This Week at CCLA - February 21, 2019

Upcoming Events

NEW Monthly Yoga Class - STARTS SATURDAY
Starting on Saturday, February 23, 10:30-11:45 a.m., we will be delighted to offer a monthly Sacred Heart Yoga Class meeting every fourth Saturday of the month in the Chapel (additional classes on March 23, April 27 and May 25 through the Spring). Sacred Heart Yoga combines heart-centered spoken prayer with gentle stretching movements and provides a pathway to inner peace, wisdom, divine guidance, wholeness, and an ever-deepening connection to God within. This form of yoga embodies the original Aramaic Lord's Prayer of Jesus and is often considered less physically demanding than hatha or vinyasa yoga, with which many people are more familiar. The class will be led by Joan Loney, a certified Sacred Heart Yoga Instructor and friend of the parish. A $15 suggested donation will be welcome but don't let that keep you from coming to the class. Bring a yoga mat and wear light comfortable clothing that allows for freedom of movement (we'll have some extra mats on hand if you don't have your own). A blanket and/or cushion are optional. All are welcome!

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner

The annual "Fat Tuesday" parish supper of pancakes with all the fixings, frittatas, sausages (and of course, Mimosas for the adults) is set for 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5. Everyone is invited as we indulge a bit before the official start of the penitential season of Lent! Mardi Gras attire is welcome. Please join us in the Parish Hall for food, fun and fellowship - Mardi Gras mask making and face painting for kids! RSVPs are not required, but it would be helpful in planning for the event (RSVP here). Also, we are in need of a few more helpers for table/chair setup (20-30 minutes), and for clean up (20-30 minutes). Contact parishioner Suzette Hedley (978-473-9369 or sbhedley@comcast.net) if you can help. We are excited to see you there!

Ash Wednesday

It's hard to believe that Lent is nearly upon us! Lent offers a time of reflection and self-examination in anticipation of the dawning joy of Easter. The 40-day season begins on Ash Wednesday, March 6, with the imposition of ashes, a somber reminder of our mortality, and Eucharist at 6:00 p.m. in the Church. If you are unable to attend services that evening, we welcome you to get your "Ashes to Go" from Rev. Claire, 12:00-1:00 p.m. in downtown Los Altos outside the Starbucks at the corner of Main Street and Second Street.

Still I Rise: A Program for International Women's Day

The next offering in our Living Harmony: Arts at Christ Episcopal Church concert series will be on Saturday, March 9 at 4:00 p.m. Celebrate international Women's Day in song and story with the uplifting and virtuosic voices of Convivium. Inspired by Maya Angelou's beloved poem "Still I Rise," the program weaves together music by some of today's leading female composers with poetry by women of color. The music includes Melissa Dunphy's powerful reflection on the immigrant experience, American DREAMers; Anna Thorvaldsdottir's stunning setting of an old Icelandic psalm; and works by Meredith Monk, Rosephanye Powell, Elizabeth Alexander, and Ysaÿe M. Barnwell.

Cantabile Youth Singers' Northern Lights Gala Concert
As many of you may be aware, we have begun a relationship with the Cantabile Youth Singers of Silicon Valley. They are using our parish hall for rehearsals on Monday and Thursday evenings, and Eric Tuan, our music director, has composed a piece for them which they will premiere at an upcoming choral convention. Cantabile will be holding its annual Gala Concert, Dinner and Fundraising Auction on Saturday, March 9, at 6:00 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

CSA Empty Bowls Soup Supper XXVIII
Homelessness affects many people in our community. Empty Bowls Soup Supper provides a unique and cost-effective opportunity for us to help. O

n Sunday, March 10, Community Services Agency (CSA) will be hosting the 2019 Empty Bowls Soup Supper. Join us for soup, salad, cake and beverage and take home an original handcrafted ceramic bowl! This popular community event will be held at the Central Seventh Day Adventist Church, 1425 Springer Road, Mountain View. New this year, there will be two seatings, 3:00-4:30 p.m. and 5:00-6:30 p.m. Early bird ticket rates through February 28 (prices increase $5 on March 1): $25 for seniors; $35 adults and teens 12+; $10 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased here. Funds raised benefit CSA’s Homeless Prevention Services Program.

Dust Thou Art: A Lenten Study on Living and Dying Well
At the heart of our Ash Wednesday liturgy is the imposition of ashes, when a priest smudges our foreheads with soot in the sign of the cross saying, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." It is a reminder of our mortality, our fragility, and our finiteness as creatures of the earth and the Spirit. It is commonly held that the root of all our fears and anxieties is the primary, primal fear of death, and yet throughout the season of Lent Christians intentionally remind ourselves of our ultimate end and tell and retell the story of Jesus' own life, death, and resurrection. As an Easter people, a people of hope, what does our faith tell us about death and dying? What did Jesus teach about eternal life? What does our tradition tell us about living well when "in the midst of life we are in death"? Join us Wednesday evenings during Lent (March 13-April 10) for an illuminating and inspiring discussion of ultimate ends and new beginnings, deaths and rebirths, and the promise of new life in Christ. The series will be led by our own Rev. Claire as well as three of our affiliate clergy: The Rev. John Buenz, The Rev. Julie Nelson, and The Rev. Kacei Conyers. We will begin each evening with a soup supper at 5:30 p.m. and will conclude with a simply liturgy just after 7 p.m. All are welcome!

