Dear Grace Family,
These announcements and prayer requests are being sent out every Thursday to inform us of what is happening in and the needs of our church. If you have an announcement or prayer request that you want to be included in next week’s email, please send it to office@gfccsf.org by Tuesday night.
Grace and peace, The Session and Staff of GFCC
Announcements for the week of 09/23/24
Join Us for Sunday Worship, September 29 at 10:00 AM
Pastor Al will be preaching from Exodus 3:1-17; 4:10-20.
“Send Someone Else! Hear God Call, See Moses Squirm.”
We Welcome Danny Kim from Rise University Preparatory
Danny is the Development Director for Rise Prep and is a good friend of GFCC. During this Sunday’s service, he will be giving us an update about Rise Prep. Rise Prep is also one of our church’s ministry partners.
What a Blessed Time We Had Last Sunday with Pastor BK Woodson and the Bay Area Christian Connection!
If you missed the service or want to see what happened again, you can view the entire worship service by using the link in the gray box below.
If you want to just hear Pastor Woodson’s sermon, you can do so on the church website. (In fact, every week’s sermon is available to the public, via our church website, to hear.)
https://www.gfccsf.org/sermons
Our Church Family Barbecue is this Saturday, September 28, 10AM - 4PM!
Washington Park in Burlingame
850 Burlingame Avenue
Plan on coming that day for a barbecue, games(?) and good fellowship. This will be a good opportunity to invite your family and friends. Dogs are welcome as long as they are on a leash.
If you are bringing food, please bring your own serving utensils.
If you are not planning to go to the church barbecue and can help with the Food Pantry on Saturday, please sign up (in the gray box below) or let Shawn Hannon know.
Nominating Committee - This Sunday, September 29 is the last day for Confirmation Ballots
We are pleased to announce the slate of nominees.
Session Elder (2025-2027):
Albert Jew
Jensa Woo
(Mike Peterson will be retiring from Session at the end of 2024)
Albert has been nominated to serve a second three-year term.
Nominating Committee (2025-2026)
Matt Crawford
Paul Yee
(Heidi McLauglin and Sharon Jung-Verdi are retiring from the NomCom at the of 2024)
If you are a GFCC member that is eligible to vote, you should have received an email with a link to the online ballot. If you have not received this email, please reach out to Shane Chao via nomcom2024@gfccsf.org. If you prefer to vote by paper ballot, please reach out to Shane.
Reimagining Spiritual Formation
Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, October 2 at 7 PM. We will continue to explore what spiritual formation is and how we can create a rich, brave space for its flourishing in us. This in-person biweekly series will combine teaching, dialogue and breakout spaces for engaging how God is at work and how we participate in God’s life. Important themes include formation as a journey, restoration, vulnerability, authenticity, listening and companionship.
October 2
October 16
October 30
November 13
Rebecca Zahrte and Kristi Lounsbury, Sunday, October 13
Becky (Rebecca) Zahrte, Director of Cumberland Presbyterian Church Ministry with Women, and Kristi Lounsbury, Director of Congregational Ministries, will be worshiping with us on Sunday, October 13 and sharing about their ministries.
Come Join Us for an Evening with Bill Clark, Saturday, October 19,
5:30PM - 8:00PM at Church
Bill Clark is the U.S. Northwest Program Director for Peace Catalyst International. He will be preaching on Sunday, October 20.
On the day before, Saturday, October 19, we will have the chance to hear more about his ministry with the Uyghurs in China and to meet some Uyghur families from the Bay Area.
Dinner will be provided.
Joint Love Feast with The First Mennonite Church of San Francisco, Sunday, October 27
If you can help with the lunch preparation, please let Jennifer or Caroline know.
Ekklesia SF Regional Gathering, Saturday, November 2
The escalating signs of climate collapse can provoke a range of responses in us. Denial. Numbness. Dread. Anxiety. Anger. But what if we could begin to reckon with the collapse of the world we have known in the company of God’s people? What if we could find gospel partnership and learn steps of hopeful repentance, love, and action?
The first ever Ekklesia SF Regional Gathering will engage with the reality of climate collapse through the lens of grief and congregational practices grounded in hope. The gathering will be held in the church building.
