The purpose of the workshop was to share the resources available to our churches through the Lazarus Plan.  The reception was mostly positive, with some push back from someone who felt this was a plan being imposed upon them rather than voluntary, as it is.  That was cleared that up.  The synchronicity of Fruitvale Presbyterian Church’s decision to close being on the agenda focused our attention on how real the issues are. We are all in this tsunami of change together and that it is not a Darwinian problem.  Great start to what we hope will continue to build on strength.

Israel & Palestine Issues at GA – John Anderson
Present: 26 people (1^st) & 20 people (2^nd)

The open space we shared centered on the topic of the Israel/Palestine overtures heading to GA & the issues that surround them. We tried to focus on what people knew for sure about the facts on the ground, what they personally had seen and heard about the reality of the situation, what they experienced in their conversations with others over the issue and what their interfaith dialogue was like. We did talk some about the overtures, their origin and their rational, but we were not seeking any results in our time together.

The Fellowship of Presbyterians – Morgan Murray
Present: 30 people (1^st) & 10 people (2^nd)

Basic information was shared about how the Fellowship intends to exist inside the PCUSA and be closely connected to the new denomination the ECO. I shared the vision and nine values of the Fellowship and the Narrative on the State of Religion – a working document intended to call congregations to greater accountability in mission effectiveness. People were invited to respond to these docs: How would these values line up with your congregation’s values? How might using a document like this change how your church approaches its mission and life together? Some questions were around how the Fellowship’s activities vis-à-vis 10-A came up; most people agreed with what was expressed in the vision and values, which left some people puzzled as to why some congregations felt the need to join the Fellowship in order to live them out.

Mission Policy – Jeanne Choy Tate
Present: 8 people (1^st) & 7 people (2^nd)

People exhibited passion and enthusiasm for mission. There was unanimous agreement that mission is best defined as moving out beyond the walls of the church to bring the gospel into the community through service and evangelism. Mission is the outreach that makes the gospel visible, where we become God’s hands and feet in the world, particularly for underserved and underrepresented populations. Mission should lie at the heart of the Presbytery. Deep disappointment was expressed that Presbytery has lost this sense of Mission and, with it, much of its sense of compassion and unity of purpose.

Presbytery needs a common Mission Strategy to lead us into the future. This is not the same as a mission statement. There was unanimity that understanding mission as the whole ministry of the Presbytery is misleading and confusing. Setting a clear Mission budget, separate from the ecclesiastical budget, is a good place to begin. A grant process to encourage innovative mission is important. Some questions were: Should the mission budget include any program or staff (and if so, do we need a different staff design)? Should it include training for laity or support for small or urban churches or churches in transition? Should mission include innovative ways of worship in the community as a way of outreach? Making these decisions will require some major work on the part of Council.

There was also agreement that, despite the work of the Partnership Working Group, the mission work of individual congregations is not widely known and definitely needs a more visible presence, as does our involvement in overseas mission. NCDs are also a form of mission. Presbytery needs its own mission that is more than what can be done by individual congregations.

Bullying – Matt Knapp and Will McGarvey
A conversation on bullying used a game called “Goodbye Bullying Machine Card Game.” The group used the game to explore the different forms of bullying in the schools, workplaces, and society.  Powerful sharing.  The card game can be ordered at http://www.reachandteach.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=965

Matt offered to videotape those who desired to share in a video he will produce for the Presbytery website.

The Presbytery of San Francisco Education Center – Karl Shadley
Spent time asking the question: “How can the Education Center help support your churches ministry?”

Here are the new partnerships that came out of this open time…

ñ One new partnership will be with Westminster Woods and SFTS that is coming to SF this summer. Westminster Woods Environmental Interns (from SFTS) will do creek restoration. This will be the first step in creating our prayer and meditation garden.

ñ Another partnership will be with the CLPs at Delta Community Church to do Spanish language outreach to folks coming to the feeding program at the church.

