For our annual “Preschool Sunday,” we will celebrate Valentine’s Day by honoring the theme of “One Love” – love for ourselves, love of our families and friends, and love for the world. Preschools families and children will be joining us, and we will share gifts of love with area agencies. A fun-filled worship service, with dancing in the sanctuary, which will almost feel like Mardi Gras!

Afterwards, we will enjoy the parents’ potluck preparations and a farewell cake for our outgoing office manager Chrysalis Hyon in the Preschool. Come, join us!

This Sunday, January 15^th at Skyline, we will honor the memory of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., his sense of God’s calling in his life, and the larger civil rights movement to which he gave his life.  We will also take seriously our call in this time, to participate in the civil rights movement of our times for greater economic justice, particularly within our country.  Together, one day, we shall overcome!

Please bring with you – friends who would be drawn to this celebration; books, photos, quotes, memories of Reverend King (to be placed on the Sanctuary communion table). Please feel free to contact me if you’d like to discuss ways that you’d like to take part at revlauriemanning@aol.com.

And for those of you interested in exploring parallels between the black civil rights movement of the 1960′s and the current Occupy movement, please check out:

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/441-occupy/9281-black-churches-to-energize-occupy

Finally, here’s a link to learn more about the various events taking part here in Oakland to honor this great man, and the urgent need for our collective leadership at this time:

http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/CEDA/o/Redevelopment/o/CulturalArtsMarketing/HolidayEvents/index.htm

   Blessings, Reverend Laurie Manning

Journey Through Advent  - 3 Wednesdays in December: 12/7, 12/14, 12/21

Join us as we journey through Advent — waiting, preparing, opening ourselves to the Light of God, to be born within us.  Join us on Wednesday evenings, December 7, 14, and 21st from 7 – 8 pm, as we journey through the lectionary, walk the labyrinth with candles and behold the stars, and share our reflections for our lives and for the world. Pastor Laurie will be leading; hot apple cider and snacks provided. Call Pastor Laurie for more information or if you will need childcare.

Wednesday, 12/7 Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Luke 1:46-55 ~ Heartbreak of Justice

Wednesday, 12/14  Luke 1:26-38 ~ God With Us

Wednesday, 12/21 Luke 2:1-17, 8-20 ~  Sing With Us

Join us in Honoring National Donor Sabbath!

The purpose of Sunday, November 13th’s Sunday Service is to celebrate the gift of life and to raise awareness around the critical need for organ and tissue donors. More than 110,000 men, women and children are waiting for a healthy organ.

In Northern California alone, more than 20,000 people await life-saving organs and thousands more await tissue transplants that can dramatically improve their quality of life. Today, 18 people will die because they will not get the organ transplant they so desperately need.

We encourage you to join us, this Sunday, as we will celebrate the gift of life. We welcome everyone.

Joining us as speakers are:

Dr. Nikole Neidlinger, California Transplant Donor Network Medical advisor, and transplant surgeon with California Pacific Medical Center.

Marc Adato, a recent bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipient, who spoke at Stanford’s annual BMT reunion.

For more information, please see: http://www.ctdn.org/home.html

Our 2011 Blessing of the Animals was A Re-Barkable Success!
Thanks To All Who Came Out to Celebrate Our Animal Companions

This year’s Blessing of the Animals was a wonderful blessing to all of us. Our gathering drew nearly 70 participants with upwards of 40 dogs, a cat and a kitten, and a small gerbil-mouse.  We were so pleased to have been featured by some local newspapers highlighting the day’s sweetest moments:

For the Oakland North’s short but sweet video of our event, please click here: http://vimeo.com/30334566

For the accompanying article, please click here: oaklandnorth.net/2011/10/10/dogs-and-a-few-cats-blessed-at-the-skyline-community-church-in-the-oakland-hills/

Here’s a blog piece from SF Gate/SF Chronicle:  http://blog.sfgate.com/inoakland/2011/10/10/dogs-and-a-few-cats-blessed-at-the-skyline-community-church-in-the-oakland-hills/

We are honored to carry on this special tradition and welcome All to come again next year!

