The 2007 session of the Connecticut legislature has come close to being an utter and complete disappointment. Considering the fact that the democratic party (supposedly the left or liberal party, in a reportedly liberal state) had a veto proof majority in both the house and the senate virtually no part of the liberal agenda moved very far forward. Click on the headings below for my take on the major issues. [All of these issues except the same gender marriage issue were identified by ICEJ as high priority issues.]

Tax Reform
Immigration Issues
Healthcare Reform
Education Issues
Same Gender Marriage
A Cynical View

The gold coast legislators sided with the republicans on the issues of tax reform; we have to do everything we can to help the rich get richer and pay less taxes while the middle and lower class rate payers get stuck with the bill. The complaint is made that progressive income taxes and the inheritance tax confiscate the wealth of the most affluent members of society. Well yes they do. Isn’t that what we should be doing; narrowing the gaps between the haves and the have nots? It is certainly the Biblical ethic beginning with the Jewish law of the Jubilee. Under the law of Moses in the year of Jubilee (See Leviticus 25 and 26), each 49th or 50th year, all land was to return to the families that originally owned it, all debts were cancelled. It is the divine plan for redistributing wealth; the divine plan for land reform. (This law was of course proclaimed in a time when wealth consisted primarily of property, not stocks and bonds and precious metals). Conservative religious people who are so eager to uphold the ten commandments and the holiness code might ask themselves why they are not supporting laws to confiscate excessive wealth and redistribute it to the poor.

Score the legislature as a total failure on significant tax reform; the progressive income tax was defeated. It looked as though progressive legislators might preserve the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) if they were willing to roll back or abolish the estate tax on estates over $2 Million Dollars. That was a draconian compromise, but in the end it was lost also.

Score one for the legislature for passing a bill that granted a few hundred undocumented immigrant children the right to pay the same tuition that other state residents pay at state universities. These are children whose parents are undocumented, but who have been living long term in the state, in many cases not even knowing that their status was not copasetic. (Anti immigrant agitators like to talk about these people as illegal immigrants. In the first place it is not a crime but a civil offense to be here with out documentation. Second the illegal term implies that all these people snuck in to this country by violating the law; many of them came here legally as tourists or other visitors, students, etc. but stayed after their visas expired. Others were here legally as spouses of US citizens or permanent legal residents and may not have even been aware that their status changed when they were divorced.) Unfortunately although the legislature passed this progressive measure the margin was slim and our wonderful and popular governor vetoed the bill. Put a black mark next to her name.

Healthcare reform seemed off to a hopeful start with State Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams, Jr. being a primary champion for universal healthcare in Connecticut. In the end all that was accomplished was to increase the compensation rate for healthcare providers under the Husky Plan. (Of course that is significant since the rates were so low that many impoverished children had limited access to doctors for non-emergency care, and no access to dental healthcare.) But the hopes of Don Williams, Healthcare for All, the ICEJ and so many other groups for significant progress were sadly disappointed.

What was accomplished? There is significant new money for education in the budget, but whether this will mean more money for the public schools in most districts remains to be seen. The governor’s education package was touted as giving a tax break to the cities; the state will give cities more money for education so the cities do not need to impose such high property taxes to pay for education. Every one wants property tax relief, but is the almost flat rate state income tax that much more desirable as a revenue source? What is positive about the shift in who pays for education is that the same tax base will be supporting the schools in every town. Without the new state money impoverished (i.e. low total property value) districts like Hartford simply lack the revenue to provide support for the high cost of educating underperforming students. Score the legislature a partial success in the educational field. (On the other hand are we doing all we can, and need to do to move toward universal access to preschool.)

The bill creating same gender marriages in Connecticut seemed to be off to a good start when the joint Judiciary Committee passed it by a much larger majority than even the most optimistic supporters expected. Unfortunately the Governor, bless her small minded heart, promised to veto it. The Leadership of the Judiciary Committee counted the votes and were uncertain about having a majority in both houses, and were certain that the votes were not there to override the veto so withdrew the bill before it ever came to the floor in either house. While this is considered a better strategy than bringing up the bill and seeing it either defeated or vetoed I am not sure it is a moral strategy.

One of the most dismaying facts about the Connecticut Legislature is that it is still dominated by an entrenched leadership and a incompetent and unprogressive governor. During the session everything is so democratic and open with public hearings and debate on every issue of importance, with everything exposed to the light, everything open the public scrutiny. Then the session ends with no budget, no tax plan and no spending plan, and the key leaders get together totally in secret and decide what is going to happen with state spending, then the legislature convenes and rubber stamps what the leadership has decided, without even knowing what is in the budget in most cases. Why have the 6 month long session? Just let the governor and a few other folks make the decisions and then call a session to rubber stamp everything. No matter how successfully I lobby my representative and senator, it doesn’t make a dimes worth of difference.

Running with Scissors and A Thousand Splendid Suns both engaging reads.

I finished Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs while we were in Virginia and found it hard to put down. It is a memoir, so apparently true account of his very sick and warped childhood. Actually in the midst of a most chaotic situation he maintained a relative sanity; which is totally amazing considering that his crazy mother gave him over to the care of her psychiatrist, who was crazier than a loon. Meanwhile Augusten is coping with his sexuality at the time of his puberty. He says that he has known all his life that he was gay, but of course at puberty this translates into first experiences with other men. The totally uninhibited atmosphere in the Finch household may have made it easier for him to cope with his sexuality than if he had been in a repressive home atmosphere.

Taken in isolation most every chapter is outrageously funny, but at the same time knowing that it is not fiction but a memoir gives a poignancy to the most hilarious situations.

It is really worth reading, and I totally understand why it was made into a major motion picture. I would like to read his second book, Dry. There is a one chapter excerpt in the back of the paperback edition of Running with Scissors which I read; but I resisted the urge to read the teaser, knowing I would be frustrated by having my appetite stirred up, but then having to wait for satisfaction.

Before reading Burroughs book I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns, a second book by Khaled Hosseini. His first book, The Kite Runner, was a best seller and I am sure that this one will be too. (Just checked the New York Times and found it was number one on the hardcover fiction best seller list.) Read the NYT review of the book. You may need to register with the NYT, but it is quick and painless and free.

Like his first book this one follows the life of one family with the very prominent backdrop of Afghan culture and recent history. Over the course of the book the lives of the two women, who come to be married to the same man first and best friends later, move through the changes with the take over of the Mujaheem, then the Taliban, The Russian Occupation, the return of the Taliban, and then the American Invasion. The repression of women is a major theme in the book including a celebration of the relative freedom of women in Kabul when we first experience this city and the total repression of women (and everyone) by the Taliban.

It is a complicated family drama with many twists and turns along the way, it was a page turner that I thoroughly enjoyed.

What have you been reading? I am always interested in knowing what my readers (assuming I have any) are reading and how you are enjoying your reading? Recommendations for my summer vacation?

We visit the family.

We had an opportunity to travel last weekend to Sterling Virginia to visit with our family there, and particularly to see our now 16 month old Grand daughter Hannah Marie. We took some pictures which you can see.

Hannah is expecting a new baby sister, Abigail Ann on or before July 1. We will be back to see them in the middle of July. The Father's parents will be with them for this birth.

Nightingale sang a disappointing song.

The last time I saw a drama at Hartford Stage I said that it exceeded my expectations because I usually have low expectations for one actor plays. Last Sunday I reverted to my normal opinion of one actor plays. My reaction to Lynn Redgrave’s play was to fall asleep. Repeatedly. Kathleen was vigilant to wake me before I started snoring (I think).