ñ As we talked about the possibility of creating a “Stephen’s Ministry” type program that is more flexible and economical for our churches. The Rev. Tici Truly of Calvary Pres in SF got so excited about what we are doing she said yes when I asked her to be a member of our Program Working Group. This will fill a big need of ours as we look at continuing education and representation from the West Bay of our Presbytery.

ñ We also talked about the Learning Center to be a Resource Center/Library for the Presbytery. There was also discussion about the Center hosting the new Presbytery Offices.

ñ We talked about classes for continuing education for CLPs but also for all Elders and Leaders in our Churches. Basic Spanish Language classes or Basic English Language classes. A place for a retreat for CLPs or Session retreats etc.

Alternative Worship – Peter Feltmann
Present: 15 people

Discussed current worship music and shared some of our favorite songs and what kind of genres and instrumentation people seem to find most meaningful. Everyone got involved with the conversation and there were a lot of fresh perspectives that people were exposed to. We sang a verse and chorus of O Freedom to close and that’s about it.

Source of Funding for Small Church Internships – Gail Doering & Maggi Henderson

Present: 8 people

• using the funds/proceeds from SF sale properties – camps and offices
• funds used for 5 interns for a 9 month period: cohort group with students and shared church hours – 1 intern, 2 churches
• collaboration with interested small churches, PCUSA seminary vocational offices, CPM, & large churches without support the concept.

Time line/Next steps:

• form diverse small group development/project team one summer
• share project plans with council and FPOC, request a commitment to support this program January 2013.

 worship.

The church will meet in General Assembly in Pittsburgh, PA, June 30 – July 7. Of course, the YAAD’s travel, lodging, and meals are paid by the Presbytery and G.A.

If young members of your congregation (aged 17 – 23) would be interested in serving as our presbytery’s Young Adult Advisory Delegate, please contact Nominating Committee chair Pam Byers (pambyers.sf@gmail.com or 415-584-1804) no later than Thurs, May 17. Thank you!

The following is the Mediation Team’s May 8 Presbytery Report

On behalf of your Dismissal Policy Mediation Team, grace and peace to you in Jesus Christ. More than two and a half years ago, on September 15, 2009, the Presbytery of San Francisco voted (nearly unanimously) to adopt as presented “the policy and procedure for the dismissal of churches in the Presbytery of San Francisco” as written by the Gracious Dismissal Task Force, and the Presbytery then dismissed that task force with its thanks.

In the months and years that have followed, we (the Presbytery of San Francisco) used that policy once (with CPC Danville); then suspended that policy; then commissioned another group of people to revise and improve that policy; and then the policy that group produced was brought to Presbytery for a “first reading” and then two months later – in June of 2011 – for debate, at which time two amendments to that policy were defeated and a third amendment was being heatedly debated when discussion of the policy was tabled indefinitely, and later a “detox team” was formed to help us with our “issues.” Fast forward seven months to January 31 of this year (2012): A motion was made on the floor of Presbytery that evening to attempt to move forward the process of adopting a dismissal policy through mediation. The commissioners present voted to approve this motion and the wheels began turning that have brought us to where we are today.

Shortly after the January meeting, according to Presbytery’s mandate, a balanced team of twelve commissioners representing a variety of perspectives and convictions was appointed and charged with selecting and engaging a mediator – at Presbytery’s expense – and with that mediator finding common ground for our presbytery between the original policy and the draft of the revised policy, which we have done through a process that was more involved than any of us anticipated.

At this point we would like to ask the members of the Mediation Team who are here this afternoon to stand for a moment so that you (the Presbytery) may see them. You will have opportunities to get to know us better later if you would like. For now, we assure you that we reflect the diversity of our presbytery, and maybe in some cases the polar ends of our presbytery. We are: six ruling elders and six teaching elders, with backgrounds in law, real estate, business, accounting, administration, government, and pastoral ministry.