Saturday, November 2, 2024
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Cost: $25
DETAILS & REGISTRATION: https://www.ekklesiaproject.org/gathering/sf-regional-gathering-2024
If you have any questions, contact Joel Balzer, Shane Chao or Kim Towsley
Advent Retreat at the Mercy Center, December 6-7, 2024
Join us for a retreat at The Mercy Center in Burlingame, titled "Curiosity, Doubt and Hope: An Advent Journey"
Participation Options (Early Bird Price until October 1):
Early Bird Pricing (and payment) ends on October 1
If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Paul.
Advent Retreat Sign Up
Scripture Readers Needed - Just a few more slots to fill
Please consider serving our congregation by being a Scripture reader during our Sunday service. We invite everyone, including the youth, to sign up. If you have any questions, please contact Elaine Joe.
Scripture Reading Sign-Up
Food Pantry Volunteers Needed
Here is an opportunity to serve our neighborhood by signing up to help in the weekly food pantry. If you have a few hours on any given Saturday and want to meet our neighbors and work alongside our other food pantry volunteers, please sign up. Presently, there are no people signed up after this Saturday! If you have any questions, please contact Cindy Peterson.
Food Pantry Sign-Up
This is Us Quilt
Another set of words from our fellow travelers that have been stitched on the crumbs:
Loved
Grit
The Life and Love of God is all around us
Forgive Reality
Hope is the Church
Seeking and Belonging
Enough
Grace
Layered
Blessed
Wholly Loved
Beloved/Peace
Peace of the World/Good Health for Everyone
Trust God
Buen Camino
Ministry Partners Update
New College Berkeley (Karen Andrews is our Church Liaison)
THIS FRIDAY, September 27th, 7PM
South Bay Community Church, Fremont, CA
Registration: www.bit.ly/ncb-staying
Has this election season been a little overwhelming? Finding yourself either news-obsessed or fleeing from it altogether? Rev. Dr. Steve Wong, Rev. Tammy Long, and Karen Seth will offer a space for processing the current moment, offering perspective, and practicing contemplative prayer to help center us beyond "fight or flight." The goal is for a spiritual groundedness that frees us to give our attention to what it means to follow Jesus and for the Church to bear faithful witness to the hope of the gospel in these uncertain times. In this mini-retreat, there will be time for sharing, practical considerations, and prayerful contemplation in small groups.
About the presenters
Rev. Dr. Steve Wong is a native Californian, born and raised in San Francisco (original home of the Golden State Warriors!). He's a graduate of Biola University with an MDiv in Theology, and a PhD in psychology, and he's a trained spiritual director and a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory.
Rev. Tammy Long is currently serving as the Lead Pastor at South Bay Community Church in Fremont, CA. She was Co-Lead Pastor from 2018-2021, after serving as the Executive Pastor since 2010. She has a Master’s Degree from Cal State East Bay and a Master’s Degree from North Park Seminary. She is an educator, trained spiritual director, and a published writer.
Karen Lee Seth is a spiritual director (trained at San Francisco Theological Seminary) and the Administrative Director of the Pediatric Brain Center at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in San Francisco. After completing her BA Psychology with honors at UC Berkeley, she went on to receive her MBA in Healthcare Administration from Loma Linda University's School of Public Health. She also serves as an elder at Grace Fellowship Community Church, SF.
More info & registration: www.bit.ly/ncb-staying
Langham Partners (GFCC Alternative Gift Recipient)
A Langham Scholar Pursues Peace in Israel
Our hearts break with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the enormous suffering left in its wake. Yet there is hope in the stories of believers who are still actively working to build God’s Kingdom.
In Nazareth, “the hometown of Jesus, the ultimate Peacemaker,” Dr. Rula Mansour, a Palestinian Christian, wants to see churches become agents of peace. That passion led her to do PhD studies on developing a Middle Eastern theology of reconciliation.
Because Langham invested in her theological training, Rula uses the platform of her PhD to multiply other leaders to bring the radical peace of Christ to the Holy Land.
Peacebuilding in Israel (mailchi.mp)