Posted: Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Saturday Morning Co-op Play Groups for Children
Returning this fall by popular demand, Skyline will continue a once-a-month Saturday morning play day for children of church parents and their invited friends to leave their children for the morning so parents have time to be together, time to run errands, time to go shopping, time to take a nap!!
Parents take turns providing the childcare, assisted by a member of the church CY&F team. This idea came out of our Saturday morning childcare for parents to do Christmas shopping. Expect our next gathering soon after school begins in the fall.
Talk to Beth, Interim CY&F Ministries Coordinator for more information on our next co-cop play day, or to volunteer!
Posted: Tuesday, July 6, 2010
This spring we piloted a new program of covenant groups called “The Extended Families” to foster a deeper experience of community at Skyline Church.
“Extended Families” invites clusters of cross-generational church members to come together for fun and fellowship and to make a special commitment to each other to stay in sustained on-going relationship. These “families”, plan their own activities, meet on a regular basis for potluck dinners, group outings to go to the zoo or the beach or to someone’s home to play board games or to do activities together of their own choosing.
Skyline’s Extended Families are made up on older adults, young adults, teenagers, children and babies…..people who covenant to come to know each other in special, deeper than only Sunday morning ways….having fun together, supporting each other in times of transition and change, celebrating each others victories and successes and walking together in times of loss or crisis.
In June we held our kick off event, and look forward to adding more members into our Extended Families, and growing together through the years.
If you are interested in joining The Extended Family, or hearing more about the program, contact Family member and Interim Children Youth and Family Coordinator, Beth Rogers.
Posted: Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wonder Dog Computer Classes at Skyline: Two Free 10 AM Workshops, MON, April 19th & FRI, April 30th
Beginning and intermediate computer users are being offered by WonderDog Computer Tutors in April. If you already know how to email and write a simple letter but want to improve your skills, this class is for you. Learn “Tips-n-Tricks” about attachments, Google, photos and more. Sign up for either Monday, April 19 or Friday, April 30. The class will be demonstration only with handouts; there will be no computers in the classroom (Friendship Room). Both classes are for the Skyline community and friends.
Please be sure to sign up ahead, a minimum number is needed to hold the class!
RSVP to Wonder Dog at 510-632-7020 or info@wonderdogcomputertutors.com
Posted: Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Celebrate Easter at Skyline -
April 4, 2010
Come celebrate the Spirit of Easter where we welcome ALL of God’s people. Experience fabulous music and an inspiring message with a spectacular view of the Oakland Hills.
Sunrise Service ~ 6:30 am
• Featuring Oakland/East Bay Gay Men’s Choir
Download Sunrise Service flyer here: Sunrise10Flyer
Easter Worship Service ~ 10:00 am
• Easter Egg Hunt for the kids following service!
Skyline’s traditional Easter Egg Hunt is happening RAIN or SHINE, following the 10:00 service on Easter Sunday morning. We welcome our neighborhood families and any who care to come to join us! Stay for refreshments and conversation following the hunt.
Download Easter Flyer here: EasterFlyer10
Lent & Easter Event Calendar here
For more information please contact our office at:
Skyline Community Church, United Church of Christ
12540 Skyline Boulevard
Oakland, CA 94619
510.531.8212
Email Skyline Office
Posted: Saturday, February 13, 2010
Welcome to Skyline Community Church’s first annual community art show! It is so appropriate in so many ways that Skyline created this event — bringing together community — and art, as we know, is a window to the soul…
We commend the artists who participated in this special show, revealing more of themselves to us and the public, and further uplifting and enhancing our sanctuary with their beautiful work. Our artists in this show are quite diverse — ranging from a college student’s usage of recycled materials; an architect; a photographer who is also an ordained minister; to teachers and healthcare providers who are also artists.
Please enjoy this collection of photos (taken by Chris Nelson) of those in attendance at our opening reception, which was held on a beautiful afternoon Saturday, February 6th.
Warm Regards,
Reverend Laurie Manning
Artists currently exhibiting at Skyline:
Dave Byrens
Alexandra Childs
Ginger Grove
Sheila Helms
Barbara Harris
Joan Monroe
Catherine Moore
Chris Nelson
Nila Oakes
Bruce Prescott
Katherine Rutter
Laureen Sheldon
Lee Winslow
Beth Wolinsky
Posted: Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Skyline Community Church invites you to…
A Community Gathered - Art Show featuring the talents of several local artists.
The show will run from January 30th through February 27th and will displayed in the beautiful Skyline Sanctuary. Works of art will be for sale as well as for exhibit only. The room will be open to the public on Sundays from 11 am to 1pm and by request during the week. You are also welcome to join us for our 10am worship service.
Please join us for the Artists’ Reception on Saturday, February 6th at 3pm.
Wine and cheese reception, $10 optional donation.
All proceeds from the reception will go to support local youth art.
Come enjoy our beautiful photographs, paintings, and textures!
Delightful images lifting the spirit and bringing memory & pleasure.
Official Sunday Show Exhibit Dates:
01/30, 2/07, 2/14, 2/21, & 2/27
11 AM – 1 PM
(Or join us first for Sunday service at 10 am.)
For more information please contact the Skyline office at 510-531-8212. We hope to see you there!
Posted: Friday, December 11, 2009
 Come experience the wonder of our candlelight Christmas Eve Service celebrating the birth of Jesus with carols, anthems, scripture lessons, and instrumental music. The service will be followed by delicious Christmas treats, hot apple cider, and fellowship.
