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It's Pancake Breakfast time again! Please join us for our Mission Trip fundraiser. This morning (May 1st) after the 8 am and 9:15 am services.
We are sorry to report the sudden loss of one of our parishioners, B. J. Yeager, who passed away on April 26th. A Memorial Service will be held for her this coming Monday, May 2nd, here at the church, with a reception following in Farlander Hall. To honor her sense of color, we encourage everyone to come wearing their favorite, life-affirming colors.
Francis Geddes cannot be part of the Oprah Winfrey Show on May 4th as planned. 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. Sadly, Francis has had to cancel his trip for family reasons. 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. You can still tune in on May 4th to Channel 7 and watch the show, in support of Francis and all others who tried to do their best for their fellow man.
The Guild of Incarnation meets this Tuesday, May 3rd. ALL ARE WELCOME to attend the meeting at 11:00 am and/or the potluck luncheon at 12:00 noon. Following the luncheon will be a program presented by Karen Johnson from the Charles Schulz museum.
The Philosophy Group will be meeting on May 4th at 7 pm in the library. Come check out the philosophy reading and discussion group. Philosophy is traditionally defined as the love of wisdom, but the most famous philosopher of antiquity (Socrates) claimed to know nothing at all. In the same spirit, Proverbs 3:5 warns that human understanding may not be so firm as we believe it to be. Philosophy studies matters that are elusive, yet there is something satisfying about the activity of exploring itself. Join a group where you can explore the limits of your understanding and look deeper into questions about knowledge, truth, justice, being and ethics. We will read texts as a group and come together to ask questions and discuss them in a spirit of openness and inquiry.
The Eucharistic Visitor training, which had been tentatively scheduled for May 7, will be re-scheduled. An announcement will be made soon about the next training.
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.
The Theatre-Goers Group's next outing is May 7th at 2 pm at the Santa Rosa Jr. College to see Jesus Christ Superstar. This extraordinary rock opera forever changed the world of musical theatre when it exploded onto Broadway in 1971. Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, its powerful explorations of faith in a troubled world and the potent phenomenon of celebrity resonate even more strongly today. Dramatizing the final seven days in the life of Jesus of Nazareth with an edgy, contemporary approach, this first professional collaboration by a now-legendary team features a vibrant rock score, including chart-topping hits like "Superstar" and "I Don't Know How to Love Him." [from the Theatre Art Group website] (Recommended for age 14 and above.) If you're interested in attending with others from our church, please contact Maggie Wager at maggiew@sonic.net or maggiew@wellsfargocenterarts.org
Joan Clarke will be leaving us after 8 years. If you have children and used our childcare, your children probably have fond memories of being with Joan. We are putting together a farewell gift for Joan. If you would like to contribute to this gift please contact Daphne Vernon (707-579-2604 ext. 106 or youthmin@incarnation-sr.org).
Rabbi George Schlesinger to speak at Saint Rose Catholic Church. As we continue our task of discovering the holy in other people, cultures, and religions, we welcome Rabbi George Schlesinger of Beth Ami Conservative Jewish Congregation to be our guest speaker. The Rabbi will give a short presentation on Jewish perspectives and invite questions and dialogue with his audience. Please join with us as we share our faith traditions. To be held on Sunday, May 15th at 2 pm in the St. Rose Catholic Church Parish Hall, Room A. The Church and Hall may be reached by driving West on College Ave from Mendocino Ave to just before the 101 freeway; turn left on Morgan Street. Drive 2 blocks or so to 10th street, left one block and into the parking lot at 322 10th Street.
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.
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!
The Evening Women's Group will meet on Tuesday, May 17 at 7 pm at the home of Kathy McCallum. 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 837-8768.
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 hand made 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.
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.
We are in desperate need of a volunteer who would be willing to take a bag of towels home every week to wash them, and bring them back within 24 hours. This would be a weekly volunteer commitment and would be greatly appreciated, by the Church and by The Living Room. If you can help or want more information, please call Marjorie Whistler (707-542-5813).
Small Group Art Workshop! "Art is the Next Peace" taught by Carla Grace Baldassari. This is a six-week art workshop starting mid-May. The workshop is for those who are beginners, intermediate, and future artists of all ages. You will develop love for your personal artwork, overcoming any fears that you might have. The Art Workshop will provide you with the opportunity to explore different mediums, such as: charcoal, pastels, color pencils, watercolors, acrylics and silks in a caring, playful and loving environment. Our goal is to offer this workshop at convenient times for those who are interested. We will conduct a survey to find out which times are the best time for you. You can sign up in Farlander Hall at the Small Group table. For any questions contact Carla at 707-239-3943.
A friendly reminder: As we put down our hymnals and head for the doors, let's remember that for our organist and those who stay behind to enjoy the glorious postlude, the service isn't over! Let's honor them with silence or quiet voices as we leave the sanctuary.
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!
Incarnation and Conversation Come Together! William Steig's Amos and Boris is a favorite story for many children and their parents. You may recall, if you know the book, that Amos is a tiny mouse that ventures out to sea on a boat he builds himself. When he falls off the boat one night, he is rescued from drowning by a kind whale named Boris, who actually carries Amos on his back, thousands of miles, until he reaches Amos' home. Throughout this long journey, these two improbable friends got to know each other and appreciated their differences. Steig tells us that they developed a "deep admiration for one another," and became "the closest possible friends." The leadership team of the North Bay Sponsoring Committee invites you to embark on a journey of friendship with other members of our congregation through small group conversations. Many of us know one another already, but many of us do not. This is an opportunity to spend an evening with people with whom we worship and to share questions of faith with another. You will soon be receiving a phone call inviting you to one of these gatherings, and we sincerely hope you will accept that invitation. It may not be a ride on the back of a whale, but these conversations promise new friendships and meaningful sharing as well as, we hope, deepening admiration for those we already know. The gatherings will take place in early June.
We'll be doing baptisms on Pentecost this year - June 12. If you or someone you know would like to get baptized, be sure to contact Fr. Matt.
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