March 2009 Stone Newsletter, Stone Church of Willow Glen

8/8/2019 March 2009 Stone Newsletter, Stone Church of Willow Glen

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According to the Encarta WorldEnglish Dictionary, the word, element,used in the proper context can meanany or all of the following:

A separate part or group: aseparate identifiable part of something.

A small quantity: a small, butsignificant trace of a quality or feeling.

A factor: a cause or factorleading to something else.

Of course, this word can also meanother things like a chemically indivisiblesubstance, or maybe weve heard some-one say, When shes in the garden,shes in her element, or No wondermy tea water is cold, a heating element on the stove burned out.

The use of the word, element,appearsto have multiple applications in ourcommon life. So, it should come asno element of surprise that this past

week when I read over the stories of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, certainelements jumped off the page: bread,

figs, silver , steel, linen, tears, sour wiwood, water , and stone. I realize thsuch a list poses some difficulty fothe student of chemistry, and yet, foa person of faith, these Lenten andEaster elements are tangible symboand signposts that beckon one towardthe empty tomb.

Thus, this spring, through sermonschildrens messages, bulletin coverand church school lessons, we wil

explore the part these elements play inshaping the story of Jesus life, deathand resurrection. If it helps, call themdramatic props used in a passion playCall them common substances usedfor divine purposes. But whatever wcall them, these are only some of thelements that set the stage for ourjourney through Lent.

See you on Sunday, Ken

For the complete Lenten and Eastschedule at Stone this year, see page 3

The STone n ewSSTone C hurCh of w illow G len , PreSbyTerian uSa M arCh 2009

THE STONE NEWS, PAGE 1

A Table of Elements- a Lenten sermon series -

What a Night! Stone Churchs

Valentines Extravaganza,

featuring Santa Clara Swing


2/8THE STONE NEWS, PAGE 2

Are you ready for a tale or an enigma?Thinking about sacred or secular?Dreaming? Or coping?

Perhaps youll find something inter-esting in our newest books!

- Sue Williams, Library Coordinator

New books for younger members:

Christopher the HolyGiant by Tomie dePaola

(J 398.22 deP)

A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich(YA Ald)

Bear Business by Jurg Obrist (1st BksObr)

Additions for adults:From Takeoff to

Landing: Everything YouWanted to Know About

Airplanes But HadNo One to Ask by EdSternstein and ToddGold (629 Ste)

Church Library: Always a Good Read, Whatever You Are Looking For! New to our special sections:The Whistle-Blowers: Exposing Corr

tion in Government Industry by Myron anPenina Glazer (Soc I353 Gla)

Through the Eyes ofWoman: Bible Studies othe Expe-rience of W o m e n

ed. by Wendy Robins(Women 305.4 Rob),given by RebeccaKuiken

The Guilt-Free DOwners Guide: Carin

for a Dog When YouShort on Time and Spaby DianaD e l m a r

(Ecol 636 Del)Peace Like a River by

Leif Enger (F Eng)BlackRose by N o r aRoberts(Lg Print Rob)

Fighting Fair: A NoViolent Strategy fResolving Everyday C

flictsby Mark Juergenmeyer (Soc Iss 303.6 Jue)

The Human Being: Jesus and the Enigmaof the Son of the Man by Walter Wink

(233 Win), given by Pat Magee

World as Lover, Worldas Self by Joanna Macy (294.3 Mac)

Confucius The Secu-lar asSacred by Her-

bert Fingarette (299Fin)1 0 0

Years of SacredSpace,DVD from Presbyteri-an Camps & Confer-enceMin-is t ry

(268 One)The Irish: A Treasury

of Art& Lit-eratureeditedby Leslie Carola (Tall941.5 Car), given by

Jay and Sue EvansThe Tale of Two

Testaments by Wil-liam Riley (220.6 Ril),

given by Rebecca Kuiken

Stone Church provides a wonderfulopportunity for learning with its AdultStudy classes, held every Sunday in theFireside Room, at 11 am.

There is no class on April 12, Easter Sunday. Contact Pat Magee, Adult StudyCoordinator, if you have any questions.

February 22 - March 22: The Psalmsas Christian Prayer

As a follow-up to Dr. Patrick Mill-ers lectures, The Psalms as ChristianPrayer , we will read and study vari-ous types of Psalms, including somefavorites and some unfamiliar ones.The Psalms create a kind of dialoguebetween the human creature and theGod who made us and redeemed us.They give voice to our cries of woe and

our shouts of joy. They are poetry tobe read aloud.

