Tuesday Morning Book Group began a new collection of short stories on Tuesday, November 9, 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 at 9:30 am.
The Evening Women's Group will meet on Tuesday, November 16 at 7 pm, at the home of Amy Nykamp. All women are welcome to join us. 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 Donna Wiuff at (707) 837-8768.
LEND A HAND --- FOOD AT BURBANK SCHOOL. Redwood Empire Food Bank and Target stores are sponsoring a food pantry at Luther Burbank Elementary School starting November 18. Between 100 and 150 Burbank families will receive free groceries once a week. These groceries will include both perishable and non-perishable healthy foods which parents will be able to pick up every Thursday that school is in session between 2:25 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Principal Kris Cosca has asked for volunteers to be at the school to help package the perishable food items and assist in distributing the food. If you can help, even occasionally, please contact Patty Hickey at 568-6856 or by e-mail, mnp4449@sbcglobal.net. She will coordinate by week, with the food bank representative to determine number of volunteers needed and report time for each Thursday distribution.
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.
Guild of the Incarnation's Annual Mini Bazaar - next Sunday, November 21! The ladies of the Guild are gearing up for our annual mini Bazaar. Tickets on sale for two Raffle Prizes: a Beautiful tree skirt or Gift Certificate to Stark Restaurant Group of Sonoma County. Tickets are on sale from Guild members, during coffee hour. Price: $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. Also, 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.
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.
Episcopal "birds of a feather" come flock together! Let's share our gratitude for God's gifts of birds, walking and community and gather from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. the morning of Saturday, December 11 for the first collective outing of birdwatchers from Episcopal churches along the lower Highway 101 corridor (Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Kenwood, Sebastopol). We'll explore who's feeding at the polishing water treatment ponds of Ellis Creek (and Shollenberger Park if you'd like a longer trip). Bring binoculars, scopes and field guides (and if you have extras to share with those that have none, bring them too). Meet at the ponds' recreational parking lot at 9:30 a.m. In event of heavy rain, raindate is January 1. Contact is Gail Cafferata at gail.holyfamily@sbcglobal.net.
Directions: Hwy 116 east to S. McDowell, right on Cypress; when Cypress takes a hard left at "Barbara's" building (3900 Cypress), go straight instead, through the gate to the parking lot on the left. There are clean restrooms, hard gravel trails and benches to rest.
Website News: Over the last few weeks I have been busy populating our website with pictures about parish life. I wrote about the new "Meet Us" page and the slideshow. Here are some of the other places on our site that now have slideshows. The Gratitude page has a slideshow of the Gratitude Event, the Bookstore page, the Guild section (currently we have photos of some of the items for the upcoming mini-bazaar) and our page for those interested in Confirmation and becoming a member of our church. Check them out and in a few weeks there will be more added along with video of Fr. Matt!
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!
Did you know that over 50% of the people who have visited our website are new visits? That means we have a lot of people discovering our church for the first time. Because of this we strive to make certain our content is always up to date and fresh. For many new visitors they listen to the podcast of the Sunday sermon, while others spent time reading our Vision, Values, and Mission Statements or read about the small groups we offer.
Our website has become an important place that people visit to learn about our church and our community. Our website answers vital questions beyond what time are the Sunday services. Our website lets people know who we are, what we believe, what we have to offer to them as a faith community and maybe most important of all, how we attempt to live into the Gospel message by acting out our faith in the many and diverse ministries that support our wonderful congregation. If you have a question about our website or a suggestion of some new content or if you spot an error or typo, please contact Mitch Garcia at smallgroups@incarnation-sr.org or you can call me at 707-703-4162.
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.
