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

  Skyland Community Church Annual Congregational Meeting Minutes: February 6, 2022   The meeting began at 11:35 a.m. With twenty-six members present on Zoom, Jan Parker declared a quorum (sixteen are needed). An additional person joined before the first vote, bringing the members present for voting to twenty-seven. The Opening Prayer was led by Rev. Melanie Weiner. Moderator Leslie Meehan read the Cov enan t and declared the Annual Congregational Meeting in session. Gerald Alonzo presented the Treasurer’s Report for July-December 2021. Gerald reported difficulty with transferring money donated for Cambodia to the appropriate Cambodian account. Eventually, the bank took over and made the transfer directly; however, one of the earlier attempts finally succeeded, so the donation was made twice. The two banks are working to resolve this issue. Carolina and Lynn both commented upon concerns for specific line items. Those concerns will be addressed by the Missions Minis...

1st grade Steven Tito Academy-January 2022  Baobob Home, Steven Tito Academy, 2022 updates   Facebook- Baobob Home, Tanzania Website:  TZkids.org   For over 10 years Skyland Church has supported the work of the Baobob Home by contributing tuition for  children at Steven Tito Academy, by buying books and uniforms for the graduates of Steven Tito Academy for secondary school, and by purchasing children's books about  HIV for their  Stronger Together  program.  Currently Skyland Church supports Samira S ( 2 nd  Grade Tuition at Steven Tito Academy) and Maimuna (Secondary School tuition support for books/uniforms and transportation) Terri Place Mwando, the Founder of the Baobob Home, along with her husband Caito started the Baobob Home in 2004. Terri wrote about the Pandemic last summer  " We have been so so fortunate here. We were barely affected by Covid compared to the rest of the world. Our farm is growing strong and the kids ar...

  Blessed are those who trust in the  Lord ,    whose trust is the  Lord . They shall be like a tree planted by water,    sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes,    and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious,    and it does not cease to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8 As I sit in my office preparing for the week, I keep finding myself looking out the window at all the green, the trees, the grass, even a few early blooming plants with bright yellow flowers.  The grass and the flowers will come and go with the seasons, growing up quickly when it rains and going to seed and fading just as quickly.  The trees, though, the trees send roots deep into the earth or across a wide area so that they keep standing tall, year after year, rainy season after rainy season and dry season after dry.  Only the most severe droughts will harm the...

  Note from your Treasurer for first seven months of our ’21-‘22 fiscal year. Pledge income is $5,139 above budget. Offerings are $13,281 above budget. Expenses are $10,752 below budget.   To be sent this week for special Mission projects: $140 to NCNC-UCC Christmas Fund, $ 1,095 Heifer Project International, $ 1,550 Blanket support through Church World Service.   We now have online “Donations” item on our website, “skylandchurch.com”, as a convenient way to support our mission outreach and operations. Thanks to our online giving we have received several donations to support our local Giving Tree program. 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 Jan 31 for our 2021-2022 fiscal year. Gerald Alonzo, Treasurer ___________________________________________________________ Skyland Community Church, United Church of Christ 25100 Skyland Road Los Gat...

  Upcoming Donation Opportunities: In the month of January we will be collecting for three causes: Jan 2 - UCC - The Christmas Fund -   for retired pastors or those with emergency needs. Jan 9 and 16 - Blanket Sunday for the Church World Service Jan 23 and 30 - International Student support for Fiji, Guatemala and Tanzania INTERNATIONAL STUDENT   Education/ Tuition Financial Assistance: For the last weeks of January we will be collecting tuition for young people who are pursuing education on three continents. We have supported some of these countries for more than 10 years! Our members have personal links with these schools and our goal will be to give at least $800 to each continent. Some of our Skyland members "adopt" students individually too. If you have questions, feel free to contact these church members who have personal experience with these countries. Here are the funds we donated to for the 2020 school year. Fiji : (Glenda McCalla/Connie Durant- K...

On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. --Matthew 2:11 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! As we enter the new year, we watch the magi as they come from afar following a star to find and to pay homage to Jesus and to bring him gifts of great value, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. During January we too will have the opportunity to open our eyes to the light shining in and to give gifts to organizations who are working to make the world a better place. We will take special offerings every Sunday in January: January 2: The Christmas Fund January 9: Blanket Sunday January 16: Blanket Sunday January 23: International Students January 30: International Students Please take some time to reflect on the blessings in your life and how you might be able to be a blessing to someone else with a donation to one or more of these funds. Als...