Class discussions will be led by Marge Palmer (February 22), Pat Magee(March 1 and 8), and David McCreath(March 15 and 22).

March 29 and April 5: Sunday Dinners around The Table

The Lords Supper, The Eucharist, TheBreaking of Bread, Holy Communion -- allof these phrases attempt to describe

what happens on the first Sunday of every month at Stone Church. KenHenry will discuss the meaning of thissacrament in terms of our Reformedfaith, as well as what Jesus might havemeant when he said, Take, eat; thisis my body.

April 19: Economic Strategies forCommunities

Kim Walesh, Chief Strategist for theCity of San Jose, will share ChangiForces, Changing City , a review of thmajor forces of change (demographiceconomic, environmental) shaping thelong-term future of cities across thenation.Discussion will center on whathese long-term trends mean for StoneChurch and the San Jose/Silicon

Valley community.

April 26: The Greening of StoneChurch ... and beyond

More information is forthcoming ...check next months The Stone News.

Adult Study Looks at Psalms, Sunday Dinners, Economics, Greening


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The Health Ministry Committee invites you to a free Two-Hour Home and FamilDisaster Preparedness Training on MondayMarch 30, from 7 to 9 pm in the StoneChurch sanctuary. This training is beingprovided by the City of San Joss Office oEmergency Services, and our Willow Glenneighbors will also be invited. Just imaginethat in two hours you can learn about:

Hazards that you should prepare for inSan Jos

Ways to reduce the risks of loss andinjury before disaster strikesHow to create a family disaster plan

What you should include in your per-sonal and family disaster suppliesOpportunities to become even moreinvolved and disaster-prepared

- Carrie Giorgianni, Chair, HM

At its regular meeting on February 17, the Session dealt with several dif-ficult issues.

The first concerned actions fur-thering Stones justice ministries. A member of the congregation objectedto an emphasis on political beliefs,

rather than religious beliefs, particularly on Sunday morning.This is not a new dis-

cussion at Stone; over the history of this church there have been numerousinstances when the push for socialjustice has caused discomfort amongmembers. The Stone Works Com-mittee anticipated controversy andscheduled a discussion after worshipon the day it announced the Sessions

opposition to Proposition 8. The endresult of Sessions discussion this time

was to provide for a response to theobjection and to plan more carefully how to raise controversial issues.

Another extensive discussion aroseout of the Budget Review Committees

decision to cut some of the fundingfor the Taiz service. Worship chairDonald Foster conveyed to Sessionthe Taiz Committees decision to cutfour extra services during Lent (regu-lar services will continue on the firstTuesday of each month). Donald alsoconveyed the committees suggestionsfor ways to make up the lost funding.These realities of budgeting were reit-erated: offerings from Taiz servicesgo to the general fund and do not

accrue to the Taiz budget line; desig-nated giving for Taiz is discouragedbecause it might undercut unifiedbudgeting. In face of concerns aboutTaiz funding, Session promised toreview the budget and look for waysto support this worship service.

The Buildings and Grounds Com-mittee initiated a discussion aboutfundraising. Again, the point wasmade by Session that too much fund-raising for individual causes under-cuts the general budget. And this isa spiritual issue -- the church is nota social club; it is a faith community.

Session did authorize a Bring Downthe Mortgage patio sale on July 11and 12.

- Alice Thorn, Clerk of Session

SessionBeat

Health Ministry HostsDisaster Prep Workshop

Calling all High School Youth!Imagine that its June, and youre outof school or ready to go on vacation.Dont just hang around! Pack upyour tent and duffel bag, stow away your tools, hat, and sunscreen, andhead down to Stone Church to joina team of builders. Yes, thats right, ateam of builders whose destination isthe Central Valley to work with Self-Help Enterprises, building affordablehousing near Visalia, CA. In todayseconomy, what better service oppor-tunity could you find than to join ateam of workers from Stone doingwhat we do best helping others?

This years trip is scheduled forJune 14 - 19 and will give you a spe-cial opportunity to be an agent of change. Yes We Can make a differ-

ence in the lives of good people wholack safe and affordable housing. Yes

We Can enjoy a great time, learnnew skills, and experience camping,cooking, and living in community together for the benefit of others whoso desperately need our special brandof help.