Over the past three months we have come together as members of a presbytery should – despite our differences – crossing over the aisle, knocking down (in the apostle Paul’s words) “dividing walls of hostility,” getting to know one another as people made in the image of God; sharing, listening, seeking to understand, agreeing, disagreeing, debating, discerning, learning to appreciate our differences, and affirming our oneness as brothers and sisters in Christ and in the larger body of Christ. Over the past three months we have spent easily and literally 100 hours together in half-day sessions, all day sessions, conference calls, praying, reading scripture, fasting, reading, writing, re-reading, revising, editing, Emailing – and some of us have spent far more than 100 hours on this, making sacrifices personally, vocationally, and in some cases financially because we love God and are committed to His church, and because we are eager with you for the church of Jesus Christ to get on with its mission and with the exhibition of the kingdom of God in and for the world.

The twelve members of the Mediation Team want you to hear this: We love the church, and we love one another. We must love one another – even if some of us may one day cease to be members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and this presbytery. Regardless, we will love each other because God has loved us, and because Jesus has called us to love one another, and because the world is watching. And so, we have completed the task with which we were charged – the formation of a mediated dismissal policy. And this process has not been easy. Each and every one of the twelve of us on the Mediation Team have had to make concessions. The policy we bring before you today is not what any one of us would have come up with on our own. We have all made concessions. We had to. And now you must also – for the sake of our unity in Christ and for the peace of the church.

And yet the policy that we present to you has our unanimous support – every one of the twelve of us – with very diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and convictions. This policy has our full support and with one voice we commend it to you.

The Mediation Team asks and encourages that when you read this document, you do so not just carefully and thoroughly, beginning with the cover letter and preamble, but also prayerfully – prayerfully and with a humble heart – asking the Holy Spirit, who has constantly led us in our work, to tune your spirit to God’s Spirit.

Because the Mediation Team has requested that this policy be voted on by Presbytery at our June meeting – five weeks from today – without amendments (because we believe amendments would invalidate the spirit and the work of the lengthy, focused, intense, guided mediation process), the Mediation Team will be hosting four open forums for questions, answers, explanations, and discussion on the policy on various dates and at various locations around the bay area between May 15 and May 23. Specific details about these forums are available with the mediated Dismissal Policy and also posted above.

In addition, we will also be publishing on Presbytery’s website by June 5 a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document – based on the conversations at these forums – for whoever may be interested in learning more about the Mediation Team’s process and thinking with regard to the formation of the mediated Dismissal Policy.

We welcome questions about the policy and we want to encourage understanding – in a spirit of faithfulness to God and with love for one another.

At the same time, we, the Mediation Team, agree and assert that with regard to this policy, failure – failure to adopt this policy – is not an option; it cannot be. The twelve of us agree that the worst possible outcome for us as a presbytery is to fail to adopt this policy, even though most of us will find points within it with which we disagree.

This has been a difficult journey and a faith-building journey for all of us, but a journey in which we know that the Lord has been with us; through which we have sensed and known the Spirit of God in and among us; and by which we have all grown and learned to love and appreciate one another in ways we did not expect.

The Mediation Team is committed to continuing to pray for ourselves, for you, and for the reception and reading of this policy, hoping that the Lord Jesus will be glorified through its adoption and, where and as need be, its implementation. May the Lord Jesus be glorified.

SESSION I
(4:15 – 5:15 pm)

Session Minutes Reading – Marc Jung, BOSR Chair
Members of BOSR, and often some experienced Clerks of Session, are available to you. Bring your minutes to be read,   or stop by with your questions.

Israel/Palestine Issues at General Assembly – John Anderson and Walt Davis
They will share what they know will be becoming before GA, imagine what and how it will be discussed. We will listen and learn more from each other, and be open to committing to praying about all that will be discussed and who will be discussing at GA.

San Francisco Urban Legacy Gathering – Cal Chinn and JD Ward
They will be sharing about the SF urban legacy gathering and what it is to be a missional church. Find out how local pastors and elders are finding ways to address the needs of the churches through partnership, relationship, and a collective legacy.

