Christ Church offers a simple Eucharistic service each month usually on the 4th Monday of the month at 11:00 a.m. in the Gardenia Room in The Forum’s Health Center. This month it will be on Monday, November 24. Although this is held in the Health Center, it is open to all residents of The Forum. It’s a simple service with music and a bread-only Eucharist, and those who attend enjoy it greatly. Come join us if you can!

Join members of the parish choirs from Christ Church Los Altos, St. Bede’s Menlo Park, St. Mark’s Palo Alto, and Christ Church Portola Valley Woodside for a series of Evensong services. The second Evensong will be on Sunday, November 23, at 5:00 p.m. here at Christ Church, and will celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. The service will feature pieces from composers including Moses Hogan, Sarah MacDonald, William H. Harris and Richard Webster. There will be a reception after the service. All are welcome!

The Women's Read-What-You-Want-Book Club meets next on Thursday, November 20 at 2:00 p.m. in the Fireside Room. Come join our group of book lovers who enjoy talking about their latest reads. There are interesting discussions, plenty of laughter, and lots of great book recommendations. Give it a try!

A Feast of Friendship and Gratitude: Building Community Together

The Pacifica Institute, Bay Area Cultural Connections, Silicon Valley Interreligious Council and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are hosting an Interfaith Thanksgiving Dinner on Saturday, November 15, 6:00 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1300 Grant Road, Los Altos). Christ Church has participated in this evening for several years and we hope you will join us for this celebration of friendship and gratitude. All are welcome!

Volunteers are needed to help with set up, serving or clean up, and/or to bring a side dish, salad or dessert - you can sign up here.

Please RSVP here.

The annual fundraiser for the Association for India's Development (AID) will be held again this year in the Christ Church Parish Hall on Saturday, November 15, starting at 5:00 p.m. The AID volunteer team would be delighted if Christ Church parishioners, or anyone interested in learning about social and environmental justice in the global south, can attend. The event will feature a traditional Indian dance performance and a few Indian dishes you won't see on any restaurant menu! You can see more details and RSVP here.

Christ Church Portola Valley & Woodside (815 Portola Road, Portola Valley) is offering a screening of the 1926 Harold Lloyd film For Heaven’s Sake on Friday, November 14, at 6:30 p.m. The evening will feature renowned theater organist Christian Elliott accompanying the film. There is a suggested donation of $10.00 for individuals and $20.00 for families. All are welcome!

Long time parishioner Howard Nelson passed away on September 7. Both he and his wife Nancy were active members at Christ Church for many years. Howard served on the vestry and as pledge secretary, supported our Twelfth Night events, was a member of the BBQ crew, and was actively participating in a men’s poker group until recently. A memorial service for Howard will be held on on Monday, November 10, 4:00 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (1301 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga). All are welcome!

Here is the link for the service live stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/2Wv6PNBDChM

Join us for a holy hike at Los Trancos Open Space Preserve on Sunday, November 9 at 2:00 p.m. We will meet in the parking lot of Los Trancos Open Space Preserve, located on Page Mill Road, Los Altos. The exact location of the parking area is linked here on Google Maps. Our hike will begin from the parking area promptly at 2:10 p.m. We will explore the geological wonders of the San Andreas Fault Earthquake Trail, which allows hikers to view a portion of the San Andreas Fault within the preserve. We'll be joined by members of Christ Church Portola Valley & Woodside for a fun afternoon adventure with both parish communities. This hike will be beginner-friendly, and all ages and levels are welcome! Please RSVP to Rev. Cal at cal@ccla.us so he knows you're coming before the group hits the trail. 

A memorial service will be held for the Rev. Vern Jones at Grace Cathedral (1100 California Street, San Francisco) on Thursday, November 6, at 2:00 p.m. All are welcome! Please RSVP to Revvernjones@yahoo.com. As we shared previously, Vern passed away peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, August 16, at the age of 98. He was a familiar face to many Christ Church parishioners from his days as a priest for the Mandarin Chinese Congregation here and his occasional preaching at our regular Sunday services. He continued to be a presence as a parishioner at many Sunday services and Christ Church events until his declining mobility made it harder for him to get here. Please direct donations in his honor to Grace Cathedral: https://gracecathedral.org/tribute-giving/.

All are welcome to a family-friendly weekly community dinner on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Next week Teacher Jenny will join us to make potholders for the Kitchen Kits being assembled by Ventana the week of November 17. We’ll have pizza and hope you can join us! Note that we order the food Wednesdays before noon, and while we do plan for a little overage your RVSPs using this Google Form are important in helping us plan for enough food.

