• In the news: "The Christian Withdrawal Experiment"
• Yoga holiday potluck Dec 18
• Volunteer Home & Hope on Dec 21
• Save the dates
• Quote of the week
• Events this week
This Wed, Dec 18: Caroling and Cookies
Join us this Wed, Dec 18 for Christmas caroling in our neighborhood. We'll meet at 7 pm at the church, then go sing carols for our neighbors (perhaps including the shopping center)! Then we'll come back to the church for cookies and cider. All are welcome. Feel free to invite friends or neighbors.
Help us spread the word: Download a
flyer to post, or
RSVP on Facebook.
This Sunday, Dec 22: the shepherds
This Sunday, Rev. Roy Gesley will continue our "Angels Among Us" sermon series by discussing the shepherds in the narratives of Jesus' birth. He writes: "At first glance, I wonder how the shepherds even come to be mentioned in the same breath as four visits to Joseph, the Magnificat, or three Magi wandering 1,000 km across the Syrian desert. They don't seem to be in the same league."
The choir will meet
after church this Sunday for an 11:30 am joint rehearsal with Many Journeys MCC. (There is no choir before church this week.)
Recent sermons
Read
David Wartman's Dec 15 sermon. (To read other sermons, keep your eyes on this newsletter. We'll include written sermons when the preacher has provided one.)
The Atlantic writes about St. Marys, a small town in Kansas where conservative Catholics have flocked. The town "has managed to attract families from across the nation. The newcomers have made the radical choice to uproot their lives in pursuit of an ideological sanctuary. St. Marys is home to a chapter of the Society of St. Pius X. Though not fully recognized by the Vatican, its priests see themselves as defenders of the true practices of Roman Catholicism, including the traditional Latin Mass, celebrated each day in St. Marys."
Read more.
Yoga potluck on Wed, Dec 18
Celebrate with your mat-mates at the Yoga by Ranya Holiday Potluck. She writes: "Share yoga stories (or non-yoga stories!) while we visit together, listen to Christmas music, break (gluten-free) bread, and drink some tea or eggnog. Bring a dish to share. The holidays are a time to be together and I'd love to see each of your divine faces there." The potluck will be after our 9:15 am restorative yoga class on Wed, Dec 18 (probably starting around 10:45 am).
Volunteer for Home & Hope’s gift wrapping fundraiser
Join members of Many Journeys and College Heights as we wrap gifts at the Stanford Shopping Center. This is the largest fundraiser of the year for Home & Hope, which provides emergency housing for homeless families. We'll wrap gifts that shoppers have purchased, and in return they'll make a donation to Home & Hope. It's a fun and festive way to raise money for a great nonprofit.
We still need volunteers for Sat, Dec 21. Sign up for a volunteer shift
here.
Save the dates
Wed, Dec 25: Many Journeys MCC Christmas Day service (10 am)
