Go Tell It On The Mountain
Monthly Newsletter
Skyland Community Church, United Church of Christ
Minister: Rev. Kevin Omi
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Sunday Worship Service 10:30 a.m.
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September 2019 to Oct 13 Church Calendar
Sunday, September 1
10:30 A.M. Worship Service with Rev. Kevin Omi
12:00 P.M. Sorting: Harvest Festival
Tuesday, September 3
10:00 A.M. Sorting: Harvest Festival
Wednesday, September 4
10:30 A.M. Loma Prieta Club
Saturday
September 7
11 A.M. to 6 P.M. Mountain Jam
++++++++++++++++++++++
Sunday, September 8
10:30 A.M. Worship Service with Rev. Kevin Omi
Special Congregational Meeting
re: Search Process and Quorum.
We need every member who is able to do so, to attend.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Saturday, September 14
10:00 A.M.
Harvest Festival
++++++++++++++++++++++
Sunday, September 15
Authorized Ministers Retreat 2019
10:30 A.M. Worship Service with Rev. Kevin Omi
12:00 P.M. Potluck Sunday
Monday, September 16
Authorized Ministers Retreat 2019
Tuesday, September 17
Authorized Ministers Retreat 2019
Saturday, September 21
1:00
P.M.
- 4 P.M.
Sanctuary reserved for Jeremy Cole
Sunday, September 22
10:30
A.M.
Worship Service with Rev. Kevin Omi
12:00
P.M.
Church Council
Sunday, September 29
10:30
A.M.
Worship Service with Rev. Kevin Omi
12:00 P.M. Uniting and United to the UCC
Wednesday, October 2
10:30
A.M.
Loma Prieta Club
Sunday, October 6
Neighbors in Need Offering
10:30
A.M.
Worship Service with Revs. Matt and Barbara Broadbent
Wednesday, October 9
Rev. Kevin on vacation
Thursday, October 10
Rev. Kevin on vacation
Friday, October 11
Rev. Kevin on vacation
Saturday, October 12
Rev. Kevin on vacation
Sunday, October 13
Rev. Kevin on vacation
10:30
A.M.
Worship Service with Revs. Matt and Barbara Broadbent
Regularly Scheduled Events in Whitaker Hall
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mondays
:
Alcoholics Anonymous 8:00
P.M.
Tuesdays
:
Qigong
8:30-10:00
A.M.
with Teacher Marcy Reynolds
Thursday
:
Qigong students only from 8:30-9:30
A.M.
Thursday
:
Yoga 7:00
P.M.
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Message from Reverend Kevin Omi
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God’s Great Harvest
Rev. Kevin Omi
I’m really glad that I am getting to experience all our Harvest Festival activities this year! I started at Skyland after this important event last year, so that I could participate in Sycamore Congregational Church’s Annual Bazaar and say “good-bye” to a congregation I loved serving.
Like Sycamore’s Bazaar, Skyland’s Harvest Festival is a many-faceted event:
·
Members and friends of our church work gracefully together, with some focused on specific areas (e.g., clothing, books) and others moving to wherever they are needed.
·
The Harvest Festival makes an important and
necessary
contribution to our operating budget. (In an ideal situation, tithes, offerings, and facility use fees would provide enough funds to cover the operating budget and proceeds from the Harvest Festival would go towards missions-related and discretionary expenses.)
·
The Harvest Festival gives us the opportunity to engage with many members of our community, including both old friends and newcomers. This may be our only opportunity to see some of these folks
at our church
during the year, so these encounters are
really
important – especially those who have had negative experiences with religious institutions.
There’s always the danger of being so focused on logistics on the day of the Harvest Festival that we miss out on chances to spend time with our guests. If we focus solely on
our
tasks, we run the risk of being like the moneychangers in the temple. I hope that we will use this outward-facing event as an opportunity to create and nurture relationships with our guests. Let’s “show up” as ambassadors to the kin-dom of God.
During my sermon on August 25
th
I shared the following thoughts:
“In every action you take, in every word you speak, people who have never known Jesus, who have never known they were loved by God, are looking to you to see what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and a lover of all humanity and creation. You, each one of you, may be the only face of Jesus people will encounter this year. In everything we are and do, God enables us to bring a sense of hope and gladness to everyone’s hearts.”
