• Worship:  8:00 a.m. Spoken Eucharist and 10:15 a.m. Choral Eucharist in the Church; Creative Holy Play for preschool through pre-teen during the 10:15 a.m. service. Lessons can be found here. 
• Choir Rehearsal:  9:00 a.m. in the Church
• The Forum:  9:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room. This week we continue with the Great Course, The Spiritual Brain: Science and Religious Experience, exploring "Reality and Beyond." This is the last video in the series. See below for what's coming next to the Forum!
• Youth Group:  meets after the 10:15 a.m. service.
• Coffee Hour:  in the Parish Hall following the 10:15 service
• Vestry Meeting:  12:00 p.m. in the Conference Room
• Convivium Rehearsal:  5:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall

New Member Welcome Reception - Sunday
Bob and Kris Stanfield will be hosting a welcome reception for those new to the parish this Sunday, May 19, at 5:00 p.m. If you consider yourself new, or newer, to Christ Church, and have not received an invitation, please contact Deanne in the office (office@ccla.us, 650-948-2151). This will be an opportunity to get to know other newcomers as well as some long standing members. Rev. Claire and members of the vestry will also be attending. We hope you can make it!

Schola Cantorum Presents Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem
Several members of Christ Church's choir are also members of Schola Cantorum, a Silicon Valley choral arts organization. The final concert of the season will be on Friday, May 24, 8:00 p.m. at Stanford Memorial Church (free admission). Join them as they celebrate and commemorate the culmination of Gregory Wait’s thirty-year tenure with Schola Cantorum with a performance of the magnificent Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem. Brahms’s Requiem focuses on the living — A German Requiem has for many music enthusiasts become an anthem for our time, with grand social and political reverberations. Yet, for Brahms, this work was deeply personal, with the composer himself selecting appropriate texts from the German-language Bible, emphasizing transition from suffering and mourning to comfort. 

What's Next in the Forum?
For the last few months we've enjoyed a wonderful Great Course and some lively conversation each week at our Sunday morning Forum. We will be wrapping up this series on Sunday with the final video in the course. Starting on Sunday, May 26, we'll move on to a four-week Book Study of Being Disciples: Essentials of the Christian Life by former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. Last fall we read his Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer, and many people expressed how helpful and meaningful they found it. Being Disciples is the next book in a series of three slim volumes which focus on the essential practices, beliefs, and disciplines of our faith. Ten copies of the book have been donated by a parishioner and are available in the parish office, first come, first served. Get your copy today! We'll explore the book together per the below outline, but even if you aren't able to read this in advance you're very welcome to join the conversation.  

• May 26: Introduction and Chapter 1
• June 2: Chapter 2
• June 9: Chapters 3 and 4
• June 16: Chapters 5 and 6

Memorial Day Sing-Along
Join us on Sunday, May 26, in the parish hall after the 10:15 a.m. service for a sing-along of armed forces songs in honor of Memorial Day. Director of Music Eric Tuan and members of the Christ Church choir will guide the singing, and lyric sheets will be provided on each table.

Women's Group Potluck
Many women have expressed an interest in hearing Mark Bailey speak about Artificial Intelligence (AI) as he did to the Men’s Group on May 7. Bring a friend and dish to share, and join us on Tuesday, May 28, 6:00 p.m., at the home of Alice Larse (119 N. Avalon Drive, Los Altos) to hear Mark speak. All are welcome!

Ventana Graduation
Ventana’s 5^th Grade Graduation Ceremony will be on Thursday, June 6, at 9:00 a.m. Parishioners are invited to attend and celebrate these amazing students as they move on to Middle School!
 
Viva Handel! Convivium and the Stanford Baroque Soloists
Stanford Memorial Church, Stanford University
On Thursday, June 6, at 7:30 p.m., Christ Church's Living Harmony concert series offer Viva Handel! The chamber choir Convivium, under the direction of Eric Tuan, joins forces with the Stanford Baroque Soloists, directed by Anthony Martin, in a performance of G.F. Handel's Foundling Hospital Anthem. This moving late work - Handel's final piece of English church music - closes with a rousing reprise of the ever-popular "Hallelujah Chorus" from Messiah.

End of Year BBQ
Join us for the Christ Church and Ventana School end of year/beginning of summer celebration BBQ on Friday, June 7, 4:30 p.m. on the Lower Lawn (grilled food will be available starting at 5:00 p.m.). The Parish will grill hamburgers, hot dogs, as well as a vegetarian option, and provide set up, all the condiments and paper goods. Ventana families will be bringing side dishes and desserts, and the school’s parent organization, VePA, will provide drinks and clean-up support. This event is a great way for our larger community to kick off the summer.

Pentecost Celebration
It’s time to celebrate the birthday of the Church! On Sunday, June 9, in honor of Pentecost, we will celebrate with birthday cakes and balloons during Coffee Hour after the 10:15 a.m. service.  Please consider bringing a cake representing one of the months of the year and, if you are able, let Patti White know what month you would like (pattipwhite@gmail.com).

Organ Recital: Ethan Haman
The final offering of this season's Living Harmony concert series will be on Sunday, June 23, at 4:00 p.m. in the church. Join us for a varied recital of organ works ranging from the Baroque era to the present by Ethan Haman, who served as organist at Christ Church from 2011 to 2015. Haman has played numerous full organ recitals in the San Francisco Bay Area, Salinas, Los Angeles, Reno, and Harvard University, as well as shared concerts in several notable venues such as San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall, Stanford University’s Memorial Church, Notre Dame d’Auteuil in Paris, Christ Church Cathedral in Montréal, and Los Angeles’ Union Station. Haman recently graduated from the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, where he received joint degrees in pipe organ performance and composition as a Presidential Scholar. In the fall of 2019 he will begin graduate studies in organ performance at Yale University's Institute of Sacred Music.