Church

Re: writer Mel Wolf's challenge via Mailbag (“It's time for the church to speak up,” May 16): I serve as Little White Chapel's elected elder chairperson, responsible for the congregation's spiritual life. I didn't participate in the cell tower project, but heard occasional updates (“no action”) during this multiyear effort. We are puzzled by the last-minute opposition to this project, because the prerequisite canvas/survey of our neighbors yielded a petition containing hundreds of signatures supporting its development.

After an emotional battle over a proposed wireless telecommunications facility at the Little White Chapel in Burbank, the neighbors who fought against it joined church members Wednesday for a potluck to mend fences and look toward a more harmonious future. Over a potluck that included lasagna and fried chicken, the two sides mingled in a garden at the church, where Pastor Bill Thomas Jr. welcomed the group as they applauded his entrance. “That is the most glorious sound that God has heard in the last few minutes is all of us clapping together,” he told the gathering.

As a former attendee of and longtime former lay leader at Little White Chapel, I have been interested in the cell phone tower debate now going on. While some neighborhood complaints I believe are unfounded and/or paranoiac, others appear legitimate. I wonder if the minister or current lay leadership has made any effort to alleviate those complaints or explain why they wish to use church premises for such a purpose, especially anything that detracts from the 70-year significance of the steeple that is a hallmark for this part of Burbank.

Tim Willert Dissention among members of a local Syrian church has caught the attention of Burbank Police. Six officers and a supervisor, in response to reports of verbal confrontations between congregation members, monitored Sunday's service at St. Ephraim Syrian Orthodox Church at 900 N. Glenoaks Blvd. "There was a potential that it could have become confrontational," Lt. John Dilibert said. "We just thought we'd better have some guys out there."

Darleene Barrientos Children might like to skip Sunday school in favor of playing outside or sleeping late, but Brad Brown is glad he went. In his recently released book, "This Is the Church ... ," Brown said he infused his main character with the values and morals learned in Sunday school, which he goes on to use as the leader of a church in a fictional town called Monument. The book is told from the perspective of Ian Block, a character Brown calls his alter ego. The main character starts as a boy in second grade, establishing a strong rapport with his Sunday-school teachers throughout the year.

Why do we as Christians sometimes focus so intently on other?s sins and not see the speck in our own eye? I write ?sometimes? because we do not constantly behave in this way. But it always impresses me when someone is spiritually mature and refrains from such action. Being spiritually mature means not being judgmental and pointing out what others do and comparing your own life to theirs, and somehow touting it as better lived or more righteous. Spiritual maturity is sitting without chipping in while others gossip, listening with compassion when someone does sin or we hear they?

The Burbank First United Methodist Church will say goodbye Sunday to its long-time minister Larry Stamper, who retires after 32 years. Stamper will give his final sermons at the 9:30 and 11 a.m. services. A picnic-style catered lunch will be served from 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. A limited number of tickets for the lunch are expected to be available at the door for $15 each. "This was the greatest congregation I could ever serve," said Stamper, who also served as a city councilman and mayor.

Bob Kramer Have you heard all the talk lately about praying in the City Council Chambers? It reminds me of my youth, a part of my life when I spent a great deal of time in church. But I was no choirboy. As I recall, every time I went to church the church got hit by lightning. My church was hit by lightning more often than Benjamin Franklin's kite during a rainstorm. I remember it was a great full-gospel church, with an old-time preacher who made things interesting.

Ryan Carter NORTHWEST DISTRICT -- Parishioners call him the "Master of the Keyboard." But Dick Smith says he's just got the knack for the ivories, whether it's playing gospel hymns on a 50-year-old church organ or toe-tapping tunes on a piano. Smith, 70, has been the organist at Victory Celebration Center, a local Burbank Christian church, for 16 years, but he's now bidding farewell to the congregation to lead the music of a senior citizen's Sunday ministry at a church in Northridge.

