The Israelites Gathering Manna
Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church Newsletter
Weekly Happenings at SHPC    
August 20, 2015
Eating Questions

When we pray the Lord's Prayer, we ask God to give us this day our daily bread.  Jesus taught his disciples this prayer, which evokes the experience of the people Israel in the wilderness.  They were hungry and complaining to Moses that their old life in slavery provided steadier food! God answered their prayers with manna, a mysterious substance that would meet their needs one day at a time.  Manna would go bad if anyone gathered more than they needed that day; it could not be hoarded.  What if we relied on God to meet out needs each day and didn't feel a need to provide for the future?  What if all had enough today, and not a bit more?  This Sunday, August 23, 2015, at 9:30 a.m., the Rev. Bentley Stewart will lead us in a fascinating exploration of these questions and more.  The SHPC Singers will bring us a favorite from the Indigo Girls.

In This Issue
Quick Links
Bev piano
A Note From Pastor Bev
 
Pastor Bev is away this week with a study team from the PCUSA in the Holy Land.  She'll be reporting on the trip on Sunday, August 30.  

For pastoral care emergencies while she's away, please call the Rev. Bentley Stewart at 407-489-1258.


August/September Calendar

Thursday, August 20
7:00 p.m.


Choir Practice - New singers welcome!

Friday, August 21
Noon


Bible Study with Paul Lambert

Sunday, August 23
9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.

Cents-ability Offering for the Hungry
Rev. Bentley Stewart preaching
Coffee and Refreshments - All welcome!

Thursday, August 27
7:00 p.m.


Choir Practice - New singers welcome!

Friday, August 28
Noon


Bible Study

Sunday, August 30
9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
10:45 a.m.


Holy Land Update - Pastor Bev preaching
Coffee and Refreshments - All welcome!
Let's Talk about the Holy Land 


COMING UP IN SEPTEMBER
What it Means to be Christian Today

Thursday, September 3
7:00 p.m.


Choir Practice - New singers welcome!

Friday, September 4
Noon


Bible Study

Sunday, September 6
9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.


Christians in the Workplace
Coffee and Refreshments - All welcome!

Sunday, September 27

SAVE THE DATE
Being the Church - Facilities, Finance, Future

 

 

Bible Study - Friday, August 21


 

Whatever your experience with the Bible might be, you are welcome to come and learn and make meaningful friendships.

 
Please Remember in Your Prayers
Praying Hands

Diane Latta and her family, mourning the loss of Diane's father, Ollie Weber, for God's comfort in their grief;
Leona George Davidson and Jeff Davidson, mourning the loss of Jeff's mother, Dorothy Davidson, for God's comfort in their grief;
Betty and Wil Swalberg, for recovery for Betty from a small stroke, and for them to be back home together again soon, and for healing for Wil's back and full mobility;
Kelsey Lopin, for healing and full recovery from complications of Lyme disease, and for her family as they care for her;
All the students preparing to go off to college and their parents, especially those who will be experiencing the "empty nest";
Skye Bailey and her daughters as they mourn the loss of Michael;
Carolyn O'Hara, mother of Laurie, for healing, and for strength and support during her recovery;
Andrea Proster, sister of Nancy Elberg, for complete healing, and for Nancy for strength in companioning her;
Jerry Lambert, mother of Paul, for blessed assurance of God's constant presence;
Wanda Latta, Dennis's sister, for continued healing and full recovery from surgery;
All those grieving the loss of their homes and suffering from the impact of the Rocky fire, the Jerusalem fire, and for all the fire fighters, for health and safety;
The people of Ferguson and all those impacted by racial injustice in our country;
The prisoners, and those in solitary confinement, for humane treatment;
Those in need of the basics of life for their children;
The people of the Holy Land, especially the children, for peace;
For our church community, for creativity, compassion, unity in the Spirit, and energy for mission.

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

Let's Talk! is on break August 16 + 23

Back Sunday, August 30 at 10:45 a.m. 

PASTOR BEV'S REPORT ON THE HOLY LAND 

 


  


 


  

Come Ride with Us, September 20 to 26, 2015
 
Pedal for Protein Sept 20-26, 2015         
Charity Ride for Food Pantries along the Northern California Coast

THIS JUST IN:  We have a special for cyclists to join the Pedal for Protein tour on the last day, Saturday 9/26. For only $100 (save $65) you can ride the fantastic Sonoma/Marin coast on Hwy 1 to Pt Reyes Station with 2 options - easier route or Mt Tam to Tiburon finish.
 
