Connections: May 23, 2022
Dear Beloved Community at CCSM, 

This coming Sunday we will mark Memorial Day. It feels like there are so many losses surrounding us right now - from the over 1 million Americans (and so many more globally) who have died from Covid, to the 10 African-Americans who were killed last week at Tops supermarket in Buffalo due to racist violence, to the pioneering feminist theologian Rosemary Radford Reuther, to the many lives lost in Ukraine and other less-covered conflict situations globally. And then we have our own personal losses and collective losses as a faith community. These losses may not make the news, but they remain on the front page of our hearts.  

We live in a culture that so often wants to move past loss, to skim over it, to push it down or aside. As Rev. Penny preached last Sunday, letting go is so hard and so many of us struggle to simply be with what is, especially when that loss is the death of someone we have loved or whose life has touched ours in some way. As she shared so beautifully, we crave permanence but temporality is intrinsic to this life. 

And although Memorial Day has been re-packaged by some as simply a launch into the summer season, we will pause this Sunday to remember lives lost to war in its many forms as well as lives lost for other reasons or seemingly no reason at all. We will name the ways we have been touched and shaped by the cloud of witnesses that surround us and how their stories live on in and through us. We will together proclaim and cry out for a world where no life ends before its time.

Please reflect this week on the names you would like to lift up and have live on through your voicing of them. We look forward to seeing you and hearing about the lives that continue to shape yours. 

Blessings,
Sheryl  
Click on the video above for the most recent entire worship service, or click HERE to listen to Penny's sermon, LETTING GO.
Search Committee News
The search committee was voted in at our Congregational Meeting and their work is now underway! Here is your committee:
The process of the search committee will be to first do some revisioning work. To attract the best candidates, our messaging and vision needs to be current and strong. Margie Mader-Clark has volunteered to be an advisor to the committee and will help facilitate a re-visioning session.
At the same time, the search committee will offer... (CLICK HERE to read more about how the committee will proceed.)
Coming Back to Community Events
Sign Up Now!

Live out Penny's message about "letting go" by moving forward in community with other CCSM members. Check your calendars for these upcoming events:  
June 12, 1:00-3:30 Laurelwood Park hike with Rev. Sheryl Johnson. There are still a few spots left for a great outdoor experience.  
June 18, 7:00pm Ice Cream Social Singalong at CCSM. Melanie Dresbach and Siew Kang will lead singers of all ages in old favorites such as Blowin' in the Wind and She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain, kid-friendly odes like Bats Eat Bugs, and songs from other cultures/languages, so there will be something for everyone. All are welcome to attend—there are no age or vocal talent requirements—plus ice cream! 

Sign up with Sandy McNabb (Sandra.j.mcnabb@gmail.com, 650-678-5650) or Diane Kalliam (dkalliam@gmail.com, 415-279-1359).  

Penny's party, June 4
It's not too late to contribute to Penny's gift! You can use this link HERE. We have room for a few late registration tickets, so if you want to come and you haven't bought tickets yet, that link will allow you to still purchase them.



Upcoming Sermons from Penny


May 29—The Presence in Absence

June 5—Full Circle
Hi friends,
As you know, there's a lot going on at CCSM right now. Please take a look at this latest issue of the PINE TREE to find more about Penny's transition, Summer Worship plans, Coming Back to Community, upcoming special music, Music and Art, what's happening with EEJ and LAM and more! There are lots of wonderful photos from Palm Sunday and Easter as well. Please CLICK HERE or on the image of the Pine Tree to see the latest issue!
Pray for Ukraine Every Tuesday at 7:30pm

CCSM held a powerful live Prayer Ritual for Ukraine on March 6th. We have decided to premier this ritual ONLINE every Tuesday until the war ends. We hope you will join us online weekly to continue our prayers and heal our hearts. These are challenging times and this offering is a way to bring our community together and magnify our prayers.

Please share this link with your friends and family so we can extend this offering to as many people as possible.

Link for Prayer Ritual on YouTube: tinyurl.com/CCSM-Ukraine-Prayer
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