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Featured Grant: First Presbyterian Church, Altadena, California
Report by Nina Lau Branson
Pentecost
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Our hangings were Asian inspired with a twist—the first banner is
Arabic, the second is English, the third an ancient Chinese pictograph
and the fourth Japanese/Chinese calligraphy. All of them say Holy
Spirit. The Arabic and English banners were next to each other as a sign
that the Holy Spirit's power can bring together that which is painfully
broken.
During our proclamation of the Word, we used red rose petals as a
physical sign of the Holy Spirit coming down. Then during the time after
the Confession, people were invited to greet each other with peace and a
blessing that included sprinkling rose petals on each other. There was
such joy that people continued to sprinkle petals on each other during
other parts of the service—this wasn't just the children but our
eighty-something-year-olds as well. One of our communion servers said
that he couldn't keep from smiling that day and then decided that it was
a good day and a good meal to serve with a smile.
Good Green Growing Time (Ordinary Time)
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In preparation for celebrating the beginning of this season, we did a community art project that included hanging fabric vines from the beams of our church which peak at 40 feet, and attaching giant origami "prayer vessel" fruit from them. The prayer vessels, reminders of our Japanese American history (though we are becoming more multi-cultural) and of our being children of a gracious Father, held prayers that were written by the members of the church community, young and old. The prayers were a response to a sermon one week and the following week, a lectio devina reading during service of the last part of Acts that describes the early life of the church after the coming of the Holy Spirit. What were ways we wanted to pray to have life growing and fruiting in us like that of the early church?
People surged forward during the service when the origami was attached to the vines. There was no hesitation. The vines were initially low to the ground so we could attach them. Then they were raised one by one to the accompaniment of spontaneous applause led by one of our most senior patriarchs. As he said later, this was one of the most exciting times we've had in our church. Others have said that every time they walk into the sanctuary they look to see where their prayer vessel is hanging and remember their prayer. Everyone had a joyous part.