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Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church Newsletter
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Weekly Happenings at SHPC
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January 18, 2018
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Solidarity with Freedom Seekers
I was a stranger and you welcomed me - Matthew 25:35
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares - Hebrews 13:2
This Sunday, January 21, at 9:30 a.m., we answer God's call to stand in solidarity with freedom seekers: those who flee their homelands to seek safety in the USA, and those living in the shadows in fear of being deported. Let's graciously welcome to our church Justine E., an asylum seeker from Nigeria, who will share his story in conversation with Pastor Bev. Our own Kit Argilla visited him while he was being held in immigrant detention in the East Bay (prison conditions), and brought him hope. God calls us to practice radical hospitality, to stand with the most vulnerable, and to be hope-bringers.
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A Note from Pastor Bev
As I travel to St. Louis today to serve the national church, I am so filled with gratitude for our lively faithful church!
Last Sunday you all made my heart sing as we gathered in the name of Dr. King.
A very special thank you to our Youth Group, with the creative leadership of Charles Wei, for their terrific participation in worship. They sung out the prophetic voices of today's inspirational leaders, from Tamika Mallory to Bryan Stevenson and Dr. William Barber II, all followers of Dr. King who lay their lives on the line for justice! And Jordan, Ellarie, and VanIke's 3-way conversation about transcending racial/ethnic difference was inspiring. We look forward to the video!
Tomorrow I'll be with the Advisory Committee for Social Witness Policy at the Florissant Presbyterian Church, near Ferguson. We are meeting with local pastors who are coming together to create a Gospel of St. Louis, in preparation for the PC(USA)'s General Assembly in St. Louis this coming June. I'll bring back stories!
With blessings of peace,
Bev
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Friday, January 19
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NO Bible Study- Bev in St. Louis with ACSWP
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Sunday, January 21
9:30 a.m.
1
0:30 a.m.
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Criminal Justice Sunday in the PC(USA)
A Conversation about Solidarity with Freedom Seekers
Coffee and Fellowship - All Welcome
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Tuesday, January 23
8:00 p.m.
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Newsletter Items Due
AA- Men's meeting |
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Wednesday, January 24
7:00 p.m.
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Nominating Committee meets at the Church
SHPC Singers- new singers welcome! |
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Friday, January 26
NOON
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Bible Study |
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Sunday January 28
9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
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Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Tech Savy or Soul Starved?
Coffee and Fellowship - All Welcome
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SAVE THE DATE: FRIDAY 2/2
GAME NIGHT!
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SAVE THE DATE: SUNDAY 2/4
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CONGREGATION AFTER WORSHIP |
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Annual Meeting of the Congregation
Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018
Immediately following Worship
The Session has reviewed the survey of preferences and found that the active members of the church strongly support a sale of 110 Tarry. To review the survey results, click
here and
here.
Accordingly, the Session will bring a motion for the sale of 110 Tarry to the Annual Meeting of the Congregation for vote of the membership on Feb. 4 following worship. Additional business: election of officers, review of the 2018 budget, and vote on the Pastor's Terms of Call. Members must be present at the meeting to vote. Please contact Dennis Latta, Clerk of Session, by
clicking here
if you have any questions about the Annual Meeting.
