SUNDAY, January 10, 2009
8:00 am: Holy Eucharist, Chapel
10:00 am: Holy Eucharist , Chapel, and Sunday School, Rooms 2, 3, 4 & 5. Childcare:
Nursery Care and Child Care will be provided in Room 1
11:45 am: An Introduction to the Episcopal Church, Room 5
11:45 am: Holistic Health Meeting, Room 1
11:45 am: Outreach Committee Meeting, Room 2
11:45 am: Youth Group, Father Jay’s Office
THIS WEEK
Monday, January 11th at 12:45pm: Bible Study on Luke, Narthex
Tuesday, January 12th at 7:30pm: Sea Breeze School Board Meeting, Parish Hall
Thursday, January 14th at 7:30pm: Men’s Group Dinner, Jim Neubert’s Home
Thursday, January 14th at 7:30pm: Choir Rehearsal, Chapel
Saturday, January 16th at 9:00am: Fellowship Committee Meeting, Parish Hall
Saturday, January 16th at 9:00am: Deanery Meeting, Trinity Episcopal Church, Menlo
Park
ST. AMBROSE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please pick up your 2010 pledge envelopes: The 2010 pledge envelopes are here,
please pick up your envelopes in the Narthex. If you have not made a pledge, and would
like to use envelopes for your contributions, please call Wendy at the church office or
speak with Father Ota.
Men’s Group: A newly formed group, this is a chance to spend some time, spiritual or
recreational, with other men from the Church. It is led by Troy Ryder, and is starting this
coming January 14th, a Thursday evening. The first one is being hosted by Jim Neubert
at his home at 854 Lurline Drive, Foster City at 7:30pm with dinner being provided. It is
not determined if we will be spiritual or recreational yet. We will keep you in suspense.
The main idea is that we have time to get to know each other better, get to know each
other’s backgrounds and spiritual roots, and also to do one service project or activity per
year (at least). The activity may be Habitat, or it may be something new and different. If
you are interested, please join us or speak to Troy or Fr. Ota.
The 2010 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Nightwatch: Racism...it's still...Here is
the theme of an overnight youth event at Grace Cathedral. Junior high/middle school
through high school students are invited to attend. This interactive event will deal with
the subtle and hidden nature of contemporary racism. There will be story telling among
youth, opportunities to form friendships outside the narrow confines of an individual
congregation, and participate in the city observance honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. Starting at 5pm Sunday, January 17th through 3pm Monday, January 18th at
Grace Cathedral. Cost: $20. Contact: the Rev. Bertie Pearson, bertiep@diocal.org, or the
Rev. Will Scott, wills@gracecathedral.org for more information.
Annual Meeting of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church: The congregation of St. Ambrose
will gather for its Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 24th from 11:15am to hear
reports of our common ministry in 2009, thank outgoing members of the Vestry and
those who served as our Deanery and Diocesan Convention delegates, and to elect new
members to the Vestry as well as our Deanery and Diocesan Convention delegates. Our
Nominating Committee this year consists of Jim Neubert and George Silverman who will
both be rotating off the Vestry after serving for three consecutive years. Members
eligible to be nominated to serve on the Vestry must be “members in good standing” “for
at least 6 months” prior to election and regular contributors to the support of St. Ambrose
by currently stated pledge.” Members eligible to serve as Delegates to Diocesan
Convention and the Deanery must be “voting members in good standing in this Parish
and regular contributors to the financial support of this Parish.” The characteristics and
qualities desired in Vestry members and Diocesan and Deanery delegates are faithfulness,
a love of the Episcopal Church and the gospel, and a willingness to provide oversight for
the greater mission of the church. If you are interested or would like to nominate a
member to serve, please see Jim Neubert, George Silverman or Father Ota.
Request for the Parking Lot: St. Ambrose Church has sandwich board signs to expand
our number of handicapped parking from two to four for the 10am service. If you are
able to walk easily, we ask that you park your car further away from the chapel entrance
to allow those who have more difficulty walking to park in the spaces closest to the entry
way.
