A note about this Sunday: A couple of weeks ago a fire broke out at the Diocesan offices in Sacramento. The fire destroyed the River City Food Bank, which operated in the building, as well as the Diocesan conference room - which housed our Diocese's historic portraits of previous bishops. Those have all been lost. The fire also severely damaged the office of the bishop. The food bank has been relocated to St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Sacramento; a major collection is underway to restock the shelves of the food bank. Please bring non-perishable food items, or baby supplies, to church; we will bring them to Diocesan Convention, where a large truck will collect everyone's donation and bring them to Sacramento.
Today is the Fall ingathering of the United Thank Offering. This fund goes to help all over the US and many other countries. We and some of our close neighbors have been the recipients of this money for various projects. I hope all of us will think of our blessings and be generous. There will be information about this in Farlander Hall. For more information, call Barbara Avery, 707-577-8718.
It's pancake breakfast time again! Help the youth group raise money for their South African mission trip. Come over to Farlander Hall this morning after the 8 and 9:15 services and enjoy some delicious pancakes and other breakfast goodies!
THE DIRECTORIES ARE HERE! Olan Mills sent us the directories and they are ready for you to pick up in Farlander Hall today after each service. Each family photographed by Olan Mills or on the "not available" page is entitled to a directory. However, you can still get a free directory even if you were not photographed by OM or aren't on the "not available" page, as we received a limited number of additional directories to hand out to whoever wants one. Just tell one of the wonderful volunteers at the table in Farlander that you would like a directory even though you were not photographed.
All Saints' Celebration - The Other Gospels - TONIGHT at 5:00 pm. Join Joseph Rowe, translator of the Inner Light editions of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Philip; David Steadman, art and religion historian; and Kayleen Asbo, cultural historian and professor, in their conversation about the Nag Hammadi library and what these thought-provoking texts, discovered in 1945 in Egypt, reveal about early Christianity.
Ready to shop for Christmas? The Guild's Annual Mini Bazaar is fast approaching so mark your calendars for Sunday, November 21. Go to our web site to see some of the wonderful one of a kind items that you can purchase for gifts and for your home! Many of our other beautiful items are in limited quantities, so come early and don't miss out. Don't forget to check out our website for a visual treat. Also, don't forget to pick up some raffle tickets, to win a beautiful handmade tree skirt or restaurant gift certificate!
Tuesday Morning Book Group begins a new collection of short stories on Tuesday, November 9 at 9:30 am with Listening for God, Volume 3, edited by Paula J. Carlson and Peter S. Hawkins. The book includes short stories by John Cheever, Mary Gordon, Reynolds Price, Louise Erdrich and four other authors. We meet in the Library.
Deacon Olga Berrera, from Honduras, will speak at a luncheon at Incarnation at noon on Tuesday, November 9. Deacon Olga is the superintendent at the bilingual school at Holy Spirit Church in Tela, Honduras. She visited Incarnation in 2008. Everyone is invited to attend. Please RSVP to the Church Office (707-579-2604) to help us know how much lunch to prepare. Deacon Olga coordinated the 2010 youth summer camp in Honduras along with Deacon Andrea Baker of Sacramento.
Tickets are on sale now for the annual 6th Street Playhouse performance to benefit The Living Room! This year: The 1940's Radio Hour, by Walton Jones. Full of 1940's big-band music, swing dancing, patriotism, and old-fashioned sound effects, this is a holiday treat for the whole family. Tuesday, November 9, 2010. 7:30 pm - Social with complimentary food and wine. 8 pm - Play. 6th Street Playhouse, Santa Rosa. Tickets are $35 and will be held at the door. Call 707-579-0142 (The Living Room) for tickets.
For those who have not yet submitted their pledge card for 2011, it is not to late! Pledge cards are available in Farlander Hall on the welcome table. Just pick one up today, complete it and drop it off at the church office or mail it to the church. If dropping it off, be sure to put your card in a sealed envelope clearly marked with the word pledge. If mailing it, make it to the attention of John Nykamp. If you prefer, you can also email your pledge to John at jmn@incarnation-sr.org. Be sure to include the amount and whether you plan to pay weekly, monthly or annually. Also, if you are having your pledge automatically charged to your bank account of credit card and wish to continue to do so next year, you must confirm this in writing, either on a pledge card or by email. Thank you.
