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Montclair Presbyterian Church Committees, Groups & Chairpersons Montclair Presbyterian Church is blessed with strong and vital lay leadership. We come from many walks of life and with different educations, talents, and abilities. Our committee structure is broad and reflects the diverse interests and commitments this church family has both for its own well-being and our concern for and responsibility to our local community and world. Please read and learn more about us and see if there is a place you might like to participate or form a new group to fulfill needs unmet. Come and visit, come and share in our spirited life together. Complete list of MPC Committee Chairs, Coordinators, and Session. SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEES Social Justice at MPC is focused on concerns and action rather than on committees. The guiding framework is the Global Vision Statement developed primarily by Peacemakers, Community Connections, Global Concerns, and Spiritual Activists, as well as Adult Education and Drama. The Steering Committee provides coordination. More information . . . ADULT EDUCATION We offer classes to the church family covering such topics as the Bible and theology, spiritual and personal growth, cultural and social concerns. We also offer classes just for fun, ranging from ballroom dancing and dream interpretation to yoga and a trip to the zoo. Current classes . . . Margaretha Derasary, Chairperson CAPITAL FUNDS GIVING PROGRAM COMMITTEE When the Capital Funds drive for the retrofitted sanctuary
started, our congregation decided to hold 10% of the funds raised, as
a tithe, to be given away to help others. This tithe was approved by
Session, and became a part of the information in the capital funds drive
literature. Decisions about how to give and where to give have been
deferred until now! In keeping with church by-laws and covenants, an
ad-hoc committee on Giving has been created to guide the MPC family
in how to give this tithe. This committee will be working with MPC social
justice committees and with the congregation develop a program for giving.
More information . . . CELEBRATION COMMITTEE The Celebration Committee works with the pastor and music staff to help plan our Sunday morning service. We oversee the various components of Celebration: communion, lay leaders, music, flowers. We encourage the use of visual and performing arts to enhance the worship experience at MPC. See the About Us page for more information. Sloan White, Chairperson COMMUNITY CONNECTION COMMITTEE The Community Connection Committee has been working closely with Oakland Community Organizations (OCO), a long standing community action group composed of many diverse member congregations and schools working together on a variety of local issues including education, health, immigration, housing, and safety. MPC is now a member of OCO. We are busy working on our one-on-one conversations within our own congregation to listen to members of our spiritual community, to understand their joys and worries, hopes and dreams, to build solidarity, and to form alliances in working on social justice issues. If you are interested in joining this committed group of people, contact Jean Gregory, Chair, or Eloise Gilland, Session Liaison THE DRAMA COMMITTEE We select plays and drama pieces for performance at our church and assist in creating special dramatic presentations for Sunday celebrations and festivals. Volunteers are always welcome. More . . . Bob Saltz, Chairperson EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH We coordinate ongoing and special programs for children and youth including Sunday morning classes (Godly Play) for preschool through grade 6, nursery for infants and toddlers, and Sunday evening junior/senior high youth group. We offer Godly Play training for our teachers and welcome adults and teens from throughout the church to teach and assist on Sunday mornings. We collaborate with other committees to include children in music and drama, to integrate children and adults in a variety of activities, to offer support/education regarding parenting concerns, and to make sure that child care is available for all meetings and events. We work to welcome and integrate new families into the life of the church. The committee meets approximately six times a year and is a particularly good place for new church members with children to connect with the church. Cindy Gullikson, Chairperson FAITH TRIO COMMITTEE The Faith Trio consists of three congregations in Oakland, California, historically linked to each other as representatives of the three Abrahamic faiths of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. They are the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California (ICCNC), the Kehilla Community Synagogue and Montclair Presbyterian Church. More info . . . Jean Mudge, Chairperson FAMILY LIFE COMMITTEE Family Life seeks to build the community of MPC, both in times of joy and times of sadness. While many committees help move us toward this purpose, Family Life seeks specifically to support and build our church family through programs such as Companions, Helping Hands, Extended Families and Family Hour, and various events and celebrations. In the upcoming church year, we will focus specifically on ways to expand the sense of community both within and between the generations. Debbie Fallehy, Chairperson PEACEMAKERS Our work is to empower the church family to grapple with basic issues of peace, justice and security. To that end, we create special educational events for deeper reflection on such issues and work on behalf of viable alternatives. For example, we have focused on such issues as the Palestinian-Israeli crisis when we sold Palestinian olive oil to help the people economically and to educate about the reality there. Our Adult Education course on the teachings of non-violent masters such a Jesus, Gandhi and Martin Luther King led us