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Carmel Valley Community Chapel
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THE GOOD WORD – December 2014
FROM THE PASTOR
Advent always seems to come too soon. And if past experience is any guide, it will be gone before we know it.
Only four weeks to rest in our waiting season as we journey through themes of hope, peace, joy and love, and
arrive finally at incarnation. Yet there is so much to do!
Our chapel community will be celebrating on Sunday mornings as usual, and we have some special events I
hope will bring deeper meaning and joy to the season as well. We have two big events happening back-to-back
the second week of December.
On Tuesday, December 9, at 7:30 pm we will present “A Rockin” Good Christmas Concert” featuring an
amazing collection of musicians and storytellers. A women’s trio consisting of Kathy Anderson, Laura
Anderson, and Elizabeth Pasquinelli will be singing selections from Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols.”
Reid Woodward will be delighting us with a heartwarming Christmas story. Genevieve Micheletti, recent
winner of the SFO concerto competition, will be performing works for violin by J. S. Bach, Stravinsky and
Gershwin. Holly Thompson will be leading us in singing some beloved Christmas songs, and yours truly will
be on the piano. This concert was loads of fun last year, and I hope you will join us again - and bring your
friends!
Then, the very next day, Wednesday, December 10, at 6 pm, we will be gathering at Rippling River for our
annual Holiday Party with the residents. It’s a potluck, and everyone is asked to bring a dish to share. We’ll
also be joining together in a sing-a-long of some of our favorite holiday songs. Rippling River is provides
housing for low-income individuals, seniors, and those with special abilities. It is the only facility of its kind in
Monterey County and we are pleased to be able to join with them for this special celebration every year around
this time. I hope you can join us.
Finally we have our Christmas Eve service on Wednesday, December 24, at 9 pm. It’s a magical evening of
candlelight, music, readings, warmth and good feelings. This year will be a special one since it was 65 years
ago on Christmas day that the first worship service was held in the chapel. I can only imagine what Advent
must have been like that year, as the chapel community waited for the building to be finished and the first
service to begin!
There are many blessings this time of year brings. There are many challenges as well. The best way I know to
celebrate this season is to gather together as a community and share our love with one another, with the world,
and especially with those who are in need. We are the Advent we await. Have a blessed season of sharing your
love.
Your partner in our shared ministry,
Rick Yramategui
UP COMING EVENTS!
Sundays at the Chapel
December 2014
________________________________________
Dec. 7
Worship and Communion with Rev. Rick
10:30am
Yramategui
Text: Isa 40:1-11
Theme: Xmas Carol Sing – A- Long
Music: John Michael, soloist
Lay Reader: Ania Malkowska Leek
Deacon: Harriet Busick
Greeter: Ann Wilson
Refreshments: Marge Brett
___________________________________________________________________
Dec. 14
10:30am
Worship with Rev. Rick Yramategui
Text: John 1
Theme: Joy
Music: Chancel Choir
Lay Reader: Ann Wilson
Greeter: Kathy Little
Refreshments: Faye Morley
December Birthdays
Ania Malkowska-Leek
Carolyn Rice
Bob Baronian
Faye Morley
Trinity Estes Terranova
Bill Salmon
Daniel Riley
Thelma Lee
Jane Williams
Julie & David Warner
Stephan Pellett
Jennifer Garbarino
Carolyn Metcalf
Diane Salmon
1
3
5
9
10
12
16
19
21
23
25
29
30
31
December Anniversaries
Daniel & Judith Riley
3
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Dec. 21
10:30am
Worship with Rev. Rick Yramategui
Text: Luke 1:26-38
Theme: Love
Music: Christmas with Grumbling Ginger
Lay Reader: Kate Latimer
Greeter: TBA
Refreshments: Jennifer Garbarino
____________________________________________________________________
Wednesday
Dec. 24
Worship with Rev. Rick Yramategui
9:00 pm
Music: Christmas Eve celebration with choir,
soloists and instrumentalists
Lay Reader: Peter Meckel
Greeter: TBA
______________________________________________
Dec. 28
Worship with Tom Lawson
10:30am
Text: TBA
Theme: “Christmas Grace”
Music: Christmas Carols
Lay Reader: Holly Thompson
Greeter: Ken Morley
Refreshments: Ania Malkowska Leek
Christmas Eve
Candlelight Service
Wednesday, Dec. 24th
at 9:00 p.m.
Join us for one of the
most beautiful services
of the year!
AMONG OUR OWN…
PASTORAL ROUNDS IN NOVEMBER
In our Prayers
Ron Brett for recovering in the hospital
PASTORAL VISITS: 7
Attended meetings of Monterey County Composers
Forum, and annual meeting of Westar / S.B.L. /
A.A.R., led communion service at Carmel Valley
Manor, Lectionary Study, and rehearsals for
Christmas Concert.
