Easter Sunday & Lift Up Your Heads

Easter Sunday & Lift Up Your Heads...

Easter Sunday

Although we won't be meeting for Easter Sunrise service, this year, the lovely flower cross that Petra and Dutch made for us will available for us to place a flower in it.  

Please join us for Easter Service at 10am using Zoom video conference system.  

We will also have a Zoom "breakout room" for Sunday School following our worship service.  

Lift Up Your Heads!

A message from Pastor Edd.

One of Jesus' teachings during this final week of His life has to do with what the theologians call "the Second Coming." According to His teachings there will come a day when this world will end and the "New Heavens and the New Earth" will appear. During this last week of His life, Jesus mentions this again and the disciples now want to know more. Jesus offers more information and Luke records it in chapter 21. You can find more about this in Matthew chapter 25 and Mark chapter 13. 

Luke 21:7 They questioned Him, saying, "Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?" 8 And He said, "See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not go after them.  9 "When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately." 

10 Then He continued by saying to them, "Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, 11 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 

12 "But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name's sake.  13 "It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony.  14 "So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; 15 for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.  

25 "There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,  26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  27 "Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory.  28 "But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." 

Jesus describes the times leading up to His return as a time in life where many will claim to be the Christ and offer to lead people down a path of happiness in this life. There will be wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, plagues, and famines. He talks about terrors and great signs in the heavens. But before all of these things happen Christians will be put to the test. They will be dragged into prison and brought before kings and governors for the sake of the name of Jesus. 
 
In comparison to those times, being at home because of the plague of this virus doesn't sound so bad.  
Even in the midst of "signs in the sun and moon and stars," or "men fainting from fear of the things coming upon the world," Jesus says to us, "straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." God is with us through it all. If the world offers us a virus or a war or difficulty with health or trouble within the family, Jesus is there for us. He will never leave us or forsake us. And Jesus knows the torment of feeling left alone. On the cross just a few days after He spoke these words of the end times to His disciples, Jesus cried out to the Father in heaven, "why have you forsaken me?" Even though He knew His Father would never leave Him, He felt abandoned and alone. He had the greatest of faith and yet He knew the pain of an apparently silent God. The Bible says Jesus was tempted in every way like we are.  
He knows how you feel at this moment. He knows your thoughts and your feelings. And He has felt those same temptations and trials while He lived on this earth. And He even felt the pain of wondering why God did not respond in the midst of crisis.  
His answer to us, was His actions in His time of need, and His instructions to the disciples who will be around during the end times. "Straighten up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."God never leaves us nor forsakes us. He is always with us. We might not always understand that or feel His presence, but He is here. And just around the corner the answer to our situation is coming. It seems like an eternity before God resolves our concerns, but in reality, it is just a few more days or a week away. Many of us started this quarantine over a month ago. On the 8th of March we had worship in the church. On the 9th of march most of the meetings I had on my calendar were beginning to be canceled. On the 15th of March, I offered to be in Church and Bob and Aaron came to offer music, some others joined with us for our last worship service in the church until this quarantine will be gone. 

For three weeks we have enjoyed the company of others via the wonderful technology of the computer. For three weeks we have not been in each other's presence, but we have been together in the presence of our Lord and Savior. What a blessing. To have a fellowship of friends who are praying for us, caring for us, ready at any moment to help with a word of comfort or a smile of hope or even a card of friendship.

For three weeks we have enjoyed the company of others via the wonderful technology of the computer. For three weeks we have not been in each other's presence, but we have been together in the presence of our Lord and Savior. What a blessing. To have a fellowship of friends who are praying for us, caring for us, ready at any moment to help with a word of comfort or a smile of hope or even a card of friendship.

Lift up your heads, 30 days are behind us and the plan at the moment is only 21 days left until we might be able to be together again. Do not lose heart. Continue to pray, to sing, to read, and to reach out to your friends in any way you can. Let Jesus spread His love through you.
   
