MBCC Blog

Wednesday Word/s: Gratitude, Relief, Expectation

[image: eski]
Dear Church,

Well . . . it is finally done.  While we have certainly been preparing for this for the past few months, as of this Sunday, are officially moving to 32 Ocean Avenue to share the space with Ocean Avenue Presbyterian Church.  It is with deep gratitude, relief and expectation that we enter into this new time in the life of our congregation as well as Ocean Avenue Presbyterian Church.   

Gratitude . . . Thank so much to the folks at OAPC, past, present and future for the wisdom and commitment that they have lived over the years.  The opening of thier "home" is a huge move of faith and I am sure has not come easily nor taken lightly.  On behalf of the MBCC Crew, thank you. 

Relief . . . While I certainly do not believe that life will EVER be calm and absent of some chaos, it is nice to know that this particular phase of "where will we be?" is coming to a close and we can move energy to learning how to share a space and live outside the walls of our church.

Expectation . . . I can't put into words my excitment for the future of MBCC.  I am giddy - yes, I said giddy - at the propsect of who we will become because of this move.  Not only will the move change the ways we can live the Gospel in the world, but it will change the very nature of who we are as a people and community.

Lastly, please be a part of this transition by helping out with the move itself, coming out to all the events that will be planned and otherwise engaging in the life of our church as we move smoothly through this time in our life.

What a joyous time this is in indeed!

Peace - Bruce

Online ways to support MBCC

While we are certainly going to save a great deal of money with our move, it is our hope NOT to lesson giving, but to shift the use of our financial resources to mission and service efforts.  So, please continue to give of your time as well as your resources.  Two ways to do that  right now.

First . . . renew or add your Safeway card to the Escrip program and designate MBCC as you charity of choice.  This is a painless and easy way to have a percentage of your purchases come back to MBCC.  [CLICK HERE]

Second . . . please consider making your contributions through our online giving system, eGive.  eGive allows you to make automatic payments on a scheduled or one-time basis.  This consistency that this system offers us is a great help to the smooth movement of our day-to-day operations.  To sign up [CLICK HERE].

For a complete list of ways you can financially support MBCC [CLICK HERE].

It's official, we're moving

Greetings all,

I hope this letter finds you doing well and enjoying our great SF weather!

As you know we have been talking about the pending move over the past months and this Sunday it became official, we are now in a partnership with Ocean Avenue Presbyterian Church to share in the ministry that takes place at 32 Ocean Avenue in the Excelsior District.  While there will certainly be some transition pains as we move into this new space and phase of our life, I am confident that we will do so with grace and agility.

I am sure there are many questions that folks have about the quick move we will be making, but I wanted to be sure to give you the timeline for the move. 

TIMELINE

• Week of September 22nd // Packing and getting out!
• September 23rd, 8:00pm // Packing at 1040 Mariposa
• September 24th, 7:30pm // Building walk through creativity time @ 32 Ocean Avenue.
• September 24th, 7:00pm // Packing at 1040 Mariposa Street
• September 27th, 9:00am-4:00 // Work Day
• September 28th, 11:00am // Final Service at 1040 Mariposa
• Sunday, October 5th, 11:00-5:00 // MBCC at the Excelsior Festival
• Sunday, October 5th, 5:30 //Communion Service at 32 Ocean Avenue
• Week of October 6th // Serious unpacking and setting up
• Sunday, October 12th, 5:30 // FIRST SERVICE AT 32 OCEAN AVENUE

As always if you have questions please feel free to eMail me.  For specific questions about the move or if you have some extra hours to help out please contact Transition Coordinator, Shannon Powers.

Lastly, I want to pre-emptively thank the MBCC community for your energy, patience and courage to move through this time in our life in the hopes that we are truly following God's call upon our life together.

Peace all,
Bruce

A Word from Shannon

A WORD FROM SHANNON
Transition Coordinator

Hi all,
I've done enough personal moves across the country to know that packing anything is not a one day job.  In the case of moving the church, we'll need to disassemble things, cubicles and furniture and it's going to be a lot of work and hopefully with enough hands, we'll get the bulk of it done in one grand effort.

So that grand effort is Saturday the 27th of this month (next weekend).  That date may conflict with some personal schedules and so I'd like to propose a few additional opportunities to contribute to the process. 

First, I'm going to have packing materials available as soon as possible, certainly earlier than the 27th.  If you only personally pack a couple of boxes a day, that's a dent and that's great.  Many members of the GESG group won't be available on Saturday so they've offered the GESG meeting night to assist.  Not to encroach on anyone's extracurricular church time but it's crunch time for us so if you can offer maybe an hour during or outside of your gatherings to help any time this week or next, let me know and I'll make sure the building is open and will probably lend a hand if you don't mind.  I'd also like to make room for an hour or two after church on the 28th.

