Summer 2007
Congregational Community Church of Sunnyvale * 408-739-3285 * conglchurch@earthlink.net 1112 Bernardo Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 *

Welcome to Rome
Caput mundi (capital of the world)
Città Eterna (Eternal City)
on September 8, 2007!

Seal of the City of Rome
(picture from wikipedia.org)

Our fall festival this year will be about Rome.
Did you know that Rome sports the highest number of cities named after it in the rest of the world?
There are 44 "Romes" on the planet (most of them in North America). -
For the afternoon of Sept. 8, for our fall festival, we will name our Shephard Hall “Rome” as well!

"Tutte le strade portano a Roma"
(All roads lead to Rome)

That all roads lead to Rome has been said originally in honor of the effective Roman road system starting with the Via Appia...

Via Appia
(picture from wikipedia.org)

Our Pastor Gen has also found her way to Rome - one important part of her many sabbatical journeys...
She has returned last week - safely, and glowing and beaming!
While she was still preparing for her trip, it became apparent just how many other members of our church family have been to Rome at one point in their lives.
And for good reasons, since Rome is special in many ways.

Rome wasn't built in a day

Though this expression is a call for patience, of course, it is also very literally true. Rome’s architecture reflects her long, changeful history.

St. Peter’s square in the early morning
(picture from wikipedia.org)

In the history of Christianity Rome has played a major role.
We don’t know exactly how the first Christian community formed in Rome, but they must have had a certain significance, or else Paul would not have bothered to write his letter to the Romans the way he did. According to the tradition both Peter and Paul were martyred here in the first century. And that tradition, coupled with the political importance of the city accounted for Rome to become the preeminent Christian city for centuries and centuries to come.
The bishop of Rome, later known as the Pope, claimed primacy over all bishops and therefore all Christians on the basis that he is the successor of Peter, upon whom Jesus built his Church.
There were persecutions initially, but by the early 4th century, Christianity had become so widespread that it was legalized in 313 by Emperor Constantine I, and later made official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 by Emperor Theodosius I, allowing it to spread further and further through the empire and beyond.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire in 476 the popes assumed more and more civil authority. So with Rome being the center of the Catholic Church and the capital city of the Papal states consequently a great number of churches, convents and other religious buildings were erected in the city, sometimes above the ruins of older pre-Christian sites of worship.
And since Rome as one of few major European cities escaped World War II relatively unscathed much remains well preserved and is still to be seen. Central Rome features an ample range of Renaissance and Baroque buildings and the historic center has been declared World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do!

This proverb, I have learned, stems from the different traditions in which Easter was celebrated - differently in Rome than elsewhere, apparently.
To us I want it to mean: let’s find out about Rome, so we can do as the Romans do for our fall festival!
So, over the summer, be researching about customs and games in ancient Rome, Roman food, think if we could maybe dress in togas, look for your Rome pictures and guidebooks... Just find out about anything to make our fall festival more fun and more ‘Romanic’.

Looking forward to celebrating with you in fall, I wish you all a wonderful, blessed summer!

Blessings,
Pastor Ina

Our ANNUAL MEETING is this Sunday, June 3!
(approximately from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.)
Following Worship we will first have a
“RECOGNITION LUNCH”
(sponsored by our
Worship & Community board).

The agenda items for the meeting are:
Looking back on the past year: highlights on slides
Looking ahead: where do we want to go?
Presentation by Foster: A beautiful space in our sanctuary
Presentation by Ingo: How can we be a green church?
Proposed budget for the fiscal year 2007 - 2008
Voting on church officers and board members

From June 22 to 26 our UCC celebrates its 50th anniversary during
General Synod
at Hartford, Ct.
Pastor Gen
will be there, too.

Let us think
in prayer
of all our UCC folks
gathered
to discuss
and celebrate
and worship!





RUMMAGE SALE, JUNE 16TH

PLEASE HELP OUR CHURCH “GO GREEN”:

- COME AND FIND YOUR TREASURES!

- SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT OUR SALE IN YOUR CIRCLES

and, beforehand,

DONATE
GOODS AND TIME

Drop off Donations:
Sundays after service & Mondays 6-8 PM
Pickup Service:
Call Barton's work at 408-481-4522 any time of day!

Calls going out to volunteers
to begin sale preparation work this week!

More Volunteers Needed: Sign-up in Shephard Hall for:

Merchandise - work with Sue sorting and pricing, making things sellable, etc.