So, come join Stones youth and youth leaders for a week of Yes WeCan experiences. All we need is for

you to have a willing heart and set of hands, and well teach you the build-ing skills you will need.

This will be an experience that issure to change your life. And dont

forget your work gloves! Blessingsand blisters be with you!For more information, contact Kate

Wheatley.

Youth Mission Trip for Building Housesin Visalia planned for June 14 - 19

Due to the limited number of parkingspaces at Stone, certain parking places havbeen designated as handicapped only . Threstriction is applicable only on Sundaymornings. If you have a DMV-issued handicapped placard, you may use any of thesspaces. If you do not have a DMV placardbut have accessibility issues, you may obtaa Stone Church handicapped placard, which

will allow you to park in those handicappedspaces on Sunday mornings.To get a Stone Church placard, please conta

Lynn Stutz or the church office.

Handicapped Parking at Stone Church


5/8

Beware the Ides of March! Erin gobragh! (Thats for Saint Patricks Day.)

Alas, there isnt much else to cel-ebrate in March. Do remember that

we are in the season of Lent.PW in the Presbytery will meet on

March 21 at San Martin PresbyterianChurch, from 2 - 4 pm, for Called bythe Spirit ... to Bring Hope to Those at

Risk. The CIC Ministries Chaplainat Elmwood W o m e n sPrison willspeak to us. If

you have never attended an event atSan Martin, try to come to this one:the church is a treasure and is one of

the oldest churches inthe Presbytery.

The 2009 Church- wide Gathering inLouisville is coming

July 11 - 15. Regularregistration is $380

before May 15 and $430 after the15th. Included in registration arefour breakfasts, three lunches andfour dinners. Travel and lodging areseparate. The deadline for applyingfor PW in the Presbytery scholarshipsis April 1; the contact person is Clau-dia Hamm. Stone Church PW alsohas a few scholarships; apply to JaniceGoertz by April 8.

Sunday, March 8, is Gifts of WomenSunday; come see, hear and participatein what God has empowered us to beand to do.

We were ableto donate $25to Della Smithsschool dueto your faith-ful savings of Lucky and SaveMart receipts.They are tenta-tively planningto repeat thisprogram next

year. Well keep you informed when and if ithappens. Justa reminder: weneed the entire labels from Campbell products andjust the box tops for education fromGeneral Mills products. The box forthese is always on the library cart inthe Social Hall on Sundays.

If you have not yet participated inthe Apportionment part of the PW budget, please be reminded it is now $10 per year.

Fair Trade coffee, tea, and choco-late continue to be sold on the thirdSunday of each month.

PW Schedule for March: Amethyst Circle , 1 pm, March 4,

Church Library

Emerald Circle , 9:30 am, March 5, Alice Thorns homeSapphire Circle , 7:30 pm, March 9,

Joyce Summers home

Lunch Bunch , 11:30 am, March 10,Taiwan Restaurant

Fair Trade Sales , 10:30 am, March 15,Social Hall

Book Group II , 2:30 pm, March16, Marcia Ludwigs home, readingWaiting by Ha Jin

Focus Group , 9:30 am, March 17,Liz Shanderas home (date change)

PWP Gathering , 2-4 pm, March 21,San Martin Presbyterian Church

Book Group I , 1 pm, March 23,Liz Shanderas home, reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society byMary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Bible Study , 9:30 am, March 26,

Church Library Prayer Shawl Ministry , 4 pm,March 26, Fireside Room

- Catherine Amos


Presbyterian Women

Stones Mens Ministry includesmission worktrips, an interesting

book group, andeven flying trips

with their ownprivate pilots! For

more detail about these events,

contact Parish Associate DavidMcCreath.

Mens Book GroupThe Mens Book Group will meet

on March 16, at 7:30 pm. The host will be Bill Lytle.

The book for discussion will beThe Soloist: A Lost Dream, An Unlike-ly Friendship, And The RedemptivePower of Music, by Steve Lopez. Allmen of the church are welcome.

Mens Mission TeamThe Mens Mission Team is

making a worktrip, March 6 - 8, to Westminster Woods, the Presbyte-rian Camp for Northern Californialocated about 110 miles from San

Jose. Advanced construction skills

will be provided by professionalson staff at the camp, so dont worry if your skills are limited. Rev. Dr.Ken Henry is coming along, andthere will be a communion serviceand an interesting fellowship pro-gram as part of the weekend.

