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

  A Special Note from Rev. Melanie                                            When Rev. Stephen Glauz-Todrank retired from Skyland in June 2018, it was important for both him and the congregation to spend some time apart.  This gave Rev. Stephen time to settle into retirement and the congregation time to figure out who the congregation is without Rev. Stephen as your pastor.  It gave you and Rev. Kevin space to do the work of interim ministry and ReVision, and it gave us time to settle in together as pastor and congregation.   Now that we are settled in together and solidly working together in ministry, it is time to welcome Rev. Stephen and Rev. Carolyn's presence in the community.  Let's remember that Rev. Stephen is happily retired and we honor his retirement by not calling on him for pastoral needs, but reaching out to him as you would any belov...

  Dear ones, we have a public health crisis in our nation.  No, it isn't the one you are thinking of, though that is a crisis as well.  The one I am writing to you about is the racial disparities in our country and the effects those have on the health and well-being of People of Color.  The UCC has developed a course that explores the causes of these disparities from the point of view of hope grounded in the present and looking toward the future.   The course consists of 25 online lessons and a one-hour discussion session every other week.  This is a free offering, and you may engage it in whatever depth you are able.  In fact the lessons encourage you to pick and choose which sections you will use, and the live discussions are not mandatory.   I hope that you will join me in this experience!  We cannot be healthy as a nation until we all have access to healthy living. To join the course, here is what to do: Register for the free co...

  Lift Update On Aug 10 Santa Cruz County inspected the lift and it  is fully approved for operation and is also currently in need of minor corrections and repairs which do not affect safety or function. Many thanks to Lou who led the effort for the Lift Project. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +  A new longer redwood handrail was installed going to lower Whitaker Hall. The square edges were sanded making it a more comfortable to grip.  The other shorter redwood handrail was also sanded. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + As always, if you see any facilities issue that needs to be addressed, please send a note to the Trustees team at  trustees@skylandchurch.com . ___________________________________________________________ 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...

  "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:18-19 English Standard Version) As we come around to fall, we once again come to a time of new beginnings.  Though fewer of us traveled this summer and when we did most of us didn't go as far as we once would, fall is traditionally a time to come home, a time to return to routine. Some of our families are doing just that, with children and teens returning to school after 17 months at home.   Some of our congregation are returning to church in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings while others continue to participate from home in a new format.  Remember when we used to talk about returning to "normal?"  What we have learned from this pandemic that we had not yet learned from fires and hurricanes and earthquakes is that we aren't returning...

Little Food Pantry Hunger isn’t limited to the developing world, or to poor parts of the United States. Hunger is in every county in every state across the country. And it’s in our county, which boasts substantial wealth and grows much of the state’s fresh produce. 1 in 5 people in Santa Cruz County face the threat of hunger. And for children the risk is even higher: 1 in 4. According to Second Harvest in Santa Cruz who supports our pantry "going hungry is about more than empty stomachs and hunger pangs. People forced to skip meals also miss out on the nutrients their bodies need–adults can’t perform their jobs well and children can’t concentrate in school. And scarce resources mean the food they can afford is often high in calories and low in nutrition–such diets are behind the dramatic rise in obesity and related chronic diseases like diabetes, which are further harming low-income families and individuals, taxing the health care system, and raising the cost of health care for ev...

  Note from your Treasurer for first 2 months of our ’21-‘22 fiscal year. Pledge income is $507 above budget. Offerings are $1858 above budget due to special estate gift from previous member.   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 Aug 29 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

  Council meeting notes August 16, 2021:  Moderator Leslie Meehan brought the meeting to order at 8:30 am. Opening prayer was led by Rev. Melanie Weiner. Our Behavioral Covenant was read by Randy.   Minutes of the July 26 th and July 30th meetings were read silently. Randy and Patricia to do some editing as guided by the Council with noted corrections, to be brought to the September Council meeting.   Treasurer’s report:  Gerald Alonzo reported that income for July was above the budget as a result of some early donations and an unexpected bequest. The report was approved unanimously.   Old Business:   Rev. Melanie reported that continuing audio/video improvements and revisions have improved both in-person and Zoom worship experiences, while reducing the need for constant monitoring. She thanked especially Anne Evans for her many hours, expertise and patience, as well as strong support from Al  Feuerbach , John Conkle, and Brian Wood for...

