Community Church of Mill Valley

Upcoming event at the church: "The Summer of 1924" on September 29th. That should be interesting as well as fun.

THE CATHEDRAL GROVE/ REDWOOD CIRCLE IN OLD MILL PARK

On Sunday afternoon of August 20th 1891, local people gathered for the first church service in the park. The memories of the Cathedral Grove gatherings have lasted in the community, and THE CIRCLE IS OFTEN THOUGHT TO BE THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE COMMUNITY CHURCH.
While conducted by the Congregational Church, the services were often described as interdenominational and with lots of singing and music. No one seemed to care for divisions of creed or sect.

34 years later in 1925 a large number of members from the Congregational Church took part in the creation of the present Community Church.

History Snippet #1, celebrating the 100th Anniversary of CCMV

Excellent use of the Social Hall and congratulation!

SUNDAY MAY 26th: THE COMMUNITY CHURCH WILL BE ONE OF THE STOPS ON THIS YEARS TOUR! Participants will be able to get inside the Church and the Social Hall to get the real experience of the rooms where people met (except 10-11 am). Registration: https://www.mvhistory.org/annual-walk-into-history/ or used the QR code

JAZZ & BLUES CONCERT
with Larry Vuckovich and Alvon Johnson
Sunday, April 28, 2024
4:00 pm
In the Sanctuary
Pianist Larry Vuckovich has an impressive history working with some of the greatest jazz and blues vocalists . Alvon, besides the great blues vocals, is an outstanding blues guitarist having toured throughout the Orient and Europe, where he’s known as the King of the Blues.

TICKETS ON EVENTBRITE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blues-swing-romantic-ballads-with-larry-vuckovich-alvon-johnson-tickets-824925724047?aff=oddtdtcreator

March 31, 2024
Easter Sunday Service at 10 am

Special Music with
Pierina dell’Avo, piano and Odin Mitaine, violin

Wallis is the National Coordinator of the Warheads to Windmills Coalition. He has spent his life teaching, writing, directing organizations, and campaigning on peace and environmental issues in colleges, war zones, and with governments around the world. With his colleagues at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, he shares the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.

Torrential cloud bursts and gusty winds did not keep people from attending the movie night at CCMV, and they were well rewarded. The US premier of "One of my Dreams", featuring the Iranian disability activist Vajid Rajablou, was deeply moving and ultimately uplifting. Vahid was present to answer questions, and we wish him well in his new life in the US.

MARCH 1st 7-9 pm in the Community Hall. A documentary about the Iranian disability activist, Vajid Rajablou, now living in Marin.
We met Vajid and his brother last year when he and his brother arrived to the USA as refugees (sponsored by two church members). It is a very compelling story of growing up Iran and creating a business to assist other people living with disability.

One of My Dreams, a film with Vahid Rajablou Iranian disabilities activist Vahid Rajablou shows his documentary, One of My Dreams, premiered in Iran in 2022.

Sunday the 28th is the last day for collecting non-perishable food items for the San Francisco Marin Food Bank. Drop off Sunday 10am-12 noon or bring to the concert starting at 4 pm.

SPECIAL GUEST PREACHER on SUNDAY JANUARY 21st 2024: DAVENA L. JONES
Service starting at 10am.

The Rev. Davena L. Jones is the new Conference Minister for the Northern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ, the regional organization for our denomination.
https://ncncucc.org/who-we-are/conference-staff/rev-davena-jones/

CANCELED, will be rescheduled for spring

More Music at the Community Church of Mill Valley on January 28th.
Eventbrite tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blues-swing-romantic-ballads-with-larry-vuckovich-alvon-johnson-tickets-794943877537?aff=oddtdtcreator

Christmas Eve Service at the Community Church. The community creche scene was successfully built again.

Join us for the December 24th Christmas service at 10 am and/or

the traditional Christmas Eve service at 5:30 pm featuring music with violin/cello duo with Odin Mitaine and Nazan Aktas.
Familiar carols and nativity readings.
Assembling the creche scene, as so many kids have over the years.
A Christmas Message for All.

