CONNECTIONS: August 21, 2024

Some San Jose Giants fans from CCSM enjoying a game together

Greetings, Church!

This past Sunday we continued our summer journey through the letter to the Ephesians by diving into the "why" the work of the church matters and "how" we can join God in this work of liberating love. God has invited us to be part of a movement for wholeness, and when the early church said “Yes" to this invitation, when they chose to follow Jesus’ teachings and trust in the restorative powers of God’s love and grace, then this went from an invitation to a call. As a congregational church affiliated with the United Church of Christ (UCC), we believe in the "priesthood of all believers"-- that we are all called to minister to others and participate as equals in worship, leadership, and service. We also recognize that we are unique in our gifts of ministry. As the letter to the Ephesians points out;

"to some, the gift they were given is to be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers. These gifts were given to equip fully the holy ones for the work of service, and to build up the body of Christ..."

What gifts do you have? What gifts have you observed in others?

Our Leadership & Governance Committee is currently seeking nominations for leadership positions for 2025, and beyond. They are seeking individuals who are passionate about serving our community and who have a heart for furthering our vision of being a strong voice for Progressive Christianity, a beloved community, and a leader of social justice on the San Francisco Peninsula.

If you haven't already, I invite you to read this Call for Nominations Letter from our Governance and Leadership Committee Chair, Frank Garritano, and I urge you to prayerfully consider one person you can nominate for a leadership role for this upcoming year- maybe that person is you!

Paper copies of the nomination form are located in the church office and on the Welcome Table outside of the Sanctuary, OR you can fill out the Nomination Form linked below.

We are "God's work of art, created in Christ Jesus to do the good things God created us to do from the very beginning." (Eph. 2:10) Thank you for the ways you offer your gifts and talents and treasures to help us be God's hands and feet and face at work in the world.

With gratitude and hope,

Jessica

Leadership Nomination Form

Deadline for nominations is August 31.

DID YOU MISS WORSHIP?

CLICK HERE for last Sunday's entire service.

CLICK HERE for Rev. Jessica's sermon, "Bound Together"

THIS WEEK AT CCSM

Wednesday, August 21

4:00 - 6:00 PM — Samaritan House Meal Service, Kloss Hall
7:15 - 8:45 PM — Bilingual (Spanish/English) Worship and Potluck, Kloss Hall

Thursday, August 22

10:15 - 11:30 AM — Women's Coffee Group, Hillsdale Mall Food Court (contact Linda Skromme)
4:00 - 6:00 PM — Samaritan House Meal Service, Kloss Hall
6:30 - 7:15 PM — Bell Choir: Cool Ringings handbell exploration workshop
7:15 - 8:30 PM — Bell Choir Rehearsal
7:00 - 9:30 PM — Latino Ministry Meeting, Fireplace Room

Friday, August 23

1:00 - 2:30 PM — Getting Out the Vote, Fireplace Room (contact Krista Hanson)
4:00 - 6:00 PM — Samaritan House Meal Service, Kloss Hall

Saturday, August 24

8:30 - 10:30 AM — CC Riders Weekly Bike Ride (contact Peter Held)
10:30 AM — Coffee with CC Riders, Village Hub in Woodside (3154 Woodside Road)

Sunday, August 25

9:00 - 9:45 AM — Drop-in Choir, Sanctuary
9:45 - 10:15 AM — Joyful Noise returns! CE building Community Room
10:30 - 11:30 AM — Worship Service in person and online
10:45 - 11:15 AM — Youth and Children's Programs, CE Building & Memorial Garden
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM — Coffee Hour, Kloss Hall
11:30 AM — Reclaim our Vote, Loggia table with Krista Hanson
11:45 AM — Open Cathedral Sandwich Making, Kitchen
7:00 - 8:30 PM — Grupo: Los desafios de la crianza (hybrid), Buckham Room

Monday, August 26

4:00 - 6:00 PM — Samaritan House Meal Service, Kloss Hall

Tuesday, August 27

10:00 - 11:30 AM — Men’s Coffee Group, Hillsdale Mall Food Court
4:00 - 6:00 PM — Samaritan House Meal Service, Kloss Hall

Wednesday, August 28

4:00 - 6:00 PM — Samaritan House Meal Service, Kloss Hall
7:15 - 8:45 PM — Bilingual (Spanish/English) Worship and Potluck, Kloss Hall

This Sunday in Worship

"Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore, try to imitate God as beloved children. Walk in love as Christ loved us..."

-Ephesians 5:1

This week we'll continue to explore how the writer of this letter instructs the early church how they should live as a Christian community, especially when trying to resolve conflict: speak truth, speak positively, avoid bitterness, forgive one another. Working for peace isn't optional for Christians, and yet there is such a thing as righteous anger; however, as the author of this letter makes clear, it's not anger itself that's the problem, it's what we do with it.

PLATE OFFERING for SUNDAY, AUGUST 25:

LifeMoves

L i feMoves is dedicated to solutions to homelessness in Silicon Valley. With 26 shelters and services sites from Daly City to San Jose, LifeMoves gives our neighbors experiencing homelessness a temporary place to call home while providing intensive, customized case management through both shelter programs and community outreach.

