Major face lift and expansion for Resurrection Church’s MARKEY Community Center coming soon? 5 1/2 million needed before construction begins. One million raised so far. MARKEY needs money.
Where is it?  Resurrection Church’s MARKEY Community Center is located in the heart of Aptos, CA. Across from the library with shopping centers on two sides, Due to it’s locaation in Aptos, MARKEY Community Cenrer plays a central role in the life of Aptosia aka Aptos, CA and surrounding areas.
What is MARKEY Community Center (MCC)? It’s where voters go to cast their ballot. It’s the hub for Resurrection Catholic Community, where they live out their Christian faith with programs for Youth, Seniors and vulnerable persons needing showers, socks, food and clothing. Families who cannot pay their electric bill go for help. Families celebrate the lives of their loved ones and the marriages of their children.
Start date for construction? Resurrection’s MARKEY CC planned to start construction last August. But the Catholic Diocese changed the rules of the game and said that all money had to be raised before breaking ground. Opps!
What’s happening now?  Construction will begin at Resurrection’s MARKEY Community Center once they’ve raised $ 5.7 MILLION.   This past year they raised $1 MILLION dollars, all dollars from 60% of the parishioners who give regularly.
Want to know more?  Come to any Mass during the weekend of Feb. 23 -24, 2020 and there will be presentations why now, how the money will be raised and how you can help make the MaARKEY project happen soon  Masses are on Saturday at 5 PM , Sunday morning at 8:15 AM, 10:15 AM and 6 PM. Come and find out how you can help. And for more info, go to:  renewmarkeycommunitycenter.org
Spiritual exercises? How to converse with God?  How can you expand your daily consciousness of God, who is in all and all present.
Catholic priest Father Larry  learned after the death of his wife Joan nineteen years ago how much he needed God as his Friend, the same way as Abraham was God’s friend.
“But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend. ( Isaiah 41:8).
Says Father Larry: There’s one, two three spiritual exercises you can do daily, which take about 5 or so minutes a day.  These spiritual exercises are a way of expanding your consciousness of God who is in all and all present.
1) Think back over the last 24 hours for an interaction or event that went well in your life. Re-experience those moments and hold them in your consciousness. Then, give thanks to God for those moments and event.
2) Next. Now think back over the last 24 hours for an interaction, project or event that did not go well. This time think how it might have gone better and replay in your consciousness how it might have gone. And now, ask God for grace that next time that it will go better.
3) Think ahead to the next 24 hours. Think about what might happen in the next 24 hours, about up-coming  projects, events or interactions which you think will occur.  Pick a particular possible event. And ask God for strength and wisdom as you experience that up-coming event or interaction.
That’s the One, Two , Three spiritual exercises you can utilize to expand your consciousness of God as your Friend and Companion on the Way. Thank Father Larry of Resurrection Catholic Community, for these suggestions.
written by Cameron Jackson  7/29/2019   JAJ48@aol.com
Slipped on a banana peel why homeless in Santa Cruz CA says Jon Showalter, President of AFC & member of St. John’s Episcopal in Aptos, CA
Homeless in Santa Cruz CA — Why? Largely just economic,  a slip on a banana peel? Or are people homeless due to lots of inter-related issues with use of illegal drugs interwoven? Your experience?
From government statistics:  Roughly 40% surveyed report at least one or more serious health conditions:   drugs/alcohol; psychotic/emotional; post traumatic stress disorder, physically disabled and chronic health conditions. Such are the statistics.
It’s one thing to report and another thing as to what the real problems are.  Surveys are simply what people choose to report.
Per government survey, roughly the same percentage of homeless persons look for work (43%) compared with those who report they are unable to work (43%). These figures are from Santa Cruz County data.
A different  viewpoint expressed recently by  homeless advocate Jon Showalter: He said in a talk that 60% of local homeless are “economic refugees”who “slipped on a banana peel” and lost their social network. We need to know them human to human Showalter emphasized.
It’s 60% economic to 40% other (mental illness/ drug and alcohol)  states homeless advocate Jon Showalter who spoke to 50+ women in Aptos,CA at Resurrection Catholic Community 3/18/19.
Showwalter is President of the Board for the Association of Faith Communities (AFC) and member of St. John’s Episcopal church  in Aptos, CA. The AFC meets monthly at Calvary Episcopal church in Santa Cruz, CA  and has 11 representatives of largely north Santa Cruz faith organizations including Buddhist, Hindu and Christian.