Bishop’s Blend Coffee is now being served: This coffee is fair trade, organic and shade
grown coffee. 15% of the cost of the coffee is donated by Pura Vida Coffee to the
Episcopal Relief and Development Fund. You may purchase the coffee for a cost of
$8.50 for a 12oz. bag of regular, and $8.25 for a 12oz. bag of decaffeinated. If interested,
please see Fr. Ota.
Burned out? No, not you! If you have a burned out compact fluorescent light bulb, don’t
dispose of it in the usual household trash. Put it in a sealed plastic bag, and bring it to
church! There’s a box in the parish house where you can put it. When the box is full, it
will be taken to the San Carlos transfer station for proper disposal.
eScrip earnings in recent months: St. Ambrose benefits when you use eScrip at
Safeway and other grocery stores. Also, if you shop at Macy’s and have a Macy’s card
all your purchases will benefit St. Ambrose if you have eScrip. St. Ambrose received
$32.28 in December, $16.03 in November, and $35.24 in October. Thank you for
supporting St. Ambrose through eScrip.
The St. Ambrose Altar Guild prepares the altar and sanctuary for each service. As part
of these responsibilities, the guild provides the beautiful flower arrangements for the
sanctuary. These flowers are funded by donations from the congregation rather than from
church funds. Church members may contribute toward flowers in celebration of
birthdays, anniversaries, and other special days or in the memory of loved ones. Forms to
order flowers are available in the Narthex. The cost of the Altar flowers is $60 per week,
but any amount is welcome. If you have any questions, please talk to Merilyn Vosburg.
Coffee Hour following the 10am Worship Service: The Fellowship Committee invites
members to sign up for coffee hour on the sign-up sheet on the back wall in the Parish
Hall. Coffee Hour volunteers are asked to set up, make coffee, and provide treats and
juice, and cleanup afterward. Questions, please call Don Peter. Thank you for your
participation.
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
Habitat for Humanity Interfaith-Episcopal Build Day: Please join other Peninsula
Episcopal churches for a Habitat for Humanity Build Day on Saturday, January 30th
from 8:30am to 4:30pm. Skills required: none-This is a great opportunity to learn
building skills from the experts! If you have a background in construction or working
with tools, even better! They will supply the tools. Location: 7555 Mission Street, Daly
City-cross street-Mission and A Street. Food: Bring your own lunch; they supply the
water; Clothing: dress to match the weather with work cloths like jeans, gloves, they
supply the hard hats and training; sun screen is a good idea. Please RSVP by writing your
name on the sign-up sheet in the Parish Hall. If you have questions, please contact Steve
Yuen (341-1966, stevebyuen@aol.com.
Sandwiches on Sunday: We will be serving food to the needy (at Fair Oaks Community
Center in Redwood City) on Sunday January 31st. We will be serving Chicken pieces
over rice (10 or 12 per dish). We need at least 7 or 8 dishes. We also need salads and
rolls. We need about 5 salads or large salad bags. We also could use powder drinks, the
largest size available. Help offer dishes, join in to serve or watch us serve if you can!
Ask someone who has done this service and they can fill you in on what a pleasure it is to
participate. Your food is best served in disposable tin containers, but we will bring back
your pyrex or other dishware if you ask us to! Please look for the sign-up sheet in
parish hall.
The Interfaith Network for Community Help (INCH): INCH needs donations of
diapers and new or gently used baby clothes for newborn babies and children up to six
years old. INCH will pick up your donations and deliver them to agencies and shelters
desperately in need of your help. You do make a tremendous difference to people in
need. Contact INCH at (650) 321-7760 or www.inchelp.org.
Games for GI’s: Please deposit your new or used playing cards, board games, poker
chips or any activity games to help our veterans pass the sometimes long hours. Thanks
to Jack Burleson for organizing our efforts and taking these donations to the Veterans
hospital for us.
Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance (GAIA): St. Ambrose welcomed Bill Rankin, the
president of GAIA, to speak to us in March. Dr. Rankin spoke about the desperate
conditions in Malawi, where 1 million of its 12 million people are infected with
HIV/AIDS. A portion of St. Ambrose’ Outreach budget will be allocated to GAIA, which
addresses Millennium Development Goal #6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other
diseases. We encourage our parishioners to make donations to GAIA, either separately
using the contact information below or by making a check to St. Ambrose and
designating it for GAIA. Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance, The Presidio of San Francisco,
P.O. Box 29110, San Francisco, CA 94129-7196 or www.thegaia.org.
Second Harvest Food Barrel: We have now sent an eleventh full barrel to Second
Harvest for a total of 156lbs. As part of our solidarity with the hungry in the world and to
help people locally, we ask that you bring cans of food when you come to worship and
place it in the Second Harvest Food Barrel in the Narthex. Thanks to all who donate.
Monetary contributions to Second Harvest may be made to St. Ambrose, designated
“Second Harvest,” or directly to The Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San
Mateo Counties, Attention: Donation Department, P.O. Box 213, San Mateo, CA 94401-
0213. The website is www.shfb.org.
DIOCESAN ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please see the Bulletin Board for more information on the
following announcements.
Taizé on the second Sunday: On the second Sunday of the month in candlelight in the
chapel at Trinity, we will offer a Taizé service of song, prayer and silence. Taizé is an
ecumenical community in France founded in the spirit of reconciliation and peace. In that
same spirit we will express our communion with all those who are suffering, commit all
our burdens to Christ and celebrate the hope and joy he offers. All are welcome. Sunday,
January 10th, 5pm (second Sunday of every month) at Chapel, Trinity, 330 Ravenswood
Ave., Menlo Park. Cost: Free. Contact: the Rev. Frannie Hall Kieschnick,
revfhk@gmail.com, 650.289.9866.
The Admission Office of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School would like to extend a
warm welcome to families from the parish of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church. We have
several Classroom Tours and Open House dates coming up for families interested in
learning more about our program. Tour schedule is January, 14th, 21st and 28th.
Admission Open Houses are Sunday, January 10th, 2pm-4pm and Thursday, January
21st, 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Curriculum Night and Science Fair (new this year) is Tuesday,
January 26th, 6:30-8:30pm with a Special Science Presentation for Children from
Lawrence Hall of Science presenting Electrifying Science. Please contact the Admission
Office at 342.5436, ext. 205 for more information or to RSVP. Email:
admission@stmatthewsday.org.
Eucharistic ministry and visiting at next Equipping the Beloved Community event:
Eucharistic ministry and visiting training will be offered at the next Equipping the
Beloved Community. Be sure to download the workbooks now if you plan to attend, as
the training requires extensive advance preparation. Other workshops offered that day
include a full track on year-round stewardship, Godly Play training, workshops in small
group ministry, discernment, and a special new workshop on best practices in ministry
with elders. Plan to bring your whole ministry team! Look for full workshop descriptions
at www.diocal.org/equipping, and register online now. On Saturday, January 16th, 9am
to 5pm at St. Stephen's, 66 St. Stephen’s Dr., Orinda Contact: Julia McCray-Goldsmith,
juliam@diocal.org, 415.869.7826.
Retreat at The Bishop's Ranch: A Hidden Wholeness This retreat will be based on
Parker Palmer's book, A Hidden Wholeness. You do not need a copy for the retreat, but
you are welcome to read it in advance, if you like. You can also find more info about
Palmer's Center for Courage & Renewal at www.couragerenewal.org. Registration info
(name, address, email, special dietary needs) & checks made out to Christ the Lord
Church should be sent to 592A Tennent Ave., Pinole, CA 94564. From 1pm Sunday,
January 17th through lunch Monday, January 18th. The retreat begins at Christ the
Lord, Pinole, then moves to The Bishop's Ranch, 5297 Westside Rd, Healdsburg. Cost:
$115. Contact: the Rev. Susan Champion, vicarsusan@hotmail.com, 510.724.9141.
World-renowned Folk Singer John McCutcheon Returns: Acclaimed
singer/songwriter and folk virtuoso John McCutcheon will be returning to Fremont for
the sixth straight year. St James Episcopal is graciously hosting this community event
once again. He will perform one-night-only, on Monday, January 18th, at 7:30pm.