You will be helping grassroots food pantries as $50 of your registration will be a donation to the food bank pantries. We will have rest stops along the way with snacks and lunch at the end of the ride. Sag support is also provided. Transportation from the finish at Tiburon PC out to Tomales is available for only $15 on Sat. am for you and your bike (limited space available). Sign up by August 31 for this special. Price will go up on Sept.1. Free t-shirt while supplies last, so register now at: http://www.imathlete.com/events/pedalforprotein

Please contact Patty Sanders, Hunger Action Enabler, for more information:
Cell: 415-515-6127

Jesus said, "you give them something to eat." Mark 6:37

SUNDAY AUGUST 30 AT FELLOWSHIP - SUPPORT THE RIDE - 
FAIR TRADE SHOPPING AND DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED

 
Justice Garden News:
Harvest and Delivery to Bennett House


Thank you to Koren, Jack, and Natasha for helping with the harvest and delivery of produce to Bennett House!


   

Stay Tuned for our Butterfield Road Farm Stand and
Thank you for your GREAT Support of our Fellowship Farm Stand on Sunday Mornings


 
Blessing and Dedication of Clyde Ongaro Memorial Bench


    

 
The Cook's Cozy Corner
NO COOK TOMATO SAUCE


 
Easy (No Cooking!) Tomato Sauce

There was a beautiful basket of tomatoes on our farm stand table last Sunday, and I have a feeling there will be even more this week.  Now, tomatoes are not something that people have trouble figuring how to cook, and everyone has their own go-to recipes.  My secret tomato recipe is the simple tomato sandwich-sliced dead-ripe tomato, salt and mayo (or aioli) on toasted grainy bread.  A three napkin lunch.  In fact, simple and tomato go together, never better than in this pasta recipe.

Cook to al dente 1 lb. spaghetti or fettuccini. 
While this is cooking, put into a blender:
1/2 c. toasted hazelnuts or almonds
1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped tomato
2 cloves garlic
some pepper flakes
1 roasted red pepper (from a jar is OK)
1 tsp. salt
2 T. good olive oil
1/2 c. basil leaves
Puree all this until really smooth and toss with the cooked pasta along with:
1 lb. halved, salted cherry tomatoes

Garnish this with more chopped basil and grated pecorino. Take it out on your deck on a warm evening with a salad and a bottle of sauvignon blanc and appreciate how lucky you are to have such beauty in simplicity.
 
Happy Cooking!
Michael Durphy
 
 
Greeters Needed!

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
WE ALL LOVE FELLOWSHIP -
PLEASE SIGN UP TO HELP OUT

 

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.

 

AUGUST: Robin Abu-Aly

 

Sign up now and keep the hospitality going!

 

Thank you to our Flower Guild!

It is such a delight to enjoy fresh, fragrant, and beautiful flowers each Sunday!

Thank you to Patti, Jody, Linda,
Frankie, Peggy, Merle, and Millie.

We love our floral artists!
A GIFT OF FRIENDSHIP 
WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY MEALS for WIL 

The online sign up sheet urgently needs more volunteers!


 

Whatever, Wherever, Whenever...
 
I once read "the more you pray the less you panic" (Rick Warren). I also stopped and thought hard when I heard, "Is prayer your steering wheel or spare tire?" (Corrie ten Boom).
 
In the Muslim faith, it is common practice to have 5 designated times a day that they stop everything and pray. I always thought that is sure a good way to keep God the focus of one's daily activities and a great way to keep ones priorities under "divine" control.  
 
I have turned a new leaf in prayer. My prayer philosophy is now summarized by the 3 words ... whatever, whenever, wherever.
 
I have sensed more than ever that God wants to be (and is) right next to me at all times. I feel that there is a desire on the Lord's part to unleash divine wisdom, protection, and guidance in my specific actions and decisions all day long ... if I will pray wherever I am, whenever it is needed, on whatever subject I am facing. This new mindset may mean that I have prayed ten to twenty times a day - some short quips, and at other times in more elaborate fashion.
 
