Aptos,  CA you must  pay identifiable money   ( e.g., checks, automatic deposit) used to  keep  the doors open, lights on and the staff  paid. Â
That’s  what will  happen in two days  — if the Bylaws are changed as planned by St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Aptos, CA. Â
What will you have to do to be  a ‘member’ after the Bylaws change?  Besides paying identifiable money into  the general fund that keeps the lights on and staff paid, you have to show up and take  communion (i.e.,the wine and bread)  3 times a year.
‘Contributions’ such as fixing the broken pipe or holding Evening Prayer don’t count toward  ‘church membership’.  Just money — only identifiable money — not cash counts to show you are a ‘member’.  Â
 Are you poor?  What if you have no money.  Ah, you are out of luck. Come in — but you can’t be ‘one of us’. Â
Oh dear.  What if Joseph came by and offered services as a carpenter and wondered if there was a place to sleep for his pregnant wife?  That Joseph, wife and baby  cannot be  ‘members’  of this episcopal church  based on  his carpentry contributions.  That’s because only identifiable money for the upkeep and management of the building counts towards ‘membership’.
You can read below the exact wording of the proposed Bylaw changes. Â
How did this happen?   Per review of the January – November  2016 Vestry Minutes,  the proposed Bylaw changes were initiated by interim priest Merritt G.  Merritt  told the Vestry (church board of directors)  that the Bylaws must be updated,  he then got a committee together and …Â
in a couple days  (11/22/16) — the Vestry will vote to make the Bylaw changes recommended by interim priest  Merritt and two committee members. Â
After the Bylaws have been changed, at St. John’s you are one or the other — either a ‘member’ or ‘not a member’.
Right now — before changing the Bylaws — how does the church currently figure out who is ‘a member’?
One Vestry member said that the church directory is the best list of families that are members of the parish.
Below is the exact  wording for the proposed changes to the Bylaws for St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church.
“Members of the Parish are those persons who, in addition to maintaining regular attendance at worship services and participation in Parish life, are at least 16 years old and who are registered on the Parish Register as a baptized Commnuicant of the Parish (i.e., have received Holy Communion in this Parish at least three times during the preceding year); Â and are regular contributors to the undesignated general fund of Parish for the preceding six months.”
Monterey Bay Forum:  Today, one Vestry person (who has served  on the Vestry  several  times) said that they had never read the Bylaws. This person promised to read the Bylaws  –for the first time  — before the Tuesday meeting.   Per examination today, there was no information in the weekly bulletin today saying that the Bylaws would be updated at the next meeting to be held in two days.  So — no notice has been given to the congregation?
So — how much ‘transparency’ is going on here?
Why not wait until there is a new Rector and  at that time make changes to the Bylaws?
written by C. Jackson  DrCameronJackson@gmail.com
And a church consists of  people who contribute in a multitude of ways.  The plumber who fixes a  broken pipe. The lay minister who takes communion to the sick. In a multitude of ways, individuals contribute.
Opps! Some people who hold the keys to the church building sometimes forget that the church consists of individuals who contribute variously.  One church  in particular egregiously forgets!
There’s no merit in cash  — no proof that you gave to the church said the interim priest at St. John’s Episcopal, Aptos, CA to one applicant.  And, since you —  can’t show that you contributed money during the last six months of  2016  you can’t  run for church board.
My, my ….
Interim priest  sees no merit in CASH donations? What’s wrong with cash?
B. Kell participates variously at St. John’s. Â Currently, he serves as Senior Warden and assists the Rector of the church. B. Kell assisted the priest in determining whether someone was a Member of the church who could stand for elections.
Back to basics: Â Jesus never asked for money. Â And it’s people who are the church and who contribute variously.
So how do you participate — contribute —  in your church?  Are you   the plumber who comes early to the church building  to fix for free a broken pipe.  Or the lawyer who gives freely of his or her legal skills?  Or the person who comes weekly to answer the phones?
It’s individuals who contribute to make Jesus present in the world.
By the way —  there is CHAT on this website and we’re happy to ‘chat’ about  this.  Interested?
President Obama  sent  planes loaded with only CASH ($1.3 BILLION) to Iran.
It was OK for the USA to pay its debts with cash.
In contrast, an episcopal church in Aptos, CA recently said in 2016 that its not acceptable  proof to run for church board  for a member to give CASH as a means of donating to the corporate body.
So Obama can pay USA debts with cash but cash given to a church does not signify an acceptable ‘donation’.
The Junior Warden of the church  stated [one of three Vestry persons on the Nomination Committee] that it was the interim priest  and the senior warden  who made the decision. The interim priest and senior warden have not been contacted.
The Bylaws  clearly state that it is the decision of the Nomination Committee as to who is on the list.
So, what’s wrong with CASH? Â If good enough for Obama to pay USA bills isn’t CASH good enough as a donation to a church?
See Section 2.A. of the Bylaws which state that the Vestry may establish a requisite minimum level of contribution to the Parish (no less than six (6) months prior to elections.
*****  Per the Bylaws that were operating when the applicant applied,  the Vestry of this church  had  not established any level of contribution.
Back to Obama and  his CASH.  So who counts Obama’s BILLIONS in CASH given to Iran? Nobody of course.
Back to the applicant for episcopal church board in 2016.  Why not  believe what  other church members who say  (and put in writing) i.e., that the applicant in question regularly contributes cash? Does it matter how much or to what fund?
The widow’s mite? If an applicant gives a penny, dime or a quarter every time they come — Â that’s a regular contribution.
What did Trump say to millions?   Trump said again and again  that the system is rigged.