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No Bible Study this Friday- Bev will miss our time together! She's in St. Louis with the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy of our national church preparing for the General Assembly in St. Louis in June
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Please Remember in Your Prayers
Rev. Dr. Janie Spahr, recovering from intestinal surgery, for continued and complete healing, and for love to surround her;
Those impacted by the mudslides in Santa Barbara, for God's comfort in bereavement and for healing, and for safety for the search and rescue teams;
The family and friends of Gabriel Whooley,
may they feel God come alongside them in their bereavement, giving them the peace that transcends understanding;
Marie Ongaro and family,
mourning the loss of Marie's mother, for God's accompaniment, comfort, and peace;
Dennis Latta and Diane, Juliet, and the extended family as they mourn the loss of Dennis' father Leroy, for God's accompaniment, comfort, and peace as they grieve;
Nance Rosencranz,
recovering from a stroke, for full and complete recovery, for God's healing presence;
Carolyn Goodman's sister Wendy, who lost her home to a house fire, for God's loving and constant presence, and for the loving support of all around her to be with her as she rebuilds;
Peg Maclise's sister Kim, for God's healing presence, and for Peg, God's strength, love, and peace;
Kelsey Lopin,
for total healing, renewed strength, continued flourishing, creativity, and energy to share her God-given gifts;
Andrea Proster, sister of Nancy Elberg, for complete healing, and for Nancy to continue to feel God's abiding presence in companioning her;
Our Muslim neighbors, subject to Islamophobia and hate crimes;
Asylum seekers and those living in the shadows and fearing deportation, for security, a path to citizenship, and sanctuary; for a humane solution to the DACA crisis, for the El Salvadorans fearing deportation, for those from Haiti and Africa;
The incarcerated, and their loved ones, for a justice system and prison system that uphold our highest values;
Our country, for a way forward where we live our values of justice and equality for all people;
The people of Puerto Rico, still suffering from Hurricane Maria, and the refugees and displaced
, almost 1 out of 100 people in the world today, for safety, homes, the basics of life, and dignity;
Our planet, the world's poor, all who suffer from disruptive climate change, may God energize us to continue our work to keep the planet livable for all people;
The PC(USA), for courage and energy to continue our world-wide mission of love and justice for all people;
Dr. Doug Tilton, our PC(USA) mission co-worker in Southern Africa;
Our church, for the Spirit to continue to guide us and fill us with energy for mission and love for all our neighbors!
Please take time this week to pray for those on our list.
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Please welcome our new Pastoral Intern,
Andrew P. Quick!
Andrew
hails from the Raisin Capital of the World. He has brought heaven to earth through laughter since his birth as a ten pound baby. Currently he attends San Francisco Theological Seminary where he is pursuing his Masters of Divinity. Previously, Andrew received a BA in Theatre from University of California at Santa Cruz (Go Banana Slugs!!!) and then attended Clown College at the San Francisco Circus Center. When not studying in the library, Andrew can be found performing and juggling throughout the Bay Area. He considers it a blessing to be the Pastoral Intern for such a compassionate and authentic church community.
Andrew will be in church most weeks, preaching monthly, and starting to visit with Bev. Let's give him a warm welcome!
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REST Sign-ups!
Our Life-Giving Ministry to the Unhoused Community
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Women's REST volunteers Linda, Charlotte, Millie, Carolyn, Robin, Patricia, Jeannette, and Lisa
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Please sign up to help bring friendship, food, and dignity to the unhoused community through the REST program -- the men on the first Monday of the month at St. Rita's in Fairfax, and the women on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at the Wellness Center in San Rafael. We need YOUR help!
Please volunteer to make food, set up, serve, share the meal, and clean up:
To volunteer to be a part of the women's program,
sign up here
To volunteer to be a part of the men's program,
sign up here
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact our REST coordinator, Carolyn Goodman,
[email protected] or 415.250.6264.
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To Middle and High School YOUTH and their PARENTS from Charles
Hi everyone,
What a great service Sunday! For those who weren't there, the youth group took a leading role during the service. They spoke prophetic words from modern day prophets such as Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate, Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, and Tamika Mallory, national co-chair for the Women's March in January 2017.
Three of our youth followed that with a skit illustrating the importance of listening to each other's stories, and after that, the whole congregation participated in a call and response litany pulled from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.
The whole service was very meaningful, and a great way to honor Dr. King on Martin Luther King Sunday.
We have 2 videos on the docket now, the one on incarceration in the United States, and the new video we've decided to do using the skit that our youth performed on Sunday. I'll be in touch with you all about the best way to schedule filming these.
And finally, another reminder for Family Game Night on February 2nd! We're hoping to make this a monthly event on the first Friday of every month.
As always, lots of fun and exciting things coming up for our kids. See you there!
