CONNECTIONS: September 4, 2024

Homecoming Sunday September 8!

Members of our CYF Ministry welcomed Rev. Sheryl, and Andie, back to church on Sunday!

Greetings, Church,

Hello from Washington, D.C.! This week I'm at a gathering for the Pension Fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). After years of studying the sobering statistics on clergy burnout, depression, financial instability, and physical health (there has been a 60% rise in clergy obesity in the past twenty years and mainline Protestant clergy double the general population's numbers on depression), they realized many clergy might not even make it to retirement! With this in mind, they are launching programs that help clergy with financial, mental, and physical wellness so they can focus on taking care of themselves, in order to best care for others. As one of our keynote speakers said, "The fruit of wellness won't just show up in your life, but in the lives of everyone around you." I'm grateful for this opportunity to connect with and learn from other colleagues, while also discovering practices that will help me be a better pastor and leader in our ministry together at CCSM.

I'm excited to share more when I return later this week- just in time for my first HOMECOMING! I look forward to reconnecting with many of you after summer travels and schedules, but I also want to remind you that this is also a great opportunity to invite a friend to experience our CCSM family, and maybe even find a home here. It will a special day in the life of our community, and I can't wait to worship, eat, dance, sing, laugh, and celebrate with each of you!

With gratitude and hope,

Jessica

DID YOU MISS WORSHIP?

CLICK HERE for last Sunday's entire service.

CLICK HERE for Rev. Álvaro's sermon,

"Love That Overflows"

As a reminder, be aware that unscrupulous folks intermittently send out emails and texts impersonating Rev. Jessica (or others) asking for money or to purchase gift cards, etc. Please know that Jessica (or others) would never solicit funds from you in this way. Be vigilant and savvy in all your affairs and if you ever have a question, do not respond, do not click on links, and call the church office to verify.

THIS SUNDAY!

Celebrate Together Again – or for the first time – as we come home to CCSM on September 8! We'll celebrate in worship together, and then have a party on the lawn following the service. Enjoy food, games, music DJ'd by Rosa Los Santos, and connection. Bring a dish which means “home” to you and join us for a potluck meal on the lawn after worship. (And don't worry if you can't bring a dish; please come and enjoy the celebration!)

Please RSVP to jnugent@mac.com and label your dish with your name. (RSVP appreciated to help ensure we purchase enough food, but not required). CCSM will provide the meat, veggies, and drinks.

THIS WEEK AT CCSM

Wednesday, September 4

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 5

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 6

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

Saturday, September 7

8:00 AM - 4:30 PM - BOD Retreat, Kloss Hall
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 8 - HOMECOMING SUNDAY

9:45 - 10:15 AM — Joyful Noise, CE building Community Room
10:30 - 11:30 AM — Worship Service in person and online: Guiding Principles series begins
10:45 - 11:15 AM — Youth and Children's Programs, CE Building & Memorial Garden
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM — Coffee Hour, Kloss Hall
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM — Homecoming celebration, Front lawn

Monday, September 9

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM — Monday Women's Group, Fireplace Room (contact Siew Kang (internationalchoir@gmail.com) or Melodie Lew (boygie.m2000@yahoo.com)
4:00 - 6:00 PM — Samaritan House Meal Service, Kloss Hall
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM — Governance Committee Meeting, ZOOM (contact Frank Garritano for more info and Zoom link)

Tuesday, September 10

10:00 - 11:30 AM — Men’s Coffee Group, Hillsdale Mall Food Court
4:00 - 6:00 PM — Samaritan House Meal Service, Kloss Hall
7:15 PM - 8:45 PM — MSJ Monthly Meeting, Zoom (Contact Genel Morgan or Sharon Tobin for more information)

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

This Sunday in Worship

"We follow Jesus’ example as a way of life and a way of love. Following Jesus is rooted in our identity as Christians, and we cherish our tradition’s sacred book, the Bible, for its spiritual wisdom contained in symbol, metaphor, and history. We also explore other faith traditions and learn from other sacred texts as we seek to answer Jesus’ call to love."

This Sunday we'll celebrate Homecoming with a bilingual service of music and liturgy with special music led by our Joyful Noise choir and Rosa Los Santos! We'll also begin a new worship series based on our Guiding Principles. Our guiding principles are the values that shape our community’s culture, decision-making, and actions. They serve as a compass, guiding us towards our vision of who we are striving to be as a community of faith. First up: "We are Christian."

PLATE OFFERING for SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8:

CCSM's General Budget

This year, six of the offering plates are designated for the CCSM General Fund. This designation offers an opportunity for visitors and members of our community who did not pledge during Stewardship to give to our Church, or make an additional gift above and beyond their pledge. The General Budget funds our staff, programs, ministries, along with repairing, maintaining, and improving our campus. Your gift today allows CCSM to continue to be the "hands, feet, and face of God" in our community, and beyond. Thank you for your continued generosity and support!

Make a Gift

COLLEGE STUDENTS & RECENT GRADS!

Are you or a loved one embarking on a college or post-high adventure this fall? We want to stay connected with our students as they begin this exciting new chapter! Please fill out the "Students Away" form online to share your contact information. We'll send you words of encouragement and keep you updated on church events and send a little love from home. If your student/young adult has moved recently or has updated information, we encourage you to fill out this form as well. Let's stay in touch!

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!

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.

LIFEMOVES RIDE TO END HOMELESSNESS, SEPT. 14

GREEN TIPS

Fewer and fewer people are buying bottled water, and for good reason! Columbia University researchers discovered 240,000 plastic particles in a disposable plastic bottle of water. 90% were smaller than 1 micron. Not only do we ingest them, but they also get into our environment. (from Mar. ’24 issue of Optics & Photonics News)

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.