Last Sunday, September 25th, on behalf of Skyline, I was invited to speak as part of the Alameda County Community Food Bank’s (ACCFB’s) annual “Savor the Season” fundraiser, held at Wente Vineyards in Livermore. It was the Food Bank’s largest annual fundraiser, and is critical in this current economy, where so many people are in need.

The 400-person audience included representatives from the Food Bank’s major corporate and non- profit sponsors, from Chevron to Clorox, volunteers and major donors who took part in live and silent auctions. Dave Clark, morning news anchor from KTVU, MC’d the event (…and, I am shamelessly sharing with you, that Dave Clark publically declared three times, “I love Pastor Laurie!”)

Joining me were some of Skyline’s leadership, including Paula and Dave Byrens, Suzie Harris, and Kay Gilliland.

In my talk, I presented Skyline as the little church (with the little pastor) in the big city of Oakland, wanting to make a big difference, especially now in this tough economy – where one in six people don’t have enough money to buy healthy food. I invited people to picture them: families with children (one in four are below the CA poverty level, disproportionately people of color),  working people whose paychecks just don’t stretch to the end of the week, elderly folks on fixed incomes. I explained how much we love the work of the Food Bank and for years have made a difference through volunteering, hosting food drives and preparing and serving meals in many affiliated soup pantries. I explained how we had recently been blessed with a generous bequest of a donor with simple instructions: Contribute to a cause that’s making a big difference in Alameda County, especially now. I explained how the choice was easy and obvious for us – to support the Food Bank. Here is an excerpt from my speech:

“We didn’t want it to be that easy.  Simply providing the gift was not enough for us: We hoped for a bigger miracle. We realized that the gift itself was meaningful, but had the potential to inspire others, and make an even bigger impact.  So, we decided we would try to double it – through you.  We decided we wanted to multiply the loaves of bread, fish, fresh carrots and broccoli the gift would provide.

So instead of simply handing over a check, we set out to inspire and challenge you, the wider community:  For every dollar you contribute through Savor the Season, Skyline will match that dollar, up to $25,000.  That’s at least $50,000 — the equivalent of one quarter of a million dollars’ worth of food distributed, thanks to the Food Bank’s purchasing power.   That’s the miracle we’re hoping for.

Especially in these tough times, we can become discouraged, and doubt that we can make a difference, to make things better. I’m here to tell you that you can. Each one of us can make a difference, One person at a time… our actions have power. Our actions have a rippling effect. We’re hoping to multiply that effect by acting together.  Together, we can end hunger, here in Alameda County. Together, we can change lives for the better, especially for children.

Join us, in widening the circle of all those who can savor this season together. Join us in being part of this little story about making a big difference. Join us in being of this miracle.”

And join us, they did! Let me continue with my shameless sharing: My talk was scheduled before the live auction. As the live auction began, the auctioneer asked, “Is Pastor Laurie still here?” I was of course, so I raised my hand. She then read the following note from an anonymous donor at the event: “Based on Pastor Laurie’s presence and powerful message, we are adding another $10,000 to Skyline’s challenge. So bid generously and bid often.”

In effect, this grew our initial matching pledge of $25,000, to $35,000 in a matter of a moment. I am pleased to tell you, that not only was this matching challenge met – it was far exceeded. When the event was over, we were informed that the Savor the Season Campaign, of which Skyline Community Church’s matching challenge, was a central piece, netted a lot!

Are you ready for the drum roll? The campaign netted $293,000, or the equivalent of almost $1.5 million worth of food distribution, thanks to the Food Bank’s purchasing power.

