October/November Calendar

Thursday, October 30 7:00 p.m.	SHPC Singers Rehearse at Church
Friday, October 31 12:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.	Bible Study Halloween Open House at SHPC
Sunday, November 2 9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m.	Sharing our Stories Coffee and Refreshments - All Welcome! Let's Talk about Heaven with Lora East
Thursday, November 6 7:00 p.m.	SHPC Singers Rehearse at Church
Friday, November 7 12:00 p.m.	Bible Study
Sunday, November 9 9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m.	STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY String Quartet - Bring your pledge cards! Baigrie Photoshoot for Christmas and Narthex and PARTLY POTLUCK HARVEST FEAST - All Welcome!
Thursday, November 13 7:00 p.m.	SHPC Singers Rehearse at Church
Friday, November 14 12:00 p.m.	Bible Study
Sunday, November 16 9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m.	Children and Youth Musical Coffee and Refreshments - All Welcome! Let's Talk about End of Life with Rev. Laurie Garrett-Cobbina
Thursday, November 20 7:00 p.m.	SHPC Singers Rehearse at Church
Friday, November 21 12:00 p.m.	Bible Study
Sunday, November 23 9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m.	Gratitude Sunday Coffee and Refreshments - All Welcome!

 

 

Confusion Can Lead to Paralysis

 

If you're like me, there are topics swirling around in your head that are unresolved. 

 

Should I do this, or should I do that? If I make a decision or take action what will this or that person think? And, in certain instances, there are so many confusing sides to an issue that we become disoriented and stagnated in a quagmire of all the competing facts.

 

When we are confused it's easy to become disoriented, bewildered, and literally paralyzed. I have experienced this, have you?

 

We must take action when we have drifted into a state of confusion. If we don't, we will experience anxiety and a paralysis that clouds our ability to make decisions in other areas of our lives. The Bible says "For God is not a God of confusion" (I Cor 14:13). Paul, in his second letter to Timothy, shared "the Lord will give you understanding in everything"(2 Tim 2:7); in Matthew 7:7 Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find"; James 1:5 says, "If any of you lack wisdom, ask of God, and it will be given to you."

 

It is important to avoid confusion. We need to be agents of clarity and good decision makers. If you're upset or confused about something, for heaven's sake, stop everything and turn it over to God. Exercise your faith in believing that God is capable and cares. I actually believe that our "faith" is one of the things that triggers God to work on our behalf.

 

I wanted to highlight this topic because I think we need to be proactive in eliminating and avoiding confusion. It is such an enemy in our relationships with each other and in being who God wants us to be in public.

 

"Ask and ye shall receive." So, let's ask God to eliminate confusion wherever it rears its head and whatever the source.

 

I'm happy to be home here in Sleepy Hollow so I'll see you in Bible Study this week.

 

Best ... Paul  (agent for clarity)

 

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Please take time this week to pray for those on our list.

   

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MOLOTH (that's our middle school group), families, and volunteers are all welcomed and encouraged to come to SHPC to help set up at 4:30 p.m. and all are invited to have fun on Friday, October 31st from 5-8 p.m.

 

 

 

MOLOTH (our middle school group) meets the first and third Sundays of the month with our Youth Leader, Charles Wei, and also for special events like Game Night. 

 

Please make sure the youth come to church for the next 3 Sundays to rehearse for and then participate in the YOUTH MUSICAL, set for November 16!

 

What a celebration!  Bring your pledge cards and enjoy the return of the Meg Eldridge String Quartet!  

All ages will enjoy this up close experience with symphony musicians!

 

 

Photographers and artists James and Karen Baigrie have generously volunteered to photograph members and friends of the church on Sunday, November 9 after the service

(1) to include those who are not yet on the photo board upstairs in the narthex (for no cost), AND

(2) to offer all a chance to have a professional beautiful holiday photo (for a donation to the church of $25 and up).

 

After the service, James will be taking photos upstairs in the Sanctuary for the photo board, and Karen will be taking photos downstairs on the patio outside the Harvest Feast for those who would like holiday photos. What a great way to get your photos taken just in time for the holidays!

