Friday, March 15 • noon-2pm Buckham Room Our program this month will feature CCSM’s own Chris Yeh on violin, ably assisted by violist Marty Lee and Amy Brooks on cello. Remember to bring your own sandwich/salad; beverages and dessert are provided. A brief business meeting will follow and we will then adjourn to the sanctuary for the special musical program. … Read More
Spiritual Conversations
Mondays, February 25-April 15 • 7:00-8:30pm • Upstairs library The discussion group Spiritual Conversations will read 8 Habits of Love: Open Your Heart, Open Your Mind by Rev. Ed Bacon, the book Penny will use for her Lenten sermons. Retired rector and author Rev. Bacon describes different kinds of love: generosity, stillness, truth, candor, play, forgiveness, and community, and suggests … Read More
March 31 – Council of Ministries and Ministry Fair
Everyone, whether a Newcomer or a “seasoned” member of our community, is encouraged to attend the Council gatherings, which are inspirational as well as practical, as we engage in fellowship, visioning, planning, and caring for one another. As a preface to the Council meeting, during Coffee Hour on March 31 we will offer a Ministry Fair in Kloss Hall. Each … Read More
Second Hour: March 24 – Progressive Christians Read the Bible (Part 3)
Penny Nixon • This session will look at the Gospels as Memory, Metaphor and Method. As progressive Christians, we do not take the Bible literally. So how do we read them? What role does historicity play in our contemporary interpretation? We will practice with a hands-on “bible study” incorporating the scholarship presented. Join us after worship at 11:45am in the … Read More
Second Hour: March 17 – Progressive Christians Read the Bible (Part 2)
Jorge Perry Bautista • Any time you take something out of context—a word, an event, a person—you misunderstand it. Part of progressive Christianity is to understand the historical Jesus; therefore we have to situate him in his own world, the world of first-century Palestinian Judaism. In this session we will consider Jesus’ context by giving a brief outline of the … Read More
Second Hour: March 10 – Melia Zimmerman
One Love CCSM Senior Higher Melia Zimmerman • Melia is a volunteer for One Love, an organization seeking to educate young people about healthy and unhealthy relationships and galvanizing them as leaders of change. Join Melia on March 10 as she presents short videos about healthy relationships and leads a discussion on the ten warning signs of unhealthy relationships and … Read More
Second Hour: March 3 – Rev. Jim Mitulski
This Is Our Story, This Is OUR Song Rev. Jim Mitulski • Churches continue to debate whether LGBT people should be allowed in the pulpit, and even in the pews, but gay people have always been present in the hymn books! Join us for an hour of song and lecture about queer hymnody—the writers, poets, composers, musicians who have enriched … Read More
Upcoming Second Hour Sundays
Second Hour Sundays Join us after worship on the following Sundays for discussions and topics to engage your heart, mind and soul. March 3 This Is Our Story, This Is OUR Song Rev. Jim Mitulski • Churches continue to debate whether LGBT people should be allowed in the pulpit, and even in the pews, but gay people have always been … Read More
Stay Connected! Sign up for Penny’s Midweek Connections email
Each week, Penny sends out an email with a brief thought-provoking reflection, poem, or quote, as well as what is most current in the life of the church — upcoming events, speakers, teaching series, etc. You don’t want to miss it. If you’re not already signed up for Connections, please go to our news sign-up page and fill out the … Read More
Camp Caz Registration Now Open
Already our kids are signing up for Camp Caz—join the adventure! Current kindergarteners through second graders can go to Caz July 5-7. Then it’s time for current sixth through eleventh graders to go, from July 7-13 (two separate camps during the same week at the same location). And finally July 21-27, current third through fifth graders can go to Junior … Read More
Pancakes for Dinner on Shrove Tuesday!
Shrove Tuesday, March 5, 6:00-7:30pm • Kloss Hall Before you give up anything for Lent, come enjoy Mardi Gras crafts and music, as well as the pancakes, sausage, fruit and more. The youth will help with this CYF-sponsored event—flipping pancakes and serving you. (They are practicing to be helpful at home!). Come join us!
Coming of Age Retreat
Parents, please put March 22-23 on your calendars. This month on their third annual Coming of Age retreat, our middle school youth will explore what it means to grow up. Along with studying Bible heroes’ adolescent experiences (most of which didn’t turn out so well), the youth also search for their personal mountain top experience. The first year they climbed Mount … Read More
Our Lenten Theme: InHABITing Love
Our Lenten theme this year is Inhabiting Love, based on the book by Ed Bacon, The 8 Habits of Love. When I proposed this idea at the Council of Ministries, people enthusiastically signed on to going deeper into love. Perhaps one of the most important questions I can ask myself is, “To what extent is my life loving?” For me, … Read More
InHABITing Love
Sunday Celebrations in Lent March 10 – April 14 “Is My Life Loving?” preaching by Penny Nixon except for 3/24 by Jorge Perry Bautista March 10: The Habit of Stillness: Loving to Hold Still. Baptism • Communion [daylight savings!] March 17: The Habit of Generosity: Give Until it Feels Good! March 24: The Habit of Becoming a People: Beloved Community. … Read More
Second Hour: PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANS READ THE BIBLE: PART 1
Sunday, February 24, 11:45am Using the scholarship of progressive Christian theologian Marcus Borg, part 1 of this series will look at the Gospels as Memory and Testimony. How should we read the gospels as 21st century Christians? This session will include a hands-on “bible study” as well as an introduction to the background of the gospels, our primary source of … Read More