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Organ
to be Repaired!
Let the music soar! Congratulations CCMV, the call went out
and you met the challenge. As a community we have achieved
our $16,000 goal to repair the blower for the beloved organ.
As of this writing the call to Schoenstein & Co. to arrange
for the repair has been made and the Easter music has been
chosen.
A great big thank
you to all those who donated. (Beth Arvidson, Meta Bare, Linda
& Jamie Clever, John Eagleton, Bill Gerecke, Peggy &
Paul Hewett, Ben Hulan & Lisa Filippi, Jacquie Hoffman,
Buzz & Lydia Hull, Jane & Connie Kloh, Harriet Kostic,
Verna Parino, Keith Phillips & Sue Blanchard, Judy Reneau,
Jean Rhodes,
Tamayo Sato, Carol & John Schmiedel,
Marjorie Scott, Pam & Muncie Shortridge, Russ Wallace
and Mike Webber.) For those of you who thought about donating
but never quite got around to it, please do. We met our goal
but everyone knows what can happen with repair projects (cost
overrides, unexpected problems) and at this point we will
need to use the full balance of the Organ Fund Reserves toward
the project.
Please come look at the new poster Peter has created for the
Tamalpais Hall to celebrate our achievement as a community.
I am, personally, really excited to hear our special Easter
music on the newly reinvigorated organ. How appropriate for
the season. I also wish to thank the members of the Organ
Task Force for their help and unwavering support, Barbara
at the Church office and Mike Webber. We couldn't have done
this with out you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
-
Chris Bikle,
Chair, Organ Task Force
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MOC House
(at CCMV) Meeting
Please join us at 11:30 a.m. following worship this Sunday,
January 24. Those who attended the October 25th MOC Founding
Convention will share their experiences and give feedback
to all. Everyone from the congregation is invited. In addition
to Convention feedback, Linda Xiques will give an update describing
the research activities of the MOC Health Care Research Team.
If time permits, you will receive a report on the activities
of other MOC research groups. Keeping with MOC tradition,
we will begin on time, end on time, and keep the meeting to
no more than an hour-and-a-half. We’ll also provide
you with food to stay your hunger pangs. We look forward to
seeing a generous number of you on the 24th.
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Earl
Lectures
This year’s
Earl Lectures, held January 26-28 at the Pacific School of
Religion, Berkeley, are free and open to the public. (Leadership
Conference is $125.) To register, or for more information,
please see http://www.psr.edu/earl-lectures-2010.
This year’s
lectures will explore the increasingly popular phrase spiritual,
but not religious.
“Spiritual, but not religious” includes those
who glean inspiration solely from nature and the physical
world around them, as well as those who prefer to divorce
themselves from institutional structures. The phrase also
refers to some who are alienated from organized religion—refugees
from a house of worship that has not accepted or affirmed
them. “Spiritual but not religious” can also describe
those who find church irrelevant or who prefer to worship
in individual and private ways. Following is a summary of
the Plenary Sessions: Session I: Jan. 26, 10 a.m., Matthew
Fox, “From Religion to Spirituality—and Back Again?;
Session II: Jan. 26, 3 p.m., Women’s Spirituality Panel;
Session III: Jan. 27, 9:45 a.m., Melissa Wilcox, “A
Spiritual Being Having a Human Experience: Gender, Sexuality
and Religious Individualism”; Session V: Jan. 28, 9
a.m., Scotty McLennan, “Growing Up Spiritual or Religious?:
A Developmental View.”
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Incredible
Generosity
Giving to the UCC's Haiti earthquake response is shattering
previous online rates, indicating a generous outpouring from
across the United Church of Christ, church leaders say. Within
six days of the disaster, a total of $250,603 has been received
from 2,366 online donors. That far exceeds a previous online
giving record set in early 2005 when $112,000 was raised at
ucc.org over 23 days from a little more than 1,000 donors
to aid victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami. To find out more,
visit: http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=b3cziFAouXpxecfMHyGPqg
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2010 UCC Prayer Calendar
United Church of Christ’s Calendar of Prayer contains
stories from across the United States and from around the
world that illustrate the depth and breadth of the mission
outreach of the United Church of Christ. Globally, that outreach
is done in partnership with the Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ) through the common witness of Global Ministries.
There are stories that reflect the rich diversity of our denomination
as well. They are stories of local congregations, individuals,
and faith communities from around the world that speak to
the one church, the one body of Christ. We give thanks for
the support that you have given to the church through your
gifts of time, talents, and treasures. We give you thanks
for your generous support of the special offerings of the
church, as well as your support of Our Church's Wider Mission
without which many of these ministries would not take place
or be heard. To view and print the calendar: http://www.ucc.org/worship/calendar/
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January
Birthdays
January
24 Brian Viall
January 27 Muncie Shortridge
January 28 Teresa Main
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Loving the Earth for Lent
“Of
all the seasons of the Christian’s pilgrimage, Lent
has probably been most abused.
It has in certain times and places become a period of excessive
introspection, empty abstinence from tidbits of affluence,
and the enjoyment of the gloom of self-denial.”
On February
17—Ash Wednesday—Lent begins.
If Lent
is a pilgrimage or a journey, what is our destination?
Some say
that Lent is a journey home, even if it is to a place we have
never been. It is a physical journey in which new discoveries
are made, new insights gained, and greater depths explored.