  Endowment Fund Amendment to Bylaws An Endowment Fund is a special category of donated funds that are given in order to provide funds into the future. The donations are made specifically to the endowment fund and the use of the funds are restricted to the organization’s goals. The management and distribution of these funds are restricted by law.    The purpose of the law is to ensure that the funds are invested in lower risk investments and to limit distribution to 4% -- 6% averaged over three years to ensure the funds are available in perpetuity.    In California, the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA) is the current law in affect governing the investments and uses of endowment funds. Skyland Church has had an Endowment Fund since approximately October 1995 when a resolution was passed at a congregational meeting that outlined the uses and restrictions on an endowment fund. The earliest records indicate that the fund was set up in...

  The School Fee Sponsorship Program which supports the children of village families on Kadavu Island, Fiji, has been going strong since 2003. Skyland Community Church has been a constant benefactor over many, many years and your contributions have enabled dozens of children to attend school. One of these students, who has been sponsored since Form 3 (Grade 9) will be graduating from Nursing School this April! Her name is Dilewa, her hobbies are reading and swimming, she has been a top student throughout her schooling, and she is now 21 years old. Her degree will enable her to support her mother and father as they get older, as well as her younger siblings. On behalf of all the village children and their families who have benefitted from your great support, I would like to thank you very much! You have made a big difference in the lives of many people!  Connie Durant, Kadavu Connection Photo of Dilewa: ___________________________________________________________ Skyland Communi...

  Mission Board Holiday updates FOOD PANTRY AND GIVING TREE MERGE! This was our busiest month at the Food Pantry.    Forty- one Skyland Church and community members generously donated over $11,000 and we were able to give holiday financial support to 12 families and 21 young people at Loma Prieta School District and to 80 families who frequent our Food Pantry. Thank you for caring about our mountain community and helping families have food, clothes and toys for Christmas.  So many people had stories to tell about their needs and many are living paycheck to paycheck. We gave gift cards to Target, Safeway, Grocery Outlet and Trader Joes this year and our neighbors were delighted.  In addition to gift cards, this month we were able to give turkeys, pies, stuffing and white and sweet potatoes along with many greens to fill the tables of many families.  Over the holidays we got amazing donations from Second Harvest of Santa Cruz County (...

  Note from your Treasurer for first six months of our ’21-‘22 fiscal year. Pledge income is $3,071 above budget. Offerings are $7,799 above budget. Expenses are $3,282 below budget.   We now have online “Donations” item on our website, “ skylandchurch.com ”, as a convenient way to support our mission outreach and operations. Thanks to our online giving we have received several donations to support our local Giving Tree program. 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 Dec. 30, 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

The Skyland Church Council did not meet in December 2021. Have a Happy New Year, Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All! ___________________________________________________________ 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  

  Skyland Church Council Report from November 15, 2021   The Church Council meeting went smoothly even though the new elevator is not, moving smoothly, that is. There is an issue with the door not closing automatically, it is being addressed with the installation and manufacturer’s team. Final payment is held up until the problems are resolved.   COVID guidelines were discussed. The playing of a flute was approved with the caution that an air cleaner be very nearby. Updating the sanctuary furnace to MERV-13 filtering standards to accommodate extra air filtering was discussed and will be researched by the Trustees.   The Finance Ministry Team will be creating policies and procedures for their work. In the process of coming to understand the unwritten guidelines, they have discovered that certain fiscal guidelines need to be in the Skyland Church Bylaws. That presentation will come before the Congregational Meeting early in 2022 for approval. In addition, as part of do...

The results are in from the Vision and Assessment Team’s first survey regarding what you like and don’t like about the hybrid service and what might make the holiday service special for you and your family. We were very happy with the twenty-two thoughtful responses we received. Thank you all very much.   There was overwhelming approval for the hybrid service. The most common response was “I like having the option of going to the church or attending the service from home.” What most people missed about the hybrid service was the physical connection to those at home.  There were several other suggestions for improvements but none garnered more than one request each. These included: more hymnals for those at home, can’t always hear the announcements, a bigger camera in the sanctuary to see everyone there, more people in the sanctuary, a longer sermon, sermon length was good, more pauses/silence during prayer. Perhaps there are some tweaks that might make things a little bit bet...

  SKYLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH FREE FOOD PANTRY The Food Pantry has been found.  Every day 5-10 families drive up and get that extra "cup or sugar" that their kind neighbors at Skyland Church have been offering over a year on the front porch.  Those items that we can give change every week. The meat, milk, eggs and cheese go most quickly.  We always have enough canned veggies, bread and staples like pasta, cereal and snacks.  Want to donate?  We always need chili, soups with pop tops and baking items like oil, flour, sugar and spices.  Hot drinks are nice to have during the winter too.  We are winter proofed from the wind, rain and critters, but we would love it if an elf showed up and painted those plywood boards and the cabinets with white paint:).  They will come back down when the rains subside.   We have lovely thank you flags that were added by pantry volunteer Jan Parker this week.  Thanks light, thanks water, thanks home, t...