The play, Nightingale, which was written and performed by Lynn Redgrave, is the story of her grandmother’s life, or more accurately Lynn’s imagination of what her grandmother’s life must have like. The story was at least moderately interesting and does reflect “what challenges an English woman born at the end of the nineteenth century might face.” (from Stage notes by Christopher Baker.) Unfortunately it was a very ordinary and sheltered life, and just not that very interesting.

The critic in the Hartfort Courant thought that the acting was stronger than the play. Click here for review. I thought the opposite, I thought that Lynn’s acting was abasmyl. Her voice droned on and on with very little variation, this is what I found most deadly. James Lecesne in I am My Own Wife was a master of dozens of voices, it seemed like there was a cast of several dozen playing out the drama, but Sunday night it was only Lynn droning on and on.

Of course that is only my opinion, Kathleen enjoyed the play greatly, and a lot of people were quickly on their feet for a standing ovation when the play was over. Needless to say I was not one of them. I also noticed several people who left in the middle of the 90 minute performance. There were no intermissions.

They did have a “High Tea” and Jewelry exposition/sale in the upstairs lobby before the show. I thought the difference between High Tea and just Tea was that High Tea had more substantial food, well I was glad that we had eaten a late lunch before the theater, although everything that I ate was quite tasty, just very dainty. I don’t know if this was a one night event by invitation to theater goers on this particular night, or if it also happened for other performances. We did see some interesting work and met one of the artisans who was quite talkative and we discovered that we had a mutual friend. Kathleen asked the price on one of her pieces because the little price tag was hard to read. Kathleen thought it said $65, but discovered that it said $650. Needless to say she did not get it as a belated anniversary present.

Youth have a message to bring.

On this past Sunday morning at First Presbyterian Church the children and youth were in charge of the whole service. They did a wonderful job, thought those of you who are part of the Church would want to see the pictures. Click here and enjoy.

The Walk Against Hunger this year was a tremendous success.

That's Me with Gloria McAdam, executive of Foodshare receiving my certificate. More Pictures from the Award celebration. I personally raised $1250, $100 was redistributed to other First Pres walkers so some of our younger walkers could receive a prize.

The total raised by Team First Presbyterian for the Walk Against Hunger was over $11,400!

Once again, First Presbyterian's walkers and contributors outdid themselves in helping Hartford's hungry people. Led financially by a fabulous showing from Holly Billings and Pastor Terry Davis, FPC raised $5300 dollars more than last year's not insubstantial effort and was well represented when eighteen members and friends cruised through the sunshine in Hartford's West End. Based on the on line fundraising totals we believed that Holly Billings was the top individual fund raiser and that First Presbyterian Church was on top of the list of faith organizations. At the awards presentation we discovered that one or two other individuals raised more over all than Holly’s $6100 plus. With $15,621 in gifts the team from St. Patrick St. Anthony parish (With a much larger congregation) bested First Presbyterian Church.
Thanks to all of our members who again so amply supported the FPC team!. Thanks again to Keith Rhoden, Barb Yates, Sue Jungi, Deb Meadows, Terry Davis, Carl and Shirley Dudley, Pauline Robertson, Holly Billings, Lois Maxwell, Saundra Spinelli, Marissa Cort, Esther Darko, Solana Gadson, Rusty, Grant, and Karen Spears, and George and Carolyn Blick for going out and asking their friends, neighbors, co-workers, and relatives to support this worthwhile cause. Special thanks as well to Marian Cooke for helping with the pre-walk luncheon as well as Robin Roberts for catapulting the team so far up the donor list.

For the second consecutive year, Center City Churches has been named the number one fundraiser among benefiting agencies with our 218 walkers amassing $60,090, the largest sum ever raised by a single agency. (Eighty percent of the gross total comes directly to the agency to support MANNA: 20 percent goes to Foodshare to support other Hartford-area food programs.) This distinction will bring a $500 bonus to the net total, with contributions are still being submitted to Foodshare in our name. Plus corporate matching gifts and contributions made directly to MANNA will take us over the top of the Walk Committee's s-t-r-e-t-c-h goal of $62,500!

Gloria McAdams, Executive Director of Foodshare reports on the overall results. In total, this year's Walk Against Hunger raised $442,000! A full 10% above last year's results of $400,000 and well over our goal of $430,000! Congratulations and thank you to everyone who made that happen!

CT Legislature draws to a close with unfinished work. Books I have and am reading.

In less that 48 hours the Connecticut legislature will adjourn as required by law, with much of their work still unfinished, including both the tax plan and the spending budget. I guess none of the Legislators mind coming back for a special session since they will be paid for the time they spend in the special session. I have always been surprised that the precedent which was common in Kentucky seems unknown in the northeast. When the statutory hour for ending the session drew near with the work incomplete it was common practice that the clocks in the legislative chambers were stopped so that officially midnight did not come until the work was complete.

What have you been reading lately? I am always interested in what is on other people’s reading list. I have recently completed The Children of Hurin, by J.R.R. Tolkien. The author has long since passed from this earth; his now aged son Christopher has pulled the book together from his father’s various writings, published and unpublished. I certainly enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as either The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I missed the Hobbits and Dwarves and Trolls; this book is concerned with the history of men in Middle Earth, along with the elves who did not make the great voyage to Valinor. There is one aged Dwarf remaining, but it is the later children of Iluvator (men) who are most involved in the conflict with the evil Morgoth and his armies of Orcs.

I also read a New York Times Bestseller, Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. Another of a number of books like The DaVinci Code that take their setting from legends of the Grail and alternate understandings of what the true Grail is. It is of course pure fiction set in Languedoc in southern France, but a very interesting page turner with an interesting theory to explain who were the heretics (variously known as Cathars, Bons Chetiens, or Albigensians) against whom the Pope declared a Crusade and who were the first objects of the inquisition.

I am now reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini whose first novel was the wonderfully popular The Kite Runner. I had printed out the coupon to buy the book at Borders Books and then failed to get there before the coupon expired. The next weekend in the Hartford Courant is an ad for a book signing by Hosseini at all places at BJ’s Wholesale Club. I am continually amazed at their selection of books, often including new releases and bestsellers, and the prices cannot be beat. Anyway I was enjoying the beginning of the book when we came to a new section labeled Book Two which picks up new characters 9 years later with no obvious relationship to the first story. I have gotten far enough to find the connection.

Early Summer Beauty. Last Week's Picture of the Week. Ghanaian Lunch





It is a beautiful time of the year, pictured is a rose blooming on a little island in the midst of the Church parking lot. At home I think our Rhododendrons are fuller and more beautiful than they have ever been before. Our peonies are coming into bloom, one oriental poppy with three blooms at once is making a spectacular show, and I counted a dozen smaller poppies in bloom this morning.





Holly Billings finally identified the swords into plowshares sculpture as being located in front of Hartford City Hall. To the shame of city maintenance the base of the sculpture has been buried under soil and mulch so the inscription calling for an end to gang violence in the city can no longer be read. Today shootings seem more drug related than gang related, although some are simply personal beefs over being disrespected or arguments over a woman. In any case a plea against violence seems relevant and needed when there is at least one a week and often more.




On May 20 we had a guest preacher from Ghana, Dr. Elizabeth Amoah, and following service we had a festive Ghanaian lunch. Pictured above is myself surrounded by some of our very attractive members from Ghana, Francisca, Juliana and Yaa. We dedicated a first gift of $350 to the Salvation Army hospital in Anum, Ghana and received a free will offering of over $800 for continuation of the work of building a relationship with the homeland of so many of our members. More Pictures

Last Sunday the members who were doing the coffee hour had a beautiful cake decorated in honor of the 40th anniversary of my being ordained to the Gospel Ministry. My pretty wife took me to dinner at Abbotts in the Rough, the prime place in Connecticut for delicious lobster dinners while overlooking the Long Island Sound. One person wanted to order 2 seven pound Lobsters, but they only had one that large on that day. I was standing at the pick up counter while they were showing it to him. It would take several people with my appetite to deal with that baby.

