November/December Calendar

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 - Are You Prepared? with Rev. Laurie Garrett-Cobbina, Chaplain, Professor, Pastor
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!
Sunday, November 30 9:30 a.m.	1st Sunday in Advent: The New Has Come!   How Well Do We Wait?
Thursday, December 4 7:00 p.m.	SHPC Singers Rehearse at Church
Friday, December 5 12:00 p.m.	Bible Study
Sunday, December 7 9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m.	2nd Sunday in Advent - The New Has Come! New Reality Means Change-  Yikes! Guest soloist Jen Boynton sings  O Holy Night Coffee and Refreshments - All Welcome!
Thursday, December 11 7:00 p.m.	SHPC Singers Rehearse at Church
Friday, December 12 12:00 p.m.	Bible Study
Sunday, December 14 9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m.	3rd Sunday in Advent - The New Has Come! Christmas Pageant - How Do We Show Our Love? Coffee and Refreshments - All Welcome!
Thursday, December 18 7:00 p.m.	SHPC Singers Rehearse at Church
Friday, December 19 12:00 p.m.	Bible Study
Sunday, December 21 9:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m.	4th Sunday of Advent - The New Has Come! Our New Purpose and Re-Purpose Holiday Music Fest
Wednesday, December 24 7:00 p.m.	Candlelit Christmas Eve - Our Surprising God

 

Paul is Off This Week 

 

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

   

Back to the top 

 

Bring the kids at 9 a.m. to get ready!  

They should wear bright colors!

Please bring the family and friends on Sunday, November 16 to see the many young people in the church who love to sing!

We had two great photoshoots going at church last Sunday, and many of you will now be added to the Members & Friends Photo Board!  

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

 

If the the noise around the coffee urn each Sunday is any indication, it sounds like most of the congregation enjoys Fellowship time following Sunday service.

 

Fellowship time is organized by your Deacons, but we rely on everyone pitching in to help. While each Parish is assigned a month for Fellowship, that time may not be convenient for your schedule. So now you can sign up online! Just click here and pick a Sunday that's most convenient for you.

 

You can choose to set up and make coffee, bring a savory snack, a sweet snack, supply juice for the kids and creamer for the coffee, or help with clean up. Please take a moment to sign up now... or wait until your Deacon calls on you for help in these months:

 

November - Parishes: Cat Caldwell and Laura Taylor

December - Parishes: Patti Eisinger and Carolyn Goodman

January 2015 - Parishes: Cat Caldwell and Nancy Elberg/Frankie Eakes

February 2015 - Parishes: Laura Taylor and Patti Eisinger

March 2015 - Parishes: Nancy Elberg/Frankie Eakes and Patti Eisinger

 

Sign up now before the good slots are all taken!

 

 

SHPC is providing meals and a warm welcome to our unhoused neighbors on the first Monday (men at St. Rita's in Fairfax) and second Tuesday (women at the Wellness Center in San Rafael) of each 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

 

Coming up:

- November 23 - The Birth Lottery - with Richard Peltzman

- November 30-  End of Life Medical Ethics - with Fred Morfit

- December: Religion and Science - can they talk?

Richard Peltzman

Matt Ehlen

Cathy Sarkisian

Fred Morfit

Our very own Sasha de Frondeville will be playing the lead role of Tevye in the performances of Fiddler on the Roof at the San Anselmo Playhouse on the following dates:

Saturday, November 15 at 7:30 pm

Sunday, November 16 at 1:00 pm

Saturday, November 22 at 7:30 pm

Sunday, November 23 at 1:00 pm

 

In the other performances, Sasha will have a smaller role as Lazar Wolf.

 

Tickets are on sale at this link: 

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/853837  

 

Hope to see you there!

 

The green tomatoes in our Justice Garden are striving nobly to ripen as our days get shorter and cooler.  When the cold weather and rains come (as they will!) most of them will still be hanging there in their unripe state, but nonetheless begging to be put to good use.  Most people don't realize that green tomatoes are delicious in their own way.  They can be battered and fried, of course, and what isn't good battered and fried?  And they make wonderful pickles.  But they also have lots of other uses where bright flavors in a sauce are called for.  Here are two links to New York Times recipes and one of my own adapted recipes that let green tomatoes show their stuff.  So stop into the garden corner this Sunday and bring home some of our beautiful green tomatoes.

Green Tomatoes Get A Go Signal From Lamb

Green Tomato Salsa Verde 
 

Green Tomato Gazpacho

- 1 1/2 pounds green tomatoes

- Broil or grill until lightly charred all over, then cut them up into chunks and put into a food processor along with:

- 2 avocados

- 2 slices dried day-old bread

- 2-3 T olive oil (extra virgin)

- 1/4 C orange juice

- dash or two hot sauce

- 1 1/2 C water

 

Puree until it's the consistency you like, then add salt to taste (it will probably take a teaspoon or more, but start with 1/2 t.) and mix again.

