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| Christian Spirituality Book Group
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Pastor Elane leads a Christian Spirituality Book Group at Barnes & Noble on Almaden Expwy (at Blossom Hill). It meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m.
In May the group reads Thomas Merton's autobiography: The Seven-Storey Mountain
Buy the book at Barnes & Noble, or through the Amazon link on our website.
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Brothers and sisters,
 The last four months of having a new baby have blown through our lives like a mighty wind - a tornado, or a hurricane. I can't speak for Pastor Bran, but I have felt disoriented and disheveled. It takes a lot of running to catch up with God's blessings, especially when they come in the package of a newborn. Other commitments were swept aside in the uproar; I pray they won't be too buried in rubble for me to find them.
This week I was able to peer through the jetsam, and found that I was glimpsing Pentecost. For those of you who don't know Pentecost, in our tradition it was the day that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to guide, empower, and inspire the disciples. It was also the day that the ragtag group of Jesus-followers became "church" - a tribe united in Christ, deeply related to each other and dedicated to Jesus' mission. The Bible tells the story this way:
When the day of Pentecost came, [the disciples] were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit . . . ( read full text here)
This year we celebrate Pentecost on May 11 - Mother's Day (yes, I do see the irony in that). Each year on Pentecost, we who make up this church community examine how well we're living out our commitment to Christ, His church, and His mission. Sometimes commitment feels like shackles. Sometimes it feels like salvation. This year, I am so very grateful to have the opportunity to assess and recommit to my first love: Jesus. Because this year, I need to stop and begin with God. For all these blessings, all the liveliness, all the fire of the Holy Spirit, comes from God. God is the beginning; it is up to me to acknowledge and live that. I look forward to returning to prayer, worship, reading, serving, relating, and giving. I look forward to beginning once again with God.
I hope you'll join me in Worship on May 11th, when we celebrate being a church together - and the way that the Holy Spirit can blow through our lives, leaving chaos and blessing in its wake.
In faith and joy,
Pastor Elane
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Annual Recommitment
 Through baptism, we are forever adopted into the family of Christ. That means we have a whole lot of brothers and sisters! Belonging to a church community is an intentional covenant with both Christ and our church family. Each year, we have the opportunity to once again begin with God: to prayerfully consider our membership in the church, to look at our commitment, and to re-covenant with each other and with Christ.
On May 11, when we celebrate the Holy Spirit's anointing of the infant church at Pentecost, we will also celebrate Consecration Sunday. During Worship, we will prayerfully pledge our gifts of time, talent and treasure, commit to our own spiritual practices, renew our shared covenant, and ask that the Holy Spirit once again baptize the church with power, direction, and love.
All church members are requested to participate, by attending on May 11 and pledging themselves to the support of this family, and of the ministry and mission of Jesus. |
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Next Series: Family Gathering
How does being a Christ-follower affect family relations? How can we extend our families? And what is "family", anyway? Our next message series, Family Gathering, will address discipleship across the breadth of relationships that make up families in the 21st century, including single parenting, "unchurched" relatives, church family, neighbors, and spousal relations.
Family Gathering runs from May 18 to June 15. Companion activities to this series include the youth campout (June 13-15), our booth at San José Gay Pride (June 14-15), and an encounter retreat for all committed couples on June 28.