McCutcheon is a consummate performer, playing and singing traditional as well as
original tunes. He moves effortlessly from piano to guitar, autoharp, fiddle, banjo, and
hammered dulcimer, a beautifully crafted and underappreciated folk instrument. Tickets
for this one-night-only are on sale now for $25, $15 for children ages 5-12, children
under 5 admitted free. To purchase tickets, email St James at events@saintj.com, or call
the St. James’ office at 510-797-1492. St. James’ Episcopal Church, 37051 Cabrillo
Terrace, Fremont. For more information, visit www.saintj.com or www.folkmusic.com
St. Peter's Chamber Orchestra performance: Join us for our upcoming performance
with Paris Opera harpsichordist and Deutsche Grammophon recording artist, Jory
Vinikour along with a performance by the chamber orchestra of Mendelssohn's
Symphony #4. On Saturday, January 23rd at 7:30pm at St. Peter's, 178 Clinton Street,
Redwood CityCost: $35. Contact: www.spcorchestra.org, 650.367.0777 for more info.
A mid-winter mini-retreat for women: Windows of the Soul offers women a chance to
discover some of the ways God is present, working in and through our lives. Using
silence, scripture, meditation, conversation, art, movement, and prayer as “windows,”
we’ll explore what matters most to us, opening more fully to ourselves, to one another
and to divine Mystery. Led by the Rev. Whitney Roberson, writer and experienced
retreat-leader. On Saturday, January 23rd, 9am to 1pm at Christ Church, 1040 Border
Road, Los Altos. Cost: Donations accepted. Contact: 650.948.2151 to register.
Save the date: ethnic & multicultural ministries retreat for lay and clergy leaders:
Join ethnic and multicultural ministry leaders for a retreat at this beautiful location. The
preliminary itinerary for the weekend allows time for relaxation, spiritual reinvigorating,
and guided discussion about ethnic and multicultural ministry work. On Friday,
February 5th through Saturday, February 6th at Presentation Center, Los Gatos.
Contact: Rev. Jay Watan, igorothighlander@hotmail.com, or Rev. Salying Wong,
salying@earthlink.net for more information.
Training for anti-racism trainers using The Episcopal Church’s “Seeing the Face of
God in Each Other” will be led by the Rev. Jayne Oasin and Ms. Barbara Culmer-Ilaw at
St. Paul's, Burlingame. Those interested in becoming anti-racism trainers using this
methodology should have completed the basic training. This training is being sponsored
by the Diocese of California and is open to members from other dioceses to expand the
number of anti-racism trainers in the diocese and the Province. There are a limited
number of scholarships available for members of the Diocese of California. Members of
other dioceses should seek scholarships from their own diocese. Visit the website for
more information and to register. On Friday, February 26th, 8:30am to 6pm and
Saturday, February 27th, 9am to 3pm at St. Paul’s, 415 El Camino Real, Burlingame.
Cost: $100. Deadline: Friday, February 19th. Link:
www.diocal.org/index.php?option=com_civicrm&task=civicrm/event/info&id=32.
Contact: Denise Obando, deniseo@diocal.org, 415.869.7804
Winter 2009/2010 issue of Pacific Church News now available: The Winter 2009/2010
edition of Pacific Church News magazine is now available through our online magazine
reader. To view, click the link http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/051d2327 or go to
diocal.org/pcn and click on the thumbnail icon. (If you do not see the icon, simply click
on "Current Issue".)
Honolulu to Jerusalem-Women’s Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Led by Mother Jodene
Hawkins from April 28th to May 12th 2010. The “Thin Places” of the Holy Land are our
destination: Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River,
Garden of Gethsemane, Way of the Cross, the Empty Tomb, the Dome of the Rock, the
Western Wailing wall, the healing Pools of Bethesda, Sacred places of history, our story
and our omen ancestors’ stories. All inclusive from Honolulu to Jerusalem, $3895
(double occupancy), round-trip air on Continental Airlines, Israel transfers and
transportation, hotel and guest house accommodations in double or private rooms (add
$385 forsingle supplement), all meals, entrance fees, guiding fees, porterage,
daily gratuities. Contact Mother Jodene at jodene@hawaii.rr.com.