Blessings,Pastor Edd 

How our worship will transition when the order is lifted? It is likely that we will have a mixed service similar to that with Edd and Aaron at church while others on Zoom watching from home.  When the "shelter-in-place" order is lifted some individuals could return to worship in our physical church and other "at risk" members of our church family could continue worshipping from the safety of their homes until the threat of contracting the virus has passed.  

Making "Remote Church" Our Mission

If you have been by our church over the past month, you couldn't have missed the lovely daffodils that have been blooming.   They beckon us forward into a new season.  

This post is a stepping stone into a new season of our church community.  In it, we share with you how to:

• Participate in our "Remote Church" service
• Access our sermons if you are not able to join our church service
• Join our new Church Email List and receive Pastor Edd's daily encouragement.  

"REMOTE CHURCH" SERVICE

A few weeks ago we shared with you that we would begin offering an option for worshipers to meet remotely at our normal time.  

We now are meeting every Sunday at 10am for "virtual church" until the "shelter-in-place" order is lifted. There are two ways for you to connect to our church Zoom video conference service. 

1.  By calling in:

You can join us in singing, prayer and listen to our weekly sermon by calling:

        +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)

You will be asked to enter a Meeting ID.  Enter this #: 501 314 5479

You will then be asked for your participate ID followed by a #.  No ID is required, simply enter #.
Next you will be asked to enter a password followed by a #. Our password is 2020.  

2.  By going over the Internet:

By clicking this link you can join our Zoom video conference which is a bit like FaceTime.

https://zoom.us/j/5013145479.  You will be prompted to enter a password.  Our password is 2020.


We invite you to join us as we discover what it is like to worship together from the comfort of our own homes.  We invite you to worship with us during this season of reflection.

OUR NEW PODCAST
In addition to offering a live video conference for our community to gather together in worship, we will be posting our sermons and other inspirational content from our church here: 
https://bonnydoonchurch.podbean.com/

HOW TO HELP AND FIND HELP

If you are alone and need help, please contact Edd (edd@breeden.us or 831-239-6817) or one of our church members. 

STAY HOPEFUL AND PRAYERFUL

Pastor Edd is sharing daily devotionals on the Psalms as a way to offer encouragement during this challenging time.   If you'd like to read these, please follow our Bonny Doon Church Facebook page or Subscribe to our church's new email list:

https://carnation-lizard-wz2p.squarespace.com/ 

Response to Coronavirus

We want to let you know what we are doing at Bonny Doon Church to help our county health officials combat the spread of the coronavirus––and the anxiety associated with it. There’s a lot of info to cover in this update, but please read all of it so you have accurate information. 

First, we encourage you to fix your thoughts on Jesus. He is at work even now. There is no need to fear or panic. Instead, look for opportunities to help.

With that important foundation in mind, we want to answer some questions you may have.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH CHURCH SERVICES?

On Monday March 9, the Santa Cruz County Health Department declared a local emergency and issued a statement that they “recommend cancelling or postponing large gatherings of around 50 or more.” 

After weighing options, Edd, our part-time pastor, decided to preach at church on March 15^{t.  On Marc} On March 16^th, Santa Cruz County ordered the community to “shelter in place”.  On March 14^th, Edd shared this message on our church’s Facebook page:

