Contact: September 22, 2011
Montclair Presbyterian Church
Dear Friends,
What a wonderful day we had on Sunday with the help of so many different people! Thank you to those of you who came, to those of you who brought food, to those of you who helped set and clean up, to those of you who greeted visitors (it was so nice to have several young families and people visiting!), to those of you who participated in Celebration, to those of you who called and invited people, and to those of you who thought of us even if you couldn’t be with us in person.
When I first arrived here at Montclair, I sat down with Rev. Leonard who had been filling in after Rev. Karen left in August. Leonard filled me in on a variety of issues and events and helped me get my feet on the ground. One of the things Leonard told me about was the ongoing conversation related to whether or not we should have deacons. He said his perspective was that consensus had been reached and that the church did seem to agree there was a need for something like deacons. He encouraged me to move it forward. After talking with session and a variety of other people and inviting comments from all of you, it did seem as though the time was right. When the new class of session members came on in March, we were able to identify two elders who were willing to take on the task of researching and implementing something like a deacons program. Carrie Mckiernan and Don Alter were the two identified and they took the ball and ran while staying in very close communication with session. Thanks to their hard work and perseverance and to the nominating committee and to several people who volunteered themselves, we now have an operating Beacons program!
As people were leaving Celebration on Sunday morning, I received many comments about things related to Burning Man since that was part of the theme of the sermon. But my favorite comment of the entire day was when a long-time member introduced himself to me and said, “I have been gone for awhile but my Beacon called me this week and invited me back and now I’m back and you’ll see me a lot more.” Wow! As we suspected, some people drop off for awhile and if no one calls to check in or invite them back, they sometimes feel as if no one cares. It would be difficult to want to be a part of a community that does not notice one’s absence or seem to care. The Beacons program has already made an important difference in our community life.
Remember to invite someone to church soon. It’s a great time in the life of the congregation as we invest time and energy in dreaming about and planning for the future!
Grateful for your energy, creativity, compassion and caring,
Beth
P.S. Good News to Share! Last Friday I attended the Redwoods Presbytery meeting in Santa Rosa in support of Scott Clark who was examined for ordination. Scott was amazing! Despite some questions that were insulting, Scott answered with wisdom, grace and his usual brilliance. Scott will be ordained at First Presbyterian Church of San Anselmo on Sunday, October 16th at 3 pm. He is being ordained to the position of Chaplain and Assistant Dean of Student Life.
MISSION STUDY TEAM UPDATE: In this week’s meeting, the Mission Study Team went deeper into its understanding of four questions that are at the heart of identifying our mission: Who are we? Why do we exist? Who are our neighbors? What has God called us to do/ Who does God call us to be? The questions were posted in 4 areas in the room, and we rotated around in 20 minute periods brain storming for answers. And answers we got – some quite surprising! We look forward to our first meeting with the Congregation on Sunday, October 2nd. Submitted by Dave Miller.
VIRGINIA HADSELL MEMORIAL SERVICE: A Celebration of the Life of Virginia Hadsell will be held on Sunday, October 9th at 2 pm in the Montclair Presbyterian Church sanctuary with a reception to follow.
LOOKING AHEAD AT CELEBRATION:
Sunday, September 25: Celebration this Sunday will be connected to the theme of our Works in Progress – Aging and Loss. We will take a journey through the life cycle as we look at seasons and times of the day and themes such as birth, creativity, suffering, and death. The choir will sing an original work written by Kim Rankin.
SUSAN’S SCOOP:
New Godly Play Teachers: We have begun Fall classes with our new Godly Play teachers. Age 4 through grade 3: Courtney Blair, Suzanne Jones, Megan McKiernan (youth), Shelley Klop, Karen Bowen (youth), Linnea Gullikson (youth). Grade 4-6: Cathy Sharp, Linda Spencer, Frank Dauby, Tami Driver, Chris Singer (youth), Stacy Canzoneri (youth). Most of our teachers chose to return but we are also welcoming 3 new teachers in this group. We are thankful for this dedicated group of volunteers.
Youth Group: We welcomed 7 new members at our first meeting. A total of 27 youth filled the room. In addition we have our team of advisors: Kevin Fallehy, Megan Larsen, Jeremy Calhoon, David McEwan, and Jay Gregory, 4 of whom are former Youth Group members. At our meeting, the Youth learned about a new community gardening project initiated by our senior high students who went to Portland on the Mission Trip and also learned about hunger justice issues in Oakland. You will be hearing more about this proposal in Celebration on Oct. 2, as well as how you may participate. Former Youth Group member Jessie Lett is leading the community gardening project as her senior project at UC Davis.
This Sunday: We, the Youth Group, will go to Miniature Golf in Castro Valley. Meet at the church parking lot at 12 noon and return at 2:30. Please bring $6.50 plus money for drinks or video games. Anyone who also wants to stop for a subway sandwich on the way, please bring another $5. This will take the place of the evening meeting.