Same Sex Marriage - Picture of the week.

We have been publishing a picture of the week on the Church Web Site, all objects within walking distance of the Church. Do you know where this Biblically based Sculpture is located?

It was disappointing to read this morning that the proposal to recognize same sex marriage in Connecticut has been withdrawn for this session.
Story from CT News Junkie.
Comment from Love Makes a Family.
Those who count votes predicted that the bill would lose by a few votes in the House. We can be certain that the proposal will be back in the 2009 legislature, and likely that it will pass then.

Walk Against Hunger

Sunday, May 6 was a beautiful day for the annual Walk Against Hunger. A couple of dozen members and friends from First Presbyterian Church joined thousands of others in the great event. We shared lunch before traveling to the Hartford for walk check in. Two personal friends, Paul and Mary Berlejung from Vermont arrived in time for both morning service and lunch before participating in the walk. Several people who joined us for the mission trip, Joy and Beth from Manchester and Sue and Debbie from Provincetown also joined in lunch and walk.

First Presbyterian raised over $11,000 for the walk. Because our team designated contributions for Center City Churches, Center City will receive 80% of this amount for the MANNA Food Programs while the rest is retained by Foodshare to support over 350 Hartford Area programs. Overall Center City Churches hopes that the 45 teams designating their contributions to the event will bring in $62, 500 (Gross $50,000). The MANNA basic needs programs annually provide more that 65,000 meals to homeless and low-income individuals, 76,000 pounds (that is 38 tons) of food to struggling families as well as weekend meals for hundred’s of frail seniors as well as supplemental food for children through the weekend backpack program.

View Pictures

Grace (Eventually) – Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott

Just finished this her latest book on faith, enjoyed it greatly. It is a collection of essays many of which originally appeared in the Boston Globe, Salon and a dozen or so other magazines.

Anne is a white woman with dreadlocks, above all honest and open with her own experiences, usually witty, sometimes side-splittingly funny. She is an alcoholic who has been in recovery and sober for 20 years, a single mom, and totally committed member of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Marin City, CA. In both the preface and the Acknowledgements she mentions her gratitude to the members of St. Andrew and her pastor the Rev. Veronica Goines. She gives them credit for helping her become sober and a person of faith.

I have met both her pastor and several of the ladies from St. Andrew at Multicultural and can testify that the ladies were very loving people who reminded me of many of the mothers in my first church (also a largely African American congregation). Veronica is obvious an outstanding pastor and preacher.

I would recommend the book to any believer, for that matter any seeker, who is not offended by honesty and by unconventional ways of talking about the faith we share. I was enriched by reading about the lay ministries she is involved with, I quoted her last week in my sermon on belonging, and I probably will quote from the last chapter when I preach Sunday about eating and drinking with Jesus.

This is the paragraph: “The best way to change the world is to change your mind, which often requires feeding yourself. It makes for biochemical peace. It’s almost like a prayer: to be needy, to eat, to taste, to be filled, building up instead of tearing down. You find energy to do something your hadn’t expected to do, maybe even one of the holiest things: to go outside and stand under the stars, or to go for a walk in the morning, or in such hard times, both.”

I Am My Own Wife

My expectations were not particularly high when I went to Hartford Stage last Sunday night to see Doug Wright’s play, I Am My Own Wife. I have seen a number of plays with only a single actor or actress, and most have been disappointing. Not so with this play. Kathleen and I were both on the edge of our seats during the whole production, simply fascinated by the story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. I gather that the author did indeed interview her extensively, and what is portrayed is largely her self reports of her life as a transvestite; a man who dressed and lived as a woman and was openly the center of Gay and Lesbian life in Berlin during both the Nazi and the Soviet rule. The author enters into a brief discussion of the difference between her self accounts and official records as well as press reports, and leaves unanswered the question of how one might resolve these conflicts.

James Lecesne plays almost three dozen characters in the course of the play using little besides his voice, movement and gestures to convey who is speaking. His skill is unbelievable, and you believe you have met all these different people. Costuming is no more than a skirt, blouse, shoes and a string of pearls donned early in the first act, and a similar but slightly different outfit for the briefer second act. The staging is very minimal, although the skillful use of perspective makes the stage seem much deeper than it is. All of the extensive furniture is added only by Charlotte’s description of the unseen pieces.

We had seen Lecesne before is the fast paced farce The Mystery of Irma Vep. In I Am My Own Wife he displays an entirely different repertoire of skills. It is a play well worth seeing.

I am looking forward to the summer season when Hartford Stage will present The Good Body by Eve Ensler, and Mahalia, A Gospel Musical.

We visited our granddaughter Hannah Marie last weekend and took some pictures. To see more click here.

Of course we got back in time for service on Sunday, and then in the evening went to Hartford Stage to see an impressive presentation of "I Am My Own Wife" at Hartford Stage. I will say more about this in my next post.

Wedding Anniversary

Last Friday, April 20, 2007 Kathleen and I celebrated our 38th Wedding Anniversary (that is her pictured above). We had dinner at the Gelston House and then went next door to the Goodspeed Opera House where we saw the opening night of Singing in The Rain. It was a wonderful experience, the first time we had been to the Goodspeed (or the Gelston House) since coming to Connecticut nearly 10 years ago.

I did not expect to enjoy the play as much as I did. Broadway Musicals are a form of entertainment for which I have less appreciation than Kathleen does. However it was a very different experience seeing the production in a very small and intimate house (about 300 seats). It was an excellent performance, and made even more fun by the fact that the production started before you got into the Theater. I don't know if this will happen every night, but for opening night they had spotlights and a red carpet lined with actresses contumed as reporters with flash cameras and big microphones contucting interviews with play goers as we entered.

I also noted with some satisfaction that people really dressed for the theater. Coming from the south I have been shocked to see people come so casual to plays at both the Bushnell and Hartford stage. In Louisville you would see men in tuxedos for opening night at Actors Theatre, and the director always appeared on stage in Tux for the opening remarks. I didn't see a tux at this opening night, but I certainly didn't see cut off jeans either. Almost all the women had on fancy dresses, most of the men coats and ties.

I guess I am old fashioned, but I appreciate that!

The picture says it, Marriage Equality. Yesterday First Presbyterian hosted a prayer breakfast for Connecticut Clergy for Marriage Equality. After breakfast and a keynote speaker, Bishop John Selders we walked over to the press conference at the Capitol. Here is my set of pictures from the event. Another set by Chion Wolf

I just finished reading Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. Joe Hill is the pen name of the son of Steven King, although you would never know it from reading the book. I only found this out and discovered the book because I heard an interview on NPR. I enjoyed the book, it was more than slightly scary. While he is not his father he has great potential as a horror writer. He has published short stories previously, but this is his first novel. I got the book at Boarders, it is probably widely available.

The premise of the book is that Jude Coyne, aging rock star, buys a ghost off the internet, and what comes in the mail in a heart shaped box is a suit. Along with the suit comes the ghost of the old man, who is determined to kill Jude and his present girlfriend. We soon discover that he has been duped into buying this ghost; it was sold to him by the sister of a previous and now deceased girlfriend. For the next 376 pages we are off on a trail of near insanity, mayhem, close calls and a final ending surprise. If you like this kind of escapist reading (the cover describes it as “Dark Fantasy”) it is worth buying.