We are just in the beginning stages of what we will see with this coronavirus. I am not usually an alarmist, but I see the statistics and Martin Gaskell sent out an email this yesterday that confirms with data what I have been feeling. The cases in China began in early December last year and according to the graphs reported almost daily, they reached a peak of the number of cases after about three months, but the world's cases began to grow shortly before that. Now that the cases have come to our area of the world, I believe we can expect to see a quick growth in cases as well. If the statistics pan out, we could see this growth of cases continuing until at least May when the growth will begin to subside (statistically). And I, as a mathematician, think in statistics and numbers. My trust is in the love of God and knowing that He cares for us all. I believe there is something good and beneficial in this pandemic that we cannot easily see with our eyes and limited understanding. I believe we, as the Bonny Doon Church, need three things at this point. And I include all inhabitants of the Bonny Doon area in my comments and prayers.
One, we need prayer, chronicles says, if my people will humble themselves and pray. You might not want to pray, you might have an experience in your past that has convinced you that God doesn't exist or at least doesn't care and will never answer. The people of Bonny Doon Church believe otherwise. We talk about the way God answers prayers on a weekly basis as we gather on Sunday mornings. What a great opportunity we all have, to come into the presence of God and pray; for ourselves, our neighbors, the world. Ask God for protection of you and your loved ones first but also ask for your neighbors and their well being, and then send your thoughts to the different areas of the world where you have connections or have always wanted to visit, they need your prayers at this moment as well.
Two, we need encouragement, and I find that encouragement in the Bible. I make a regular habit of reading the Bible, three to four chapters per day. I start in Matthew and keep right on reading until I get to the end of Revelation. It takes about 15 minutes a day. During times like this, I try to read more. Join with me, would you? Listen to what God has to say and let the Holy Spirit come upon you as you read. Let Him soothe you and care for you and heal you and strengthen you and above all fill your mind and heart with hope. I have posted on this sight, the first of many short messages from the book of Psalms in the Old Testament. I hope you will come back each day and read the new message for the day. may you be Blessed as you read these words and especially the words of the Bible, God's words of hope to us.
Three, we all need compassion. We are all in the same boat, with the storms raging around us. We all hear the fear in the news, see the frustration in the voices of others, and can't help but notice that our own minds and hearts are growing with that temptation to be afraid, day by day. How can we stand with the love of Jesus and still the storm in the power of His name? He stood up in the boat with His disciples and spoke to the storm, and commanded it to be still. For the sake of others whom we know and love and even those who we don't know or love, can you stand with me, in the name of Jesus, and command the storm of virus to be stilled? Can you speak those words each day?

I am not going to ask any one to come to church on Sunday morning, but I will be there. It would be nice to send some sense of the service out to others in some form, I hope that will materialize. But I offer you an alternative if nothing else happens, drive by the church, and get a drive by blessing. I pray for the church and property often that the presence of the lord Jesus will be upon the land. Tomorrow, if you want to get out and about, get in your car and drive through the parking lot, drive around the church, sit in your car and pray, let the presence of the LORD and the love of the people come upon your car and your lives. Honk at your neighbors and friends, pray for them as you sit there. Blessed one another with the love of Jesus and His healing power. Act out your faith.
If any one knows how to get the word out, I am available to pray in specifics if they ask, edd@breeden.us, or 831-239-6817. I will be praying and would love to help as best I can. To me, what I have to offer is prayer, teaching, the blessing of the presence of the LORD God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In His name, be blessed.
Edd

Bonny Doon Church is committed to the health and wellbeing of our whole community.  While we never want to respond to uncertainty with fear, we do want to be a church known for deep compassion and good citizenship.  

MAKE “REMOTE CHURCH” YOUR MISSION

Let us be clear: Church is not cancelled. It’s just changed. 

Last Sunday, our church offered an opportunity for its members to participate in worship from their homes via a videoconference service and sent out an email recording of the sermon to individuals who were not able to be present at the service.  Based on the most recent “shelter in place” order, it is likely that our worship service will go 100% online this coming Sunday.  We will share information on our Sunday plans here as well as on Facebook.

MORE WORDS FROM OUR PASTOR, EDD

Blessed is the person who walks in the counsel of the LORD; his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law, he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers. Psalm 1: 2,3

As we begin a few months of cyber communication with the onset of the coronavirus in our community, I want to offer some words from Scripture and some hope for us all. I must admit, I do not know what will happen to us as a community, or how individuals within our community will fare. I would hope as all do, that this virus would just pass us by; that the angel would pass over our houses as happened to the Israelites during the time of the Exodus. (chapters 11 and 12) And to that end I pray.

