Our Adoption Story

From Abby

Our story is not unique, and I’m tempted to say that it’s not special either, but saying that would mean stripping what we’ve come to recognize as God’s goodness away from what seemed unredeemable heartache. In minimizing the significance of our journey, I would also make small the vastness of God’s plan. So I say (not very loudly, though) that our story is special!

We started attending Mountainside around eight years ago when you could count the number of attendees on all fingers and toes, and there were only a few babies/toddlers coming with parents. At the time, the church was meeting at the Monrovia Community Center in an open space with round tables and folding chairs. Brett was partway through his seven-year stint to earn his PsyD at Fuller while I taught full-time at an elementary school in Monrovia. Continue reading

The Race of Mountainside

From Ari

I guess the story should start with the triathlon. Prior to the starting of Mountainside, Heidi and I had decided to compete in a mini-triathlon. It quickly became a sweet time of us discussing the future of this new endeavor. Metaphors move me. The triathlon became a metaphor for the unknown journey that lay ahead. Running metaphors such as “hitting the wall” imagery and finish line scenes get me through hard moments in life. I knew this whole “starting a church” thing would become a “race” that would need a long, slow perspective. We talked of how “hitting the wall” times would come and how we knew that perseverance would be needed.

We ran the race during the second or third meeting in our home of what would become Mountainside. They said they would cheer us on from home. Continue reading

The Beggar’s Cup

From Amy

I sit on the edge of my bed and prepare my heart for prayer. My hands open into the beggar’s cup formation and I sigh a deep, cleansing breath. I remember the day I learned this prayer posture, gathered together with the Communion Rhythms team in Deborah’s studio. Warmth, authenticity, dedication, and a heartfelt resolve to know God deeper and more intimately would linger in the air during our meetings. I will always carry a piece of this group with me in my heart, as the regular interactions, authentic encouragement, and helpful accountability in our spiritual growth patterns are rare and treasured gifts in Christian community. Mountainside Communion is a church that lives this out as a lifestyle. Praise God. Continue reading

The Camaraderie of Communion Gathering

From Agnes

The worst part of attending the Pasadena communion gatherings for me was that I was rarely able to stay till the end of each meeting. Because of my unusual work schedule, I often had to leave early. This meant missing everyone’s prayer requests, which usually came at the end of everything. Sometimes I would only have time to volunteer my own prayer requests. I’d plead, “Pray for me!” and scurry off to work like a selfish chipmunk, cheeks full of goodies. I suppose all those frantic exits made me wonder: if it was not all about sharing prayer requests and fervently praying for each other throughout the week, what was communion gathering all about?

I can think of two main reasons we got together. Simply put, they are food and fellowship. Continue reading

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Mountainside Communion

“….to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

IN THIS ISSUE

Church Life

Membership Gathering – This Sunday
Mountainside 10 Year Anniversary
Photos needed for Anniversary Slideshow
Creepy Crawlers and the Toddler Room needs you!
Podcasts Available
Updated Church Directory
Tithing for the lazy

Community Life

Lean in – a time for women
Sing-a-long & Concert – January 31
Jazz Vespers at St. Luke’s MonroviaJanuary 31
Tax Party – February 2
Meals for the Boldt family
Springs Family looking for roomates
Private Music Lessons (In-Home)

Church Life

January 25 Membership Gathering

This Sunday is our next Membership Gathering. Flowing right out of the Diaconal work retreat last weekend, we are looking forward to a morning of small groups and the planning of upcoming tasks for our move to the new space. Included in this work are tasks relating to physical space preparations, reciprocal hospitality with the members of the MCN congregation, and overall continuity of Mountainside Communion in transition. Please join us! And if you are feeling up for it, bring some finger foods to share!

Mountainside Communion 10 Year Anniversary Celebration February 1, 2015

On Sunday morning February 1st, we will be spending the morning celebrating together, 10 years of the life of our church! Mark your calendars and come ready to feast and share memories, view pictures and reflect on the ways that God has graciously sustained the life of our church. If you have a particular interest in planning this celebration, we will have a planning group on the 25th at the Membership Gathering. More details to come!