I have begun on Anne Lamott’s newest book Grace (Eventually). I have only read the first chapter so far, but it promises to be as funny, tragic, redeeming and inspirational as her previous writings. What ever she writes I read; her thoughts on faith or her fiction (often close to autobiographical) are a seamless piece of insight into the wonderful adventure we call life. The bonus for me is that she is Presbyterian, a member of a Multicultural Church and I have been privileged to meet her pastor and some of the “Church Ladies” she so often mentions.

I also bought Robin Roberts’ new book, From the Heart – Seven Rules to Live By. There was an excellent and favorable review and interview published by Essence.com. Robin is officially a member of First Presbyterian Church, Hartford, CT. She joined when she was living in Farmington and working for ESPN. Although she has moved to New York and is now Co-Anchor on Good Morning America she maintains her membership here and attends occasionally. In person she is a wonderfully gracious person, just as she is on camera. One reason we went to Camp Coast Care for our Summer Youth Mission Trip and in February for our Adult Mission was that most of their work is in Pas Christian, Mississippi, which is where Robin grew up. Her mother still owns a home there, which like the rest of Pas Christian was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

The next book I will be buying within the week (while it is 40% off for Borders Books members) is J.R.R.Tolkein's The Children of Hurin. I know he has been dead for 30 or so years, but his 83 year old son has edited this from other of his works, published and unpublished. It should be an interesting read.

Tragedy in Virginia

As I write on April 17 it is hard to think without thinking about the violence at Virginia Tech yesterday. We live in a violent society, a violent world. Despite admonitions in all of the worlds great religions against killing we know that murder has been welling up in the human heart from the very beginning. We find this expressed in the stories of our first parents how jealousy and hatred built up between their children and Cain rose up and killed Abel. We quickly learn two things from God’s dealing with this situation, first that God condemns murder, and second that God’s solution is not to murder (or execute) the murderer. The mark of Cain was given not to condemn him, but to protect him from others who might take his life.

While the problem of violence is not new, I believe that violence and particularly murder has become a greater problem in modern times than ever before. Despite the spread of education and “civilization” in our modern world the more civilized societies of modern times seem more violent than those of the more “primitive” past. The scale of the genocide in the Nazi holocaust was unprecedented in the previous history of the world; what is going on in Darfur is equally tragic. In a matter of days in August 1945 just two bombs killed thousands of Japanese in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an act of violence unparalleled in the history of the world. Yesterday we saw a single individual kill at least 33 people in a matter of hours. There may have been some motive for two of the killings that have been described as arising out of a love relationship, but the rest of the killings seem totally random.

What is the cause of such widespread violence; what can we do to change the direction of history?

I immediately think of three modern trends that contribute to the problem.

• One is the widespread availability of guns and explosives. It is much easier for a single individual or small group to perpetrate deadly violence with a gun or bomb than it ever was with clubs, knives, or the bow and arrow. While better control over the availability of firearms is not the sole answer (even today the mayor of Nagasaki, Japan was critically shot and Japan has very strict gun control) it is part of the answer. In a Presbyterian News Service article about religious reactions to the Virginia Tech tragedy the following comments speak to this concern: In Geneva, the general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the Rev. Setri Nyomi said: “We pray to God that the families, friends and colleagues of the victims will some day find healing, ... We pray also for the United States of America and all nations as they struggle to overcome the temptation to rely on arms and as they work to find true security for all their peoples.”
  In New York, National Council of Churches General Secretary Bob Edgar echoed Nyomi’s call for an end to violence. “The escalation of gun violence compels us to call for an end to the manufacture and easy distribution of such instruments of destruction,” he said.
  “A faith that expresses compassion for all God’s children is opposed to violence in all forms,” Edgar continued, noting that numerous U.S. faith leaders “have spoken up continually about the epidemic of gun violence in our country. Despite repeated calls from faith and community leaders to Congress and presidents nothing ever seems to get done to stem the tide.”
• A second cause of violence in our society is a whole culture that both glamorizes violence and promotes it as a viable solution to personal and political problems. From mainstream television and movies to video games and rap music the media glamorizes violence, makes it seem normative, and worst of all perpetuates the myth that it is an acceptable, even necessary way to solve problems. The wildly popular television series 24 (which I love as a drama and hate to miss, but at the same time I hate with a passion as a propaganda piece) is as guilty as is the president of our nation of perpetuating the myth that we can solve the world’s problems by resort to violence and warfare. If violence is the answer to terrorism, oppressive governments, and civil war then how can we tell individuals that it is not a legitimate way to deal with their personal problems?
• Third, all the stress of living in a fast paced, urbanized, highly competitive and anonymous world increase the likelihood that individuals will loose hold of their sanity, their good sense, and their moral inhibitions.
  
  Is it not the Church’s business to promote a counter culture of peace and reconciliation, love and understanding? This underlines the importance of the simple act of lighting a candle for peace to stand as a beacon of hope calling us and all the world from darkness to light, from violence to peace. It is our business to build community instead of anonymity, to teach people to live deeper than the stresses of the present moment, to get in touch with the basic values of life and with the one who brings meaning and value to all of our lives.
  

Vestments as Costumes

This is me on Good Friday in the street procession. It was one cold and windy day. I usually wear a black cassock and the stole shown above for this event, but I felt I needed my winter coat and the Chasuble was the only vestment that would fit over my winter coat. Actually it did make a rather striking image accompanied by beret and earmuffs.

Seeing myself made me think of a Unitarian clergy friend who would never vest for services in the Church but who wears a Roman Collar and stole in peace protests. I asked her why she did this, since even more than Presbyterians Unitarians believe in the parity of clergy and laity. She said that street demonstrations were a form of theater, and costumes seemed legitimate in that context.

I do admit that sitting in the meeting of the Judiciary Committee on Thursday with my Equality sticker on I did think it would have been good to have on a Roman collar to be identifiable as clergy. [for out of state readers, the committee voted overwhelmingly to send a bill to the CT Legislature establishing same sex marriage. If passed we will be the first state to have marriage equality by action of the legislature. Mass had same sex marriage also, but it was mandated by the court system.) I have pretty much rejected wearing a clerical collar as making a distinction I do not want to preserve between clergy and lay people; but there are times when one legitimately wants to be recognized as clergy since society gives certain deference to clergy as opinion leaders.

Follow this link for more pictures from the Procession on Good Friday and services on Easter Sunday.

This is the bread I baked for Easter. It is a Greek Easter Bread variously called Tsoureki or Lambropsomo. Literally translated Tsoureki means "braided; while Lambropsomo means "Easter Bread. I downloaded several recipes four years ago and amazingly this recipe is still on line at Fabulous Foods at the same URL as it was in April 03. The only variation I made in the recipe was to add 2 teaspoons of anise seeds from another recipe.

For dinner we ate a half a leg of lamb fixed Greek Style with lots of herbs and garlic, roasted potatoes, spring asparagus and a store bought pie. The pie did come from Trader Joe's, and their deserts are generally outstanding.

What a great Holy Week and Easter. We had services with Westminster Presbyterian on Holy Thursday, Good Friday Center City Churches organized a processional on Main Street, praying at significant sites for Peace and justice, reconciliation and healing. Despite an overcast sky and bitter cold winds 65 people participated.

Easter at First Presbyterian Church was great, 125 people attended, the church was filled with Easter Lillies, we had great music on trumpet, organ and piano along with the choir and congregation singing. I had a good sermon, and it was short, less than ten minutes! Follow this link for pictures from Good Friday and Easter.

We had no guests for dinner, but Kathleen and I had a wonderful Easter Dinner, we roasted a half a leg of Lamb (with lots of Garlic and Herbs) and served with roasted potatoes and fresh Asparagus, and had an apple pie for desert. (I didn't make it, but Trader Joes sells great pies.)