Silicon Valley Allied for the Common Good presents a special screening of the award-winning documentary American Agitators in partnership with Santa Clara University on Tuesday, November 4 at 6:00 p.m. in the Santa Clara University Library (500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara). American Agitators highlights IAF organizer Fred Ross Sr.'s work empowering ordinary people to fight injustice through grassroots organizing against police brutality, segregation, and voter suppression. Featuring leaders like Dolores Huerta and César Chávez, the film reveals the power of collective action to create a more democratic society. After the film, we will engage in conversation. A light meal will be provided. You can register here.

A parish-wide remembrance of those inurned in our Columbarium

The service begins at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, November 3, 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

Join us at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, November 2, 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 movie screening at Christ Church Portola Valley & Woodside (815 Portola Road, Portola Valley) on Saturday, November 1, 3:00-7:00 p.m. There will be arts and crafts projects, and food for purchase. At 5:00 p.m. there will be a free screening of the movie Coco in the church. All are welcome!

All are welcome to a family-friendly weekly community dinner on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Next week we will celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) - a beautiful Mexican tradition observed on November 1 and 2 to honor and remember loved ones who have passed. This is a joyful celebration of life, filled with color, music, and memories. We’ll learn about the tradition of the ofrenda (altar) and its offerings - such as food, flowers, and candles - and take a moment to share stories of those we love and remember. We’ll have Mexican food and pan de muertos (Mexican Bread of the Dead), and pizza, and crafts to make marigolds. If you’d like, bring a photo of a passed loved one (including pets!) to place on the ofrenda and share a memory. We hope you can join us! Note that we order the food Wednesdays before noon, and while we do plan for a little overage your RVSPs using this Google Form are important in helping us plan for enough food.

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!

Join via Zoom

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

• Meeting ID: 197 694 657; Passcode: 450305

Many hands make light work! Support our campus and lend a hand at our Fall Work Day, Saturday, October 25, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. The Christ Church and Ventana School community will come together to tackle a list of campus projects ranging from weeding to painting. This is a great opportunity for members of the parish and the school to work side by side on our shared campus. We plan to do some planting and are looking for donations of drought-tolerant, non-toxic, native California plants. Questions please contact Diana (dianah@ventanaschool.org). All are welcome, there will be something for everyone, children included. Your RSVP will help us with task planning. When you arrive that day, please come to the Parish Hall to get assigned a job.

Join Linden Tree Books on Tuesday, October 14, at Christ Episcopal Church (1040 Border Road, Los Altos) at 6:00 p.m. for an evening of discussion and questions on the current trends around banning books across our county. The evening will start with a reading of the recently released picture book The Day the Books Disappeared from authors Joanna Ho and Caroline Kusin Pritchard. This will be followed with a lively Q&A and panel discussion on the theories and philosophies of book banning, and how we all can get involved in addressing this issue. Joining authors Ho and Pritchard on the panel will be Maggie Tokuda-Hall, author of many beloved books and one of the founders of Authors Against Book Banning, and Mychal Threets, nationally known librarian and library advocate. Copies of The Day the Books Disappeared will be available for purchase and signing after the event. There is no charge to attend but an RSVP is required. You can RSVP and pre order copies of the book here.

Join members of the parish choirs from Christ Church Los Altos, St. Bede’s Menlo Park, St. Mark’s Palo Alto, and Christ Church Portola Valley Woodside for a series of Evensong services. The first Evensong will be on Sunday, October 5, at 5:00 p.m. at St. Bede’s (2650 Sand Hill Drive, Menlo Park) and will celebrate Saint Francis. The service will include pieces from composers including Reginald Unterseher, Richard Ayleward, Gabriel Jackson and John Rutter. All are welcome!

Join members of the Christ Church and Los Altos United Methodist Church communities for a Blessing of the Animals on Sunday, October 5, 2:30-3:30 p.m., at Cuesta Park (615 Cuesta Drive, Mountain View). The group will meet on the grass area adjacent to the parking lot off of Cuesta Drive. All are invited to bring furry, feathered, scaly, or stuffed companions to receive a blessing of love, health, and gratitude. In the spirit of gratitude and giving back, you are invited to support the Silicon Valley Humane Society by purchasing items from their Amazon Wishlist. Your generosity helps provide care and comfort to animals in need. All are welcome to this joyful, all-ages community event--whether you come with a pet, a memory or photo of a beloved animal, or simply your love for creatures great and small. 