Charles Wei
Youth Director
Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church
FUN FOR ALL AGES: FRIDAY, FEB. 2 - GAME NIGHT!!!
Always feel free to contact me with any questions or feedback by clicking
here.
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Report from Your Finance Elder:
Step Towards Sustainability Budget Approved by Session January 3; Congregational Review at Annual Meeting on February 4
Thank you to all for the wonderful participation in the Stewardship campaign. Thank you so much to the
57 pledgers
who have donated so far,
including our 10 first-time supporters!
Based on good year-end financial results, the successful pledge drive, and Session's commitment to sustainability, the Session approved the Step Towards Sustainability budget described below at its 1/3 meeting. This is not a balanced budget, but a budget with an intentional deficit to make progress towards addressing our structural deficit (underfunded needs in staff, program, and maintenance). Additional needs include administrative support, youth leader funding, maintenance, and modest Pastor salary adjustments to help approach regional norms. The table below highlights differences between our base case and a "step towards sustainability" 2018 budget that more fully supports the church's programs, staff, and mission.
The Step Towards Sustainability budget will be fully presented to the congregation in the Annual Report and at the Annual Meeting of the Congregation scheduled for Feb. 4. At that meeting the congregation will review the entire budget, and vote on the Pastor's terms of call, which is a key component of the budget. Thanks to everyone for your enthusiastic support and dedication to our vibrant church community!
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Anticipated Budget Decisions Based on Pledge Drive Outcomes
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Base Case (Status Quo)
Budget
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Step Towards
Sustainability Budget
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Pledge Drive Scenario:
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149,000
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169,000
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Differences in Budgeted Support:
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- Admin support (clerical salary funding)
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10,300
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16,300
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6,000
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12,000
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- Maintenance (church and manse)
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8,400
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13,000
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- Pastor partial salary supplement
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2,500
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- Pastor pension, med., SECA supplements
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1,099
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Stewardship Thank You
from James and Karen Baigrie,
Stewardship Chairs
Thank you very much to our 57 pledgers (10 first-time pledgers) who pledged $151,030, exceeding our goal of $147,000! If you have any questions about church finance, you can email Doug Eisinger, Finance Elder, by clicking
here, and if you need a pledge card, click
here. Together, we are building up this caring community of peacemakers for the good of the world!
With gratitude,
James and Karen
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Thank you to Ethan Russell
from James and Karen Baigrie,
Stewardship Chairs,
Doug Eisinger and the Session,
and our whole church!
We raised $3,140!
We are so grateful for Ethan's Sunday fundraiser at his beautiful
Best Seat in the House gallery at 556 San Anselmo Ave. pictured above! Many church folks enjoyed the gallery, invested in art for gifts and for themselves, and benefitted our church. The afternoon was a great success! Thank you, Ethan, for your tremendous generosity!
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Church Nominating Committee Seeks
Deacons with Focus on Compassionate Ministry
At the Annual Meeting in Feb. 2017, the congregation elected Dennis Latta, Clerk of Session, as Nominating Chair, along with Sue Burr, Nancy Derr, Koren Grubb, and Cathy Sarkisian to serve as its Nominating Committee. Next year's Annual Meeting is scheduled for February 4, 2018, and thus the Nominating Committee is at work.
Based on feedback from the Moderator of the Board of Deacons, Kit Argilla, who will be leaving her position in Feb. 2018, along with the rest of the deacons (Robin AbuAly, Peg Maclise, Marie Ongaro, and Nance Rosencranz, bless them all!), the Session has decided to try a new thing, and move the fellowship coffee and refreshments duties to 12 Hospitality Hosts, supported by the entire congregation, with each family serving two times per year, to relieve deacon burn-out and spread the responsibility around.
The Nominating committee is thus seeking 3 Deacons who feel called to the compassionate ministry described in the Book of Order at G-2.0201: a ministry of compassion, witness, and service, sharing love with the poor, the hungry, the sick, the lost, the friendless, the oppressed, the burdened, and anyone in distress.
