CCSM CONNECTIONS: September 11, 2024

Homecoming Sunday -- CCSM celebrating being a UCC Creation Justice church!

Greetings, Church!

What a joyful Homecoming celebration we shared on Sunday! I’m so grateful to our Connect & Celebrate Ministry for organizing such a wonderful event. It was a beautiful opportunity to share in fellowship, delicious food, and lots of fun. Whether you joined us in person or online, your presence made the day extra special! Scroll down to see photos from Sunday, captured by Chris Yeh, Tony Gallo, and Chuck Rosenthal (thank you!).

Part of our Homecoming festivities included celebrating CCSM's official recognition as a United Church of Christ (UCC) Creation Justice Church. As one of UCC's eight Just World Covenant Programs, Creation Justice Churches guide congregations in understanding how they can best embody a commitment to care for God's creation, and all who call it home. At CCSM we work together to feed the hungry, care for the sick, house those experiencing homelessness, and advocate for a more just society. From racial inequities to the ongoing legacy of colonialism, creation justice is deeply intertwined with multiple layers of justice. In order to receive this recognition, we needed to meet a number of requirements, including the development of a Climate Pledge and offering comprehensive environmental education programs. CCSM's solar canopy, Precious Plastics Program, and exploration around becoming a Resilient Hub (more information coming soon in a Second Hour presentation) helped lead to this recognition. If you would like to join our Environmental Justice (EJ) Ministry Team in leading these efforts, please reach out to our EJ Ministry Lead, Gary White, to learn more.

As your day draws to an end, I hope you will join me in taking a moment to hold in prayer all those impacted by the tragedy of 9/11, including the 127,567 people enrolled in the World Trade Center Health program, which also includes Pentagon and Shanksville responders. Diseases related to the dust and smoke of that day have now claimed twice as many lives as the attacks 23 years ago today, and this does not include the lives lost in the war in Afghanistan. May all those experiencing deep sadness and pain find care and comfort tonight and in the days ahead. May God's peace, which is beyond our understanding, descend upon them this day.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

– John 14:27

In peace and hope,

Jessica

DID YOU MISS WORSHIP?

CLICK HERE for last Sunday's entire service.

CLICK HERE for Rev. Jessica's sermon,

"We Are Christian"

THANK YOU!

The Connect and Celebrate Ministry is truly thankful for the many people that made Homecoming Sunday a wonderful success. The food was amazing and we all got to experience what a great chef we have in Rev. Álvaro. The big crowd of people was full of smiles and obviously enjoyed all the eating, music, dancing, games and just being together. We are deeply appreciative of all who prepped, cooked, served, brought food and cleaned up. Even the weather was beautiful!

Above are a few photos of the festivities from Sunday's Homecoming Celebration. To see a whole album of photos, click here.

THIS WEEK AT CCSM

Wednesday, September 11

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

7:00 - 8:30 PM — Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary

7:15 - 8:45 PM — Bilingual (Spanish/English) Worship and Potluck, Kloss Hall

Thursday, September 12

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

Friday, September 13

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

Saturday, September 14

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, September 15

9:45 - 10:15 AM — Joyful Noise, 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

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM — Coffee Hour, Kloss Hall

Monday, September 16

10:00 AM - 1:0 PM — Upper Peninsula Symphony League, Buckham Room

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

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM — English Together Language Sharing Session, Buckham Room

Tuesday, September 17

10:00 - 11:30 AM — Men’s Coffee Group, Hillsdale Mall Food Court

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

6:30 PM - 8:00 PM — BOD Meeting (Zoom) Click HERE for Zoom link

Wednesday, September 18

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

7:00 - 8:30 PM — Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary

7:15 - 8:45 PM — Bilingual (Spanish/English) Worship and Potluck, Kloss Hall

This Sunday in Worship

"We welcome the full participation of believers, agnostics, and skeptics from all faith traditions. We are all at different places on our spiritual journeys, and we come together to support each other as we seek connection with God through ritual, artistic expression, nature, study, and fellowship."

