Connections: April 10, 2023
EARTH DAY SUNDAY, APRIL 16
|
|
Dear Beloved Community at CCSM,
Christ is Risen! Christ is risen indeed. Whatever that may mean to you, whether to you it is literal, metaphorical, or otherwise—ambiguous or clear—Easter is here! And what a Sunday and what a service it was.
I am so grateful to the many people who made our worship service possible. Thank you so much to our musicians, choir, liturgical artists, readers, ushers, sound/video team, coffee hour volunteers, children/youth staff and volunteers, administrative/logistic/building folks, and everyone who brought together such a beautiful and moving service. And made it possible for us to have brand new solar panels in the parking lot to celebrate as well! I am so grateful to everyone who contributed their time, talent, prayers, and presence. It is in coming together that we rise again. If you missed the service, please do go back and watch—or re-watch!
And remember that Easter is not a day but a season. We will be celebrating together for a full 50 days. We remember that life wins out over death by celebrating Easter for a full 10 days more than the 40 days of Lent.
It seems fitting to me that our second Easter Sunday, coming up this week on April 16, we will celebrate Earth Day. It will be a beautiful service led by many people on our Energy and Environmental Justice team and others, as we celebrate the ways that the Earth is resilient and that we can be part of ensuring Earth's resurrection in the face of climate change. Please join us in-person or online. I so look forward to being with you all next Sunday. (And please stay afterwards for a special showing of the documentary "The Ants & the Grasshopper" in the Buckham Room.)
In the meantime, please consider how you might mark this Easter season in your own life. Some of us take on a personal Lenten practice to bring simplicity, silence, and space into those days—and, in Easter, we can remind ourselves of this season daily as well. Perhaps we might strive to spend more time in nature looking at buds and blossoms, serving others, gardening, or being with children. Any of these and many more might be practices to bring "new life" into your days.
Halleluia today and every day!
Peace and blessings,
Sheryl
|
|
SECOND HOUR AFTER WORSHIP SERVICE NEXT SUNDAY
In honor of Earth Day Sunday, after worship the EEJ is hosting a viewing of the Creation Care documentary called “The Ants & the Grasshopper.” “Anita Chitaya has a gift; she can help bring abundant food from dead soil, she can make men fight for gender equality, and she can end child hunger in her village. Now, to save her home from extreme weather, she faces her greatest challenge: persuading Americans that climate change is real.” Join us in the Buckham Room after worship for this insightful and relevant film.
|
|
Pick-A-Party Opportunity!
Join the Cooks and Bakers Zoom party,
Thursday, May 4 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. (only $20)!
There's still time to sign up for this Zoom Pick A Party, hosted by Michele Merfeld Hale, in which all those interested in food (that's everyone) can share recipes and cooking ideas. Michele is a true virtual member, having found CCSM online and joining virtually. She's never been physically present at CCSM, but she's been active in our congregation for some time — she came up with the ideas for our successful Pie Social and our Christmas Cookie Exchange. And she has more than 550 cookbooks! This Zoom Pick-A-Party is sure to be great fun, so contact Michele or Sandy McNabb to sign up now.
|
|
BOARD MINUTES AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING
In the interest of full transparency and to improve communications with CCSM, the Board of Directors now posts their monthly meeting minutes HERE. As future meetings occur, minutes will be posted in this same folder at this same link.
|
|
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS AND GRAD STUDENTS
LAST WEEK TO APPLY! Deadline: 4/15/23
The Youth Ministry at CCSM is pleased to support high school seniors and graduate students with scholarships for the 2023-24 school year thanks to the generosity of CCSM members.
High school seniors and graduate students who are active members of CCSM are encouraged to apply for scholarship support. Information about the scholarships and application packets are available at the following links: for the graduate packet, go to tinyurl.com/CCSM-grad-schol-2023, or for the undergraduate packet, go to tinyurl.com/CCSM-undergrad-schol-2023. Applications with supporting documents and letters of recommendations are due by April 15, 2023.
The Congregational Church has been supportive of education through our denominational history. In fact, many of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious educational institutions such as Harvard and Yale Universities and Bowdoin College were founded by the Congregational Church. CCSM follows in that important tradition of helping to educate our younger generation with scholarship aid.
|
|
BECAS PARA ESTUDIANTES DEL ÚLTIMO AÑO DE ESCUELA SECUNDARIA Y ESTUDIANTES DE GRADUACIÓN
El Ministerio de Jóvenes de CCSM se complace en apoyar a los estudiantes de último año de secundaria y graduados con becas para el año escolar 2023-24 gracias a la generosidad de los miembros de CCSM.
Se alienta a los estudiantes de último año de secundaria y graduados que son miembros activos de CCSM a solicitar el apoyo de becas. La información sobre las becas y los paquetes de solicitud están disponibles en los siguientes enlaces: para el paquete de posgrado, vaya a tinyurl.com/CCSM-grad-schol-2023, o para el paquete de pregrado, vaya a tinyurl.com/CCSM-undergrad-schol -2023. Las solicitudes con documentos de respaldo y cartas de recomendación deben presentarse antes del 15 de abril de 2023.