One way to ‘rig’ the system is to tell potential Episcopal  church board applicants that CASH does not count – and therefore you cannot stand for election from the floor. The Bylaws sent by email to the Parish do not say that  identifiable money must be paid in order to run for Vestry.
In the past, there have been a number of  issues that relate to communication. Why cash given to a church does not count is one of them.
St. John’s Episcopal Church in Aptos, CA operates under  the auspices of  Diocese of El Camino Real in Salinas, CA.   http://www.realepiscopal.org/contact/
written by Monterey Bay Forum, DrCameronJackson@gmail.com   831 688-6002
Fa. Ron Shirley formerly with Resurrection Catholic Community Church posted:
“God is counting on all of us to be “Stand In’s†for the Lord, with each other. To make real Isaiah 55:7, “Turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.â€
“If an alien was to walk in to our church today and say, “Ok you Church people, describe God to me.â€
I  Father Ron Shirley  http://www.ronshirley.com  wonder what our answer would be.
I believe one of the most powerful descriptions of God is contained in the 2 stories we just heard in Luke’s Gospel.
A. These images of God, too many people, don’t make any sense. When the sinner is found. Mercy, love and forgiveness are freely offered. No charge; no strings attached; no, “I told you so;†no finger pointing. Just, “Welcome Home.â€
B. No matter how far we wander or stray from God, and we all do it at times, no matter how terrible our sins might be, God’s arms are always open to us. Jesus never approves of the sin, but he always embraces the sinner.
C. I could just hear a few of the people, when Jesus was telling his stories, making a few side comments like:
i. These stories are crazy!
ii. This God is ridiculous!
iii. Leave 99 good sheep to go after one stupid stray?
iv. That’s not very good business sense.
v. If I were the father I would stick it to that son.
vi. I would make him crawl back.
vii. This God doesn’t make any sense.
These people were right; our God doesn’t make any sense when it comes to loving us.
D. A final point, very important, comes from a quote by the director of Covenant House, https://www.covenanthouse.org/ a shelter for runaway kids in many large cities in the U.S.
The director of Covenant  says, “The kids we work with have a lot of questions…
‘Can I have something to eat? I haven’t had a good thing to eat in days,’ a 17-year-old boy asked me last night.
‘Can I sleep here? Where can I sleep?’ another kid asked an hour later. I think she may have been twelve. These questions come easy to them. They are the questions that a street kid asks every day, minute to minute. But what gets to me is the question they don’t ask. The one that hides deep in the eyes they turn away from you, the one that shows in nervous fingers. This is the question that comes from living a lifetime of days when you can’t seem to do anything right. It is, ‘
Does God still love me? – Will God forgive me?’ The kids would never say that out loud. Very few of them ever talk about God. They don’t know enough yet, and their minds and mouths are too preoccupied with the other questions: ‘Is it safe here?’ ‘Can I have something to eat?’ ‘Where can I sleep?’ But their hearts have only one question: ‘Does God still love me? – Will God forgive me?’ And their hearts look to me and to other adults at Covenant House for the answer to that question. I don’t think the kids think much about the theological idea that God lives in every one of us. With them it’s more instinctive.
All I know is that when they look at me and I see that question, I feel the incredible burden of standing in for our Lord. And I know our Lord is counting on me to say, ‘Yes! Heavens, yes! I love you!’ to those scraggly, hungry, angry children of the streets.â€
In closing:
God is counting on all of us to be “Stand In’s†for the Lord, with each other. To make real Isaiah 55:7, “Turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.â€
 The above is based on writings from Father Ron Shirley  September 2016   For more, go to:    http://www.fatherron.com Â
This following is based  on an Evening Prayer service lead by Alliee DeArmond,  Friday, September 16,  2016 at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Aptos, CA.  Alliee leads the Friday Evening Prayer services which start  promptly at 5:30 pm and end around 6:00 pm. Come to 125 Canterbury, Aptos, CA.
As part of the service, Â Alliee discussed a book about the Freedom Writers and Erin Grunwell.
Included is how  another woman helped:  Miep Gies a Dutch woman …  Â
MiepvGries
As an idealistic twenty-three-year-old English teacher at Wilson High School in Long beach, California, Erin Gruwell confronted a room of “unteachable, at-risk†students.
One day Erin  intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature, and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust—only to be met by uncomprehending looks.
So Erin ….  and her students, using the treasured books Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl  and Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevos their guides, undertook a life-changing, eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding.
Erin and her students …  learned to see the parallels in these books to their own lives, recording their thoughts and feelings in diaries and dubbing themselves the “Freedom Writers†in homage to the civil rights activists “The Freedom Riders.â€
With funds raised by a “Read-a-thon for Tolerance,†they arranged for Miep Gies, the courageous Dutch woman who sheltered the Frank family, to visit them in California, where she declared that Erin Gruwell’s students were “the real heroes.†Their efforts have paid off spectacularly, both in terms of recognition—appearances on “Prime Time Live†and “All Things Considered,†coverage in Peoplemagazine, a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley—and educationally. All 150 Freedom Writers have graduated from high school and are now attending college.
With powerful entries from the students’ own diaries and a narrative text by Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers Diary is an uplifting, unforgettable example of how hard work, courage, and the spirit of determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students.
The authors’ proceeds from this book will be donated to The Tolerance Education Foundation, an organization set up to pay for the Freedom Writers’ college tuition. Erin Gruwell is now a visiting professor at California State University, Long Beach, where some of her students are Freedom Writers.
So who is God or speaks for God? Muhammad? Jesus? Dali Lama?
On a rainy day in Aptos CA 1/10/2016,  nine attended the  Ladies Bible Study  
T
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