All are welcome to a family-friendly weekly community dinner on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. As part of our November Gratitude theme, this week Amanda, Ventana’s Head of School, and Claire invite you to help them prepare soup that will be shared at Ventana’s preschool Stone Soup event on Friday. We'll have pizza for dinner and hope you can join us! RSVP using this Google Form so we can make sure that we have enough food. NOTE: There will be no Community Dinner on Wednesday, Nov. 27.

The meditation group meets via Zoom on Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m. If you’re interested in learning more about contemplative practices drawn from the Christian and Buddhist traditions, as well as contemporary psychology, you’re welcome to attend. All are welcome! NOTE: There will be no Meditation Group on Wednesday, Nov. 27.

Join via Zoom

• Click this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/197694657?pwd=ekg3Y24zL2RjV2pKNEs5eVpFVzdidz09

• Meeting ID: 197 694 657; Passcode: 450305

Grief is a deeply personal journey, often sparked by loss or change, and can even surface in times of celebration. Rev. Cal Payne-Taylor and Minister Alice Kochunov invite you to join them on Sunday, November 17, 12:00-2:00 p.m. in the chapel for a workshop where we will hold space for grief within our beloved Christ Church community. Through shared stories, liturgy, and contemplation, we open to support, hope, and nourishment, even in the loneliest stretches of grief's wilderness. We’ll begin our time with a potluck lunch, inviting participants to bring a dish that honors a departed loved one and to share the story behind it. After a time of fellowship and mutual nourishment, we’ll delve into an exercise we call “Cartography of the Heart,” mapping the complex terrain of our unique grief journeys. We’ll name and honor the experiences in our lives that are laden with both joy and grief, creating meditative space for the holy ambiguities that come with being human. Affirming our collective wisdom, resilience, grief and joy, we’ll conclude with A Liturgy of Shadow and Light, a new service drawn from the liturgical richness of our Episcopal tradition. To help with planning, please email Rev. Cal (cal@ccla.us) if you plan to attend.

The Spirit of Thanksgiving: Grateful Hearts, Shared Blessings

Join us on Wednesday, November 13, 6:00-8:00 p.m. for an Interfaith Thanksgiving Dinner with an evening of grateful hearts and shared blessings. In partnership with Pacifica Institute/BAYCC, Building Bridges, Silicon Valley Interreligious Council and hosted here at Christ Church, the evening will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a musical celebration in the church and transition to a Thanksgiving feast in the Parish Hall.

Volunteers are needed to help with set up, serving or clean up, you can sign up here.

If you are interested in offering a musical performance, you can submit information for that here.

Please RSVP here. We hope you will join us for this celebration of gratitude. All are welcome! Note: This will be in place of the regular Community Dinner.

Members of the Columbarium Association (i.e., everyone who owns a niche) are warmly invited to attend the 2024 Annual Meeting on Sunday, November 10 at 11:45 a.m. Members may join from either inside the Church or remotely using the log-in information for the 10:15 a.m. Sunday service. This is an opportunity for the Trustees of the Association to update members on any new business and to re-elect the trustees, which must be done every year.

A parish-wide remembrance of those inurned in our Columbarium

Service begins at 4:00 p.m. in the Columbarium followed by a reception on the Lower Lawn.

Join us to remember and celebrate our loved ones who, in death, remain alive in Christ (John 11:25). You are encouraged to bring an “offering” for the altar we will create together on the stone shelf below the niches. Suggestions: a photo of your loved one; something they liked, or something that reminds you of them; a candle (with holder); or some flowers. You may take your offerings home with you, or leave them for a few days, if you wish. 

Please R.S.V.P. by October 31st to Kris Stanfield: kasras@aol.com

The Director of Music Search Committee is seeking your thoughtful responses to a few questions found in the survey linked here. If you have not had a chance to respond, please take time to reflect and share with as much detail as you wish. You are also welcome to contact one of the members of the Search Committee to share your thoughts and/or attend an information-gathering meeting on Sunday, November 3, following the 10:15 a.m. service during coffee hour in the Fireside Room. Thank you for being a part of this important discernment.