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REACH OUT
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Summer Service Dinner & Fundraiser May 30
 Praise God! This summer, the church is leaving the building and making an impact for Christ in our community. Join us to raise funds for our summer service ministries. Stoke the Holy heartbursts for serving by attending our Summer Service Dinner and Fundraiser. All the service ministries of this community will have tables full of information about their ministries and offering ways for you to dive in. During dinner, we will have special guest speaker Rev. Shannon Spencer to inspire us in hope-filled service. Rev. Spencer currently serves as the Chaplain for the Santa Cruz jail system, has worked extensively in local mission, and has successfully taken numerous groups to Nicaragua to develop relationship and understanding. Specific summer ministries that will share information and proceeds from the dinner: - E-Waste Collection, May 31st
- Gay Pride and World Vision Caregiver Kits Outreach, June 14th-15th
- Relay for Life, July 12th
- Couples Retreat, June 28th
- Montgomery Street Ice Cream Social, mid-August
This is a great event to invite family and friends from all parts of your life who would like to support our good works. You'll be hearing more about this event soon in worship and in email, including ways to get the word out in our community. There will be a suggested donation for dinner, but any amount will be gratefully accepted, and following Jesus' lead, no one will be turned away. Please pray for our summer service ministries, and the wider community we seek to serve. |
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Gay Pride and World Vision AIDS Caregiver Kids: June 14-15
" . . . and our hope for you is
firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you
share in our comfort." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (click for whole text)
Last year, our community showed
Christ's unconditional love to the world by funding 65 World Vision AIDS
Caregiver Kits that were assembled at San Jose's Gay Pride celebration. This
project was a HUGE success, as we reached out to both the lgbt community
and caregivers in third-world countries with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
This year, our theme is "Building
Hope," and our goal is to build 100 World Vision AIDS Caregiver kits
at Gay Pride to be distributed to AIDS caregivers in Africa, Latin America and Asia.
About the project: World Vision is "a Christian
humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and
their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the
causes of poverty and injustice." Caregiver kits are filled with basic
supplies that can improve and prolong the lives of those living with AIDS while
protecting caregivers and preventing the spread of infection. We will purchase
the kit making materials, take the materials our booth at San Jose's Gay Pride, and offer festival
attendees the opportunities to assemble the kits (including writing a personal
note to a caregiver) and donate money to support World Vision projects.
You can help! Sign up to staff the booth during the Gay
Pride festival June 14 or 15, or sponsor one or more $28 World Vision AIDS
Caregiver Kits by putting an envelope or check in the worship offering designated
to Caregiver Kits, or by sending a designated offering to the church. For more
information about this project, World Vision (www.worldvision.org), or our
activities at San Jose Gay Pride, contact Pastor Bran at 896-8230.
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Dive! into Pure Worship -
May 7th, 7:00 p.m.
Join us on
May 7th at 7:00 for the first Wednesday of the month experiential
Worship service of praise and prayer we know as Dive!. Dive! is an opportunity to dive
deep into the heart of God with your brothers and sisters in Christ as we dive
deep into a theme from our current series in intimate worship.
On May 7th, we
will simply spend time in the awe and praise of God, practicing the second mark
of discipleship we know as "Worship." If you have ever wondered what worship
was all about, dive in. And, if you are participating in a 6 Marks small group and were unable to gather for our session on Worship on April
20th, please join us for a short make-up session after Dive. |
Greening the Church, Restoring Eden
E-Waste Collection and Drop Off
Saturday, May 31st
9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Our church, in partnership with
West Valley Collection & Recycle, the cities of Campbell,
Saratoga, Los
Gatos, & Monte Sereno, and Pride Industries, will
be hosting a E-Waste Collection and Drop Off in the west
parking lot on Saturday, May 31st from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The church will get a percentage
of all metals and other items sold for recycling. Tell your family, friends, co-workers,
neighbors, and others to bring their old electronic things to the church on May
31st between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Things to bring: any and all old
computers, monitors, keyboards, hard drives, speakers, etc. Old television sets, microwaves, VCRs, cell
phones, video games, florescent and CFL light bulbs, anything with mercury in
it. Batteries up to size "D", old oil,
paint, etc. For more information of
things you can bring contact John Rodgers at 378-4418.
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Blue Hat Green Hat Red Hat Oops! If you are the kind of person whose stitches are always lined up neatly on the
needle and whose threads never tangle, you might feel out of place at the Hats'n'Chat
group, many of whom are only just learning to knit.