If you are thinking of going, espe-cially if you are a first-timer withlots of questions, please contactLeland Wong.

- D. McCreath and L. Wong

MensMinistry

Stone Works wants to thank you for your gener-osity. For Communion Sunday food donations,Fred Groppuso reported that, in January, wedonated 14 bags of food, totaling 57.25 pounds.In February, we donated 23 bags, totaling 141.5pounds. Fred faithfully collects and delivers this

food to Sacred Heart every month.Karen Scott, who with Joyce Degan volunteers every Tuesday at Sacred Heart, reportedthat December donations to Sacred Heartincluded 1 large and 5 small bags of clothes1 large and 3 small bags of toiletries, beddingChristmas ornaments, two 2009 calendars, 4pairs of shoes, and 5 boxes of 24-each toothpaste. January donations included 1 large and17 medium bags of clothes, 3 bags of toiletries8 cans of Ensure, taped videos, a cheese boardand knives set, place mats, paper/plastic bagsand a telephone/extensions. - Maureen Rya

Stone Works Donation Report

The Stone Church Presbyterian Women recently hosted a Scottish Tea(a nod to our other heritage hence the kilt on the one male guest)

and celebrated John Calvins 500th birthday.



The room was alive with enthusi-asm and curiosity as Marsha Wadley and I joined 190 Christians fromall over the US (including Hawaii)and Canada in the ballroom of theHilton Hotel in Portland, Oregon,on February 8.

We spent the next six days fromearly morning and often late into theevening studying the Stephen Minis-try Leadership Training curriculum,praying, role playing, singing, eating

and sharing experiences and ideaswith one another.It was a delightful, if somewhat

exhausting, week that prepared us

to teach the Stephen Ministry mod-ules to present and future individu-als interested in becoming StephenMinisters.

Thanks go to the Presbytery of San Jose for its generous Vision Grant, which is providing the Stephen Min-istry Leadership Training course forfour individuals from Stone Church.Thanks, also, go to the Stone ChurchSession and the congregation of Stone Church for its support, both

prayerfully and financially.If youre curious about what aStephen Minister could do for you,or if youd like to take the StephenMinistry training course to become aStephen Minister or to simply use theinformation in your own life, pleasecontact Dale Bracey, Judith Mohr,

Joan Peckham, Marsha Wadley or me.

Wed love to share what this Min-istry means in our lives.

Peace, Jan Keifer

Stephen Ministry - Christ Caring

for People through People

Stone Church now has a group onthe LinkedIn website, a networking siteprimarily designed for job seekers andfor employers looking for workers.

If you are already a LinkedIn member,be sure to add Stone Church to your

groupslist. If you are not yet a member,and especially if you are looking for ajob, consider joining this site and thenjoining the Stone group.

The Membership & EvangelismCommittee, with Jocelyn Graham asadministrator, started this group to

provide an additional resource for ourchurch community and friends duringthese trying economic times.

Many Stone Church folks have usedthe site for years and have found it tobe an excellent job searching tool, as

well as free of spam and other webannoyances.

Here is a simple way to get started:Go to www.linkedin.com.Click Join Today in the uppernavigation bar.Fill in personal information; and

create your account.Create your profile; populate it with professional and personalinformation.

To join the Stone Church Group: After youve created your profile,click Groups from the left menu.Select the Groups Directory tab.In the Search Groups area, enterStone Church.Click Join this Group .

If you have any questions, contact JoceGraham.

Join Stone Church Group on LinkedIn: A Resource for Job-Seekers

As a result of budget cuts, the Taiz Committee regrets that they will not be able tosustain the weekly Taiz services during thLenten season. For the past ten years, this

weekly Lenten discipline of deep silenceprayer, and simple chants has been impor-tant for a significant number of peoplefrom Stone Church and from the largercommunity. Our hope is that this cutback is a temporary situation, and that ourchurch community will find the resourcesto restore the full schedule of services. In

the meantime, we are continuing with ourmonthly Taiz schedule, with services helthe first Tuesday of the month, 6:45 to7:30 pm. If you have not yet experiencedthe beauty and peace of this service, weencourage you to mark your calendars, andgive yourself this gift of silence and songand the presence of the holy.

