February, 28 2008 by Lennox.

We’ll be hosting a Crossroads at HOLLYWOOD Community Input Workshop on Saturday, March 8 at 4:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Crossroads at HOLLYWOOD is a community-based art mural. We were just awarded a $10,000 grant from the City of Los Angeles to implement this public art mural for the benefit of our community (read more). This workshop is designed to bring together community partners and neighbors to discuss the design with artist, ManOne. Following the workshop there will be dinner for anyone who wishes to stay, at 6:00 pm. At 7:00 pm Melinda Rice and friends will perform a concert called Triptych. All donations from this concert will benefit the mural. More about Crossroads at HOLLYWOOD art mural at the website, www.crossroadsathollywood.com. There you can download the press release and flyer for the workshop as well as the program for the Triptych Concert, by Melinda Rice.
 

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February, 27 2008 by Wayne.

Last Sabbath I chose the rocking chair as my perch of preference during the warm and fuzzy fellowship at the pleasant/friendly/gracious home of Elder Neville and kindly Kirsten. From there I rocked and looked and felt warm blessings as I saw fellowship at it’s finest. A group gathered on the couch around the big coffee table jabbering and even giggling and enjoying each other and whatever they were sharing. And then there was Pastor Ryan fumbling (or was he strumming) on the guitar with Kathy sitting cross legged on the floor beside he and Lennox and they too were strumming…I assume with more advanced technique than Pastor. And there was Elder Neville watching and running around getting extra chairs and chatting with one here and there to make a friendly contact. And then there was the group by the head of the stairs exchanging whatever. Perhaps it was Archeology as I had just met Cecilia who just joined us from AU where she worked in the Horn Archeological library. And there was Edward and Taron jawing away over some “geek idea” no doubt. And then there was Kirsten and Elysbeth and Kelsy and Valerie hurrying and scurrying getting the hot food from the stove/oven onto the table and mixing and making salad/cutting bread/pouring juice. And “time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets”…and the others who were there mingling/sharing/caring and just being.

And for what? For us! The family! The individuals far away from home and our family. We who are “strangers and sojourners” in this land of “nod”…this land of wonder and evil and good and challenge and …. But above all we who love God and each other because we are family “in God” “with God” and “for God” and all in the name of God’s Son Jesus in whom he is/was well pleased. So Elder Neville and Mother Kirsten we were all blessed..BECAUSE OF YOU…and your home…and your love and energy…on this Sabbath…this 23rd day of February…in the year 2008.

And the people said Amen!

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February, 19 2008 by Valerie Hichez.

Alas, our long weekend together is over. None of us were certain about what to expect, yet the whole experience was enlightening. Last Friday, February 15^th, through Sunday evening, February 17^th, the Peace & Justice Committee of the Hollywood Seventh-day Adventist Church hosted the workshop, “Managing Our Conflicts Before a Watching World,” taught by The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University School of Law. Tim Pownall, the Associate Director of The Straus Institute, taught the workshop. Mr. Pownall is an alumnus of Pepperdine, and has traveled the world, mediating high-level disputes and facilitating negotiations in very challenging circumstances.

About twenty-two people attended the workshop, including Church members and non-Church members. Mr. Pownall taught us some valuable tools, beginning with recognizing how we initially approach conflict. Once we understood our own tendencies in the face of conflict, we were then challenged to think outside of that box and how we might develop ourselves to think in a way that is more skillful in conflict resolution. We all gained varying insights to our strengths and weaknesses. Mr. Pownall taught us the importance of cooperation in negotiation; he emphasized the need to be aware of our concentration on the ‘self’—winning as much as ‘I’ can in life, or doing the best for ‘me.’ He noted, however, that this competitive nature is sometimes vital to one’s own well-being and survival in the world and healthy negotiation. Whether a competitive or more cooperative tactic is needed in a given situation, depends on the very nature of a situation. Always playing a comptetitive card can ultimately be destructive to oneself and society, for it primarily concentrates on the preservation of self over greater society. And if we solely preserve our own welfare, where does that leave the rest of the society—how does that affect ‘community,’ and even more so, how can that ultimately destroy ‘community?’ On the flip side, always playing the cooperative card can be equally as detrimental, for it leaves little, if no, room for negotiation, and can enable the other side to take advantage of a situation, and perhaps not allow for the best possible outcome. The reality is, many negotiations call for a balance of both the competitive and cooperative cards. And this is also where love comes into the picture. I think all people, no matter if they are faith-based or not, are called into a necessary relationship with one another, that should be based on mutual respect and love for their neighbor. If we can always remember this, then no matter what conflict scenarios we find ourselves in, we have a powerful empathetic perspective that can only help us to understand the other’s perspective. But this does not mean we must become subservient or passive. Mr. Pownall impressed upon us that it is necessary to be wise and sharply discerning in the face of conflict, and sometimes this is challening for those who always want to cooperate. The whole process of resolving conflict and engaging in fruitful negotiation, in general, involves a delicate balance of respect coupled with informed awareness to make an educated and just decision, holding everything in solution. So, to be ultimately effective, we must be able to be both competitive and/or cooperative when the situation calls for it. This is not easy, of course, but can be learned over time. And what better way to keep perfecting oneself than to keep learning by way of approaching conflict with an aim to learn, not to run away, not to give in to every demand, nor to take up an automatically defensive stance.

If humanity is to successfully progress, we must constantly evaluate our decisions and actions in life, continuously noting our motivations for our actions, and whether or not our decisions are going to help or hurt the greater majority of those with whom we share community. This is very important, because even though we think we may be ‘getting ahead’ in life by making a decision that is better for ourselves in the immediate future, ultimately we may be increasing the divide between ourselves and the ‘other’—our world neighbors and those we are called into some type of relationship with on a daily basis.

The workshop included simulation exercises, as different conflict scenarios were presented to us. The conflict-resolution skills that we learned are applicable to a variety of situations in life. While it was a crash course for many of us who attended the workshop, I believe that we all came away with some very valuable information. I look forward to my next negotiation to use these newly acquired skills! I have realized that every opportunity I am presented with in life that involves conflict is an opportunity to push myself into a slightly uncomfortable position, but with the end goal of building a bridge over the divide that can separate myself from others. Thank you to all who attended and stay posted for more upcoming Peace & Justice Committee events!–Valerie Hichez, Peace & Justice Committee

Photos by Leslie Foster

Posted in Picture, Peace & Justice Committee, Process, Church | 2 Comments »

February, 18 2008 by Alburn.

IMG_2304, originally uploaded by alburn.binkley.

This weekend’s Straus Conflict Training is over. It turned out to be really informative and a lot of fun.

On a “techier” note, welcome to Lennox on writing for the blog. Keep watching for a post from our Peace and Justice Coordinator, Valerie! This year WeAreHollywood is looking forward to an active blog community here at Hollywood.

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February, 15 2008 by Lennox.

OK, you guys. Next weekend, we’re planning a full day for the family here at Hollywood. First of all, we’re having communion at church and that’s one of my favorite times. After church, we’re taking a picnic to Malibu Creek State Park. After lunch, we’re going hiking. Bring your cameras and we’ll do some photo hunting. Do you guys know about the Flickr group where we post our photographs? Check it out http://www.flickr.com/groups/hollywoodsda. Then we’ll catch sunset at the beach. After sunset, we’re heading to a Greek restaurant that one of Maria’s friends owns for greek food and live music.It’s gonna be fun! You gotta come. You gotta come. Remember to bring layers and hats and such, since we’ll be out during the sunny part of the day as well as the chilly evening. ($8 per car admission to Malibu Creek State Park, approx $15 for the Greek restaurant experience)

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