April 29, 2026

Image: Rev. Victor H. Floyd

Dear Beloved Community,

My heart is full of gratitude this week.

Thank you to everyone who came out this past Saturday to help clean the church. There is something deeply sacred about caring for a space together. Not because the building itself is the church, but because it holds so much of our shared life, prayer, grief, joy, welcome, and hope. When we clean, organize, repair, and tend to this place together, we are also tending to one another.

I am also so grateful for the way our monthly potlucks continue to grow into something truly wonderful. What a gift it was this past Sunday to see tables filled with so many delicious things to eat, and even more, to see people lingering, laughing, sharing stories, and enjoying one another’s company. Something beautiful is unfolding among us.

Gathering around food and shared projects is good for the soul. It reminds us that church is not only what happens during worship, but also what happens when we roll up our sleeves, pass a plate, wash a dish, tell a story, and make room at the table. These simple acts become holy when they are filled with love.

I am grateful for the spirit of community and care that lives among us at College Heights. Thank you for the ways you show up, for the church, for one another, and for the larger work of love and justice that God continues to call us into.

Now this Sunday, we get to hear from Rev. Polly, who is bringing us news and history of St. Martha. The Bible really only tells us two stories about Martha -- the sister-in-the-kitchen story and her part in the resurrection of Lazarus, basically chiding Jesus for being late. But reading those stories very carefully, along with some old non-biblical texts, will give us a much fuller picture of an extraordinary woman. You might be surprised!

Peace and blessings,

Jorge

P. S. May's Giving Sunday collection is for the California Clubhouse. Aspire House, formerly California Clubhouse, is a social and vocational rehabilitation program in San Mateo County that builds supportive community, dignity, and pathways to recovery for people living with mental illness.

On the first Sunday of the month (the "Giving Sunday"), the whole plate goes to the designated nonprofit. Any other time during the month you can contribute by way of a check with the name of the nonprofit in the memo line.

Recent sermons

Check out our YouTube page to see recent sermons. Go to our archive of slides to see bulletins and slides used during recent services.

Recordings of our Taize services are also on the YouTube page.

Upcoming services and events

• Thursday Discussion Group: Thursday, April 30, 7pm on Zoom. Dream exploration. We're starting a new book -- "The Spirituality of Dreaming" by Kelly Bulkeley. His thesis is that dreaming is/can be a spiritual practice.

  
  

• Worship & Arts: Sunday, May 3, after worship. All are welcome to come help us plan worship.

  
  

• Book Group: Sunday, May 3, 7pm on Zoom. It's time for some fiction, so we're reading "Theo of Golden" by Allen Levi. All are welcome; this book has wide appeal.

  
  

• Instant Choir: Sunday, May 10, 9am. Rehearse at 9, sing for the service.

  
  

• Taize Service: Friday, May 15, 7:30pm. Our regular monthly service of chant and prayer. (Note the date, one week later than usual.)

  
  

• Church Council: Sunday, May 17, after worship.

  
  

• Church Pot Luck: Sunday, May 31 , after worship. Our monthly meal together.

  
  

• Congregational Meeting: Sunday, June 7, after worship. Our annual meeting to elect officers for the coming year.

Links and resources

Sanctuary People Resource List

Masterworks Chorale's spring concert is set for May 30 (7pm) and May 31 (4pm) at Cunningham Chapel on the Notre Dame de Namur campus in Belmont. We are singing Karl Jenkins" "The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace", along with Samuel Barber's "Agnus Dei" and Lars Jansson's "To the Mothers of Brazil: Salve Regina". Tickets are on sale here. Just to whet your appetite, here is the "Benedictus" movement of Jenkins' mass.

Quote of the week

"No black woman writer in this culture can write 'too much.' Indeed, no woman writer can write 'too much.' . . . Indeed, no woman has ever written enough." -bell hooks

Weekly events

• Meditation group: Wednesdays at 7:30 am. 

In person at the church building

• Sunday worship: 10 am

In person at the church building

• Church Office Hours: Thursdays 2:30pm-5:30pm, in person at the church building.

To schedule an appointment please call or text 510-754-6796 or email xicanominister@gmail.com.