 

Thank you to Karen and James for volunteering their time and their beautiful artistic gifts!

 

 

 

On Sunday, November 9th, we'll celebrate the season with our annual Harvest Feast - held after worship in the Fellowship Hall.

 

While your Deacons will supply turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, we encourage you to bring something to share - perhaps your favorite vegetable side dish, grandma's pumpkin pie, or never-to-be-missed salad. No need to sign up in advance, because what makes this event so fun, is all the wonderful flavors that we bring together for one meal!

 

Bring the whole family to worship that day and then join us for this celebratory meal. Just don't forget your dish to share! 

 

 

 

SHPC is providing meals and welcoming to our unhoused neighbors on the first Monday (men) and second Tuesday (women) of the month from December 2014 - April 2015.  

 

Volunteers are needed!!  Information and sign-ups available online:

http://bit.ly/RESTprogram

 

If you'd like more information about the program, you can contact Shannon Mong at shannon@in-sightassociates.com

 

 

With thanks,

The REST Team

 

is it possible to dive into charged topics and emerge friends?  Can we learn from people who don't see eye to eye with us on key issues? We're going to show the world it can be done!  So far we are doing great!

 

Coming up:

- November 16: Caring for Elderly Loved Ones and End of Life Issues with Rev. Laurie Garrett-Cobbina, SFTS Faculty and expert on Hospital Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care

- December: Religion and Science - can they talk?

Richard Peltzman

Matt Ehlen

Cathy Sarkisian

Fred Morfit

 

Our very own Scott Hamilton and Cathy Sarkisian will both be performing in the same show on November 2nd! Scott will be performing in the Golden Gate Barbershop Chorus and Cathy will be performing in the Mayflower Chorus. These two choruses have never performed at the same event, so this is a rare opportunity! The internationally acclaimed quartet, Artistic License, will also be performing. 

 

Anyone who would like to purchase tickets can do so through Scott Hamilton. 

 

Help with our ministry of hospitality by signing up to be a greeter!  All you have to do is get to church by 9:15, light the candles, and hand out bulletins with a smile. Thank you to all who have signed up so far!

Jody Brockett Schmetz, 

Worship Elder

Thursday, November 6, 2014, Marin Interfaith Council will honor Dr. Sylvia Boorstein and Rev. Norman Fischer at the Ninth Annual Visionary Marin Gala from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. at the Mill Valley Community Center. The evening will include culinary delights, a raffle,a silent auction and program.

 

Dr. Sylvia Boorstein is a psychotherapist and a  committed Vipassana Buddhist. She is the author of five books on Buddhism and Mindfulness including On Being a Faithful Jew and a Passionate Buddhist. She uses her natural wit and humor to help students, colleagues and readers enhance their lives with meditation and kindness. She is a co-founding teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.

 

Rev. Norman Fischer is a poet and Zen Buddhist priest. From 1995 - 2000 he served as co-Abbot at the San Francisco Zen Center, the oldest and largest of the new Buddhist organizations in the West. He is also the founder and spiritual director of the Everyday Zen Foundation, an organization dedicated to adapting Zen Buddhist teachings to Western culture.

  

Reservations are $90 for one, $160 for two and $750 for ten. Click Here to Register  (Registration deadline is October 30th)

Tom Wilson, Executive Director of the Canal Alliance, will discuss issues surrounding the May and June increase of women and children from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras crossing into the U.S., and explain what actions are being taken in Marin to provide legally mandated services and sanctuary to the undocumented.

 

Mr. Wilson will speak on Thursday, October 30 at 7:30 pm at the Redwoods Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 110 Magnolia Avenue (at Alexander), Larkspur. 

 

$5-10 donation is requested; no one will be turned away for lack of funds. 

 

For more information, call 415/924-3227 or visit www.mitfamericas.org 

 

Marin Interfaith Task Force (MITF) conducts public education events and publishes a quarterly newsletter. We monitor the U.S. role - military, economic and political - in our areas of concern and respond to human rights violations with appropriate actions, which include an urgent action network.

