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Scroll through and be reminded of some of Harbor's favorite memories from Summer!
We had an incredibly busy and meaningful summer at Harbor! Scroll below to see some of the fun things we did and also to hear about some of the projects our members are involved in.
After a season of unraveling together, we asked Bronwen Butter Newcott to share her reflections on the theme and how she experiences unraveling in her own life.
I don’t like the thought of unraveling. I think of a mess of string, of lost direction. I am a novice knitter, but have knit enough to know the discouragement of accidentally pulling the yarn and losing the last few hard-won rows. In life, I don’t want things to unravel either, not my plans, not my family, not my efforts.
I spend much energy rushing to mend holes, secure loose threads, and keep unraveling at bay. But, of course, I can’t. None of us can. Unraveling is part of living.
The week Sadie began this sermon series, I couldn’t deny my season of unraveling: My oldest was graduating from high school and in many ways leaving childhood; our family of five as I’d known it was changing; one child was making decisions outside of what I’d planned and my expectations were rapidly coming apart; a therapy intensive had just redefined my childhood stories; and we’d just had to give away our beloved dog. The yarn was messy and felt all over.
When I looked up “unravel” in the dictionary. The first definition echoed my feelings: “to come apart, as if by separating the threads of” – yes, to separate the very fiber into threads. Ouch. But then, then there was a second: “to resolve the intricacy, complexity, or obscurity of: clear up.”
Oh. Unraveling cuts us to the quick. And I’d rather never be cut to the quick.
But in the mad-rush of life, I so often long for clarity, and there at the quick, some things become clear: my own stark nakedness stripped of defense, and God bigger and truer and there, too. And after all my fighting and arguing, resistance and anger, banging around in the unraveled, when I finally quiet myself, I see – as if for the first time -- that I’m not alone. “Raveled” or unraveled.
– Bronwen Butter Newcott
Heart Opening Ceremony
Sunday, June 9
After participating in the Heart Opening Ceremony with Pastors Ryan and Sadie’s dear friend, Sebastian Puteus, we asked Nick Meier to share a reflection on the experience.
I had an enriching experience participating in the Heart Opening ceremony a few months back. After church, I gathered with many of our community in the center of the chapel around a centerpiece display featuring the cacao beans, candles, and wild grass. We took our seats on the cozy array of blankets and pillows circling the center. Not long after taking our seats we started the ceremony. To get over our nervousness, each of us chose a noise which the group spoke in unison. I went with a simple ohm to match the calm vibe in the room.
We got to hear the mythical story of the cacao plant, where the Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl passed the first cacao seeds to the native people of Mexico and Tlaloc provided the rains for the trees to grow. After learning of the origins of this sacred plant, we passed a traditional cacao drink around our circle, each time saying “given with love” and “received with love” in either Spanish or English. We sipped from the cups, taking in the rich flavor, and guessed the list of ingredients including masa, chile, and cinnamon.
Following this, we split into small groups and took time to express our gratitude and appreciation for each other. I was surprised to find it so easy to go on and on with the compliments. There was a two minute limit for each round of compliments and each time we rotated I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. I was able to bring up a song that I knew was loved by another member of my group, and was surprised to hear it on a Sunday several weeks later!
The last activity of the ceremony was a word association where we explored the many heartfelt phrases that we have heard. Some which jump to the front of my mind are to “take heart”, to go “heart first”, and of course the praise band bringing up the “heart strings.” By the end of the ceremony, I felt more connected to the church community and blessed to have shared this unique experience.
–Nick Meier
Blue Theology - Year 3 Complete!
Read more by clicking the link below or reading in the Newsletter order.
Safety Training Sunday, July 14
Harbor has taken some serious steps over the last two years to increase our physical safety here on campus. In 2023 we hosted an official First Aid/CPR training session where over 20 staff and members were trained.
This year, we hosted a follow up training that included information such as the locations for the fire extinguishers and first aid kits, how to use our new AED machine and active shooter protocol. At Harbor, we choose to not live in fear of the very real things that are happening in our society, and we do that by creating systems to keep ourselves and each other safe.