Fellowship of Presbyterians – Morgan Murray
Morgan will give a brief overview of the January gathering of the Fellowship of Presbyterians (FoP) and the tone of the gathering. He will also share the values of FoP and the intended relationship between FoP, the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians  (ECO), and the PCUSA.

Being a Disciple Making Church – Jake Kim
Making disciples for Jesus Christ is how churches transform lives, churches and communities. Explore the process of disciple making and inviting non-Christians to explore the Christian way of life.

Alternative Worship Music – Peter Feltman
(will be offered once – TBA as to which session!)
Congregational singing is one of the most important elements of Reformed worship. Don’t limit yourself to the same old hymns all the time! This is an opportunity to bring some of your favorite songs to share with others in the presbytery. We will also explore the mystery of harmony and how you can encourage your congregation to find harmony with each other.

What’s Happening in Redwood City? Why start another new church now? – Josh Rowley
Are you interested in new church development? Want to talk about why this is a great time for San Francisco Presbytery to invest in growing new faith communities?    Are you interested in learning about missional church planting? Come meet Josh Rowley, Associate Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in San Carlos and organizer for a new missional church planting effort in Redwood City and join the conversation with the New Church Development Administrative Commission.

http://postyesterdaychurch.blogspot.com/

A Response to Bullying (video project)– Will McGarvey and Matt Knapp
Bullying has always been around, but now it has a different face – with increase bullying in schools and online. As a response, and in an effort to create a video of encouragement to young people in our area and across the country, we would love to film a short message from as many members of Presbytery as possible – that’s YOU! We will ask you to share their thoughts, wisdom, or encouragement – or own stories of bullying on film. The messages will be edited together in a video and shared online.

Conversation and Feedback around the Mission Policy – Jeanne Choy Tate
If you are interested and have feedback about the Mission Policy, come and share your thoughts about the Mission Policy and its impact on the Mission Budget. (Note that a draft of the policy in included in the packet on pages 2-1 and following in REPORT #4 – LEADERSHIP COUNCIL. Please read it prior to our Open Space time.)

SESSION II
(7:00 – 8:00 pm)

Lazarus Project – Deborah Wright and Jim Kitchens
For small congregations interested in looking for faithful missional options for their future, The Revs. Deborah Wright and Jim Kitchens invite your participation in an assessment process to discern what Best Practices might look like that are applicable to your particular situation. Ruling and Teaching Elders interested in exploring The Lazarus Project are encouraged to come!

Israel/Palestine Issues at General Assembly – John Anderson and Walt Davis
They will share what they know will be becoming before GA, imagine what and how it will be discussed. We will listen and learn more from each other, and be open to committing to praying about all that will be discussed and who will be discussing at GA.

“How can the Presbytery of San Francisco Lay Education Center can be a help to the ministry of our church?” – Karl Shadley
It would be a time to brainstorm what Commissioned Lay Pastors and the Education Center could be. “How can the Education Center be helpful/useful to your church?” If you are curious, interested, or have ideas, please come to discover and dream ways that we can equip our churches with trained lay leaders.

East Bay Urban Legacy Gathering – Abby King Kaiser and Monte McClain
Last November, churches from Richmond, Berkeley, Alameda, Oakland and San Leandro gathered for a day of sharing our faith and imagining the future. We want to continue the conversation in our new presbytery format. Churches from the inner East Bay will be invited to continue the urban legacy conversation, considering our needs, our dreams and possibilities for the future.

San Francisco Urban Legacy Gathering – Cal Chinn and JD Ward
They will be sharing about the SF urban legacy gathering and what it is to be           a missional church. Find out how local pastors and elders are finding ways to address the needs of the churches through partnership, relationship, and a collective legacy.

Fellowship of Presbyterians – Morgan Murray
Morgan will give a brief overview of the January gathering of the Fellowship of Presbyterians (FoP) and the tone of the gathering. He will also share the values of FoP and the intended relationship between FoP, the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians  (ECO), and the PCUSA.

Being a Disciple Making Church – Jake Kim
Making disciples for Jesus Christ is how churches transform lives, churches and communities. Explore the process of disciple making and inviting non-Christians to explore the Christian way of     life.

