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Sunday, August 16, 2026: I have never seen a hopeful person join a gang. - Greg Boyle Participatory Hope:  Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.  - Desmond Tutu I have never seen a hopeful person join a gang. - Greg Boyle I believe we must be free to say “yes” before we say “no,” but most of us aren’t that free. Our first response is normally dualistic, negative, and probably even fear based. We often respond initially with something like: “I don’t trust that. I don’t like that. I don’t want that.”  The word “yes” before “no” allows for some enthusiasm (en-theos in Greek), which means “filled with God.” I’m encouraging an enthusiasm that is based on intelligence, wisdom, and the great gift of hope. Hope is a participation in the very life of God. It has nothing to do with circumstances or events going well. It can even thrive in the midst of adversity and trial.  True faith, which always includes hope and love, is a predisposition...
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Friday, August 14, 2026: Tomorrow Palestinian lawyer and civil rights leader speaks at United Methodist at 3:00PM. Attend in person or join her talk online from home by using the QR code embedded in the flyer below.
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Wednesday, August 12, 2026:  Please support this important talk by Huwaida Arraf, Palestinian lawyer and human rights advocate. We must work to stop the genocide in Palestine. Please plan to attend and show our solidarity with the people of Palestine. When: This Saturday, August 15, 2026 When: 3 - 5 PM Where: United Methodist Church1551 Montgomery Drive Santa Rosa 95405.  Meet in the Fellowship Hall
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Tuesday, August 11, 2026:  The philosophy is simple: the people entering the church are not problems waiting to be fixed. They are neighbors. That distinction matters. Every weekday morning in San Francisco, a church opens its doors to people who have spent the night sleeping on sidewalks. They do not come for a sermon, and nobody asks them to prove they deserve help. They come for something most people take for granted: a few quiet hours of safe, uninterrupted sleep. Outside Saint Boniface Church, men and women gather in the damp morning air, carrying plastic bags, worn backpacks, and thin jackets containing nearly everything they own. When the heavy wooden doors unlock, they quietly enter the sanctuary, walk down the center aisle, find an empty pew, pull a clean blanket over themselves, and close their eyes. This is not a traditional shelter. Saint Boniface stands in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, a neighborhood defined by extraordinary contrasts. Office workers move throug...
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Sunday, August 9, 2026: Celebrate with the Emmaus Faith Community Today. Join us at 3:45 to celebrate our Liturgy for August 9, 2026:  J esus Walks on Water; Trusting Christ Amidst Life’s Storms Join us Today, Sunday August 9, 2026 in person or on Zoom. All are Welcome! Join us in person at Christ Church United Methodist 1717 Yulupa Avenue Santa Rosa, 95405. We meet in cozy Classroom 8. Or Join our celebration via ZOOM with this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5193158573?omn=87491761170 Passcode 1234 Or open Zoom and use this meeting ID and Passcode Meeting ID: 519 315 8573 Passcode: 1234 Jesus Walks on Water; Trusting Christ Amidst Life’s Storms Welcome: (Welcome to our liturgy today as we aim to encounter God in the midst of fear and doubt, learning to recognize the quiet, sustaining presence of the Divine when life’s storms rage. We hope to have the courage to trust Christ during life’s difficult times rather than relying on false securities. God isn't just found in comfortable,...
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Saturday, August 8, 2026: Join us tomorrow at 3:45 to celebrate our  Emmaus Liturgy for August 9, 2026:  J esus Walks on Water; Trusting Christ Amidst Life’s Storms Join us Tomorrow, Sunday August 9, 2026 in person or on Zoom. All are Welcome! Join us in person at Christ Church United Methodist 1717 Yulupa Avenue Santa Rosa, 95405. We meet in cozy Classroom 8. Or Join our celebration via ZOOM with this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5193158573?omn=87491761170 Passcode 1234 Or open Zoom and use this meeting ID and Passcode Meeting ID: 519 315 8573 Passcode: 1234 Jesus Walks on Water; Trusting Christ Amidst Life’s Storms Welcome: (Welcome to our liturgy today as we aim to encounter God in the midst of fear and doubt, learning to recognize the quiet, sustaining presence of the Divine when life’s storms rage. We hope to have the courage to trust Christ during life’s difficult times rather than  relying on false securities. God isn't just found in comfortable, familiar routine...
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Friday, August 7, 2026:  “Soon you can no longer be an onlooker.” Lammas -  The Beginning of August Have you ever stepped into an ancient building or stood on the edge of a natural site and felt that you had some connection with that space? I have. It is as if there is something in my cultural DNA that connects me. That is how I feel about Lammastide — the beginning of August. This is the time for the wheat harvest. It was the first harvest of crops necessary to sustain life through the winter. It also signaled a significant change in the seasons. August is not just a continuation of the summer. Spring is when we plant, summer is when we care for what has been planted, but in August we begin to harvest. “Lammas” or the “Mass of the loaf”  is an old pre-Christian festival carried over into Christian times. Every family baked a loaf of bread from the new wheat and took it to the village church. In some places, there was a great festival and people rode to the church atop th...
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