If you missed this training but would like to receive the power point, please email Pastor Janette. We look forward to hosting another First aid & CPR training next year.
Guest Speaker Keith Clark-Hoyos
Sunday, August 18
We invited Keith Clark-Hoyos to offer us some wise words during our worship gathering on August 18. We all very much enjoyed learning from Keith’s unique perspective as a Dao Shi (Daoist Monk).
His message focused on how it is traditional in Daoism to consider things from three different perspectives: earth, human, and heaven.
Keith challenged us to consider our church from these three perspectives and he gave us some direction. He shared that the earth perspective of the church referred to the physical things: the building, the chairs, the altar, the incense, the lights and candles. He then shared that the human perspective is how we work together, our policies and procedures, our ethics, our rituals, and even how we define things. And finally, the heaven perspective calls us to discern together what God’s purpose for our unique community might be.
We had wonderful discussions and were able to share some of our hopes and visions for Harbor. We are very grateful to Keith for sharing with us and we are also grateful for the way he has supported our finance team in clarifying and strengthening our practices.
KEITH’S BIO https://churchtrainingcenter.com/
Keith Clark-Hoyos is the owner of Church Training Center. He provides Coaching, Consulting and Accounting to churches with the mission of equipping and empowering church leaders to be effective in the areas of governance, mission, finance, budgeting and administration.
Keith served the United Church of Christ as a commissioned minister in the role of Executive Associate Conference Minister until he discerned a calling to work more closely with churches in the areas of governance, mission and finance. Keith is also an ordained Daoist Monk (Dao Shi) and is skilled in sharing a Daoist perspective of church.
His passion to serve the church is fueled by his desire for people to connect more deeply to the Divine. His work is built upon a foundation of seminary training, years of experience in church leadership and empowered with Eastern tradition and philosophy through his Daoist training.
Annual Congregational Meeting
Every year we gather to share Harbor’s budget for the upcoming year and to elect our new slate of leaders. But this year, we also gave our Blue Theology Intern, Natalie Alderton an opportunity to share with us about her summer working at Harbor. Please read her reflection (also in this newsletter) to get a sense of her experience this summer.
We are incredibly excited to welcome our 2024/2025 Harbor Board! Thank you so much for your willingness to serve. The community is grateful and looking forward to supporting you this year!
2024-2025 Harbor Board
Board Chair–Ron Lauzon
Acting Board Vice Chair– Nan Collett
Board Secretary–Nan Collett
Elders–Caroline Kaufmann
Worship–Judy Devine
Christian Education–Teresa Ramirez
Congregational Life (in-person)--Heather Earnhart
Congregational Life (on zoom)--Anabel Quintanilla
Outreach--Gary Devine
Membership--Maria French
Building and Grounds--David Earnhart
Trustees–Stanley Ackelson, Rhoda Watson, Nan Collett
Beach Days
What says summer more than beach days?? Pretty much nothing else! We enjoyed a few organized beach days with our youth and children and their families this summer. Many snacks were had, waves caught, and a few sunburns (mostly Pastor Janette)! There were also some fun finds in the tidepools! We hope you will join in again next year as we plan more summer beach days!
PSWR Summer Camp Counselors
Reflection from Indigo Cullumber
“This summer I had the opportunity to spend two weeks up at Loch Leven Camp and Conference Center. One of those weeks I spent at CYF as a camper and had such a fun and meaningful time. Going to camp allows me to see friends that I only get to see once, maybe twice a year. I have been going to camp since I was in elementary school and every year the connection I feel to the campers and counselors grows. The second week up there I got to spend time as a counselor in training for Wee Camp. This was by far my favorite week of all time. Being able to experience camp from the perspective of a counselor made me love it endlessly more. I got to connect with kids, not only from my camp but from the other two camps that were there at the same time. Being able to make a week that these kids will remember forever was such a joy and I cannot wait to do it again next year.”
