"A different world cannot be built by indifferent people."
-- Nelson Mandela
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In the Celebration Circle we honor and nurture the Sacred in ourselves, each other, and all Creation.
Special thanks to Gary O Smith, for so open-heartedly sharing your amazing photos.
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My father turned 85 last week, and we celebrated by cooking up a big feast of his favorite Indonesian foods for 60 friends and family members. We held the party in a rented hall, where my five brothers, our spouses and I spent the whole day decorating, chopping, cooking and serving up a delicious meal together. It was some of the hardest work I'd ever done, but also Big Fun; the hours and tasks just flew by because I was doing what I truly love to do, surrounded by loved ones, too.
As dinnertime drew near, I was zooming around the kitchen immersed in the last minute touches that such a large-scale meal requires. Suddenly I stopped in my tracks, stood still and drank in the magic of the moment, with its heady blend of food, family, friends and love. In that moment, I wasn't the least bit tired, because my heart was on fire with a deeply satisfying sense of service and connection...
I'm sharing this memory with you as a roundabout way of explaining the magic of what happens every Sunday morning when a whole slew of Circle staff, musicians and volunteers handle the setup, rehearsal and logistics at Jump-Start Theater between 9:00-10:59AM. We literally cook up a brand new, complex stew of ingredients from scratch every single Sunday. I don't mind confessing that it can get a bit stressful when something breaks, gets misplaced or delayed with the 11:00 deadline zooming toward us. But for 17 years of Sundays, without fail, there has always come a moment when all the individual people and pieces fall into place, and we find ourselves bathed in a sea of grace - with that same deeply satisfying sense of service and connection I experienced at my father's birthday party...
This coming Sunday, we're holding our 17th Annual Meeting, immediately following our regular gathering. I hope you'll attend. It won't take long; about an hour or so. We'll go through last year's financial statements and this year's budget; we'll review the Vision Circle's preliminary report; answer some questions, field suggestions - all very important aspects of who we are as a growing spiritual community. What won't show up on any balance sheet are the countless individual acts of service, large and small, that all of our volunteers have contributed. The extraordinary generosity that people have shown, time and again, making it possible for us to continue operating at a time when the national economy has rattled many other non-profit groups. And it's all due to that sense of service and connection.
Thank you - and everyone who's ever been involved - for your part in making it happen. We couldn't have done it without you.
With blessings and hopes of seeing you Around the Circle this Sunday, or soon,
 
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Sundays
THIS SUNDAY
February 8th
Sing Your Heart Open
Come feel the love as Dr. Kimberlyn Montford works with Rudolf and the Circle Band to demonstrate the development of our culture's African-American musical heritage - and how it touches our hearts and minds today. Besides being our beloved choir director of the Circle Singers, Kimberlyn is a scholar of music history and Assistant Professor of Music at Trinity University.
NEXT SUNDAY
February 15th
Sustainable Happiness
While many people continue to grapple with financial difficulties and personal stress, there are many individuals who have developed practical and effective ways to enhance their sense of well-being. Rudolf discusses some of these strategies, woven into more wonderful music from vocalist Sarah Bading and the Circle Singers.
Sunday Circle meets at 11:00 am
at the Jump Start Theater Located at
the Blue Star Arts Complex
Building B
In the heart of King William
(near the corner of Alamo and Probandt) |
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Mark Your Calendar
Wednesday Meditation Circle gathers at 7:30 pm at the Quaker Meeting House, 7052 N. Vandiver, San Antonio (at the corner of Eisenhauer Rd. approximately 1/2 mile west of Austin Hwy.) Rudolf leads these weekly sessions with a combination of guided and silent meditations, well-suited to experienced meditators and beginners alike. Love offerings are accepted and support the meditation circle's weekly use of the beautiful sacred space.
Feel free to call the Celebration Circle office, 210-533-6767, or visit our website www.celebrationcircle.org for additional information.
This Sunday
February 8th
Cinema Circle
If you would like to join with others this Sunday at 4pm at Beverly Meyer's home, you are invited to watch this month's movie, The Kite Runner, about two Afghan Boys. Contact Beverly Meyer for additional details at bmeyer@gvtc.com RSVP required due to space limitations. Thanks.
ALSO - there is info about various events, gatherings, and opportunities to connect with each other appearing on the Celebration Circle's Yahoo! Group. You can sign up be a part of the group - www.yahoo.com or send an e-mail to celebrationcircle@yahoogroups.com
The First Celebration Circle Women's Retreat
March 6-8, 2009
We are only whole once we acknowledge the gifts of both the light and the shadows. And only when we are fully ourselves can we bring ourselves fully into community. Come begin this journey with us. Get to know your true self better, honor your strengths, discover your potential. And learn what community really has to offer.
Part One: Walking in Light - March 6, 7, 8 (from dinner on Friday through lunch on Sunday)
Part Two: Walking in Shadow - October 2, 3, 4
Each section is moderately priced at a sliding scale of $60-$120, and benefits Celebration Circle.
You do not need to attend one in order to attend the other. Both retreats are held in sacred space under the canopy of a beautiful pine forest in Bastrop, with indoor sleeping, full kitchen, labyrinth and hot tub. Space is limited, so register early. Expect to participate, as this will be a co-created experience in order to keep costs down and to reinforce our community building skills for the overall benefit of Celebration Circle. Carpooling is encouraged. For more information or to sign up, contact Tiffany Osander at
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Community Event
Susan Smylie, our Youth Director and Coordinator of the Children's Circle, invites you to attend a national advocacy event to end violence against women in Darfur - One Night. One Voice. Violence Against Women and the Darfur Genocide - to be held this Wednesday, Febraury 11, 2009 from 7pm - 8:30pm. The event will be on the Campus of the San Antonio Jewish Community, 12500 N.W. Military Hwy., Room 277, Federation Board Room, San Antonio, 78231 . You're welcome to check the Yahoo!Group posting or contact Susan Smylie for additional information sesmylie@earthlink.net | |
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