Happenings Around the District

Workers Rights. Labor Day. CLUE-SF (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice of San Francisco) will begin a rally at the Hyatt Hotel, Fisherman's Wharf, 555 North Point Street, San Francisco. It will move to a nearby park for a program. Lunch will be served. Rev. Israel Alvaran is the contact. [415-863-1132. ialvaran@clueca. org.]

Saturday, Sept. 6, 7:15 p.m. -- Pine UMC, San Francisco

Iftar Dinner. Iftar refers to the evening meal for breaking the daily fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Literally, "breakfast." This dinner is an opportunity to be in alliance with our Islam interfaith friends, as Pine has been since shortly after 9/11. There will be a breaking of fast with evening prayers at 7:31 p.m., and an Asian and Middle Eastern dinner at 7:40. Please bring a vegetarian dish to share. A program at 8 p.m. [426 - 33rd Avenue (downstairs). 415-387-1800.]

Saturday, Sept. 13, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. -- First UMC of San Rafael

Seniors and Shut-Ins. A training on how most effectively to visit seniors (and others) who are shut-ins. Free, underwritten by a grant from the General Board of Discipleship. Judith Pruess-Mellow, the executive director of Senior New Ways, will present. Register with Patricia Sanborn, 707-545-3863x209.[9 Ross Valley Drive at Fourth Street, San Rafael.]

Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 18-20 -- Los Altos, California

Disaster Preparedness. Sue King, the conference director of our UMVIM program, is urging folks to go to an UMCOR training on disaster preparedness for our churches. She stresses that folks must go to the whole thing, from 8:30 a.m. the first day, to 1 p.m. the third day. Maximum 100 attendees at each. Registration is $75 per person before Sept. 1, or $90 afterwards (not including accommodations). (Care of children training is $115 early; $130 late.) Sue has some scholarships that she is prioritizing for non-English-as-a-first-language folks. Registration and fee to be sent to the UMVIM office at P.O. Box 980250, West Sacramento CA 95798-0250. Preceding the Los Altos training, on Wednesday, Sept. 17 there will be free training for the Conference Disaster Team. Joining them will be other people from the Western Jurisdiction. UMCOR says: "The mission...is to provide a caring Christian presence in the aftermath of a disaster...under very speciifc guidelines which enable a team to be productive and caring while causing no further harm or being a burden to the affected community." [655 Magdalena Avenue, Los Altos.]

Friday-Saturday, Sept. 26-27 -- San Jose

Immigration: Bishop Minera Carcano of Phoenix is among featured speakers for a California-Nevada "Call to Radical Hospitality" at Wesley UMC in San Jose (566 N. Fifth St.) on Friday evening Sept. 26 (from 5 p.m.) and all day (to 5 p.m.) Saturday, Sept. 27. Its cost of $50 per person includes Friday evening dinner and Saturday breakfast and lunch, and the San Jose Doubletree is a suggested hotel. The presenting question: "What does the Bible say -- and what does our church say -- about the challenge of immigration?" Register by Sept. 19 at 916-386-0658.