Journey to Jerusalem May 11 through May 22, 2010: Join the seventh Grace
Cathedral pilgrimage to the Land of the Holy One. Drink in the atmosphere of the Old
City of Jerusalem, the green hills of the Galilee and the stark beauty of the Judean desert.
Visit Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jericho and other places mentioned in the Gospels. Read and
pray the Scriptures in their historic setting. Meet the living stones, members of the
Christian churches who are witnessing to Christ’s ongoing presence in this land of
contrasts, conflicts and unquenchable faith. Led by the Rev. Canon Mark Stanger and our
local professional Palestinian Christian guide, Iyad Qumri. Lodging in clean, quiet
historic Christian pilgrim houses in Jerusalem and Nazareth. We’ll see the traditional
sacred sights but also find unique places away from the crowds in order to savor every
moment in Israel-Palestine. Limited to 29 participants. From Tuesday, May 11th through
Saturday, May 22nd. Cost: Round-trip from San Francisco on Delta Airlines, three meals
daily, double-occupancy: $3,250. per person. $300 non-refundable deposit; balance due
in mid-January. Contact: the Rev. Canon Mark Stanger, marks@gracecathedral.org for
more information.
Diocal Youth! Pride Nightwatch, June 26-27 and St. Francis Day Environmental
Nightwatch. October 1st. Also Happening XXVII on February 12-14 at Trinity Menlo
Park. For more information contact Father Jay or The Rev. Bertie Pearson,
bertiep@diocal.org, or 415.869.7817.
Sign up for DioBytes: To enable better communication with the diocese, we’d like to
encourage everyone to subscribe to DioBytes. Subscription to DioBytes, the weekly
diocesan e-newsletter, is open to all. You can subscribe at DioCal.org.
Stay in touch @ bishopmarc.com. Bishop Marc and friends are participating in an
ongoing conversation at bishopmarc.com. Come by and find out what's going on with
the Bishop of California and others working for spiritually-based social justice.
Bishopmarc.com is updated regularly with blogs, audio, and video. And be sure to visit
Bishop Marc's photo blog at flickr.com/photos/bishopmarc.
COMMUNITY ANOUNCEMENTS
Please see the Bulletin Board for more information on the
following announcements.
Free Tax Help: The AARP offers help for middle and low income taxpayers with their
2009 personal tax returns (with special attention to those aged 60 and older). For more
information, see poster in the parish hall, or speak to Warren Wong.
A Complete Count for Census 2010: Available Jobs on the Peninsula, in preparation
for the actual Census count, with the Palo Alto Regional Census Office serving San
Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. There are two types of jobs available with the Census:
1) Enumerators: Enumerators are the Census takers who conduct the door-to-door follow-
up after Census questionnaires are mailed in. These positions start after April 1st but paid
training may be prior, estimated around 1,000 enumerators will be hired. 2) Staff Person
for Questionnaire Assistance Centers (QACs): QACs are designated locations where
residents can go to receive help filling out their Census Questionnaire. There will be 80
QACs that will be open a maximum of 20 hours per week. Both jobs do require the
Census test, and the test is by appointment only. If interested in learning more about the
test or to schedule an appointment, please call 866-861-2010.
The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook: Our own Nellie Wong contributed two recipes
for this just-off-the-press cookbook. Nellie is one of the grandmothers interestingly
profiled in the book, and her picture is on the cover too. The book may be purchased at
Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and other booksellers. To see a recipe which
Nellie contributed, Google “Nellie yu gun.”
Are you or someone you know on Medicare? Do you have a limited monthly income?
Do you pay more than $6 for your prescription drugs? If you answered “Yes”, contact
HICAP (Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program). You may qualify to
receive help with paying for your prescription drugs. Receiving this help will not change
your monthly Social Security benefits. HICAP is a state-sponsored, volunteer-supported
program that provides free counseling, unbiased information to Medicare recipients about
their benefits, rights and options. Call 1-800-434-0222 or 650-627-9350 for more
information.