Second Sunday Sing-A-Long

A bit of alliteration with the sibilant “s” to help you to remember to come to church ten (10) minutes arlier (9:50 a.m.) on the second Sunday of each month to enjoy a few minutes of informal singing with the choir and our wonderful music director Esther Archer.

So many hymns were suggested for our recent hymn sing that we sang 20 and still had more than 40 favorites to go, so we decided to add some congregational singing to our monthly schedule. For ten minutes before worship is scheduled to begin we will sing a favorite hymn and share a few highlights of its history and then learn a new
hymn or tune. The choir has agreed to help. With their strong voices we will be able to pick up the tunes and sing with more confidence. Our first Second Sunday Sing-A-Long will be on September 12, please come and join the fun.

__________________________________________________________________

Lovers of Ambiguity Read the Gospels on Sunday mornings at 9 a.m.

In the “Epilogue” of her recent book Reading Jesus: A Writer’s Encounter with the Gospels (2009, Pantheon Books), Mary Gordon writes: “I am committed to the questions, unsusceptible to final answers.”

Community Church of Mill Valley has always attracted people who are more comfortable with the questions than with final answers. Unlike Fundamentalists who seek certitude as in the assertion from 1892 that the Bible is the “inspired Word, as it came from God” and “is without error,” we see the Scriptures as a conversation starter, where questions of faith, love, ethics, and purpose arise, attachments are acknowledged, and texts are sometimes rejected as “wrong.” We read the Bible to stimulate our religious imaginations, to struggle with some “unbearable” questions that make us uneasy, to plumb mysteries that instead of resolving often grow, to contemplate beauty, meet death, ponder God, and discover new, intriguing questions.

Nowhere in the Gospels is this way of reading the Bible more exciting and frustrating than in reading the parables of Jesus and wrestling with some of the better known gospel stories. If you enjoy a challenge and don’t mind ambiguity, join the discussion at nine (9:00 a.m.) on Sunday mornings in Tamalpais Hall. Regular attendance in NOT expected; come when you can.

• September 12: Luke 15:1-10: Parables of Lost Sheep & Lost Coin
• September 19: Luke 16:1-13: Parable of the Dishonest Steward
• September 26: Luke 16:19-31: Parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus
• October 3: Luke 17:5-10: Words on “Faith” & Parable of the Dutiful Servant
• October 10: Luke 17:11-19: Story of Healing of 10 Lepers & 1 Who Returns
• October 17: Luke 18:1-8: Parable of the Widow & the Judge
• October 24: Luke 18:9-14: Parable of Pharisee & Publican at Prayer
• October 31: Luke 19:1-10: Story of Zacchaeus

___________________________________________________________________________________

Triple C September 22
SAVE THE DATE

Triple C will meet on September 22, the fourth Wednesday of the month. We are fortunate to have Zebiya Rigby, a native of Uganda, talk to us about her country.

Zebiya became acquainted with our church through Jo Ann Haseltine and Keneth Kiyija, the young student our congregation is supporting in his mission “Hope for African Children’s Ministries.” Zebiya received a B.A. degree from Makere University in the capital Kampala, the same university from which Keneth is about to graduate. Zebiya also has a Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of London, UK. She has taught in both Uganda and England and was a publications officer in Tanzania. Her family then came to Philadelphia where she gave classes and workshops in Ugandan culture and African crafts. She now lives with her daughter in Belvedere and is a member of St. Stephen’s Church. She says she “likes sharing my experiences growing up in rural areas of Africa.”

Another big treat will be a delicious lunch prepared by our own Aaron Young, the church Facility Operations
Manager, who takes good care of us and always does such a wonderful job of setting up and taking down the tables and chairs for us.

We will also have a book exchange – so bring a book you have finished and pick-up one that interests you.