A.W. Tozer wrote, "Do you wonder why some people 'find' God in a way others do not? Or why God manifests His presence to some and let multitudes of others struggle with an imperfect Christian experience? All God has done for any of His children He will do for all of His children. The difference lies not with God but with us."
 
Prayer joins us with God. Everyday, not just some days, the Lord wants to impact our decisions and influence our behavior. So I would like to encourage us to adopt a new declaration, and that is a declaration to pray "Whatever, Whenever, Wherever."
 
Know that as you face life today God is right next to you. Reach out and ask for the Lord's assistance on whatever subject you're facing, whenever it is needed, wherever you are.
 
Prayer is not simply something we do, it is an integrated way of living. It is the lifestyle of a believer and should be our steering wheel in life ... not our spare tire. Have a great week.
 
Your friend,
 
Paul
 


Paul Lambert is a member of SHPC who travels extensively for his career as a producer of Broadway-bound musicals.  He is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute who studies the Bible daily and attends our Bible Study whenever he's in town. He posts this blog each week no matter where he is, to the delight and comfort of many.  SHPC thanks you, Paul.

The Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) of the PCUSA

Keeping the church informed so that we can live God's values


Mission Statement

The Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) serves the prophetic calling of the whole Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) by providing the General Assembly with careful studies of pressing moral challenges, media for discussion and discernment of Christian responsibilities, and policy recommendations for faithful action.

 

Visit the PCUSA website for more information about ACSWP.

Please Help End Youth Solitary Confinement

Senate Bill 124, a bill introduced by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), would limit the solitary confinement of youth in California's prisons. 

 

SB 124 is coming up for a vote soon and we need you to let Assembly members know that we will no longer stand for this abuse of our youth.

 

This legislation (co-sponsored by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Youth Justice Coalition, Children's Defense Fund-CA, and the California Public Defenders Association and supported by the National Religious Coalition Against Torture*) would also provide a uniform definition of solitary confinement and require statewide reporting of its use.

 

Right now, California's youth prisons routinely lock up young people for 23 hours a day or more, for weeks at a time.

 

Nationally, over half of the youth who committed suicide while in a correctional facility were in solitary confinement at the time.

 

Please e-mail your Assembly member today and help bring an end to this inhumane practice.


 

With appreciation,

Jennifer Kim
Director of Programs
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

 

* Pastor Bev is working with the National Religious Coalition Against Torture in support of SB124 and welcomes your help!

 

SFTS: Furniture Fair

Wednesday, August 26
9:00am-1:00pm
Lower Alexander Hall

Each year, SFTS students have the opportunity to "shop" for FREE gently used furniture and other household items. These items help transform an apartment into a home. Student workers are available to deliver the furniture!

Visit the SFTS website for more information about the Furniture Fair

Shopping Hours
9:00am - 10:00am:  New International Students
10:00am - 11:00am:  New Domestic Students
11:00am - 12:00pm:  All New Students
12:00am - 1:00pm:  All New & Returning Students

 
Donations will be accepted:
Sunday, August 23, 1:00-4:00pm & Monday, August 24, 2:00-6:00pm
Lower Alexander Hall, 40 Kensington Rd, San Anselmo, CA

Items especially needed include: tables, chairs, sofas, love seats, desks, bookcases, linens, kitchen & laundry items, and kids' gear.

Please no tube TVs, fold-out sofa beds, or oversize furniture

For more information, contact: 
Nancy Gutgsell, 415.451.2816, [email protected]

Interfaith Counseling Center:
Growth, Hope and Healing

The Interfaith Counseling Center offers a variety of services to promote the healing, growth, and wholeness of individuals, couples, families, and congregations. All services are non-denominational, inter-religious, confidential, and available to persons without regard to race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. A sliding scale of fees for service is available.
 
August: Issues and Outlooks About Authentic Sexuality
 
Living Joyously and Unapologetically:  Are you unclear about your sexual orientation and want to explore your thoughts and feelings? Have past experiences of hurtful rejection due to your sexual orientation made you afraid to come out to your family and friends? It is possible to find support and helpful perspectives about these issues. 
 
