April, 14 2008 by Alburn.

IMG_3770, originally uploaded by alburn.binkley.

Those of you at Church this past Sabbath might have noticed that many regular attenders didn’t show up. Most of us were at the SonScreen film festival in Simi Valley. Personally, I saw a lot of talent and faces that will probably make their way to Hollywood. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

This week (or whenever) give a shout out to Melody George who had a huge role in this event, and send up your prayers for her for next year, when she’s taking on even more responsibility.

Posted in Community, Fellowship, Picture, Media Ministry, Church | 2 Comments »

March, 26 2008 by Lennox.

Wednesday morning, March 4. We had to run to catch the train. Oddly exciting, running to catch a train. A quick walk from our downtown stop, we stood before the deserted 9am steps of Los Angeles City Hall.

Looking up at the impenetrable fortress from whence issue policies and city governance, my eyes lingered on the sign at the top of the stairs.

I was along for the ride, hanging out with my Pastor, to whom I sometimes refer as my friend Ryan. It’s good to be among friends. He said hello to Joe Hari, another friend, community organizer with LA Voice. We were here today to cooperate with Joe and his local division of PICO (People Improving Communities through Organizing)

I saw Ryan add his signature to a list of those who give voice to the request for immediate attention to the Los Angeles Housing Crisis. Nothing new there. He’s always signing off on important matters of Peace and Justice.

So far, I’d been on a train ride and exchanged greetings with friends. And, from the outside, from the bottom of a massive defensive line of concrete steps, I’d also seen the walls and doors of City Hall. I decided to take a look at the fountain. I’ve always liked water.

I also like fire. The next time I saw my friend Ryan, there was fire in his eyes and passion in his voice. There was conviction in the air. Over one hundred people had gathered on the steps. I had to look through the crowd to see him. The crowd cheered as Ryan urged the adoption of a Three-Point-Plan to address the crisis in which thousands of workers who support the economy of the city, are forced to live outside of it for lack of affordable housing within its boundaries.

As the moderator of the Housing LA Press Conference, Ryan introduced and shared the podium with many compelling speakers, several of whom followed his lead by acknowledging that the housing crisis is a moral issue, a call to action for people of faith.

We didn’t have to run to catch the train back. Nice and easy. Talking about music and family. About how great it is to live in Los Angeles. Talking about old neighborhoods and the last time either of us tried to solve a rubik’s cube. Me and my friend Ryan, taking the train home from City Hall.

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

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.

Posted in Picture, Peace & Justice Committee, Church | No Comments »

October, 1 2007 by Alburn.

Here are more pictures with members of the church in it.

Posted in Picture, Crossroads, Church | 1 Comment »

September, 29 2007 by Alburn.

Graffiti Party, originally uploaded by alburn.binkley.

What better way to spend a Sabbath afternoon than going to a graffiti party to see the work of our prospective mural painter. Our Missional Action Team has taken up the Hollywood Crossroads Mural project as our experiment.Today we also debuted the plasma screens at the church and had a meeting afterwards to discuss participation in the WeAreHollywood project. Look for more blog posters soon as we continue to invite members to join us.

Posted in Picture, Crossroads, Process, Church | 2 Comments »