CHURCH EVENTS

The Spire

February Issue of The Spire (pdf)

If you would prefer to receive a paper copy of the Spire, you may either pick one up at the church or ask Oleta to mail you one. If you would like to be added to the list of those who regularly receive their SPIRE by mail, please submit your request to Oleta, including your name and current mailing address.

Please note that due to programming restraints and responsibilities, the submission deadline for the monthly SPIRE is the Friday BEFORE the last Friday of each month. Last minute materials will not be included. Thank you for your cooperation.

office hours

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS:

• Monday-Friday, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

ADULT FORUM

Adult Forum meets in the Parlor on Sundays after worship.

• March 7: Celtic Spirituality III – Linda Pickens-Jones, presenter
• March 14: Celtic Spirituality IV – Linda Pickens-Jones, presenter

ADULT BIBLE STUDY

Adult Bible Study meets in the Parlor, Tuesday mornings at 10:30 am. We will be studying the lectionary texts for the following Sunday. Everyone is welcome to join us for this lively exploration of biblical texts.

CHOIR REHEARSAL

Choir Rehearsal is on Thursdays at 7:30 pm in the Parlor. If you would like to sing or know of singers who have been a part of our music program in the past, please ask them to come along and join in song.

CHURCH COUNCIL
PLANNING RETREAT

The Church Council will meet on Friday, March 5, from 9:30 am to noon in the Parlor.

SENIOR CHATs

Senior Chat is drawing more Juniors, also, as our topics apply to all ages. We are each part of a web of relationships, and sometimes the Chat issue is important for us to know about on behalf of ourselves, or sometimes on behalf of our family members of various ages.  Anyone in the Palo Alto community is invited to join us in the Fireside Room of Covenant Presbyterian Church, 670 E. Meadow Drive, on the second and fourth Fridays of each month 10:00- 11:30 am.   We have refreshments, good conversation, light exercises, and a stimulating presentation each time we meet.   No RSVP is necessary.   

For information call Rev. Dona Smith-Powers 650-494- 3093

TAIZE SERVICE

A worship time in the Taize style will take place Friday evening, March 12 in the church sanctuary, led by Dona Smith- Powers and friends.

MEN’S BREAKFAST

Every first and third Wednesday, (March 17) 8:00 AM, at Dinah’s Poolside Restaurant, 4261 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. All the men from our church family are welcome.

Family Fun Nights
begin March 19

Beginning on Friday, March 19, the Outreach Task Force will sponsor evening gatherings for the whole family on the 3rd Friday of each month. The evening begins with a potluck dinner at 6:00 pm, followed by an interactive evening program at 7:00 pm. The theme for March is "Game Night." See more details here.

March mission offering

The March special mission offering will go to America for Christ. This year’s theme is With Willing Hands: Connect. Care. Celebrate. This offering supports Christ-centered ministries across the United States and Puerto Rico. The funds are used in areas of Caring Ministries & Prophetic Justice such as Children in Poverty, Neighborhood Action Programs, Chaplaincy Programs and Volunteer Ministries; Discipleship & Transformation such as Partnerships with ABCUSA Colleges and Seminaries, Student Campus Ministries and National Youth Conferences; Evangelism & New Church Planting; and Intercultural Ministries such as Intercultural (Multiracial) Seminars and Workshops, Refugee Resettlement Initiatives, Immigration Concerns and Advocacy and Gender and Cultural Conferences for Church Leaders. A portion of the offering also goes to our Evergreen Region.

Our goal for this offering is $1200.

FEBRUARY MISSION OFFERING

The funds donated in February will be split between Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy of Santa Clara County (C.I.C.) and Friends Outside.

To date we have received $545 towards our goal of $600.00.

New Books!