  ___________________________________________________________ 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

    Note from your Treasurer for first month of our ’21-‘22 fiscal year. Pledge income is $627 above budget. Offerings are $37 below budget.   We now have online “Donate” 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 July 27 for our 2021-2022 fiscal year. Gerald Alonzo, Treasurer  

  Council meeting notes July 26, 2021: Moderator Leslie Meehan brought the meeting to order at 8:35 am. Opening prayer was led by Rev. Melanie Weiner. Our Behavioral Covenant was read by Leslie. Minutes of the June meeting were read silently and approved unanimously.   Treasurer’s report:   Gerald Alonzo reported that income for June of pledges and a bit of the carryover will be adequate to cover June 2021. He and Anne Evans expressed some frustrations with trying to create a “new” fiscal year in QuickBooks. They will find a way. The report was approved unanimously.   Old Business: There was no old business.   New Business: The issues covered in the Minister’s News are covered as separate items below.   Vision and Assessment Ministry Team-- A Vision and Assessment Ministry Team was authorized in the revision of the Skyland Community Church Bylaws proposed and passed at the Annual Congregational Meeting on February 14, 2021. This team’s responsibility is b...

Message from Rev. Melanie "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."                                     --Jesus (according to Matthew 18:20) In this last month we have begun on-site worship at the church!  It has been particularly moving to have our choir sing, and it has been a blessing to me to preach to a "live audience" from which I receive real feedback in the moment.  This took a lot of planning and a lot of work, but it was lovely to come together and we are able to accommodate people in person and on Zoom.  There was a learning curve, but people have been understanding and we are all learning together.  On July 25, we moved into the sanctuary while also maintaining a Zoom presence.  This eased the load for a lot of people who did amazing, yet exhausting, work setting up and putting away all that we needed.  It also removed th...

This month as we face the pandemic and its new after effects with the Delta variant, our food pantry is even more important.   Can you help by donating 1-2 hours a week?   We need more volunteers.   Please reach out to Shannon Edwards,  Food Pantry coordinator:  408- 234-2710.  ( shannonedwards14@gmail.com ) Here are some facts from Feeding America.   Hunger in America Millions of children and families living in America face hunger and  food insecurity  every day. Due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic,  more than 42 million people may experience food insecurity  including a potential 13 million children. The pandemic has  most impacted  families that were already facing hunger or one paycheck away from facing hunger. According to the USDA's latest  Household Food Insecurity in the United States  report, more than 35 million people in the United States experienced hunger in 2019. ...

  The Finance Team added a new member, Jackie Seymour and a consultant, Terrie Landini to our team in June. In late June the Finance team met and agreed upon a process to make recommendations as to the management, use and investment of our monies for the benefit of our Skyland Church community. We divided into two sub-groups to research opportunities and to develop rules and policies as well as recommendations for the use of the monies. We will keep in mind the history of the Milberry fund and the Endowment. One sub-group is tasked with research on the Milberry Fund and Endowment Investments. The other sub-group is researching opportunities for the Board Designated Reserves. The Finance Team will include ESG filters (Environmental, Social, Governance) while researching the investment opportunities. On August 8 the subgroups will return to the Finance Team with their research and make recommendations for establishing policies and general investment criteria which will then be ...

  Harvest Festival 2021 and Re-Vision at Skyland Church During the Skyland Church Council meeting of July 26, the decision was made to cancel Harvest Festival for 2021. Council members all spoke to their love for the event and about concerns for the rising COVID-19 infections locally. (Not known until Wednesday, the 28 th , was a super spreader music event in Felton with just over 200 people present that sickened the entire band and several attendees, so far. Local health authorities are seeking participants who are displaying even minor symptoms.) The community and our church’s love for Harvest Festival is deep and abiding. Each of the event’s different aspects were spoken of with fondness and a strong hope of continuing in future years. As the discussion continued, folks began to include events that had happened as part of our Re-Visioning community outreach and involvement projects. Then, lightbulbs of ideas began to shine upon the Women’s Soothing Series, the Community Shar...