I plan to post something every day, or as often as possible. And I will be using the Old Testament Book of Psalms as inspiration. David, the author was a man of many moods and a varying sense of faith. He would get quite angry with God at times, frustrated that others did not believe in God, critical of the "wicked" who did not seek after God, and the like. But he also shared some very comforting words and words that will be helpful for us in the coming months.

Psalm One includes the words I have used at the beginning of this post.

When you have nothing positive to think about in the days ahead turn to the word of the LORD. Turn to the Bible. The news you read and hear in the coming months will be filled with more negative ideas, more fear, more speculation than any of us need in our lives. I encourage you to listen to the news some but spend an equal amount of time reading the words of the Bible, maybe even the Psalms and the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Psalm One says a person who meditates on the law of the LORD, day and night, will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, yielding fruit, and not withering.

I would pray that each of you who live in Bonny Doon or read these words from afar, would fine the health and strength of that tree which will not wither.

Jesus, I believe You to be alive and working in this world. Why a virus like this comes our way, I do not know, but I trust that you know best and You have a love for mankind that we cannot even imagine. Please, pour out Your good upon us in these trying times, and help us to put our trust and hope in Your goodness and love towards us. Amen.

HOW TO HELP AND FIND HELP

If you are alone and need help, please contact Edd (edd@breeden.us or 831-239-6817) or one of our church members. 

STAY HOPEFUL AND PRAYERFUL

God is going to work through this in ways we can’t even imagine now. Can you anticipate that God will move in great ways now?

He will deepen your faith.

He will deepen your family’s spiritual life as you worship together.

Let’s be people of peace and people of prayer. Pray for the leadership of our county. Pray for those who are seriously impacted by this virus. Pray that people all over the world will draw closer to God. Pray for the church, that we will be united around this, instead of divided by this.

Big Shoes to Fill

Early in 2019, our long time pastor, John Burke, experienced serious health challenges.   At that time, our church's session enlisted the help of retired pastor, Edd Breeden to help us through our transition to new leadership.  Clearly, after serving our community for so many years, filling John's shoes is no small task.  Edd is now serving as our part-time pastor.  Our congregation has warmly welcomed Edd into our body of faithful Christ followers.    

Edd's Bio

Edd graduated from the University of California in Santa Barbara with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. His plan at the time was to go into the field of training teachers in Math. God changed the direction of Edd’s life with a call to Seminary and the Pastorate. While at seminary he taught Greek and Hebrew language classes as well as worked in a cabinet shop in Pasadena as a draftsman.

Edd graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary in June of 1974 and with his wife, Linda, and two children they drove to St. Cloud, Minn. to serve as an Associate Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church. After 4 years of ministry and the addition of two more kids, the family made their way back to California as Edd received a call to the Presbyterian Church of Woodlake. Another 7 years and the next move was to Santa Cruz, CA where he served for 12 years. Edd took a short break from the pastorate and worked for Merrill Lynch as a Financial Consultant for 5 years. Returning to what he thought would be the beginning of interim pastoring, Edd started as designated pastor at the San Martin Church and ended up staying for 13 years. He retired in December of 2014.

He continues as the Treasurer of the Presbytery of San Jose, has 100 clients in his Tax Preparation business, he enjoys having more free time and playing more golf. He guest preaches from time to time and teaches a regular men’s Bible Study.

He has authored his autobiography called, The Drunken Preacher as well as many other books available on Amazon; commentaries on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Revelations, and books on Prayer, Discipleship, Worship and Peer Counseling. He recently finished Volumes One and Two of Generous Living; Looking at Jesus’ Teachings on Generosity in Matthew. He loves to write, teach, read, play golf, help others with questions in his areas of expertise and listen to Country Western Music where they still love Jesus and support America.

Edd married in 1968, and currently enjoys his family of 19: wife, four children, spouses and 9 grand-children ages 7-24.

Higher Grounds History

Article submitted by Larry Vilardo, interim pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Santa Cruz.