Kathryn Weber, Corporate Partnerships and events coordinator for ACCFB wrote to me, “While the actual dollar amount that was generated by the match is hard to quantify, we believe that all of those paddles (bids) that were raised during the Hunger Fighter portion of the auction were a direct result of your presence and powerful message!  Your initial $25,000 challenge (and the additional $10,000 challenge you inspired) have been matched. It was a wonderfully powerful afternoon and I know that everyone in the audience felt inspired by the “little pastor from the little church” and the BIG impact that you have made in our community!”

As your pastor, I’m pleased to tell you that each one of us is a part of this miracle. We are a small church making a big difference, right here in Oakland, widening the circle of care, because there is enough for all of us!

Thank you, Skyline Community Church!

Blessings,
Pastor Laurie

In this afternoon of fun and insight, we embrace Rage as a pathway to emotional liberation. Through group sharing, mindfulness, and ceremony, we are guided inward to make peace with aspects of our lives which have been dishonored. We discover our “Disguises of Rage” and open to the wisdom behind them. We expand perceptions of right and wrong, learn how to accept and forgive, and rest more in body and mind. For more about Ruth King’s work: www.ruthking.net.

Please join us for this special opportunity to hear Ruth while she is on the West Coast.  A special discounted fee is being offered to Skyline church members $45 (original workshop fee $75). Click here to reserve your space: mary@sagrada.com

Saturday September 17th at 7pm
at Skyline Church in Oakland

Greetings,
On Saturday September 17th Skyline Community Church will be hosting an event called Playing for Change. This is a nonprofit fundraiser and all proceeds will be donated to  the playing for change foundation. The Goal is to raise money to build music schools around the world helping preserve the music and cultures of communities and giving kids a positive outlet for there energy.

This is a free event, no one will be turned away for lack of funds, however it is greatly appreciated when you contribute even just 5 or 10 dollars. There will be live music, dancing, a video about the organization, a raffle drawing with some prizes for a lucky few, snacks and refreshments will be provided during  the intermission.

This event is one of hundreds of synchronized events going on around the world on September 17th to raise money for Playing For Change! Please join us and feel free to bring your family and friends!
Thank You,
Jacob and Emily Marshall

Skyline Community Church
12540 Skyline Blvd
Oakland, CA 94619

Saturday September 17th at 7pm

To RSVP and to Donate:
http://playingforchangeday.org/show/bay-area-sound-and-music-healers-playing-for-change-
See you there!

Children Benefitting from Playing for Change

This is a nonprofit fundraiser and all proceeds will be donated to the Playing For Change foundation (http://playingforchangeday.org/). The Goal is to raise money to build music schools around the world helping preserve the music and cultures of communities and giving kids a positive outlet for there energy.

There will be live music, dancing, a video about the organization, a raffle drawing with prizes for a lucky few, and snacks and refreshments. This event is one of hundreds of synchronized events going on around the world on September 17th to raise money for Playing For Change!

This is a free event, no one will be turned away for lack of funds, however it is greatly appreciated when you contribute even just 5-10 dollars.

Please join us and feel free to bring your family and friends!

Saturday, October 29th, 2011 ~ 9 AM (Registration 8:30 AM)

Have some healthy fun while helping children in Sierra Leone attend school!

Come participate in a bike ride to paradise on Saturday, October 29th to benefit our mission partners in Sierra Leone. Our partnering mission school in Sierra Leone continues to benefit from your help!  We’ve received so much reward from this tradition, we are doing it again this year.

There will be a route just for you!  We will have different ride routes to offer for kids, families, and advanced riders — everything from our church courtyard (for kiddie rides), to intermediate and advanced routes involving Cull Canyon Road and Redwood Roads, (ranging from 6 to 35 miles).

$10 minimum suggested donation.  There is also a $1,000 donation sponsorship level for a child’s college education. Any level of contribution will provide teachers, school supplies and other materials for the children.

Registration begins at 8:30 AM at Skyline Church. Rides scheduled to depart at 9 AM.

Please contact Marilyn Shaw for any further questions at (510) 531-3353 or marilyn_shaw@sbcglobal.net