Fairview Community Church

Hello There Fairview & Friends!

What an incredible experience to have the President of the United States yards away from our church! There was so much excitement in the air. At about 1:45pm they began to shut down the streets closing off all traffic on Fair and Fairview –including pedestrian traffic. For awhile Flo Martin, Cindy and I stood on our corner, until the police forced us off and told us that if we didn’t leave they would evacuate our entire church because we were within 200 yards of the president. So, we went onto the lawn in our backyard, where we set up chairs, with some signs on the lawn, and we waited for our president to fly over us and land a couple of hundred feet away! Marti Barmore and John Schuster managed to sneak their way onto the property. Imagine: the streets were vacant, with only the occasional motor cop running up and down the street. The silence was eerie. Our neighbors tried to get on top of their roof but a police helicopter hovered over head, and soon a police officer drove up and yelled at them to get down. No one was supposed to be in the eye line of the president. However, from our spot on the rise in the grass we had a perfectly clear view of where he would land! The tension was mounting; my excitement could not be contained.

I knew that in a building not far away many of my friends were crammed in, forcing their way through the crowds to attain a coveted spot near the front of the room. My good friend Pam Allison, from Progressive Christians Uniting, was being interviewed by the OC Register. Her daughter Taylor, had already taken off, leaving mother and little sister behind, as she vied for a spot close to the front. My favorite activist Felicity Figueroa had been given a ticket from former Irvine Mayor Beth Krom. Several of my labor friends had already updated their Facebook status’ they were in and thrilled. I wondered where our dear old Daily Pilot editor, Paul Anderson would be situated and if he’d score any special privileges for being employed at the local paper. I hadn’t heard from our own Libby Cowan, our esteemed church member and also favorite former mayor. I was hoping she was inside somewhere in a reserved spot…but all I could do was imagine and wait in the silence on the lawn.

And then they came. We heard them in the distance and watched them quickly approach: giant green flying bugs carrying the most important man in the United States . The first one touched down very close to us. The second one landed just after the first and down came the third. In a matter of seconds a line of white vans scurried up to the middle copter and we squinted our eyes and watched as President Obama with his posse encircling him hopped into the vans, and drove 50 ft away so that he could be ushered directly into the building.

It all happened in a matter of moments. But those moments were not lost on me. After about an hour or so, Cindy and I ran back onto the lawn, joined by Ty Rose of AIDS Services Foundation, who managed to sneak by the police line and get into church, and Eliza Rubenstein the Mesa Verde Methodist Music director, and we watched as the president walked himself back to the copter (no white vans for 50 feet this time!), and one by one the giants flew into the air above us as we waved our flags for peace and equality and shouted “Come back soon!”

So, you know, just your average day at Fairview Community Church ! The truth is –nothing is average here! So come over and be unique with us!

This Sunday we’ll be participating in a pulpit switch. Brian Foxworthy, the interim pastor at United Church of the Valley will be preaching here at Fairview , and I’ll be in Murrieta preaching there! I hope you’ll enjoy hearing a different voice! Brian is serving a United Church of Christ –Disciples of Christ congregation, however, he, himself, is actually Lutheran. So, he’ll add to our diversity here at Fairview !

Please join us tomorrow evening for FANTASTIC FRIDAY! Kids meet here at 6:30pm and adults meet over at Acapulco Restaurant at 6:45pm. This is always a fun event for everyone –kids love to have the opportunity to play games together, share in a meal, and make crafts –while adults always report an enjoyable evening out with their good Fairview friends! And don’t forget JESUS in the DARK – Our Lenten Film Series – this week we’re showing Jesus of Montreal –an excellent film.

Lots going on! Hope you’ll be intentional about experiencing Lent here at Fairview !

With Excitement,

Sarah

Reverend Sarah Halverson