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Where Heaven and Earth Meet
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Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church Newsletter
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Weekly Happenings at SHPC
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December 24, 2015
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MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Candlelit Christmas Eve at 7 p.m.
Christmas Eve is the holiest night of the year. This is the night that we celebrate heaven meeting earth in Bethlehem, in the birth of the Christ child. We gather at 7 p.m. for a service of beautiful music, love, joy, and candle-lighting. All are welcome!
WE CELEBRATE THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
Sunday, December 27 at 9:30 a.m.
This Sunday, the first Sunday after Christmas, we will reflect on the past year, build hope for the coming year, and celebrate the sacrament of baptism. Charlotte Phillips and the SHPC Singers will bring us beautiful music.
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A Note From
Pastor Bev
Advent has been absolutely beautiful here at church, four Sundays of so much hope, peace, love, and joy that we're really ready for the holiest night of the year tonight. If your family plans will keep you from church, let me wish you a blessed Christmas now, and accompany that wish with prayers for peace and Christmas joy.
There are so many wonderful photos in this edition of the newsletter, I feel like it's the church's holiday card! We are blessed! I hope to see many of you this Sunday when we celebrate the baptism of my granddaughter, Grace McGoldrick Brewster. What a joy! Merry Christmas to all! Bev
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December/January Calendar
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Thursday, December 24
7:00 p.m.
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Christmas Eve Candlelit Service | |
Friday, December 25
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BLESSED CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
No Bible Study Today
| Sunday, December 27
9:30 a.m 10:30 a.m. | Baptism of Grace McGoldrick Brewster
The Waters of Grace
Coffee and Fellowship - All welcome!
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Thursday, December 31
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SAFE NEW YEAR'S EVE TO ALL!
Choir resumes next week
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Friday, January 1, 2016
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
No Bible Study Today
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Sunday, January 3
9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
4:00 p.m.
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EPIPHANY!
Sacrament of Holy Communion
Coffee and Fellowship - All welcome!
REST cooking for Youth
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Thursday, January 7
7:00 p.m.
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SHPC Singers - New Singers Welcome! | |
Friday, January 8
Noon
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Bible Study | |
Sunday, January 10
9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
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When God is Well Pleased
Coffee and Fellowship - All welcome!
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Thursday, January 14
7:00 p.m.
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SHPC Singers - New Singers Welcome!
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Friday, January 8
Noon
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Bible Study
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Sunday, January 17
9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
11:45 a.m.
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Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. Service Coffee and Fellowship - All Welcome! Let's Talk about Race, Privilege, Power |
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STEWARDSHIP/PLEDGE UPDATE
$1,500 already raised towards
Carolyn's "match"!
Last Sunday, Carolyn Goodman challenged the congregation to forge ahead to our pledge goal by promising
to donate an additional $500 if we raise $5,000 in pledges by January 31, and promising to donate an additional $1,000 if we raise $10,000 by January 31.
$1,500 has already been donated!
This puts us at $115,930 towards our goal for 2016 of $135,000.
THANK YOU, Carolyn!
THANK YOU to all who have pledged so far! Your commitment to the church strengthens us in our ability to do God's work in the world.
If you have any questions about church finance, please contact Finance Elder Peg Maclise at pmaclise@comcast.net.
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 No Bible Study - Dec. 25th/Jan. 1 - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Bible Study Resumes Friday, Jan. 8th at Noon - All Welcome!
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Please Remember in Your Prayers
Christians world-wide who are celebrating the birth of the Christ child with hope for a more just and peaceful world;
All those who are traveling during the holidays - traveling blessings of safety, patience, and human kindness;
Sharon Adams, speedy recovery from surgery;
Betsy Fox, and all the loved ones of Betsy's nephew Evan, especially Evan's mother, father, and brother, for God's comfort in their bereavement;
Jody Schmetz and her family, for God's peace and comfort;
Betty and Wil Swalberg, for God's presence and community support in Betty's transition to Harmony House, and for pain relief for Wil's back;
Kelsey Lopin, for healing and full recovery from complications of Lyme disease, and for her family as they care for her;
Carolyn O'Hara, mother of Laurie, for continued 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;
For our church community, keep us strong in our commitment to the church, and make us hope-bringers to the world.
