Skyland Community Church, United Church of Christ, Santa Cruz Mountains, CA

  Mountain Jam Returns! Mountain Jam returns on  August 20th  to the  Gazebo playfield  so save the date!  Since 2013, Mountain Jam is a free family musical festival and picnic that benefits the Loma and CT music programs. There’s lots to see and do including hands on musical instruments for young children and teens, games, arts and crafts displays and great food.  The climbing wall and jumper is a favorite.  Of course, Mountain Jam brings together top bands from the area for your entertainment.  Bring your furry friend and enter the “Dogs are Welcome” contest.  See all the details at:   www.SantaCruzMountainJam.org      If you or your kids would like to  volunteer with any of the many fun activities  the day of the event, or if you have sponsorship or auction item ideas, please contact us:   www.SantaCruzMountainJam.org/contact   For the 3 rd  consecutive Mountain Jam, Skyland Community Church contributes in several ways remaining a valued partner for the success of this e

Mission Board updates- July 2022 SUMMER IS HERE! June has been the month of summer travel and new volunteers. Thanks to Mountain Neighbors Helping Neighbors asking and thanks to our wonderful core of 30 volunteers, we have trained over 25 new community volunteers to help us at the Skyland Food Pantry.  Many are families and it has been great to have the assistance of all the young people come weekly with their parents.   What a great help they are and the smiles on their faces as they do the work is invigorating!   A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE FLEXING THEIR SCHEDULES AND TEACHING OUR NEW FAMILIES TO HELP SKYLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH!  Our clients are using the pantry and food is being taken daily to the homes of those in need.  A BIG THANKS to Everett Farms which has been added to our food distribution system as some suppliers are taking breaks and the supply has been inconsistent.  We had lovely new greens and strawberries to add to the refrigerators last week!  A

  Minutes of the Council Meeting on June 19, 2022 Attendees : Reverend Melanie, Reverend Patricia, Anne Evans, Jan Parker, Shannon Edwards, Gerald Alonzo, John Conkle, John Heyes Members not in attendance : Jackie Seymour Call to Order : John C. opened the meeting at 12:35 p.m. Opening Prayer : given by Reverend Melanie Behavioral Covenant : read by John H. Review and Approval of Minutes : Gerald moved to approve the minutes, and Jan seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously. Treasurer’s Report: Gerald clarified some salient points: ·        The trustees’ annual payment of $7,000 to the Earthquake Fund brings the total to $55,200. ·        So far in fiscal year 2021-22, the Endowment Fund has grown by $3,486.72. ·        The Endowment Fund and the Memorial Fund are ESG products: “ portfolios of equities and/or bonds for which environmental, social, and governance factors have been integrated into the investment process” (“ESG Funds,” robeco.com). ·        The cost of p

  Note from your Treasurer for our total ’21-‘22 fiscal year, preliminary data as of June 28. Pledge income is $1,810 below budget. $1,300 deficiency is due to death of one member and departure of another member. Offerings are $17,662 above budget. Expenses are $1,225 less than budget.   We now have online “Donations” item on our website, “skylandchurch.com”, as a convenient way to support our mission outreach and operations. You may also mail your pledge and other donations to Skyland Community Church P.O. Box 245 Los Gatos, CA 95031-0245   Here is a summary of our operating finances as of June. 28 for our 2021-2022 fiscal year. Gerald Alonzo,  Treasurer ___________________________________________________________ Skyland Community Church, United Church of Christ 25100 Skyland Road Los Gatos, CA 95033 phone: 408-353-1310 USPS mail: Skyland Church P.O. Box 245 Los Gatos, CA 95031-0245 Website   skylandchurch.com

  Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.  For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help.  --Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Last night I went to a meeting of Summit area community leaders.  This was an opportunity to hear from and speak to our county supervisors from Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties and even more than that an opportunity to meet people doing community work around the area.   This reminds me of what I value serving Skyland Church, that we are part of a community, part of something larger than who turns up how often on Sunday mornings.  We serve our community and we are served by our community.  Our ministries, especially the Skyland Food Pantry and Fire Safe County Roads, are deeply invested in building resiliency and relationships with our neighbors. As we continue, I hope, to come out from under the restrictions that have kept us safe from Covid-19, I hope that we will reb