Reflection from Gabriella Earnhart
Volunteering as a summer camp counselor for Loch Leven provides the opportunity to work with and lead so many sweet kids of all different ages. Experiencing Christian summer camp in the mountains can be absolutely life-changing for these students, and being a part of that (no matter what way) is a very sacred thing.
Shakespeare in the Park
Shakespeare in the Park is always an epic time. This summer we got to watch Molly play Banquo (in the Scottish play). Theater in the round is always fun to watch. Warning for those who may not know this show, shield your eyes from the upcoming picture–it was quite bloody (stage blood of course)!
OC Fair Fun!
Welcome Shirley Grace Deans
Christina & Tyler Deans welcome first child
Dear family and friends,
Thank you for all your love, support, and prayers. We are happy to share some photos of our newborn daughter with you
Shirley Grace Deans
천유진
Born July 30th, 7 lbs, 8 oz
If you would like to come see her, please feel free to reach out via this email or text one of us to visit starting in October.
Thank you again for being a part of our beautiful journey with us! We love you and are so grateful for you.
Sincerely,
Christina and Tyler Deans
Caroline Performs
It was a joy to get to see Caroline Kaufmann share her poetry and an original song for The Narrow Word at the Hudson Theater in Los Angeles last July. The entire evening was absolutely fun and beautiful. We got to experience so many different kinds of art and expression including: music, poetry, dance, comedy, improvisation, monologue, and more.
When Caroline took the stage, she stunned the audience with her powerful poetry and song. Her original song connected the audience to our own bodies and reminded us that we are the earth. She then shared a poem called Madness that reckoned with the deep racial pain in our nation, the reality that some of our ancestors owned others of our ancestors. What is owed in this painful dynamic? Madness is owed. A madness so deep that systems change, that justice comes, that we finally allow healing to flow. But first, madness. You can click here to read Caroline’s poem on her substack.
And she finished with a poem called Birth Song. Caroline has shared this poem with our community before and it is a beautiful prayer that welcomes new life into our community, a new child, a new possibility. It was a beautiful and tender way to round out her powerful performance. Her artistic expression began with the interconnectedness of all life, then moved toward the madness we owe to the injustice in the world, and then settled into a remembering that new life is coming, new possibility is rising. Caroline ended on the note of welcoming this new life and possibility with the honor and sacredness that it deserves. It was a beautiful night, and I hope that some of our community will be able to join her at the next performance!
–Pastor Sadie
Bronwen's Poetry Reading
Bronwen Butter Newcott has beautiful writing to share with our community and
beyond. Recently Bronwen hosted a poetry reading at Neat Coffee in Costa Mesa. It was a lovely and inspiring evening filled with art, poetry, food, and drinks. Several from Harbor joined and we were all so moved by the way Bronwen invited other writers, poets, and musicians to share the microphone with her. She started the open mic with several of her poems (one featured below) and then she invited the community to share their art. This is how we heal together. This is how we grow together.
Please enjoy Bronwen’s reflection and poem below:
I had the privilege of giving a poetry reading this summer and a few from our church came to listen and to read as well! We tell a lot of stories aloud, but not often stories we’ve crafted with images and form. I loved sharing. Here’s one of the poems I read. It’s a reminder of how we have no control over the unraveling, but we can put down anchors where we are and try to absorb the details of a moment with our senses.
My Father Who Holds the World
When I walk into the bathroom, the small TV
on the counter speaks the 6 o'clock news
and my father is at the sink. I sit balanced
on the lip of the tub watching him
like I did as a girl, run the razor
across his soft cheeks, over his Adam’s apple
along his jaw. He stands with his hands
on either side of the basin, tension silenced
in his shoulders as he leans toward the mirror.
I am memorizing the slope of his forehead,
the shape of his watch, imprinted on his wrist.
–Bronwen Butter Newcott
If you would like to check out more of Bronwen’s writing you can find her on Instagram @bronwenbutternewcott and you can link to her substack from there.
If you’d like to support Bronwen’s work you can buy her book directly from her (this is best and she’ll sign it for you), on Bookshop, or on Amazon.
Thank you for reading!
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