Hi, Everybody! It’s a long and partially sobering one, so grab a drink!
This Sunday, June 14, is the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost. Don’t forget to join in our Virtual Coffee Hour on Sunday at 10 am with Marta as moderator (does virtual coffee mean decaf?). Here is the necessary Zoom info (there’s gotta be a more succinct way to do this!):
Marta Wicke is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: HTLC Coffee Hour 6/14
Time: Jun 14, 2020 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88300752084?pwd=b2NuK1V2a3FjeEhodi9BVzZMUVlWQT09
Meeting ID: 883 0075 2084
Password: 492318
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+16699009128,,88300752084#,,1#,492318# US (San Jose)
+12532158782,,88300752084#,,1#,492318# US (Tacoma)
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Meeting ID: 883 0075 2084
Password: 492318
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kg3bbxAL2
In Sunday’s online worship service, we will also be commemorating Juneteenth – June 19, 1865 – when Texas and Louisiana finally got the good news of the Emancipation Proclamation overtwo years after the fact! Obviously, not enough has changed in the last 155 years, as evidenced by recent events. Here is a message from Collin with opportunities to make a difference:
Dear Siblings in Christ,
I just connected with Showing Up for Racial Justice, which offers ways for white people to get involved with anti-racism work. They have an Action List, where they send out alerts letting us know when we should call policymakers to advocate for racial justice bills that address things like police brutality, mass incarceration, and housing justice which, as followers of Christ, I believe we should work to support. They provide your policymaker’s name, phone number, and a script. All you have to do is make the call (it just takes 5 minutes). I just joined the list – can you join too? https://actionnetwork.org/forms/surj-legislative-action-list.
There are also regularly scheduled Action Hours and other events, which can be found here: https://www.surjbayarea.org/events I just completed one and found it to be a very meaningful way to connect with others and do some good at the same time.
Thank you for your consideration.
May God’s peace be with you, Collin Thormoto
John Williams has received information that Abode’s Sunrise Village has temporarily moved their residents to a hotel where it is easier to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and where they will be provided three meals a day. They are asking people not to drop off donations at this time until they are able to return to the shelter. Should you wish to send a monetary donation, please use www.abodeservices.org for online donations or mail a check to Abode Services, 40849 Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CA 94538.
Remember to register your kiddies for our Vacation Bible School – Rocky Railway. It will be online this year, Monday through Friday, June 22-26, 6 pm to 7:45-ish. Terri and the usual suspects are workin’ on the railroad activity packets to be picked up before the fun begins. Click here to go to our website for more information and a downloadable registration form.
Speaking of Vacation Bible School, it’s also our Cause of the Month! Yes, the Cause of the Month, which was another victim of the coronavirus, has been resurrected! (how apropos – just like Jesus on the last day of VBS!) If you’d like to contribute to VBS, be sure to mark your donations accordingly. I will begin including a Cause of the Month announcement in my Sunday emails in the future.
There will be a Council Meeting on Monday, June 15. For the Zoom details, I will refer you to Tuesday’s email I sent. Please don’t make me repeat myself (Zoom instructions are sooo long!).
If you can stand one more social justice-y thing, I’ve been reminded that this is LGBTQIA+ Pride month! (like I needed to be reminded) As an RIC congregation, we must not forget our pledge to be welcoming to ALL. While most parades and in-person events have been cancelled or postponed, many organizations are having events online. For San Francisco Pride information (this is the 50th anniversary of SF Pride!), go to http://www.sfpride.org/ . Another interesting event is Global Pride: https://www.globalpride2020.org/ with 24 hours of content. That’s about 23 hours more than I usually spend celebrating, since I normally just watch some of the re-broadcast of the SF Pride parade on TV. Guess I’d better turn in my Gay Card (and I just had it laminated!)
Be safe and sane!
-Keith (your friendly PLC)