Recently while enjoying an espresso a the Higher Grounds Coffee shop I engaged in a discussion with Sue Cannon, one of the founders. The name, “Higher Grounds”, comes from the line of an old Hymn, “Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. Lord, lift me up and let me stand, By faith, on Heaven's tableland, A higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.” The Higher Grounds coffee shop is literally, “Heaven’s table”. The coffee and food are free, fabulous and served to all comers. Volunteers donate and prepare espresso drinks, and prepare an alluring breakfast buffet. Guests often drift outside to pick up a Grey Bears Food Bag.

Sue (pictured below) has a real passion for the people in Bonny Doon, “ I feel that there needs to be a place for dialogue, for people to see each other face to face and converse.” It would be a dream come true if there was a place where people could meet on common grounds and then because of their interactions move to higher grounds.

There was such a dream and there is such a place. It is the Higher Grounds coffee shop which meets every Thursday from 8am-noon. It was founded by the Presbyterian church of Bonny Doon as an outreach to the surrounding community. It is pleasantly located in the Kirkhouse adjacent to the sanctuary on 7065 Bonny Doon Road. Free WiFi is always available. However, seldom if ever will you see anyone on an electronic device. Instead the place hums with multiple conversations that range from local to national topics. On any given day there are published authors, musicians, retired scientists, firemen and firewomen! People from other countries, (even an exchange student) and locals from the Bonny Doon Area gather. Morgan, the editor of the local newspaper, the Bonny Doon Battle Mountain News, can often be found holding court in this diverse group.

The motto here is “We filter Coffee Not People”.  Sue, when speaking of the dynamic atmosphere here said, “It is actually difficult for some people because everyone is so immediately friendly”. And friendly everyone is. There is real care and compassion shared among the regulars and visitors. The care is made concrete by the distribution of 60 Grey Bears Food Bags each Thursday at the site. There are also seasonal drives to help the United Mission of San Lorenzo Valley, and a donation receptacle for that cause is placed prominently.

Operating Higher Grounds has taken real faith on the part of the church and co-operation between the church and community volunteers. Sue mentioned that, “Many in the community thought that this would not work because people moved to this area to be left alone”. The opposite has been true. People have thirsted for the refreshing drinks and incredibly good food provided at Higher Grounds. Everything is free, supplied by donations and prepared by volunteers. As a result of the welcoming atmosphere and excellent food Higher Grounds serves as a community, gathering center, senior center, local watering hole and town square all rolled into one.  Sue Cannon is pictured behind the espresso machine to the left

The original proposal was crafted by Church board members Sue Cannon, Teresa Mohamed and Frauka Zajac. In 2010 it was deliberated over by the Presbyterian Session (the name for the local Church Board). Originally the proposal called for Higher Grounds to operate for two days a week, Tuesday and Thursday mornings, only in the summer months, while serving limited coffee drinks. In order to accommodate the Grey Bears distribution it is now open year round one morning a week.

In the year 2010 the church and the community were all feeling the depths of the great recession. The timing for a new endeavor could not seem worse, but Sue felt that it was the right time. It was at this time that Sue and her partners had a dream. Like most non-profits at that time, the church was down in finances. That’s when Sue knew in her heart that, “The Church needed to take a risk”. As she describes it, “When a call comes it is hard to describe, I felt that it needed to be done”.The road was not easy. Not only did the board of the Presbyterian Church have to come to a consensus- which they did with unanimous approval of the proposal, but there were some hiccups along the way.

Some people dreamed even bigger and wanted to serve espresso. Miraculously a Jura espresso machine was donated from a business in town. When that machine ran to the end of its usefulness, Sue said that “donations were used to buy the current machine, an Anita Quick Mill”.

The use of an espresso machine made upgrading the electricity necessary. Dave Potratz, a local, volunteered. Dave’s wife Teri, currently runs the volunteer list for the kitchen. When Sue told me that, “People often volunteer for reasons mysterious or mystical” I turned to the cook on call for that day, Andrew Klofas, and asked him why he volunteered. He said “Because SiSi (Song) did”. When I asked why she did he replied, “I have no idea”. The humility and enthusiasm of the volunteers is amazing.