to want to learn to apply these principles in our own lives as well as to contribute to a shift in consciousness on the planet. Hence our training in the ENGAGE Program with Pace e Bene, a Franciscan group of dedicated, spiritually oriented leaders who themselves manifest the non-violent approach to living. As we deepen our understanding and our skills in the area of peacemaking, we advocate non-violent action relevant to our concerns. We also network and cooperate with other denominational and peacemaking groups such as the SF Presbytery Peacemaking Taskforce, the American Friends Service Committee and the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center, of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Walnut Creek. more . . . Barbara Peters, Chairperson POETS AND STORYTELLERS In 1997, a "Writing Your Life Story" Adult Education class evoked strong interest and subsequent classes involving nearly 100 participants. A committee was formed in October, 1998, to initiate and expand other writing activities. The intention is to provide opportunities for all members. Our objective is to facilitate a variety of writing activities with continuity and focus. We encourage the sharing of experiences through the Life Story classes, Open Mike nights, and the Monday writing group. We also present an annual Works in Progress program and publish an anthology of collected original writings by members and friends. Sharon Noteboom, Chairperson HEALTH AND RECONCILIATION TEAM The Health and Reconciliation Team (HART) looks for ways to address any unresolved feelings and issues over staffing changes, building renovation, etc. A copy of the committee's April report to Session that describes the team's work and summarizes recommendations from a consultant hired to help us move forward, is available for download here (80K PDF). Stan Stevens, Chairperson FINANCE COMMITTEE The Finance Committee prepares and presents the annual budget to Session and reports quarterly on the financial condition of the Church. Committee members share in doing financial and accounting tasks throughout the year. Al Peters, Chairperson SPIRITUAL ACTIVISTS We are an outgrowth of the 2005 Conference of the Network of Spiritual Progressives and we support this national interfaith organization's vision for a new society. Our central goal is to change our culture of materialism and violence to one of generosity, compassion and cooperation. We sponsor events and classes and promote political advocacy to bring about public policy changes. We believe that to heal and transform our world, we must work from a larger framework of meaning and purpose, with spiritual consciousness undergirding our efforts. more . . . Eloise Gilland and Betsy King, Co-Chairpersons STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE This small committee oversees the annual pledging of financial support by members and friends of the church. Barbara Vaughn and Jeanne Dunn, Co-Chairpersons THE ART GANG The Art Gang has three goals: to do art, to teach and learn, and to evaluate/ consult/ resource the church on visual arts concerns. Add to these, nurturing the artist in all of us, supporting church family endeavors, and addressing a need for play, re-creation, relaxation, insight and community. more . . . Gregg Schwinn and Tom Debley, Co-Chairpersons COMMUNITY ACTION COMMITTEE We support local organizations that make a difference in our community, provide impartial election/voting information to the congregation, and sponsor speakers. Jean Gregory, Chairperson We work to support local, church sponsored efforts in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to build just and caring societies. Bolivia is one of our major focus areas, as we are active participants in the Joining Hands Project there. Our activities include adult education classes, cross-cultural study tours, Sunday brunch speakers, the annual Fiesta Fantastica, and our monthly committee meetings. Jean Norris, Chairperson WELCOME AND MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE We create programs to welcome newcomers to our church family and supervise programs to prepare those interested in exploring formal membership. We help facilitate involvement within the church family for new members and provide a welcoming, inviting presence at Sunday celebrations and events. Cynthia Blumgart, Chairperson MPC CHOIR The choir with music is to enhance the musical life of the congregation. Together, we make friends and we make wonderful music. Our repertoire is diverse, from classical to contemporary, as well as music from other cultures. We are people of varying musical abilities who love to sing and be part of the worship experience of MPC. Together we learn and grow and let our spirits soar. There are no auditions for our choir, just invitations and lots of fun and support. We welcome you and are waiting for you to join us. Kim Rankin, Choir Director and Marcia Roy, Associate in Music and Organist A fellowship of men gathering for good talk, service, and mutual support. We meet every other Monday at 7pm in the Thornhill Room. For more information contact one of the "regulars": Peck Drennan, Bobbie Moore, Frank Dauby, Charlie Boije, John Zoranovich, Gil Chiguila, Chuck Dorman, Sid Hancock, Phil Reagan (scribe), Don Alter, Steve McKiernan, Allen Todd, Stan Stevens, Tom Davies, Brant Nicholas, Burt Rodgers See also our Men's Team page Technology Working Group The Technology Working Group (TWG) was formed in 2009 to enhance communications and outreach at Montclair Presbyterian Church. Initiatives include the MPC Website including the online Directory, Calendar, and Contact archive as well as Facebook pages. The Group also provides tech support for the MPC website. More . . . Linda Benson, Chair
There is an old "MPC Committees & Coordinators list by area of interest" page that needs to be corrected and reformatted. Volunteer? Last updated April 21, 2010
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