Join us for the second week of our Adult Forum exploring the Acts of the Apostles, on Sunday, October 5, 9:00-10:00 a.m. between the services in person in the Fireside Room. The Acts of the Apostles is one of the fastest-moving, most action-packed books of the Bible. Written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke, and immediately following the gospels in the New Testament, it includes visions and miracles, conflicted friendships and countless controversies, and ultimately traces a rag-tag grassroots movement led by the early disciples to the birth of the church. In this two-week Bible Study we’ll explore the major themes and highlights of this essential and exciting book. Nursery care is available in the Parish Hall Library. 

Fall Fest is Saturday, October 4, 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.  

Enjoy Ventana School’s annual fall celebration with carnival games, crafts, a preschool bike-a-thon and elementary school obstacle course.

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 (you can pre-order through Thursday the 2nd and 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!

All are invited to the Stanford’s Progressive Christians: Episcopal Lutheran Campus Ministry kick off BBQ on Wednesday, September 24, 6:00 p.m. at the Gibbons Grove on the Stanford University Campus (campus map link here).

As part of Christ Church Portola Valley & Woodside’s Voices in the Valley Speaker Series, join Yorkshire born and bred, Angela Hey, on Tuesday, September 23, at 10:30 a.m. for an exploration of England’s religious ruins, and sacred site. This illustrated talk will discuss the legacy of magnificent abbeys, minsters and priories across England. There will be an informal Q&A with lunch to follow after the talk. Christ Church Portola Valley & Woodside is located at 815 Portola Road, Portola Valley.

All are welcome to our Adult Forum on Sunday, September 21, 9:00-10:00 a.m. between the services in person in the Fireside Room. We’ll do a deep dive into the incredibly confusing parable from Luke this week where Jesus seems to endorse embezzlement. Could this really be true? Could it be that the more faithful person gets a better car? Or is there something else happening here? Nursery care is available in the Parish Hall Library. 

On Wednesday, September 17, from 4:00-6:30 p.m., SpiritCare will have a fundraiser at The Avant (4041 El Camino Way, Palo Alto). SpiritCare visits over 80 care communities in the Bay Area each month to provide worship services, hymn singing and prayer time for older adults in long-term care. You can learn more about this ministry at here. SpiritCare is always interested in volunteers who can join in for worship services, for example, on the third Sunday of the month at 3:00 p.m. they are at The Sequoias in Portola Valley. For more information about volunteering, contact Angela Hay at amhey@heymash.com. 

Join the Christ Church and Ventana School community to pack meals for Rise Against Hunger in the Parish Hall, on Saturday, September 13, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Our previous events have been fun, energizing and inspiring as we came together to make a positive impact and provide food for over 10,000 families in an impoverished country. Children of all ages are encouraged to participate - there is something for everyone to do. All are welcome! Registration is required, click here to register. We need volunteers for set up and clean up, you also can sign up for either of those when you register (you can check multiple boxes when you register).

On Saturday, September 13, 9:30-11:30 a.m., CIC Ministries (Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy of Santa Clara County) is offering a training for volunteers interested in jail chaplaincy. The training will take place at Trinity Church (330 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park). CIC Ministries is a community of people from diverse life experiences and spiritual backgrounds united in a common call to be with those who are incarcerated. They train volunteers to meet the spiritual needs of individuals inside Santa Clara and Santa Cruz County Jails and Juvenile Detention Facilities. See the event flyer linked here for more information on what the training entails and how to register.

On August 30 and 31, members of the Christ Church community, along with our ecumenical partners, will offer a progressive Christian presence at Silicon Valley Pride’s Festival and Parade. Everyone is invited to march in the parade on Sunday, August 31 at 10:30 a.m. If you want to march with our group, please contact Rev. Cal (cal@ccla.us). We are part of an Episcopal Church booth at the festival on Saturday, August 30, 6:00-9:00 p.m. and again on Sunday, August 31, 12:00-6:00 p.m. If you want to explore the festival, you can purchase wristbands for Saturday and Sunday here. Come by the booth and say hello!

All are welcome to a family-friendly weekly community dinner on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. in the Lower Lawn picnic area. Next week we’ll BBQ – burgers, sausages and a vegetarian option. Please bring a dessert (last name starts A-M) or a salad or side dish (last name starts N-Z) to share. Bring serving utensils with your dish if that will be needed. Hope you can join us! RSVP using this Google Form so we can make sure that we have enough food.