Teri (seen beside pastor John Burke in the photo to the left) volunteered to manage the kitchen personnel list after she retired as a teacher. She was looking for something personally fulfilling that would help the local community. She told me that this was complicated since she and spouse Dave had planned to live part of the time in San Diego. She asked Sue for an opportunity and Sue suggested the volunteer co-ordination role since some aspects of it could be accomplished remotely. Terry is still acting on that call today. She works with a dedicated and well trained team of volunteers which includes, David Potratz, Jean Myer, Robin Colleen, Mary Ellen Cook, Beatrice Easter, Stephanie Jessen, Sisi Song, Andrew Klofas, Anisa Griffin, Kathleen Hughes, Judy Wylie and Petra Schultz. Sue Murphy, Carol Sedar and Sue Oliver do shopping while Denby Adamson and Carol Sedar prepare savory dishes for the group.

In the beginning the church provided the volunteers and supplies. As the outreach developed community members began to volunteer in the work. All are welcome and no one who comes in is required to donate or volunteer but all are welcome to do so. In a real testament to the church leadership and the community spirit everyone works together seamlessly. Some volunteers wear many hats. Frauke, a church board member who was on the original planning team did most of the hosting for the initial six months and still works on the food teams. Using her architectural skills, she also ably co-ordinated the decorating and repairs needed since the common area in the house had not been updated for years. Frauke worked on a shoestring budget and with all predominantly volunteer help, yet she turned the house into a homey living room setting where any and all feel at ease. While decorating the carpet was torn up and a beautiful Redwood hued floor was exposed which adds to the warmth and character of the setting. Some volunteers are not as visible as their accomplishments. Rich Smith has set out two highly visible hand made road signs (“Heavy Signs” Sue emphasized) every week for six years to announce the location and opening of Higher Grounds.  (Steve Homan and Morgan Rankin pictured in the photos to the left.  Rich Smith is pictured in the photo below with his trusty friends.)

Sue is understanding and appreciative of all who contribute. She emailed me a list of others who have given so much of themselves: volunteers like “Steve Homan who has been a great ambassador to us. Every week he is generous to take out the trash. Also there is the 8 months or so when I resigned and Meggin Harmon ran the show on her own. Right after I resigned, I had a major bike accident that landed me in the Stanford trauma center for 4 days. If Meggin had not taken over Higher Grounds for that period we probably would have closed it. The Lord works in mysterious ways. After I recovered, Meggin had some health concerns that required her to resign.”

“Marion Wahl and Carol Sedar " have both walked alongside me throughout the whole time. I praise God for all that they have been doing and their sweet prayers. Denby Adamson was my prayer partner when things were bumpy as well. There were times when we had a few threatening people here with mental illness. Ian Adamson came and intervened in those situations. He has a nonprofit residence for mentally ill in San Mateo.” Marion is pictured in the left washing dishes.   Robin of Flipjack Ranch and Carol are in the photo below.

In our conversation, Sue summed up one of the important lessons to be learned here, “I have learned something about how the gospel works. We need to volunteer to do good works, it actually releases endorphins in our brain and keeps us healthy”. The dreams of Sue and the local church and community are not stagnant. When I met with Sue she spoke of the 12 homeless children in the area. She began to brainstorm about ways to address this. Immediately everyone chimed in with a meaningful discussion. One of Sue’s proposals was to have a station that parallels the “leave a book, take a book” kiosks that are seen around the county. Only this would be a community, “leave a canned food item, and take an item”.

Bonny Dooners often say they live in a little slice of heaven. In the middle of that slice is heaven’s table! It seems that if the ethics of heaven are applied as people of faith and communities work together on earth that dreams can come true. Looking forward to the future with hope and inspiration is what our world needs right now.