Members of the congregation are welcome to contact members of the committee to explore whether they might be called to serve as an officer of the church. Individuals can nominate themselves, and nominations from the floor of the congregational meeting are accepted.
If you are interested in exploring God's call to church leadership, you can contact any of the members of the Nominating Committee:
Dennis Latta, Sue Burr, Nancy Derr, Koren Grubb, or Cathy Sarkisian, or talk to Pastor Bev, who serves ex officio on the committee.
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Building and Grounds
from Ahmed, your B and G Elder
The end of 2017 brought us 4 water leaks, two of them major, and we are still in the process of getting our plumbing and irrigation lines repaired and upgraded. And getting our MMWD bill reduced!
The Fellowship Hall closet doors continue to be a problem despite great efforts by the B and G team.
Upcoming Projects:
Our outdoor lighting needs to keep the building illuminated enough for safety and be earth-friendly.
We are evaluating what to do about the sanctuary windows, which may not be repairable.
We are in the process of planning and design for wheelchair access from upstairs to downstairs.
Most exterior doors need repair or replacement.
Our sidewalk around the church is uneven and needs leveling so it's not a tripping hazard.
If you have questions, ideas, and/or would like to help out, please contact me at
[email protected]
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JOIN US FOR COMMUNITY YOGA
TUESDAYS JANUARY 23rd, and 30th
5:30-6:30 PM
SHPC Sanctuary
FAQ:
Yoga is defined as a combination of three things: breath, movement and a single point of concentration. If you can breath and move (nothing fancy, just breathing while moving...) then you are two thirds of the way there! Join us as we breath and move meditatively, opening up new places in our bodies and hearts.
Karen x
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WE ALL LOVE FELLOWSHIP--
PLEASE SIGN UP TO HELP OUT
NEW FOLKS - We will match you with a veteran so that you can be trained on our highly complex coffeemaker and have FUN!
Fellowship time is organized by your Deacons. We need everyone to sign-up about 3-4 times a year.
Click below to sign up:
Sign up now and keep the hospitality
going!
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Don't be shy, Greeting is a Treat!
We've updated the signups for the new year!
Help with our ministry of hospitality by signing up to be a greeter! All you have to do is get to church by 9:15, light the candles, and hand out bulletins with a smile. Thank you to all who have signed up so far!
Thank you all for your continued support,
Jody Brockett,
Worship Elder
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Southern California communities devastated by recent mudslides
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is There!
LOUISVILLE - Residents of Montecito, Ventura and Santa Barbara are still reeling from the recent mudslides that have left residents dead, injured and homeless. Sticky sludge and mud can be seen up to the rooftops in homes along the pathway of destruction in Santa Barbara. Witnesses say the rocks, trees, boulders and houses came plowing through the communities in a matter of seconds.
"There's just a spirit of disbelief and it's a small community. Everyone knows somebody who has been affected," said Erik Wiebe, associate pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Santa Barbara. "We are a pretty vulnerable community with only two roads in and out, and one is closed. It was the part of the freeway destroyed by flooding."
To read more of the article go
here.
To support PDA's response to the mudslides,
click here. You'll be taken to the PC(USA) website to donate securely and quickly.
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Call Congress to Pass a #DreamActNow!
The work of immigrant youth has brought us to this point! We need to continue urging congress to pass the Dream Act now. Call Congress and demand them a solution.
Congress has a choice: they can either protect immigrant youth or continue to expose thousands more to deportation from their home. Take action and call your Congress member for a
#DreamActNow: 1-888-778-6856
Call your Member of Congress today and support 800,000 Dreamers as they continue to fight for their ability to live, work, and remain safe from deportation. We need a #DreamActNow.
We need to push forward with our advocacy efforts to push for a clean Dream Act!
