Connections: April 4, 2022 • PINE TREE

Triumphal Re-Entry on Palm Sunday!

THE PINE TREE: Issue #2, 2022
Holy Week and Easter Season

This month's edition of the Pine Tree newsletter contains some crucial information for the CCSM community, including Penny's announcement of retirement from church ministry, Holy Week and Easter, and much more. You can read it by clicking HERE or on the image.

There's a lot in it; be sure to take a look!
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Click on the video above for the most recent entire worship service, or click HERE to listen to Penny Nixon's sermon on The Five Gates of Grief
Grand
Re-opening
(AKA Triumphal Re-entry)
Palm Sunday, April 10th, 2022

We hope you will make a special effort to join us this Palm Sunday, April 10th, as we gather back together in-person for Sunday Service. We have it on good authority that the Donkey will be making an appearance! You won’t want to miss it! 

A luncheon will follow the service. Rev. Penny will be making her famous chili—can you guess the secret ingredient? And Chase will be making her vegetarian Mulligatawny Soup. We will have corn bread and garlic naan, and lots of treats, too!
 
If you gather online, please try and attend the virtual Coffee Hour with Deb Chang (one of our new Board members who is online, too). Our members who gather in person want to stop in to say “Hello”! Please note, there is a NEW Coffee Hour Zoom link: tinyurl.com/Coffee-Hour-New

While the festivities will be wonderful, what is even more wonderful is the opportunity to worship together in the sanctuary. Our community has impressively weathered a very difficult challenge with all the turmoil caused by the covid virus. So, we hope you will come and worship together as a community—grateful, strong, and determined to carry the progressive message of inclusion and welcome to all.
Climate Connection #6   
by Gary H. White
This past Sunday at Second Hour, many of us from CCSM listened to the inspirational words of our special guest, Rev. Fletcher Harper, Executive Director of GreenFaith - the global, interfaith organization working to address the climate crisis. In addition to telling us the story about the formation of the organization and sharing examples of the climate work of various spiritual communities, Rev. Harper spoke of the network’s foundational statement: Our Ten Demands.

This comprehensive statement begins by outlining the inspirational mission of the organization. We are a global, multi-faith, environmental alliance. We stand for equality and against injustice. We believe in reverence and compassion for all life. We motivate people of faith to lead by example. We call upon our leaders to safeguard our future.
The statement goes on to list the ten societal demands of GreenFaith, that if met, will enable us to solve the climate crisis in a manner that reinforces creation care and delivers justice to all peoples on the earth. I encourage all of us to read and reflect upon these demands as we seek to employ them in our ongoing climate work at our very own climate church, CCSM.

  • ENERGY - 100% renewable, clean energy for all! Sustainable, affordable power for everyone – especially the 800 million people without access to electricity.

  • FINANCE - Global finance aligned with compassionate values!  Increased financing for COVID recovery, sustainable industry, infrastructure & agriculture.

  • EMPLOYMENT - Jobs and healthcare for all! A just transition for workers impacted by climate change through job training, living wages, universal healthcare & insurance.

  • SELF-DETERMINATION - Respect Indigenous Rights! A strong defense for the legal rights of Indigenous communities and all environmental protectors.

  • HOSPITALITY - Welcome for migrants! Generous opportunities for climate refugees to migrate and establish new homes.

  • RESTORATION - No more climate pollution! Net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in wealthy countries by 2030; accelerated finance/technology transfers for global net zero before 2050.

  • BIO-DIVERSITY - End the planet’s desecration! No new fossil fuel exploration or infrastructure, no more deforestation, no more habitat or biodiversity loss.

  • DIVESTMENT - Eliminate immoral investment! No further financing or COVID bailouts for fossil fuels and exploitative agriculture.

  • REPARATION - Climate reparations from wealthy countries! Initiatives by wealthy countries in climate financing and technology transfer, in recognition of these countries’ colonialist and environmental debt.

  • COMMUNITY - Bold faith community leadership! Sustained, united action guided by the teachings of our diverse religions, ushering in an equitable, peaceful life for all.
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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.

Link for Prayer Ritual on YouTube:
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