May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, LORD, our Rock and our Redeemer. May it be so! (Psalm 19:14)
When we gather to worship God on September 15, may we primarily celebrate how we showed up as people of faith, and, secondarily, give God thanks for the funds that have been raised.
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The wonderful help of many Skyland members, we are well on the way to setting up our 2019
Harvest Festival on September 14 from 10-4 pm.
VOLUNTEERS:
We are still looking for set up, clean up help and booth helpers for
Sat. Sept. 14th from 8:30 A.M.- 6 P.M. The sign-up sheet for volunteers is posted in Whitaker Hall. Please find something fun you’d like to do and add your name! We are hoping that all booths leaders find one or two volunteers to make sure everyone has a backup. Need a job? It would be especially helpful to find more help with the silent auction, silent auction set up and check out, housewares, jewelry, holiday booth, the kitchen and CLEAN UP.
DONATIONS
:
We are only accepting donations from church members on Tu/Th. 10-12 and Sun. 12-1 until Sept. 8th. Since we have so many used items, we are really looking for new items or treasures.
SET UP
:
All are welcome to help us set up for the Harvest Festival on Thursday Sept 12 and Friday Sept 13 from 10 A.M.- 3 P.M.
The final set up is from 8:00 A.M. -10:00 A.M. on Sat. Sept. 14th. ALL HANDS ON DECK!
OTHER WAYS TO HELP FROM HOME
:
(the sign up sheet is in Whitaker Hall)
Make Canned goods
Share plants and produce
Create a salad to compliment our rice bowl meals
Make baked goods, cakes and pies
Invite your friends and share the electronic flyer with your friends
on Social Media and email.
Help us find more items for the Silent Auction
This is the day for all members of the church to come and welcome our mountain community to Skyland Church.
408-353-2710 at home.
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LAST URGENT CALL FOR COMESTIBLES!
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Please let me know if you are planning to contributing something to our booth. Jam, jelly, salsa, pickles, flavored vinegar, candy, or dried fruit - all are welcome! There are jars available on the fireplace in Whitaker Hall if you need them. Even a couple of jars helps, so please contribute!
Many thanks for your support,
Mary Ellen McTamaney and Julie Victorine
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reVision Action Teams begin! Mark your Calendars!
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There are some great events happening at Skyland this Fall. Thank you to all of the Action Teams for your hard work and dedication.
Sharing Mountain Living Strategies- Heart Mind and Soul
On
September 14th at the
Harvest Festival from 11AM-2:30PM
there will be 4 speakers in the Sanctuary. Robin Porter "Mountain Organization Overview", Carol Carre "Listen and See-Mountain Birds", Larry McVoy "Why everyone should have chickens", and Janet Maleski " Gardening for Habitat in the Mountains".
The speakers will give 15-minute informative talks and then have a short Q and A session. The talks will be videotaped for potential local distribution online.
Fire-Safe Roads On the evening of
September 25th there will be a community-wide meeting in the Forum at Loma Prieta Elementary School. The speakers will be Al Feuerbach "Lessons from the Paradise Fire-2018", Gerald Alonzo "Responsibility of Property Owners", David Fullagar "Supporting Firefighters in CSA 48", Larry Lopp "Developing Escape Route Road Plans", Jeremy Cole "Area Maps". This meeting is a kick-off to discuss/organize community wide-escape routes under neighborhood leaders and groups using the Loma Prieta School District Map as the area of concern. The goal is to identify 15-20 neighborhood leaders and groups to create community-wide escape routes and strategies. All plans and data would be shared with existing local government services for funding development, staffing, resource contracting and finally implementation.
Community Building Events
On October 25 from 12-3 PM there will be a lunch and a documentary video + discussion in Whitaker Hall for seniors. The team is selecting a video as you read this. It will be a fun and engaging afternoon.
Mountain Hang-out
:
On
Friday October 25 from 5-8 PM "Taco Night" for all neighbors and families on the mountain to gather, eat and talk.
Connected through Adventures
:
On November 3
from 3-5 PM In Whitaker Hall there will be a Milk + Cookies reception for the Children's Photo Show entitled
My World in the Mountains.
An online video explaining how-to take a photo and brainstorm subject matter is for the pre-school-5th grade children. On September 14 at the Harvest Festival the video will play in the children's section and all flyers will be available. Children will watch the video, submit a photo electronically and Lesley Louden will print an 8"X10" at Costco.
