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THE WEEKLY E-PISTLE
news & update
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SERVING THIS SUNDAY
Celebrant: Rev. Matthew McDermott
Preacher: Rev. Matthew McDermott
Deacon: Rev. Lauren P. McCombs
Organist: Lauren Wittine
Acolyte: Louise Delafield
Greeter: Chantal
Usher: Danny Alegria
Altar Guild: Betsy Alexander
Lesson: Barbara Creed
Epistle: Casey McKibben
Intercessor: Chris Dauer
Flowers: Pam Kaufmann
Coffee Hour: Chantal
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Sunday, February 16
Church Service 10:00 am
Coffee hour 11:00 am
Monday, February 17
Adult Formation
Responding to God 7:30 pm
Parish office closed in observance of Presidents' Day
Monday, February 17 to
Friday, February 21
Winter Break
(Carillon Preschool Closed)
Wednesday, February 19
Women's Spirituality 10:00 am
Thursday, February 20
Choir Rehearsal 7:30 pm
Celebrations
Anniversaries:
Peggy & Michel Dubes, Belinda & John Lipa
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Pray for the special needs of our congregation and lift up the following individuals to God in prayer:
Remembrance
Marts Beekley, Helen Eyler Bond, Elisabeth Ashfield
Healing
Collins Anderson, Bruce McCombs, Caroline Huntley, Anne Wittine, Marina Bermudez, Joan Klappert, David Riggs, Alyssa Hardbarger, Tyler Britton, Dede Jamison, Catherine Aragon, George Mallinckrodt, Peggy Dubes
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For pastoral care, you are invited to reach out to:
The Reverend Matthew McDermott
Cell: (650) 269-2611, Email: mjpmcdermott@gmail.com
The Reverend Lauren P. McCombs
Cell: (650) 740-1552, Email: laurenpmccombs@gmail.com
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Happy Valentine's Day!
From your family at Christ Church Portola Valley & Woodside
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Beloved, let us love one another,
for love is from God, and
whoever loves has been born
of God and knows God.
I John 4:7
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Photos of the week
One of four Valentine gifts (wreaths with hearts)
made by our talented Carillon Preschoolers
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Our Carillon Preschoolers made four beautiful Valentine wreaths with hearts.
Two of the the wreaths will be given to the Sequoias and the other two to our parish.
THANK YOU Carillon Preschool !
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The Sequoias and our parish will also receive this beautiful Valentine card from our Carillon Preschool. It reads:
This little wreath so bright and true
was made with love just for you!
With tiny hands and heart so sweet
A Valentine's wish that can't be beat!
May your day be filled with cheer
With love and joy that lasts all year!
Happy Valentine's Day!
Love
Carillon Preschool
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Highlight of The Week
Valentine's Day Community Dinner held Wednesday February 12 at 6 pm
at Christ Church Portola Valley & Woodside
Despite the heavy rain, we had a great turn out! What a wonderful evening it was to celebrate Valentine's Day amongst family and friends!
Our first community dinner of the year was filled with Delicious Italian food, Great music, and most importantly Great company! We all had too much fun!
...And if that was not enough, we enjoyed listening to a Valentine poem written and recited by our own Renaissance Man, Robert Trent Jones.
Thank you All for coming and making this evening so Memorable, and we can't wait to see you again at out next community dinners and events.
Here are some pictures of this evening of celebration
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From DioCal News & Events
The Episcopal Diocese of California Newsletter
Bishop Austin's visit to Christ Church, Portola Valley and Woodside
Photos by Archdeacon Miguel Bustos
Below are photos of the many smiles that greeted Bishop Austin as he made his official visitation to Christ Church Portola Valley and Woodside on Sunday, February 2. You can find more beautiful photos and information about the congregation on their website. Bishop Austin's visitation sermon is also currently available at this link.
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Adult Formation Offerings
FIRST PROGRAM STARTS THIS MONDAY!!
