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!

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.

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:

1. training in yoga, mindfulness meditation and loving-kindness meditation
2. 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!

Please visit http://www.warriorsofpeace.net for more information.

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.

A Thanksgiving Reminder from THE PIE QUEEN!

For Thanksgiving 2008 last year, Skyline Church delivered 35 pies to provide a delicious dessert to the over 600 meals served to the homeless, elderly, and those in need at Oakland’s Lake Merritt U.M. Church. The volunteers, staff, and appreciative diners were amazed that our small but powerful congregation could produce so many good pies!

This year, we again ask for your help in providing pies for this community, for the same Thanksgiving dinner in downtown Oakland.  Hopefully, we can offer 35 pies again – whether homemade, Safeway produced, or from your favorite bakery.  (Last year, one of our teens made 4 pies!)  Please bring your pies and leave them in the Friendship Room prior to 10:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning (11/26). I will pick them up then and deliver them to the Lake Merritt Church.

The chair of the event, Steven Ford, has come to our church during Announcements and given more details about who is served, what volunteers are needed, etc.  Just a reminder, all volunteers are welcomed – all ages!  Dinner is served from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.; you need to check in at noon to get your assignment. Turkeys are cooked the day before (Nov. 25th). Finally, there is clean up after the meal, then delivery of any leftovers to the Women’s Homeless Shelter in downtown Oakland.

In addition to Dave and myself, we were blessed with volunteers Joan & Clint Monroe, Joan’s daughter and granddaughter, Suzie Harris, the Rutters (Lee, Chris, Ben and Kit).  It is a wonderful experience that has been my passion for over 10 years. Any questions, directions, comments, etc. just ask, but PLEASE bring those pies!

Paula Byrens

Skyline’s 2009 Blessing of the Animals event attracted 60 people along with 33 dogs, 9 cats, and two horses. Lee Rutter and Julie Duff brought their “minis”— these little horses were a big hit with everyone! The tiny horses were in perfect proportion to the little girls and boys who gathered around them. One of the dogs, a mastiff, was equal in size with the horses. Several of the dogs were tiny Chihuahuas. We all enjoyed the varied sizes, breeds and coloring of the dogs as well as the much more quiet and sedate cats.
The Oakland Tribune sent a photographer and the pictures were on the front page of the Monday, October 5, Metro Section. Publicity included notices in the Bay Woof newspaper and the Contra Costa Times, flyers in veterinarians’ offices, signs at crossing areas, and flyers along the paths and at the Equestrian Center.
There had been considerable concern about having the event time changed from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon. Of the 60 attendees, 36 were from Skyline Church. The excellent attendance of our own members validates the change. So, mark Sunday, October 3, 2010 for the next Blessing of the Animals at Skyline!

Special thanks to Jean Siciliano, Lee and Chris Rutter, Laureen Sheldon, Beth Rogers, Rhea Babbitt, Suzie Harris, Pastor Laurie Manning, Rachel, Ken and Kate Hoeim, Kayla Bonewell, Vangie Castro, Rev. Sally Juarez and others.

Have some fun and help the kids in Sierra Leone rebuild their lives after the destruction of the Civil War which claimed many lives as well as schools.

Come participate in a bike ride to paradise on Saturday October 31st to benefit the school. Your contribution will provide teachers, school supplies and other materials for the children who need your help!

BIKE RIDE – Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Skyline Church to carpool for shorter ride or begin advanced ride.
Advanced Ride – Begins at Skyline UCC and goes to Cull Canyon Road in Castro Valley out and back is 30 miles.
Beginner Ride – Meet at the corner of Cull Canyon Road and Crow Canyon Road in Castro Valley.  Out and back is slightly up hill 8 miles and back is down hill 8 miles.
Toddler Ride – Biking around the courtyard (child care offered for riders with kids)

Riders may choose to do only part of the ride as they are able out of Cull Canyon Road and back.  Water and snack stop at Rancho de los Amigos, Cull Canyon Rd.

11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. – Brunch/Lunch after ride at SCC
$10.00 donation or more – 100% of proceeds go to directly to Sierra Leone
Make your tax deductable check payable to Skyline Community Church and mark in the reference area – Sierra Leone fundraiser.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! RSVP or questions? – contact Marilyn Shaw at marilyn_shaw@SBCglobal.net or 510-531-3353

Skyline Church had a food drive last May. Many of you brought food items to church, and some members participated by making online donations or writing checks to Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB).

ACCFB serves over 40,000 people in Alameda County, every week.

From the ACCFB website:
By participating in our Virtual Food Drive, you save the Food Bank the time and resources involved in a physical food drive. Our strong relationships with food industry partners and cost-effective operations enable us to maximize your contribution. In fact, each $1 donation allows us to distribute $7 worth of food!

The online food drive was set up with a goal of $1,000 with an end date of 5/31. Some church members have asked me if they can continue to donate online using the Skyline UCC group. The answer is yes you can!

I just did so today. It is easy enough, if you use a computer to access the internet. Visit:  www.vfd-accfb.org
On the left side of the virtual food drive home page, you will see a button labeled “Join Your Group”. When clicked, you will see a list which you can scroll through. Scroll down to the Skyline UCC group. Select it and you can start shopping or simply make a donation. We still have a way to go to reach the original goal, but we now have time.

Yoga Class Begins
Friday, Sept. 18th at 10 am

Jean Moore, neighbor, yoga practitioner and certified instructor in training, is offering a free 8 week long yoga class at Skyline church, if you are interested, please contact her at jeanmariemoore@sbcglobal.net 482-0358 home, 229-7106 cell

Here’s a note from Jean:
The yoga that I am in training to teach is a vinyasa style with a moderate to slow flow.  Our class would be appropriate for experience levels 1-2.  Of course, anyone with more practice is welcome to join us.  During the first class, we’ll focus on learning to breathe, posture, and proper alignment of the poses since we have so many that are new to yoga.  I use the English names for poses rather than Sanskrit.  Our typical class includes a 20-minute warm-up, 15 minutes of strengthening poses, 15 minutes of cool down poses, ending with about 10 minutes of relaxation.  My approach is noncompetitive and teaching to appreciate what our individual bodies can do.
Students should bring their own mats although I will be donating a few. (I don’t recommend borrowing used mats for hygienic reasons.)  They may bring blocks and straps if they normally use them.

We are requesting doctor’s permission from anyone recovering from an illness or injury; or from anyone using assisted walking devices such as a walker, cane or wheelchair.  Their doctor should note what the person can and cannot do…such as twists, backbends, balancing poses, etc.

We are pleased to introduce Bernadette Quattrone, the new co-director of Skyline Preschool. Bernadette has returned to the Bay Area after spending several years in New York. With a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from NYU and a naval officer education from the U.S. Naval Academy, Bernadette comes to Skyline with a rich background and high praise from both teachers and parents alike. To our delight, Bernadette plays the guitar and enjoys singing with children as did her predecessor Joady Stern. Bernadette also loves to do theater with children and has experience teaching drama and science, an interesting and wonderful combination! Bernadette’s educational philosophy and early childhood experience serve as a wonderful complement to the Skyline Preschool Program. We welcome Bernadette as she begins her tenure with us on September 1st.