Facilities - work with Barton on sales floor plans, obtaining equipment, etc.

Publicity - work with Ted & Risa distributing "sale" flyers to businesses, etc.

Food - work with Darryl to plan food for sale, purchase beverages, etc.

Spread the word! Recycle by donating to the rummage sale! Help us fill our pot of gold by volunteering your time to raise the money we need so our Church can "go GREEN"!!!

Marilyn Martinyak,
Chief “Leprechaun” of the rummage sale

mmartinyak@yahoo.com
408-996-3788

RUMMAGE SALE JUNE 16TH
- DONATIONS WELCOME

What to donate Examples What not to donate

Clothes For men, women, children No intimate
& babies apparel

Jewelry Necklaces, earrings, bracelets,
rings, tie clips, pins, and so forth

Toys Lego, board games, blocks, dolls,
for all ages puzzles, bikes, stuffed animals,
action figures, and much more

Furniture Bed frames, tables, chairs, desks,
lamps, dressers, night stands,
couches, office furniture, cabinets, No
high chairs, and more mattresses

Furnishings Knickknacks, picture frames,
and waste baskets, framed pictures,
household book ends, Rubbermaid, clocks, No paint or
goods and much more similar stuff

Linens Bedding, towels, blankets,
comforters, placemats, mattress
pads, and more

Books Paper backs, kids books, hard cover No magazines

Kitchen items Utensils, silverware, dishes, pots
and pans, bowls, Tupperware, No large
small appliances, and more appliances

Yard and Shovel, hoe, rake, pruning shears, No sprayers/
garden tools weed wacker, spreaders, grill / tools insecticides
and more

Tools Screw driver, wrench, drill, hand saw No
(hand and jig saw, file, hammer, drill bits, automotive
power) tape measure and much more parts or stuff

Electronics Less than 5 years old: TV, radio, No cell phone,
CD / DVD player, stereo, VCR and more computer,printer
or similar items

Entertainment CDs, DVDs, books on CD, No tapes
old records

Wandering Around
an Albuquerque
Airport Terminal
by Naomi Shihab Nye
(received from Kate Wolfe-Jenson)

After learning my flight was detained four hours, I heard the announcement:
If anyone in the vicinity of gate 4-A understands any Arabic, please come to the gate immediately.

Well -- one pauses these days. Gate 4-A was my own gate. I went there.
An older woman in full traditional Palestinian dress, just like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing loudly.

Help, said the flight service person. Talk to her. What is her problem? We told her the flight was going to be four hours late and she did this.

I put my arm around her and spoke to her haltingly. Shu dow-a, shu- biduck habibti, stani stani schway, min fadlick, Sho bit se-wee?

The minute she heard any words she knew -- however poorly used - she stopped crying.

She thought our flight had been canceled entirely. She needed to be in El Paso for some major medical treatment the following day. I said no, no, we're fine, you'll get there, just late.

Who is picking you up? Let's call him and tell him. We called her son and I spoke with him in English. I told him I would stay with his mother till we got on the plane and would ride next to her -- Southwest.

She talked to him. Then we called her other sons just for the fun of it.

Then we called my dad and he and she spoke for a while in Arabic and found out of course they had ten shared friends.

Then I thought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian poets I know and let them chat with her. This all took up about two hours.

She was laughing a lot by then. Telling about her life. Answering questions.

She had pulled a sack of homemade mamool cookies -- little powdered sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates and nuts -- out of her bag and was offering them to all the women at the gate.

To my amazement, not a single woman declined one. It was like a sacrament. The traveler from Argentina, the traveler from California, the lovely woman from Laredo -- we were all covered with the same powdered sugar. And smiling. There is no better cookie.

And then the airline broke out the free beverages from huge coolers -- nonalcoholic -- and the two little girls for our flight, one African American, one Mexican American, ran around serving us all apple


juice and lemonade and they were covered with powdered sugar too.

And I noticed my new best friend -- by now we were holding hands -- had a potted plant poking out of her bag, some medicinal thing, with green furry leaves. Such an old country traveling tradition. Always carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere.

And I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and thought, this is the world I want to live in. The shared world.

Not a single person in this gate -- once the crying of confusion stopped -- has seemed apprehensive about any other person.

They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women too.

This can still happen anywhere.

Not everything is lost.