Keep in mind that we're going to need an UNpacking day but one thing at a time

So here are timelines as I see them:

• First Ocean Ave service is October 5th and we're trying to focus on having a booth in the neighborhood fair that day so in order to give that the attention it deserves, we will need to complete as much as possible before then.
• We will be primarily packed up by 28 Sept, projected to fill a moving truck and get it over to Ocean Ave no later than October 1st.
• October 7th is the last Mariposa day, keys get handed over, electric and other services are resolved, i.e. canceled or moved to the Ocean Ave location.

We can do some light unpacking any time over that week following the 01 Oct.  The most important thing on my plan right now is to get out of Mariposa.  If I've left anything off, let me know. 
Saturday, Sept 27th is the BIG day.  Show up anytime after 9a and stay as long as you can, we're projecting to 4p.  Come for whole or half, as much you want or are able and we'll provide coffee/food in the morning and afternoon (lunch) and, ahem, BYOB if the mood strikes.

Shannon [email]

Welcome Shannon and our Transition Plans

[image: urbantiki ]
This week we welcome Shannon Powers to be our official Transition Coordinator.  Shannon brings uber-energy and organization to the daunting task of overseeing our transition out of 1040 Mariposa and into 32 Ocean Avenue.

Needless to say this will not be an easy task, but with your energy, time and prayers, it will get accomplished with grace, dignity as little bumps as possible.

As of now, this will be the transition time line, of course this is all subject to change.

September 21 - TOWN HALL
September 21 - MBCC given keys and access to 32 Ocean Avenue
September 27 - WORK DAY, 9:00-4:00 w/lunch
September 28 - LAST SERVICE at 1040 Mariposa
October 5 - EXCELSIOR FESTIVAL and FIRST COMMUNION - MBCC will have a booth at the festival and then we would invite you to share in communion in the new space at 5:30.
October 12 - FIRST SERVICE, 5:30 w/Dinner to follow.

If you have even a few extra hours to give, please let Shannon know.

Potluck and Town Hall

MONTHLY POTLUCK
AND
TOWN HALL

This Sunday, September 21
right after service

Come and hang out to eat and hear about the transition plans for MBCC.  It is coming hard and fast, so be sure to grab some goodies to share and find out how you can be involved in the move!

Wednesday Word: Risk

[image: ecatoncheires]
Dear Church,

So, yep, we are getting closer and closer to taking the leap.  After three years in this location, we are now pretty darn close to picking up and moving on over to begin a partnership with the good folks over at Ocean Avenue Presbyterian Church.  We are in the final stages of negotiating our Memorandum of Understanding with OAPC, the lease termination agreement has been signed to let us out of our current location AND we have brought on a Transition Coordinator to help us shift out of 1040 Mariposa and into 32 Ocean Avenue.

First, as we can tell from the Survey Results, there is both great excitement and anticipation as well as some trepidation and downright disappointment.  Again, the Steering Committee does want to honor the concerns and we feel like we have addressed them as best we can.  No, it will not be easy, but we also want to listen to the sense of excitement and possibilities that accompany this move.  I for one will be sad if this move creates a situation where folks can no longer worship with us, but I am also excited about the possibilities for who MBCC will become.

As I travel the church, I am constantly hearing about this fear of an unknown future for a denomination.  Honestly, aren't all of our futures unknown to us?  The only thing that we claim to know is that in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are made right with God now and for eternity.  Exactly what that looks like for our time on earth and how we get there will be a constant unfolding of the mystery of God.  Now that can bring upon a myriad of responses, fear that turns to anxiety or challenge that turns to risk-taking.  I choose a faithful posture of risk-taking.  Time will only tell of this is the God wants us to move.

And while MBCC certainly has places that are less then pleasing to God, I am proud to acknowledge that being adaptive and dealing with change has never been difficult for us.  We have always been able to trust one another, we have taken time to listen and we have made difficult choices that we have discerned to be the best for the future of our community.  Now more than ever we need to lean on this gift and rejoice in the fact that our fluid nature is something to be embraced, nurtured and exercised.

I hope that you will make this journey with us!

Peace,
Bruce

Wednesday Word: Chaos

[Utter Chaos image: Fayyaz]

Dear Church,

So . . . this week for me has been a doozy.  School has started for the girls, E. has wanted to dive into everything as she starts middle school, we are in the middle of all this move stuff and, oh yeah, I have a spouse and self to tend to.  And to top it all off the "cleaning elves" have not shown up at our house for at least a week.  If you are holding them hostage, please let them go, we can't find the kitchen table.  There have been times this week that I can just feel that overwhelming feeling coming.  Sort of like standing just under a wave and hoping to just stay ahead of it and avoid the crushing onslaught of "stuff" that comes with it.

