Pine UMC’s Worship Commission
2024 End of the Year Report
“Bold and Courageous”
Inspired by our worship experience, we put Pine’s central message of love, peace, and justice into bold and courageous actions. We highlight those special events here.
At the same time, we celebrate the staples of Pine life - our regular outreach to the community in love, peace, and justice. We also celebrate the work of those individuals involved in activism of their own.
Here is a summary of our activities from this year.
JANUARY
• LOVE DEMANDS PERMANENT CEASEFIRE BANNER: In keeping with our theme of "Bold and Courageous,” we hung a banner in our Memorial Garden that read “Love Demands a Permanent Ceasefire” in front of the church. This was in protest of the Israeli Occupation’s assault on Gaza that escalated in October 2023. A neighbor complained about our banner, but the Pine community stood firm and continued to have healthy discussions on Gaza. We’ve also received messages of affirmation and gratitude from neighbors.
• COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Our first community spotlight speaker, Edie H., shared with us her wide-ranging activities, only some of which we had known about. Edie's commitment to Pine is tripled by her work in the larger Japantown community with such organizations as Nichi Bei Foundation and Scouts Troop 12. An inspiration to us all.
FEBRUARY
• VALENTINE CARD WRITING: Cathy organized Valentine card writing for members of the Pine community, especially those unable to attend services in person. We received many words of appreciation from those who received the cards.
• FILM SCREENING OF OCCUPATION OF THE AMERICAN MIND: Pine collaborated with Richmond District Rising (RDR), Arab Resources and Organizing Center (AROC), and San Francisco Committee on Human Rights in the Philippines (SFCHRP) in hosting the showing of the film, Occupation of the American Mind, about the Israeli Occupying state propaganda’s influence on U.S. media of misinformation and silencing in regards to Palestine as a whole. About 50 people from Pine and the Richmond District attended.
• COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Cathy and Jason were the Community Spotlight speakers for the month. They shared with us their volunteer work with two organizations: 1. Sunset Youth Services that provides support and training for youth and 2. Brady Riding that offers therapeutic horseback riding experiences for youth and adults. Wonderful resources in the community. Their talk was informative and enlightening.
MARCH
• EASTER SUNDAY: Easter service included flowering of the cross and goodie bags for the neighbors, each containing chocolates, jellie bellies, a poem, and a friendly note. The goodie bags and their distribution were organized by Jorim Rhee.
APRIL
• ANNUAL WAFUDOG BOOTH AT SF JAPANTOWN’S CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL: As in previous years, Pine and Scouts held our Wafudog booth at the Cherry Blossom Festival. Pastor Jeanelle led a prayer service at the booth before the cooking and the selling started, an important grounding as we reached out to the community.
• COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Jorim was our community spotlight speaker this month, sharing her experiences in then-recent months on building with interfaith communities against state violence and in support of international solidarity from the Philippines, to Korea, to Palestine. This included sharing about a Good Friday Vigil at the Oakland Federal Building that she and others coordinated, uplifting victims of state violence and their stories. She highlighted the importance of cultivating relationships in the struggle. She ended her talk with great singing.
MAY
• ANNUAL MOTHER’S DAY FOOD DRIVE: In our effort to help people locally, Jorim coordinated the annual Mother’s Day Food Drive for the Richmond Neighborhood Center. As in years before, the food was donated by our congregation, the two preschools who operate in our building, and the Boy Scouts whom we sponsor. At the conclusion of the food drive, and before the food was delivered to the Richmond Neighborhood Center, the congregation participated in the blessing of the goods.
• ONGOING DONATIONS FOR URBAN ANGELS: An ongoing project is a clothing drive for people who are unhoused or living in shelters. People are invited to drop off jackets, pants, sweaters, shoes, etc. in the large cardboard box in the narthex. The items are delivered to Urban Angels or St. Anthony’s.
JUNE
• PRIDE SUNDAY CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF BEING A RECONCILING CONGREGATION: Pride Sunday was highlighted by the installation of a Pride flag in front of the church building, high enough to fly freely and visible for all those passing to see and appreciate. In celebration of Pine being Reconciling for 30 years, this year’s Pride service consisted of music by special guest, Joyous Dawn, and videos that captured those in Pine's past continuing their support, such as Rev. Makoto Kondo and Rev. Atsuko Fujinami, both past Nichigo-bu pastors. We also saw a special video of Rev. Lloyd Wake speaking at Pine in support of the LGBTQ community in 2013 - 21 years after Pine became Reconciling. We had rainbow Communion bread made by the Baqueery - a Queer baker in the East Bay - and the Sanctuary was decorated by Pine’s community before the Worship Service. The offering that Sunday was dedicated to the Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity (MASGD), who is also providing timely support for LGBTQ+ Palestinians in the U.S. in light of the genocide.