Services are personalized to holistically serve the broad needs of a diverse client population-veterans, families, single adults, the LGBTQ+ community, aging seniors and more.

Make a Gift

SAMARITAN HOUSE MEAL SERVICE Monday-Friday, 4-6pm

Last week we began a new partnership with Samaritan House serving as hosts for a daily meal service. To learn more about how to volunteer with Samaritan House at CCSM, click HERE or contact Jim Granucci at JimGranucci@yahoo.com.

You are also welcome to swing by any day of the week and see how things work! We are still looking for people to serve as a CCSM Host on Thursdays and Fridays. You can serve once a month, or as your schedule permits. Contact Jim G to learn more.

CARDS FOR SHERYL (AND ANDIE!)

We are excited to welcome Rev. Sheryl back to CCSM on Sunday, September 1st! Our CYF Ministry team invites you to help them welcome her back by sharing a card, note, or drawing.

We’ll collect cards and drawings for Sheryl (and Kelly and Andie) through Sept. 1. You can put them in a basket at the front desk or at the Welcome Table.

JOYFUL NOISE IS BACK! Sundays at 9:45am

Joyful Noise is back on Sunday mornings at 9:45 am in the CE Building starting this Sunday, August 25!

They'll sing in church on Homecoming Sunday, September 8. Children of all ages welcome!

For more info, contact Julie Berk at teacherjulie7@gmail.com.

Why Should the Kids have All the Fun?!?

This Sunday, face the ultimate challenge! The Gran’ Its scored high on their name tag scavenger hunt at last week’s coffee hour; can you do as well?

Several of you were eager to join the challenge last Sunday- and you'll get your chance this week! When you come to Happy Coffee Hour after worship, pick up a puzzle sheet and fill in the answers. If you get all dozen names right, a Gran’ Its will give you a prize! Can you do it?

Reclaim Our Vote is a national non-partisan, non-profit organization which works to encourage primarily Black voters in voter suppression states to vote. One effort is sending hand-written postcards with voter information to registered but inconsistent voters, and post-carding has been shown to increase turnout by almost 3%!

For the next few Sundays we will have a table where you can get a packet of postcards, addresses, and voter information stickers to send off in mid-September. We'll have a Get Out The Vote post card writing gathering on Friday, August 23, 1:00 - 2:30pm in the Fireplace Room.

For more information, contact Krista Hanson (650-773-7276; kristakhanson@gmail.com) or Susan Lake (650-576-4092; susan.a.lake15@gmail.com). Join us in supporting our democracy!

NOTE: Office Schedule Change Next Week

As Chase will be on vacation next week, office hours will be shifted to Tuesday-Friday (instead of Mon-Thurs), 9:30am - 3:30pm for the week of August 26-30. Thanks for your patience!

GET YOUR PINE TREE HERE!

Don't forget to check out the latest issue of the Pine Tree newsletter!

Click HERE to view or download your copy.

COMING UP!

ENGLISH TOGETHER

English Together – The Latino Ministry is introducing a pilot program in partnership with English Together, a Palo Alto-based nonprofit that brings together adult Spanish speakers (learners) with English speakers as practice partners. The program addresses a two-fold benefit of building community and providing opportunities. The learners become more confident in using English for everyday practical needs and with the practice partners they come together breaking down barriers and building trust. Important to know - this is not an ESL course! It is structured, conversational practice. English Together will meet with each learner to baseline their language proficiency and goals for the program. This will be shared with the practice partner ahead of the sessions. We intend to form 5-6 pairs of learners + practice partners for this pilot.

This is a commitment for a 10-week program (Sept 9 - Nov 14) starting with a Zoom training session on 9/9 and then meeting with paired learner for subsequent weeks - Mondays from 7-8pm. Live, in-person interaction will be highly encouraged. If interested or want additional information, please contact Katherine at vegastultz@yahoo.com.

HOMECOMING IS COMING! SEPTEMBER 8

Celebrate Together Again – or for the first time – as we come home to CCSM on September 8 following worship. Enjoy food, games, music, and connection. Bring a dish which means “home” to you and join us for a potluck meal on the lawn after worship. (And don't worry if you can't bring a dish; please come and enjoy the celebration.) Please RSVP to jnugent@mac.com and label your dish with your name. CCSM will provide the meat, veggies, and drinks.

SOUND JOURNEY, THURSDAY, AUG. 24, 7PM

The Logos Method Sound Journey is an immersive somatic experience. Our nervous systems need to be recalibrated on a regular basis. Each experience builds on the next and supports us to be more connected to the liminal space, sharpen our intuition, and experience deep peace.

Join Chuck and experience this yourself on Thursday, August 24, 7-8:30pm. Click on the image above to register.

LIFEMOVES RIDE TO END HOMELESSNESS, SEPT. 14

GREEN TIPS

Drive an electric, hybrid, or hydrogen car to reduce or eliminate CO2 emissions.

BRING YOUR BLESSING BOX CONTRIBUTIONS

ANY SUNDAY OF THE MONTH!

The "Blessing Box" outside of the entrance of CCSM is a project of the Ministry of Service and Justice, responding to the need for families in our neighborhood to access food and an expression of our call to be the "hands, feet, and face of God" in our community.