Send In Your Photos for 10 Year Anniversary Slideshow

Daniel Lundgren is collecting photos of Mountainsiders for a slideshow that will be playing on the screen before and after worship on Sunday, Feb. 1st.

Please submit photos of Mountainsiders from the past 10 years.

How to send photos to Daniel:
– The preferred and simplest method is to to upload in one batch via DropItToMe: http://www.dropitto.me/danlundgren using the password: “mountainside”
– Alternatively, you can bring photos on a USB flash drive on Sunday, Jan. 25th
– As a last resort, you can email photos to danlundgren@gmail.com.

Please submit all photos prior to the evening of Friday, January 30th.

Creepy crawlers and the Toddler Room needs you!

Being a participatory church means we all step forward in faith and trust that our gifts will be used to uphold God’s church. As valuable members, our young children remind us of the simple joys and innocence that Jesus delights in and wants us to mimic! Sunday mornings are an awesome opportunity to get to know many of Mountainside’s kids and we would like to invite you to step into this work.

Please contact Abby Veltman at abbyveltman@hotmail.com or 626-203-3183 if you would enjoy this valuable commitment.

Podcasts Available

New podcasts are up and running on our Mountainside Website. Go to the sermons tab and click the link for the most recent sermons.

Updated Church Directory

Here is the most recently updated church directory, which has a few changes to it.

Click here to download the latest directory

How to tithe online

Tithing is available online (in addition to the brown box at church) through Paypal by clicking here. You can choose to also make it a recurring monthly payment to make it even easier and hassle free.

Community Life

LEAN IN

This is a time to connect deeply & intentionally with God, yourself & other women. It is a time of creative self-care, yoga, acoustic musical guest (monrovia, ca only), good food, wine & cheese hour, undirected time together, access to writing & art prompts AND an opportunity to meet with a professional counselor & spiritual director. The cost is $135 and there are two gatherings to choose from

Monrovia, Ca (sleep at home) || January 30th-February 1st 2015
OR
Newport Beach, Ca (sleep away) || February 27th-March 1st 2015

Sign up HERE

Sing-a-long and Concert

Justin and a few other mountainside music folk will be hosting a sing-a-long and concert at Friends Cafe in Monrovia on Saturday, January 31st from 5-7pm.

Come enjoy some freshly roasted Jameson Brown coffee (now served at Friends Cafe), sing a long to some of our favorite songs and experience performances by Justin and other mountainside musicians!

Sing-a-long starts at 5pm, performances will begin around 6pm. Contact Justin (6268070334) if you would like to participate. Otherwise, we’ll see you there. The more the merrier, so bring family and friends!

Theodicy Jazz Collective presents Jazz Vespers at St. Luke’s Monrovia Saturday, January 31 at 7 pm. — internationally acclaimed musical group Theodicy Jazz Collective will present a Jazz Vespers performance on Saturday evening,January 31, at 7 pm, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 122 South California Avenue at Foothill in Monrovia. Admission is free; there will be a freewill offering. Click title for more information.

Tax Party Sat, Feb 7 @ 2pm

Come to a special House Party where you can get 50% off Turbo Tax + more party surprises. Contact Tamara with questions or to RSVPjoyfullyeverafter@yahoo.com or 626.319.4278. #HappyYouYear

Meals for the Boldt Family

The Boldt family welcomed Ariana Haven on Thanksgiving day. They appreciate your support as they transition to a family of five! Sign up to bring them a meal here: https://mealtrain.com/z7g4r

Springs Family looking for roomates

Mike, Rebekah, and Coralie are hoping to move into a bigger house in the next few months and are looking for a few roommates to share space in our new home. Anyone interested can contact Rebekah at 916-436-6992 orbekah3@gmail.com for details

Private Music Lessons (In-Home)

Justin Little is looking for a few more piano and/or guitar students to teach in-home lessons in Monrovia, Duarte and Arcadia. His teaching schedule is filling up, but Mountainside families will be given priority. Please contact Justin at626-807-0334 or at justin.g.b.little@gmail.com if you are interested or have any questions regarding rates, availability, teaching methods, etc. Justin has 6 years of professional experience giving private piano and guitar lessons to children, adolescents and adults.