Denison, Thomson, Wright, Harvey, Nelson, Bradshaw, Hixon, Cortright, Schweitzer-Mordecai
 
Kathleen Denison, MA, CHT, Spiritual Director,
[email protected] (415) 927-3332
Joyce Thomson, RScP, MFT 37969, Rosen Bodywork Practitioner,
joycethomson@sbc global.net (415) 384-0953
Becky Wright, MS, MFT30710,
[email protected] (510) 225-5595
Natalie Harvey, MFT 53575
[email protected] (415) 747-5182
Cheryl Bradshaw, MA, MFT 39675
 
15 Austin Avenue, San Anselmo, 415-256-9701, www.interfaithcc.org
(Near downtown, off Kensington between Ross and Bolinas)
 
Note from Pastor Bev - Our own Jan Ardell is a great resource for those seeking help with issues of addiction and dependency, including gambling addiction - from shame to healing!
Contact Jan Ardell, MFT #M16147, [email protected], 415-233-0384 
Ross Valley Healthy Community Collaborative
Fall 2015 Parent Speaker Series
 

September 16: Weed 101: Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Kevin A. Sabet and Jody Belsher. Kevin has served as a drug policy advisor to three Presidential Administrations; is the author of "Reefer Sanity: Seven Great Myths About Marijuana"; and co-founded Smart Approaches to Marijuana with former Congressman Patrick Kennedy.  Jody is the creator of the documentary, The Other Side of Cannabis.  This event is co-sponsored by the Marin County Office of Education, Redwood, Tamalpais and Drake High Schools. 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at Redwood High School small gym.
 
September 28: SafetyNet: Smart Cyber Choices. This is an award-winning Internet safety program created by the San Diego Police Foundation and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.  Parents will learn how kids today are using technology and how we can keep them safe online.  6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at White Hill Middle School.
 
September 30: Parenting Now for Healthy Teens Later. Tasmin Pesso and Linda Henn.  8:45 -10:15 a.m. at Brookside Elementary School.
 
October 7: The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed.  Jessica Lahey, author of The Gift of Failure will present from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. at Redwood High School large gym.  This event is co-sponsored by Redwood, Tamalpais and Drake High Schools in conjunction with White Hill Middle School.
 
October 28: Having difficult conversations with your teen/child around cannabis use; parent Q&A session (Jennifer Golick, LMFT and Clinical Director of Muir Wood Treatment Center together with Drake Peer Resource students). Drake High School at 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
 
November 18: The Mask You Live In Screening.  Jennifer Siebel Newsom's film that explores how our culture's narrow definition of masculinity is harming our boys, men and society at large and unveils what we can do about it. Drake High School Student Center at 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. 
 
 
Please refer to our Ross Valley Healthy Community Collaborative website for further information on upcoming events: rvhcc.com

5th Annual Youth Gleaning & Work Projects for Green Gulch Farm - 

Sunday, September 20

 

1:00 pm picnic in the garden (bring your own!)

1:30 pm Introduction to meditation in the Zendo

2:00 - 4:30 pm Gleaning and work projects

 

Green Gulch Zen Center: 

1601 Shoreline Hwy

Muir Beach 94965

 

Calling youth of faiths: See what a broccoli plant looks like. Learn about our food system. Hear about how the fields are connected to Buddhism and other faith traditions, and get your hands dirty in the sun. This is a youth event (primarily grades 6-12). We will be gleaning and doing other work on the farm. Long pants, socks and close toed shoes are encouraged. Please remember sunscreen & water. Click here to view flyer.

 

RSVP: [email protected] or call 415-456-6957 by Wednesday, September 16th

Training Class for Suicide Prevention & Community Counseling

 

Fall Class:

September 15 - November 17

Tuesdays, 7:00pm - 10:00pm

October 10

Saturday, 10:00am - 5:00pm

 

$25.00 fee for the training

 

To volunteer on the Hotline, individuals must successfully complete the Hotline Training Class. The class is supervised by the Program Director, a licensed MFT, and includes information on the following topics: identifying individuals in suicidal or other types of crisis; communication; counseling; active listening skills; and suicide/crisis intervention techniques and other subjects.

 

To register for this class, please call Linda Allen at 415-499-1193 x3001

Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church, 
100 Tarry Road, San Anselmo, CA  94960
Allie Duro, Editor/Office Administrator
E-mail us at [email protected] or call us at 415-453-8221