La Iglesia Congregacional ha apoyado la educación a lo largo de nuestra historia denominacional. De hecho, muchas de las instituciones educativas más antiguas y prestigiosas del país, como las universidades de Harvard y Yale y Bowdoin College, fueron fundadas por la Iglesia Congregacional. CCSM sigue esa importante tradición de ayudar a educar a nuestra generación más joven con becas.
|
|
MUSIC & ART, APRIL 21 - NOON — Susan and Stephen Bell
Music and Art will convene at noon on April 21 in the Buckham Room. As always BYOL (bring your own lunch). Beverages and dessert are provided. A brief devotional and business meeting will be held and then we’ll have a wonderful music program presented by our own members, Susan and Stephen Bell. Their program will be called “Our Favorite Things” with Steve playing two or three trumpet selections accompanied on the piano by Susan. She will then play classical guitar pieces. We are so fortunate to have them share their talents with our group and CCSM at large. Please RSVP to Susan Duty at susanjd52@gmail.com or by phone at 650-533-6830.
|
|
Evening Gathering for Prayer
Sunday nights, 7:00-8:00 PM in the Fireplace Room
(hosted by Kibbie Ruth)
Join us every Sunday night for contemplative time together and spiritual start to the next week. This is an open gathering, so all are welcome to come once or every week. In addition to being a conversation with God, prayer is one way to be in touch with our inner selves, and be present with and to one another.
|
|
Youth and Family News
Sunday, April 23: 10:30am - 60 Minutes conversation for youth led by Mike and Michele. Each month, high schoolers choose a discussion topic.
Sunday, April 30: 11:45am - Youth interested in Confirmation are invited to join Sheryl for lunch, conversation, and discussion/writing of faith statements.
Sunday, April 30 - 4-7pm - High School Multifaith Park Cleanup and BBQ. Meet youth from other San Mateo-area faith communities to do a service project, eat dinner, and build community. All highschoolers are welcome. More details to come!
Sunday, May 7: 11:45am - Monthly family play date with a picnic lunch. Please meet at San Mateo Central Park by the playground. Sandwiches, drinks, etc will be provided but please bring a dessert to share if you'd like. If you'd like to bring any balls, frisbees, scooters, etc you are most welcome to do so.
July/August 2023 - Summer camp sessions at Camp Tamarack! Please check the website to learn more and to see which week is open to your age group, registration should be open soon. Please let Sheryl know if you are interested for help with carpooling, assistance with fees, etc.
|
|
LIFEMOVES BENEFIT BREAKFAST RETURNS:
April 27, 7:30-9:00am, Hyatt Regency
CCSM members are invited to attend the LifeMoves Benefit Breakfast at the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame. This is the first time the annual event has been held in person since the start of Covid. The featured speaker will be bestselling author and film producer Liz Murray, speaking on “From Homeless to Harvard.” LifeMoves provides critically needed funds to support interim housing and services that move people off the streets and into stable homes. CCSM has been a strong supporter of this organization for many years. Seating is limited. Registration is free. There will be an optional opportunity to donate to LifeMoves at the breakfast. Use this link to register: tinyurl.com/2023-LifeMoves or call the Life Moves office at 650-685-5880. For questions, email Kimberly Adinolfi at kadinolfi@lifemoves.org
|
|
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. The container will be in the narthex to collect food (canned, dried and boxed, no fresh food please! donations must be full UNOPENED containers, no fruits, vegetables, or bread) on any Sunday of the month. Thank you for your continuing generosity!
|
|
Solar Project-related UPDATE:
PG&E has changed the dates for the electrical shut down at the church to Monday, May 1 - Wednesday, May 3 (instead of 4/17-4/19). The church will be without power for those three days, which means we will be without the fire alarm system and without lights or phones. We are therefore strongly encouraging all rehearsals and events be canceled for those days out of caution for everyone’s safety. The church WILL be open April 17, 18 and 19.
It is possible that PG&E will change these dates again, so you may want to wait to cancel or re-schedule your events until closer to those dates. Sincere apologies for the inconvenience. Chase will be in touch with those who were previously re-located to other sites.
There continue to be ongoing fenced off areas in the parking lot, reducing our number of spaces. This changes frequently, as the workers move the fences around to try to provide us as many parking places as possible at any given time, depending on what they are doing. Please remember that there is additional Sunday parking available in the lot kitty-corner from the church, at Tilton and San Mateo Drive.
|
|
Pray for Ukraine Every Tuesday at 7:30pm
CCSM held a powerful live Prayer Ritual for Ukraine on March 6th, 2022, and will share this ritual ONLINE every Tuesday until the war ends. These are challenging times and this offering is a way to bring our community together and magnify our prayers.
Please share this link with your friends and family so we can extend this offering to as many people as possible.
|
|
|
225 Tilton Ave. • San Mateo, CA • 94401
650-343-3694
|
|
|
|
Scan the QR code above or go to
to make a donation or pledge to CCSM.
Don't forget to ask your employer if they have a charitable donation matching program to make your pledge go farther.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