For more information please contact the office at 510.531.8212
Posted: Thursday, December 3, 2009
Skyline Movie Night
Pray the Devil Back to Hell
Friday, December 11th, 7 pm – 9 pm
“Uplifting, disheartening, inspiring, — the mind reels while watching the documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell”
– New York Times
“A MARVELOUS DOCUMENTARY” – LA Times
“Relates a powerful story with intelligence, concision and a minimum of distracting stylistic flourishes.” – Hollywood Reporter
Pastor Laurie, Jean Siciliano, Sentho Kilgore and other members attended a Mills College showing of Pray the Devil Back to Hell, a story of courageous Liberian women (Christian & Muslim) who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country. The Skyline Church group was so impressed by the film, they planned a Movie Night for Friday, December 11th, 7 pm, here at Skyline!
Pray the Devil is the winner of 7 film festival awards, including Movies That Matter, Gabriel Award for Best Documentary, Best Documentary Tribeca Film Festival, and a number of others.
Posted: Friday, November 13, 2009
Warriors of Peace – Inaugural Gathering
Monday, December 7th 6:30 – 8 pm
Donation Basis (see FAQ)
Please Bring your own Mat (a few extras will be available)
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
WHAT IS THE INTENTION BEHIND WARRIORS OF PEACE?
The intention for Warriors of Peace is to create a community focused on:
- training in yoga, mindfulness meditation and loving-kindness meditation
- offering financial support to organizations that promote safety, health, happiness and peace to local communities in need
An underlying premise of Warriors of Peace is the recognition that creating a more peaceful and compassionate world starts with creating more peace and compassion within ourselves. Participants are people like you who share the intention of creating peace in the world through cultivating a more open and loving heart.
WHAT DO WARRIORS OF PEACE DO?
Warriors of Peace meet monthly (first Mondays) to practice yoga, mindfulness meditation and loving-kindness meditation. You do NOT need to be familiar with these practices prior to join one of the classes. Easy-to-follow instructions will be provided.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO PARTICIPATE?
The class is donation-based – you contribute whatever you would like to contribute. 95% of these donations* will go directly to support communities in need. For example in December we focus on hunger, and all the proceeds will go to support the Alameda County Food Bank. Another month might focus on domestic violence, with the proceeds benefitting a local women’s shelter. There are many ways our class collection can be used to improve the lives of people in our community.
*The remaining 5% of the collection will support the administration needs of the group, including maintaining this website, as well as paying for liability insurance for participants during practice.
BACKGROUND
This past year, one of my students (Reverend Laurie Manning) asked me if I’d lead a donation-based yoga class at her church to help fundraise for the AIDS Benefit Ride. I was eager to help, especially given my past participation in an AIDS Ride.
The benefit class was well attended and enjoyed by all. The venue was also quite inspiring! Skyline Community Church overlooks the beautiful mountain-scape of Redwood Regional Park. Rev. Laurie invited me to consider holding a regular class at Skyline. With this open invitation, the idea for Warriors of Peace was borne!
Posted: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The holiday season brings unprecedented need in our community. The Alameda County Community Food Bank reports “this has been an exceptional year of economic hardship in Alameda County. Our Emergency Food Help line requests in the third quarter of 2009 increased 53% from the same period in 2008, and have escalated 95% compared to the third quarter of 2007.”
We all know friends, neighbors, and co-workers who are struggling to make ends meet in these tough times. Mindful of that, Michael Armijo, Pastor Laurie and I felt compelled to insure that our giving efforts are the most efficient in delivering help to those in need. ACCFB is the central clearinghouse for donated food in Alameda County, distributing 16.4 million pounds of food during the fiscal year completed on June 30, 2009 – including 7.6 million pounds of farm-fresh produce.
With their bulk purchasing power and ultra-efficient distribution network, the Food Bank can leverage every dollar donated by a ratio of 7:1. According to a New York Times article published Oct. 11, 2009, ” “the money spent on a $2 jar of applesauce could otherwise buy up to 40 pounds of apples.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/magazine/11banks-t.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&emc=eta1
To that end, for this holiday season we have revived our online Virtual Food Drive from the spring:
http://www.vfd-accfb.org/selectgroup.aspx
Why a Virtual Food Drive?
- It saves the Food Bank precious resources – schedulers, drivers, food sorters and fuel – during the busy holiday season.
- It’s the greenest (and easiest) of all food drives
- ACCFB can better meet our community’s nutritional needs
With demand at an all-time high, the Food Bank has to purchase more food than ever in order to meet the needs of their 275 food pantries, soup kitchens and community agencies. For those who want to donate cash or checks, we will be accepting donations at the church.
But what about people who want a hands-on experience?
We have two additional opportunities planned:
- For those who love the idea of shopping for Thanksgiving dinner, and preparing bags or “baskets”, we will be collecting non-perishable donations to be delivered directly to the East Oakland Switchboard, which Skyline has long supported. This agency provides information, referral services and emergency food boxes to persons with a Social Services Agency referral. Look for specifics on donations in upcoming church bulletins.
- Last year’s support of Lake Merritt United Methodist Church’s Thanksgiving dinner was exceptional. Paula Byrens collected 50% more pies than she requested. Additionally, many Skyline members were on hand during the day to welcome diners, serve food, and bus tables. We want to participate again this year, by donating pies (homemade or purchased) and volunteering on Thanksgiving Day. Paula will be providing more details in the coming weeks.
For more information on these, or other volunteering opportunities during the holidays and beyond, please contact Suzie Harris, Michael Armijo, or Pastor Laurie.
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