Join us for Celebration worship services, in-person and online, every Sunday at 10 a.m.

October 20, 2010

Montclair Presbyterian Church…

The Community Organizes and

Orders Its Life Through the Flow of Information

October 20, 2010

ON OCTOBER 31 Rev. Beth Wheeler,our newly-called interim pastor, will preach.

Dear MPC Family, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the lovely ordination service on Sunday.  It was meaningful, joyful and very celebrative.  And thank you all as well for “sending” me along this journey.  MPC will always be my home church, and because ministers are members of Presbytery, MPC will also be the last church at which I was a member.  In sailing our boat along the journey, I will always sail in you and you will always sail in me. Thank you for everything.  Leonard

YOUTH GROUP meets this Sunday 7-9 PM in room 2. Retreat check and Consent form due.

SUSAN HUNN will be away through Oct. 26. Talitha will lead the children and youth programs (Talitha@mpcfamily.org) except Oct. 23-26 when she is also away.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Thank you to MPC,

I want to express my deep gratitude to all of you for your e-mails, cards, donations, and words of support and love after Bobbie’s sudden death.  These have meant so much to me during the last weeks. Your words of love for him and for me have touched me deeply and given me great strength.  For those of you who helped during his memorial service at such short notice, the family and I are deeply grateful for all you did.  To the women of MPC who attended the retreat, a special thank-you for the physical, emotional, and practical support you gave me.  Even though Bobbie showed no symptoms, he had a history of congestive heart failure, but did not let that stop him in leading a full life. The immediate cause of death was cardiac arrest.  I am profoundly grateful to God that he did not suffer or linger as an invalid.  I am also profoundly grateful for the gift of love that we shared for almost 5 years, packed to the brim with joy, activity, and such deep love. Marilynn Moore

Please keep Doris Herrick in your thoughts and prayers. She is recuperating from surgery.

Save the date, Sunday, October 24,a brunch to celebrate and hear Polly Johnson talk about her new book, CULTIVATING COMPASSION, 11:30 in the Thornhill room. Polly has taught Life Stories classes to almost 100 MPC’ers over 12 years. Her book explores her experiences on both giving and receiving compassion. Companions and Storytellers are co-sponsoring the event.

COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS

The volunteers who pack the groceries for the Children’s Food Baskets each week are in need of more brown paper grocery bags.  Also, unfortunately, the white plastic bags from CVS are not large enough to hold and fit around the brown bags. We are pack and deliver 64 bags each week. Monetary contributions at the Food Basket table are also needed. Thanks to all of you for your help.

WHO ARE YOU? The Welcome & Family Life Committee would like to encourage you to wear your name tags.  Wouldn’t it be nice for Beth Wheeler to know you by name on her first Sunday, Oct 31st?  Don’t have a name tag?  Let us know by filling out a white card & we’ll make sure you have one to wear the following Sunday.  Debbie Fallehy, Welcome & Family Life Chair.

SUNDAY FAMILY HOUR BARISTAS NEEDED– The MPC “Barista Team” welcomes Linda Spencer as our newest member.  More people are needed to help with the Sunday morning coffee hour.  The job is not complicated and doesn’t take a lot of time.  To volunteer or ask questions, come see me Sunday mornings at the coffee table.   Debbie Fallehy – Kitchen Coordinator

NEED A HARD-COPY MPC DIRECTORY?– I have printed copies of the MPC Directory available at the coffee table on Sunday mornings – $3 donation to defer printing costs.    Debbie Fallehy – Welcome & Family Life Chair. Updated Directories will be available soon.

Congratulations to the Community Connection Committee& Oakland Community Organizations (OCO) on co-hosting an astounding, powerful social justice forum on how to help stop the violence in our beautiful city.  Nine of the ten mayoral candidates were there as well as

Measure Y outreach workers who do so much to make our streets safer for all of us.

Thank you Kim Rankin and MPC choir for the rousing, joyous music setting the stage for some heart-to- heart sharing.  The upshot:  Vote Yes on Measure BB!!!  If you are interested in helping to pass this essential measure, you may volunteer at OCO to make phone calls, pass out literature to your neighbors, or put up a yard sign.  For more information contact Jean Gregory at (510) 635-8838 or jeancgreg@gmail.com.

Thank you to all the people who worked so hard to make this spectacular event happen ( Betsy King, Barbara Peters, Carol Ekberg, Helen Hutchison, Bonnie Hamlin, Allen Todd, Susan ten Bosch Paull, Sari Kulberg, Virginia Abascal, Doris Herrick, Eloise Gilland, Joewoen Gregory, Hope Boije and everyone who contributed refreshments!) & Julia Dunbar who designed the post card for our publicity.

It is time to sign up/renew your Safeway E-Scrip support which benefits MPC.  Please see Marilynn Moore after Celebration in the Family Room the next two Sundays to sign up.

POTTERS’ ALERT! Please bring your clay works to the Family Room on Saturday October 30 between 10 am and noon for set-up. MPC FAMILY! Do not miss our great one-day pottery exhibit on Sunday October 31.

Adventure!  Excitement!  Connection! An amazing opportunity to visit a foreign culture at a grass-roots level.  Joining Hands is sending a delegation to Cochabamba, Bolivia in February 2011.  Learn about this fascinating, cutting-edge country.  Meet the people who are working so hard for environmental and social development.  Experience the blend of ancient knowledge and modernity.  Come, look. listen, and learn.  Open your mind and heart.  Help reinvent mission work, the art of being present rather than taking charge and demanding change.  Hear the stories.  Listen to the worries.  Share the joys.  Discover a way to walk together in a partnership rather than in domination.  Create mutuality and understanding.  Become a member of the delegation and travel the road less taken.  For more information contact Jean Gregory, jeancgreg@gmail or (510) 635-8838.

VOTER INFORMATION: There will be LWV Easy Voter Guides as well as issue advocacy materials on the Ballot Measures for the November 2nd election at a table in Family Hour.  You are welcome to bring your own advocacy materials for the table. For personalized ballot information, go to www.smartvoter.org.  Please note:  In houses of worship, issue advocacy is broadly protected, but supporting or opposing candidates is prohibited under tax law.

The California Council of Churches IMPACT, of which our denomination is a member, offers the following recommendations for your thoughtful consideration. Please go to www.churchimpact.org to see their explanations. They have a lengthy statement on Prop 19, regarding legalizing marijuana.

Proposition 19: YES

Proposition 20: YES

Proposition 21: YES

Proposition 22: NO

Proposition 23: NO

Proposition 24: YES

Proposition 25: YES

Proposition 26: NO

Proposition 27: NO

OCO, of which we are a member congregation,strongly supports a YES Vote on Measure BB and Measure L on the Oakland ballot.

ADULT EDUCATION

Bible Study: for our study October 31, please read: Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4; Psalm 119: 137-144; NT readings are Luke 19:1-10; 2 Thess. 1:1-4; 11-12.

For our study November 7 please read Haggai 1: 15b to 2:9; psalm 98 in OT and Luke 20: 27 – 38 in the NT.

For November 14 please read Isaiah 65: 17-27, Isaiah 12.——-Please join us. Peggy

Dance class: November 1 and 15, 7:30-9:00 DROP-INS ARE WELCOME

MPC Calendar:

http://www.mpcfamily.org/CalendarPrelim.htm

Blessings,

Christine Stickever- Peterson
Associate in Communications and Logistics
Montclair Presbyterian Church
5701 Thornhill Drive
Oakland, California 94611
510/339-1131

Christine@mpcfamily.org