Sound familier?
Whew.  Breath in, breath out.

I know that many of you too are going through things like this.  Life is stressful: jobs, family, self, church, etc.  Sometimes all we can do is hope to get a good night's sleep and make it through the next day.  At our best, we we have a sense of calm no matter how long the TO-DO list is or how many eMails have gone unanswered.  And at our worst we get so overwhelmed by life that we forget to tend to our spirtual lives under the guise of the excuse, "there just is not enough time in the day."  We trick ourselves into thinking that it will just get better "tomorrow" or "after this project" or "when so-and-so does ______" it will calm down.

Well I hate to be the bubble-buster, but life is crazy and chaotic, so our discipline should not be to avoid the mess, but to find ways to find calm in the midst of all the C-R-A-Z-Y.

If I could be so bold as to offer some ways to do so . . .

• Find and commit to an regular study/covenant group.  I have two that I will NEVER miss.  Yes, they are annual week-long meetings, but these are groups that have known me through good and bad and through these relationships I am loved, encouraged, challenged and nurtured.
• Get a spiritual director, not a therapist, but one who can talk to you about your walk with Christ and relationship with God.  Sure it could be me, another person whom you trust or a trained Spiritual Director, but get with someone who can help you discern those places where God give you life!
• Find out what feeds you that you have not named as a discipline, but realize that it connects you to God.  This is not to be used to simply justify an activity you like, but to claim how God may specifically speak to you.

So there you have it.  Would be curious how you handle all the chaos of your life!

Save the Date! CROP Walk 10/19/08

Once again this year, MBCC will join with other churches and schools to participate in the San Francisco CROP Walk at 1:30 PM on Sunday 10/19/08.  This fundraising walk takes place at in the Presidio, around Crissy Field  Proceeds benefit the SF Food Bank, SF Interfaith Council, and Church World Service.  More information about the walk can be found at www.cropwalksf.org which also includes a link for online donations.  (MBCC is set up as a team, so that walkers can get sponsors to donate online.)  Contact marc@missionbaycc.org with any questions!

Wednesday Word: Waiting

Greetings church,

First, too hot this week in SF.   If I wanted this kind of weather, I would never have left Sacramento and Stockton way back when I was but a wee pup. 

But I digress.

So after last week's Town Hall - sorry we missed so many of you that were traveling - we are now waiting. 

• Waiting to hear back from you.
• Waiting to get final confirmation about our current lease.
• Waiting to work out the details of the OAPC/MBCC Partnership.
• Waiting to find someone to manage our move.
• Waiting to get on with mission.
• Waiting to see what is next for MBCC.
• Waiting.
• Waiting.
• Waiting.

Now when I say we are waiting for all of these things I do not mean to imply that I, the other staff and/or the Steering Committee are sitting around like bumps on a log not doin' nuthin'.  No, when I say waiting, what I mean is we are being patient and doing the best we can to listen for the movement of the Holy Spirit as we discern and act in order to move this congregation forward.

So this means that we'll make decisions when ready, we'll be hold steady when need be and we'll act quickly if the situation demands it.  And yes, sometimes we may just need to be silent and still, and we must wait some more.  This discernment, agility and willingness to "turn on a dime" has always been one of MBCC's finest qualities.  Our agile nature sprinkled with a bit of wisdom and grounded on a trust that is built on Christ-centered covenant between each other has allowed us to thrive.  I thank you for that and I am confident that we will continue the trend.

Still . . . we still want to hear from you.  We have yet to hear any compelling or passionate pleas to NOT pursue the Ocean Avenue partnership, so please speak up so we can address your concerns and/or adjust course if need be.  And if you are all for this, we want to hear from you as well.  As we have done most of the time, because of the nature of the MBCC life, we take silence as a form of trust, but words are always better ;-)

So, if you have a minute, please FILL OUT THIS BRIEF SURVEY and let us know what you think.   You should also stay tuned for announcements about walk-throughs, move schedule etc.  And lastly, since we know we will be moving SOMEWHERE soon, we are looking for a Project Manager for the move.  We need someone to start next week and work through October handling all the logistics of the move out and move in.  This person would work with myself, other staff and the Steering Committee to develop the relocation plan.  If you or someone you know might be interested, please let me know.

Again . . . this is an exciting time - When is it not? - in the life of MBCC and I count myself blessed to be in this adventure of faith with all of you.

Peace,
Bruce

[image: Silvia de Luque]