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Welcome to the  Northside Associated Ministries GoodNewsLetter, a service of Northside Presbyterian Church and St. Aidans Episcopal Church.     From this page you can view past issues, or just read more information.  NAM hopes you enjoy the GoodNewsLetter.

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Northside Associated Ministries GoodNewsLetter - August, 2007 Northside Presbyterian Church - The Rev. Chuck Booker-Hirsch Pastor St. Aidan's Episcopal Church - The Rev. Susan McGarry, Rector Ann Arbor Wiki -St. Aidan's Episcopal Church Northside Associated Ministries Cooperating in Ministry Office Phone: 734-663-5503 Administrative Assistant: Ellen Magee St. Aidan's Officers Senior Warden John Board Junior Warden Len Coombs Recording Secretary Fran Board Treasurer Your Name Here Financial Secretary Gail Graham Liturgical Readers Len Coombs Acolytes Helen Brewster Altar Guild Susan Pfoutz Vestry Phil Singer Janet Lamb Jim Pierson Betty Rees Northside Officiers Clerk of Session Linda TerHaar Financial Secretary Jenny Howard Treasurer Nancy Renner Session Members Marian Laughlin Diane Zahn Steven Grosse Linda TerHaar Letha Chadiha Jenny Howard Kelly Maxwell Sue Stanton Ministry Contacts Joesph Kozma-Cruz Membership/Nutrure Linda TerHaar More Light/Peacemaking Kate Baker Nominating Pat Hodges Personnel Geoff Stanton Prayer Group Jean Loup Stewardship Joan Penner-Hahn Worship Sue Stanton NAM Officers President Marian Laughlin Vice President John Board Secretary Litha Chadiha Treasurer Dill Howarth Children and Youth Ministries Marian Laughlin Property Jim Pierson Communications and Publicity Adult Education Stephen Grove Social Stewardship Sue MacDermaid Reehill Gallery Kate Baker Download the Adobe pdf reader free! Download Open Office Download Firefox Subscribe to the GoodNewsLetter Submit an article to the GoodNewsLetter Pastor's Corner: Summer Books from a Booker's Bookshelf Before these lazy summer days roll into another frenzied fall, we find ourselves graced with four more weeks of summertime reading! Top-heavy as always with nonfiction on my desk (why is this genre defined by what it is not?), I have found great delight in these recent reads: The Tent of Abraham: Stories of Hope and Peace for Jews, Christians, and Muslims by Joan Chittister, OSB; Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti; and Rabbi Arthur Waskow (Beacon, 2006). Several of us encountered this book in our interfaith speaker series in NAM Christian education during the season of Epiphany (Jan-Feb) and, more recently, in our NAM Mens Gospel Breakfast. The Tent of Abraham: Stories of Hope and Peace for Jews, Christians, and Muslims A most creative attempt by a Catholic sister, a Sufi Muslim, and a Reformed Jew, to find common ground among the three greatest monotheistic and historic faiths on the globe i.e., faiths rooted in God's/Allah's activity in human history; through our common ancestor, Abraham. The authors three are blessed with profound prophetic and mystical vision both. Very timely offering, considering the ongoing crises in the Middle East and Southwest Asia (though remarkably little is said about the latter in the book). Wish to God -- or Allah -- that these authors were representative of the vast majority of leaders in their respective faiths, in an age smitten with the surge of fundamentalism on many fronts and in most lands. Vietnam and civil rights and Cold War then; Iraq and human rights and global warming now. As Samuel Butler wrote in Erewhon, ' The more the past and present are known, the more the future can be predicted.' Hence the importance of books such as these five: William Sloane Coffin, Jr: A Holy Impatience by Warren Goldstein (Yale, 2004). How can a Jewish historian write such a brilliant biography about one of the foremost Protestant prophets in modern America? Very well, thank you. And why not, considering the subject's William Sloane Coffin Jr.: A Holy Impatience remarkable broad-based influence as the Yale chaplain during the Vietnam War, as pastor of The Riverside Church in NYC in the days of Reagan and AIDS, and as president of the SANE/Freeze movement to banish nuclear armaments. This work provides deep background to Coffin's autobiographical classic (whose title reflects the pre-inclusive language era in which it was written), Once to Every Man: A Memoir (Atheneum, 1977). Coffin's death during Holy Week of 2006 left a hole in the remnants of our national sanity. Reflections over the Long Haul: A Memoir by Robert McAfee Brown (Westminster John Knox, 2005). Speaking of late great American Protestant prophets … In the Reflections Over The Long Haul: A Memoir foreword to this autobiography, Brown's good friend Bill Coffin writes, 'to paraphrase (English Cavalier poet) Ben Jonson: Not only will we not see the likes of him again, we will not even see one who puts us in mind of him.' A blue-blood Presbyterian scholar who seldom overlooked the red common to everyone's blood, Brown traces his life from his heady teaching and Freedom Rider days at Union Theological Seminary, to his Vietnam War witness