News for August 14th, 2024

Dear Beloved Community,
I am grateful for all the ways each one of you show up for the life of the church, and for all the love I received this past Sunday. During times of grief it is easy to retreat and be in isolation. On Sunday I felt the power of community, and I was reminded that we do not live abundant and healthy lives when we are living independently and isolated. I believe that loneliness is not the result of an absence of people in your life but rather the lack of deep, meaningful relationships. College Heights is a community where you can find deep and meaningful relationships. What a blessing to have one another.
This Sunday I will reflect on Luke 10:38-42. I believe that when the aches and anxieties of life arise, the desire to create a sense of security can lead us in ugly directions. We can trample on the needs of our neighbors, get lost in cycles of anxiety, or selfishly center our needs at the expense of collective thriving. If we are listening, we can hear God speaking to us, even in the midst of suffering. The Holy One provides all we need to bravely face our own vulnerabilities and find our grounding in the mystery of Christ, God with us.
As always I look forward to seeing you on Sunday. May each one of you have a great rest of the week, and I do hope you all are doing whatever it is that brings you joy in life.
Peace and blessings!
-Jorge
August's Giving Sunday offering is for the program that Caje and Janice presented a few weeks ago, to provide non-tuition assistance to college-bound students from Mercy Housing's Visitation Valley/Sunnydale project in San Francisco. Thanks for always being so generous with your gifts. You can learn more about the Sisters of Mercy's many affordable housing projects around the country at Mercyhousing.org
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
Church Council: Sunday, August 18 after worship.
Borg Discussion Group: Thursday, Aug 22, 7pm on Zoom. We are moving on to another book by Marcus Borg: “Reading the Bible Again for the First Time.” Read chapter 1 for the meeting on the 22nd.
Postcard Party: Sunday, Aug 25, after worship. Bring your unwritten postcards and some lunch and come write postcards with Adelaide and Isabel.
Book Group: Sunday, Aug 25, 7pm, on Zoom. This month's book is "Underland: A Deep Time Journey" by Robert Macfarlane. This is "an epic exploration of the Earth's underworlds as they exist in myth, literature, memory and the land itself." Published in 2019 and on several "top 100" lists for that year.
Annual Women’s Retreat: Labor Day Weekend (Aug 30 - Sept 1) at Polly’s house in Pacific Grove. All church women invited; RSVP to Polly if you are coming.
Celebration of Life for Jim Mathews: Saturday, September 7 at 2 pm.
CHC Work Day; Saturday, Sept 28, 9-12. Bring a lunch and relax afterward. Indoor and outdoor jobs to do; come and find one that fits you.
Annual Men's Retreat: October 4-6 at Polly’s house in Pacific Grove. RSVP to Roy Gesley if you are interested.
Links and resources
“A Church of Love” from Cathar Sunday (8/4)
“Smart Cookie” by Richard Schiffman (read at Taize on 8/9)
Ravel’s “Bolero” by four cellists and one cello.
Quote of the week
“Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it.”
-Kahlil Gibran
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.
Image: Jorge Bautista
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