Join us at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, November 3, for our annual meditative Requiem service during which we honor all those who have recently passed into eternal life. This service marks our observance of the Feast of All Faithful Departed, also known as "All Souls." You are invited to bring small photographs of deceased family members or friends for the Remembrance Table near the altar.

Come and celebrate the Day of the Dead, Diá de los Muertos, with a family event and drive-in movie at Christ Church Portola Valley Woodside on Saturday, November 2, 4:00-8:15 p.m. Admission is free. There will be face painting and art projects, and a couple of local Mexican food trucks. Bring a photo of your departed loved one(s) for the Ofrenda (altar) if you wish. At 6:30 p.m. there will be an drive-in screening of the movie Coco. You can watch from your car or bring some blankets and there will be chairs available. All are welcome!

Schola Cantorum is an unique choral arts organization with multiple community programs whose members include parishioners Marie Alberry-Hawkins, Jo Darius, and Charles Thompson and Ventana School teacher Julie Kelsey. The theme for the season is Encounters! as they will be performing three of their concerts with other groups. The first concert is Carmina Burana, Sunday, October 27th, 4:00 p.m., at the Palo Alto High School Performing Arts Center, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto. Hear Carl Orff’s masterwork Carmina Burana: Fortune, Empress of the World performed by Schola Cantorum and Singers from the Palo Alto High School Choirs with two pianos and percussion.

Our neighbors at Los Altos United Methodist Church are hosting a community-wide Trunk-or-Treat event on Sunday, October 27, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Come dressed in your favorite costumes for fun, games, and treats! If you wish to be one of the “trunks” and decorate your car, fill out this registration form: Trunk or Treat Car Registration – Google Forms. We hope you will join us!

The Association for India's Development (AID) will be holding their annual fundraiser gala again this year in the Christ Church Parish Hall. The event will be held over dinner starting at 5:00 p.m. Saturday, October 19 and will feature Jayakumar, the director of the Pesticide Action Network (India) and Somnath, an environmental and indigenous-rigths activist. This event is a wonderful chance to learn about real-life struggles for environmental justice in the developing world and how we can be in solidarity. Entry is free; AID would be delighted if any Christ Church parishioners could join this very special event. RSVP online!

Pacifica Institute and Maryknoll Society cordially invite you to an interfaith lecture on “Christian Spirituality as Understood Through the Teachings of Pope Francis,” Saturday, October 19, 4:00 p.m. at Maryknoll Society, 23000 Cristo Rey Drive, Los Altos.

Dinner will follow (Halal). All are welcome! RSVP here.

The parishioners of Christ Church are warmly welcomed to attend the installation of David Green as Minister for Foothills Congregational Church at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 12. They have asked Rev. Claire to deliver the sermon in light of the historic connection between our churches, since Foothills operates out of the original Christ Church location. Come see where Christ Church began and celebrate with our neighbors as they mark this new chapter in the life of their church.

Foothills Congregational Church is located at 461 Orange Avenue, Los Altos.

Fall Fest is this Saturday, 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.  

Enjoy Ventana School’s annual fall celebration with carnival games, crafts, preschool and elementary obstacle courses, a float parade, and bake sale!

We have rented 2 large tents for the lower lawn to help with the heat. Along with several donated canopies from Ventana families, we will have lots of shade for all!

We will have a Food Truck from Sajj Mediteranean as well as Cocina Karma Mexican catering. To see the day’s schedule, pre-order your lunch (pre-order available through end of the day Thursday, you will be able to buy lunch in person on Saturday) and purchase carnival tickets, click here. 

All are welcome to come out and enjoy the fun!

Virginia and Grant Audet are expecting their first baby early in October! All are welcome to a special celebration of their growing family during Coffee Hour on Sunday, September 29th. They've already received most of the supplies they need to welcome the new addition but baby books would be most appreciated. You can also sign up to contribute to their meal train from October 13th onward. Come and share some fun and fellowship as we bless the Audets in this season of new life. 