Alternative Worship Music – Peter Feltman
(will be offered once – TBA as to which session!)
Congregational singing is one of the most important elements of Reformed worship. Don’t limit yourself to the same old hymns all the time! This is an opportunity to bring some of your favorite songs to share with others in the presbytery. We will also explore the mystery of harmony and how you can encourage your congregation to find harmony with each other.

What’s Happening in Redwood City? Why start another new church now? – Josh Rowley
Are you interested in new church development? Want to talk about why this is a great time for San Francisco Presbytery to invest in growing new faith communities?    Are you interested in learning about missional church planting? Come meet Josh Rowley, Associate Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in San Carlos and organizer for a new missional church planting effort in Redwood City and join the conversation with the New Church Development Administrative Commission.

http://postyesterdaychurch.blogspot.com/

A Response to Bullying (video project)– Will McGarvey and Matt Knapp
Bullying has always been around, but now it has a different face – with increase bullying in schools and online. As a response, and in an effort to create a video of encouragement to young people in our area and across the country, we would love to film a short message from as many members of Presbytery as possible – that’s YOU! We will ask you to share their thoughts, wisdom, or encouragement – or own stories of bullying on film. The messages will be edited together in a video and shared online.

Conversation and Feedback around the Mission Policy – Jeanne Choy Tate
If you are interested and have feedback about the Mission Policy, come and share your thoughts about the Mission Policy and its impact on the Mission Budget.         (Note that a draft of the policy in included in the packet on pages 2-1 and following in REPORT #4 – LEADERSHIP COUNCIL. Please read it prior to our Open Space time.)

Christ has risen! I hope you all are experiencing the grace of God during this season of Easter. I wanted to thank you all on behalf of the Meetings Working Group for your participation in last presbytery meeting’s World Cafe discussions. You can view the notes and comments harvested on the Presbytery of San Francisco website.

At our last presbytery meeting, you all got a sneak peak to the upcoming changes to presbytery meetings beginning this upcoming May meeting. We will begin inserting Open Space as a part of our business meeting. For more information on Open Space, you can view the guidelines. Because this will be our first meeting with Open Space, we welcome feedback and comments. You can send them to the Meetings Working Group at meetingswg@presbyteryofsf.org or the Comment Drop Box at the presbytery meeting.

Please review the Call to Meeting. Also check out the website to see what Open Space topics you can choose to attend. We have a wonderful variety.

See you all on May 8 at John Knox!

Easter Blessings, Theresa Cho (Moderator)

Director, Stephen Ministry

Deadline to Apply: Sunday, April 29, 2012

Stephen Ministry is an integral part of pastoral care here at First Pres, providing free, one-on-one confidential care to people who are experiencing grief, emotional turmoil, or who are in crisis or times of transition.  Care receivers generally meet with their Stephen Minister once a week for an hour.  Care is provided by well-trained, peer-supervised and highly committed people.  The ministry complies with the national Stephen Ministry program.  Currently, the program has nearly 90 Stephen Ministers who provide over 100 hours of weekly care.  Currently, the program is running two separate 9-month long Skills/Stephen Ministry Classes with more than 50 people in the two classes.  The ministry includes staffing of the prayer room after each of the Sunday worship services, an extensive library, and sponsoring of periodic regional conferences.  The ministry leadership team includes 6 people on the Executive Leadership Team and 11 Supervision Group Facilitators.

The Director of Stephen Ministry oversees all aspects of the Stephen Ministry program including training, equipping and supervision of all Stephen Ministers, teaching and oversight of the Life Skills/Stephen Ministry Course, and intake, resourcing, and referrals for those needing care.  The Director oversees the Stephen ministry leadership team.

The Director is a key and integral member of the Caring Ministries Staff and, as such, works with Caring Ministries in visioning and implementing a comprehensive and integrated approach to caring ministries as it relates to other church departments.