Please take time this week to pray for those on our list.
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| | Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church received the Spirit of Sustainability Award on October 20, 2015 from the ISFC |
SHPC's Environmental Leadership Featured on front page of Marin IJ!
Our Green Team's next step - to raise funds to put solar panels on the roof of our church - leads off the front page article in last Sunday's Marin Independent Journal about what Marin churches are doing to address climate change. Many thanks to Green Team chair Doug Eisinger and Garden Team chair Patti Vance, and to their teams for making our church environmental leaders! Let them know if you'd like to be part of this great effort!
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Season of Advent and Christmas
Our theme this year is
Where Heaven and Earth Meet,
and we are blessed by the gorgeous and evocative art in the sanctuary created by liturgical artist Margaret Thorp and Worship Elder Jody Schmetz, as well as the Advent wreath created by Merle Ongaro.
Coming up:
CANDLELIT Christmas Eve Service
Thursday, December 24 at 7:00 p.m. -- All welcome!
Sunday, Dec. 27, First Sunday after Christmas, at 9:30 a.m.
Baptism of Grace McGoldrick Brewster
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Christmas Love Pageant a Great Success!
Thank you to Hallie Foster for
the delightful script and original music, to Terrie Carpenter
and Melanie Carpenter Quintana for bringing us Emmie, the Baby Jesus, and to Tom McAfee, for the beautiful photos!
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Christmas Jubilee Shines with Spirit of the Holidays
Thank you to Hallie Foster, emcee, comic, and hand chimes director, to Stephen Iverson, SHPC Singers director, soloist and more,
Michael McCarty on piano, Bill O'Callaghan on drums, the Millar Family, and all our talent, including Jessie Gauna!
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YOUR GENEROUS GIFTS FOR FOSTER
KIDS HAVE BEEN DELIVERED
TO BRIGHTEN THE HOLIDAYS
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL FOR YOUR
PARTICIPATION!
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$33,643 Raised by Riders in 2015 Pedal for Protein
We commend the participants, especially SHPC's own Patty Sanders, for the great successes of this fundraiser. We are grateful also to the congregations of the Presbytery of the Redwoods for meal preparation, providing shelter, as well as genuine hospitality to the riders.
Keep a look out for next year's annual event! Happening Sep. 18-22, 2016; starting from Mendocino and ending in Napa, Rockville area. Read a full summary here to see how the $33,643 raised by our riders, friends and churches in our presbytery was disbursed via grants including Valley Fire Relief. This year's ride had an increase of 30% in revenue.
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Meet Our New Office Admin!
Sophia De Quattro, graduate of Dominican University of California, joined our team this week as Interim Office Administrator/ Communications Associate. We warmly welcome her to the community and look forward to her contributions as the newsletter writer and social media coordinator!
Sophia will generally be in the office Wednesdays and Fridays, 10:30 -4:30.
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Youth Group Reunion with Charles Wei Fun for All!
Note: Youth Group is off January 3 morning, but on for REST cooking 1/3 p.m. by sign up. We're meeting Jan. 17 a.m.
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SIGN UP NOW FOR REST (ROTATING EMERGENCY SHELTER) DIGNITY, SOLIDARITY, HOSPITALITY, FOOD & SHELTER FOR OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS
- Volunteers are needed to cook and serve dinners on Jan 4, and Feb 1, and Feb 9. To sign-up online, please go to: http://bit.ly/RESTprogram
- 7th-12th grade students can sign up online to prepare food (salad on 1/3, cookies on 1/31) at: http://bit.ly/REST-StudentCooks
- NOTE: Our Youth REST cooking Pilot Program is off to a great start and we have more young volunteers than we can accommodate with our limited kitchen. We are looking at ways to grow the program! What a blessing!
With thanks,
Shannon Mong
REST Volunteer Coordinator
FOR MORE INFO ABOUT REST:
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The Membership Nurture Team
would love your clean Mason canning jars to re-load with their special bean soup fixins' which they give to visitors! Please leave them in the marked box in the upstairs office.
