Author: bigredch

a column dedicated to the folks in the pews

Written by Dale Buchanan

Our pew person this week is Joel Bright. He is one of those behind the scenes members of our church family who quietly goes about the business of getting stuff done. Joel is of recent vintage at the Big Red Church, but that has not prevented him from being involved in all sorts of projects and also participating in the lay functions on Sunday morning worship. On Father’s Day, he, along with several other pew folks, will be preparing a meal for the church family after worship in the Fellowship Hall. I tried to do my reporter thing and get him to give me a scoop on the menu. Joe’s surname is not Bright for nothing, he did a bunch of doublespeak, and I have no advanced news of the Father’s Day luncheon menu.

I asked Joel for a short biography. It went something like this, “I have been married to Tracy for 21 years. She is the love of my life and the mother of my two children: Georgia, eighteen, is on her way to Santa Clara University this fall, and my son Spencer is thirteen and enrolled at University High School this next semester. I have worked for Albright Electrical for 20 years. I was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and lived there until I graduated from Memorial High School in the class of 1984.”

I requested a short biography and this is what I got! I did not push for more and obviously there is a lot more. My thought was to encourage you, if you have not done so, to shake this family member’s hand and ask, “Joel, where were you during the time between Madison and Fresno?”

I met Joel soon after he and Tracy arrived at Big Red. Not because I was particularly outgoing or friendly—they were! Mayo Goliti introduced us and we were off to the races. Smiles, hugs, bright and cheerful conversation, quick witted humor, along with clever and intelligent retorts drew me to them immediately. Take a chance and get to know Joel and Tracy. You won’t regret it.

I am running out of space but I am not out of notes. It occurs to me that the best way to get a handle on Joel and his behind the scenes mission is to understand that, like his surname, he makes everything he touches “bright.” Currently this bright, lively gentleman is working on illuminating The Big Red Church by upgrading all of the overhead lights in the sanctuary. And Joel Bright said, “Let there be light.”

Dale Buchanan is a member of FCCF with a passion for stories and writing. In between penning his own memoirs, he is helping us get to know our members, one pew at a time.

a column dedicated to the folks in the pews

Written by Dale Buchanan

Joel was born and grew up in Los Angeles. He came to Fresno to finish his education and after graduation was a social worker specializing in counseling for forty years.

“What motivated you to make this your career?” I asked. Joel replied, “I have always liked people and been extremely interested in what makes them tick.” My next question was, “Joel, have you, in your search for what makes us tick, found a common denominator that explains why we all act like we do?”  His answer was, “It seems to me a two-part answer. One, we are human, and two, we are each and every one of us distinct and unique individuals.” 

I talked for two hours with this venerable gentleman. My questions kept coming and with each answer I had another question which was patiently and thoughtfully answered. My notes flowed onto the paper—page after page of rich insights into this sweet and gentle man who has quietly occupied a pew at Big Red for decades.

Did I mention that Joel is a gifted poet? Joel’s poetry reflects a darkness when it speaks of his childhood. At a very young age Joel’s father died of cancer. Without a trace of bitterness or hate, he looked me in the eye and said, “My mother suffered a nervous breakdown and stopped wanting to be my mother. When I was eight years old my twin brothers and I were locked up for three years in a camp where we were abused in every imaginable way from beatings to verbal abuse and deprivation.”

“Joel, how did you survive all of this?” “I was crazy at first,” Joel replied. “Therapy helped and when I am blue Linda comforts me.”

Linda was raised by
good enough parents and family:
I learned to walk on 
my knees as a child
in hollow loneliness

(from “Simple Things”)

And this profound description of aging:

Cheeks and foreheads furrowed
in wrinkles,
thinning hair, grey beard, yellow teeth,
arms not strong enough to lift 
grocery bags or scrub floors. . .
The young dance with possibilities. . .
We elders are walking libraries. . .

(from “All in All”)

This poem speaks of all of our inner struggles to achieve:

I'm dried out; my poems
are fallen crisp leaves drained of
sap. . .
The green fuse that drives
the flower ushers our creativity.
We are tender red roses bathed
in petals of sunlight and fog. . .
Stop this self-serving complaining. . .

