Lakeshore Outreach

A Conversation Between Pastors (Late May 2019) Jim: So, how do feel about your congregational review last Sunday? Now that you have had a few days to think about it, do you have any impressions or take-aways? Ally: I really … Continue reading May 30, 2019 →

Family, I was greatly moved by this letter from our own Chaplain Dave Robinson to supporters of the ministry he leads, Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy. In it he announces his retirement and proclaims beautifully the meaning of Easter. I share it … Continue reading April 25, 2019 →

Below are a few examples of our Evergreen Family responding to the terror attacks in New Zealand: First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City: Our hearts are breaking for our Muslim brothers and sisters in the wake of the massacre … Continue reading March 28, 2019 →

The Interfaith Council of Alameda County is making plans to convene a meeting of religious and political leaders to address the housing crisis in the Bay Area. I have been asked for a statement for the participants to sign. Here … Continue reading March 1, 2019 →

Scattered notes from January… On Friday the 4th I traveled to Redlands to see my mentor, John Townsend. John lives with Parkinson’s disease and it is far from easy for him, Carol (his wife), his daughters, his caregivers. Like so … Continue reading January 31, 2019 →

For over a decade a small group of us from LABC, usually Declan Brown, Dave Gattey, Skip Keller and myself, have driven down Interstate 880 in the days before Christmas (we do the same in the days before Easter) to … Continue reading January 3, 2019 →

You may already be familiar with the term “Faustian Bargain” but in case you are not, the Encyclopedia Britannica offers the following definition: Faustian Bargain A pact whereby a person trades something of supreme moral or spiritual importance, such as … Continue reading November 29, 2018 →

On the first three Sundays of November I will preach a series of sermons titled “November Prayers.” The three prayers I will call to our attention are: A Prayer for the Saints, A Prayer for the Church and A Prayer … Continue reading October 25, 2018 →

Just before noon on Thursday, September 13, City Council Member Abel Guillen’s office called asking if I would be able to serve as the moderator at a meeting that evening between the Council Members, Oakland Human Services Director Sarah Bedford, … Continue reading September 27, 2018 →

Almost twenty years ago, in response to both community concerns about the need for a more vibrant business climate on Lakeshore Avenue and lobbying from the now defunct Greater Mandana Action Committee, of which our church was a part, the … Continue reading August 30, 2018 →