Stinson Beach Community
Presbyterian Church
The Annual Gift
The gift of Stinson Beach Community Presbyterian Church is a special brand of worship: a unique space that welcomes full-time residents, regular visitors, and one-time vacationers from around the world. On Sundays, and on special occasions like our Christmas Pageant, the ringing of our new bell sends out a call.
The work of the church relies on weekly offerings and donations from the larger community to keep our doors open. This important Annual Gift makes it possible for us to offer a space for prayer, song, education, laughter, and sometimes tears that so many have come to rely upon here at Stinson Beach.
Thus, the Annual Gift request asks to consider a financial donation to keep our church going. We gladly accept all financial gifts to help us grow the work of our church and reach out to others. There are also plenty of opportunities other than financial to donate energy, wisdom, time and talent.
We welcome you to our church home, to join in the work and support of the church, trusting that in seeking Christ you will find him here; that in worship you will be strengthened by God's Spirit, and that, in the fellowship of this church, companionship and Christian love may be yours. We would love to greet you and share with you our community, our love from Jesus Christ, for each other, and for you, whether neighbor or visitor. This is a church in which to celebrate and learn; to relax, rejoice, and recharge.
Worship Services
Worship services are held every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the Community Chapel, a traditional, brown wood-framed building with ample windows to let in the light of a Stinson Beach morning, at 32 Belvedere Avenue, just off Shoreline Highway, Route 1, behind the Stinson Beach Fire Department and just past the Stinson Beach Community Center.
Services are open to everyone, are "traditional," yet informal in dress and approach. Some Scripture, some prayer, some songs, a sermon, and sharing our faith, joys, concerns, and community.
Our Pastor:
Ellen Baxter
The Rev. Ellen Baxter is the pastor of Stinson Beach Community Presbyterian Church. She sees herself as a storyteller who provides a contemporary lens for stories from long ago. Her messages combine Bible readings, scholarship, warmth, faith, compassion, and inspiration. Her tone is conversational, as she seeks to find a way in to ancient texts to illustrate their relevance for today.
Our Mission
We believe that the door to community and hospitality in Christ is always open and so are the doors to our church. In this common faith we are bound together and perform service in Jesus' name.
Our mission is to follow our teacher Jesus by opening our arms to all those who are on a spiritual journey and who may find comfort within our community. Our church is open to people of all denominational backgrounds, and to others who are seeking, searching, inquiring.
Christian people experience healing through redeeming fellowship. Our faith teaches that life is renewed as it is given away in worship and in service. We show God’s love and concern for our neighbor through hospitality, sharing, and giving of ourselves generously. All who might wish to join in this adventure about God are cordially invited to share with us in this life of faith.
A Video Message of Hospitality
A video message from former Pastor Sharon Latour, outside and inside the church's wooded environment in the Stinson Beach community. The message: hospitality to neighbor and visitor. Watch here, or link here to the Church's YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUDL7rL_d5-2EkgU5skD-lA or search YouTube for "Stinson Beach Community Presbyterian Church."
Originally from North Carolina, "Pastor Ellen" is a graduate of San Francisco Thelogical Seminary, came to ministry after an earlier business career, and has previously served churches in New Jersey and Maryland. In her sermons, she asks how did the world look 2,000 years ago, and how do writings and lessons from then parallel today? She believes the way to do that is through community, and the stories we have to share. Pastor Ellen also serves the congregation of Calvary Presbyterian Church in Bolinas, just north of Stinson Beach, where services are also held every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. For further church information, contact Ellen at (415) 914-4540.
THIS WEEK'S SERMON
Most weeks' sermons discuss how we are beloved by God, and how we can join with others in seeking inner peace, direction, joy, and comfort; to share those things and develop them outwardly into a spirit of community, changing our world in real time today, working to create for ourselves and others God's kingdom on earth now. Bible readings remind us of our belovedness and connectedness to each other.
With all of our personal histories, what is our common ground for community? How do we meet our individual needs, and those of each other? What is the guidance available from the Bible, Old and New Testaments, in ancient teachings that are still relevant today? What does it mean to be a Christian in Stinson Beach? How can we serve our community, our world, and each other?
These are the kinds of things for which we seek, receive, and offer at Stinson Beach Community Presbyterian Church.