Serve at room temp, with chopped cilantro and more olive oil as a garnish.

 

--Michael Durphy

 

Dear SHPC Knitters and Crocheters, 

 

My good friend, Kathryn Lee, has started a Prayer Shawl Ministry at her church, Christ Episcopal Church in Sausalito.  On the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month, we meet in their Fellowship Hall and bring our hooks, needles, yarn and prayers.  As we gather in the Spirit, we work and pray and reflect.  It is a wonderful time and open to any and all who wish to join. Yarn kits are available for anyone who wishes to make a shawl or compassion stole!  (Perfection is not required nor desired! All skill levels wanted!)

 

Once the shawls are done they are blessed and given as requested.

 

Interested in learning more? 

 

Prayer Shawl Learning Circle

Saturday, Nov 22 from 10:30 am - 12 pm

 

Ellen Graves, owner of K2TOG in Albany, will be joining us. She is an excellent teacher if you would like to learn either crochet or knitting or take your work to the next level. Prayer shawl kits will be available for either knit or crochet projects.

 

If you would like to carpool or request a prayer shawl for someone in need, please contact Janel Stewart janelstewart@gmail.com

With thanks,

Janel Stewart

 

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

 

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

7:00 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church
1510 Fifth Avenue

San Rafael

A brief reception will follow. Please bring offerings of clean or new
sleeping bags, blankets, raingear and socks for our friends on the street (no other clothing please).

A free-will offering will also be received to support the work of The Marin Interfaith Street Chaplaincy

For more information: Chaplain Paul 415.302.0248

 

TAKE ACTION NOW: Please urge your Members of Congress to protect the economy, environment and public health by opposing Fast Track legislation.

 

President Obama and other heads of state are meeting in Asia this month to move forward the Trans-Pacific Partnership(TPP) negotiations.  Millions of people throughout the world are concerned about the extreme secrecy surrounding the ongoing TPP negotiations.  The public deserves the right to know what is being proposed for a twelve-nation pact that will set the rules governing an estimated 40% of the global economy - rules that not only dictate tariff levels, but also energy and environmental policy, medicine patents, financial regulations, "Buy Local" preferences, food safety, Internet protocols, consumer labeling and more.

 

While the public has had no access to the TPP negotiating process, hundreds of corporate lobbyists have had access to the texts.  This double-standard has assured that the TPP has been written in corporations' interests, with little regard for working families, public health or the environment.

 

Now many of these same corporations want Congress to give up its constitutional authority to assure that trade agreement provisions are written in the best interests of the constituents they serve.  Many are even calling for "Fast Track" to be passed during the post-election "Lame Duck" session of Congress, when political accountability to constituents is often at its lowest.  "Fast Track" or fast track negotiating authority is a temporary and controversial power granted to the President by Congress that allows the administration to negotiate international trade agreements that Congress can approve or disapprove but cannot amend or filibuster.

 

For additional background on the TPP and "Fast Track" watch the PCUSA Hunger Program's webinar - The Case for Transparency: How Fast Track Shuts Down Public Debate on Trade - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIoxANf7ug8

 

A coordinated #StopFastTrack Week of Action is taking place right now, with a broad range of groups across the issue spectrum mobilizing their supporters to speak out.  Contacting Congress is the critical first step.  You can also participate by attending a rally or community forum, writing a Letter to the Editor or sending sample Tweets with the #StopFastTrack hashtag.

 

Thanks to similar efforts earlier this year, over a million Americans spoke out to stop an attempt to pass a "Fast Track" bill.   By taking action together, we can beat back "Fast Track" now and into the future.

Click here to tell Congress NO to Fast Track during Lame Duck and NO to Fast Track forever.

 

General Assembly Policy

 

Since the passage of NAFTA and CAFTA - PCUSA policy is circumspect about further deregulation of trade. No existing policy affirms a market empty of moral considerations or rules. Neither does the church condone acquiring individual, corporate or national gains to the detriment of basic human needs. Repeated General Assemblies have stated that corporations should not have the right to override the sovereignty of governments to regulate public health, labor rights, and environmental protections or to cause harm to indigenous communities or other vulnerable populations.

 

The best hope is that trade functions as a means of grace[1] to create dignified work that support people's lives, puts food on the table and undergirds the creation of a just society. The moral test is whether our increasingly globalizing economies support the human enterprise and the larger creation, according to the PCUSA Resolution on Just Globalization, released in 2006. If trade further impoverishes segments of the world's population, its purpose is distorted and such injustice calls for reshaping global structures that cause economic oppression and creates wealth for only a few at the expense of the many. Such a world is a parody of the biblical vision for just community.