We all know the importance of good nutrition for ourselves and our families, but with so much conflicting information in the public sphere about what "good nutrition" really means, it can be difficult to know what to serve, when to push, and when flexibility around food is best. Join us for an illuminating and informative evening with Erica Lewis, a local Registered Dietitian who specializes in intuitive eating, diabetes care and education, and eating disorder treatment and prevention. Erica will help us unpack widely-held diet myths to reconnect with the body's intuitive wisdom around hunger and fullness as a key to balanced nutrition. To make this easy for everyone involved, we're coupling this event with Community Dinner. Bring your kids and come to the Parish Hall for dinner from 6pm - 6:30pm. Erica's session will run from 6:30pm - 7:30pm, during which time we'll have staff supervise the children while they play around campus. Please use the Community Dinner RSVP link found here to let us know if you can make it! 

Come join Holy Hikes and help us create a living liturgy at an Autumn Equinox Service in Redwood Regional Park on Monday, September 23rd. We’ll meet at 12:20 p.m. Bring a prayer! Bring a poem! Bring and instrument and a song to share! We will create this liturgy together in this sacred place— a true living liturgy. Holy Hikes is a ministry of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in San Leandro.

Meet at:  Canyon Meadow Staging Area in Redwood Regional Park, Oakland, CA
Walk to (1/2 mile on flat, paved trail):  Old Church Picnic Area, seating available
When:  September 23, meet at 12:20pm

Continuing in the Community, Faith and Racial Justice Speaker Series: exploring Christianity's involvement in perpetuating racial injustice on Wednesday, September 18 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Palo Alto.

“Challenging Segregation With Just Action” features Leah Rothstein a Community and Union Organizer, Affordable Housing Consultant to developers and local governments, and author (with Richard Rothstein) of Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law. In conversation with Professor Margalynne Armstrong St. Mark’s parishioner, professor at Santa Clara University School of Law, and author of articles and book chapters on housing discrimination, privilege and other topics.

The series explores the role of Christianity, including the white Christian Nationalist movement, in racial injustice and seeks to define a path toward racial justice, healing, and reconciliation. For more information on the series, its co-sponsors, and future speakers, please visit St. Mark’s website. 

No charge for admission – donations appreciated.  Please register here for the event. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto.

Join us as we celebrate our outgoing Music Director, Eric Tuan, on Sunday, September 15, his final Sunday with us. During the 10:15 a.m. service that morning, we'll have special prayers and a blessing for him, and then a celebratory gathering in the Parish Hall following in lieu of our regular coffee hour. All are welcome!

You are invited to take part in the Godly Play Orientation and Refresher on Sunday, September 8th from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at St. Timothy’s in Mountain View.

Godly Play is a way of helping young people encounter scripture, building on their natural curiosity and connection to the Divine. You are warmly invited to come and learn more about this fabulous faith-development tool! Our trainer, Jill Gidlund, will lead us through a story and guide us in conversation about children’s spiritual development. We hope to be able to offer child-care during this training – please register so we can plan accordingly.

Our annual Rally Sunday will be on Sunday, September 8. This Sunday marks the return of the parish choir during the 10:15 a.m. service and the Adult Forum hour between our 8:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. services. It’s an exciting time as we begin a new church year! Join us after the 10:15 a.m. service for a festive coffee hour and a bounce house on the lower lawn for children.

Eric and Harish’s Wedding - this Saturday, August 31, see you at 10 am!

Christ Church’s music director Eric Tuan and partner Harish Ramadas are getting married at Christ Church this Saturday and are excited to have members of the parish celebrate with them! Please note that we expect the church sanctuary to fill up, but will have overflow seating with a livestream in the parish hall. Our wedding ceremony will start at 11 am, but we recommend arriving early (at 10 am) if you'd like to sit in the sanctuary. This will also allow you time to grab a drink, meet (or make!) friends, and get settled in. We will have some parking reserved in the upper lot and pews in the sanctuary reserved for seniors. The ceremony will be followed by a catered lunch with Indian food; you're also welcome to bring a potluck item if you like!