Hope For Spring

Despite the cold and a prediction of lows tonight in the upper 30s the first jonquils are blooming in the Church Garden. The sun is out today - on Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of the one we hail as the Hope of the World.

It seems nice to me that both the Western and Orthodox churches celebrate Easter on the same day this year, although a friend told me that his Orthodox friends were disappointed that they couldn't go and get their Easter Candy for half price on the Monday after Western Easter.

PRAYING FOR JUSTICE ON THE STREET CORNERS
On Good Friday March 6, 2007 we hope to have hundreds of people take a walk on Hartford's Main St. to pray on the street corners, following Jesus' Cross, praying for justice, for peace for reconciliation and for healing for our city. Check out and feel free to circulate our flier. If you want to see the liturgy before participating check it out here.

I have emailed this information rather widely and one response I received was from a person who is part of the Connecticut Network of Spiritual Progressives. I followed her link to their website and was tremendously impressed. I certainly felt a spiritual link to the values and ideas expressed. You might be interested also.

SAME SEX MARRIAGE
I listened yesterday to a part of the 12 hours of testimony for and against the bill before the Joint Judiciary Committee to authorize same sex marriage in Connecticut. I had testified two years ago, but did not this year, but as I listened I really wanted to say something. Again and again legislators seemed to be saying in one way or another that they didn't want to discriminate against gays and lesbians (no one mentioned bisexual or transgendered), but that the legislature had already given them all the rights of marriage through civil unions. Several of them kept on at Anne Stanback wanting to know why it was so important to call same sex relationships "marriages."

What this sounds like to me is the same old separate but equal argument that we rejected when it came to rights for African Americans. There were people in the 1950s who wanted to know why Rosa Parks was not satisfied to sit in the back of the bus. After all the back of the bus is going the same place as the front.

Why do LGBT people want marriages, civil unions get them the same rights.?

I just revised yesterday's post. I was being frustrated yesterday because one link was disappearing when I published the blog. Only when I reread it today did I realize that more than that one link was missing, most of the first paragraph had disappeared. Since I didn't save my first draft I may not have put everything in that I had said yesterday, but I did restore some of it.

Last night we saw the play Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. I laughed myself silly. Luis Alfaro has taken a hilarious look at some heavy subjects such as obesity and family/personal relationships. His dialog is excellent, at one and the same time it sounds like real people talking, and also like poetry. The play, with its all Latino cast of four excellent actors/actresses continues through April 1 at Hartford Stage.

A review in the Courant called the play a work in progress. I would agree with this. This is the first full scale production of the play, and the development director who came out and gave a pre-play talk said that is the course of rehearsals and even the preview performances that Alfaro continued to change lines, even some whole scenes were rewritten.

By the way, I really appreciate that a real person comes out on stage before the performance. This is live theater for crying out loud, it seems totally inappropriate that a disembodied voice does the opening announcements, even if those announcements are only reminders not to take pictures and to turn off your cell phones. Jon Jory, the long time director of Actors Theatre Louisville often did this opening monologue himself, at least on opening night. It is part of getting to know the people who ARE the theater, especially important in a residential theater.

The one disturbing thing was the very last scene, Minnie drifts away higher and higher, out of sight, then there is an explosion – debris like large confetti falls down on the stage and the stage goes dark. Kathleen didn’t like the ending because it wasn’t a neat or happy ending. I thought it was all right to end with the explosion like a giant balloon which Minnie had become by the end of the play. What bothered me was that for the curtain call Minnie (who just exploded) came drifting down from overhead, still of course in her fat suit. I would have liked to have her appear for curtain call either as herself without the fat suit, or at least reduced to the size she was when the play began.

FEELING GOOD - DOING GOOD
These thoughts will be published as my Pastor's Column in the April issue of First Thoughts, the newsletter of First Presbyterian Church. www.firstpreshartford.org

Back in January Jeannette Brown, president of the Center City Churches Board, shared an article from the New York Times Magazine entitled Happiness 101. I just got around to reading it and found it most stimulating. Early in the article a professor teaching a positive psychology class at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA makes the distinction between feeling good and doing good. Doing pleasurable things that make a person feel good does not really lead to lasting happiness, rather it leads to greater appetite for pleasure. After giving students an assignment to do something that gave them pleasure, then they were asked to perform an act of selfless kindness.

In this exercise the students learned the difference between feeling good and doing good. Almost universally they reported that doing good gave them a greater sense of happiness and satisfaction than did the more self centered pleasures. They learned that doing good is good for you.

I think of how much emphasis this congregation puts on getting involved in helping others through supporting the Souper Bowl Sunday and the Walk Against Hunger, volunteering at MANNA Community Meals, the Senior Café, the MANNA Food Pantry and Habitat for Humanity. We just sponsored a Mission Trip to help with hurricane recovery, we support Covenant to Care as well as visiting, encouraging, praying for our own members who are sick or in need. We do all of these things because Jesus calls us to these acts of mercy and human kindness; because our Lord commands us to feed the hungry and house the homeless, but the article suggests that we do benefit our selves from what we do.

My own experience as a volunteer echoes the findings of the George Mason Professor, that doing good benefits the one who volunteers; other involved Church members express the same experience. The girl scout leaders who traveled with us to Mississippi were talking about the real satisfaction that they felt in mentoring these girls from the time they were little and seeing them grow into responsible adults.

People looking at our service from the outside often think of “do gooders” as being dedicated, driven by duty to sacrifice our own pleasure to serve others without understanding the real joy that we feel in service.

If you are not involved in making the world a better place I would invite you, I would challenge you, to get involved, not just because you should but because you can, and because of the great benefit you will derive, as well as the benefit that others will receive from your service.

Sunday Hartford lost a great man, those of us who knew him lost a wonderful friend. John Hunt died on Sunday. John had volunteered at Sanchez elementary school for over 15 years, initially planning to do tutoring one afternoon a week, but ending up so in love with teaching that he was tutoring in the classroom four days a week, mentoring children, providing eye glasses for those who needed them, and promised three dozen students that he would pay for their college education. He has followed these kids through the years as a friend and mentor.

A front page article appeared in today's Hartford Courant and you will find links there to a previous story on John. His obituary also appeared in the paper today.

Also Saturday, March 17, 3:00-4:30 pm
Statewide rally to oppose the war
Old State House (800 Main Street, Hartford)
For details, see http://www.ctcow.org/.

Here is an excellent opportunity to hear an outstanding author and scholar speak about homosexuality and the church. Former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly Jack Rogers will be speaking and signing his book Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality at First Presbyterian Church in New Haven, at 7:30 PM Thursday, March 15. For all the details follow this link.

First Presbyterian Church in Hartford (136 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT) is in the midst of a study of his book and anyone would be welcome to join in the last sessions of this study. Adult Forum meets at 9:15 AM on Sundays, Remaining sessions are March 18 and 25. Click here for details.

Follow this link for news coverage from the News conference I mentioned on Wednesday.

Yesterday we had a very interesting planning meeting for a Good Friday procession. This is the beginning of our planning. The procession will begin at noon on Good Friday, April 6, 2007 at South Congregational Church at Buckingham and Main Streets in Hartford. This is also the home for the Center City Churches MANNA food pantry; there we will read I THIRST. Our thoughts and prayers will focus on those who lack the basic necessities of life. A second stop will take us to Main and Park, an empty lot in view of two homeless shelters. There as we hear Jesus cry MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME we will focus on those who feel abandoned by God and by society. We will continue with stops at the Charter Oak Cultural Center and Betances Elementary, The Federal Building, City Hall, Central Baptist Church, and return to South Church.

