| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Therefore, since we have so
great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and let us run
with endurance the race that is set before us...
Hebrews 12: 1
|
January 2002
From Nolan
Taking note of things…
Dear Family in Christ,
During the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services I was aware of
doing them for the last time and it was hard. A number of people commented
on this as they came down from the sanctuary making it all the more
touching and difficult. It is beginning to sink in that in a few short
months my life will be different, as will all of our lives here at ECA.
On January 13th, following the 11:00 am service I will preside over my
last Annual Meeting. This is an important meeting for all of us because it
marks the beginning of a true transition for our congregation; the Vestry
that chooses my successor will be formed at that time with new four
members being elected. Elections for the Joint Venture Board and Delegates
to Convention will also take place to help provide leadership for the new
eras in the life of ECA.
2002 promises to be full of challenges for all of us. The early
retirement that the Vestry envisioned would be helpful for Ann holds the
promise of being a healthy one for her, certainly in the short term. And I
see a strong healthy, future for this parish.
I've had the pleasure of watching children grow into maturity here as
I've seen this congregation mature as well over the years. I've proudly
observed people consistently stepping up in the face of all kinds of
trials; employment, financial, health and grief and all the while growing
stronger and stronger spiritually. This was a healthy parish when I
arrived here and it continues to become stronger each year by keeping
focus on being a community of faith that trusts in God's power.
What can we anticipate in the next year?
- Change, it will occur and, while it may be painful, it will be good.
- ECA will persevere as a community that has a healthy self-identity.
- Financial stability will continue in a parish that knows good
stewardship.
- Spiritual growth will mark the journey and keep ECA focused.
- A new rector will discover the joy of serving this special family in
Christ.
- And…Ann and I will continue to love and cherish ECA…always.
Let's get used to the idea of doing "last things" together
over the coming months, celebrating what has been and what is coming. God
is in the midst of all of this and in God it is good.
Happy New Year!
In Christ's love,
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annual Meeting
On Sunday, January 13, we will hold our Annual Meeting. We will have
finger food at 12:15 (after service) and then we will move upstairs to
discuss and vote (as necessary) on the following:
1) Vestry Positions: the Vestry meets the second Tuesday of every
month, plus any additional committee meetings. Confirmed Vestry nominees
are:
Jodie Purcell
Alex Dykes
Elizabeth Ward
Ken McCormick
2) Joint Venture positions: the Joint Venture board meets the first
Tuesday of every month, plus any additional committee meetings. Confirmed
JV nominees:
Betty Consorte
3) Delegates to Convention: the delegates attend the Annual Convention
and deanery meetings.
4) Annual Budget.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thank You
|
|
|
|
|
|
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of
your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
Philippians 1: 3-5
|
|
My Dear Friends at ECA,
This note is to say how thankful I am for the time I was with you. The
love, support, care, and friendship have meant so very much to me. You
walked with me through some difficult times, you rejoiced with me, you
lifted me up in ministry and carried me forth on your prayers. And I thank
you.
You take hospitality, and generosity to new levels. The only ones who
were not welcomed at ECA were those who could not take having you welcome
them in grand numbers and style. And your willingness to give shows forth
in the cooking of turkeys, your faithfulness to Montgomery Meals, your
reaching out and touching each other through food, and time, and care.
The generosity you poured on me as I was launched into ministry was
overwhelming. You prayed for me, you worshipped with me, you celebrated
with me, you gifted me, you filled my pantry, and took the time and great
energy to load me up and send me off to Sacramento.
I will never forget you. And I hope that as you travel I-80 or I-50 to
Reno and Tahoe you may stop in Carmichael to say hi, or just say a prayer
for me as you travel through. You have given me a model of ministry that I
hope to carry with me where ever the Lord leads me.
Please put Saturday February 16, 2002 on your calendars. This is the
date of my Ordination to the Priesthood. It will be here at St. Michael's
at 11:00 in the morning. Bishop Shimpfky will be here to preside at the
service.
My ordinations say a great deal about you; who you are, and what you
stand for. I hope that you will consider coming and celebrating once more
as a parish family, and as part of the family of the Episcopal Church.
My love and wishes for a truly wonderful New Year to you all. May God
continue to shower each of you with his never ending flow of love and
blessings.