Join us this Sunday as we continue exploring our Guiding Principles and how they shape our community. Rev. Jessica will be preaching, with Roma Olvera and Don Harper offering special music. We'd love to see you in-person or online at 10:30am!

PLATE OFFERING for SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15:

PICA: Peninsula Interfaith Climate Action

Peninsula Interfaith Climate Action or PICA is a Regional Working Group of the non-profit organization California Interfaith Power & Light (CIPL). Since 2000, CIPL’s mission has been to be a faithful steward of creation by responding to the environmental crisis. It is a network of more than 750 congregations of all faiths committed to addressing climate change from Chico to San Diego.

CIPL helps educate congregations on the theological basis for eco-stewardship and assists them in implementing programs to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and become more energy efficient. These actions serve to mitigate the harmful effects of global warming.

(click HERE to read more)

Make a Gift

RECLAIM OUR VOTE

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.

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!

LIFEMOVES RIDE TO END HOMELESSNESS, SEPT. 14

Click on the Image Below for more information and/or to register.

BOD MEETING, SEPTEMBER 17 • 6:30 pm

All are welcome to attend the next Board of Directors meeting, which will be a virtual meeting on Zoom only, on Tuesday, September 17, from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Email Don Ruthroff, our Board Moderator, for more information.

ZOOM LINK

AGENDA

COMING UP

MUSIC & ART: Friday, September 20

Sony and Jerry Holland

Following a brief business meeting at noon in the Buckham Room, we will enjoy a program by Sony and Jerry Holland (friends of Tina’s). Sony has made 3 tours in Asia, sang the National Anthem for Giants & Dodgers baseball games and most recently for a festival on Burlingame Ave. Jerry is a guitarist and songwriter: one song, “Friends,” topped the Billboard Country Charts.

Remember to BYOL - bring your own lunch. Beverages and dessert are provided.

Please RSVP to Genel Morgan, glmrn12@gmail.com or 650-759-7318 so we can have the correct number of tables and chairs set up.

We are thankful to have had Don Harper’s past services.

SECOND HOUR: Sunday, September 22

Cultivating a Culture of Giving

Dear CCSM Congregation,

You are cordially invited to gather for conversation around our upcoming Stewardship Campaign on September 22, noon - 1pm in Kloss Hall (coffee and snacks in the Buckham Room). This gathering will include a message on the spiritual principles of generosity, and a conversation to explore how our generosity can impact our community and further the mission of CCSM. The presentation will include a sneak peek of the Narrative Budget being developed by the Finance Committee. Your voice and participation are very welcome and encouraged as we embark on this journey of stewardship.

AGENDA

1. Opening prayer

2. Message on the spiritual principles of generosity

3. The four pillars of narrative budget

4. Discussion on the role and impact of generosity in our community

5. Conclusion and timeline of Stewardship Campaign

We look forward to your presence and contribution to this vital discussion.

With gratitude,

CCSM Stewardship Committee: Ivan Raikov (chair), Kay Harris, Carol Henton, Jim Lindsay, Genel Morgan, Natalia Tsoi

CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES

Saturday, September 21 - 9am - 12pm San Mateo Coastal Clean Up at Coyote Point. Join us for a day of service as a family. Please let Sheryl know if you are interested and she can share more information!

Sunday, September 29 (note date change) - 11:45am - Gran'its (5th-8th grade) are invited to meet Sheryl and Alvaro on the lawn by the "wishing well" to go eat tacos/burritos at Los Primos restaurant nearby and talk about plans for the fall. Come bring your ideas for service projects, discussion topics, and social events. If possible, please bring $10-15 in cash to cover lunch (no problem if you can't, we will cover you!).

GREEN TIPS

Choose sustainable products: Opt for products with eco-friendly packaging and ingredients.

Did you know less than 10% of plastic actually gets recycled? The rest ends up in landfills.

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.