The Church of San Agustin, nestled in the hills above Santa Cruz, is named after the original Mexican Land Grant, “San Agustin Ranchero,” which comprises all of the Scotts Valley area. The parish was established in 1969, three years after the small community of Scotts Valley incorporated into a city. A house on the property was remodeled to become the parish rectory. The first Mass was celebrated in a field next this house on June 8, 1969 by our first pastor, Father Michael MacDonald. Mass was also celebrated at the Scotts Valley School and then in an enlarged converted barn/garage on the property until ground breaking for the new multipurpose building began in September of 1969. The building was completed the following year in September of 1970. Our beautiful Spanish mission style cross was fashioned by the San Agustin Men’s Committee from a Santa Cruz Mountain redwood tree. Its dedication in April 1971 marked the first Easter in the new chapel. The Sante Fe train bell hanging over the church was given to the parish by the Weinmann family and installed in April of 1972 and later dedicated to the memory of our first pastor, Father Mac. 

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, responsible for more deaths each year than from all other causes combined. Between the ages of 45 to 65, one in nine women develops some form of cardiovascular disease. After age 65 the ratio climbs to one in three women.

Scotts Valley’s Agape Dance Academy brought the story of “Cinderella” to life over the weekend of June 14-16 at Aptos High School’s Performing Arts Center. Replete with evil stepsisters Anastasia and Drizella (played by Emi Prograce and Olivia Hughes), Fairy Godmother (played by Hannah Ruvo), a cadre of mice and Prince Charming himself (danced beautifully by Zaiah Jones), the entire dance troupe delivered a gorgeous rendition of the age-old fairy tale. Set changes were quick and nearly unseen; the music was boisterous and ebbed and flowed with the characters’ story, and the costumes were dazzling explosions of tulle, satin and sparkles galore. Arden Emhoff, who played the title role, was a study in grace, power and control as she spun through the transforation from under-appreciated housemaiden to a princess in love.

As you walk around your garden enjoying the fragrance of the different flowers you may be thinking back to your mother’s garden and the clove-scented carnations she grew or the sweet peas that remind you of that neighbor who grew them next-door and loved to share. Our sense of smell is a powerful trigger to past memories.

As a third-generation helper of the homeless, there are a lot of stories to tell. My paternal grandfather was homeless during the Great Depression. He walked on foot from Arizona to New York City where he was arrested for vagrancy. Once married and settled down, he regularly brought home vagrants for dinner and let them spend a night or two in the basement. One time he read on the front page of the morning paper that the fellow he’d fed, housed, and shared breakfast with that very day had robbed a bank the day before and was on the run.

The recipe for a perfect play: Start with four cups of feminism. Add in three generations of ideals, two women in competition for the love of one man and a teaspoon of tepid testosterone. Throw in a dash of senior sass and millennial convictions, and you’ve got “Rapture, Blister, Burn,” now being performed by Peter Gelblum’s Mountain Community Theater in Ben Lomond’s Park Hall.

In the wake of the Notre Dame fire, billions of dollars were raised in mere hours to restore a burned cathedral, which by its nature cannot last forever. And yet, countless millions of human lives suffer in poverty. To say nothing of the plight of innumerable sinful human souls, which stand vulnerable to the everlasting wrath and judgment of the eternal and infinitely Holy God.My own heart ached to see Notre Dame burning, and for the historical and cultural loss that it represents. The craftsmanship of that edifice was (and still is) unparalleled. That kind of artisanship simply doesn’t exist anymore, and the architectural works that it produced are unarguably and objectively spectacular. The worldview of Christendom, which assumes the Creator, prioritizes His magnification, and trusts His Word and wisdom, has produced massively significant scientific advancement, cultural enhancement, and beautiful artistic expression. The Notre Dame de Paris is a quintessential exemplar of them all.Prior to the rise of the Gothic architecture which Notre Dame epitomizes, figures like Bernard of Clairvaux publicly preferred a simpler, less ostentatious form of construction that favored simplicity, and promoted the prioritization of social welfare over ecclesiastical opulence. Many people identify with that simplicity, and in the wake of Notre Dame’s catastrophe have feigned indifference and protested the immediate - and extravagant - pledges to restore it, in light of the ongoing plight of the world’s hungry and impoverished.Yet, my own soul still resonates with the early medieval mindset that favored heaven above earth, and the worship of the Holy, eternal God above any other earthly or human endeavor. Gone are the days when the Church collectively assumed that to exhort mankind through every available means, to prize the exaltation and worship of the Triune God above all worldly cares, would render societal benefits and blessings that infinitely transcend any reforms that humans could ever envision or hope to enact.In antiquity, constructing a cathedral designed by its very architecture to draw human faces, minds and souls away from this world and up to the eternal glories and promises of Heaven was deemed worthy of incalculable resources and literally centuries of labor. I wish that we could recover something of that priority today, for from it flows not only the love of God for those who suffer in this world, but especially His love for those who will suffer eternally apart from His redeeming grace.In the original design and grandeur of Notre Dame, I sense that assumed transcendence which our post-modern culture has all but discarded. And so, my soul ached to see it burn, as it was a potent figure of all that we’ve lost and are losing.So, too, is the hasty outpouring of worldly wealth for the restoration of Notre Dame. Some have lamented that such quick funding has been prompted by the anguish over a stone edifice, while the anguish for impoverished human lives has long gone unheard. Why the sudden outpouring of massive funding to restore a building, when long has gone unheard the cry to feed and clothe human bodies? If such extravagant funds can so quickly be raised to restore a stone and wood structure, where have they been for the needs of suffering flesh-and-blood people?Those are good questions; it seems to me.But a better one is this: Given the outpouring of massive funding and compassion for buildings and bodies, all of which are destined for decay, why the paucity of giving toward Gospel missions, which seeks to proclaim the hope of everlasting life to eternal souls? Bodies surely matter more than buildings. But do not everlasting souls matter more than both?Would that the world - let alone the Church - valued what God Himself values, who assumed a human body - only to give it over to death - for the salvation of eternal souls. Would that we were so willing to sacrifice for that which He was so willing to sacrifice. Would that we were as quick to part with our earthly treasures - not for mere architectural renovation, or even for physical poverty and hunger - but for that which the Son of God willingly laid down His life. For the Gospel. For human souls. For eternal peace and reconciliation between the Holy God and sinful humans. Perhaps, as we process this recent tragedy, He would have us reevaluate our priorities in light of His purposes and promises of hope.Steve Watkins is the pastor of Trinity Bible Church on Highway 9. He lives in Felton with his wife and three sons. He can be reached at [email protected] 

Fire is on the minds of many in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The recent deadly Tubbs and Camp Fires that devastated suburbs and wildlands alike have given us in this region cause to ponder: Could such fires happen here? The answer is "Yes".   

The Scotts Valley Square Shopping Center is currently undergoing Phase I of a remodel project and great things will be happening throughout the year. Don’t despair, although Phase I included removal of the hardscape in the shopping center, new plant material and colorful trees will be coming.