SEPTEMBER
• ANNUAL CHURCH PICNIC: We had our annual picnic and a short service at Lincoln Park. The time with the congregation in a casual outdoor space is precious, and the shared food is delicious. We combined the picnic with the announcement of the recipient of the annual Pine Scholarship award. We were joined by Nichigo members, Rev. Hanaoka, and Julie (who has been serving as an accompanist for the Nichigo Worship Services). The picnic was organized by Edie.
OCTOBER
• WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY: ONE YEAR LATER: CONTINUING THE WORK OF PEACE: October was a month of deep reflection and remembrance as we marked one year since Israel’s genocide on Gaza. We began the month with the World Communion Service that featured Adam from Friends of Wadi Foquin (FoWF). Adam, a Palestinian, was just in the U.S. on a speaking tour in the spring, but was unable to return home to Palestine due to the events in October 2023. He shared his concerns about the genocide, the situation in the West Bank, and the impact on his family who lives there. He also shared about his cousin who was martyred at least a decade ago while helping a woman at a checkpoint - the situation is not new.
• ALL SAINTS / SOULS SEASON ALTAR: In observance of All Saints’ Day at the end of October, we decorated the garden with an altar and photos and names of people we’d like to remember, including people and struggles for justice. We kept the display up until the first Sunday of December, when we had our Stone Soup Potluck. Designed and coordinated by Jorim, it was a fitting tribute to the season and to world events.
• SENDING POSTCARDS TO GET OUT THE VOTE: In anticipation of the upcoming presidential election, several people from Pine and their friends wrote 500 postcards to people in New York and Texas, encouraging them to vote.
NOVEMBER
• ALL SAINTS / SOULS SUNDAY: We continued with the theme of loss and remembrance. Two speakers spoke movingly about grief, loss, and overcoming challenges. Pine member Phillip Cha shared memories of his mother, a smart, courageous woman who immigrated from Korea and worked hard as a single mom to raise her family.
• INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY: Journalist, activist, Chinese American, and San Francisco native, Brandon Lee, spoke of his decades-long work in the Philippines in solidarity with indigenous people who were resisting mining in their ancestral lands. The Armed Forces of the Philippines targeted him for this work and attempted to assassinate him, which left him paralyzed from the chest down. He continues to speak out as long as he has voice. He led us in a chant from the Philippines: Follow, follow, follow Christ! Serve the people! Two profiles in courage.
DECEMBER
• STONE SOUP POTLUCK, DECORATING THE SANCTUARY, AND ADVENT SEASON: The year ended with a joyous Advent season. On December 1, we had Christmas tree trimming and a post-Thanksgiving Stone Soup Potluck, coordinated by Edie Horner. The All Saints / Souls Altar was put away for the year and the names of loved ones who had passed were brought to the Stone Soup Potluck, placed on a table next to flowers and a plate set aside for them, as aligned with some of our community’s Asian cultures. Many people pitched in on this busy day.
• THREE WISEMEN DECORATION ON PINE’S BUILDING: As every year, the Goto family put up the three wisemen display in front church. This is always a stunning visual message and addition to the neighborhood.
• BLUE CHRISTMAS, HYBRID CHRISTMAS SERVICE, AND CHRISTMAS EVE RECORDED SERVICE AND PLAYLIST:
Later in the month, we had a Blue Christmas service, an opportunity to “hold together the grief in our personal lives as well as our grief for the world.” Then a hybrid Christmas service with lively singing and a Christmas Eve service on Youtube. The Christmas Eve Service on Youtube was followed by a playlist of songs Pine community curated focusing on the themes of Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy.
We as a church grieved for ourselves and the world but also found joy in working together. We look forward to 2025 with some apprehension but with hope, as we carry forth Pine’s theme for the year: Connecting through justice, kindness and walking humbly with God.
Submitted by Anita Ozaki, Kay Ikuma, and Ann Lew
on behalf of Pine UMC’s Worship Commission
Edited by Rev. Jeanelle Nicolas Ablola