at Stanford ('It has become popular to decry the sixties as a historical aberration; I reject this analysis'), to his role, in the eyes of many, as the foremost North American interpreter of Latin American liberation theology. My second cousin Bob Spivey, a student of Brown's at Union Theologica l Seminary, makes a surprise cameo (a positive one, thankfully). At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-1968 by Taylor Branch (Simon & Schuster, 2006). A National Book Award Winner, this long-awaited volume At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68 (America in the King Years) completes a trilogy of the civil rights movement a generation in the making, beginning with his Pulitzer Prize-winning Parting the Waters in 1988. Particularly enlightening in this well-traipsed historical territory is Branch's deft intertwining of the civil rights movement as led by King with the Vietnam War as led by President Johnson -- how one struggle fed off the other, and how each leader greatly suffered through them both. Evokes the great philosophical question of what shapes history more: the events or the protagonists. Convoluted at turns in his storytelling, Branch is remarkably thorough in his details. Concludes with a thud, in my view, as he departs from his searing book-length indictment of the FBI under Hoover to offhandedly applaud their investigation of King's assassination; ignoring recent unassailable, court-proven evidence of the agency's direct involvement in his murder. (See James Douglass, 'The King assassination: After three decades, another verdict', Christian Century, 3/15/00.) The Children by David Halberstam (Ballantine, 1999). I happened to be enjoying The Children this tome in April when its prolific author, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, was killed in an automobile accident. Halberstam traces the lives and witnesses of the 'children' who participated in the Rev. James Lawson's nonviolence workshops in Nashville, TN in 1959-60: African-American university and seminary students who formed the backbone of the civil rights movement beginning with the restaurant sit-ins of that day. More intuitive in his storytelling than analytic (and marvelously so) the author's breezy, fast-paced style rarely ceases to engage this reader. And, lest we forget: The Holy Bible. Still the most popular book in the English-speaking world. Enough said (!) Grace and Peace, and Happy Page-Turning, Chuck Booker(-Hirsch) In the News this month: This is August, a slow time of the year. About the only exciting time is due to "National Catfish Month" , and of course National Simplify Your Life Week . The more memorable days this month are * August 4: Coast Guard Day * August 11: Presidential Joke Day [surprise! This one dates back 23 years. Everyone who thought it was created this century has an evil supicious mind.] * August 13: National Left hander month * August 15: V-J Day * August 19: Chinese Valentine Day * August 26: National Dog Day I regret to announce the passing of Bill Falby, a long time member of St. Aidan's, who moved to California back in May to live with is daughter. The date of the memorial service has not yet been set; it will not happen for several weeks, in order to give those who would wish to return to Ann Arbor a chance to make preparations. We have begun putting audio versions of Susan's sermons on our web page ( href=http://www.staidan.org/Podcasts/PodcastHQ.html>http://www.staidan.org/Podcasts/PodcastHQ.html). Because of their size, we do not anticipate that a specific sermon will be available forever, so download them as they become available. Question of the Month: What _Would_ Jimmy Buffet Do?" Answer to last month's question: What What was Steve Goodman's most notorious song? Back when I was in college, it was clearly "Men who like Women (who like Men)" Now back to the news. NAM Potluck and Special Presbytery Guest Dear NAM Sisters and Brothers: On behalf of the Session at Northside, I would like to invite you to a potluck on Sunday, August 12, 11:30a-12:30pish in the upstairs sanctuary. Our very special guest will be Brenda Jarvis, Presbytery of Detroit's Associate Executive Presbyter for Congregational Outreach and Nurture. Brenda, an elder in the PC(USA), is a very supportive and engaging ally in our welcoming and inclusive ministries at Northside and St. Aidan's. At the potluck, she would love to converse with us about our partnership at Northside and St. Aidan's, as well as our collective relationship with the presbytery. Food commitments for the potluck are being solicited. Feel free to respond to this email [but, please do not "reply all"] if you would like to bring an entree, side dish (salad, chips, etc.), or dessert. Also, Brenda will be preaching at Northside's Celebration of Worship at 10am that morning as part of our "Sins of Our Scriptures" series, topic: " 'Wives, Be Subject to Your Husbands ...': The New Life in Christ?" (Colossians 3:18-25). Chuck B-H 2007 Bread for the Word National Gathering In June, we participated for the third time in BFW's National Gathering in Washington, DC. Unfortunately, we