In His Service,
Dori Torrey
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Letter from Scotland
Dear all
This comes from bonny Scotland with all the best wishes for a Happy and
Peaceful New Year. We wish this especially for our friends in America who
have had to suffer a particularly appalling year in 2001. May the Good
Lord give you a better year to come. Please pass this message on to anyone
who knows us in Almaden particularly.
With all our love
Gordon and Alison Tams
PS We know we are a bit previous in our greetings but we are 8 hours
ahead of most of you!!
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Musical Notes
|
|
|
|
|
| 
|
|
Soup and Sound
Don't miss the Soup and Sound Organ Recital Series Friday evenings in
January.
6:30 pm Soup and bread supper
in the Fellowship Hall - sign up in the Fellowship Hall.
7:30 pm One-hour Organ recital
Plus: The work of local artists will be on display for browsing before
and after the performances. (check out Julianne's water colors and weaving
on January 25, and Nolan's photography on February 1. On January 18, Ariss
Thomas' students' "wearable art" will be on display.)
Childcare will be provided from 7:00 - 8:45 pm.
January 11 - Margaret Martin Kvamme
Musical Mechanics: Clocks, Toys,
and Locomotives
Organ Music inspired by things that go "whir", "tick"
and "pop".
January 18 - Randall Wurschmidt,
Music Director, West Portal Lutheran Church and School, San
Francisco
An eclectic program of works by Handel, Mendelssohn, Brahms,
and others.
January 25 - Kyoko Kato,
Freelance performer and teacher
German and American music including Julius Reubke's dramatic "Psalm
94".
February 1 - Angela Kraft Cross,
Organist, Congregational Church
of San Mateo
"C'est magnifique!" French music for the King of
Instruments
Suggested Donation for each concert:
$10 General, $5 Students
Invite your friends and neighbors to join us for these and more
AdVentures!
- Margaret Kvamme
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
House
|
|
|
|
|
| 
|
|
Joint Venture Board Update
The Venture Board would like to take this opportunity to wish each and
everyone a Merry Christmas and a Healthy and a Happy New Year!!!
We wish to thank all the Board members for their dedication and true
commitment to our Joint Venture cause. We especially appreciate the
dependable support given by Stan Yumen, Sandy Baldwin, Hilda Turner from
UCC and Robb Moore and Marilyn Wendt from ECA for two strong years. Thank
You.
New members will be appointed to the Board and we welcome them for the
coming years.
Some concerns
1) If you need a key to enter the church because of your responsible
position please contact Julianne or Nolan and make sure that you are
completely aware of how to open and close the alarm. They will give you
accurate instructions on how to do it properly.
2) Professional Cleaning service usually start their work about 10:30
pm and work 3-4 hrs finishing by 1-2 am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
nights. If you are in the building while they are working, they will set
the alarm and shut all the doors before they leave.
However, if you enter the church and leave the church before they
arrive you must take the responsibility and set the alarm before you leave
and shut the door tight. We are trying very hard to eliminate errors, so
it is extremely important that as we enter the church, as you open the
door to go right to the box and use your code to shut the alarm off as you
enter. When you leave you must be certain that all the doors are shut and
then proceed to the box and set the alarm on using your code and quickly
exit through the front door after you made certain that the door is locked
properly.
Paying attention to details is extremely important to prevent false
alarms. If the alarm goes off the alarm company calls one of our members
to investigate, and if they cannot be reached and police are notified it
will cost us up to 250,00 dollars regardless of whether the crime is
committed or not. And the poor person loses his sleep at 1-2-3 in the am.
We need the alarm system to keep the vandals out but we must try very hard
to avoid false alarms.
So please shut all the doors properly and use your code to set the
alarm as you prepare to leave and exit quickly out the front door and make
sure it is closed tight. Unfortunately the alarm goes off too often due to
some errors so we must make every effort to prevent it from happening.
Thank you for your attention.
3) The Facility Committee of the JVB is trying very hard to keep the
facility functional and appealing. It takes a lot of time and effort to
fix problems as they arise, but if we can get more people involved and
committed, it makes the work so much easier to handle and get it done. We
all know the cost of calling a plumber, electrician, and ventilation man!
It is prohibitive!!!