Submissions: Sept 14-Oct 16
.
Anne Evans
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LITANY THROUGHOUT THE INTERIM PERIOD
For God’s holy presence amidst change, we pray.
For comfort because loss is part of change, we pray.
For Christ-like steadfastness during the challenges of transition and seasons of faith, we pray.
For reassurance through frailty and failings, we pray.
For the abundant creativity the Spirit provides, we pray.
For our loved ones in this community of faith, we pray.
For God’s children beyond this community, we pray.
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Church Council News
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The Council met on August 25 with Anne Evans and Jackie Seymour presiding. Anne presented an update on the many impressive activities our five Actions Teams are hosting in the coming months including 4 informative workshop presentations at Harvest Festival, a forum to be held at the Loma Prieta School on issues regarding emergency escape routes (Sept), lunch and a documentary film in Whitaker (Oct.), a mountain hangout evening including tacos in Whitaker (Oct.), and in November a children’s photography exhibit with a milk and cookies reception.
Jackie gave a review of the entire
Search and Call
process with details on the current activities – the formation of the Search Committee, and work on the Local Church Profile a document required by UCC NCNC that gives prospective ministerial candidates an idea who we are, who we want to be and who we want to lead us.
The Nominating committee selected John Heyes, Brian Wood, Julie Victorine, Glenda McCalla, and Jan Parker to be on the Search Committee and they have agreed to serve. The council voted to approve all 5 members unanimously. The Search Committee will be blessed and thanked on Sunday, September 8.
Prior to submitting a request for ministerial candidates to the UCC NCNC Conference, a church must decide if they want a full time or part-time minister. Jackie presented the issues surrounding this decision and Rev. Omi presented his analysis of the time he has spent doing various ministerial tasks and how each might be reduced for a ¾ time pastor. After much consideration, the council voted unanimously to recommend to the congregation at the congregational meeting that we call a three quarters, part-time pastor.
Jackie and Anne will draft a letter requesting a congregational meeting to vote to approve a ¾ part-time minister as well as a reduction in the quorum number that is required in the current bylaws.
Jeremy Cole reported that the flooring for the women’s bathroom had been chosen and bids for installation were in process. Also, the elevator project is awaiting approval by the Santa Cruz County Planning commission. Jeremy noticed that roof is showing signs of wear and it is in its 29
th
year of its 30 year lifetime. It will probably need replacing in the next 1-2 years.
Brian Wood was approved unanimously to be on the Board of Trustees filling a vacancy as a result of the general reduction in board sizes due to reVision.
Jackie reviewed at a very general level the sections of the new Wedding Contract that is currently being reviewed by a lawyer. When those recommendations, if any, are incorporated it will go to the trustees for their approval.
Rev Omi provided a handout, an updated road-map of interim activities and gave us a closing prayer.
Your co-moderators,
Jackie Seymour and Anne Evans
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Search and Call Process – Part 1
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Associate Conference Minister,
Rev. Davena Jones
speaks about the Search and Call process to church members in Whitaker Hall on August 25th.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
People often think of Search and Call as a process of hiring someone to fill a position as in a business. Although there are similarities there are even more differences. First of all a church “calls” not “hires” a minister to be their spiritual leader. And secondly the church must do a great deal of work to truly understand who they are, who is their community, where are they going, what is God calling them to do, so they can know what type of minister will best lead them on that road they, together with God, have chosen.
Much of Rev. Kevin’s time with us has been spent helping us with that exploration (Asset Mapping, History, Community Connections, Mission, Leadership, Finances) as well as all the work we all did with reVision. Now we must put that information into a document called the
Local Church Profile
that will be available to prospective ministerial candidates so they can see if we are a church they feel aligned with, called to serve.
One critical part of the profile that must be decided on soon is the whether we will be calling a full-time or part-time (3/4 time) pastor. That will be decided at the
September 8 Congregational Meeting
.
When the document is finished it will be available to the congregation for review. Then when we are ready, a future congregational meeting will be called to approve it.
With church wide approval it will be sent to the Associate Conference Minister, Rev. Davena Jones, for validation and then it will be posted online so prospective ministers can read our story to see if Skyland Community Church is a place they would like to explore further.