Looking for the perfect gift?
Donations can be made to the Carmel Valley Community Chapel
as a tribute to family members and friends in honor of their
birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions, in remembrance or
just because. The donation can go to the general fund or you
might wish to designate a special fund, such as the music program,
gardens, missions, building repair and remodel, etc.
A beautiful gift letter will be sent to the person you are honoring and
you will receive an acknowledgement for your gift as well.
ANNOUNCEMENTS…
The
Annual
COMING IN early
2015
Rippling River
Holiday party
Meditation Service
Tues. Jan. 6
7:00 p.m.
hosted by
Carmel Valley Community
Chapel
is scheduled for
Wednesday,
December 10th
at 6:00pm
in the Rippling River
mailroom
**********************************
Come and enjoy the
celebration
of community!
Beverages and food for the
potluck celebration are
needed – Please see the
signup sheet on the Chapel
bulletin board.
All are welcome to this
festive
sing-along event!
CONGREGATIONAL
BUDGET MEETING
Sunday, December 14th
in the Chapel
following the worship service
All are invited to attend. We will be
adopting the 2015 Annual Budget.
CVCC WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS
Five new members bring a rich kaleidoscope of life experiences to The Chapel. Please welcome them to our
midst and hopefully each of you can have as much fun as I did hearing some of their stories.....Carolyn Rice
Linda and Richard Cheatham
The stars lined up for Linda and Richard Cheatham. She hoped to retire in Iowa where she was born and had
relatives. He had traveled the world as a youngster growing up in a military family. The Central Coast of California had
special appeal ever since visiting here when he was a youngster and his father was working at the Presidio San Francisco.
Then, the Cheatham’s son, Sonny, took a job in this area and moved to Marina with his wife, Heather, and now
17-month-old grandson, Andrew. The “grandson magnet” sealed the location deal for both of them, Rich said.
Before moving to Carmel Valley, Linda worked at the Whittier Public Library for 26 years. She watched the
library business change drastically with the onset of computers. She learned how to operate the library with computers
but always liked the old ways that called for more walking about and searching for books in the card catalogues and in
the stacks. “It became more of sitting in front of a screen all day,” she explained.
Rich worked in film and video, both teaching and producing
special projects for Whittier College and he did wedding
photography on the side. Besides joining CVCC, the
Cheathams have become members of the Carmel Valley
Garden Club. Linda likes to raise vegetables in their garden
at their Los Tulares home. She also likes self-help and
spiritual books, often listening to books on tape. Rich likes to
learn through watching documentaries and has read many
books on film.
Maggie Van Ess
Buzz Aldrin didn’t have his pilot’s license but Maggie Van Ess could pilot a plane and still chuckles
remembering the day she flew Astronaut Aldrin .
She knew Aldrin socially and was taking flying lessons along with some young men who she knew would
get a thrill out of meeting him.. Accompanied by her instructor, she flew him to Catalina Island. Maggie said she
flew a lot and never had any fear of flying as she thought she was indestructible. But then she broke her leg playing
softball and then her doctor and his wife went down in a flying accident. After that she realized something could
happen to her too, and she no longer had the desire to fly.
Born in North Carolina, Maggie moved to Southern California as a young child and lived there for 40 years
before returning to North Carolina for a nine-year stint. She has lived in Carmel Valley for five years.
During her years in Los Angeles she worked as a headhunter for firms looking for attorneys to employ and
found that an interesting career. Then she and a friend moved to Seattle and opened a similar business there for a
number of years.
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Maggie has one son, Barry, currently living in Denver, who
usually resides in San Diego and works in the boat racing industry.
Adell Duenas
Adell Duenas grew up in a family of 24 children. “We all had the same mother and same father. I was one
of the middle children.” After graduating from eighth grade, her mother told her the family needed her to work in
the fields. So that job started a long list of jobs that kept Adell busy for many years—work in a motel as a maid
and then as the head of housekeeping and finally as a desk clerk. She also attended adult education classes. Then
she worked for a company that manufactured starters, alternators and generators for seven years. “I really liked
it,” she recalled, laughing as she told how they repaired parts that were returned when they didn’t work. Someone
would hit the part with a sledge hammer to release whatever was stuck. Then if it worked again, they put it in a
new housing and returned it.
Her next job was with a company called “Angels on Wheels.” She provided whatever services elderly
people needed. “I liked this the best of all my jobs. Sometimes they were lonely and just liked someone to visit
with them.” She said she became special friends with some of her clients and was invited to their homes to
celebrate holidays with them.