 

 

Too many people come only to see the holy sites, seeking the historical Jesus instead of the Christ who lives in the communities that worship, live, celebrate, and suffer in the Holy Land today.

With World Mission you will:

- See the land of the Bible, enriching your understanding of scripture

- Join in the ongoing mission of partnerships of the Presbyterian Church (USA)

- Be inspired by the commitment of Israelis and Palestinians working for peace

- Offer hope and solidarity to the local Christian community

- Witness and learn about the Israeli military occupation firsthand

- Reflect as a group on how you and your community can engage in just peacemaking in Israel-Palestine

- Travel responsibly, investing in the Palestinian economy

Please contact Kate Taber for the application form or questions: kate.taber@pcusa.org

Action Alert:

 

Join ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) and the Presbyterian Church Office of Public Witness in supporting the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act S.1738! The companion bill (HR 3530) has already been passed by the House, and with your support, could be made into law by the Senate this year.

 

Children caught in the sex trade are both commercially and sexually exploited. Pimps and traffickers behind the exploitation both mentally and physically manipulate these young people. If these children are able to be removed from the sex trade, the road to recovery is extremely tough, and adequate justice for victims is hard to come by.

 

The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act gives us the opportunity to take a significant step towards reprimanding those who exploit children. The bill would give criminal justice agents better tools to make cases against sex traffickers, whilst making it clear that those who purchase children in the sex industry are criminally responsible for their actions. This bill will also provide much needed funding for victims so that they can begin the healing process and feel supported through such a major transition.  

 

Being the Church in a broken world means standing up to those whose actions cause hurt and pain. The General Assembly has repeatedly called us to make stopping human trafficking a priority. Let's ask our government officials to do the same. The Lord we worship loves justice. Let's join together and seek justice for youth across our nation today.

 

Take action now by writing to your Senator! 

 

 

 

 

  

Tuesday, October 21, Pastor Bev and I were present for a gathering of 50 Marin religious leaders to discuss a tough topic: human trafficking. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, trafficking of humans is one of the largest criminal industries in the world, and the fastest growing. While prostitution and sex trafficking are common, labor exploitation also occurs in restaurants, domestic servitude, sweatshop factory work, or migrant agricultural work.

 

We learned on Tuesday that in San Rafael there are 60 massage parlors, many of which might be engaged in human trafficking. Young people (especially girls) in the Bay Area are susceptible to trafficking if they run away from home, come from an abusive or unhealthy family system, or get caught up in drug and alcohol use at a young age.

 

Unfortunately, this is a reality in Marin, and we are called by God to intervene. Through partnerships with the Marin County Human Trafficking Task Force and the Family Violence Division of the County District Attorney's Office, we are making progress in education and awareness around this disturbing issue. It is important that we work together with other people of faith to combat human trafficking. A walk through San Rafael is being organized for Sunday, December 7, and we will keep the SHPC community posted so we can gather with others to show support for legitimate Marin businesses, and show solidarity with victims of human trafficking.

 

For more information:

http://westmarinadvocacy.org/marin-county-human-trafficking-task-force/ 

 

http://www.marinij.com/crimebeat/ci_26265874/marin-human-trafficking-task-force-aims-raise-awareness 

 

http://www.marinij.com/crimebeat/ci_24091173/san-rafael-business-owners-fed-up-sexual-massage 

 

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/programs/anti-trafficking 

  

With thanks,

Lora East, SHPC Pastoral Intern  

 

 

Thursday, November 6th

7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
 

San Francisco Theological Seminary

105 Seminary Road, San Anselmo

 

Join us as we gather to give thanks under the light of the full moon for our Fall Labyrinth Moon Walk.

The evening will feature live harp music and refreshments will be provided.

 

For more information call 415-451-2895 or visit www.sfts.edu

 

 

 

Saturday, November 8th

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

 

San Francisco Theological Seminary

105 Seminary Road, San Anselmo

Geneva 100

 

Taught by Rev. Jeff Gaines, this workshop will explore creating a liturgical environment for the Season of Lent through imagination, discussion, lecture and hands-on experience.

 

Register at tinyurl.com/JeffGaines