News of Note

In 2006 and 2007 PCC has had film and discussion series that have been well received. If you would like to see the films for yourself, descriptions are below. Both series were organized by Steve and Kristen Mayer. They can tell you how to get copies of the films if you would like to see them.

Why Are We Always At War?
A Film and Discussion Series (2007)

I Know I’m Not Alone. The film chronicles film maker Michael Franti’s trip to the core of the red-zoned, war torn neighborhoods of Baghdad, and the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He was armed with only a guitar, video cameras, and the intent to experience first hand the human cost of war. The film offers viewers the opportunity to hear the voices of everyday people living, creating and surviving under the harsh conditions of war and occupation.

On September 25, the film The U.S. Verses John Lennon tells the provocative story of John Lennon’s evolution from beloved Beatle to outspoken artist and activist to iconic inspiration for peace, and how, in the midst of tumultuous times in American history, Lennon stood his ground.

Why We Fight is named after a series of short films of legendary director Frank Capra that explored America’s reasons for entering World War II. The film moves far beyond the headlines of various American military operations to the deeper questions of why America is seemingly always at war. The film is the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and will be shown on October 2.

In his film Terrorstorm-A History of Government Sponsored Terrorism, controversial talk show host and activist Alex Jones presents evidence of startling actions Western governments don’t want their citizens to know about.

Enviornmental Film Series (2006)

Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh

Ladakh, or ‘Little Tibet,’ is a widely beautiful desert in the Western Himalayas. Centuries of balance and social harmony are under threat from modernization. The breakdown of the Ladakh’s culture and environment forces us to re-examine what we mean by ‘progress.’ The story of the Ladakh teaches us about the root causes of environmental, social and psychological problems, and provides valuable guidelines for the future.

The End of Suburbia

This film explores the American Way of Life and its prospects as the planet approaches a critical year, as global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply. Some scientists and policy makers argue in this documentary that World Oil Peak and the inevitable decline of fossil fuels are upon us now. The consequences of inaction in the face of this global crisis are enormous. What does Oil Peak mean for North America? As energy prices skyrocket in the coming years, how will populations of suburbia react to the collapse of their dream? And what can be done NOW, individually and collectively, to avoid The End of Suburbia?

The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil

“Everyone who is concerned about Peak Oil needs to see this film. Cuba survived an energy famine during the 1990's and how it did so constitutes one of the most important and hopeful stories of the past few decades. It is a story not just of individual achievement, but of the collective mobilization of an entire society to meet an enormous challenge. Lest the point be missed, I will underscore it: this challenge–the problem of energy scarcity is one we will all be facing very soon.” –Richard Heinberg

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Fall 2007 Bible Study

When The Powers Fall is a Bible Study series that we did in the Fall of 2007. They study is based on the Bible Studies at the 2007 Baptist Peace Fellowship's Peace Camp in Berea, Kentucky by Mennonite Theologian and Pastor Vern Ratslaff. We have audio presentations of Vern's study if you would like to hear them. Check with Steve or Mary Hammond.

Creation and Power (Genesis 1 and 2)

Prayer and Power (Matthew 6)
Church and Power (1 Corinthians 12)
Worship and Power (Revelation 1)

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One of the organizations our congregations belongs to, Every Church a Peace Church, has received a $500,000 grant to strengthen its mission. “The donors apparently share our belief that the church could turn the world toward peace if every church lived and taught as Jesus lived and taught,” says John Stoner, coordinator of the organization. “The grant will enable new initiatives to reach individuals and churches across the country with a fresh look at what Jesus really did teach and live about violence, war, and peacemaking.”

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Sojo.net has published an interview with Brian McLaren, one of the leading voices in the Emerging Church movement, about the DaVinci code. Below are a couple of quotes from that interview. You can find the entire interview here or just go to Sojo.net and find it in their archives.
"I think a lot of people have read the book, not just as a popular page-turner but also as an experience in shared frustration with status-quo, male-dominated, power-oriented, cover-up-prone organized Christian religion. We need to ask ourselves why the vision of Jesus hinted at in Dan Brown's book is more interesting, attractive, and intriguing to these people than the standard vision of Jesus they hear about in church. Why would so many people be disappointed to find that Brown's version of Jesus has been largely discredited as fanciful and inaccurate, leaving only the church's conventional version? Is it possible that, even though Brown's fictional version misleads in many ways, it at least serves to open up the possibility that the church's conventional version of Jesus may not do him justice?"

