News for October 10, 2023
This Sunday, Oct 15: In-person service at 10am
Our guest preacher this Sunday is the poet Rev Lynn Ungar. She will be zooming in from her home in Vancouver, Washington, so this will be our first experiment of an in-person service with a zooming preacher. You have heard Lynn's work before; for example, just before lockdown in March 2020 we read her poem "Pandemic" on a Sunday morning. She will be talking about the purpose of poetry and the connection between poetry and religion. She is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister.
The Giving Sunday offering for October is for Neighbors in Need, a UCC offering to support ministries of justice and compassion..
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.
Starting in Sept 2023, recordings of our Taize services are also on the YouTube page.
Taize on Friday at 7:30 pm
You are invited to come to our monthly Taize service on Friday evening. Chanting, praying, silence... a calming pause at the end of a busy week. This will be the Hasse's last Taize before their move northward, so you can expect many of Susan's favorite chants. Poetry by Mary Oliver.
Jim Doty Coming on Nov 5
Our guest preacher at the beginning of November will be Dr. James Doty, professor of neurosurgery at Stanford and founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE). His life story is pretty astonishing! In case you want to read about it before he gets here, his book is "Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart."
Volunteer needed
Do you enjoy shopping? Have we got a job for you! The church needs someone to take on regular purchasing of our short list of consumables. We share the list with TRA, and our half looks like paper towels, bifold towels and light bulbs. All you have to do is be sure the supply closet doesn't run out of our items! If you can help, talk to Polly. Thanks in advance.
Upcoming services and events
• Weds discussion group:Oct 11 (7 pm), Zoom
"Basic Bible Stories", meeting the main characters of the Old Testament. The Israelites finally reached Canaan last time, so we will move on to the stories in Judges (like Deborah and Jael) and Ruth and Naomi.
• Taize service: Fri, Oct 13 (7:30 pm) Our monthly service of chant, prayer and quiet.
• Book Group: Sun, Oct 22 (7 pm), Zoom Discussion of “Mink River” by Brian Doyle.
• Dia de los Muertos: Sun, Oct 29 (10 am). Our annual service of remembrance.
• Farewell Party for the Hasse's: Sun, Oct 29 after worship. Come say good-bye as they head up to Enso in Healdsburg. (Note: this date may need to be adjusted if their move is delayed. Stay tuned for more info.)
• Worship & Arts: Sun, Nov 5 after worship. Everyone is welcome to help plan future services and events.
Links and resources
• Faith in Action is holding a Community Learning Session on tenant protection ordinances on Thursday, Oct 12 at 7pm via Zoom. Registration link here.
• Chocolate Fest at the Congregational Church of the Peninsula, Oct 20 & 21.
• One of the local nonprofits that we support is Catherine Center, a restorative justice center for women in San Mateo County. Here's their most recent newsletter. It's inspiring!
• Masterworks Chorale's fall concert will be Oct 28th (7pm) and 29th (4pm) at Carlmont HS. You will recognize at least three singers in the chorale this year! Here's another work from the program -- Beethoven's "Choral Fantasy". He wrote it 15 years before his 9th Symphony, but the two works are clearly related. This recording has Seiji Ozawa conducting.
Quote of the week
"Being unappreciative might mean we are simply not paying attention." -- David Whyte
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: poet Lynn Ungar