All are welcome, signs and banners, vestments and costumes are all welcome.

Planners include Center City Churches Clergy, along with members of Plowshares Institute, and Episcopal Peace Fellowship.

Our beautiful granddaughter Hannah Marie had her first birthday last month. If you would like to see more pictures you may follow This link

I will be one of a number of clergy speaking at a press converence today in favor of a State Earned Income Tax Credit. This is what I will be saying:

My brothers and sisters, we have gathered here this morning as leaders of this State’s Mosques, Temples, Synagogues, Churches and other religious organizations to demand that our state do justice for the lowest paid working people of our state. We do not come here hat in hand begging the legislature to please throw some crumb to the poor, we come as a body united in demanding justice for the working poor.

One of the most basic and elementary principles of justice is that those who have been advantaged to have enough and more than enough of the material things of this life have a greater responsibility to provide for the common good of the community. In other words the burden of taxation should fall on the middle and upper class, not on the shoulders of the impoverished. Justice for the poor was written into the original fabric of our income tax system so that the more affluent pay a greater percentage of their income in taxation, and the less affluent pay a smaller percentage.

This system had become so riddled with loopholes that often the richest members of our society pay the smallest percentage of their income in income taxes, and without exception the affluent pay less of their income than do the poor for property taxes and sales taxes.

The Federal Earned Income Tax Credit is a basic first step to providing justice for the poor, it provides a tax credit for low income wage earners. It is not a benefit for those who do not work; it is a help to those who work hard to provide for their families, yet still earn low wages.

What we are asking, what we are demanding today is that our state do justice for the poor and enact a State Earned Income Tax Credit. Specifically we are demanding is a simple system that would provide that everyone eligible for the Federal Credit would also receive an additional one quarter of this amount as a State Earned Income Tax Credit. In a state where we are enjoying huge surpluses in the state budget, and where our rainy day fund is filled to overflowing this is not a budget breaker.

We are today calling on our legislators not to do something some day, but to do this one thing in this legislative session. Thank You.

Our Adult Forum for March promises to be a very interesting study of a topic that is a hot button issue in many religious bodies, homosexuality. What does the Bible really teach? Should we ordain Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and transgender persons (LGBT) as officers, as clergy? Should the Church sanction, forbid or encourage same sex marriages?

Adult Forum takes place at 9:15 AM most Sundays from September through May. Each Sunday in March the Adult Forum will be studying Jack Rogers' book “Jesus, the Bible and Homosexuality: Explode the Myth and Heal the Church.” Jack Rogers is Professor Emeritus of Theology at San Francisco Theological Seminary and was moderator of the 213th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). more details Professor Rogers will be lecturing at First Presbyterian Church, New Haven on Thursday, March 15 at 7:30 PM. Lecture details

I have two collections of photos from our mission trip; one is of the group at travel and at work, the other is from the two days we spent in New Orleans for Mardi Gras.
Link to work photos
Link to Mardi Gras Photos

A week late, it is now time to update what happened the last three days of the Mision Trip. I have more pictures to post, and will do this later in the week and put the link in a subsequent entry at this location. Monday, February 19 was the last work day and for our crew it was a busy one. In the morning we went to the home of a client that I had never met and almost finished putting insulation in walls and ceilings. There was still a small portion of the ceiling that was not insulated, but we ran out of material and expected to complete the job after lunch. We also began hanging sheet rock, but made little progress because the drills we had with us were faulty. We were frustrated by the time we were set to leave for lunch, but expected to return with material and tools after lunch.

What happened instead was that several of the groups at the camp were scheduled to leave after lunch and almost everyone was reassigned. Our crew (which this afternoon was all people from First) stayed together wil Jim Bass as crew leader, but we went back to Isa's house where we had worked before. The task for the afternoon was to install cement board on Ida's floors in her sun room and a large hall way, another group at a later time would be installing ceramic tile over this sub floor. The work was very satisfying, particularly because in the course of the afternoon we were able to complete our task. Some sheets could go down intact, but the last pieces had to be cut to fit. We learned to measure very carefully to make these pieces fit, since the house was not exactly square. Keith proved himself quite talented with a skill saw, but the stars of the show were Stacy K and Sue C who had the task of nailing down the cement board with a nail gun. The two of them, the two smallest members of the team, were something else with a nail gun in their hands - BAMB - BAMB - BAMB. Stacy had at least seen her father use a nail gun while helping him remodel their home, but Sue was the most game to use a tool she had never experienced before. [I think both of them came to understand men's facination with power tools.]

I do want to say that we had a most impressive group. Every member of the team was a hard worker, and the teens were the hardest workers of all. There were other groups with teens in the camp with us who spent more time standing around (we saw a few adults with the same problem) than working. Every member of our group that I worked with was working hard, if someone was not busy it was because there were too many people for the job.

We came with different abilities, and many of us learned entirely new skills. Some of us used knowledge we thought we had forgotten; most of us knew our limits and followed the leaders' advice not to exceed our ability. I had to step aside one afternoon when the physical demands of carrying lumber caused me to be short of breath. One person seems to have exceeded his limits.

Sherry who I believe was our oldest team member found his place in the kitchen and his efforts were much appreciated by the cook as well as by all of us who ate at the camp. Those of us who want our coffee soon after rolling out of bed were most appreciative of his early rising to turn on the pots.

We all came to know one another much better for our week together, we learned who was a light sleeper and who was a loud snorer (guilty as charged, and I warned the light sleeper she was in too close proximity. I don't think she believed me, but during the night she picked up her bed and relocated.)

The last day we rose early and moved to New Orleans for Fat Tuesday, the last day of Mardi Gras. Several of us got to watch the Zulu parade, one of the largest and best with over 30 floats, others saw Rex and other of the finest Crewes. We continued to explore the french quarter, are wonderful food, and saw many amazing sights. Most of us were wise enough to get off the streets and into our hotels before things got their wildest in the last few hours before everything ends and lent begins at midnight.

We flew home virtually without incident and arrived at the airport at 3:05 PM, on schedule. We will not talk about who walked all over the third floor of the parking lot at Bradley airport before she found her car. Shirley and I were the only members of the mission trip to return to the Church for Ash Wednesday dinner and service; I probably would not have gone if I wasn't the pastor, and I think Shirley felt obligated since she invited Francis Acquah, our guest preacher.

When will be begin planning the next trip?

I do want to say that we are indebted to the youth of the Church who, along with their leaders, George and Carolyn Blick had worked at Camp Coast Care (http://www.campcoastcare.com/) last summer and challenged the adults to do a mission trip. We also owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to George Blick and other family members who made all the arrangements for travel and housing; all at very reasonable prices. We are thankful to the Presbytery of Southern New England (http://psne.org), the FPC Strawberry Festival, the girl scouts and others who contributed to make it possible for everyone who wanted to go to afford the trip.

Yesterday was a day of rest at Camp Coast Care so every one of the First Presbyterian/South Windsor Girl Scouts headed for New Orleans where Mardi Gras was going in full force. First thing we did was go to Café Du Monde
for coffee and beignets. After much waiting we saw the Okemos parade. We learned that all times are approximate. I lost track of how many floats were in that one, the theme was chilrden's stories and float after float went by (sometimes with large gaps in between). Interspersed were marching bands, high school dance teams, a mounted unit, Shriners and more. I think there were two or three more parades scheduled for Sunday, and of course more on Monday, and the biggest Krewes do their thing on Tuesday.

