Connections: August 1, 2022 |
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Sisters and brothers,
I was so uplifted with yesterday’s service. First, it was so great to have our Interim Senior Minister Melissa with us in person. I know many of us have been waiting to meet her. I am so looking forward to having her around in September, and working closely with her. I am excited for the future of CCSM and the next phase of the life of the church.
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Also, Dr. Sharon Jacob preached such a profound message with us. Her reinterpretation of the parable of the talents was a great reminder of the need to constantly rethink the scriptures. If you didn’t get a chance to hear her sermon, I hope you make some time and listen to her interpretation of the parable. I hope the sermon inspired or inspires you as it did for me. At the end of her sermon, it felt like a call for action on the injustices of this world.
May all of you continue to enjoy the summer, and I look forward to seeing you next Sunday to continue to be a blessing in each other's lives.
Peace and blessings!
Jorge
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Click on the video above for the most recent entire worship service, or click HERE to listen to Dr. Sharon Jacob's sermon, THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS: A RECONSIDERATION
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Volunteer of the Week
Peter Held
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We could sure use more volunteers like Peter Held. Peter is a long-time usher. But did you know that Peter also fills in for Oscar when Oscar is unable to be at service on Sunday?
Peter is easy-going and quick to say “yes!” He takes a humble, behind-the-scenes approach to volunteering.
Step into the spotlight for a minute, Peter. We appreciate you!
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Do you know a CCSM Volunteer you'd like to recognize here? If so, please write two or three sentences telling us about them and send it to Zoe at zmullery@ccsm-ucc.org
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Upcoming Preacher Schedule
We'll have a variety of voices and perspectives throughout the rest of the summer. You won't want to miss any of these!
Aug 7 Rev. Terri Echelbarger
Rev. Terri Echelbarger (she/her/hers) is the Founding Pastor of Many Journeys MCC (2005). She is active in the local community and is currently serving as a member of the San Mateo County LGBT Commission and the San Mateo County Faith Leaders group. She serves the denomination as a liaison for MCC future clergy at the Pacific School of Religion (Berkeley) and teaches the MCC History and Polity Course to both lay and future ministry leaders.
Rev. Terri has a real love for building community and thinks of herself as one voice in an ongoing conversation that happens when we gather to worship, pray, or play together. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Hawaii. Her BA is in Non-Profit Administration from Fairhaven College in Bellingham, Washington.
Aug 14 Rev. Jorge Perry Bautista — needs no introduction!
Aug 21 Rev. Ben Meyers
The Rev. Ben Meyers is our neighbor at the Unitarian Universalist congregation in San Mateo. He also serves in his local NAACP branch and is on the steering committee of the San Mateo County Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) chapter.
Aug 28 Rev. Talitha Amadea Aho
Rev. Talitha Amadea Aho serves as a pastor at Montclair Presbyterian Church in Oakland, California, where she is responsible for children's and youth programming. She has been in ministry to the young since she was old enough to qualify as a chaperone at Presbyterian camps and churches. She holds an MDiv and an MA in biblical studies from San Francisco Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union.
Sep 4 Rev. Rhiana Shaw Robinson
Rev. Riana Shaw Robinson is the Minister of Formation at Oakland City Church - a community that seeks to be People Who Don't Belong Together, Gathered Around Jesus, For the Sake of Those That Don't Belong. Riana expanded the church's City Engagement partnerships and spearheaded efforts to help the community live more deeply into its anti-racist values through teaching, relationship building, and deep listening. She feels called to name the work and abiding hope that is necessary to create the Beloved Community.
Riana is ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Reformed Church in America. She holds a Masters of Divinity at Pacific School of Religion and a B.A. in Ethnic Studies from Mills College. Before stepping into vocational ministry, Riana worked at various non-profits that focused on racial, social, and environmental justice. She served on the Steering Committee of the Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy and is passionate about faith-rooted advocacy.
Riana is an East Bay native and currently lives in Oakland with her husband, 8-year-old son, and three-year-old twins. She is extremely proud of her oldest daughter who is a senior at Howard University in Washington DC.
Sept 11 Rev. Melissa Douaire — our new Interim Senior Minister!
Melissa earned her MDiv from Chicago Theological Seminary and has served as an Interim Pastor and Pastor in the Chicagoland area. Melissa has certificates in grief counseling and intentional interim ministry, among other disciplines.
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THE SENIOR MINISTER SEARCH COMMITTEE has finalized its schedule for congregational input. The formal process, with an electronic survey and roundtable discussions, will kick-off on Homecoming Sunday. If you'd like to share any thoughts, schedule on one-on-one meeting with a committee member, or learn more about the ongoing process in the meantime, please make contact with Alexandra Gillen, Dave Olson, or stop by the Committee's table at coffee hour in August. We'd love to hear from you.
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BLESSING BOX
comes to CCSM
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Food insecurity is a very real problem is our city. Since 2019, 40% of those who have visited a food bank requesting assistance are there for the very first time.
If you have any extra non-perishable food items please bring them to church to help stock the recently constructed Blessing Box installed on the front lawn on the Tilton side of the building.
Canned foods, pasta, rice, cereal, granola bars, crackers etc all work well.
Thanks so much for your help!
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STARTING AUGUST 7, FIRST SUNDAYS OF THE MONTH ARE COMMUNION SUNDAYS.
If there’s a way you can be in person on the first Sundays of the month, communion is a meaningful time to be together.
Join us next Sunday with guest preacher Rev. Terri Echelbarger.
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SPIRITUAL CONVERSATIONS RESTARTS AUGUST 8 WITH THINGS HIDDEN
Spiritual Conversations, a book discussion group, will restart Monday, August 8, via Zoom. We’ll be reading and discussing Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality by Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest, popular teacher and speaker.
Father Richard’s book uncovers what the Bible says about morality, power, and the grace and wisdom of God. The book gives readers a vision of how love, meaning, and a mature relationship with the Divine can counteract the fear, greed, hate, and violence of the world and shepherd us on our path to spiritual transformation.
If you’re interested in checking us out, please contact Chris Wuthmann at cewuthmann@gmail.com or Chase Montara at cmontara@ccsm-ucc.org for more information and the Zoom link. The group meets every other Monday from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. All are welcome.
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CCSM Playlists for inspiration
If you're looking for some comfort and inspiration, one place to look might be one of the playlists Chuck has created on Youtube where you can find uplifting prayers and songs selected from our services. You can find the prayers here and the songs here. Please make use of this wonderful resource!
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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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