Then, seven years ago in a car on her way to church,
Adell was hit by a drunk driver and her legs were
paralyzed. Doctors told her she would never walk again
but after four years she regained her ability to walk. “So
that’s why I believe in miracles.”
Adell’s husband, Zak, lives in Fresno and works in
the fields. He comes to see her about once a month. “She
has been the love of my life for 35 years,” he said. Her
daughters, Feralina and Emily, live in Salinas and she has
15 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Adell said she felt welcome at CVCC from the
first time she attended and wants to be part of the church
community. “I am not rich with money but I have
compassion, understanding and love for people. I am
there for them.”
Kristin Ramsden
Draw a zigzag path around a globe and you might hit a location
where Kristin Ramsden has lived. Born in the Philippines, she then
lived in Germany, Japan and Central California before landing in
Australia and then Maine. Now living here again, she takes 10-week
working trips to China each year.
“I am a world citizen,” she says of herself. “I feel comfortable in
many places.” Her email address includes the words “world
citizen” as this is what she feels best describes herself. She likes the
feeling of being connected to the world. “Everything changes and
you have to know how to make the best of wherever you are.”
Kristin comes about her gypsy nature honestly. During the first part
of her life she moved about with her mother and father, Mae and
John Waldroup, who ultimately located here. John developed the
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Kristin said she first learned English, then German and Japanese.
As a youngster in Japan she could say exactly the word she wanted
but didn’t know which language she was speaking. It was a
challenge for her to sort it all out. When in college she was an
exchange student in Italy and added that language.
She studied Eurythmy, a flowing
type of movement done with the spoken
word or music, training in England for
one year and Germany for three years.
She taught it at Waldorf schools in
Sydney, Australia for five years and
currently travels to China each year for a
couple of months to instruct teachers in
-Kristen Ramsden (cont.)
this social art form. The Chinese seem hungry for culture and Kristen said she teaches in huge halls often with
as many as 120 teachers taking part. The Waldorf schools are starting up everywhere in China, she noted.
Her daughters seem to have inherited some of the family adventuresome genetics. Thalia is a midwife
in London, Marika is currently cycling down the California coast to the Mexico border teaching about
sustainable living at schools along the way, and Kaelyn is a gardening teacher at a school in Oxidental.
Kristen would like to organize some Eurythmy classes locally so that she is teaching throughout the
year. “Any age can do it.” Kristin said people do not find Eurythmy a vigorous physical workout but rather
more of an art form “that wakes you up, uses your mind and helps you become more aware.”
FROM THE DEPARTMENTS…
Thrift Store
Just a Happy Holidays note from us:
No time to spend writing a newsletter, as we are so short handed. We run a pretty lean crew as it is,
and with the holidays, comes illnesses and travel and out of town guests.
With two stores running parallel, we need all the help we can get and beg you to find a little time to
devote to your main source of revenue. The Christmas Store is beautiful and will get you in the
mood for giving.
Patricia and Kim Taylor really helped us out by turning us on to a gentleman who was clearing out
his house. Some of the most beautiful furniture came our way, and will go a long way toward
exceeding our goal for this year.
Well, gotta go…………………….
Wishing you all the best for the holidays and Merry Christmas!
December 2014 Calendar
Carmel Valley Community Chapel
Sun
Mon
1
Tue
2
Wed
3
Thu
4
Fri
5
Sat
6
9:00 BOT
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
10:30 Service
7:30
Christmas
Concert
1:30 FORR
6:00 Rippling
River Holiday
Party
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
22
23
24
9:00PM
Service
25
26
27
29
30
31
10:30 Service
Budget
Congregational
Meeting
21
10:30 Service
28
10:30 Service
The
CARMEL VALLEY COMMUNITY CHAPEL
P. O. Box 224 • Paso Hondo and Village Drive
Carmel Valley, California 93924 • (831) 659-2278
The Good Word
-- December 2014
Chapel Directory
Bulletin Board
Paso Hondo and Village Dr., Carmel Valley CA 93924
Web-site: www.carmelvalleychapel.org
Email: cvc@redshift.com
Office Phone: 831-659-2278
Office Hours: Tuesdays by appointment, Wednesdays 10 – 4 pm
Thursdays 10 – 4 pm
CVCC Thrift Store Phone: 659-3030
Thrift Store Hours: Tues. & Thurs. 12 – 4; Wed. 12 – 5; Fri. 11 – 4; Sat. 10 - 4
Chapel Minister
Board of Trustees
Co-Presidents
Rev. Rick Yramategui
Music Director
Administrative Assistant
Thrift Shop Manager
Tom Lawson
Diane Olivier
Mardelle Milton Mercurio
John Archer & Holly Thompson
Harriet Busick
Karen Turner
Peter Meckel