News for March 12, 2024

This Sunday, Mar 17: In-person service at 10am

Rev. Polly Moore will be preaching this Sunday, sharing some of the gems from an online class she's been taking on the historical Jesus. The class featured theologian John Dominic Crossan and as usual, he was insightful and surprising. We will look at the well-known story of the last week of Jesus' life with some fresh perspectives.

Choir will rehearse at 8:45am. Lenten choir will meet for the next three Sundays and sing on Easter morning and possibly other times as well. Anyone interested is welcome to come sing with us.

The Giving Sunday offering for March is for Stefan Waligur's Community of Peace in Louisa, Virginia. They've made so much progress in the last few years, welcoming residential members and hosting many temporary visitors, refurbishing buildings on their property, adding a labyrinth and chickens and so forth. We regularly sing a number of chants written by Br. Stefan and this is our way of saying thank you.

Recent sermons

Check out our YouTube page to see recent sermons. Go to our archive of slides to see bulletins and slides used during recent services.

Starting in Sept 2023, recordings of our Taize services are also on the YouTube page.

Karen's refugee neighbors need help

Karen Conklin writes: Please meet Maryam Saba and Sharef Mohamed, who are brand new refugees (arrived December) in San José that I've has been helping with English lessons. Maryam is Ethiopian Christian and Sharef is Sudanese and Muslim, so they are entering Orthodox Lent and Ramadan almost together this week. They had been living and working in Beirut, Lebanon, where they met, married, and had a daughter, Kiya, now almost two years old. They were resettled by the UNICEF Committee for Refugees, but we are still struggling to find the appropriate agency to help with essentials like rent and PG & E until at least one of them finds employment. They have EBT and MediCal covering food and medical, but no sources of cash. We at College Heights could help by bringing next Sunday, March 17, non-food household items like paper goods and diapers or pull-ups, toiletries, cleaning items, and laundry supplies. The cash I was handed at church this past Sunday morning was very much appreciated, and already Maryam is budgeting — some for needed items, some for a bus / light rail “Clipper Card”, and some put aside for bills like cell phone and internet. Thank you all !! 

Holy Week calendar

Sunday, March 24 -- Palm Sunday, service at CHC. Pastor Jorge Bautista preaching.

Thursday, March 28 -- Maundy Thursday, joint service at CCP (aka "the Belmont church"), 7pm.

Friday, March 29 -- Good Friday, joint service at CCSM (aka "the downtown church"), 7pm. The service will interweave the Seven Last Words of Christ with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's "Letter from Birmingham Jail". King wrote the letter after being arrested on Good Friday in 1963.

Saturday, March 30 -- Great Easter Vigil, joint service at CHC, 7pm. We will tell the story of the very first Easter vigil, held by Mary Magdalene at the tomb.

Sunday, March 31 -- Easter Sunday, service at CHC, 10am. Pastor Jorge Bautista preaching. We will have our traditional flower cross and memorial Easter lilies, and will also be receiving new members into the church.

Upcoming services and events

• Weds discussion group: Mar 13 (7 pm), Zoom

"Basic Bible Stories", meeting the main characters of the Old Testament. Our next stories are about Esther and Job, both worthy of our attention.

• Book Group: Sun, Mar 24 (7 pm), Zoom

Our next book will be "Lost Connections: Why You're Depressed and How to Find Hope" by Johann Hari.

• Worship & Arts: Sun, April 7 after worship

Come help us plan the worship calendar for spring.

• Postcard Parties: Sun, April 14 & 28, 3-5 pm

Writing to encourage people in Georgia to vote in their congressional primaries. If you want to write your postcards at home, see Polly for a packet with instructions, address labels and stamps.

• Taize: Fri, Apr 19 (7:30 pm) 

Our monthly Taize service, a week later than usual.

Links and resources

• VOCES8 sings Bruckner's motet "Locus iste"

• "Stop hate" message from an arm-dancing group

Quote of the week

We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love... and then we return home. -- Australian Aboriginal Proverb 

Weekly events

• Meditation group: Wednesdays at 7:30 am

In person at the church building.

• Sunday worship: 10 am

In person at the church building.

Image: Rev. Dr. Polly Moore