(from “The Blessing to Time”)

Joel met his wife Linda for piano lessons. It took about a year for lessons to blossom into love. He confided that he only learned to play a little. The love has lasted a life time.

Dale Buchanan is a member of FCCF with a passion for stories and writing. In between penning his own memoirs, he is helping us get to know our members, one pew at a time. 

a column dedicated to the folks in the pews

Written by Dale Buchanan

On a Sunday morning not long ago, I put Gayle on an airplane for St. Louis. After seeing her off, I had a choice. I could go home, wait 10 minutes, and then drive to church, or drive to church and wait an hour for the service at 10 a.m.

I went directly to church and parked in my favorite space near the front door. I was surprised to hear music from inside the sanctuary. I peeked in the front doors thinking maybe I was late. The pews were mostly empty, but the chancel was teeming with life. The choir or the music makers were there and in full swing. I eased down into a pew, and I was allowed to share with five or six other early comers, a preview of the morning’s music—an experience I highly recommend. Some Sunday morning in the fall when the music makers again occupy the chancel, buy a cup of coffee, slip into the Big Red Church, and be blessed with your own private concert.

The stated purpose of this column is to get to know those who labor from the pews. The music makers in our church are a diverse and varied group, rich with individual stories which I hope to be able to chronicle. However, it occurs to me that they function as one. And it is this oneness that is remarkable. This oneness comes from their dedication to service and hours and hours of practice and rehearsals. They are in fact a team.

It is summer and the choir has disappeared. My first summer here at Big Red, I was shocked the Sunday the choir vanished. The music makers were my favorite part. They still are!

So where do they come from in the fall and where do they fade away come summer? After an extensive search and serious investigation, I found the missing choir. They aren’t missing at all. They take off their choir robes and return to the pews from which they came. Listen carefully and you will hear them lifting their voices in communal praise with the rest of us.

They are from the pews. They occupy a unique and special place in our midst. They come as individuals from our pews volunteering to serve the church as a group. They become one in their dedicated service. Our music makers are not unsung heroes—they are singing heroes.

Dale Buchanan is a member of FCCF with a passion for stories and writing. In between penning his own memoirs, he is helping us get to know our members, one pew at a time. 

a column dedicated to the folks in the pews

Written by Dale Buchanan

In my opinion the most remarkable thing about the Big Red Church is the diversity found among the family members whose stated purpose is that we are “a caring and affirmative church.” As I compile my list of the multitude of behind-the-scene heroes who labor tirelessly and unrecognized from the pews of the Big Red Church, I continue to be amazed. That caring and affirmative slogan is not just a slogan, it is a way of life.

Our pew person this week is Kymberly Lindsey. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Southern California, she moved here with her wife Debra in 1991. They have been married for 38 years! From our more or less simultaneous arrival at the Big Red Church, we have experienced a symbiotic, spontaneous friendship—a black woman from L.A. and a white, red-necked fundamentalist—the best of friends. There is something wonderful going on here at the Big Red Church.

Let’s switch gears. Kymberly is that smiling woman you see moving around hugging and greeting folks in the sanctuary on Sunday morning. Get to know her like I have and her edgy sense of humor will keep you in stitches. Multi-talented, Kymberly writes, tells charming stories, and makes music, but her passion is cooking and baking.

I asked her how she became so passionate about cooking. That question gave me insight into her home life. I learned in narrative form about her mother, father, and siblings. I saw through her words a clear picture of the children taking turns washing dishes. I heard her mother saying, “It is time for you to learn how to cook.” Her resistance to this added chore became the joy of her life.

It was as we talked about cooking and baking, that I gleaned a bit of Kymberly’s philosophy. Right from the git-go she told me in no uncertain terms that her philosophy was, “Don’t ask if you don’t want to know.” With that expression, I stopped trying to tiptoe around and just asked my pointed questions, and she answered without hesitation.

Jesus was good friends with two sisters—Mary and Martha. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus. Martha cooked, cleaned, and served. Thank God for the Martha named Kymberly in our midst.

Dale Buchanan is a member of FCCF with a passion for stories and writing. In between penning his own memoirs, he is helping us get to know our members, one pew at a time.