a reflection by David “Berry” West
One of the great ways that I have discovered to commune with the Divine is to take public transit and ride my bicycle. By doing this, I feel that I am honoring God’s creation by respecting our mother earth, not overusing fossil fuels, and sparing the air. An added benefit is that by exercising, I am building God’s temple and strengthening my body.
Read more »
Please join us for a special service on June 7 at 7:15pm at Grace Baptist Church, located at 484 East San Fernando Street (10th and San Fernando). We are considering moving to Grace Baptist, and this service will help us get a feel for what worship there would be like.
We will also have a tour of the Grace Baptist facilities starting at 6:15pm. Please join us to explore the space together.
Grace Baptist has a parking lot, which you can enter off of 10th Street. On evenings and weekends, you can park in any spaces, whether they are marked as “Church,” “Visitor” or “Community Center.” Please click the following link for a map showing Grace Baptist.
Read more »
The California State Supreme Court has upheld Proposition 8. The court has also upheld the marriages of the couples who were married last year, but no new same-sex marriages will be performed in California. This means that there are now three classes of citizens in California: those with full rights, those with limited rights, and those who have had their rights taken away.
Rally: There will be a rally at 6:00pm on Tuesday, May 26 starting from Plaza de Ceasar Chavez downtown (at Market and San Fernando), then marching to San Jose City Hall at 6:30pm. Please join us as we speak our minds and prepare ourselves for for the next steps in working towards equal rights for all people.
Taize Service: We will have a special Taize Service at 7:30pm on Wednesday, May 27 to renew ourselves through prayer and centering music.
Times for Prayer: MCC San Jose will be open for prayer at the following times:
- Noon to 1:00pm on Tuesday, May 26
- Noon to 1:00pm on Wednesday, May 27
- 5:00pm to 7:00pm on Wednesday, May 27
Let your soul guide you, and let your heart be strong! Let us gather as a community to support one another as we continue to bear witness to God’s boundless love.
Many thanks to our Fundraising Team for coordinating MCC San Jose’s Spring 2009 Raffle. Tickets were $20 each with three fabulous prizes:
- First prize: the winner’s choice of either A) a Samsung 40″ Touch of Color™ 1080P LCD HDTV valued at $1,000, or B) $1,000.
- Second prize: a gift basket from Macy’s cosmetics, valued at $200.
- Third prize: a pair of tickets to the FC Gold Pride professional women’s soccer game on Sunday, July 19, 2009, at Buckshaw Stadium at Santa Clara University, valued at $100.
The winning tickets for the raffle were:
Third Prize: FC Gold Prize Tickets went to ticket 015687 (Jerry Enos)
Second Prize: Macy’s Cosmetics gift basket went to ticket 015686 (Bren Haag)
First Prize: $1,000 or a TV went to ticket 015664 (name illegible)
We also did a drawing for an alternate winner. If one of our prizes cannot be awarded, that prize will go to ticket 015729 (Dick Duncan).
Please support our church by helping us sell raffle tickets. You can click on the following link for a complete list of the raffle’s official rules and regulations.
At our annual meeting on June 21, 2009, the congregation unanimously voted to approve a new vision statement for MCC San Jose. This vision is the result of three months of dedicated work by volunteers from our church. Many thanks to everyone who helped us develop this powerful new shared vision for our community!
Read more »
a reflection by Sharon C.
When I was a little girl, I had three best friends. Bobbi and I met in school and were almost instantly inseparable. We even told people we were cousins. I told her lots of things, but some secrets were too hard to share. Those secrets where whispered into the ears of my other best friends: the family cat, Spooky, or the plastic ears of an old model horse I called Sugar.
Sugar had belonged to my mom; her paint was rubbing off and her tail was missing. I saw her through the loving eyes of a lonely child, and thought she was beautiful. Plus, Sugar was never too busy to listen; I could talk to her about anything. Bobbi and the cat sometimes had other plans, but Sugar was always there.
Read more »
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
– Exodus 20:7 (NRSV)
When you’re in the preacher biz, you quickly find that people have a lot of different names that they use to talk about God: Jesus, Lord, Father, Mother, Creator, Redeemer, Higher Power, Comforter, Advocate, Friend… The list goes on and on. I find the rich array of names for the divine to be beautiful, but I’ve never been comfortable with “Jehovah.”
Read more »
Writings | news@mccsj.org | 
June 23, 2009 11:00 am | 
Comments Off on Walking Softly on God’s Good Earth