Contact Mountainside

Sunday Service:
140 E. Palm Ave., Monrovia
10:30am-noon

Church Calendar: Please visit the Mountainside Calendar.

Share: If you have an announcement to include in Mountainside Tidings, please send to Nathan Ritzau at mountainsidetidings@gmail.com by noon on Wednesdays.

Questions: If you have questions or would like to speak to someone from Mountainside, our general voicemail box is (626) 415-8170.

Getting involved: If you would like to know about ways to get more involved at Mountainside, contact Misty Easton-Wise @ mjeastonwise@gmail.com.

Mailing address for Mountainside Communion:
P.O. Box 474
Monrovia, CA 91017

Mountainside Communion and Immigration: A Narrative

From Scott

Early on in its life as a church plant, Mountainside Communion (MC) was made aware of the large role undocumented immigration played in our local context. Extending hospitality and remaining open to receiving the hospitality of immigrants in our local neighborhoods has been a missional focus of MC over the past ten years. This particular attention was never a plan of ours but has been an outgrowth of dwelling deeply in our locality. Over time, MC has built relationships with individuals and communities who are undocumented and/or who are seeking to navigate the complexities of the current immigration system. Continue reading

Peggy’s Story

From Peggy

My first introduction to Mountainside Communion was attending the baptism of a family member. There was a very clear sense of family and rejoicing as each person was baptized. I also noted that there was a freedom within the service and following baptisms that made it feel like a family celebration more than a ritual. That day I asked myself the question: could such a community maintain this level of celebration and intimacy among the members?

Continue reading

Top 10 Reasons We Love Mountainside Communion

From Janeen and Jason

  1. We can walk to church!
  2. Our children (snotty, rambunctious, and loud) are welcomed with open arms, loved and looked after in our absence.
  3. We are able to hear from many different teachers each Sunday offering different perspectives and insight into the Word of God.
  4. Communion Gatherings give us the opportunity to connect on a more personal level.
  5. The diaconal team strives to provide church leadership that takes into consideration the needs of all of our members.
  6. We appreciate the opportunity to share and discuss within our regular worship service.
  7. We enjoy sharing in the work of a participatory church where all skill sets are acknowledged.
  8. Really cool people attend MC (even our neighbor agrees!). We’ve enjoyed getting to know each person we’ve met.
  9. All are welcomed, valued and loved. Diversity is celebrated and we come to the table just as we are.
  10. Support and partnership in journeying through life together. This is by far the best thing about Mountainside and we are constantly reminded of this. Starting from receiving an unexpected meal when we had our very first foster placement to having friends offer to be our official certified back-up care givers. Even this past Sunday as I walked in the door—late, alone with two kids and carrying some bags, one friend helps with my bags while another takes David to the baby room. At MC, we are supported, well cared for and loved.

What Brought It Home

From Kammie

When Esther & I came to Mountainside in June, 2012, I was on an reluctant journey of church search. The church I have been going for 10 years came to an end. It was the saddest experience in all the years I had with churches.   I felt devastated, abandoned & homeless. I was not at all interested in church visiting, and it felt really awkward to have a group of 15-20 homeless people to go into a new church every week.

The search drove us to ask many questions. What are we looking for? What kind of church is a good fit? How do we rank the criteria we set for the search? One of them was are we going to be open as who we are. We have been hiding among a big church. We got fed through the worship and messages. We had some group interactions. We served a little, as long as we did not tell who we are. So for us, the first criteria is that we need to be free to who we are.

Continue reading