We all got so many beads thrown from parade floats and from balconies that we were weighted down. Both Carl and I bought Jester's hats, as well as getting Mardi Gras caps for donating to a charity for kids. We started out with Shirley and Carl and I, George and Carolyn and Sue C., and then the Dudley's and I split to do our own thing. We sat in Jackson Square and enjoyed the sun and the craziness, including a demonstration and street theater proclaiming that God was unfair, heard lots of preachers decrying the sins going on on the street (little wonder people have issues with the God they were proclaiming), lots of bands everywhere, some very good.

We had a great meal, I ate Gumbo, Shrimp Po Boy, and heped Carl with his 1/2 pound of boiled shrimp. They has Pecan Pie for desert. I was full at that point. We walked most of the length of Bourbon Street, and found out way back to the car about 10 minutes before we were schedued to leave, and 10 minutes after the other half of our crew got there. We saw many sights along the way, lots of partying, but unlike some other festivals I did not se people passed out or puking in the street. Of course we left at 7 PM, there was still plenty of time for that. (although I remember seeing that in Savanah well before afternoon was over.)

Some of the other groups got separated from one another by the parade and couldn't cross and join up for a while. They arrived after lights out at 10 PM.

Today is a work day, then off to New Orleans for a hotel stay on Fat Tuesday, fly home early on Wednesday.

Yesterday we were one of two crews Willie was supervising. Now Willie is an interesting staff member. He grew up in Pas Christian and knows just about everyone in the community. Appearently the long timers are a tight community with many intermariages. Sedona, the lady whose's house we worked on much of the day, has a relative related to Willie. He first came to Camp Coast Care as a client, then when his house was repaired took a position helping others.

Unfortunately with two crews he was spread thin and we spent a long time waiting to get to the house we were working on, and then the cabnits we supposed to be installing were not ready to be installed. While he went to straighten that our we found our own work, there were doors that needed to be put on their hinges, miniblinds to be hung, and all the door hardware to be installed. George took on the miniblinds, but found it frustrating without a drill for pilot holes to put screws into the metal frames around the windows. He really got rolling on that task after lunch when we returned with the power tools we needed.

I had hung doors (pre hung doors, all that needed to be done was to line up the hinges and force in the pins) and installed hardware, so I got started on that and taught the rest of the crew how to handle that task. When we got finished Willie took several of us back to the first house and we learned a little and did some dry wall hanging and mudding. The girl scouts had been working on that project and made major progress and were really good at the task.

Last night we went to The Shed and listened to music and ate Barbecue at one of the 25 best barbecue restruants int he south. It was falling off the bone tender and tasty. A little more heat in the sauce would have been alright with me, but I am not complaining. Corrigan and I split a whole rack of Baby Back Ribs and a pint of slaw and were filled. Carl had a slab to himself and ate most of it.

They gave a shout out to all the volunteers who had come to help out Mississippi rebuild. The owners wife came and talked to us for a long time and again expressed appreciation, said Misissippi would be no better now than it was a year ago if it was not for the volunteers. It dows feel good to hear that kind of appreciation and realize what we are doing makes a difference in people's lives. She also talked about how many tons of meat they now sell every week, when they really did start a few years ago as a tiny take out shed.

Yesterday our crew worked on Ida's house. Sue and Sarah Labins and I, along with three women from Arlington, Va were a painting crew, between us we painted one small room with two coats of blue, and another larger room that was painted yesterday with a first coat got a second coat. Meanwhile Keith and Jim, our crew leader, were taking out windows and installing new windows.

Ida lives in a home that her father built, and Jim says he built it well, that is why it survived the flood. She was born in the house when it was smaller, as the family grew to five children her father added on to the house. Her father was bed ridden during Katrina and died last December 17. She said the house was all decorated for Christmas, but it wasn't a very happy time as the family gathered from all over for his funeral.

They were in the house when Katrina came, they were high enough that the flood waters stopped a few inches below the first floor, but the tin roof blew off and the water poured in through the ceiling.

She did inherit some money when her father died and invested in a down payment on an 18 wheeler she has out on the road making her money. She doesn't drive, but has a family member who is her driver. She is quite an entrepreneur!

Keith and Holly and I led worship last night. On Thursday when it was mostly us Presbyterians we did Compline from the Episcopal Prayer book, not the camp is full of Episcopalians we had more of a free church service.

I think they are calling for morning meeting so I need to go.

Camp Coast Care, Long Beach, MS
Yesterday a crew of 11 of us from Hartford spent the morning doing finishing painting on Bernadet's house in Pas Christian which was totally flooded by Katrina. She and her children are living in a FEMA trailer on her property (I think there are 3 of them in 200 square feet.) Everything has been taken out of her home, walls, wiring, insulation, everything, including most of her personal belongings, totally ruined by the flood, mud and mold. After the house was down to the studs it was pressure washed, trated for mold, and then wiring, insulation, siding and dry wall goes back in. Finally done the house is being painted, baseboards and moulding are being put in (some of our people helped with that). She should be in the house soon. We met her very briefly.

Most of the group returned in the afternoon. Sue from P-town and I finished the bedroom we were painting (two coats) and were taken to a new home job site. This house will be 8 feet off the ground, the 8X8s had been set in cement. Willie took down the 2X4s that steadied the beams while the concrete set, and sue and I pulled out nails so the lumber coule be reused. Betwen us we cleaned 64 boards, she figured 400 construction nails.

Then we were joined by others from our group to unload a truck, carrying siding from the truck to the remains of another house on stilts that has been gutted, cleaned and is ready for construction to begin. A crew will put on the siding, we constructed the scaffolding and moved the siding. By the time that was done we were done for the day.

By the way, Bernadette's house was within a few blocks of the Roberts house in Pas Christian where Robin spent many summers. We were going to see that house and get pictures, but have not got a chance yet.

Another group arrived just as dinner was served last night, and a third group arrived after lights out. They were quiet, some people heard them, I never did. The camp is almost full, only a few of the 75 cots were unoccupied this morning.

If you are reading post your comments (just sign as an anoymous commenter) and keep us in your prayers. Include prayers for warmer weather.

To see photos I took yesterday and today follow this link. Many of them are dark, sorry, it is a new camera. I have adjusted the exposure, hopefully others will be better. I will continue to post new Photos to this Album as often as I can so check back often. I will try to write about today either later tonight or tomorrow morning. We are about to watch a Katrina Video now, and I am rather tired.
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=revtdavis@sbcglobal.net&aid=576460762389858149&pid=&wtok=DERRdK5VYcv3swCgHESScg--&ts=1171588718&.src=ph

Our mission trip got off to an inauspicious start when winter storm Agatha blew into the Northeast closing airports across the area. American Airlines kept saying our flight was on an on time status so 27 of us got checked in at Bradley Field, all without great hopes of leaving yesterday. Actually we were one of the few (someone said 5) flights that left Bradley. We boarded 1/2 hour late, then sat for another 90 minutes as the Pilot kept explaining the delay. He said that rain was OK, snow was OK, but the ice pellets that had been coming down off and on all day made take off impossible, he was hopeful that the weather would change soon, and finally it did, we got deiced once near the gate and again just before take off, and finally at 6 PM our 4:05 flight got into the air.

We arrived in Chicago just a few minutes before out flight to New Orleans was to leave, but it also was delayed (they said it landed at the same time as we did). We went from one end of the airport to the other (one of the group had to get wheelcahir transportation). They were already boarding, but this was a long line and several of us got McDonalds to take on the plane.

By the time we got our luggage (all of it arrived, suprisingly, they had told us they might leave some to catch up with up to reduce the load on the Hartford - Chicago flight), got into vans, and got to Camp Coast Care it was 1:15 AM this morning. There were only about three others here last night, others will be arriving today and tomorrow. They pushed wake up time until later (usually 6:30 AM and Breakfast is still to come at 8:30). New Orleans is on Central Time.