It is a path that leads to oneness with God through union
with ourselves, our neighbors, and creation. It is a bringing
together of the life of the Spirit and the realities of the
human condition.
This year
we will “observe Lent” by taking a journey home
to earth—the only home we will ever know.
With each breath and each mouthful of food, whenever we make
love, witness the miracle of birth, or bury a loved one, our
spirits engage with our physical selves. Every time we stick
our head out the window to scrutinize the weather, thrill
to the sudden glimpse of a cardinal’s scarlet plumage,
or throw ourselves with gleeful abandon into the ocean’s
stinging immensity, we engage with that encompassing reality
that we may think of as nature, the earth, or the environment.
Our home
is in very serious trouble. Every time we hear the evening
news, pick up a magazine in a doctor’s office, or scan
the Internet, there is more bad news about the planet we call
home. We humans are damaging the earth at an unprecedented
rate. Unfortunately the heavy drumbeat of our planet’s
environmental crisis can produce a kind of paralysis often
expressed in either angry denial or heartbroken despair, but
serious religious life demands that we look at stuff most
of us would prefer not to. We must grapple with our own carelessness
and call ourselves to account, acknowledging “God’s
purpose for us is to love and to live in harmony with all
that [God] made. All of creation and all generations to come
are our neighbors.” The good news is that we are not
alone. God’s Spirit fills the cosmos. Although we must
admit that we will not be able to fix everything, we each
have a contribution to make. We know that our home is a holy
place and that life itself is a sacred gift. To sustain life
on earth we need to be better informed about the things we
do that endanger our planet, discover the tools that are available
to help us change our ways, and reconnect to the beauty and
wonder of nature.
This Lent
we will work together toward a “Greener” faith.
Beginning on Ash Wednesday and especially at our adult faith
retreat we will look for what we need to soothe our troubled
spirits and rouse our energies to heal the earth. Throughout
Lent we will honor the traditional practices of Lent—prayer,
fasting, and almsgiving—in new ways that will help us
transform our lives in order to become more faithful lovers
of the earth.
-
Pam Shortridge
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Toward a Greener Faith: Loving the Earth for Lent
You are
invited to the Adult Faith Retreat February 19-20, 2010 at
Enchanted Hills Camp
“God
loves the earth fully.
By loving one another and every sentient being
—even the rocks who cry out—
we love God.
In this love we are called to resist the poisoning of peoples
and earth.”
—
Karen Baker-Fletcher
download
word format
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Toward a Greener Faith: Loving the Earth for Lent
Annual
Adult Faith Retreat, February 19-20, 2010
Where?
Enchanted Hills Camp. Located above the Napa Valley in a wooded
coastal environment, 20 minutes from the town of Napa at 3410
Mt. Veeder Road. Travel time from Mill Valley is approximately
1¼ to 1½ hours. The camp is fully accessible
and is managed by United Camps, Conferences and Retreats.
Lodging
is in heated lakeside cabins with rooms for two, real beds,
and an adjoining bathroom. We meet in the Kiva, a large private
room. Delicious meals—made with adult tastes and appetites
in mind—are served in the Dining Hall.
When?
6:30 p.m., Friday, February 19, to 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb.
20. The retreat begins in the Kiva at 6:30 p.m. on Friday;
supper is at 7 p.m. You may check in as early as 5 and enjoy
a walk by the lake or a short hike along one of the trails,
take a nap, or enjoy some coffee in the Kiva. The retreat
ends Saturday at 2 p.m. Please plan to stay for the full time.
Cost?
The cost for lodging, 3 meals, and materials is $95 per person.
(Partial scholarships up to $50 are available. Please note
on your registration the amount of help you need, then enclose
what you can afford to pay.)
Who?
All adults are welcome. The camp accommodates all ages, singles
& couples, and people with limited mobility.
Facilitators:
Pam Shortridge, Pastor, and Carol Manahan, Associate Conference
Minister.
Carol
completed an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Environmental Ethics
and Biblical Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in
2006. In addition to her work with the churches of the Golden
Gate Association, she teaches part time at California College
of the Arts. Her focus is on environmental ethics and biblical
studies with a particular interest in agriculture. She and
her spouse Anni Jensen have created a drought-tolerant ornamental
garden and organic food garden of fruit trees, berries, and
vegetables around their Richmond home.
What? Study, story-telling, reflection, discussion, meditation,
and hands-on exploration & discovery....
“This
is our vision—a beloved creation of raucous diversity
and extravagant beauty, a web of life knit together by the
Spirit of God who infuses every cell. It is a deeply religious
vision, and yet it can easily be translated into the language
of the public sphere. Doing justice, promoting equity, ensuring
freedom, and conserving nature are the social dimensions of
loving our neighbors as ourselves.” — Janet L.
Parker, Christian ethicist and pastor of Rock Spring Congregational
UCC
Registration for Adult Faith Retreat, Feb. 19-20, 2010
(Deadline for registrations is 12 noon, Friday, Feb. 5.)
Name
______________________________ Phone ____________ E-mail ______________
Name ______________________________ Phone ____________ E-mail
______________
Address _________________________________________________
Zip ______________
Scholarship requested $_______ (Up to $50 per person)
Deduct
requested scholarship from the full cost ($95).
Total amount enclosed $_______ Make checks payable to Community
Church. Note “Adult Retreat.”
download word format
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