were the only ones from Northside/St Aidan (two years ago, there were eight of us) but Jason from Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice brought a delegation of about seven, so Ann Arbor was well represented. Though these gatherings normally occur only every two years, it has been decided that there will be another one next June. We hope very much that more of our members will be able to participate in this very exciting few days, so start planning now! Modest funds may be available through the Social Action Committee, especially for a Youth Representative. Youth were very much in evidence at this gathering. Because of its association with The One Campaign. Bono's enormously far-reaching anti-poverty organization – BFW has been part of a very effective outreach to young people who, it turns out, are more than ready to get involved in fighting the inter related issues of Hunger, AIDS and Poverty. Thus, as we took our places in American University's Bender Arena for the opening session on Saturday night, we were engulfed by some very loud music (Let us face it: not exactly the kind we would have chosen) and a far smaller proportion of gray heads than in former years. Which is good. If we can get the youth, we will happily take their music. And there was a lot of it, during the three days Sunday and Monday were hard work. The issue on which we were preparing to lobby Congress was the reauthorization of the Farm Bill. Those of you who participated in the Offering of Letters in April will remember how complex this bill is, and how misguided many of its current provisions are for today, most notably on the subject of Commodities. All the workshops were good (there was usually a choice of a dozen of more topics, so it was often hard to choose). Generally speaking, we attended different ones in order to cover more ground, but we both went to one entitled, 'A Shift in Direction: Media Advocacy in the Movement to Overcome Hunger'. It was outstanding. Participants included Mike McCurry (former Press Secretary for President Clinton) and Barbara Bradley Haggerty, whom NPR junkies like us will recognize as almost the only genuinely well informed reporter on Religion that one hears on the radio. These two, and other journalists on the panel, gave funny but incisive and sometimes intimidating advice on how to handle reporters and how to interest your local newspaper in publishing a piece you have written. As in former years, on the Monday night, we went to the National Cathedral for an Interfaith Convocation on Hunger. It was genuinely interfaith, which meant that a very large number of religious leaders each took some small specific part in the proceedings, which meant that it all went on for quite a while. But it was inspiring. Finally, we got to Tuesday: Lobby Day. We spent the morning at a church on Capitol Hill being instructed on the four major provisions of the Farm Bill, and in particular, the changes we were seeking in each provision, e.g., improvements in the Food Stamp program; increased funding for rural development programs; increase in the proportion of commodity payments that go to small farmers rather than agribusiness; reduce the competitive advantage given to agribusiness over small farmers in foreign countries. Two congressmen dropped by to give us their views. During the last part of the morning, we caucused with our district and state delegations to plan the actual visits, i.e., who would address various points we wanted to make. After a quick lunch, we walked to the Dirksen Senate Office building to meet with two aides in the office of Debbie Stabenow. (We were not able to be at the meeting with Senator Levin's aide due to a scheduling conflict.) We walked across Capitol Hill to the Rayburn House Office Building to meet with an aide in the office of Representative John Dingell. After the visits there was a reception in the Rayburn cafeteria with very good food and drink. About ten senators, and representatives, including Senator Richard Lugar and Representative Charlie Rangel, came by to speak (some quite passionately) about involvement with hunger issues. Angela and Charles Williams Three Items from Pastor Chuck!!! In an effort to get this (already overdue) newsletter out this month, I am not going to try to convert these documents into acceptable HTML, instead, I am going to link to .pdf versions. The first item is a list of sermon topics for August and into the Labor Day weekend. The second is a list of the remaining Adult Ed. video series presentations in the old Youth Room after church on Sundays. The final item is something Chuck put together to describe the wherefor and why of Presbyterian worship. Good reading all. The Usual Suspects Lectionary Readings for August Calendar for August August NewsLetter
Last updated by psing...@gmail.com - Aug 5 2007 - 1 author - 8 pages long
June 2007 GoodNewsLetter
Last updated by psing...@gmail.com - Jun 3 2007 - 1 author - 5 pages long
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FAQ.txt
Last updated by psing...@gmail.com - Feb 8 2007

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