FIRST CONGREGATIONAL WELCOMES ITS NEW PASTOR
By: Riley Hooper, Los Angeles Times Glendale NewsPress
Minister is getting comfortable with his new home.
Hailing from South Africa, Rudolph van Graan is bringing a new perspective and energy to the First Congregational Church of Glendale, where he was recently named minister.
Van Graan began at the church in mid-March. he gave his first sermon March 21, which was followed by a potluck. After two years under an interim pastor, the congregation welcomed van Graan with open arms, said Susan Aluzri, member of the church’s outreach board. “He brings an enthusiasm that is apparently very infectious,” she said.
Church moderator Linda Conover said the new minister is outgoing, compassionate, caring and positive. “I get the feeling that he’s excited about what each day will bring,” she said.
At Sunday services, Wednesday dinners at the church and Thursday visits with families, van Graan said he has had many opportunities to meet the congregation, and he’s eager to continue to do so. Working with people was the reason he got into ministry in the first place, he said. In high school, then faced with the choice of going to university for music or ministry, he chose ministry and proceeded to get his ordination as minister of religion from the University of Pretoria. “I find it fulfilling to work with peole, and I am genuinely energized by people,” van Graan said.
In South Africa, van Graan worked in ministry and as a church organist for years. He also owned a travel agency for the last 12 years he was there. Then, in 2008, he and his son won a green card in the USA Diversity Visa Program. That same year they moved to Florida, where van Graan’s friend from seminary is a pastor at a Faith United Church of Christ. While van Graan had prior connections with that church, his friend helped him reconnect with the ministry. He served as an organist and a musical director, then was selected by the First Congregational Church of Glendale.
Aluzri, who was on the search committee to find a minister, said that although the committee sifted through more than 100 minister profiles, choosing van Graan was easy. “We were just comfortable with him form the beginning,” she said. “His emphasis and concentration matched ours very well.”
Van Graan’s unique perspective and outlook on life contributes to the church’s liberal views and acceptance of diversity, Conover said. His international background also brings a worldly perspective to the church, Aluzri said.
While van Graan lived comfortably in South Africa, there are “Third World components” to the country, he said. Aluzri hopes that the minister’s experience with such conditions will bring a new awareness to the church members. “I think he brings a broader perspective on the Christian message,” Aluzri said. “It’s authentic and it’s important.”
Van Graan said he hopes that some day the church can help Third World countries, particularly in Africa. “We can’t disregard the Third World; it is our calling,” van Graan said. “We cannot grow fatter and wealthier without reaching out.”
FROM: THE CRESCENTA VALLEY WEEKLY
By Shana LiVigni, April 2010
Mission statement: “We are a friendly, caring Christian community responding to the love of God through Jesus Christ by: Opening ourselves to God and to all people, participating in worship that gives meaning to our lives, nurturing and supporting each other in our spiritual journeys, ministering to the needs of others and seeking to discern God’s purpose for our lives as we strive to live within our Christian values. We are members of the United Church of Christ which is a united and uniting church. United because it has brought together various denominations and uniting because we welcome all people to join in our community of faith,” according to the website of The First Congregational Church of Glendale.
The First Congregational Church of Glendale has served the community since 1911. It was dedicated in 1923 and was originally located on Wilson and Central avenues. It has been a member of the United Church of Christ since 1961 and welcomes people of all Christian denominational backgrounds. The United Church of Christ represents a merger of the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. In August 1963, property was purchased on Cañada Boulevard for church construction and the congregaton has remained at that location since construction was completed in 1969. The building was dedicated on Oct. 17, 1976. On Aug. 31, 1997 construction began for the Fellowship Hall which included three classrooms and a fully equipped kitchen.
Recently, the congregation welcomed its new pastor, Rev. Rudolph van Graan.
Rev. Rudolph performed his first service this past Sunday. Born and raised in South Africa, it was an act of faith that brought him to the U.S. and finally to Glendale where he and his 18-year-old son Alvard have settled. Rev. Rudolph said he is excited to be part of this community and has a current and down-to-earth way in which he sees his new position.
“We have a strong, common center of faith in Jesus Christ, enriched by a great diversity of ethnic and historical backgrounds,” said Rev. Rudolph. “When I preach, I’m not trying to say, ‘This is right and that is wrong.’ It’s more like, ‘We’re all here, we all need to shape our own lives.’
“What are the common things that are important? Respect, caring for ourselves and our environment, being good to one another, kindness and compassion. I would not want to be just shoving Bible verses down people’s throats. Even if social issues become important, we will talk about that because we are social human beings.”
First Congregational Church of Glendale is located at 2001 Cañada Blvd. (north of GCC). For more information, call (818) 243-2100 or visit the website at www.fccglendale.org.
CV Weekly will present part two of the First Congregational Church of Glendale next week.
PART 2, April 8, 2010 By Shana LiVIGNI
On March 15, Reverend Rudolph van Graan accepted the duties of pastor of the First Congregational Church of Glendale, performing his second service this past Sunday, March 28. Born and raised in South Africa, his journey to the U.S. included a stay in Florida before finally landing Glendale.
His early years were spent traveling as his family moved around according to his father’s pastoral calling. He graduated from high school in 1979 with a distinction in music, and then enrolled at the University of Pretoria to prepare for a career in the ministry. During his seven years of study, he served as both organist and youth leader at the Preta Church in Pretoria and also did work in Zimbabwe.
Van Graan was still in South Africa when Nelson Mandela was released and the country was preparing for a new post-apartheid era. He often voiced his opposition to apartheid, and eventually realized that he no longer had a place in the Dutch Reformed Church – he stood in direct opposition to its fundamentalism. Then in 2008 van Graan said his life changed.
He and his son Alvard were the lucky winners of the USA Diversity Visa, or more commonly known as the Green Card Lottery. They moved to Florida and stayed with some friends until he finished all the requirements for the visa. He went through a process of conferences for selection in a U.S. church and, after 18 months, he was granted Privilege of Call in the United Church of Christ.
“One thing that convinced the search committee that he was the right minister for us was that he understood not only who we were, but ways in which we wanted to move forward. His experiences in South Africa give him a broader perspective on the Christian message, which we believed was important,” explained Susan Aluzri, a member of the Search Committee which ultimately chose Rev. van Graan to be FCCG’s new minister. “Also, on a personal level he is easy to talk with and we felt comfortable with him from the beginning.”
Completing his journey from South Africa to the U.S. and finally to his new home, he’s anxious to put his ideas and the congregation’s input to work.
“We want total inclusivity. We want to include anyone that comes in and that’s why we want to focus on that kind of welcome, that when someone arrives here it’s like, ‘Hello, come in, tell us who you are, tell us what you need, how you want to fit in, come to the Fellowship Hall for coffee hour, tell us about your life and how we can welcome you in,’” said van Graan. “To me, that is the third part of the ministry. First is pastoral care, [then] worship and the third is extreme hospitality.”
Church member and moderator Linda Conover said, “The members and friends of the First Congregational Church of Glendale welcomed Rudolph with warmth and enthusiasm on March 21 with a potluck luncheon. Rudolph has stated that he’s here to stay. He has already found housing in Glendale, has integrated himself with the neighboring UCC church community, and uses every opportunity to share his warmth and genuine compassion and care of the individual. We all feel very fortunate to have found Rudolph and for him to have found us.”
First Congregational Church of Glendale, 2001 Cañada Blvd. (north of GCC). For information, call (818) 243-2100 or visit the website at www.fccglendale.org.