President Cary Koh called the meeting to order and welcomed our festive group of Rotarian. He then asked Suzanne Juptner to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Lage Andersen then came forward to deliver the invocation. He recited a prayer for peace, attributed to St. Francis of Assisi.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Bob Doerr then gave us an update as November is Rotary Foundation month. He presented a short video on what Foundation donations accomplish throughout the world. He then gave some statistics of the amounts The Rotary Foundation has given out in a year, with very little overhead spending. He also reminded us that the Club gets back almost half what we have contributed. That can then be leveraged for even more dollars toward an international project.
Cary was pleased to award a Paul Harris pin the Jerry Winges. This is his third Paul Harris Fellowship meaning he has contributed $3,000 over the years.
There are several ways to make your EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) donation. With a credit card you can do it on the Rotary website.
| My Rotary
If you haven’t registered for My Rotary you can do so as you make your donation.
Or you can write a check payable to The Rotary Foundation. Bob Doerr or Marilyn Orr will get it to the Foundation.
In the spirit of the season of Thanksgiving, Marilyn Orr distributed a few of the thank you cards the Club received from this year’s scholarship awardees. The following Rotarians read one of the notes. Mike Heffernan, Jay Miller, Mark Johnson, Phil Siegle and Jerry Winges.
Jennifer Pence came forward to deliver a newscast. She asked those gathered to consider specific Gratitude Reflections. Mark Johnson answered the question “What did you think was lost forever but you found?” Mark misplaced his past president Rotary pin with an actual diamond awarded in 1987. Just recently he was cleaning out the back of his closet and there it was. Miracles do happen. Cary Koh took on the question “Where and when have you gotten the best night’s sleep? It was his sophomore year in high school after an all-nighter preparing for a biology AP exam. He slept 24 hours straight.
It was now time for our speakers, the three clergy members of our Club. Reverend Paul Watermulder began with the introduction and background of each. Rabbi Jay Miller has served the local Jewish community including at Peninsula Temple Shalom. He has worked to build inter-faith cooperation and was campus chaplain at UC Berkeley. Father Michael Mahoney is a Catholic priest heading the local parish of Our Lady of Angels. Paul retired, after 40 years, from his post as senior pastor at Burlingame Presbyterian. He had been a cop in Berkeley. He now has one son who is a Presbyterian pastor and the other is a cop in Oakland. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Paul led off the “View from the Alter” program with his take on character and the importance of that virtue. He spoke to how it plays into all aspects of life in the world today. He addressed the lack of character in crime and politics.
Jay then came forward, commenting in the depth of Paul’s words. He then recalled Lage’s invocation of the Prayer of Peace. When we hear the words “let us pray”, it means all of us to whatever deity or faith we hold to take the time for thoughtfulness, dedication, and conviction. Jay chose as his topic religion, which he feels is a personal design. Every group has religion of some construct.
To hear the inspiring words of these three learned members of the clergy and our Rotary Club, click the link below to listen to the complete program.
Our very own Burlingame Rotarian, Mark Lucchesi has started a podcast for the Burlingame Historical Society called "Burlingame is a Small Town." He has interviewed a number of Burlingame Rotarians as well as other prominent folks in our community. You can check out his YouTube podcasts 