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Programs
Please click here to
view a very special appeal from the Children of Chernobyl Project of Northern
California.
Music
Music doesn't just fill out the worship program at the Congregational Church of Belmont; it IS worship.
A 20-rank, two-manual, pipe organ, hand-restored by church member Gary Brandenburg, and two grand pianos in the sanctuary are a physical testament to our appreciation of music. We're hearty hymn-singers, and we delight in the anthems of our sanctuary choir and Caz Chorale, our folk choir.
The musician on our staff, Stephen Lind, serves as organist/pianist and choir director; Mike Venturino leads Caz Chorale with guitar accompaniment. Both the choir and the Chorale celebrate a love of all kinds of music - from Bach to Taize - and welcome anyone with a desire to worship God with song. Choir practices at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays at the church; join us! For more information, email Steven at stephen.lind@gmail.com.
Our
pastor, Kristi Denham, is a liturgical dancer, and she injects still another
dimension into music in worship at CCB. We also enjoy the fact that we
are home to the Music Teachers Association of San Mateo County who present
their recitals in our sanctuary.
Youth Programs
Click here to read a message to families with young children from our pastor, Rev. Kristi.
It would be hard to overestimate the love and care the Congregational Church of Belmont has for its youth. We try to be intentional about showing our interest in our young people and our desire to be involved in their lives.
We have two trained caregivers tend to the very young during worship. school-age children are encouraged to participate in the worship experience, including communion. During Time With the Children, our young people come to the altar for a story or a conversation that begins with the chiming of the Tibetan tingsha bells. As the tone dies down, the children are encouraged to listen in silence to hear the voice of God.
Our kids go to Sunday School after Time With the Children during worship every Sunday where Godly Play, a Montessori-based curriculum, informs our program. Dedicated teachers prepare lessons and music, which will echo the lectionary readings that will be offered during the worship service later that morning. Children and parents are focused on the same Scripture readings on the same Sunday. Click here to find out more about Godly Play.
If you have questions and would like to contact one of the parents at our church for additional information on our programs for children and youth, click HERE to send an email to Sarah Thornhill.
Parents Night Out programs provide respite for families both within our congregation and in the wider community. These highly successful and wonderfully planned and implemented evenings are designed to provide children with a joyful and well supervised evening while their parents enjoy an evening out.
By the time the children are 10, they are invited into a youth group, which seeks to merge a Christ-filled life of purpose with the curiosity, and questioning they are beginning to feel about all parts of their lives. And, of course, we add a healthy dash of just plain fun.
Sacred Circle for teens, a special focus of our youth ministry, meets at 3:30 p.m. every Tuesday in the church parlor.
The church also budgets to provide church summer camp opportunities and family camp at Camp Cazadero near the Russian River in September. The Rev. Kristi Denham is eager to talk about our commitment to our children. Email your questions to her or to the Board of Christian Education.
Adult Bible Study
Our Adult Bible Study meets every second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 6 PM. We gather for a simple potluck dinner and then dive into an informative and thought provoking study of the scriptures that includes historical/critical, sociological and technical examinations of the original Greek and Hebrew texts along with a lively discussion of the word at work in our lives. Newcomers are always welcome.
Book Study Groups
Currently we've formed a group that meets once a month after church to discuss Zander and Zander's The Art of Possibility, a transformative and throught provoking book. In the past we've looked at books on Celtic Spirituality and Biblical History. Our interest run the gamit and drive these groups.
Women's Spirituality Group
We
gather every other Tuesday evening from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the intimate
setting of the church parlor to create a sacred space and to share our
stories and our silences. We are committed to honoring one another's confidences,
to speaking from our hearts and to avoid giving advice. Leadership rotates
on a volunteer basis throughout the group. Scripture readings and favorite
quotations often set the tone or theme for the evening. We almost always
close with a circle of prayer and a choral "Amen!"
Hands on Healing
Several members of our congregation are trained in hands-on-healing. The last Sunday of each month our worship ends with a time of prayer and healing to which all are invited. God's healing power is central to the Gospel message and to our faith community in practice as well.
Children of Chernobyl
For more than 10 years, the Children of Chernobyl Project of Northern California, a mission program of the Congregational Church of Belmont, has been providing specialized drugs and equipment for the treatment of the young patients at the Belarusan Center for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology in Minsk, Belarus.
These children who are suffering from leukemia and other forms of cancer are the victims of the worst man-made disaster ever, the explosion and fire at reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine on April 26, 1986.
The
Children of Chernobyl Project was formed in 1990. Since that time, more
than $500,000 has been raised to purchase chemotherapy drugs, highly sophisticated
antibiotics and equipment, most recently specialized computers for the
molecular biology laboratory in the newly constructed Oncology and Hematology
Center, a gift of the people of Austria. The Project works with the Center's
director, Dr. Olga Aleinikova, in providing the specific items she needs.
Because the project is run entirely by volunteers, not one cent of donated
funds is used on administration. Every penny goes to provide drugs or
equipment for the Center. To donate, send your check to Children of Chernobyl,
751 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont CA 94002. Our federal tax identification
number is 94-1399278; our IRS 501(c)3 group exemption number is 1665.
If you'd like to know about this story, the book "Children of