Church member and professional conductor and composer Rhonda Kess has written a musical based on the story of St. Bernadette of Lourdes that will have its world premiere this week at St. Finbar Church. The production, “Lost and Found - The Trial of St. Bernadette,” is a fundraiser with proceeds benefiting youth activities, like retreats, sports programs, filmmaking projects, book groups and others that provide positive influences, Kess said. While it is based on a religious story and produced in a church, Kess said, one need not be Catholic to enjoy the production.

A 38-year-old Panorama City man was arrested early Monday after allegedly fighting with a security officer outside a Burbank church and then going after a police officer. Armen Gindzhiyan was taken into custody on suspicion of being drunk in public and resisting arrest outside St. Leon Cathedral in the 3300 block of North Glenoaks Boulevard, Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn said. Officers arrived at the church about 1:50 a.m. after receiving reports of seven men and women fighting with a security guard following an event, he said.

Some kind of poetic conjunction will occur when jazz singer Diane Hubka performs a recital at Pasadena Presbyterian Church Saturday. Though she works as the church's accountant, what makes the pairing compelling is her lovely sound set in a sanctuary known for its majestic high-ceilinged acoustics. Hubka has a medium-dynamic alto voice with an unmistakable sparkle. Her tone is bell-like in its clarity and her diction is impeccable. Listeners can understand her no matter how brisk the tempo of the music.

A woman was transported to a local hospital Friday with minor injuries after her car went over the side of a road in Burbank. The woman was allegedly driving down Orange Grove Terrace before realizing the street turned into a dead end. When she tried to turn around, her car went over the side and ended up in the parking lot of the Church of Later Day Saints. The car had two passengers, who climbed out before Burbank firefighters arrived on scene. The driver was trapped, however, and firefighters used jaws of life to extricate her from the vehicle.

After an emotional battle over a proposed wireless telecommunications facility at the Little White Chapel in Burbank, the neighbors who fought against it joined church members Wednesday for a potluck to mend fences and look toward a more harmonious future. Over a potluck that included lasagna and fried chicken, the two sides mingled in a garden at the church, where Pastor Bill Thomas Jr. welcomed the group as they applauded his entrance. “That is the most glorious sound that God has heard in the last few minutes is all of us clapping together,” he told the gathering.

Seven years ago, Burbank resident Shannon Fernando traveled to the Philippines, working in a slum for six weeks with women trafficked as sex slaves. It wasn't the first international foray for the then-UCLA biology undergraduate. The child of a United Nations official, Fernando was born in Sri Lanka and spent the first 10 years of her life in far-flung regions of the world, including the Cook Islands, before settling in Burbank. But that visit to the Philippines was one that really stuck, inspiring her to take additional service trips to places like Nairobi, Kenya in 2007 and rural Haiti in 2011.

Re: writer Mel Wolf's challenge via Mailbag (“It's time for the church to speak up,” May 16): I serve as Little White Chapel's elected elder chairperson, responsible for the congregation's spiritual life. I didn't participate in the cell tower project, but heard occasional updates (“no action”) during this multiyear effort. We are puzzled by the last-minute opposition to this project, because the prerequisite canvas/survey of our neighbors yielded a petition containing hundreds of signatures supporting its development.

As a former attendee of and longtime former lay leader at Little White Chapel, I have been interested in the cell phone tower debate now going on. While some neighborhood complaints I believe are unfounded and/or paranoiac, others appear legitimate. I wonder if the minister or current lay leadership has made any effort to alleviate those complaints or explain why they wish to use church premises for such a purpose, especially anything that detracts from the 70-year significance of the steeple that is a hallmark for this part of Burbank.

I have been a Burbank resident for 10 years. When I was looking to buy my home, I knew Burbank was where I wanted to live. Burbank has a retro charm, beautiful tree-lined streets, darling homes, kids playing outside, friendly neighbors, a wonderful small-town feeling. My East Coast relatives are convinced I live in Mayberry. The quaint Little White Chapel added to this charm. I knew when I moved so close to the church there would be traffic and parking issues, but what I didn't know was that the quaint church would be at the center of such turmoil.