We must be fiscally responsible and we must keep our budget at a
reasonable level but still try to keep our church a clean and respectful
place of worship, one that we all enjoy. So lets all support our church by
volunteering in any way that you can help. Remember, what little time you
can give will go a long way towards making your "Church" look
and function better.
Have a great holiday season!!!
Shalom and thanks,
JOINT VENTURE BOARD
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Calendar update
The JV calendar should be up to date through April. Check and make
sure your dates are correct. Please fill out the forms next to the
calendar to add or change a date. I don't mind getting calls to check a
date, but the form lets me have a record of the requests in case I need to
refer back to them.
Again, I appreciate the cooperation I have received from everyone.
Thank You,
Amy Griffith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shine
|
|
|
|
|
|
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved
children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave
Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
Ephesians 5:1-2
|
|
Wow!
We were busy during the Christmas season and although final figures
will not be available until March, the following update suggests all
projects were richly supported. I will publish final results in March;
however I wanted to give you a taste of how we did in December.
Alternative Christmas -
This project, a UCC/ECA Joint Venture effort has thus far, as of
12/16101, earned approximately $4,900 00 With one exception, I do not have
specific information on donations, but the projects include:
Sacred Heart Community Services
African Team Ministry
Santa Maria Mission
Habitat for Humanity
Heifer Project
The Giving Tree (Innvision)
Karen Haley has received 25 new blankets and 6 used blankets. This
includes blankets she has purchased with Rinds received from UCC/ECA
members. Karen seeks out sales so she can get the biggest bang" for
the donated buck. We are fortunate to have the talent and energy Karen
brings to the project.
I started out by saying "WOW"! I do believe the generosity
exhibited by our membership is outstanding -WOW!
Habitat for Humanity -
The next HFH Aluminum Can Drive is scheduled for January 12 and 13.
Save those cans!
The Christmas Fund - This church wide mission held 12/9,
earned $309 for the retired ministers' fund.
Friends Outside - Carolyn Dingman reports that 14 boxes of
food and gifts were collected for three families. Excellent work Carolyn!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
God Squad
On January 10 at 9:30 am there will be a reorganizing meeting at the
Rectory. Please join us for breakfast. This meeting is for anyone who
would enjoy incorporating new people into our daily lives.
Potluck and Bible Study
On Wednesday, January 9, Potluck and Bible Study will resume. Join us
at the Rectory in reading and discussing the Screwtape Letters. Potluck is
at 6:30 pm, Bible study is at 7:30 pm.
Save the Date
Ladies, mark this date on your calendar: Saturday, March 16. It's
Women's Day. This fun day of interesting workshops and lunch begins at
8:30 am. Let's carpool to Salinas.
Dori's Ordination
On Saturday, February 16, Dori will be ordained at her church in
Carmichael. Let's be there to support her final step into the priesthood.
Other dates:
Tuesday, Feb. 12 Pancake Supper
Wednesday, Feb. 13 Ash Wednesday
Thursday, March 28 Maundy Thursday
Friday, March 29 Good Friday
Sunday, March 31 Easter
May 17, 18 & 19 Church camping
weekend at Big Sur
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bunko
This fun event happens the on the first Thursday night of each month.
If you missed us on January 3, be there on February 7 at 7:30 pm for lots
of fun.
Ladies Luncheon
On Thursday, January 17 at 11:30 am will be a Ladies Potluck (Salad)
Luncheon at the Rectory. This is a sign up sheet on the bulletin board in
Fellowship Hall. Please bring a small salad to share.
CPC Sunday
Sunday, February 10 is the Church Periodical Club Sunday. Save your
pennies and bring them to church on this Sunday. This is an Episcopal
Church Women project and Pat Fox is in charge of CPC for our Diocese of El
Camino Real. The pennies we collect are used for books for people around
the world and they will be donated at a special service at Women's Day in
Salinas on Saturday, March 16.
AVUCC Women's Group
Book Group
The Book Group now meets the third
Thursday of the month at 7:30 pm at Robyn Dorsey's house, 1452 Kew
Gardens
Book Selections are as follows. Please join us.
January17: Reservation Blues
by Therman Alexir
February 21: Chocolat
by Joanne Harris
March 21: To Be Announced
April 18: Bonesetters Daughters
|
|
|
|
|
