06/28/2010
July @ Amistad

Greetings Amistad!

On June 28, 1839 -- 171 years ago today -- the schooner La Amistad set sail from Havana carrying 53 kidnapped Mendi people plus the 2 plantation owners who had purchased them at the slave market.  They never arrived at their intended destination in Puerto Principe, Cuba; instead, their journey took them to Long Island and Connecticut, into prison and to the U.S. Supreme Court, and eventually (for 39 of them, anyway) back to Africa.   The "Amistad Incident" is an important part of the justice legacy of the United Church of Christ -- itself 53 years old last Friday -- as well as the heritage of our own 10-year-old community of faith.

Congratulations to us on the occasion of our 10th Anniversary!!  We had a joyful celebration last Friday and watched Terry's engaging video of scenes from our first 10 years.

And as we begin our 11th year, here are tentative plans for July Fridays @ Amistad (check the website for updates, and remember that we like to go on-the-road a lot during the summer):

Friday, July 2   -- We'll mark Independence Day weekend by singing not one but two versions of Katherine Lee Bates' hymn to America, "O Beautiful for Spacious Skies".  Oh, and we'll celebrate Kathy's birthday as well! 

Friday, July 9 -- Our annual Amistad-at-the-Lake picnic and bible study of Luke 5:1-11, the Call of the Disciples (down by the lake, where else?!)  6:00 p.m. at the Rotary Picnic Area in Lagoon Valley Park, picnic supper provided.  (With the hills so dry, I'm sure we won't be able to BBQ so I'll bring cold salmon and salad...)  We'll meet an hour earlier than usual so we'll be done before dark.  Meet at our home at 5:30 for a ride or meet us at the Lake at 6:00 -- there is a $3 parking fee if you drive into Lagoon Valley Park.  Evenings by the lake can be chilly and windy so... put a sweatshirt into your car, even if it's a HOT day!!

Friday, July 16 -- Jubilee Update:  what's going on with the Jubilee debt relief movement in today's economic climate?  We'll share a brief update about "Making the Grade? The Group of 20's Commitments to the World's Poorest" as it relates to our ongoing commitment to understand the repercussions of the debt burden carried by poor and developing nations.  (See http://www.jubileeusa.org for more details.) 

Friday, July 23 -- on-the-road again, this time to the Creekwalk in downtown Vacaville for Cajun & Zydeco music by Tom Rigney & Flambeau.  The concert starts at 6:30 p.m., but I'll be there by 6:00 to stake out a patch of lawn.  Corn dogs, nachos and other "fair food" are available for sale, or you can bring snacks or a picnic supper.  If sitting on a blanket on the grass doesn't appeal to you, bring a folding chair.

Friday, July 30 -- Play with Clay Nite @ Amistad!  The Creation stories in Genesis combine to tell us that we're created in the image of the One who formed us out of clay, so let's each take a lump of the stuff of creation and shape something out of it.  And as we pinch and pound and shape the clay, we can listen to the words of James Weldon Johnson's stirring poem, "The Creation".

Book study anyone?  A few weeks ago Meiling led a challenging and sobering conversation about the article "Population: The Last Taboo" from the May/June issue of Mother Jones Magazine.  Friday evenings being what they are, we were barely able to scratch the surface of the material presented, though we did seem to agree that one way to counteract the trend toward overpopulation is by means of education and empowerment of women.  I've gotten a copy of the book mentioned, "Half the Sky" by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn -- the subtitle is "Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide."  I've started reading it and find it both accessible and engaging -- we could do a summer book study if the proverbial 2 or 3 are interested.  Let me know!

blessings and hope to all --

Marian

www.amistad-vacaville.org

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