Heavenly Treasures Open House today! Heavenly Treasures Thrift and Gift Store is open today after all services. Come over and discover YOUR treasures -- we have fabulous designer clothes, shoes, and handbags for ridiculously low prices. You'll look so great that no one will ever know how little you spent. There's cashmere, silk, wool, leather jackets, designer bags...the list just goes on and on. Not only do we have the best gently used items around, but we also have lots of brand new things!  What other thrift store has new pashmina shawls, French soaps from Provence, and sterling jewelry at rock bottom prices? Our affordable gift items are perfect for gifting, or just a little luxury for yourself. Come see us after services (we're just two doors north on Mendocino Avenue) and stretch your dollars until they scream!  

Guild of the Incarnation's Annual Mini Bazaar - Raffle Tickets Now Available! The ladies of the Guild are gearing up for our Annual Mini Bazaar on November 22nd by selling raffle tickets this year for two fantastic prizes: A beautiful tree skirt and matching stocking or A week at the Grand Pacific Palisades Resort (overlooking Lego-Land and the Pacific Ocean.)  Reservation for the resort is March 28 - April 4, 2010. Tickets are on sale from Guild members on Sundays, during coffee hours. Price: $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00.

Thank you to everyone who made Small Group Sunday a success. To the Small Group leaders who supported the effort and to our Incarnation community, thank you for your desire to see Small Groups as a vital part of our church.

Tuesday Morning Book Group meets on Tuesday at 9:30 am in the Library, off Farlander Hall. We are reading and discussing God: Stories, a collection of "twenty-five dazzling short stories by eminent writers of varying persuasion," including James Baldwin, Philip Roth, James Joyce, Flannery O'Connor, John Updike and Eudora Welty and edited by C. Michael Curtis. No advance study is necessary. Come and join us! You can find out about purchasing a book when you come to the meeting.

The Evening Women's Group will meet on Tuesday, October 20th at 7 pm at the home of Lynn Garland. She will present a program on Healing Through Body Movement. We will also use the Body Prayer to begin and end our gathering. We will incorporate discussion into the program as usual. Please call Lynn at 707-545-7525 for directions. All women are invited to attend. We are a supportive group providing a place to share our lives and our spiritual journeys with each other, building friendships as we go. If you have any questions, please contact Mary Lynne Smith at mlsmith@sonic.net or Donna Wiuff at 837-8768.

Come to the Taize Caritas Service this Friday, October 23rd. A lecture and slideshow given by Kayleen Asbo starts at 7:30 pm, followed by a contemplative candlelit service of Taize chant accompanied by piano and cello at 8 pm. Given the 4th Friday of every month, sponsored by Numina.

Pledge Sunday:  The Stewardship Committee will hold our annual Pledge Event during each service next Sunday, October 25th.  As happened last year, we will pass out pledge cards during the Offertory and ask each parishioner/family complete their pledge. The cards will then be collected, placed in a velvet bag, and brought to the altar along with the plate offering. We ask that you prayerfully consider what your pledge to the church will be for 2010 and come prepared to complete your pledge card next week.  For those who cannot attend on the 25th, pledge cards are available now in Farlander.  You can pick one up, fill it out, and return it to the church office in a sealed envelope addressed to the Treasurer, John Nykamp.  Thank you in advance for your generosity and support for our church.

Numina presents: Spiritual History through Art on Sunday, October 25th from 3:00 to 4:30 pm here in the Church. From the Renaissance through the Wars of Religion, each session will highlight one of the foundational stages in the development of Spirituality in the West. Featuring slides of some of the world's greatest paintings, these presentations will have an interdisciplinary character, combining history, religious studies and art. Sessions are led by Professor Bruce Elliott, a professor at UC Berkeley, Stanford Continuing Studies, and Sonoma State Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. $15 per session. Go to www.numinacenter.org for more details.
 
There will be construction on the portion of Cherry Street between Mendocino and Humboldt streets. We are not sure of an exact start day, but we know it will be starting in the next couple of weeks, and it will take 3 months, weather permitting. During the weekdays there will be no street parking. You will still be able to get into the church parking lot - but only from one direction, either the Humboldt side or the Mendocino side. They will start their work on the Mendocino side, so plan to come around to Humboldt to get to Cherry Street for a while.