--Linda Peltzman, Membership Nurture Elder
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SHPC Book Club Library
Do you have a book you have read that you would like others to read? Or would you like to pick up a book recommended by someone you know? Join the SHPC Book Club Library; lend a book, borrow a book. You can add a book to the library just by adding a "checkout card" so others will see who else has read this book. You can borrow a book just by stopping by and picking one out. We hope you'll want to discuss the book with others. There is no checkout procedure. It's that simple. The Book Club Library is located in "Pastor Bev's MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM."
--Dennis Latta, Family Ministries Elder
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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
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A GIFT OF FRIENDSHIP
PLEASE SIGN UP TO TAKE A WEDNESDAY DINNER TO WIL -
Or bring HIM home and cook together!
Pictured at right, Wil baking cookies in
Nance's kitchen
Wil is spending most afternoons with Betty at Harmony House, so please call him to arrange a time. And bless you!
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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.
DECEMBER: The Deacons
JANUARY: Robin Abu-Aly Parish
FEBRUARY: Nancy/Frankie Parish
MARCH: Patti Eisinger Parish
Sign up now and keep the hospitality going!
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Christmas is here ... what's next?
I'm a firm believer that we are the result of the choices we make. So as we look to a new year and new opportunities in 2016, what choices we consider will influence and determine
who we become and what we do ... next?
One thing I am convinced of, is that our words, our intentions, and our behavior speak volumes to this subject. And at the core of our "next steps" for the new year, is how committed we are to reaching our potential.
Do we fully accept and understand that our happiness is directly related to our commitment to becoming what we were "gifted to be" and "meant to do"?
2 Chronicles 16:9 says "The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts who are fully committed to God."
I Samuel 17:7 reminds us, "For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
And in the words of our Lord, "If you love me keep my commandments." John 14:15.
I want to be happy this year; how about you? I believe that a big part of our happiness is grounded in the joy we feel when we're moving toward our potential. It's a feeling we sense. A momentum we experience.
What's next for me, is to consciously discover and shift toward "who I am meant to be" and "what God desires me to do". I'm not perfect, but I know I am healthier and wiser than I've been in recent years because I am part of an active Church, surrounded by committed believers, and reflecting on the scriptures every week.
So the answer to the question ... "what's next?" ... lies in our ability to make that shift toward who you are meant to be and what you're destined to do. "For eyes have not seen, nor ears heard the things that God has prepared for those who love Him" (I Cor 2:9).
When we are properly focused on who we're meant to be and practice it in God's presence, that's when we become God's masterpieces in motion.
Happy Holidays from your friend,
Paul
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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.
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Tween/Teen Girl Yoga with Lizzy and
Aging Gracefully Yoga Return in January
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"The Real Work Begins Now"
Rev. Rebecca Barnes is Associate for Environmental Ministries of our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and she attended the Paris Climate talks on our behalf. Check out the summary of the negotiations here:
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"Record storms and human-caused disasters stretch Presbyterian Disaster Assistance resources"
Update from the PC(USA) Disaster Assistance:
Disaster mitigation and response are two increasingly important aspects of facilitating a safe and just environment for those affected by both natural and human caused disasters.
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Windham Presbyterian Church in New Hampshire is blanketed by last winter's record snow. -Lavina Miller
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Faith-based organizations have played major roles in aiding destabilized regions, and the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is one leading organization. Yet, as stated in this article, " There are only so many times the church can issue direct appeals, and with disaster layering upon disaster, it is difficult for any of us, however generous, to respond adequately to all of the needs. Still, we are deeply grateful for the continuing faithful support of Presbyterians to disaster response-the suffering of many has been mitigated by our joined efforts." 2015 generated a multitude of issues to address, such as the record rainfall, flooding in Texas and snowfall in South Carolina that has impacted congregations' ability to hold services. Rev. Dr. Laurie Kraus, PDA coordinator, brings light to the issue, saying that the PDA "had to make some extraordinary arrangements because the impact on small, immigrant congregations was huge in the snow-impacted areas."
Human caused disasters are prevalent in the media and occurring more frequently, too. Keep the recent incidences of mass shootings in Charleston, South Carolina, Oregon, the violence in South Sudan, the Syrian refugee crisis and Paris terror attack in your thoughts and prayers and be mindful of those affected.
Check out the full article here:
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Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church
100 Tarry Road
San Anselmo, CA 94960
Sophia De Quattro, Editor
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E-mail us at shpchurch@comcast.net or call us at 415-453-8221
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