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Responding to God: Meets Mondays, February 17th, 24th, and March 3rd at 7:30pm in person at CCPVW (led by Rev. Cal)
Our Book of Common Prayer describes prayer as the act of “responding to God,” both within the confines of our hearts and with the words of our lips. In this series, we will explore the many ways that Christians within and beyond the Episcopal Church have found to respond to the still, small voice of God. Together, we’ll delve into writing prayers of our own, including Collects and Prayers of the People. We’ll embark on a crash course on using the Book of Common Prayer for self-guided daily prayer, and revel in the theology underlying our prayer practices. If you’ve ever wondered how or why to pray, or simply where to start, then this series is for you! All questions are invited to the table, and all are welcome.
Creating the Biblical Canon: Meets Fridays, March 7th, 10th, and 17th at 12pm either at CCPVW or via Zoom (led by Rev. Claire. If you have a preference for in person or Zoom, please email me at claire@ccla.us to let me know!)
As Episcopalians, we uphold scripture as one of only three sources of divine revelation, alongside tradition and reason. But we also have many questions about the Bible and how to most faithfully engage its words. In this series, we explore the origins of the Canon we call the Holy Scriptures. If you've ever wondered who decided to put the books of the Bible together, how they became authoritative, what was left out, why some Bibles contain certain books and others don't, this series is for you! And if you've never given much thought to such questions, the history of the creation of the canon is fascinating and complex, and our time together will surely enrich your engagement with these holy works. We invite you to bring a song, poem, spiritual writing, or any other text that you would “add” to the Bible if you could.
Outward and Visible Signs: Meets Tuesdays, March 25th, April 1st, and April 8th at 3:30pm in person (co-led by Revs. Cal and Claire)
As Episcopalians, we have inherited centuries of rich tradition from our Anglican lineage, interwoven from both Catholic and Protestant roots. This series will explore the materials and sensory dimensions of our worship practices, delving into the inner anatomy of our sacraments, rites, and rituals. Together, we will revel in the many outward and visible signs and symbols of our faith, including fabric and smoke, fire and water, bread and wine. In conversation with one another, we’ll ponder the Eucharist, Holy Baptism, and other sacramental rites such as marriage, confirmation, and ordination. We will journey through our liturgical calendar and the feasts and fasts of the church, which arise from the ancient practices of the earliest Christians. If you’ve ever wondered about why we do something in our worship life, or if you are new to the Episcopal tradition and hoping to learn more, then this series is for you! All questions are invited to the table, and all are welcome.
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God Created and Saved you to Serve in the Church Body | |
You were Created to Serve
We were created in Christ Jesus to do good works and for ministry. Most people don't know that, but the Bible is clear that you were created for ministry, good works, that God prepared in advance for you to do. People say, "Why am I here on earth?" You're made for ministry.
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
EPHESIANS 2:10
You were Saved to Serve
God planned that you would be saved and that you would begin to serve Him in ministry. The Bible teaches that every Christian is saved to serve. A non-serving Christian is a contradiction.
"It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work not because we deserved it but because that was his plan long before the world began."
2 TIMOTHY 1:9
Serve our Lord - Contact Chantal
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Carillon Preschool
Open Enrollment 2025-2026
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News from the Outreach Committee | |
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Saturday February 22: Dinners at Coast House shelter resume. For those who like making meals for Coast House, we will be making dinners on the fourth Saturday of each month. The program commences on Saturday February 22nd. Contact Ruth Ann Wrucke to help. cwrucke@mindspring.com Coast House is now operated by Project WeHope which is based in EPA.
Toiletries/Feminine Hygiene/Laundry Supplies Needed: Began a Toiletry, Feminine Hygiene and Laundry Supplies drive for Coast Shelter (84 people) on the second anniversary of the farm worker shootings in Half Moon Bay. We delivered the first four box loads of toiletries this week and received many thank yous. We still need a few toiletries plus dryer sheets. See the signup sheet at
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094FA8AE2DA13-54754051-toiletrieslaundry#/ and bring items to the marked cart in the breezeway by Sunday February 23rd or sooner. I'll deliver the next batch as soon as I return to the bay area.
