News for Aug 25, 2020

Rita Mancera at Puente's 2015 Fall Harvest Celebration

This Sunday: Rita Mancera of Puente

This Sun, Aug 30, our guest speaker will be Rita Mancera. She is the Deputy Executive Director of Puente, a community resource center which serves the south San Mateo coast. Rita joined Puente in 2006, working on early childhood development programs. She has worked in several positions since then, overseeing programs including immigration, physical activity, education, and youth leadership. She is currently Puente’s Deputy Executive Director where she is responsible for integrating all aspects of Puente’s programs and activities. Rita’s goals are to continue closing the gap in education, increasing youth services, expanding the development of local leadership, and supporting local families in moving out of poverty. Join us on Zoom at 10 am Sunday.

Watch Bekah Bock's message

Last Sunday, our guest speaker was Bekah Bock, LCSW. For the past 23 years, she has worked with people with chronic and severe behavioral health issues.She is a certified Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) coordinator, and collaborates with the Carson City sheriff’s office to offer an annual CIT academy for first responders. She is also a member of the sheriff's Crisis Negotiation Team. She told us about the officers, their training, and how she sees them and their work. Watch her message or see the slides we used in worship.

South Coast fire relief fund

Our friends at Puente write: "Our staff has joined efforts with the Red Cross, Human Service Agency of San Mateo County and the Sheriff’s Department to set up an evacuation center. Over 60 families have been provided with hotel vouchers. We expect to get more requests as the fire grows. Puente staff will continue staffing the evacuation center in Half Moon Bay to provide support to individuals and families." To help, donate here and select "fire relief fund."

Discussion: When/how might we gather in person?

On Sat, Aug 29 at 7:30 pm, the church council will have an open meeting to begin discussing how and when we might meet again in person. Topics include current county regulations, the technical challenges of hybrid worship (in-person and online at the same time), configurations we might experiment with, etc. Everyone is invited. Click here to join

Quote of the week

"Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness."

—Maya Angelou

Upcoming online events

• Worship service: Sundays at 10 am Click here to join

• Meditation chat: Wednesdays at 8 am Click here to join

• Women's group: Mondays at 1 pm Click here to join

For Mon, Aug 31, the women's group will watch the movies Harriett and BlackkKlansman. Recommended books: “Passing” (Nella Larsen), “Fierce Conversations” (Susan Scott), and “Warmth of Other Suns” (Isabel Wilkerson).