Resources to assist with action:
1. Coming from the organizing of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, the Faith4Dream has a week of action that can guide action found at
In 2004, the PC(USA) The 216th General Assembly passed a resolution to "advocate the establishment by law of a comprehensive legalization program for undocumented persons already living and working in the United States." The resolution went on to say "the church is called to witness to the reconciliation that Christ brings to the world. This is no cheap covering over of divisions and differences. Instead, reconciliation points to a dynamic unity of richly diverse humankind in which justice is established and each one is treasured as a gift of the Creator. General Assembly policies consistently emphasize that the "confession of Jesus Christ as Lord transforms 'strangers' into neighbors who are welcomed into our communities" (Minutes, 1999, Part I, p. 353, a.(3)).
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Join the Office of Public Witness
for our new
Witness in Washington Briefing Series
January 23, 10 am - 12pm
100 Maryland NE
Washington, DC
Come hear policy experts discuss the pressing justice issues facing our country and the world. Learn how you can lift your voice with other people of faith and speak truth to power!
More information on speakers and specific issues to be addressed will be announced in January. This is the launch of our new quarterly briefing series - we are also planning future in-person briefings for May, September, and December.
We are looking forward to seeing you!
We encourge participants to make appointments to meet with their members of congress in the afternoon after the briefing.
If you need assistance please feel free to contact us at 202 543 1126.
To RSVP and save your space click
here.
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From the National Religious Coalition Against Torture
Dear Friends,
This week marks 16 years since our country began imprisoning people - all Muslim - without charge or trial in an overseas prison. Some of the people sent to Guantanamo were originally sold for bounty. Many were tortured by our own CIA. After 16 years, 41 people remain imprisoned there today - including 5 who have been cleared for release by our own government, which has determined that they either no longer or never did pose a security threat.
Sign the Petition: Please help us close Guantanamo and end detention without trial by signing this petition.
After 16 years, people imprisoned in Guantanamo might be excused for thinking that they've been forgotten. Forgotten by the people who bought them with bounties. Forgotten by the people who tortured them. Forgotten by the people who imprisoned them without charge or trial. Forgotten by the people who cleared them to leave Guantanamo over a year ago, but who have left them there to rot.
NRCAT and our faith allies, as well as others, are
holding rallies around the country today and throughout January to show that the people imprisoned in Guantanamo have not been forgotten and to remind our friends and neighbors about why we need to close Guantanamo.
Help us get the word out by signing this petition and sharing it with your own friends and family.
The Rev. Ron Stief, Executive Director
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Love Includes Everyone: A Musical Rally
Love Lives in Marin & the Mill Valley Community Action Network Present:
Love Includes Everyone: A Musical Rally
Wednesday, February 14th
Depot Square, Mill Valley
4:00-5:00 pm
Join us as we celebrate the importance of inclusion and welcoming everyone in our community. Come enjoy dynamic speakers and music.
For more information on the event click
here.
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Ending The Isolation of Men and Women In U.S. immigration Detention
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Power Not Paranoia Discussion on Discrimination and Surveillance in the Digital Age
Friday, January 26, 2018
1330 Broadway, Suite 300, Oakland, CA 94612
The Ella Baker Center and The Center for Media Justice - home of the Media Action Grassroots Network - in partnership with Wellstone Action, are hosting an evening of dialogue on 21st century policing, the impact on our community, and what we can do to protect ourselves and defend our rights.
Our evening of discussion will feature a panel presentation about the current state of surveillance.
Our panel will feature:
- Malkia Cyril: Founder and Executive Director of The Center for Media Justice
- Tunisia Owens: Policy Manager of The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
- Moderated by Steven Renderos: Organizing Director of The Center for Media Justice
Immediately following the panel presentation we will have a mixer with light refreshments. Join us!
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Saturday, January 27, 2018 from 9:00 am- 4:30 pm
We're holding the session for activists of color, movement organizations, and allies to keep themselves and their organizations digitally safe. Learn more about the event here. If you're interested in attending, please RSVP as space is limited.
In Solidarity,
Eric Henderson
Policy Associate
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Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church
100 Tarry Road
San Anselmo, CA 94960
Katie Brendler,
Editor
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