Connections: February 21, 2023 |
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Click on the video above for Sunday's worship service,
or click HERE for Rev. Sheryl Johnson's sermon
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APPRECIATING REV. JORGE
This is Rev. Jorge’s 11th year at CCSM. Some of us know him for his sensitive pastoral care, and others for his sense of humor. All of us know him for his thoughtful sermons and for his big heart, as well as for his dedication to the members of our Wednesday congregation within CCSM and willingness to extend himself to any lengths to help them meet their needs. All of us will miss him.
There are two ways to express your appreciation for Rev. Jorge before he leaves us at the end of the month:
1. Contribute to a ‘purse’ that can help Jorge and Rebecca with their transition. Donations to Jorge's purse may be made by:
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Check to CCSM, marked ‘Rev. Jorge gift,’ mailed to Cheryle Matteo at CCSM, 225 Tilton Avenue, San Mateo, California 94401.
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Online at this link, selecting "Donation - Jorge's Gift" in the drop down menu.
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Text to the number 73256, the message CCSM Jorge <;amount>.
2. Participate in our farewell celebration after church on Sunday, February 26. It will include people from both Spanish- and English-speaking congregations.
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Youth and Family Events
Sunday, March 5: 11:45am - Family Play Date! We’ll gather after the service for lunch, community-building, and a service project. We’ll decorate lunch bags for unhoused folks and create cards with encouraging messages to include with the lunches.
Sunday, March 5: 1-2pm - Youth are invited to help plan some multi-faith programs for youth in our area. This is a great chance to meet people from different faiths and help to design programs to get to know others!
Sunday, March 12: 10:30am - 60 Minutes conversation for youth led by Mike and Sheryl. This month our topic (chosen by our highschoolers) is current issues in the news.
Sunday, March 12: 12pm- CCSM Youth are invited to go to Foothills UCC to learn about Confirmation and meet other youth participating in the retreat. Lunch provided! After the conversation (around 1:15) youth are invited to go to a local arcade to play some games. Pick up is at 2pm. All high school-aged youth are welcome - if you've already done Confirmation, you can share your experience and help lead the conversation.
Saturday, March 18-Sunday, March 19 - Youth Retreat in Orinda! Our local UCC partners are again collaborating to offer Confirmation classes. However, this retreat is open to all youth in grades 8-12, even those who have already been confirmed (or who are not interested in confirmation). This retreat is a chance for highschoolers to learn more about progressive Christian faith, play games, and connect with other youth. Please let Sheryl know asap if you might be interested in Confirmation this year (or just the retreat).
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SEARCH COMMITTEE UPDATE
As was announced at the Jan. 8 service, the Senior Minister position has been posted on the UCC website, and we have begun to receive applications. To read an update from the Search Committee and to see a summary of the posting, click HERE or type in tinyurl.com/CCSM-SearchComm
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Scholarships for high school seniors and graduate students
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.
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COFFEE HOUR ASSISTANCE NEEDED
We hope that you have been enjoying the goodies during coffee hour. A few generous families have stepped up to help Linda Fenn with coffee hour during the past few months, and we’d like to continue hosting coffee hour; however, she needs families or individuals who can help with this on-going project.
Coffee hour is a lot to ask for one person (Lin) to do alone on a weekly basis (she already does the planning, organizing, and provides some recurring back up supplies). The greater the number of people who can help, the smaller the task is for each person.
It involves set-up, ensuring the trays stay filled, and then clean up—about an hour each Sunday both to organize prior to service and clean up afterward. While more hands make less work, any amount of help will be great, and everyone will appreciate having coffee hour continue.
If you can help out once a quarter (or more frequently if you would like), please email or call Lin Fenn (lindajfenn@yahoo.com) or Melodie Lew (boygie.m2000@yahoo.com; 650.573.9765). Thank you in advance!
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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!
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NOW WHAT? Spiritual Conversations has a new book for discussion
How can we connect with people with whom we have significant differences? How can we be peacemakers and contribute to a kinder society? The book Now What? How to Move Forward When We’re Divided (About Basically Everything) by Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silver can help us become careful listeners, show mutual respect, and develop a deeper understanding of the Other.
Spiritual Conversations meets every other week on Monday evenings, from 7:15 to 8:45pm via Zoom. Our next discussion will be February 27.
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Pray for Ukraine Every Tuesday at 7:30pm
CCSM held a powerful live Prayer Ritual for Ukraine on March 6th. We have decided to premier this ritual ONLINE every Tuesday until the war ends. We hope you will join us online weekly to continue our prayers and heal our hearts. 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.
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225 Tilton Ave. • San Mateo, CA • 94401
650-343-3694
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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.
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