• Stephen Ministers
  • Interviews and selects Stephen Ministers from those who have completed the Life Skills Class
  • Conducts all intake interviews and assigns Stephen Ministers and makes appropriate referrals for other care resources
  • Monitors and resources Stephen Ministers in their respective care-giving relationships
  • Maintains all the confidential files for Stephen Ministers and their care receivers
  • Conducts advance training classes for Stephen Ministers
• Stephen Ministry Leadership Team
  • Trains, supports and leads the Stephen Ministry Leadership Team.  This team holds the vision for the ministry, establishes policies, and the management of the details for all aspects of the ministry.
• Life Skills/Stephen Ministry Training Class
  • Develops and teaches the curriculum for the training class in compliance with national Stephen Ministry standards
  • Coordinates the annual graduation dinner
• Community Involvement
  • Works with other area churches in training Stephen Ministers and the development of Stephen Ministry Programs             
• Caring Resources
  • Works with other Caring Ministries Staff, Caring Ministries program leaders, and FPCB staff in the development of caring resources and specialized training, i.e. sexual misconduct training, small group, divorce recovery care, caregivers support group, etc.
  • Responsive to caring needs of congregants, Stephen Ministers, and care receivers in times of crisis and transition
  • Works as an integral member of the Caring Ministries staff to implement the comprehensive vision for caring ministries at First Pres.

• A mature Christian who has a growing and deepening faith in Jesus Christ
• Passion for caring ministries
• Giftedness in empathy, compassion and emotional and spiritual discernment
• Discretion with confidential information
• Highly relational and a team player
• Capacity to work with people in crisis
• Organizational, visionary,  and leadership skills
• Ability to manage complex systems and can change on an organizational level
• Ability to partner with a broad spectrum of staff in various ministries
• Master’s degree in pastoral or counseling disciplines or equivalent
• 3+ years’ experience in a pastoral or counseling role
• Experience with the Stephen Ministry program is highly desirable

Reports to:

Pastor for Caring Ministries

Direct Reports: 

Administrative Asst. for Caring Ministries

Meets regularly with: 

Pastor for Caring Ministries

Administrative Asst. for Caring Ministries

FPCB Staff

Caring Ministries Department

Stephen Ministry Leadership, Small Group Facilitators and Stephen Ministers

Serves on Committees and Departments:

Caring Ministries Department

Work Schedule:

Varies depending on Training Class Schedules

To Apply:

Complete the First Pres job application form, found at: http://www.fpcberkeley.org/employment.asp

and send it, along with a resume and cover letter, to Bonnie Rauscher, Human Resources Manager, by April 29, 2012. You may apply by email to bonnier@fpcberkeley.org

San Francisco Bay Area candidates only, please.

Please note that a final job offer will be contingent on passing a criminal records background check.

WHO:

Chaucer Theatre makes their Seventh Avenue Performances debut with Chanticleer & the Fox: Nun’s Priest’s Tale (a musical comedy) from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. What happens when you get humans playing chickens playing humans, add a fox, and stir in some music? A LOT of fun! Don’t miss this delightful musical barnyard romp with the hen-pecked Chanticleer and a flattering fox, dreams and philosophical chickens make for a rousing – or roosting – tale … or tail. Performed in modern English, Chanticleer & the Fox: Nun’s Priest’s Tale, is an interactive tale filled with portentous dreams and farmyard philosophizing. As if by magic, four Canterbury pilgrims are pulled irresistibly into Aesop’s fable of Chanticleer & the Fox; for this is a land of dreams … silly one moment as Chanticleer and his hen wife Pertelote tangle in a lover’s tiff … and dangerous the next when dreams of ages past deliver their warnings … and then of course there’s a hungry Fox theologizing with his brunch. Elements of British panto keeps everyone on their toes, paws or claws in this fun-filled tale – a great event for the entire family!