If you can't make it in person, please consider celebrating with us on Zoom!

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84410039271?pwd=IHjTw0bZSZHo1PTjOc1IOnsxYESPh0.1

Meeting ID: 844 1003 9271
Passcode: 264687

Notes on Parking

We have three parking sites available: at Christ Church Los Altos itself and at two neighboring churches, Union Presbyterian Church of Los Altos and Los Altos United Methodist Church. We have taken a look at our guest list and the capacity of each site, and suggest parking as follows: 

1. Christ Church Los Altos (1040 Border Road, Los Altos, CA 94024)

1. Upper Lot: Eric and Harish’s family members, seniors, folks with disabilities, and families with small children.

2. Lower Lot: Retreat participants. You can access the sanctuary by ascending the stairs on the church side of parking lot, near the construction fence.

2. Union Presbyterian Church of Los Altos (858 University Ave, Los Altos, CA 94024)

1. Wedding-only guests with last names from A through K.

2. To get to Christ Church, exit the parking lot and turn right onto University Avenue. Follow the road as it curves right and then left again. You will see Christ Church on your right; the driveway is past the sign.

3. Los Altos United Methodist Church (655 Magdalena Ave, Los Altos, CA 94024)

1. Wedding-only guests with last names from L through Z.

2. The parking lot is BEHIND the church. If you enter at the main entrance, go around the roundabout and follow the road all the way to the back of the church. The most direct entrance to the lot is located at the corner of Foothill Expressway and Magdalena, but can only be accessed in one direction.

3. To get to Christ Church, walk towards the back of the parking lot parallel to Foothill Expressway (do not cross Foothill and do not use Google Maps!). You will see a small dirt path going through a fence. Take the dirt path until it emerges onto Border Road, and follow Border Road until you see the church driveaway on the left. [MAP]

Volunteers will help guide you from the parking sites to Christ Church. Please leave at least 15 minutes to walk from your parking site to the sanctuary. 

Each Wednesday evening in August, we will offer a brief, expansive-language Evening Prayer service before our community dinner. Join us at 5:15 p.m. on the lower lawn for a contemplative oasis in the midst of our week! This service will draw upon a diversity of prayerful resources, ranging from A New Zealand Prayer Book to poetry from the Iona Community in Scotland. We will also welcome the Los Altos United Methodist Church youth group and their youth pastor Tim as they explore liturgical prayer forms in the Anglican tradition. All are welcome as we try out a new way of gathering together in prayer and song amid the beauty of creation. 

This Sunday: The Installation of the Rt. Rev. Austin Keith Rios, Ninth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California

Sunday, August 11 at 3 p.m. | Grace Cathedral | In-person and live-streamed (view here)

Join the Diocese of California in a joyful celebration as the Rt. Rev. Austin Keith Rios is installed as Bishop of California at Grace Cathedral. The Right. Rev. Austin Keith Rios was ordained and consecrated a bishop on Saturday, May 4, and has since served as Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese.  

In a festal Evensong sung by the Cathedral Choir, we’ll commemorate Clare of Assisi, companion of our patron Francis. The Rev. Dr. Mauricio Wilson, President of the Standing Committee, will officiate, and Bishop Rios will preach.

The hiking club invites you to a hike this Saturday, August 10th at 9 a.m. We will be doing a loop trail starting from Lincoln Park.

Please contact Rev. Claire at claire@ccla.us with any questions.

Sukey Bryan, a parishioner who has done some art installations around campus, welcomes you to two events where she will have art instillations and will speak about them. These are being done as a part of a book launch for her friend, climate scientist Rob Jackson's hopeful and important book "Into the Clear Blue Sky". She describes the book as beautiful and engaging - a hope filled book about climate solutions. He will also be speaking at each event.

Thursday, August 1, 6:00 p.m. at The Foster Museum.

Thursday, September 26, 5:00 p.m. at the O’Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm.