Worship This Week -
Feb. 28th
The Second Sunday In Lent
Mark 8:31-36
More than Right-
Sermon by Pastor Dave
Meeting ID: 867 2930 9301
Password: peace
If you miss the live service, you can find the archived service on YouTube by clicking Here.
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THIS WEEK AT PEACE FEBRUARY 25, 2021
MODERATOR’S NOTES - TRANSPARANCY
During these past few weeks I have been solicitating thoughts and concerns and have had numerous opportunities to speak and exchange emails with multiple members. Thank you for your sharing, I very much appreciate your help. There are some recurring themes I’ve heard concerning leadership transparency and decision making. In response, a number of us have challenged the current Council to improve both transparency and communications about Council decision making. So, we’ll work hard to do both better ...READ MORE
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HIP Team News
We encourage you to review the links to our FAQ on Peace Village and a summary of our recently negotiated Amended and Restated PDSA (Pre-Development Services Agreement) which will be the topic of our Coffee Hour discussions on March 7. You’ll have an opportunity this Sunday to submit questions for the March 7 coffee hour. If you'd like to converse with HIP team or Council members about this, please RSVP with this link.
In addition, you are invited to a special “Coffee Hour” on our Zoom channel after worship this coming Sunday, February 28, to meet or get better acquainted with Sibley Simon, one of our church’s development partners for Peace Village. Sibley brings a background in tech innovation and entrepreneurship to his partnership with John Swift, an experienced Santa Cruz housing developer.
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We Want Your Face!
Most of us cringe when we see ourselves in photos, but you probably have one photo that shows your face the way you would like other people to see it. We want that photo for our records! Pastor Dave especially is interested in having a pictorial record because there are so many of you he hasn't yet been able to meet in person.
Here's how you do it...please email Devon a digital photo of yourself and she will take care of the rest! Thank you. We look forward to "seeing" you soon.
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Perennials Are Back!
“Perennials” is our over 55 group that used to meet for a light lunch and program after church. It has been way too long since our last meeting!
Please join us on March 14th after church, at 12:00, as we all check in with each other.
Bring your own lunch and join us in a zoom meeting:
Meeting ID: 627 858 3034 Passcode: Walton
Hope to see you!
Lynn Walton
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Office Hours!
Some days we're on campus, some days we're remote, but 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, staff are attending to the business of our church office: monitoring e-mail, answering telephones and/or responding to messages, working on the dozens of different projects and connections that keep our ministry moving forward. You can reach us by e-mail, office@PeaceUnited.org, or by phone, 831-426-2010.
Pastor Dave also is working out of the church office, Monday through Thursday, and most weeks will have office hours on Saturday too, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Friday is his day off. In case of emergency, the pastor is available by cell phone, 773-255-8095. If you would like to schedule a meeting or would like to "drop by", please contact us via email using this link to make an arrangement.
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How to be an Adult in
Faith and Community
On Wednesday, February 17 @7pm, our book group will be discussing, David Richo’s book, How to be an Adult in Faith and Spirituality. Barbara Broadbent, who will be leading the discussion, is an authorized minister in the
United Church of Christ and long-time member of Peace UCC. She is trained as a church educator and spiritual director and has served in those roles for many years. “Dr. David Richo has been a treasured mentor on my spiritual journey,” Barbara says. “I take great joy in sharing his spiritual wisdom with others who wish to mature and deepen in their faith.”
David Richo, PhD, is a psychotherapist, teacher, writer, and seminar leader whose work emphasizes the benefits of mindfulness and loving-kindness in personal growth and emotional well-being. The titles of many of Dr. Richo’s books begin with the words “How to Be an Adult …” In this way his teachings emphasize the importance of letting go of child-like, magical views of God, in order that adult faith can grow in congruency with healthy maturity in other aspects of life.
Questions: revbevbrook@gmail.com
Topic: How to be an Adult in Faith book group
Time: Every week on Wed, until Mar 31, 2021, 7 occurrences
- Feb 17, 2021 07:00 PM
- Feb 24, 2021 07:00 PM
- Mar 3, 2021 07:00 PM
- Mar 10, 2021 07:00 PM
- Mar 17, 2021 07:00 PM
- Mar 24, 2021 07:00 PM
- Mar 31, 2021 07:00 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 991 0334 5683
Passcode: 603448
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Sign Up to Be A Liturgist!
We would love to have you as a liturgist (reader) in one of our Sunday morning worship videos. It's a wonderful way of serving, it's nice for people to see you, and it allows Pastor Dave a chance to visit with you for a few minutes!
In order to do this, you'll need:
- One hour available for recording on a Wednesday, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
- A reliable internet connection
- A computer equipped with a camera and microphone that allow you to use Zoom (sorry, but cell phones just don't work well for our purposes)
On the Monday preceding the Wednesday for which you sign up, we'll send an
e-mail with your readings, easy-to-follow setup instructions, and a Zoom link. It's that simple.