Following Showalter’s presentation, Pat Lorenzo of Resurrection Catholic Community updated attendees concerning other programs currently in place through mid-county churches which assist homeless persons with meals, shelter, showers, socks and other services. The collect Socks program will continue says Pat Lorenzo who applied for ,and received, three or four thousand pairs of socks in December, 2018. Those socks have been dispersed throughout Santa Cruz County Lorenzo said.
New long term sheltering program: Showalter states that a new sheltering program starts 3/18/19 at St. John’s Episcopal in Aptos, CA. Occupants of 3 cars will shelter long term in the parking lot of the church. One car/person has been doing so for several months. Persons in the new sheltering program will be vetted through the Association of Faith Communities states Showalter.
Not in my backyard issues:
Whether or  how the nearby  housing project — located adjacent on two sides to St. John’s Episcopal  church in Aptos, CA – was contacted concerning the long term sheltering program was not discussed by Showalter at the Guild meeting nor in recent email sent by the Rector, Mtr Tracy,  to St. John’s Episcopal congregation.  At the Guild meeting an attendee discussed how a successful  Catholic church sheltering program — located next to a school — managed the “not in my backyard issues”. Ongoing communication, sharing meals with the parish and a 6 am leave the premises each day were central rules she said.
Comment by Aptos Psychologist:
Are people homeless in Santa Cruz mainly  due to “a slip on a banana peel”? Mostly an economic issue and only somewhat a mental health/ drug issue?  Nope. Why the multitude of needles on the beaches? Why the feces and urine smells in downtown Santa Cruz? Why the encampment of 100+ unauthorized tents at the entrance to Santa Cruz, CA.  Why do young mothers not take small children to Santa Cruz parks?
Reality:  It’s probably the reverse — 80+ percent drug/ alcohol/ mental illness and 20 percent economic.
What do statistics say?
Take Away : The numbers show an overall decrease in homeless persons comparing numbers  first collected (2005) to the latest numbers (2017).  There were about 3,400 homeless in 2005 — and 12 years later — about  2,200 in 2017.
For communities to receive federal grant money for homeless issues those communities must count homeless persons every two years.  Communities  use the Point in Time method of counting.
Statistics collected by Applied Survey Research show that in 2005 there were 3,371 homeless and 8 years later in 2013 — the high point – there were 3,536. In 2015 the number was 1,964 and in 2017 it was 2,249.The statistics listed above can be found via United Way and from Santa Cruz County.
One size shoe does not fit all:
There’s a fairly new federal law that cities cannot displace homeless unless they provide a bed/ place for them. New York City shelters almost all of their homeless.  California provides services to 1/3 of all the homeless in the U.S.  — must be the weather and beaches? — and roughly 70% of the homeless are not sheltered. Thus we see encampments of homeless tents at the entrance to Santa Cruz, CA.
What say you? The government — and religious faith organizations — should provide long term house / housing space for all?
 The Rector, Mother Tracy, writes in an email 12/07/2017 that in order to be “technically” an Episcopalian,  sometime in the past an Episcopalian bishop laid hands in a church service on the person.  All who meet various requirements can vote Dec. 10 for elections to the church board.
Aptos Catholic christians also tighten their rules: The last to receive will be first now. Different housekeeping rules will be enforced at Resurrection Catholic Community. The order of who gets served first is one change.
 Remember the bible verse,  “The last will be first — and the first will be last”? [Matthew 20:16] It’s an apt summary.
  The Eucharistic Ministers at Resurrection Catholic Community  who assist with the service — these people who used to be the last persons to receive — will now be first persons  to receive.  Each Eucharistic Minister will receive from the Catholic priest prior to  serving others.
It was stated that this is an “old” Catholic rule — one of many “shoulds” that need to be done — that now goes into effect at Resurrection Catholic Community in Aptos, CA.  Further,  the tender care with which any remaining Body and Blood is handled after everyone has received, those rules are tightened.
 So — are there any Aptos Catholic christians who want to receive directly from their priest?  Ask to serve and be trained as an Eucharistic Minister. The last to receive will now be first to receive at Resurrection Catholic Community in Aptos.
 At St. John’s episcopal church all attendees standing in a circle receive the Body from the priest and then they receive the Blood from an assisting Eucharistic Minister.
Of most importance is participation as the Body of Christ. All are welcome at St. John’s episcopal and Resurrection catholic community.
Below are photos taken 12/10 on Voting Day at St. John’s episcopal. Great coffee!Â
Major face lift and expansion for Resurrection Church’s MARKEY Community Center coming soon? 5 1/2 million needed before construction begins. One million raised so far. MARKEY needs money.