The purpose of this group is to make hats for the Montgomery Street
Ministry -- our Christmas gifts and party for the homeless men living
at the Montgomery Street Inn in San Jose.
Currently Hats'n'Chat is penciled in for the last Monday of the month,
7-9 in the Fireside Room. If you like the idea of coming but Mondays are awful for you,
please get in touch! Materials, tools and instruction are always available. Let
me know if you need childcare -- six is about the youngest I want to teach
someone to knit. Susan Hough
737-8192
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What do Coffee and Conversation and Youth Group have in common?
They need your help!!!!
With
the growth of our church community (GOD is soooo good), Coffee and
Conversation has taken on an even greater importance in the "beyond
worship" portion of our Sundays. In the past, individual hosts
have provided the eats, but that's becoming a big donation! So, we have decided
to keep a supply of cookie type goodies and juices on hand (as well as the usual coffee,
tea, sweetener and cream) to be offered on Sundays
after Worship. But we still need hosts to set up, welcome
people, and cleanup. (You are welcome to bring goodies to add, if
you like! The more the tastier!). To sign up to help, contact Cheri Whaples, or look for the signup sheet in Fireside during this Sunday's Coffee
and Conversation!
Have
you ever seen adolescents eat? Jesus knew table fellowship was important
to his disciples -- he didn't know just how important! Youth group
eats together each Sunday, and parents have been providing those meals.
But you don't have to have a child in the group to help with feeding our
kids. If you would like to help provide dinner for the young
people of our community, or host Coffee and Conversation, contact
Cheri Whaples at 396-7480.
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS
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"Old Fashioned" Church Picnic
Saturday, June, 21, 2008
3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
John D. Morgan Park
There will be egg races, sack
races, horseshoe, capture the flag, and much more. We have the picnic area next to the Tennis
Courts reserved for us. John D. Morgan Park is located on Budd Avenue, behind our campus.
Hamburgers/Hot Dogs and
condiments will be provided. Bring appetizers, side dishes and desserts to share, along
with whatever you want to drink. We
will eat around 5:00 p.m. Look for an
evite coming soon to let us know if you will be coming and how many people will
be with you, so we can have plenty of food.
Come, have fun, fellowship
(relating to others is one of the 6 marks of discipleship!), and relax at the church's picnic.
Relay For Life at Campbell UCC
July 12 - 13, 2008Whether it's a friend, a family member, or the neighbor down the
street, we all know someone who has been touched by cancer. Many of us
are concerned about this disease and want to do something to make a
difference. The American Cancer Society Relay For Life® is an
event that brings together the whole community and helps raise funds
for the fight against this disease. Campbell UCC will be sponsoring at team at the Campbell edition of Relay
for Life on July 12-13, 2008. Teresa
Lewis will be our Team Leader and has already started to go to training
meetings! To
raise funds for this important outreach event, Faithful Followers is putting
together a cookbook of church community members' favorite recipes. All
types of recipes are welcome: we would
like to have a wide range to categories including vegetarian, and "heart-healthy",
as well as gooey goodies. Please get your recipes to Mary Alice Edson (379-4159) or Teresa Lewis (378-3508) by May 10 to be included.
The cookbook will be on sale at the Relay for Life and also available
through the church. Price to be determined. The team is also looking for donations for raffle prizes. They would like items connected with nutrition and fitness, such as jump ropes, exercise balls, juice machines, Whole Food gift cards, etc.
Family Campout Weekend
August 22nd
We'll cook, play, and worship together in the woods and under the stars. RV sites are available near the campsite.Pastor Elane Out of Town
Pastor
Elane will be out of town for continuing education in spiritual
formation and discipline after Worship on June 8th until June 21st, and
will lead Worship June 22nd.
Learn CPRAre you prepared to save a life? Learn CPR June 7th on our campus; rsvp to John Rodgers (john@campbellucc.org) by May 28th. Donation accepted for cost of supplies.
