Halloween Party!

We'll see you on Saturday, October 31st for a Halloween Party in the Fellowship Hall at 4:30!

Mini Miracle Day Creates Miracles!

Over 100 people converged on First Christian Church of Vallejo on July 18th to help revitalize and transform our building - and in so doing, help our congregation on its own path pf transformation. Painting, landscaping, plumbing, concrete work and much more took place during that day. A new cross was placed above the main doors of the church. In addition to Vallejo folks, the volunteers came from other Disciples churches from all over the bay area, the Sacramento area and beyond. And while the work projects in our building are ongoing, the excitement created by this gathering of faithful workers was amazing!

Crop Walk a Great Success

Last April, 87 people turned out to walk for the less fortunate. The 2009 CROP Walk raised more then $8000.00 for four local agencies and for Church World Service. We'll see you at the 2010 Vallejo CROP Walk!

Vallejo Christian to Participate in Local CROP Walk for the Hungry

It has been many years since Vallejo has had a CROP Walk for the Hungry. On April 25th this will change. Vallejo Christian will participate in the 6K walk which will take place along the beautiful waterfront on Mare Island Strait starting at 9:00am. The event raises hunger as a issue as well as raises money for many needed causes. Church World Service (www.churchworldservice.org) is hosting this event with the help from 4 local agencies. If you would like more information just visit www.vallejocropwalk.blogspot.com. This will be a rewarding event and it doesn't hurt to get a little exercise.

Souper Bowl of Caring-Great Time for a Good Cause

We at the First Christian Church participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring by having a Super Bowl Party. As you can see we all watched the 3D commercial and enjoy the afternoon together. We shared 4 different kinds of soup as well as played games. Of course some of us just watched the game.
In order to join in, you were to bring a $1.00 or more or a can of food or more. We collected $205.00 and over 20 cans of food. What a great time for a cause that is very needed. If you would like more information on this cause, just visit www.souperbowl.org and read about the awesome effect.

Coming Out Movie to be Presented

First Christian Church-Vallejo will present on Saturday March 28th at 2:00 pm, the viewing of "Anyone and Everyone" a documentary about young adults coming out to their families. This is a moving documentary regarding a sensitive family and religious subject, and the struggles families face when a son or daughter asks their parents, "have you ever wondered if I might be gay"? The documentary examines the fear, and the love as the family unit hangs in the balance.
The video is an hour long and will be followed by a half hour panelist discussion. The panelists will consist of compassionate professional psychologists and religious leaders who are committed to being supportive of LGBT people and parents of LGBT children.
The parents in the documentary also talk about struggling with the pain of their sons and daughters dealing with not being accepted by relatives or friends, and being ostracized by religious congregations.

"It was so evil and so bad that we almost couldn’t talk about it... You just had the idea it was so terrible that it was unspeakable," said a Mormon mother in the film.

"Having heard all these awful things and what homosexuality was and then having a member of your family, a person that you have seen, a child that you have seen since the child was born, a person that was absolutely wholesome, good, kind, gentle and that put together with the word lesbian didn’t add up," said a Hispanic mother.

This film is especially important since up to 26% of gay teens who come out to their parents or guardians are told they must leave home. Of the approximately 1.6 million homeless American youth, 20-40% identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Nearly 40% of LGBT (GLBT) students report being physically harassed. In a 2001Department of Health study of youth in Massachusetts, about 40 percent of gay and lesbian students attempted suicide, compared to about 10 percent of their heterosexual peers.
The film also depicts meetings of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) where people get support and help.
The First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ in Vallejo offer themselves as safe haven for people who are struggling with their identity and purpose in life. One can not truly know oneself until you are honest with yourself.

John Grose, Moderator, First Christian Church

If you wish to attend, please call the churches phone number and let us know how many are coming.

Great Fun at the Epiphany Dinner

Over 40 people attended this years Epiphany Dinner in honor of our newest members; Traci, Ginger, Clifton and Barry. Being an annual event for the church, this year it was very special with great food prepared by Fred Jones, great stories about our newest members and good conversations during the meal.

11th Annual Global Holiday Faire: amazing again!

The annual Global Holiday Faire - the one-of-a-kind gift faire which we host in our church fellowship hall - was held on Saturday, December 6th! Our ecumenical committee - made up of members from 6 churches in Vallejo, American Canyon, and Benicia - created another successful event for what was (amazingly!) our 11th year!

The Faire is unique among holiday gift faires because it combines elements of traditional crafts shows, church bazaars, alternative gift markets, and fair trade sales to present the community with a wide range of gift choices, including gift baskets, book bags, and just plain good food, with all of the money spent going to nonprofit organizations.

This year we raised more than $8300.00. What an awesome job!

To read more about this outstanding and fun-filled event, and see how much we raised for 15 local and national nonprofits, click here.

United in Love: Homosexuality and the Bible; Evaluation

Roland Stringfellow evaluates the Marriage Symposium;

I was very impressed with the quality of information that was shared during the Same Sex Relationships and the Bible Workshop and Symposium that was held on October 25Th.... No matter what your level of understanding of scripture, the presentation was clear and accessible for all. I particularly enjoyed having the opportunity to break into smaller groups to discuss the information presented. Many people in my group had great questions and were challenged to stretch their understanding on the contemporary issue of homosexuality and the Bible.
One of the most touching moments of the day was listening to the personal testimonies of the same-sex couples and their families who recently got married in California. It was wonderful to see photographs that chronicled their relationship and marriage which provided a very strong argument for legitimacy of marriage for all. I was also impressed by the turn out from the community to attend the Workshop and Symposium. I had to give kudos to John Grose, the organizer of the event, for a job well done in publicizing in the community. Obviously John was "forward thinking" in putting together a topic that would attract people to discuss an important topic.

Rev. Roland Stringfellow
Bay Area Coalition of Welcoming Congregations Coordinator Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry
Pacific School of Religion
email-rstringfellow@clgs.org
office-510-849-8934
fax-510-849-8212