"One of the problems is that the average Christian in the average church who listens to the average Christian broadcasting has such an oversimplified understanding of both the Bible and of church history - it would be deeply disturbing for them to really learn about church history. I think the disturbing would do them good. But a lot of times education is disturbing for people. And so if The Da Vinci Code causes people to ask questions and Christians have to dig deeper, that's a great thing, a great opportunity for growth. And it does show a weakness in the church giving either no understanding of church history or a very stilted, one-sided, sugarcoated version.
On the other hand, it's important for me to say I don't think anyone can learn good church history from Brown. There's been a lot of debunking of what he calls facts. But again, the guy's writing fiction so nobody should be surprised about that. The sad thing is there's an awful lot of us who claim to be telling objective truth and we actually have our own propaganda and our own versions of history as well."

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A group of eleven American Baptist Executive Ministers have developed a Vision Statement for a restructured denomination. Their statement envisions a denomination where individual Regions are the main focus of denominational life, rather than the current national structure. Each Region would develop its own ordination standards and be free to accept or reject the credentials of American Baptist Clergy ordained in other Regions. The Mission Boards, International Ministries and National Ministries, would become independent bodies appointing their own board members and approach Regions rather than the national body for support. A key element to the new structure in the Shared Table which would include representatives from each of the Regions and Mission Boards. However, the Shared Table would be closed to anyone affiliated with The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists or who upholds its mission statement that calls for the full inclusion of gay and lesbian people in the life of our churches. PCC is a member of AWAB and would be ineligible to participate in the Shared Table. Members of the Shared Table would also be free to determine other factors that would bar people from the Shared Table.

In related denominational news, The American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest has withdrawn from the denomination.

Updates...

David Reese continues his studies at Chicago Theological Seminary. He would love to hear from you. You can email him at reese.david@gmail.com.

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Beth Peachey is in Guatemala City with the Mennonite Central Committee. She will be there until 2009 helping local congrgations with their ministries to area youth.

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On November 6, 2005 the American Baptist Churches of the Rochester/Genesee Region graciously and enthusiastically received our congregation into its membership! This marks a new chapter in the life of our congregation after a period of marginalization and conflict with our former Association and Region. We are grateful for this opportunity to be in ministry and mission in a Region that is supportive of our witness. People from around the country have offered their prayers and encouragement during these days, for which we are very grateful.

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The process that we began in the Fall 2004 of rewriting the congregation's Constitution was concluded on Feb. 27, 2005 with the approval of a new Constitution and a document we call our Guiding Principles and Policies. In that document we discuss issues like governing ourselves through Community Meetings and making decisions by consensus. It also includes A Statement on our Commitment to Peace and a piece on The Issue of Baptism. Our vision and mission statement reads: We are an inclusive congregation that boldly and earnestly embraces the call of Jesus to seek God's Kingdom. We work together to bring peace and justice to our world. We gather to worship and praise God and build an authentic community of harmony, joy, and celebration, and to pray and care for one another. We also include an official way for folk who are not able to be active in the life of the congregation because of location, other commitments, etc. to relate to the church as PCC Companions. If you would like to know more about that possibility contact Steve Hammond.

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The most recent organizations the congregation has affiliated with are The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists and Every Church a Peace Church. The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists (AWAB) is an association of Baptist Churches that gladly welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people to participate fully in the life of the church. We discussed joining AWAB off and on for several years. But our work on the new Constitution and Guiding Principles and Policies led to us making the decision to finally join. In our Guiding Principles and Policies document we offer the following insights on our vision and mission statement (see above): In our mission statement we also use the phrase 'inclusive congregation,' which for us is another aspect of peacemaking and working for justice in the name of Jesus Christ We take seriously the teachings of the New Testament about the need to tear down walls that divide people. 'Inclusive' for us means that we not only welcome and appreciate people in our congregation who hold to a variety of theological understandings, but that we are committed to a church membership that makes no distinctions based on age, sex, race, sexual orientation, cultural background, or economic accomplishments. You can learn more about AWAB on their web site at www.wabaptist.org.
Every Church a Peace Church is an ecumenical movement that seeks to unite churches around the following mission statement: "Following Jesus in nonviolent struggle for justice and peace, we love our neighbors and enemies as God loves us all, becoming a peace church to share in God’s work to save the world." Every Church a Peace Church provides resources for churches to be about the work or peacemaking. You can check out their web site at http://www.ECAPC.org which includes an announcement of PCC affiliating with ECAPC and a link to a sermon Al Carroll preached in leading up to the congregation's decision to join ECAPC.