School May Be Starting Soon, but Summer Continues!

A note from Pastor Matthew:

I’m back this Sunday for our next installment of Creation Care. This week we turn to humankind’s relationship with water, apropos for the summer. I hope you all had a good time looking more in-depth at our relationship with creation during Summer Special Sunday. We combined this week’s email as I was sorting out some details before we could announce them.

August’s Sacred Story Hour has been rescheduled for August 18. We needed a bit more time to prepare the new Storytelling Workshop we’re adding to the hour beforehand. So, mark your calendars. Here’s the quick reference for the upcoming weeks.

August!

Sunday, August 4

• 10:30 AM: Refreshing Conversations (Snacks + Chats)
• 11 AM: Creation Care—Humanity & Water + Communion [in-person] [online]

Sunday, August 11

• 11 AM: Summer Special Sunday (Combined Small Group)—Water & Sky [in-person]

Sunday, August 18

• 10:30 AM: Refreshing Conversations (Snacks + Chats)
• 11 AM: Creation Care—Humanity & Animals [in-person] [online]
• 5 PM: Storytelling Workshop [in-person]
• 6 PM: Sacred Story Hour—Stories of Discovery [in-person]

Sunday, August 25

• Time TBA: Mission Sunday—Inclusion—Details coming soon [in-person]

Now, I'll hand things over to Bryan for a community update:

First I want to say thanks to everyone who came out for our Mission Sunday conversation last week. I always enjoy our conversations.

We've made it to the second half of the year and there are a few things on the horizon:

1. Inclusion Sunday - August 25, our goal is to do something different. I've reached out to some of our partners at Pomona Valley Pride asking if any of them would like to partner with us on an event for that Sunday. The response has been positive and I'll pass along details as I get them. What better way to express inclusion than to get together with other people?
2. Pomona Valley Pride's 2024 Gayla is coming up in October. In the next couple of weeks we will have details on volunteer opportunities as well as information on attending the fundraiser this year. Stay tuned.
3. It's time to start thinking about donations for the Rancho Cucamonga Holiday Food Drive. Every year we collect donations and put together baskets for the city of Rancho Cucamonga to give out in November and December. Three months sounds like a lot of time, but it's closer than you think. I'll start getting information in the next couple of weeks about community needs and deadlines. I'll pass that information on to you.
4. World AIDS Day is Sunday, December 1, 2024. Pomona Valley Pride's PRISM is heading up the planning, and UCC Claremont has agreed to host the Sunday evening event. There are lot's of volunteer opportunities available. If you're interested in volunteering, let me know and I'll put you in touch with the coordinators.

We want to hear from YOU!

Community is built on communication. We are always looking for new ideas. If you have any questions, comments or ideas you'd like to share, you can reach out to us via text, on the website, or you can reach out to me directly via email at bryan@yoursacredplace.org.