***
If you are traveling this summer
- be it as far as the Tiber
or as close as Stevens Creek -
please be sure to bring home
some water for our
“Gathering of the Waters” ceremony
on Recovenanting Sunday
in September!

Pentecost Sunday,
May 27, 2007
Confirmation of
Patricia Berber

Growing in Faith...
This is the bible verse Patricia chose to remind her of her confirmation and to accompany her through life:

You shall go out
in joy,
and be let back
in peace;
the mountains
and the hills
before you
shall burst
into song,
and all the trees
of the field
shall clap their hands.

Isaiah 55:12

PRE-SCHOOL NEWS

HELLO FROM COMMUNITY PRE-SCHOOL!

Community Pre-School received two awards from the Mayor of Sunnyvale: The Best Child Care/Pre-School in Sunnyvale and Room 7 received the Best Teachers Award. This is a great honor; I credit this award to the dedicated teachers and having a program that represents Quality Child Care. The two plaques are hanging up in the office for all to see.

The week of May 21st to 25th was Teacher Appreciation Week. Many of the parents coordinated events that took place during the week. Children brought flowers and thank you notes to their teachers, and then the teachers were treated to a luncheon hosted by the Community Pre-School Parents. It was great to see the children beaming as they brought their teachers flowers for the classroom.
The Part Time Pre-School Classes end on June 15. Summer School classes will begin on June 26. Parents have three sessions to choose from, each lasting three weeks. The classes have planned special events each session for the children and families to participate in. During session one we will have an All School Picnic out on the front lawn, followed by a Beach Day and an Ice Cream Social the last day of our summer session.
The children and teachers have enjoyed going to Chapel this School Year. Ina Bork has done a fine job of taking over the Chapel classes while Pastor Gen is on sabbatical. Chapel Sunday will be June 10. The children from Chapel class will be able to participate in this Service.
The last day of Summer Session will be August 24. New fall classes will begin September 4th. The school will be closed from August 27 to September 3. The teachers will have an In-Service-Day on August 27 to clean their classrooms and get them ready for fall classes. On August 29th the school and church will be tented for termites.
In keeping with the importance of improving our Planet, the school has applied to PG&E for a program called CPEEP. This program will show us how to become more energy efficient.
I hope you have a pleasant and safe summer.

Barbara Steinmetz (Director)

***
Come join
our little choir!

All abilities welcome
- just drop in!

Choir practice is
every Thursday night at 7:45 p.m.
and on Sunday mornings
at 9:30 a.m. before Worship

(Last choir practice before summer break: July 19
first choir practice after summer break: August 30)


***

A Thank You Note
from Mavis Smith
(received May 10th)

Thank you for the lovely Easter Lily and especially for the visit with Pastor Gen and her lovely daughter.
Henry came too and chose to practice “driving the car” while we ladies took tea. Boy child for sure!
Will plant the lily when weather settles down.
Love,
Mavis

Looking Ahead
- Please mark your calendars!

Tenting of the Preschool Building
to eradicate dry wood termites
Aug. 29 through Sept. 1, 2007



***
“Recovenanting Weekend”
September 8 and 9, 2007

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

Saturday, September 8:
from 3:00 p.m. arrival, put up tents
4:00-6:30 p.m. fall festival "ROME"
including potluck dinner
from 6:30 p.m. camp fire with camp songs,
s'mores and more
later in the evening: games for grown-ups

Sunday, September 9:
from 8:00 - 9:30 p.m. open breakfast,
taking down of tents
10:30 Worship Service with
Gathering of the Waters and
Start of Sunday school,
followed by ice cream social

***

Communicator Deadline

Deadline for the September 2007 edition of our Communicator is August 24, 2007. We accept submissions of texts, photos & graphics at our office, 1112 S. Bernardo Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 or via e-mail (conglchurch@earthlink.net).
Office hours: Wednesdays 1:00 - 4:30 pm
Thursdays & Fridays 9:30 am - 2:30 pm

Gabriel’s Trumpet
10:30 a.m. for Sunday Worship Service and Sunday School
Children’s Sunday School begins after “Children’s Time” with the Pastor
11:30 a.m. – Fellowship (approximate time)
Chapel for Preschoolers Friday mornings 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Come join us!
(on summer break after June 8)

Worship & Fellowship

Every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
(nursery & childcare provided)

Bible Study, Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. (on summer break after July 12)
Choir Rehearsal, Thursdays at 7:45 p.m. (on summer break from July 26 - Aug. 23)