So we are here, we were all so tired we slept well on our camp cots, and are ready to go to work. Hopefully you will hear more from me tonight or tomorrow.

On Valentines Day 27 members and friends of First Presbyterian Church will take off from Bradley Field to travel to New Orleans and then on to Camp Coast Care (http://www.campcoastcare.com/) located in Long Beach, Mississippi. While staying there we will be engaged in a variety of tasks to help nearby residents recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina nearly a year and a half ago.

I am part of this team, and if possible I will be providing daily updates from this camp, although there is some question about computer availability from this location.

We will be there through February 19, and on the 20th we will leave for New Orleans where we will be staying at a hotel near the French Quarter. The 20th, or course is Fat Tuesday, the last day of Mardi Gras. On Ash Wednesday early in the morning we will leave to return to Hartford, and some of us will be part of Ash Wednesday worship at First Presbyterian Church. (Service and dinner begin at 6:30 PM with a special message from Francis Acquah, a Methodist minister from Ghana.

Check back at this location for as many updates as I am able to post.

Last night’s third annual public meeting of the Greater Hartford Interfaith Coalition for Equity and Justice (Why did we ever give ourselves such an unwieldy name? GHICEJ or even simpler ICEJ is our normal shorthand) was a powerful meeting to advance the cause of justice in the state of Connecticut. There were hundreds of people, perhaps as many as a thousand people, from thirty faith communities including Muslim, Unitarian-Universalist, Friends (Quakers), Jewish, Protestant and Roman Catholic, plus representatives from 20 allied organizations who cosponsored the meeting.

The most powerful thing about the meeting was that we were speaking directly to state legislators who were not only present, but who stood up one after another to pledge their support for the specific issue based goals that the coalition has set for this legislative session. State Senators Eric Coleman and Jonathan Harris pledged their support and leadership in the senate to pass a state Earned Income Tax Credit for the working poor in the state. Representative Andy Fleischmann who is co chair of the State Education Committee pledged to support the increases in the availability of free preschool education programs and the increased state funding for local education that the coalition is supporting. Maryann Handley, co chair of the Public Health Committee supported the goal of universal, high quality, affordable, healthcare for everyone in the state. The Immigration Task Force is seeking to grant young people who are state residents but undocumented immigrants with the same rate of tuition as other state residents pay at state Colleges and Universities. Currently the undocumented pay out of state tuition, a rate three times as high as instate tuition. Representative Filipe Reinoso from Bridgeport had a last minute conflict, but a staff member from the state commissioner on Latino affairs spoke on his behalf, pledging to introduce this bill in this session as he has in a previous legislative session.

Senator Don Williams, Jr. President Pro Tempore, Connecticut General Assembly spoke in support of all of the ICEJ initiatives and gave a rousing speech encouraging our emerging powerful justice movement.

We heard powerful and challenging words from ICEJ president, the Rev Jesse White, as well as pastors Ed Horstmann, Josh Pawelek, Damaris Whittaker and Edwin Ayala, and finally from Imam Abdul-Rahmann Muhammad. The evening ended on a high note with the introduction of a new justice song “It’s Time to Wake Up.”

The most disappointing thing about the evening was the total lack of coverage in the local press. The State of the Union address by our pitiful excuse for a president began as the ICEJ meeting was ending, and commandeered a huge number of column inches in the Hartford Courant.

It was particularly gratifying to have a block of 14 people from First Presbyterian Church, Hartford, the largest number ever to attend a single ICEJ event. I am particularly thankful to the following people who attended along with myself (and to any others from our community who attended whom I did not see): Edwin Carty, Carl & Shirley Dudley, Bob & Alice Evans, Sherwood and Kate Anderson, Sherry & Anita Marchant, Lois Maxwell, Dianne Ney, Ray & Flora Perleoni.

The meeting was held in the beautiful and new sanctuary of the House of Restoration on North Main Street. This is the largest Church sanctuary in the city of Hartford in terms of seating capacity (2000) and according to their pastor, Bishop Jeremiah Tores, the oldest Latino Church in the city.

Has it been so long since I have written in this blog? Christmas and time with our family and friends, and then a catch up time, and of course sermons, meetings, a pastor’s column for the newsletter and much more have all seemed more important than writing for an imaginary audience, or does some one read my ramblings? Love to hear from readers if there are any!

The greatest thrill of vacation time (Christmas Day until January 6, the 12 days of Christmas) was being with our 10 month old granddaughter on Christmas Day.

Hannah is an absolute darling, was just beginning to walk a step or two when we were there. Her mother called the day after we left to tell us that she walked all the way down their hall without holding on to anything. If you would like to see more pictures and see for yourself how beautiful she is you can follow the link below.http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=revtdavis@sbcglobal.net&aid=576460762384052456&pid=&wtok=uF71z1StFNPlSvQa.44mNA--&ts=1168530260&.src=ph

We also traveled to North Carolina to spend time with our friends Dennis and Cheryl and were glad to see some of their children and their grandchild who was born the same week as Hannah was along with Kentucky and North Carolina friends and neighbors. We again walked our home site where we will be living in just a little more than two years and walked on the sands of Holden Beach.

I reluctantly went with Kathleen to an outlets mall in Myrtle Beach, but when we got there I ended up buying more clothes for myself than she did.

Arriving back in time to preach and catch up with what is happening at the Church I discovered that in addition to celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day on the 14th we also were having a multicultural dinner. Kathleen contributed 28 barbecued chicken legs and a huge pan of Macaroni and cheese, which all of us enjoyed along with Jamaican meat patties, Scottish Shepherds pie and much more.

The Church is really looking forward to the mission trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to work on Hurricane recovery from Katrina. The youth shared their pictures and stories of how much more was still needed when they returned from their summer mission trip. We have 25 members and friends who will be traveling on Valentine’s day to Long Beach, Mississippi. We will spend Mardi Gras in New Orleans and then return to Hartford on Ash Wednesday.

I am going on the trip and the Bishop John Selders will be providing both the music and the message on Sunday, February 18. The Bishop has been with us as a musician before, but this is his first time in the pulpit. I am certain it will be a blessing for everyone; I wish I could be two places at once and be a part of this service to bring to an end the Epiphany season, and to be part of our celebration of Black History Month. Check out Bishop Selders’ biography at www.amistaducc.org/jsbio.htm .

Last Sunday I preached on the end of the age based on the scriptures for the First Sunday in Advent. When I preached the sermon, in my effort to be brief and to the point, I omitted three paragraphs that I had written. They do make an important point, at least one important to me. Those paragraphs follow. If you would like to read the entire sermon you can go to www.firstpreshartford.org/12-03-06.htm

I am frankly more concerned about what we humans are doing to ourselves and to our planet than about what God might be doing with us. I have spent most of my life living in the nuclear age. The first Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima when I was 4 years old. I remember the Atomic Bomb drills when I was in elementary school, and I still remain frightened of the possibility of nuclear warfare. Although the cold war is supposedly over both this nation and the former Soviet Union still posses enough power to wipe out human life on earth many times over and more and more nations are trying to join the Atomic club. It may be that the clouds of the Apocalypse are the mushroom clouds of nuclear warfare.

Al Gore in his book and movie An Inconvenient Truth makes a convincing scientific argument that we have already set in motion forces of global warming that may not destroy human life, but certainly have cataclysmic effects on our civilization.

We are in the midst of a global pandemic caused by the HIV virus, one that is so severe in parts of the African continent that a population collapse is a very real possibility. Bird flu or other diseases spread accidentally or deliberately as part of biological war or terrorism could have a similar effect.