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Dear KCC Members and Friends,
There will be church this Sunday for those of us who are able to attend. Just a simple service, hymns and sharing, and mostly just being together. See you Sunday! From the Moderator Nourishment of the Soul (or the little engine that could) Well, the earth is beginning to cool and soon it will begin to heal, and so, too, will we. Our days are a mixture of sorrow, despair, hope and resolution. For those of us who lost homes and possessions, we feel unmoored and adrift, a bit numb really. And yet, as my wife, Lauri, said over breakfast yesterday, the love somehow is more powerful than the grief. The outpouring of prayers, kindness, caring and support has been an unanticipated blessing and sustains all of us who need it. We have other congregations praying for our congregation, from country churches in Vermont and Maine much like ours to Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. And I know there are others. So in turn, what do we do as a church? How do we nourish the souls of each other? How can we provide tangible assistance to those in even greater need? On Friday about fifty sieves, or sifters, will arrive for distribution to families who lost their homes in Kenwood and Glen Ellen to support them in their search through ashes and debris for family treasures and any small durable items that might be found and salvaged. These sieves, produced and donated by Clif Bar in Berkeley, will be available for pick-up at the church on Sunday, October 22nd from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and hopefully at the fire stations in both Kenwood and Glen Ellen. Please spread the word. With overwhelming gratefulness to each and all, Tim -- Tim Dorman Moderator From the Pastor Dear Members and Friends, "I'm fine," you wrote in emails this past week, "but do you know how ........is doing?" Over and over, hourly, I read your messages of concern for others above concern for yourself. In the most dire of circumstances, when everything was burning down in this war zone, including your own homes, your heart was miraculously drawn to others more than to yourselves. It made me so proud to be your pastor; to see the depth of love and affection you have for others; to experience again the power of love; the indisputable truth of the Gospel. There are so many signs of bravery and grace we continue to experience today:
More than anything else, I know that our few days with family was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Six households in the congregation and many of our children and grandchildren, lost their homes; the rest of us went on an unplanned detour. I speak for all in the congregation who had it good, who came home to a home, that we will do our very best to help and care for you in the months and years ahead as you rebuild your homes and lives. May God bless and keep us all. Grateful for you and our congregation, Pastor Jim -- Jim Fish Pastor
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Joyce Grabarczyk will be featured as a harp soloist on Christmas Eve, Saturday, December 24, 2016, at Kenwood Community Church.
Harp music will begin at 4:30 p.m. and church service will begin at 5:00 p.m. Ms. Grabarczyk earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Northern Michigan University. She teaches harp and piano out of her studio in Petaluma and at her home in Sebastopol. Pastor Jim Fish, Moderator Tim Dorman, and Music Director Karen Haslag welcome the community to attend. Please see also our posting in The Kenwood Press. Dear KCC Members and Friends, Our church service on Sunday was so beautiful, with the church festively decorated, all of the Advent candles lit, and the choir singing. Jim's sermon was inspirational and, as always, there was that feeling of 'family' as we worshipped and shared fellowship together. A lot of excitement in the air throughout the day, too, as many of us went to the Ensley's open house and a number of us met later at Kay Fish's concert at First Presbyterian Church in Petaluma. This week we're busy too, with Christmas Eve setup, the WOW Christmas party, and caroling on Thursday. The highlight, though, is Christmas Eve when we will gather again in this little place that feels like home, hear the Christmas story, enjoy the music, and share our church with the larger community. A beautiful service, yes, but isn't it wonderful that we have celebrated the coming of Christ in many meaningful ways for all of Advent. We've celebrated it in our worship, our giving, our activities, and our closeness as a community. This is who we are and it brings joy to all of us. Merry Christmas to all, and thank you for making the Kenwood Church community what it is.  From the Pastor
Dear Members and Friends of KCC, This is the last Notes and News for the year. I am glad you read it! From the responses we get, I know many of you do. Wednesday mornings are a good time of the week for me. Cathy and Tim and I meet to discuss the calendar, programs, opportunities and issues. We review the bulletin for the coming Sunday and discuss many of the items in this weekly newsletter. Cathy walks us through the calendar while Tim reminds us of long-term projects and goals. Wednesday morning has become a time for me to see if I'm on track, aware of what is happening and people in need. Cathy and Tim make that happen. I am privileged to work with them. We are, I say with some modesty, a good team! They are insightful, quick, given to detail and have a love for this congregation. As the year comes to an end, I give thanks for these two Wednesday morning compatriots who help all of us celebrate this growing congregation. Merry Christmas. May God bless you all. Pastor Jim -- Jim Fish Pastor The Miracle of Giving
