Go Tell It on the Mountain

August 2014 Newsletter
Skyland Community Church

10:30 Sunday Service

Rev Stephen Glauz-Todrank
 
Church phone: 408-353-1310

Books ready to ship; ALP library program oversubscribed 



Boxes of South Africa-bound books are lined up in Whitaker Hall after packing by volunteers. Early in August, Skyland will send 13 boxes with 1481 books,  - far more than the thousand books needed to set up a school library - plus three boxes of paper and school supplies. In addition, the fund drive for shipping costs went over the top as well, treasurer Gerry Alonzo reports (see Financial report below, right).

+++


Altar Flowers 
 Open Sundays for altar flowers are August 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31.
  Please sign up in Whitaker Hall.


-- Georgia O'Keeffe

 

Ah! My little hut
is newly thatched, I see . . .
Blue morning-glories 

 

-- Kobayashi Issa

 

+++ 


Meditation Moment


Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.


 
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me

            

-- Revelations 3:20 (NIV) 

 

+++

Harvest Festival Donation Guidelines

 

We are ready to accept donations.  Time to declutter; if it has not been used in a year, recirculate it.

 

Drop off things to sort from 9:30 to noon on Tuesdays and Sundays. Come and help sort Tuesdays from 9:30 to noon. You'll enjoy it.


Books:  All books in good shape except magazines and old textbooks.
 

Clothes: Shoes, belts, scarves, purses. No stains, rips, etc.

 

Kitchen: Small appliances, silverware, glasses, vases etc.

 

Tools:  Good working order.

 

Sports : Those old tennis balls, ski equipment, diving stuff, etc.

 

Collectables:  Whatever that means to you.

 

Toys:  Clean ones; move them on.  Games, dressup.

 

If you have a service to donate for the silent auction, let Nancy Jo know.  

 

Help make this a fabulous Harvest Festival.

 

-- Nancy Jo Lopp

 

+++ 

Minister's Column
 
Praying for Peace Can Help
  

Dear Skyland Friends,

With more than the usual strife happening in the world at the moment, I am writing to encourage you to join me in 

reenergizing  the practice of praying for peace. I find that 

simply remembering my breath and just thinking the word "peace" even when other things are going on helps me to get grounded in God's loving, peace-making presence.
 

For some mysterious reason, we humans who have the capacity to create either heaven or hell on earth for each other often seem to choose the more painful alternative. This problem is too big for us alone to fix, but when we pray for peace, even thinking the word in our minds, we turn at least ourselves from anger or despair and we have the option to trust that somehow God is working through us and others to create a more positive and joyous human environment. 

 

Lately I have renewed my efforts to pray through the news, getting in a prayerful mindset before clicking on my news websites. It helps! Perhaps our calling is to bestow peace on all, friends and enemies, and through that bestowing contribute to God's big work. During our Christmas pageant the angels say, "Peace on earth; goodwill to all!" Let's keep that one going all year. Thank you for joining me in praying for peace.


In closing, thank you all so much for the generous birthday gift certificates to Hidden Gardens and Bookshop Santa Cruz! I appreciate them and the spirit in which they are given. 

 

-- Peace to all,

Stephen

  
+++

POD Photos by Larry Cooke
PODS:  Ready, Set...

PODs Here, Harvest Fest Ramps Up


Some task leaders still needed; see Larry Cooke

 

Unlike past years, when we would have just finished the Skyland Run, this year I hope everyone is rested up and ready to go, because we only have seven weeks until Harvest Festival. D-Day is Saturday, Sept. 20.


 Two PODs arrived on Aug. 1, to ease the congestion in the Shed and make it easier to sort between Silent Auction baskets and the other donations.  We have posted what donations we do and don't want on the PODs. Donation times are Tuesday mornings, when the sorting crew 

Mary Ellen needs your jams!

meets to sort each week's donations, and Sunday mornings when we are here for Church.  All donations should be clean, lightly used, and in good working order.  If you want to donate something, and you're not sure if we would want it, check with the sorters or me. (Nancy Jo provides a list of guidelines at left below.)

 

We already have a lot of people signed up to lead many of the same Harvest Festival tasks they did last year.  Mary Ellen McTamaney is doing jams & jellies again, Nancy Jo Lopp is in charge of publicity and sorting, Deana Arnold will be selling baked goods again this year, Peggy Johnson is organizing the lunch, Glenda McCalla is in charge of books, Linda Heyes is handling the clothes, and Jeremy Cole is again parking cars. This year, Nancy Jo and Jackie Seymour will both be running the silent auction.  Still, we have many open positions we need help with, including: Produce, plants, music, BBQ, pies, and recycling.  If you wish to help out with any of these tasks, please see me or sign up on the assignment sheet on the bulletin board in Whitaker Hall.

 

Sorting continues every Tuesday morning until the week of Harvest Festival. As usual, a week before, on Saturday, Sept. 13, the booths will be set up.  For the rest of the remaining week, Silent Auction baskets will be created, salads will be made, and pies will be baked.  The day before the Festival, we will set up the booths, so that everything opens on time at 10 a.m. Saturday morning.  


Let's all make this year's Harvest Festival our best one!


Larry Cooke

Harvest Festival Chair


 

      ...GO!!!


 

+++


Financial Report for July 2014

 NOTE from your treasurer:


 
Thanks to your generosity, over $1763 was donated for the African  Library Project.


  
Here is our operating finances report for July 2014, as of July. 30.  

                 

 Summary of Operating Finances        

                    

 July 2014         |  Jun 1,2014 to Jul 30, 2014 

                         Actual    Planned   |     Actual      Planned

 Income         $  8,656   $ 10,903    |   $ 32,814    $ 36,307

 Expenses      $  8,926   $  9,653     |   $ 28,882    $ 29,610

 Net               $  (-270)   $  1,250    |    $  3,932    $  6,697

 

-- Gerald J. Alonzo

 

 

 

Skyland Community Church

Web: http://www.skylandchurch.com 

Mail: P.O. Box 245, Los Gatos, CA  95031-0245