Connections: April 25, 2022 |
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Dear friends,
If you missed CCSM Earth Day Service, you’ll want to go back and watch it— it was such an uplifting and wonderful service. Four CCSM members spoke and each offered a meaningful reflection. What an incredible community we have.
This coming Sunday we are honoring Mental Health Awareness Month — Jorge and I will be preaching together and sharing some of our journeys with mental health and faith. I believe it is our spiritual responsibility to destigmatize mental illness. It is a way of living out the greatest commandment, love one another. I came across this quote on love today:
“Love cannot be a means to any end. Love does not promise success, power, achievement, health, recovery, satisfaction, peace of mind, fulfillment, or any other prizes. Love is an end in itself, a beginning in itself. Love exists only for love. The invitation of love is not a proposal for self-improvement or any other kind of achievement. Love is beyond success and failure, doing well or doing poorly. There is not even a right and wrong way. Love is a gift. One can never be proud of being in love. One can only be grateful.” —Gerald G. May
I hope to see you in person or online this coming Sunday.
Peace,
Penny
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Click on the video above for the most recent entire worship service, or click HERE to listen to the special Earth Day reflections.
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First
Coming Back to Community event:
PIE SOCIAL
in Kloss Hall, May 1
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Everyone is encouraged to bring a pie to be raffled off, followed by lots of pie eating and laughter. You’ll also be able to sign up for more events to be held over the spring/summer -- hikes, SJ Giants game, carne asada feast, music... Everyone is welcome, whether you bring a pie or not.
Want more details? Click here for a flyer or contact Sandy McNabb (Sandra.j.mcnabb@gmail.com, 650-678-5650) or Diane Kalliam (dkalliam@gmail.com, 415-279-1359). And please thank Michele Merfeld, virtual member, who came up with the idea for Pie Social, and who's been a driving force in the Coming Back to Community effort.
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Saratoga Symphony Organ Spectacular with
Angela Kraft Cross!
Saturday, April 30 • 7:30 at Campbell United Methodist Church AND
Sunday, May 1 at 3:00pm at CCSM!
Enjoy a classical music orchestra with organ soloist Angela Kraft Cross in a free concert with exciting rhythms and beautiful melodies! Conductor Dr. Jason Klein talks about each piece before it is performed.
Danse Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah (1877) by Saint-Saëns
Symphony #1 for Organ and Orchestra ((1878) by Guilmant
Symphonie Concertante for Organ & Orchestra (1926) by Jongen
Free - Donations gratefully accepted; no ticket or reservations needed. Masks required!
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Memorial Service for Zelta Adams
A memorial service will be held for beloved longtime member Zelta Adams on Saturday, May 14 at 1:00pm. Zelta passed away on January 18. She had been a member of CCSM for 66 years. Mark your calendars to come on May 14 to remember and celebrate Zelta’s life.
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Interim Senior Minister Search
With great intention and a prayerful mindset, the Board of Directors has initiated the Interim Senior Minister search. Please use this link to share the job posting with anyone you know who may be interested in this position. (It is also posted on the CCSM website in the ABOUT menu, under Job Opportunity.)
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A Message from your Moderator:
Why Is Penny’s Retirement From Ministry So Soon?
It has come to my attention that some are wondering why Penny’s last Sunday with us is nine weeks from the day she announced the news instead of a longer transition time. The short answer is that the collective wisdom of the board, along with prayer and discernment with Penny, led us to conclude that a shorter transition window is not only best for the health of the church, but also for Penny and her family.
If Penny’s offramp were much longer, the grieving period for the congregation would also be longer. That could be harder on everyone. Let’s face it, we’re a bit rattled. And we need the space to grieve. As important, from a strategic planning perspective, CCSM is at a pivotal point in our history, and time stands still for CCSM until the baton is passed, we have an Interim who will provide CCSM the strategic insight and the space for healing that will inevitably be required, and the search committee begins revisioning.
As important, Penny wants to end her ministry on a high note, and she most certainly will (can we hear an AMEN?)! She will have a restorative summer and Mercy is really looking forward to enjoying extra time with her mom before Penny starts her job search for a leadership role at a Social Justice nonprofit.
Things are feeling alive at 225 and online! People are coming to church, viewing the online sermons, and we are relishing our return to community. We are looking forward to honoring Penny at a fun and meaningful celebration on Saturday evening, June 4. And I will repeat now, and again in the months to come, in addition to Penny being second to none, this community is second to none. I am energized by your overwhelming support. With prayer, faith, and a lot of hard work, the board is planning the transition period, working to hire an Interim Senior Minister, and building a search committee that will eventually secure a Senior Minister to build on CCSM’s solid foundation.
Julie Lenden
Moderator, on behalf of CCSM’s Board of Directors
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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.
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225 Tilton Avenue • San Mateo, CA 94401
(650) 343-3694
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