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Please note that the Church Office will be closed on Monday, April 25th, the day after Easter. Happy Easter to all!
The April group practice session for Prayer of the Heart is Wednesday, April 27th, in the Clergy Conference Room, from 6 - 7:30 pm. All are welcome who wish to practice Prayer of the Heart in a group setting. Questions? Need more info? Call Lisa, 707-527-9549.
The Men's Group will meet again on April 27th in the church at 7 pm. Our group explores the challenges men face in living their lives of faith in a safe, intimate environment. All men are welcome and we hope to see you there. If you have any questions, please call Mitch Garcia at (707) 703-4162.
Oprah Winfrey Celebrates 50th Anniversary of 1961 Freedom Rides! Incarnation member Francis Geddes, and 150 other former Freedom Riders, have been invited by Oprah Winfrey to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Freedom Rides on her TV show Wednesday, May 4th. It can be seen locally on Channel 7, at 4 pm. Francis was arrested and jailed July 21, 1961, in Jackson, Mississippi, as part of an interracial group seeking to integrate the coffee shop at the Jackson Airport.
Southwest Deanery "Last gasp of spring" Convocation
Dates: Saturday, May 7th or June 4th
Places: St. Paul's, Benicia on the 7th or St. Michael & All Angels, Fort Bragg on the 4th (your choice!)
Times: 10 am till 12 noon
You will be fed! You will be watered! You will be filled with valuable information! There's singing and dancing and all manner of enjoyment (OK, no singing and dancing, but a great, informative meeting!) There is a special option for those folks "in the north of the south west" to attend Convocation in Fort Bragg. Just think of the benefits of not travelling 6 hours for a 2-hour meeting!
This meeting is open to all, but of special concern to Clergy, Lay Leaders and Delegates to Convention. Of particular interest are:
--Discussion around the election of people to Convention, and of a Youth representative
--Information session about restructuring proposals for the Diocese
--Sharing of best practices in the Deanery
All Congregations in Southwest, please respond with regrets/and or numbers, locale.
La Velle Seely is retiring as our rides coordinator after well over ten years of faithful service! We are deeply grateful to La Velle for all the souls she has helped bring to church. This means that we are now in need of a new rides coordinator - please call the pastoral care coordinator, whose phone number is listed at the end of the bulletin, if you are interested in helping out. We promise we won't make you serve for 10 years unless you want to!
Our Former Associate for Children and Youth, Emily Wilmer, is returning to California in May, to hold a couple of workshops at The Bishop's Ranch. See details below.
Lord, teach us to pray: A four-week course
Wednesday evenings from 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM. May 4, 11, 18, 25
Prayer is at the heart of the Christian path. Using the four Gospels we will explore Jesus' life of prayer, including his quiet personal prayer, his prayer at synagogue and temple, his teaching about prayer, his contemplative experiences, and the consequences of his prayer for his personal life and his active engagement with society. There will be a special focus on "The Lord's Prayer" and opportunities to relate Jesus' prayer to your own personal prayer, parish spiritual formation, and the relationship between prayer and daily life. Cost: There is no charge, but participants may make a donation to the Ranch.
Learning to Listen to the Life Within: An overnight retreat
Sunday May 22 at 4 pm - Monday May 23 at 6 pm
Most people live very busy and responsible lives. Our attention and energy is directed to the 'outside' of life. This is necessary, but is only half of our true selves. The 'inside' of life is often neglected; this is the life of the heart where our spirits and God's Spirit dwell together. The inside of life is the source of our desire, words, and actions. This retreat will help participants focus on three disciplines to "listen" to the inside of life. An Experience of Contemplative Prayer: the prayer of stillness and silence. Praying with Scripture: a method for hearing the mystery of God's voice in scripture. Praying with Body and Soul: several forms of prayer from our Christian tradition including contemplative walking, the Lord's Prayer and practices form the early Desert Mothers and Fathers. Cost: $130, Double Occ.; $170, Single Occ., including lodging and meals.
Location: The Bishop's Ranch. 5297 Westside Road. Healdsburg, CA 95448. To Register for these workshops: Call 707-433-2440 or email shannon@bishopsranch.org
Led by David Keller and Emily Wilmer. David and Emily led weekly contemplative prayer at the Ranch from 2003-2006. They now live in Asheville, NC where they are Stewards of Oasis of Wisdom: An Institute for Contemplative Studies, Practice, and Living. (www.oasisofwisdom.net). Emily has over fifteen years of experience providing spiritual direction to individuals seeking spiritual growth and discernment in their lives. David is Adjunct Professor of Ascetical Theology at the General Theological Seminary in New York and Director of the Contemplative Ministry Project.
Come to the Book Talk by Francis Geddes! Contemplative Healing: The Congregation as Healing Community is the title of a new book and subject of a book talk by Francis Geddes. It is now available in our bookstore. He coordinates Caritas, our healing prayer group that meets monthly. The talk will be held Wednesday, May 18th, at 7 pm in Room 3.
From the Incarnation Book and Gift Store: Please be looking for our Special Sales! For our May Sale we'll have the handmade mice characters. For our June Sale we'll have all bracelets, necklaces, earrings and watches. We invite you all to come browse and shop for that special someone. We have terribly good prices! May God Bless You All!
8 am Kitchen (Coffee Hour) Help STILL Needed. We need some volunteers to help pour coffee and bring goodies one Sunday per month - we have four Sundays open and need 6 people. Please contact Marilyn Payne (707-545-2597) if interested.
The Outreach Commission Needs You! The Outreach Commission is looking for new people to join our group. The commission considers and recommends to the vestry ways in which our resources can be best employed, with the objective to make a positive Christian impact on the world around us. The group currently meets about once every other month, so the commitment is low but the need is high! Please contact Stephanie Blair if you are interested: 837-2972. Thank you!!
Our Open Table ministry needs more food! Please consider bringing in a contribution. Contact Terri Hobart for more details on what is needed: 707-272-2539.
Create your own Small Group. On the Small Group in Farlander Hall is a flyer with information for anyone who is interested in creating their own Small Group. In the next few weeks there will be information of new groups starting, maybe one of them will be yours!
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