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Women's Ongoing Connectional Ministries
Faithful Followers
Leadership rotates for this group, but it always meets on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. in the Fireside Room. All women are welcome. They began RF4RL: The 6 Marks on April 13, so it's a great time to join. For more information, contact Teresa Lewis (Keeper of the Book). Members describe the group as "often irreverent, never blasphemous"! Faithful Followers plan to do the
Relay for Life for breast cancer in Campbell in July. They are putting together a cookbook
to help raise funds as part of our contribution, and are seeking your best
recipes to fill the cookbook! Ideally, all the recipes will be in hand by April 30th in order to have time to
assemble the book. Contact Mary Alice Edson at 655-9405 if you can provide a favorite recipe!
Real Faith Women This group began as a study group for the 6 Marks, and members continue to support each other's walk with Christ. The Real Faith Women meet on Thursday afternoons from 3:30-5 in the Fireside Room. Child care is provided; Nora Menke is the group leader. They began RF4RL: The 6 Marks on April 17. Isabel CircleIsabel Circle is our longstanding ministry for sage and seasoned
women. The ladies next meeting will be Tuesday, May 13th, at 1 p.m. in the
Fireside Room. Please contact Jo Mary Keith at 378-8110 or Evelyn
Brooks at 252-6668 for information.
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Come join the Music Ministry!
The teaching arm of the Music Ministry is seeking student musicians for
small ensemble groups. These groups will be formed for the single
purpose of performing in a recital in June. If you can get 3 notes out
of your instrument, you are welcome to join us! For details, please contact Cheryl at music@campbellucc.org. or 415-902-1276 for more information.
Lift your voices and hands in praise of God! Instrumentalists and vocalists - regardless of skill or experience - are welcome to join Campbell UCC's Music Ministry.
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Bible Study this Summer
Our next church-wide Bible study, Things I Wish Jesus Hadn't Said, will focus on the controversial Gospel of John. We'll tackle the subjects of exclusion and atonement that seem to underlie the whole of John; if you have friends who hate the Bible but love Jesus, this is the class for them!
Things I Wish Jesus Hadn't Said will be run for 6 sessions in June and July on Tuesday nights (at Tuesday Night Bible Study) and Sunday nights (at Faithful Followers). If you would like to study John in a group at a different time, or want to organize a group at your home, please contact Pastor Bran for location and info. |
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Praise Report
From Pam Warriner: Campbell United Church of Christ Second Worship Piano Ministry Recital Sunday, March 30th, 2008
Immediately following the Worship service our congregation and friends picked up refreshment in the foyer and carried it back into the Sanctuary eager to see how our youthful participants, ages 3 to ???, had advanced in the few weeks since their first recital.
Carefully coached by our Director of Music Ministries, Cheryl Forest Morganson, who unstintingly gave of her time, energy and spiritual expertise, her pupils have advanced joyously. This was reflected in the church spirit and the enthusiasm throughout - by the teachers (including Jeff King teaching drums), students and the audience.
From my perspective, as a "youthful" onlooker of 70+, I experienced Joy! Joy! JOY! Joy for the exceptionally large turnout of students and audience from our small church. Joy for the variety of instruments showcased: piano, guitar, flute and violins. JOY for the talent nurtured that will hopefully blossom into enriching our weekly worship.
A "two hanky" concert definitely and a huge "Thank you, Lord" that we are expanding our Music Ministry. The standing ovation was warranted and should include the Church Leadership for sponsoring this program.
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Real Faith for Real Life Faith
is not contrary to the usual ideas, something that turns out to be right or
wrong, like a gambler's bet: it's an act, an intention, a project, something
that makes you, in leaping into the future, go so far, far, far ahead that you
shoot clean out of time and right into Eternity, which is not the end of time
or a whole lot of time or unending time, but timelessness, the old Eternal Now.
Joanna
Russ
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