In the meantime the Nominating committee has asked John Heyes, Julie Victorine, Brian Wood, Jan Parker and Glenda McCalla to serve on the Search Committee. They all agreed and were approved unanimously by the church council. They will begin their work by assisting with the
Local Church Profile
, figuring out their committee’s administrative tasks, and formulating interview questions. We feel blessed to have this group represent us in the search and call process.
In the months to come we will fill you in on more of the process and to the extent possible provide updates. If at any time you have questions or concerns please contact Jackie Seymour, Anne Evans or Rev. Kevin Omi. We would love to hear your thoughts and have your input.
Please keep our search team and our process in your prayers.
Your co-moderators,
Jackie Seymour and Anne Evans
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Flowers for the Altar
We have enjoyed some beautiful floral arrangements on recent Sundays. If you wish to plan ahead--perhaps for a special occasion--please write your name alongside any open Sunday on the calendar in Whitaker Hall.
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despite my neglect
bottle brush thrives and blossoms--
choir stall for wild birds.
haiku by John Heyes
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Reflection
"We do not want merely to see beauty . . . We want something else which can hardly be put into words - to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it."
C.S. Lewis, “Transposition and Other Addresses”
Rev. Kevin Omi
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MISSION BOARD REPORT:
LOCAL AID:
The Mission Board will focus on collecting for the
Harvest Festival
during the summer. Please help us with lightly used or new items to donate such as: jewelry, clothes, books, housewares, treasures, workshop items and tools, treasures and children's toys. We do not have room to store large items or furniture. Please make sure that everything you donate is in good working order. We do not have a repair team. Any items that are not sold at the
Harvest Festival
on Sat.
Sept. 14th
will go to:
Questions?
GLOBAL SUPPORT:
The Mission's committee decided to take a hiatus this year for the Africa Library Project so that we can put our efforts into Revision and the upcoming Harvest Festival.
Shannon Edwards
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Our Food Pantry
Thanks to your generosity, we've had an over-abundance of certain items in our food pantry and have donated them to MHCAN (Mental Health Client Action Network) of Santa Cruz.
Currently, we need
a few each of the following:
hearty soups, vegetarian chili and/or baked beans, crackers, peanut butter, and shelf stable milk (including non-dairy milk such as almond, rice, or soy).
We
do not need
:
canned vegetables, chicken broth, Cup o' Soup, macaroni and cheese, Spam, or tuna
at this time
.
The pantry is used most when there is a variety of items. While it can be convenient to donate the same items regularly, it does result in a lack of variety and less use of the pantry.
Thanks so much for keeping this in mind when making your kind donations.
With much appreciation,
Julie
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NOTE From Your Treasurer
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Note from your Treasurer for first 3 months of our fiscal year:
Pledge income is $2,433 above expectations, however my planned distribution of pledges may have a small error due to an unexpected full year lump sum donations. I will continue make adjustment to monthly expectations as year progresses.
Offerings are $-282 and Hall rentals are $-201 below expectations.
Total expenses are less than expected by $1,407.
We are able to accept credit card payments for pledge, general and special offerings if that is more convenient than check or cash. See either Jan or myself after service for these transactions.
Here is our operating finances as of July 29 for our 2019-2020 fiscal year.
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Respectfully
Gerald Alonzo, Treasurer
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Mountain Jam 2019
September 7 from 11 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
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Mountain Jam is a free family music festival and picnic in the Summit Area of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Come and enjoy top-notch entertainment, great food and fun activities. 100% of proceeds from sale of auction items, concessions and cash donations directly benefit: Music Programs at Loma Elementary and CT English, Mountain Neighbors Helping Neighbors to support our community, and meals for the Santa Cruz area Homeless.
Donations are tax deductible.
Where:
Loma Prieta Playfield and Gazebo. Barbecue Lunch will be from 1:30 – 3:30 P.M.
Skyland Church is a major contributor providing the BBQ lunch to many.
Please visit the website to see who’s playing and what fun activities will be there.
Web site:
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Skyland Community Church, United Church of Christ
25100 Skyland Road, Los Gatos, CA 95033
phone: 408-353-1310
USPS mail: Skyland Church
P.O. Box 245
Los Gatos, CA 95031-0245
Website
http://skylandchurch.com
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