Taiz schedule: Tuesdays, March 3; April 7May 5; June 2; July 7; August 4; September October 6; November 3, December 1, 2009The prelude music begins at 6:30, and the sevice starts at 6:45. - Hilleguus Fabe

Schedule Change for Taize Worship Services

Jan and Marsha,with the

founder of Stephen

Ministries,Dr. Kenneth

Haugk,in the

background.

A recent transplant to San Jose, Igrew up in Corvallis, Oregon, a uni-

versity town about 90 miles south of Portland. My family

was active in the Meth-odist church, and Ihave fond memoriesof the youth group,

youth retreats andsummer camp.

I attended CarletonCollege, a small liberalarts college in North-field, Minnesota,

graduating with a degree in Econom-ics. I then lived in Minneapolis for

a couple of years before yearning toreturn to the west coast and conse-quently moving to Portland.

In Portland, I was a member of FirstChurch, the downtown Methodistchurch. I worked in sports marketingfor a company that staged golf tour-naments and then for an arm of thePortland Trailblazers that managedthe Rose Garden arena. Along the

way, I met Paul, and we were married.Maggie was born in 2000, and Gracefollowed two years later.

Event work was not very conduciveto family life, so I quit to stay home

with our girls, and I have been a stay-

at-home mom ever since.Two years ago, Paul received a job

offer from Apple that we could notrefuse, so we left our friends andfamily and moved south for our ownCalifornia adventure. We live in the

Willow Glen/Cambrian area andhave been attending Stone for a littleover a year. I have been impressed

with the congregations sense of com-munity and purpose. The girls enjoy church school activities, and I haveenjoyed getting to know other fami-lies. I look forward to getting to know more members of the congregation- everyone has been so welcoming.

Meet new member,

SusanCurtin
http://www.linkedin.com/http://www.linkedin.com/



The Deacons Winter Tea

The Mens Mission Team Dinner


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The Stone Church of Willow GlenPresbyterian Church (USA)

1937 Lincoln Avenue(corner of Clark & Lincoln)San Jose, CA 95125-3499

Website:stonechurch.org

Church Of ce: phone: 408-269-1593

fax: 408-269-8412

Rev. Dr. Ken Henry, Pastor Claudia Hoagland, Of ce Manager

The Stone News Staff: June Tablak, Editor Emeritus, Church MouseEmily Moak Meacham, Editor Pat Magee, Rhonda Lakatos, Jody Meacham,Fred Oliver, Lizanne Oliver: Assistant EditorsSylvia Snyder, Chief Photographer Dan Raby, Lyn Johnson, Jeanette Rapp,Rod Thorn, Mary Jo Blazek, Jan Keifer,Rhonda Lakatos: Additional PhotosCatherine Amos, Fred Gardner, Dulcie Janzen

Jan Keifer, Jerry Keifer, Sylvia Snyder: Produ

Ken Henry will lead a family day hike toplaces currently unknown!

Join Ken and other families at the churchon March 14, at 9:30 am, to carpool to a site

yet to be determined.Bring a bag lunch and wear comfortableclothing, especially good walking shoes.The current estimated time to be back at

the church is 2 pm.

Quick Reminders

Pasta Dinner, March 13, from 6:30 to 9 pm,Social Hall. Contact Cathy Marshall for more information.

Refugee Ministry Welcome Backpacks andGiving Easter Tree, March 22. ContactMaureen Ryan for more information.

Stone Church SoundSystem Workshop

Have you ever wanted to learn about thesanctuary sound system and didnt know

whom to ask? Here is your opportunity! Joinus in the sanctuary at 10 am on Saturday,March 7, as our sound system expert, Bob

Johnson, answers our questions.Eager to get started? Check

this out for a little light reading: www.mackie.com/pdf/onyx1220_om.pdf

For questions, contact Caryl Westerberg.

Family Hike WithKen Henry One of the

wonderfulmusiciansin Santa

ClaraSwing,which

performedat Stone

Church onValentinesDay (more

pictures on page 1).

Jan Keifer and Ruth White (with Sally Magee in thebackground) at the monthly Presbyterian Women F air Trade

Sales in the Social Hall. For more PW activities, see page 5
http://www.stonechurch.org/http://www.stonechurch.org/http://www.mackie.com/pdf/onyx1220_om.pdfhttp://www.stonechurch.org/http://www.mackie.com/pdf/onyx1220_om.pdf

March 2009 Stone Newsletter, Stone Church of Willow Glen

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