I am so proud of our simple country church. Our values are captured in our giving of our time, talents and resources, and this year, and this Christmas, we have stepped up with greater commitment and greater impact than ever in reaching out to the broader community. Our congregation has been alive with activity and generosity, and the people we have touched can feel it. And in this miraculous act of giving, so can we. So as we gather on Christmas Eve and pray for peace on earth and good will to men and women everywhere, let us also rejoice in what we have built with each other right here. For those of you who will be elsewhere with family and loved ones, Godspeed. Merry Christmas to you all, Tim -- Timothy Dorman Moderator When we squeeze in tight Christmas Eve for our traditional Candlelight and Carols service, I will quietly celebrate the many ways you express hospitality to visitors who will be with us. As in our own homes, when company arrives, we prepare with our best. You are doing this again this Christmas Eve, with the choir, decorations, greeters at the door and your heartfelt singing of favorite carols. Following the service, I stand at the foot of the stairs as people leave to go home. I wish you could stand there with me to hear person after person express thanks to the congregation for this beautiful night. All who come, especially the visitors, know we have done our very best to make Christmas Eve a special night just for them. Those saying "Merry Christmas" to me as they leave are saying to all of you how much they appreciate your gift. The hospitality you extend is a sacred gift. Lives are made whole, broken hearts mended, and for one night, the sorrows of the world are held at bay, as we raise candles and voices, to the new born Christ child. Bless you all. Pastor Jim -- Jim Fish Pastor  Dear KCC Members and Friends,
What joy there is in our church! Right now there are so many opportunities to enjoy fellowship together and to celebrate the true meaning of the Christmas season. Along with the benevolence opportunities we've participated in -- the Giving Tree, the Christmas Fund, the pillowcase fundraiser, and our donations of food and clothing -- we have time together. We just had a wonderful potluck last Sunday, the Ensley's open house is this Sunday, and the WOW Christmas party is on December 21. There is an opportunity to sing Christmas Carols at Santa Rosa Convalescent Hospital on the 22nd, and the highlight of the season is our wonderful Candlelight Service on Christmas Eve. In addition, look around the church -- it's never more beautiful than it is at Christmas. Listen to the choir and enjoy the beautiful, traditional Christmas music we've all been singing. All of this is something to appreciate and be grateful for. This is our community, this little place called Kenwood Church. It truly brings comfort and joy, and aren't we glad to be part of it. Doubt and Affirmation Christmas and Easter always have been profoundly spiritual and magical times for me. At the same time, they also have been times when I have wrestled with my faith. What exactly is it that I believe? I always have doubted the biological and factual challenges of the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth. My dad was an obstetrician and from and early age, I understood thoroughly the biology of procreation as well as the miracle of childbirth. And yet... Jesus Christ was and continues to be one of the most powerful forces for peace, hope, joy, and love that the world has ever seen. His birth ushered in an enduring pathway open to all, and for me, I cannot think of a better guide. For me, that is the blessing and the miracle. For now, on my journey, that is enough, and I am extraordinarily grateful. May the celebration continue! Gratefully, Tim -- Timothy Dorman Moderator  Dear KCC Members and Friends,
Oh what fun we had at the Gingerbread Extravaganza last Saturday! Close to 60 children participated -- a record for this event. They were joined by their enthusiastic parents and grandparents, with all hands on deck to decorate the tiny 'gingerbread' houses with frosting and candy. There were cookies to be decorated in the kitchen, a craft table for decorating treat bags and making Christmas decorations, and Christmas movies complete with popcorn! Santa's sleigh and reindeer were even present in the garden for photos. All of this could not have happened without the vision and leadership of Linda Salomon. She joined the gingerbread team years ago, working with Sue McCoy and Sue Crockett. Since then she has added her own touches, including an exquisite large-scale gingerbread house -- complete with interior decor, a Christmas tree, and lights -- for the children to decorate. Each year Linda and her helpers begin days in advance, baking cookies to decorate and constructing tiny graham cracker houses (complete with a gingerbread person inside) so that each child can decorate and take home their own house after the event. An army of 'elves' helps with setting up the day before and keeps everything going smoothly during the event -- helping with cookie decoration, replenishing candy and frosting to decorate the houses, handing out goodies at the check-in table, helping with crafts, and running movies and popping popcorn. And then there is the clean up! Many, many thanks to Linda for her hard work and leadership and to all of the 'elves' whose work makes it happen. Once again, an example of what a special community we have at Kenwood Community Church. My sermons during this Advent season focus on the four traditional themes for each of these four Sundays: Trust, Hope, Joy, and Love. This Sunday the sermon is about Joy.
It is a challenge for me to follow a series like this instead of using the assigned texts for the day. This week, therefore, I'm working on the theme of Joy. As with the other three Advent Sunday themes, Joy is one of those things we know is alive within us when it's happening, but not easy to describe when we are not in the middle of it, stand back, and try to describe what it is. 'This gives me Joy!," we might say, or, 'This makes me joyful." Many things in our lives are best if we simply leave them to work on their own, without trying to describe them. And so, a sermon that talks about Joy is both dull and odd. Experiencing Joy however is neither dull nor odd. Some things, like Joy, are not given to putting them into words. Joy is best experienced; explaining it does very little. And so this Sunday, my task is to find a way to blend my simple words about Joy with the powerful Joy we experience in the hymns, readings and prayer, architecture and stained glass windows. However, the real Joy on Sunday morning is having others around you from 10:30 to 11:30 who give you more Joy than all the spoken words combined. I give Joy that you are there, sharing yours with mine on a Sunday morning, as we speak, listen, sing and pray. Having you there in person around me brings Joy to my world. Bless you all. Pastor Jim -- Jim Fish Pastor |
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