We are building our library of children’s books! Two of the newest are a children’s picture book Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea and a young adult reader book based on Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson. These books provide an excellent access for young people to understanding the work of Mortenson, whose newest book Stones Into Schools was just reviewed in the Adult Forum. There are also two new picture books about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of which is his “I have a dream” speech, with each page illustrated by different award-winning artists, I Have A Dream, by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. The second is Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport and Bryan Collier. Some are already checked out, but will be found in the library on the Children’s Ministry shelf

haiti relief

There is no better way to give for Haiti following the earthquake than through American Baptist channels that come with ready response and low overhead. We received $245 last Sunday and will continue to collect your desperately needed dollars as long as you are moved to give. See the flyer with information on Haitian relief.

Haiti is a mission emphasis of our Evergreen Region. Now the need for their efforts is greater than ever.

We have collected $924 for Haitian earthquake relief in addition to the 25 hygiene kits completed by our children and sent through Church World Service. (The total cost for the kits was $240. We have also received $165 toward the expense of the kits. If you would like to contribute to that expense, please let one of the pastors know or mark your contribution specifically for that purpose.)

 

AMERICAN BAPTIST NEWS

Check the latest news updates from our wider American Baptist family at the ABC/USA website.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

 

Council of churches
general assembly

The Annual General Assembly of the Council of Churches of Santa Clara County will be held 1:30 to 4:30 pm, Sunday, March 14, 2010, at Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1550 Meridian Avenue, San Jose. The theme is Growing Inequality in the Silicon Valley: Where are "the disappeared" people? (92,000 who lost their jobs? 5,400 families who lost their homes?)

The program will include light lunch, worship led by Eileen Altman from 1st Congregational, Palo Alto, a symposium featuring Ken Yeager, President, Board of Supervisors of Santa Clara County, Kim Nalesh, Chief Strategist, City of San Jose and Rev. Rebecca Kuiken, Director, Interfaith Council on Economic Justice and an address entitled, “Replacing the Prison System with a Justice System” by Gerald Uelmen, former dean of the Santa Clara University Law School. You won’t want to miss this important opportunity to consider the quality of life in our county and to meet with others in the Christian community.

in hope of peace

A Quaker Meeting has been called for 2:00 pm, Sunday, March 21, 2010, at Lytton Plaza, 202 University at Emerson, Palo Alto. In Hope of Peace is a witness for peace co-sponsored by MultiFaith Voices for Peace and Justice and Palo Alto Friends Meeting.

interfaith volunteers Needed

The Spiritual Care Service at Stanford Hospital and Clinics has a great need for Interfaith Volunteers to visit with patients and families. These volunteers will be given 8 training sessions – 5 classroom sessions and 3 mentoring sessions - each lasting 2 hours. Once training is complete, the volunteers should be willing and able to commit 2 hours a week for at least a year. The next training starts February 22, 2010.

In addition there also volunteer opportunities in the No One Dies Alone Program and the Advanced Directive Preparedness Program. Please call (650) 723-5101 for an application. More information on the church bulletin board.

Peninsula Peace
and Justice Center

If you would like to know more about programs relating to peace and justice issues locally, you may sign for a mailing list at: ppjc@peaceandjustice.org.

Mission Prayer Call

You may join a mailing list to receive a weekly prayer call for missionaries which is available at: GlobalPrayerCall.

UNITED CAMPUS CHRISTIAN MINISTRY (UCCM)

One of the goals of UCCM at Stanford for the coming year is to strengthen the UCCM Board in terms of numbers, skills, and diversity. If you are interested in becoming a member of the UCCM Board, please contact Lynn Hunwick who is completing his term this year.

LIBRARY HOME CONNECTION

is a service of the Palo Alto City Library that provides a visit and delivery of materials to people who cannot get to the library because of an extended illness or long-term disability. The Library is seeking two things – individuals who could use this service, and individuals who would like to volunteer. For more information contact: Anita Delaney, Volunteer and Connection Coordinator, (650) 617-3100 ext. 3215 or anita.delaney@cityofpaloalto.org