You're invited to the Harvest Hoedown! Celebrate an early Halloween by coming to our Harvest Hoedown party on Saturday evening, October 24th from 4:30 to 8 pm. There's something for everyone - join us for dinner, fun, and fellowship. Astound your friends with your fabulous costume in the costume parade! Carve a spooky jack o'lantern (bring your own pumpkin, candle, and carving tools). Test your skills with our carnival games, with prizes! We'll also be building our Day of the Dead Altar (see more info below). Many more wonderful surprises are in store for you - check your bulletin next week for a sneak peek! We need to know how many to feed for the dinner, so please RSVP to Daphne Vernon, 579-2604 ext. 106, or email youthmin@incarnaiton-sr.org.

Day of the Dead Altar: On the evening of the Harvest Hoedown, bring a picture of a loved one (friend, family member, animal) who has passed on. The altar will be a beautiful collection of, and tribute to, our cherished loved ones. Anyone is welcome to bring a picture at any time and place it on the altar. It will be up in Farlander Hall from Saturday October 24th to Sunday November 8th, after which you can collect your pictures and take them home. Please join us in honoring our loved ones.

In these chaotic times, it is important to draw back and rediscover our whole selves, regain our balance, and find our bearings. As the veil between the worlds grows thinner, we will explore rituals from various traditions.
 
Oct. 30th, 7 pm, $15 - An evening of poetry, song, story, ritual and reflection with Richard Naegle and Friends.
 
Richard Naegle, Word Artist, will draw from many of the world's religious traditions to create a glorious mosaic of the human spirit. Weaving a magical web of chant, movement, poetry, story and ritual, he will help us remember our deeper selves, and to savor our loving connection with those who have passed to the other world. He will address the joys and sorrows and the bittersweet beauty of life as we play with the shadows and join our ancestors in singing our world into being.
 
Oct. 31st, 9 am-3 pm, $25 - An artful day of creating a mask that reflects your Soul and Spirit with Master Mask Maker Annie Hallatt.
 
Annie Hallatt, Master Mask Maker, will help us continue our inner exploration through mask making. This ancient ritual will help us discover and unleash other sides of who we are. Using plaster-impregnated gauze, each participant will create their own individual mask.
 
There will be live drumming at each event. Both events - $35, if tickets are purchased in advance. Reserve your place now by going to www.numinacenter.org or call 324-6021. We would love to see you there at this All Souls' Weekend!
 
The beautiful and mysterious poster for this Numina event was created by our very own Sharon Landon. Please take the time to check out her beautiful artwork in the Numina board outside of Farlander Hall.

Church of the Incarnation in print! Keith Keller, a friend and member of the Church of the Incarnation (he sometimes fills in for Eric and Ernie) has posted two interesting articles on www.examiner.com. One of them, an article about the Civil War, mentions the Church of the Incarnation, and the other article was written in support of The Living Room. See Claire in the Church Office (Claire@incarnation-sr.org) for more details.

Small Group News: The Tuesday Bible Group is reforming and will start up again in January. On November 3rd and December 1st we will be hosting an open house of sorts for this group. If you are interested in seeing firsthand what goes on in a small group, now is your chance to find out. Come and join us for a time of fellowship and food at the home of Cindy and Barry May. If you are interested, please contact Mitch Garcia at (707) 703-4162 or email him at smallgroups@incarnation-sr.org.
 

Great Buys for a Good Cause - Come for top-rate, secondhand shopping! Santa Rosa Vet's Building, Saturday, November 7th, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Benefitting The Living Room, Sonoma County Regional Parks, Community Action Partnership, and Roseland University Prep. You can help! Collect nearly new items from your house and deliver to Susan Moore's garage, 3739 Woodbourne. Please Call first (707-577-8210). Please price your items. Especially welcome: Holiday ornaments, gift wrap, nearly new items to give as gifts, housewares, small appliances, jewelry, women's accessories, books. Or volunteer! We need help with set up the evening of November 6th, and setting up, selling and packing up on November 7th. Tell your friends and shop at the event. Questions? Want to volunteer? Contact Melissa Kelley (mkelley@sonic.net or (707) 537-8783).