So, if you'd like to give it a try, click on this link to choose a date and time.
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Promises for Peace UCC
Stewardship Campaign
"Stewardship is love in action"
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Poetry at Peace
Each week a small group from our community gathers to share, read poetry and meditate. If you would like to participate, please email Bonnie: bonniep357@gmail.com
This week’s poem was written by former Peace church member Carol Keeney. Enjoy!
Summer’s Cache
The Clark’s Nutcracker
hides some 95,000 seeds
in caches of one to fifteen
across acres of land.
Come winter, this creature
can retrieve each and every morsel
from beneath three feet of snow.
Cordially,
Bonnie Lange
"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, if you listen carefully, you can hear her breathing."
~ Arundhati Roy
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Buildings & Grounds Needs Your
"Free Service Tags"
Every City of Santa Cruz resident with refuse service gets four “Free Service Tags” annually, good for extra curbside trash or a free “dump run” at the city dump. Most of us don’t need these tags and they remain unused.
Your Buildings and Grounds team can put these Tags to good use, though! As you might imagine, our 6-acre campus generates a lot more yard waste than will fit in the curbside carts, and we make frequent dump runs.
If you have City “Free Service Tags” that you won’t use, please consider donating them to the church. Just mail or drop them off at the church office, and receive our heartfelt thanks!
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Shelter in Faith
The Santa Cruz Public Library continues their program, Shelter in Faith, on Monday, March 15th at 10:00 am. Rabbi Paula Marcus, Rev. Deborah Johnson, Bobby Marchessault and Rev. Bev will be offering Religious Reflections of January 6th. Community members will also be sharing what it was like for them to witness the Capitol Riot. This will be a zoom event. Please save this date. More information coming soon.
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Walking Today’s Way of the Cross
Good Friday, April 2, 2021 @10 - noon
In his book, Deep River, The Reverend Dr. Howard Thurman, noted theologian and minister, shared a story about when he traveled to India with the Howard University Choir to meet with Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi asked his visitors to sing one song for him, “Were You There.” While the request intrigued Dr. Thurman, Gandhi explained that the song’s, ‘identification in suffering makes the cross universal and that the mystery of the cross is found deep within the heart of the experience.’
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (2x)
Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Dr. Thurman writes, “we too, must experience Jesus’ walk to Calvary, the weight of the cross, the people encountered, the suffering endured.”
This Good Friday let us travel with Jesus and meet him in those high places of pain and be moved to act as we pray through social justice action.
On April 2nd at 10am we will walk in silence (and masked) to 12 stations (of the cross) in and around downtown Santa Cruz. At each station we will pause in prayer. The walk will be on level ground and is approximately a mile and a half. We are exploring ways to include people who will be unable to physically join us.
More information will be coming as we get closer to Holy Week.
Contact: revbevbrook@gmail.com
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Prayer is the movement of the heart of a person toward God;
a movement that in a sense is within God—God in the heart sharing its life
with God the Creator of all Life.
—Howard Thurman
Loving God, thank you for leading us into a time where more of reality is being unveiled for us all to see. We pray that you will take away our natural temptation for cynicism, denial, fear and despair. Help us have the courage to awaken to greater truth, greater humility, and greater care for one another. May we place our hope in your eternal presence and love.
We pray for Patrick and all others who are Covid-19 “long haulers.”
Prayers for Lisa Johnson’s husband Richard and his struggle with Parkinsons, for Lisa and all their family.
We pray to have God help each of us with our shortcomings, help us all to SEE God in everyone we encounter. Help teen parents be patient and kind with teenagers in their life.
Prayers for Lynne Walton’s health and healing
We also offer prayers for Bill Walton's health and healing.
May those unsheltered in our community find comfort, safety and a sense of belonging.
We include prayers for the beautiful Monarch butterflies, which are experiencing historically low, frighteningly small numbers. May we find ways to support as well as celebrate biodiversity.
We offer gratitude for Peace United Church of Christ, her diverse talents and view point, and the opportunity to experience the presence of the Divine with one another.
Knowing you are hearing us better than we are speakings, we say thank you, God. And so it is,
Amen
Many blessings,
Bonnie Lange
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Small Groups and Ministries of Outreach
Use this link to find information about our various small groups and
ministries here at PUCC.
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We're registered on Amazon Smile! Learn more and designate Peace UCC as your chosen charity to receive 0.5% of your Amazon Smile purchases, at no cost to you, here.
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Our conference staff and the offices have
moved to a new address. The new address is
1320 Willow Pass Rd., Suite 600, Concord, CA 94520
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Sign up here to further peace and justice around the world
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Find out more about global ministries here.
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Get a daily devotional here.
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Peace United Church of Christ
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