Go Tell It on the Mountain

November 2014 Newsletter
Skyland Community Church

10:30 Sunday Service

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



 

Clothing, Toiletries for Migrant Families

 

The church will collect clothing and toiletries to be distributed before Thanksgiving to 80 migrant worker families by the Davenport Resource Center.

 

Skylanders are asked to bring hoodies, sweatshirts, and both male and female-oriented toiletries - shampoos, shaving items, body creams, toothpaste and other dental needs, etc. - to church on Nov. 9 and 

16. 

 

The Mission board will deliver these to Davenport in time for distribution Dec. 23.

 


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Historians

Wanted

 

Although 1989 was literally an earthshaking year, it did not stop Skyland Church from making its own kind of history. It did, however, mark an end to the writing of it. Skyland Church: the First Hundred Years, had barely been published when the earthquake struck, and the 25 years since then deserve their history as well.

 

To that end, the church has set aside $3,000 to support the creation of a history of Skyland from the earthquake to the present. 


 

As source material there is a trove of photography, plus copies of every newsletter issued during the period. 


 

An unparalleled opportunity to catch up on the recent past! Nancy Jo will help with the layout and production.

 

Annual Skyland Mountain Run made history for 2 decades 

We have all the ingredients; all that is lacking is historians, to mine this data and smelt it into history. If you are one of these people, please let Nancy Jo or Mary Ellen know.

  
Alas, a churchquake!

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Altar Flowers 

There is one open Sunday for donating flowers: Nov. 30. 
  


 

In the twilight rain,
these brilliant-hued hibiscus--
a lovely sunset.
 
--Bashō

John Heyes


 

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Meditation Moment

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness brings.
 


 


Ralph Waldo Emerson
"A Thanklsgiving Prayer"
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Minister's Column
Persimmons and Rain


 


 

November means real Fall around here. The persimmon trees turn to orange and gold, the afternoon sun shining on the ocean starts to glow in bronze tones, and the grass gets serious with the coming of rain. Rain! We will continue to pray and wait for the end of the drought, celebrating even when the accumulations come in fractions of inches. It all adds up!



I have enjoyed a new series of sermons taking the books of the New Testament in chronological order. We are studying Paul and using a wonderful, fresh translation from "The Authentic Letters of Paul" by Arthur J. Dewey and several other scholars. They make it easy to bring Paul to life in all his inspirational and very human glory with words that resonate across the ages to us. If you missed any, check out the recordings on our website. I hope they will speak to your condition.

I am also excited to report that Ann Baier, mother of Adam and Dale, is writing a really great new curriculum for our Sunday School emphasizing how to make Bible stories meaningful in the lives of our children. Joan Law has consequently been very successful recruiting more Sunday School teachers so the energy is crackling in our work with the kids.

It is about time for a new member Sunday so if you have been attending our church and haven't yet joined, please consider yourself invited. We ask our members to attend worship services when they are able and contribute energetically and financially to our shared ministry. It is great to be a part of this community.

Many thanks to all who help make all our work together so meaningful and fun.

 

 

-- Stephen

  
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Hear Report on Skyland's Support 

for Distant Schoolkids Nov. 23


Unknown to many of us, because the story iix largely unheralded, Skyland Church provides tuition and living support for several students in three locations: Guatemala, India and Fiji.


But the stories are interesting, and this month, at the Nov. 23 service, the Mission board will present a few of them. 


 In the highlands of Guatemala, 12-year-old Hilicias struggles through school. Skyland Church pays his tuition at "Help me to Paint my Future,, an innovative program that mentors Hilicias in an art program, tutors him in schoolwork, and gives his family weekly food.


 

Hilicias and dad Samuel


 

In Fiji, Skyland Church's donation supports three students, including Sailosi, whom we have been supporting throughout her high school career. Sailosi has to travel to a neighboring island to attend high school.


 
Fiji kids in new library on Kadavu

In India, we pay partial tuition for Suresh, who is in the third year of his Electrical and Electronics courses at the Polytechnic. His parents are day laborers on a farm earning $4 a day, and because of droughts get work for only 3 months of the year. 


 We also support Vetriselvan, who is in his third year and whose brothers and parents are also day laborers.


All of the supported students have personal connections with individuals at Skyland Church. Cliff Barney and Carolyn McCall have visited the art school in Guatemala and support another of its students, Ixchil, as do Jan Parker and Bruce Berwald for Flora. 


 

Connie Durant, a former Skyland Church member, founded the Kadavu Connection in Fiji, where Joan and Don Law have sponsored Reverend Anandan's work with educating the Dalits or "untouchable" caste in India for over 35 years. Reverend Anandan selects and mentors our Indian students, who are all from the Dalit. Leslie Meehan, and Randy and Glenda  McCalla, have visited the school on the island of Kadavu.

 

Rev. Anandan and friends in village

 

Join us for the  Nov. 23 service, during which Cliff will report on the Guatemalan school, Glenda McCalla will tell about the Fijian Students and Joan Law will talk about the Indian Students and her long friendship with their sponsor, Reverend Anandan.


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Financial Report for October 2014

 Nothing special this month as we all relax after Harvest Festival.


 

Your pledge donations for October were on target but still  $4,150 short of commitments for first 5 months. Please try to keep your pledge donations current or inform me if you plan to make one or more lump sum payments. This will improve my reporting of planned income.

 

Here are our operating finances for Oct. 2014 as of Oct. 29.
                    Summary of Operating Finances
                Oct. 2014    | Jun 1,2014 to Oct.29
           Actual    Planned |  Actual      Planned
 Income   $ 10,867  $ 11,903 | $ 76,133    $ 83,017
 Expenses $  9,092  $  9,177 | $ 68,419    $ 69,708

 Net      $  1,775  $  2,726 | $  7,714    $ 13,309

 

-- Gerald J. Alonzo

 

Skyland Community Church

Web: http://www.skylandchurch.com 

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