Lent Fellowship Event: Dessert and a Movie

It seems that giving up chocolate, or sweets, has become a common Lenten discipline. But what if chocolate made all the difference in a Lenten season? Come and see the story unfold in the 2000 film Chocolat, as an expert chocolatier opens a Chocolaterie in an uptight small French village just as Lent begins. Watch what happens in the village between the beginning of Lent and Easter; can chocolate be transformative? Bring a dessert, bottle of wine, or non-alcoholic drink to share, and join us on Saturday, March 30, at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Screening of the movie Chocolat will start at 7:30 p.m. Chocolat is rated PG-13 for a scene of sensuality and some violence.

Ventana Annual Spring Social & Auction
Enjoy a festive evening celebrating, and raising funds for, our parish school Ventana. This annual

event is a great opportunity for parishioners to get to know Ventana staff and parents, and includes a silent auction, a live auction, a hosted bar and dinner. The Auction Committee is looking for live auction and raffle items - do you have access to a vacation home, tickets to sports or theatre events, access to hotels or airlines tickets, services or one of a kind experiences, connection to a winery, restaurant, golf course, or event? If you have an idea, or item, for the live auction or raffle, please contact Ventana parent Layla Holveck (layla.holveck@gmail.com). Join us on Saturday, April 6, at 5:00 p.m. for a great event in support of our amazing school! Tickets: Early Bird tickets ($115) are now available here. Early Bird Ticket sales close on March 3 at 10:00 p.m.

Announcements
Next Week at Christ Church (see the full church calendar here)

Office Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. Friday, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon Rev. Claire will be out on vacation through February 27.
Monday, 9:15 a.m. Yoga in the Church Narthex
Monday, 4:45 p.m. Cantabile Youth Singers Rehearsal in Star Room and Parish Hall
Monday, 8:00 p.m. AA Men’s Group in the Chapel
Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. Boy Scout Troop 30 Court of Honor in the Parish Hall
Thursday, 4:30 p.m. Cantabile Youth Singers Rehearsal in Church, Star Room and Parish Hall
Thursday, 7:00 p.m. AA Meditation Group in the Chapel
Thursday, 7:15 p.m. Choir Rehearsal in the Church
Saturday, 7:00 p.m. AA Meditation Group in the Fireside Room

Pastoral Care while Rev. Claire is away will be provided by The Rev. John Buenz. You can contact Deanne in the office during office hours (650-948-2151), or Rev. John directly at 408-343-0655.

Missed Church Last Sunday? You can get the 10:15 a.m. service bulletin here, and watch and/or read the sermon here.

Cultural Exchange with English Girls' Choir - Seeking Host Families!
In April, our Living Harmony Concert Series will be welcoming a girls' choir from England (St Catharine's College, Cambridge) to sing a service of choral Evensong at Christ Church. We are hoping to offer them homestays for one night with members of our community. It's a wonderful opportunity not only to show our appreciation for their music, but to enjoy a cultural exchange - not to mention those beautiful and varied British accents! Would you be willing to host a pair of English choristers (ages 8-15) for the night of Saturday, April 13? The schedule would be:

Attend the choir's Evensong at 4:00 p.m. and pick up your choristers afterwards
Feed them dinner and host them overnight.
Feed them breakfast and drop them off in the church's upper parking lot by 8:15 a.m. on Sunday, April 14.

If this would be of interest to you, please contact our director of music, Eric Tuan (eric@ccla.us), by the end of February. We are looking for eight homestay families between the Christ Church and Ventana School communities.

Annual Gathering Table Conversations
About ten minutes of the Annual Gathering was devoted to some structured table conversation with vestry members and other volunteers taking notes. We've assembled those comments and the cards themselves are posted on the bulletin board in the Parish Hall lobby. Each week for the next several weeks we also will be sharing the responses to one of the four questions asked. If these conversations sparked other ideas please feel free to reach out to Rev. Claire or another member of the vestry - we would love to hear from you! If you missed the annual gathering, there are blank cards posted on the Parish Hall lobby bulletin board where you can feel free to add your thoughts.

At both the General and Diocesan Conventions last year, the Church affirmed our commitment to the three pillars of what our Presiding Bishop calls "the Jesus Movement," namely: Evangelism, Racial Reconciliation, and Care of Creation. How might we grow in these pillars this year?

Low key evangelism through church and community events (Festival of LIghts); other community schools
Evangelism - be more like Michael Curry - find more ways to broadcast out events outside the parish
Racial Reconciliation and Creation Care could fall under a joint church/school Social Justice Committee's umbrella, bringing school and parish more closely together
Find ways to be even more the voice of the Church in the public square
More involvement in the larger community
Advertise in papers, post notices in town about special events and music
Encourage parishioners to be more welcoming to event visitors (especially our diverse community of many nationalities and races) and to those attending Sunday services as "shoppers"
We are all called to do this, don't leave it to the clergy.

Parish Event Clean Up Help
If you know teenagers who may be interested in making a little extra money helping clean up and wash dishes after parish events, please contact Deanne in the office (office@ccla.us). We will pay $15/hour.

Helping Spread the Word about Christ Church Events
If you would be willing to post/distribute flyers about Christ Church Events to stores on bulletin boards (stores, Starbucks, etc.), please contact Deanne in the office (office@ccla.us).

Give a Ride/Need a Ride to Sunday Services

The Vestry is aware that we have parishioners who are not able to get here for Sunday services on their own. If you would be able to provide Sunday rides, or know someone who needs a ride, please contact Deanne in the office (office@ccla.us).

Announcements Next Week at Christ Church (see the full church calendar here)

Announcements
Next Week at Christ Church (see the full church calendar here)