Made 36 cozy fleece scarves during the Bishop's 2/2 visit and delivered them to the Navigation Center just ahead of this week's rains. They were thrilled. Thanks to Erin Miller for most of the measuring and cutting.
Bring Hotel-Sized Toiletries for the Veterans' Hoptel, a Life Moves shelter in East Palo Alto. Hoptel provides 1 to 3 nights of shelter, along with case management and transportation, to low income veterans from out of town visiting the local VA hospital. Leave the toiletries in the green marked box in the church breezeway.
Children's toiletries go to the Redwood Family House in RWC.
Outerwear/Underwear Drive: We made final deliveries of outerwear and underwear to Redwood Family House (10 families) and the Redwood City Navigation Center (240 adults). In total we delivered over 1000 items including 289 pairs of new undies and 373 pairs of new socks.
Thank you all for everything you do!
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Women's Spirituality Group | |
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Women's Spirituality: meets on Wednesday morning from 10:00 - 11:30 remotely, on Zoom. Contact Mary Jennings at emjennings@aol.com for more information.
This week we begin “How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith” by Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde.
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Sunday February 16: SpiritCare Visits with Seniors at Silver Oaks Memory Care in Menlo Park (1:30PM) and The Sequoias Memory Care (3:00PM).
Singers, readers and hand-holders are needed. This month we are celebrating Mardi Gras.
Contact Angela Hey
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For Sequoias residents rides are now provided to Christ Church at 9:30 AM on Sundays with a return pickup time at 11:30. Contact the Sequoias Transportation Department at X4117 or sign up in the transportation binder. Sunday morning rides are also available to the Presbyterian or the Catholic churches. | |
2025 Annual Stewardship Pledge | |
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Support our 2025 Stewardship Campaign
This is the time of year to reflect on the blessing of our community and how we can support its continued vitality. We’re excited to launch our 2025 Church Stewardship Campaign, with a goal of raising $300,000 to support our parish and its mission.
Given the size of our parish, this translates to an average of $5,000 per donor. We recognize that some can give more and others may give less, and that’s okay. Every gift, no matter the amount, is deeply appreciated and makes a meaningful impact.
This year, we’ve made it even easier to pledge:
to let us know your pledge.
Let’s come together as a community to achieve this important goal.
With Gratitude for your Generosity and Support
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Support Wildfire Recovery in LA | |
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The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles
All donations to the Annual Appeal will be used to help institutions and individuals most affected by wildfires. One Body and One Spirit Appeal:
Checks made payable to Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles should be mailed to:
Bishop John Harvey Taylor c/o the Rev. Susan Stanton, CFO
Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles
St. Paul's Commons
840 Echo Park Avenue
Los Angels, CA 90026
The American Red Cross
The American Red Cross provides emergency relief to residents and families impacted by disasters, providing meals, medical care and a safe place to shower and sleep.
Mercy Chefs
Mercy Chefs is a nonprofit organization specializing in disaster relief to provide meals to victims, firefighters, first responders and volunteers.
The organization has provided more than 28 million restaurant-quality meals across the country and around the world.
World Central Kitchens (Chef José Andrés)
Serving freshly made meals to people affected by disaster.
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is working with government agencies, nonprofit and faith-based organizations to distribute food and other essentials to those displaced by the wildfires with meals.
California Fire Foundation Wildfire & Disaster Relief Fund
The California Fire Foundation works with community-based organizations and local fire agencies to offer financial support for residents who are impacted by the fires.
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Lost and Found
Are you missing a red leather jacket and a gray jacket?
Please see Chantal at the parish office
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A Request
Dear family and friend,
I create and assemble this online newsletter.
Submission deadline for this newsletter is Thursday at noon, otherwise articles may need to be published the following week.
Many thanks,
Chantal with a smile
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Book affiliate links benefit Christ Church
Christ Church Portola Valley & Woodside | ccpvw.org
Carillon School | carillonschool.org
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