Lunch is at noon, followed by Zebiya’s presentation. All are invited. Guests are especially welcomed. Cost for lunch is $6.00 at the door. Please RSVP by September 19, to Judy Reneau, 388- 6810, for lunch and/or a ride from The Redwoods. - Harriet Kostic, Co-president with Betsy Bikle

____________________________________________________________________________________

Hope for African Children Ministries—Uganda
Monthly Ministry Report
July 2010

In the month of July we received several visitors in the village. The first group was a group of students from the USA, followed by two others who were also American students. Activities included the teaching of dental hygiene, playing sports and games, participating in music and dance and Centre Day, and an assessment of HACM work in the village including school visits, home visits, and making a donation towards the construction of Kabonera Community Church.

The first group of 11 students and 2 Ugandans was lead by Joan Gass a friend of HACM from Yale University. They visited the village to assess the work of HACM in Masaka and learn how different projects are tackled in our organization. They visited some of the children’s families, the community water well, and talked to the children.

The second group which visited the village was two students from USA, Jared and Rafa. They visited HACM for 6 days to help us and to assess our work in the village. They also got involved in HACM activities at two community schools where, under the umbrella of another organization, they gave out Vitamin D to 800 children age 4-14 years.
They also were involved in Centre Day activities including sports and games, teaching dental hygiene, talking to HACM children, and making home visits.

Let me offer my sincere thanks to all the people who visited HACM this month. Thank you for the wonderful heart you showed to us and all the people in the village. We really appreciate the time you spent in the village visiting and working with HACM.

Let me send my thanks to all the people supporting the work we are doing in Masaka. Without you we couldn’t manage to do such work to the vulnerable communities here.

I would like to encourage anyone who would like to help to write a check to Community Church of Mill Valley with the notation: Hope for African Children Ministries (HACM) and mail it to:

Community Church of Mill Valley
8 Olive Street, Mill Valley, CA 94941 USA





Thank you very much for your wonderful support.

Yours faithfully,
- Kiyija Keneth

more pictures :













____________________________________________________________________________________

Join the Choir

“Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to God in your hearts” (Ephesians 5:19).

• Do you love to sing?
• Do you especially love to sing with other music lovers?
• Is making music one of those things that makes life worth living for you?
• Do you enjoy learning new music and singing old favorites?
• Does singing with a supportive community and great teacher appeal to you?

Our all-volunteer choir is a committed group of singers of all ages and singing abilities. Some read music with ease, others can not. Some have sung in choirs all their lives, others are singing in a choir for the very first time.

If you think you might enjoy singing in the choir,you may:

• Come to choir practice on Sunday, Sept. 12, at 8:30 a.m. (Rehearsal is held in the Sanctuary
before worship.)

• Contact Esther Archer, our Music Director, at estarch@yahoo.com or 510-832-0816. Choir rehearsal is at 8:30 a.m. every Sunday and on the first and third Sundays of the month for one hour after worship.

__________________________________________________________________________

August/September Birthdays

Happy Birthday everyone!
August 9 Lucille Wulbern
September 3 Jean Rhodes
September 4 John Kazan
September 9 Keneth Kiyija
September 14 Bob Larsen
September 17 Carolyn Myers
September 26 Bob Harmon
September 29 Nicole Benoit

__________________________________________________________________________

Mike Webber, Preacher September 5

Following the tradition of inviting a member of the congregation to preach on faith and work on the Sunday before Labor Day, we are delighted that Mike Webber has accepted our invitation and will preach on September 5th. The title of his sermon— taken from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland—is: “It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.”

Mike was born in Wales and currently works at the University of San Francisco where he is Associate Vice Provost and Professor of Sociology. He is married to Laura, has two stepdaughters (Ale and Andrea) and a grandson, Cristopher. He has worked in Welsh horticulture and English heavy industry prior to becoming a teacher and has both a personal, spiritual and academic interest in work, labor and unions. Don’t miss hearing Mike on Sunday morning, September 5, at the ten o’clock service.

____________________________________________________________________________________