News for June 26, 2024

Dear Beloved Community, 

I missed you this past Sunday, but I do know that it was a great Sunday with Sabrina sharing with all of you. I look forward to catching her words on youtube soon. I have been having a wonderful time with our niece Adeline who was visiting from Ohio. It was her first time visiting California, so I have enjoyed seeing her world open up, and getting to know her better. I have posted two pictures below. One is at Yosemite where we kayaked the Merced River, and the second one is in Pacific Grove. I think many of you will recognize the location of the photo in Pacific Grove. :) Thank you, Polly, for blessing us. 

Also, I have been thinking and praying for many of you. I know many of you are still grieving the passing of Pat Farquhar, and now with the news of Jim Mathews. It is never easy to see people that have been part of our communities pass away. I know Pat and Jim were a big part of many of your lives. So, feel what you feel, and I hope you do know that whatever it is you are feeling during these sad moments in life is OK. Take time to look around, especially on Sundays, and remember that as you sit with those feelings, you are not alone. My prayers will continue to sustain each one of us through our grief, and as we thank God for the time that was given on this earth. 

This Sunday, Meg Given will be our guest preacher. Meg met us through Taize, and now that she is a seminary student, we have the opportunity to hear her preach. (Student preachers always need kind audiences at the beginning!) Below is some information from her that she has provided for us, and a short biography. Her title is “In the Wilderness with Elijah, Part I.”

“Summary: This is the first leg of a three-stage journey in the wilderness with the prophet Elijah, as told in 1 Kings 19. I'll begin by introducing the series and this week's text. Then we'll slow down together and ponder some questions prompted by Elijah's experience in the first portion of this chapter.”

“Bio: Meg Given is a student at Earlham School of Religion, a Quaker seminary in Indiana. There she has delved into biblical languages, spirituality, and theopoetics, as well as creating a new poetic form called the "lunet." When not at school, she lives in the small town of Boulder Creek in the Santa Cruz Mountains with her husband (and fellow seminarian) Ray Rischpater. She's grateful for the chance to renew the ties she formed with College Heights in the early years of the Taizé service.”

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday and being in community with all of you, and as always I do hope the week is going well for all of you.

Peace and blessings!

Jorge 

June's Giving Sunday offering is for "Strengthen the Church" (UCC) Below is a video explaining more about the offering.

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

• Book Group: Sunday, June 23rd, 7pm, on Zoom. We will be discussing Catastrophe Ethics by Travis Rieder.
  

• Borg Discussion Group: Thursday, June 27, 7pm, on Zoom. We will be continuing the discussion of Ch. 3 of Marcus Borg’s “Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time.” It’s not too late to join this discussion.
  

• UCC Family Camp: July 19-21st, Monte Toyon Retreat Center, Aptos, CA. Save the date to join Belmont UCC like last year! Additional details will be shared closer to the event.
  

• Women’s Retreat: Labor Day Weekend (Aug 30 - Sept 1) at Polly’s house in Pacific Grove. All church women invited; details to come. Save the date!
  

Links and resources

Mesmerizing… live jelly cam from the Monterey Aquarium!

Quote of the week

“I sat with my anger long enough until she told me her real name was grief.” -C.S. Lewis

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: Sabrina George