Come to the Cabaret! The St. Cecilia Choir is preparing for their annual Cabaret fundraiser, which will be earlier this year - next Sunday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m. and there will be music from theater, jazz, and a few surprise guests! Have a little wine (or not! non-alcoholic beverages offered as well), and enjoy the savories and sweets, prepared by the St. Cecilia Choir members just for you! It promises to be a wonderful night .... Tickets are available now! $20 per person. All proceeds go to defray the cost of our Good Friday Concert production. See Carol Menke, or any St. Cecilia choir member to inquire, or call Carol at 707-542-0452. Come for fantastic music, munchies, and merriment!
Reception for Pamela Moore, coming up on November 20! All members of the parish are invited to Fr. Matt's and Rose's home for a reception to honor Deacon Pamela Moore. Saturday, November 20, from 3-6 pm. Bring your favorite beverage to share; light hors d'oeuvres will be served. 419 Calistoga Rd in Santa Rosa.
We have updated our Church of the Incarnation postcard. The beautiful photograph and all the work was done by our church member, Nathan Turner. I'm sure some of us know Nathan. He has been volunteering in our gift and bookstore. Stop by at the gift and bookstore to see it! We have them for sale at a really good price.
Pregnant with Possibility: Poetry, Prayer and Mandalas
Exploring the Sacred Circle
Friday, December 3 to Sunday, December 5, 2010
Fee: $240 Double Occ./$290 Single Occ., per person (includes lodging, meals and materials)
Advent is a time of sacred circle when we prepare to welcome the gift of new life. We'll enter this sacred time through the reading of poetry and the making of mandalas; we will worship in chant, prayer and silence. We'll consider how the Spirit spirals through the circles of our own lives. You don't need to be an artist or a poet to explore the spirit in the visual, the spoken, and the unspoken. The retreat will include time for rest and relaxation, and time to follow your own path within the sacred circle. We'll be staying at the Ranch House and enjoying the beautiful setting and wonderful cuisine of The Bishop's Ranch. Retreat Leaders: Lisa Thorpe, Ranch Resident Artist and Rev. Patricia Moore, Chaplain. For registration visit www.bishopsranch.org or contact Mark at 707-433-2440, ext 102.
Be a Via Media Facilitator. The Via Media program needs more facilitators, and this is your opportunity to share in this rewarding program. The course is one of the steps that needs to be taken by those who want to be baptized, confirmed or received into the Church. It is given as needed during the year to those who want to learn more about the Episcopal Church and its open and diverse theology. The course has seven weekly classes that feature stimulating discussions about the church and Christianity. The classes start with a simple meal and prayer and provide a chance to get to know new Church community members well. Contact Mitch Garcia at smallgroups@incarnation-sr.org or call 707-703-4162.
Website Facts: In January of this year we launched a redesign of our website, since then we have had the ability to track interesting information about how people are exploring the many different pages on our website. Here are a few more interesting facts!
Spanish is the number 1 language that our website pages have been translated into (over 1,250 so far!)
The top 10 pages that people have visited on our site are (10) Adult Education (9) Incarnation News (8) Contemplative + Prayer (Small Groups) (7) Carvings and Stained Glass (6) Study + Reflection (Small Groups) (5) Topics + Interest (Small Groups) (4) Care + Support (Small Groups) (3) Worship Services (2) Clergy...and... the number (1) most visited page is the main Small Group page being visited over 3,400 times since January.
Check back next week to find out what is the percentage of New Visitors to our site in the last 9.5 months.
Website News: There is a new webpage on our site titled "Meet Us." For the moment we have a slideshow on this page with pictures showing our Parish Life. In the next few weeks more information will be added to encourage guests to visit our community here at Incarnation. You can visit the page by going to our website and clicking on the "About" tab at the top of the page and then clicking on "Meet Us."
In Pastoral Care News: John Cramer has agreed to be the new chair of our Prayer Chain. We welcome him to our team and thank Diana Ardley for all her years of faithful and caring service to this important part of our "Incarnation Cares" ministry.
Volunteer Drivers Needed! We try to offer the service of driving people to doctor's appointments, church, other special church events, etc. But to do that, we need some more drivers! If you have some extra time on your hands and might be willing to help out, or if you are coming here anyway and would be willing to give someone a ride occasionally, call La Velle Seely (707-528-2700).
