Last weekend, Jay Wilson and I gathered with couples at City Church and beyond to reflect on how to live out our marriage commitments with our partners. As I reviewed a (guerilla) recording of Jay and I role-playing a conversation, I was struck by how loudly folks laughed at the points where we demonstrated some of the more challenging aspects of being in a long-term committed relationship. While I would like to believe that this was due to our stellar acting, I’m pretty sure that it had more to do with how close it hit to home. Life together over time – whether in marriage, in Christian community, with colleagues, or even among neighbors – can be full of all kinds of challenges, even if it can be incredibly rich. More often than not, it is in how we respond to those challenges over time – infusing them with grace, forgiveness, hard conversations, and commitment – that we can build something good and strong and bigger than any one of us. As we prepare to say “Goodbye and God bless” this Sunday to our long-time Worship Arts Director, Karl Digerness, we do so with a mixture of awe and gratitude at the ways in which his steady voice, paired with God’s steady hand, has kept folks anchored in their spirits through 19 years of ups and downs in life together at City Church. After worship, we will spend some time sharing that gratitude as we break bread and celebrate God’s work through Karl, along with band members Jason Muscat, Adam Schulman, and Jeff Marrs. As with all aspects of Christian community, we look back with thanks even as we look forward in trust and with anticipation for how God will build on the foundation laid by those who came before us.
Faithfully,
Pastor Emily
STAFF SEARCHES - FINAL WEEK
We’re hiring! You can view the position descriptions HERE.
Applications for these positions are due THIS SUNDAY!
Grief and Loss Support Group, begins on May 1st
Grief is a natural response to great loss and it's okay to feel it. It's a messy and non-linear journey, but you don't have to navigate it alone. Join this new 8-week ONLINE group to cultivate a safe space where you can be yourself and explore your feelings without judgment or expectations. Together we'll shift the focus from fixing grief to tending to our experiences together. You can learn more about what you can expect in this group and register here.
Congregational Meeting, May 7th
All are invited to join us at our next Congregational Meeting on Sunday, May 7th. At our May meeting we will be sharing a report on our Congregational Survey, as well as a quick update on Hiring for our current open positions. Rev. Dr. Peter Choi will also be sharing an update on the upcoming 2023-24 Faith + Justice Network Year. Registration is requested to plan for childcare and lunch.
Ordination of Joshua Jalandon, May 7th
All are invited to join us on Sunday, May 7th at 4:30pm Live or ONLINE as we celebrate the ordination of Joshua Jalandoon. This is the culmination of 2.5 years of work that Joshua has been doing, all the while leading and growing our ever-expanding Student Ministry at City Church.
Serving at St. John’s with Katie Biber, June 10th
Help our neighbors in need at the Harvest Food Pantry. St. John’s Presbyterian church is part of the Neighborhood Grocery Network of the San Francisco Food Bank. Every week they sort, bag, and distribute to their Richmond district neighbors who need supplemental groceries. Join us to help with this important work. Space is limited, so please sign up. Fill out a form for each adult and let us know how many child volunteers you're bringing. Thank you to Katie Biber for leading this serving outreach. Registration here.