Successful clay workshop with visiting Iranian artist, Sara Rahanjam. She hopes to be back again in April.

PEACE

Thoughts on a quiet December morning:
"Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment"
Thich Nhat Hanh

Christmas Jazz, Sunday Dec. 10, 4 pm. Dan Damon Quartet with Sheilani Alix. 8 Olive St at Throckmorton, Mill Valley. Come early to find parking! Tickets $20.
https://www.communitychurchmillvalley.com/events

Clay Art Workshop with Sara Rahanjam, visiting artist from Iran. Sunday, Dec. 17, 2-5 pm.
https://www.communitychurchmillvalley.com/clay-art-workshop

SUNDAY DECEMBER 10th, 4-6 PM
Tickets at EventBrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/.../jazz-in-the-sanctuary-dan

The advent season has started, the Community Church is beautifully decorated and the first advent candle has been lit. Interestingly the advent wreath and its candles is a custom created in Germany as a visual aid for children. To stop them from nagging the parents or teachers with the question: is it Christmas yet? To aid contemplation in churches, simplified from 24 candles to 4 candles. To each of us: what does it mean to be in the dark, waiting for the light?

Source: Celebrating Holidayshttps://www.celebratingholidays.com/?page_id=1410

HOLD THE DATE for the Just Jazz Christmas Concert at the Community Church on December the 10th.

Being from the East Bay, I can personally vouch for these musicians. Their Christas Eve concerts at the First Methodist Church in Point Richmond have always been one of the highlights of the season.

Get tickets on Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jazz-in-the-sanctuary-dan-damon-quartet-with-sheilani-alix-tickets-753459867747?aff=oddtdtcreator

Beautiful Day of the Dead ceremony at the church, powerful stories shared.

Day of the Dead celebration on Sunday at 10 am. Reflections, memories, music, Mexican bread and hot chocolate. Bring a photo of of someone once close to you if you wish.

Jackie Ryan & Larry Vuckovich
Sunday, October 29, 2023, 4-6 pm

Vocalist Jackie Ryan and pianist Larry Vuckovich return to the Community Church of Mill Valley for the first time in years as a duo. The fine acoustics of our intimate redwood sanctuary create a great setting for their 30-year musical collaboration. A Marin county native and long-time Mill Valley resident, Jackie brings a style and sound influenced by her Mexican, Irish, French, and Spanish roots. Sonoma County resident Larry Vuckovich has been exploring and performing many forms of jazz for decades.

A strong interpretation of last Sunday's scripture reading

One interpretation of Exodus 20 … So if God speaks a “Do Not Harm” in Exodus for the whole world rather than a naughty list for personal morality it might sound like this … I am the Holy One of a World Community – don’t claim prece…

Never knew that one of the symbolic meanings of a menorah is the burning bush.
God called to him out of the bush,
“Moses, Moses!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
—Exodus 3.4

"Blessing at the Burning Bush" by Jan Robinson
"You will have to decide
if you want this—
want the blessing
that comes to you
on an ordinary day
when you are minding
your own path,
bent on the task before you
that you have done
a hundred times,
a thousand...
You will know your path
not by how it shines
before you
but by how it burns
within you,
leaving you whole
as you go from here
blazing with
your inarticulate,
your inescapable
yes."
See entire poem at https://paintedprayerbook.com/2014/08/24/blessing-at-the-burning-bush/

The organ repair people came and the organ plays again! Got to see the room under the roof where the pipes are. Fascinating. The organ itself has quite the story since it came from the local silent movie theater in the late 1920'ies.. The business went under when talking movies came to town, and the organ was installed here in 1931 by the same firm that serviced it today.

A very special Sunday at CCVM with Vahid and Majid. The two brothers did amazing work in for disabled people Iran before they had to flee their country, and we are fully expecting they will do amazing work here too.