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Our After-Sessions in July are all about “The Good Life:  Lessons From the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness”, a book by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz discussing a study that began before either of them were born – 1938 – and has continued ever since.  We will be discussing that study’s findings on what makes a good life.  I hope you will join us for these sessions!

Since the book just came out in January, it’s hard to find used copies, but you can order it from bookstores.  You also can just come and enjoy the sessions. Another shortcut for you is Robert Waldinger’s TED talk, just 12 ½ minutes, at https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness/c

We look forward to seeing you Sunday so we can get started on discussing a fascinating study and hopefully learning something about, and for, ourselves!

Urban Sanctuary 80 South 5^th Street, San Jose CA 95112

11:30 a.m. Sundays, after 10 a.m. Service

Sunday, June 11, 2023 from 10am to noon

A free retreat and gathering of the community to speak up for affordable housing through poetry and storytelling.

Special guests: McTate Stroman II, Poet and Christopher Logan, Community Organizer. These two guys are so gifted and will be drawing out some of our best voices and perspectives to humanize our stories around housing.  Let’s gather to put the heart and our best creative expression to our experiences around housing. 

Hosted by Center for Arts, Spirituality, and Activism – CASA @ Urban Sanctuary and Creatives for Compassionate Communities

Please RSVP now, and send this off with an invite to your friends who might be interested at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/poems-to-preserve-our-homes-tickets-636224423377

Friday May 26, 2023 from 4:30 to 7:00 PM. Recovery Café, 80 South 5th Street, San Jose, CA 95112

Live music, arts and crafts, games, food and drinks, resources.

Join us as we celebrate mental health awareness month! Check out art work from community artists and live entertainment.

Ashes to Go on Ash Wednesday was a meaningful ministry for Pastor Dana and Lita as we literally took the ministry outside on our street. People stopped all through that hour to receive ashes, to pick up prayer cards and ask for prayers. A driver of a mobile van service parked out front hopped off while she waited and asked for ashes and prayers…..

Venus Jones, our Arts and Culture Organizer, and I took a training with Sacred Heart in December that was full of insight. There are so many issues in front of us, how do we choose an issue focus? We learned that they use these criteria for choosing an organizing campaign. They ask, is it/ does it…

• deeply felt
• widely felt
• create meaningful change
• winnable in a year
• a clear demand
• grow our base
• develop new leaders

We can work hard at speaking out for social justice, but if we don’t create new policies, initiatives and change really broken systems, we are just speaking into air. So having these criteria is such a gift in focusing our actions! Here’s how that works related to campaigns we are connecting with these days….

“TRUST” – WHO YOU GONNA CALL FOR MENTAL HEALTH?

As a nation, we have witnessed repeatedly the challenges of police responses to some 911 calls. Many situations need a mental health response. As a result of the efforts of MH advocates we have a 988 number. But it isn’t working as it should yet, and there is a number with good support by a team called TRUST (Trusted Response Urgent Support Team). Our county won’t publish it now. While we work on making 988 better, this campaign is led by people who want the TRUST number to be public now.

THIS! AND THIRD ACT DAY OF ACTION MARCH 21

Efforts are being joined with already 54 events planned in 20 states. People are moving money out of climate destroying banks and and will take direct action outside of banks in communities all over the country on that day. THIS! gives people support in moving their money and growing the base through climate conversations.

THE PEOPLES’ AGENDA ON HOUSING

Housing advocates came together to create the Peoples’ Agenda asking City Council for three things this year that could abate the growing housing disparities in San Jose:

1. right to legal counsel for those facing evictions 2. strengthen the Community Opportunity to Purchase Agreement so that individuals and non-profit organizations have a first option to buy property, which is often swept up by investors and developers 3. end the criminalization of homelessness

The picture below marks the kick-off of this campaign and the presentation of these 3 demands to the City Council