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Dear Friends,
What a glorious celebration we had together last Sunday! Thank you for your openness and generous Spirits. This Sunday will be family Sunday and we will welcome the children as they stay in Celebration with us for the whole service which will include communion.
Many of you have asked for information regarding the Presbytery meeting on November 9, 2010. The meeting will begin at 3 pm and our contract together will be up almost immediately since it is on the consent agenda. Parking may be challenging at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, so if you want to be there when our item comes up, I would recommend arriving no later than 2:45 pm. I look forward to seeing you there!
This week I spent some time getting settled in the office and meeting with various individuals and committees. I am hoping to begin visiting many of our older members next week, many of whom I have not yet been able to meet. Please do let me know if you would like a pastoral visit. Visits are one of the things I enjoy most about being a pastor! See you on Sunday, Beth
THIS IS A FAMILY SUNDAY where children are invited to remain in Celebration. There will be special bulletins for them, special music by some of the children, and others helping with communion. Children please remember to bring cans of Pork and Beans for our Children’s’ Food Basket collection. There will be no separate classes.
YOUTH GROUP will be away on their Fall Retreat in Cazadero this weekend.
IT IS TIME FOR CHILDREN to plan for rehearsals for this year’s Christmas presentation, which will take place in Celebration on Sunday, December 12. Children who are either reading the narrative or singing in the choir will rehearse after class on Sundays November 21 & 28 (OK if child misses because of Thanksgiving vacation), Sunday December 5 and then Saturday December 11 noon-1pm. Mark your calendars. More details later. Questions – contact Kim, Talitha or Susan.
The Youth Group is busy learning about water issues both at home and around the world. Jay Gregory kicked it off with stories and slideshows from his time in Bolivia, and we’re learning more on the retreat. Starting Nov 14th, the youth group will be inviting the whole church to participate with them in a “Water Project” (www.thewaterproject.org). Details will be shared in celebration on 11/14, but the basics are: for ten days (11/14 to 11/24), skip all beverages except tap or filtered water. The money we SAVE (when we don’t put it into a vending machine or spend it at a café), we set aside to be collected and help build a well in needy parts of Africa or India. If you want to participate, but will not be present on 11/14, email talitha@mpcfamily.org.
The Session retreat scheduled for November 13 has been postponed until after the New Year.
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Prayer Request: Dick Sharpnack, a former member of MPC, is undergoing dialysis treatments. Please hold him in your prayers.
Please keep the Fearon Family in your prayers. Karen lost her sister-in-law, Sue Greenwood, last Thursday. Sue and Chuck Greenwood were very active MPC members in the 60’s and 70’s until they moved to the Placerville area. Sue died peacefully while napping Thursday afternoon, October 28th. Please call Karen Fearon for more information. (925) 284-4920
Help us honor Virginia Hadsell. Virginia’s birthday is coming up later this month. Please give birthday cards and wishes to Minda Lucero or Jan Stites, who are collecting them to give to Virginia. Cards needed by Sunday, Nov. 21. Join us in honoring this remarkable woman.
COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Marilynn Moore will be in the Family Room after Celebration this Sunday to register people for eScrip. EScrip participating merchants contribute each time you make a purchase using your grocery or debit/credit cards that are registered with eScrip. This includes Safeway, Master Card, Visa, American Express, Discover, debit cards and other merchants that you can find on-line. It is not only a Safeway program. It can raise a lot of money for our MPC family. This is the last Sunday she will be registering for awhile.
CHILDRENS FOOD BASKET:
Please donate money generously at the Food Basket table in the Family Room this week and any other week to help us continue to deliver 64 bags of food every week to needy Oakland children.
Adult Education
Two classes start this Sunday, November 7.
At 8:30 AM a study of the NT book of Acts with Dr. Hugh Wire in Room 10.
Please read the whole book and think about what kind of story you think this is.
At 11:30 AM the class on spirituality in the Thornhill Room – see details below. All are invited! No need to sign up; just show up!
Spiritual Journey Class: Room changed: The first Spiritual Journey session will be in the Thornhill Room 12:30 to 1:30 Sunday. No need to sign up; just show up! You can attend all four sessions or come to individual sessions as you are able.
Close to Home presents: Biodynamic: Beyond Organic with Rick Knoll and Alan Hawkins. Monday Nov 8 at 7:30pm. Family Room. Rick Knoll is a farmer in Brentwood whose Knoll Farms’ produce shows up in the best restaurants in the Bay Area. We all know that “organic” means grown without pesticides, but at Knoll Farms they have raised the bar to biodynamic. This includes a process of treating the soil with microbial compost in order to boost its ability to absorb nutrients and retard plant diseases. It also involves viewing the farm as an orchestration of elements that change and evolve. Alan Hawkins, beekeeper, will focus on how honey bee colonies are an integral part of the farm and of our lives as consumers of the bounty.
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
MONTCLAIR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Office Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 9:00am-4:00pm
Rev. Beth Buckingham-Brown, Office hours Monday-Wednesday, 10:00-3:00 pm
Susan Hunn, Associate for Children & Youth: Office hours, Tues-Thurs 9:30-2:30 pm
Christine Stickever- Peterson, Associate in Communications & Logistics: Office hours, Tues. – Friday 9:00am-4:00pm
Talitha Phillips: Coordinator for Children and Youth
Marcia Roy: Organist
Gil & Maria Chiguila: Caretakers
Rev. John Hadsell: Theologian in Residence
Rev. Kathy Ray: Parish Associate |