Cast:

John Geist (Director, Composer, Artistic Director) has created music for the Bay Area Theatre and classical groups since 1971, including the Kronos Quartet, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare Festival, and the Oakland Symphony Orchestra. He is the winner of two Hollywood Dramalogue awards, a National Nonesuch Commission Award, a Dean Goodman Choice Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatre for Original Music for the Canterbury Tales, and a Bay Area Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Achievement. He was nominated for Bay Area Critics Circle Awards for Musical Score for The Knight’s Tale and for Physician’s & Pardoner’s Tales.

Becky Parker Geist (Host, Executive Director) has originated and recreated a host of Canterbury Tales characters including Dorigen in The Franklin’s Tale, Alison in The Wife of Bath’s Tale, and Dame Prudence in Tale of Melibee. She recently wrote and began performing Joy with Wings: A Daughter’s Tale, sharing her personal journey in a way that touches the hears of her audiences and opens doors of reconciliation and healing in their lives. Becky toured in England with Chaucer Theatre in 2003 in Paradise Unzipped, and received a nomination for Ensemble Performance by the Bay Area Critics Circle Award in a previous incarnation of Nun’s Priest’s Tale. Currently, she is also a voice-over artist represented by Tonry Talent.

David Abad (Nun’s Priest) has toured locally and internationally with Chaucer Theatre, appearing thus far in 11 of the 24 extant Canterbury Tales. He has performed throughout the West Coast with such groups as the Bus Barn Stage Company, the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Curtain Theatre, Town Hall Theatre Company, Murhpy’s Creek Theatre, Sierra Repertory Theatre, Bobrow Productions, California Theatre Center and Murder on the Menu. He also appears on computer screens as the snide Toltec Chamberlain in Maxis’ CD-ROM game The Crystal Skull, starring Edward James Olmos.

Megan Finkeldey (The Weaver) has enjoyed years of performing since her youth, both acting and singing. In addition to touring with Chaucer Theatre she has performed throughout the Bay Area in such shows as Fiddler on the Roof and She Loves Me. A native of New York, she sang and toured internationally with the New Amsterdam Singers for several years, as well as appearing in Carnegie Hall in a Mahler symphony concert and as on of the Blumenmadchen in the second act of Wagner’s Parsifal.

Lucas Hatton (The Pardoner) has recently returned to the Bay Area from Chicago where he performed at many theaters including: Steppenwolf, The Hypocirtes, Neo-Futurists, Dog & Pony, Lifeline and The Gift, as well as Geva Theater in New York. He served as Artistic Director of Barrel of Monkeys (an arts education company serving underserved children in Chicago) for three years. This summer he will appear in Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s production of The Merry Wives of Windsor.

WHO: USAF’s Band of the Golden West Travis Brass Ensemble
WHAT: Popular and symphonic music arranged for brass
WHEN: Saturday, May 5 – 7:30 pm
WHERE: Seventh Avenue Performances, 1329 Seventh Avenue, San Francisco – 415.664.2543×3
WEBSITE: www.SevenPerforms.org
TICKETS: FREE – no reservations or tickets required

As part of Seventh Avenue Performances Free Concerts Series, the United States Air Forces’ Band of the Golden West Travis Brass Ensemble makes their debut on Seventh Avenue with this concert of popular and symphonic music arranged for brass.

Travis Brass is the multitalented brass group of the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West. From a standard march or traditional brass composition to jazz, ragtime and the popular music of today, this group’s diverse repertoire covers a myriad of styles to exhilarate audiences.

Throughout the West Coast, Travis Brass focuses on educational outreach through hands-on clinics, master classes and interactive concerts for aspiring musicians of all ages. Additionally, Travis Brass shares their enthusiasm and expertise, customizing every performance to provide entertainment for community relations concerts, TV shows and professional sporting events, as well as honoring military personnel.

Travis Brass is featured on the recording “Wood ‘n Brass” and most recently appeared on the local television show Good Day Sacramento.

These talented artists are active duty professional musicians working in support of Air Mobility Command and the surrounding communities. Travis Brass’ blend of sound, style and humor make them an entertaining ensemble, putting an evolutionary spin on music for tomorrow.