TALITHA’S TAKE:
Breads of the World: On Sunday, Oct 2nd, we celebrate World Communion Sunday. In order to celebrate the many different cultures, nations, and culinary styles that are part of the one “Body of Christ,” we will have many different kinds of bread on the communion table. We need volunteers to bring a loaf of bread from your country of origin, or a country dear to your heart… Irish soda bread, Finnish flatbread, Mexican tortillas, etc… If your country doesn’t have a traditional bread (e.g. several Asian countries) we can get creative with bread-like foods. Please RSVP to Marilee Bailey (510-531-3500) if you can bring bread. You will also be involved in the service by presenting your loaf, so please arrive early (9:30) to get instructions from Talitha.
SPLASH INVITATION: Saturday, September 24, 2011. “A Day to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels.” A group of us from MPC will be attending a RALLY in San Francisco this Saturday, September 24. This is part of a worldwide September 24 demonstration to press support for climate change legislation. Bill McKibben, well known environmentalist, and others will be speaking. We will meet at the MPC parking lot at 11 AM and carpool to the Rockridge BART Station to take the 11:51 AM train. People from all over the Bay Area will MEET at Justin Herman Plaza at NOON. Everyone will then PARADE down Market Street at 12:30 PM, headed toward the Civic Center Plaza. For more complete information on the event visit http://www.moving-planet.org/BayArea. Contact Art Paull on his cell at 925-451-9066 or at ajp4h2o@gmail.com (that is h2o like water — not a zero) if you want to come. We’d love to have you! Children are welcome as well. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes!
ADULT ED: Sign-ups continue for the Fall Adult Ed classes this Sunday, September 25, during the Coffee Hour.
GEORGE’S ART SHOW WRAPS UP THIS SUNDAY: This Sunday, September 25, is your last chance to bid in the silent auction of artwork by George Somers, benefitting MPC. The bidding will close at 11:45 a.m. You don’t have to be present on September 25 to win the bid, but you do have to be the highest bidder. This is a unique opportunity to own a George Somers’ original and help MPC. (Sponsored by Stewardship Committee)
PEACEMAKING OFFERING: The annual Peacemaking offering coming up on October 2 is a win-win opportunity to join with other Presbyterians in creating and cultivating visions and actions that bring people together. Our contributions will help to support local, Presbytery and national projects including interfaith work, conflict resolution in schools, gun violence and the Peacemaking resources and conferences. This offering enables us to “honor all people” together in ways we cannot do alone.
GET READY, GET SET, GO! The inspiring Bioneers conference is coming up Oct. 14-16. Come hear leaders, innovators, thinkers, activists, and artists tell about their activities, creations, and experiments regarding environmental sustainability. Be prepared to be amazed, delighted, and inspired. Join the conversation and participate in the afternoon workshops. The only problem will be choosing which ones! Sari Kulberg is going all three days and is looking for people with whom to carpool. If you are interested, contact Sari, (510) 653-6432 or sjkulberg@gmail.com or see bioneers.org/conference for more information.
PROGRESS: Our garden is getting better and better! The group that came on Saturday to spruce up the front section made a huge difference and allowed our new gardener Jennifer Smith to concentrate on major pruning/trimming on her first day of work for us. Thanks to all who helped: Carol Ekberg, Rosanne Nocerino, Don Alter, Al Peters, Margaretha Derasary, Barbara Peters & Sherrill Figuera.
ROOMS FOR RENT: John Zoranovich and Gini Carter have rooms to rent in their beautiful old Laurel District home – above MacArthur and near Mills College. Please contact Sam Zoranovich for specifics – 408-499-5220.
PLEASE KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS THIS WEEK:
- Peace and comfort for John Hadsell and his family as they grieve the loss of Virginia.
- For Don and Virginia Poulton as they adjust to Don’s new home in AgeSong. Don welcomes visitors.
- For the family of Troy Davis as they grieve his murder by the state of Georgia despite doubt about his guilt.
- Continued healing for Tracy Livezey.
- Wisdom & guidance for the Mission Study Team.
- Our nation’s armed forces on the occasion of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell officially expiring. That all people may freely serve in
their chosen lines of work. - All people who live in “food deserts” without access to fresh, healthy food. That our national food distribution system may bend to care for the neediest.
- Prayers of thanksgiving for a successful Taizé service, and prayers of hope that these Taizé services may reach out to folks in the neighborhood who might not otherwise come through the church doors.
- Dolores Rylee and Jack Moore as they prepare to transition into assisted living.
DEADLINES: To submit announcements for the bulletin and Contact, please send them to office@mpcfamily.org. The deadline for Contact is Tuesdays at 3 pm, and the deadline for the bulletin is Wednesdays at 12 noon.
MPC Calendar:
http://www.mpcfamily.org/getting-involved/calendar/
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MONTCLAIR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
5701 Thornhill Drive, Oakland, California 94611, (510)339-1131
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm
Rev. Beth Buckingham-Brown, Office hours Monday-Wednesday, 10:00-4:00 pm
Susan Hunn, Associate for Education: Office hours, Tuesday-Thursday, 9:30-2:30 pm
Sherrill Figuera: Administrative Assistant, Office hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30 pm
Talitha Phillips: Associate for Care and Congregational Life
Kim Rankin: Music Director
Marcia Roy: Organist
Gil & Maria Chiguila: Caretakers
Rev. John Hadsell: Theologian in Residence
Rev. Kathy Ray: Parish Associate