Go Tell It on the Mountain

Summer 2017 Newsletter
Skyland Community Church

10:30 Sunday Service

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

At Last - Soquel San Jose Reopens


Supervisor John Leopold cuts ribbon opening Soquel San Jose Road.

Soquel San Jose Road is open again!
 
As if you didn't know.
 
Few local events have been more anticipated and tracked and probably even prayed for than the reopening of this important mountain artery, which had been closed since mid-February due to last winter's rainstorms, forcing mountain residents to detour via Highway 17 in order to reach the coast, and depriving commuters of their favorite shortcut to Highway 1 south.
 
Many locals appreciated the quiet and calm of a deserted highway, and bicyclists reveled in the absence of cars; but almost everyone waited impatiently for the return of the road.  There were stories of a temporary bridge, which would take weeks - or was it months - to install. No, it would be a rebuilding of the foundation under the road, followed by a permanent bridge. But when?
 
In the end, the county opted for the latter choice, and it came surprisingly soon after it had been decided on.  On Monday, June 26, after 133 days of closure, Supervisor John Leopold cut the ribbon officially opening the road to traffic. Several dozen onlookers showed up for the event, and the Summit Store provided hot coffee and sweet rolls.

The opening is temporary, Leopold warned.  Eventually the new construction will indeed be replaced by a bridge, and in the meantime no one is sure that the new foundation will hold.
 
But for now - everyone's favorite route down hill is back in service.

Cars await first drive up Soquel San Jose Road to Summit.

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                                                     Meditation Moment    

                                              

TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER

Help us, O God, to treat every human heart  as if it were breaking, and to consider the 
feelings of others as we do our own.

Help us to be gentle and to control our tempers,  that we may learn to love one another.

Give us the grace so to live this day, in the name  of Jesus, who loves us all.

Meditations by
Peter Marshall       

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Altar Flowers


Many summer Sundays are open for donating flowers. Please pick a date and sign up on the calendar in Whitaker Hall.

I sprayed our blooms  with 
garlic, eggs, cayenne pepper.
Bingo, it's "'Bye, deer!"
-- Haiku by John Heyes

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Students receive previous African Library shipment.

Missions Board Update

Shannon Edwards has spearheaded the book collection and packing for the African Library Project. This year our l ibrary partner is the Makorki Agricultural Islamic Secondary School in Sierra Leone. 

Angela Patterson will see if we can obtain suitable book donations from the Los Gatos public library. If additional books are needed, there will be an announcement in church or via an email blast.

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Minister's Letter

Stephen Eager for 9-Week Sabbatical
Of Reading, Rest, Rejuvenation


Dear Skyland Friends,
 
I hope you are enjoying the beginning of summer in whatever way that is most inspiring for you. I am leaving after worship on the second of July for a sabbatical until the Tuesday after Labor Day. Nine weeks. Thank you for giving me sabbatical time as part of my covenant with you as your minister.
 
"Sabbatical" comes from the same root as "sabbath," and means a time of rest and rejuvenation. I will be using the time to do some in-depth bible study, particularly on what Jesus meant by his use of the term, " Kingdom of God, and how it relates to the Buddhist idea of " Pure Land and Martin Luther King Jr. ' s concept of the " Beloved Community. "   
 
I greatly appreciate the opportunity to read and think and rest. I am grateful for Patricia Wood who will be offering emergency pastoral care while I am gone and will be leading worship services on communion Sundays in August and September. I am sure you will also enjoy worship led by our former seminary intern, Chelsea Page, who will be preaching during July, as well as by Rev. Evelyn Vigil preaching on Aug. 13 and Rev. Deborah Streeter preaching on Aug. 20.
 
On June 25, a gathering of members pondered the future of Harvest Festival and is recommending to the Council that we take a sabbatical year from the Festival, instead having something fun and easy to plan on that day and organizing a committee to begin in the fall to discuss the long term future of the festival. I hope you will use your sabbatical from festival preparation to do some rest and rejuvenating activities yourselves. Wishing you many blessings in the summer season.
 
Many thanks for your gifts for my birthday. The chocolate cake was the best ever! Carolyn and I will enjoy dinner at Steamers in Los Gatos and my gift card from Bookshop Santa Cruz.
 
With deep appreciation,
Stephen
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But Wait - There's More!
A Sabbatical For Everyone

After-church parley weighs future of Harvest Festival.

A group of 16 Skylanders who met in Whitaker Hall after church June 25 voted to recommend to the Council that Skyland itself take a Sabbath year and not run a Harvest Festival this September. The Council will consider this resolution, and two others, at its next meeting July 18.

The Whitaker group also asked the Council to approve a less strenuous, scaled-back event that would maintain the church's connection with the mountain community, and to form a committee to carry that second resolution out.

The group discussed briefly the idea of a community-wide potluck with music, and possibly a swap meet to replace the normal festival sort--bake-and-sell process.

The group had met to consider alterations to Harvest Festival in line with the survey of member ideas distributed by Deana Arnold.  She got 19 responses containing many recommendations, and the group began its meeting by considering these.

However that discussion foundered on the lack of structure for implementing the suggestions. Patricia Wood then suggested that a complete cessation of normal Festival activity - the Sabbath - might be in order.

Most people liked the idea; and in a person-by-person response, only one stood by maintaining the full festival. However there was enough fondness for the festival as a link to the mountain community to call forth suggestions for a less strenuous substitute. The three resolutions followed.

Given the little time remaining to put a full-blown Harvest Festival together, Deana, who is also the Council chair, agreed that the Whitaker recommendations were likely to be approved.

All Skyland members are welcome to attend the Council meeting at Whitaker.
 
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We Get the Idea; Newsletter Too
Will Take a Month Off, Seek New Editor

Since most of of the newsmakers will be idle for two months, the Newsletter will forego an August issue and return, refreshed (one hopes), in September.

At that time we will seek a new editor for the newsletter, the current editor having served four years and worn himself out.  He will stay on long enough to help recruit and train a successor.

Applications are welcome; email newsletter@skyland.org

-- CB
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NOTE from your treasurer:
 
First month of our new fiscal year report.
 
Thanks to your generous giving of quarters, our Heifer quarter tube filled and $132.90 was sent to Heifer Project International to support their small animal mission work.
 
We also received a special $1,000 gift designated for NCNC-UCC basic support in addition to our planned giving.
 
We are now able to accept credit card payments for pledge, general and special offerings if that is more convenient than check or cash. See either Jan or  me after service for these transactions.
 
Here are our operating finances as of June 2 7 for our 2017-18 fiscal year.

                   Summary of Operating Finances
                June 2017   | Jun 1,2017 to Jun 27
           Actual    Planned |  Actual      Planned
Income   $  25,209  $ 24,884 | $ 25,209    $ 24,884
Expenses $  23,136  $ 22,475 | $ 23,136    $ 22,475
Net      $   2,073  $  2,409 | $  2,073    $  2,409
 
-- Gerald J. Alonzo, Treasurer

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