APRIL 27, 2011
Montclair Presbyterian Church
Dear Friends,
My goodness! There is nothing like having a packed sanctuary full of all ages, the Barrelhouse Jazz Band, a baptism and prayers from children, both choirs singing and an empty tomb to inspire hope in the places of our lives where we have no hope.
As the Easter season carries us into Pentecost on June 12, we have quite an exciting road to walk. Be sure to keep attuned to the various Social Justice events happening in the next month. We also have our Choir Celebration to anticipate on May 22nd! Over Memorial Day weekend Talitha will lead us in an innovative Celebration service. Also during May, John Hadsell has graciously arranged to host “The Once and Future Church” class on Monday evenings for those who couldn’t attend on Sunday mornings.
In addition, next Tuesday night the Session has its monthly meeting and several important items will be on the agenda. The first item will be to vote on the Staffing Proposal that Personnel brought forth at the April meeting. The proposal includes having Susan Hunn focus on children, youth and adult education for 25 hours each week. It also includes having Talitha Phillips (whose contract with us ends at the end of next month) begin as Associate for Congregational Care and Family Life for 20 hours per week. Talitha would focus on assisting me with pastoral care and visiting, working with family life to build community with special focus on intergenerational activities and events, working on outreach via technology, and participating in Celebration and other worship/liturgical events. Session has had a month to consider the proposal and will be voting on Tuesday night. The purpose of this proposal is to eliminate any overlap we have in staffing and to fill in some of the gaps we currently have in staffing.
The second item for Session to consider will be a proposal for a Caring Ministry. The small group tasked with looking at whether or not we should re-create a board of deacons or something similar is going to present their findings and proposal. This is a very exciting step to move us in the direction of creating a structure in which all of our members can receive care of some kind.
The third item for Session to consider will be next year’s budget and a look at how we are doing with pledges. For those of you who do not enjoy the process of looking at budgets, it’s probably difficult to understand how this process can be enjoyable or exciting, but I find it to be both! We are, in a sense, declaring our intentions for the next year and committing ourselves to them and that is no small matter. What an honor it is to be working with all of you who have both vision and demonstrated commitment!
The final item for Session to consider on Tuesday is the appointing of the Mission Study Team. A small group from Session was tasked with bringing a viable list of names to the meeting and then as a body we will prioritize and create a list of 5-7 names with a few alternates. Thank you to those of you who either submitted your own names or someone else’s for consideration. The Session will work hard to appoint a team that is representative, diverse, able to do the long, hard work and open. If you expressed a desire and don’t end up on the team or if you were secretly hoping to be asked but weren’t, please talk to me or anyone else on the Session about your disappointment.
The current Session members are as follows: Sari Kulberg, Tom Davies, Linda Benson, Jean Roggenkamp, Hal Davis, Debbie Fallehy, Cindy Gullikson, Julia Dunbar, Jim Allardice, Don Alter, Leslie Louie, Bob Saltz, Carrie McKiernan, Rob Elia, Brant Nicholas, and me. Susanne Lea is the Clerk of Session. Susan Hunn and Talitha Phillips often attend Session meetings as well but are not official members.
Feel free to talk with any of the current elders about your questions, concerns or just to thank them for their service! Please keep all of us in your prayers as we discuss and consider the various items above.
There is no one else I would rather be walking with during this Easter Season than you!
Beth
SUSAN’S JIVE:
- YOUTH GROUP: We will meet this Sunday in room 2, from 7-9 PM. $200 for the Mission Trip is due.
- GODLY PLAY: Last Sunday I told the children the Godly Play story The Mystery of Easter. Many of the children knew the story and recognized the purple cross puzzle that represents Lent. But as I turned the cross over to the white side, they were suddenly very silent. One small child next to me gasped, “The sad part went away and now it’s a happy cross.” As I responded that Easter is indeed a happy, joyful time, the children seemed surprised at the transformation. Jesus died on the cross – that they knew. But then Easter. How did that happen? We will continue to explore the mystery of Easter this Sunday in celebration as some of our children and youth help us portray the story of Jesus on the Road to Emmaus. All children will join us in celebration this Sunday, the first of May.
- FUN PROJECT FOR OUR CHILDREN TODAY: It’s re-scheduled! Come and make a card, this time for Mother’s Day. It will be during Family Hour today, led by Diane Hall. There will be a table set up in the Family Room. Mom, don’t peak.
CHILDREN’S FOOD BASKET: We have received 41 cans of Pork and Beans to date, mostly from the children in Godly Play. Please remind children that this first of the month Sunday is the time to bring their cans to the basket inside the church sanctuary. Please bring just regular size cans – not extra large ones. We need an additional 23 to be able to pack the 64 food bags that we send home each week. Adults: If you would prefer to contribute a can of Pork and Beans rather than a monetary contribution, please leave your donation at the Sunday table. Thanks for your continued support.
SPLASH TEAM: Come hear newly elected Oakland Mayor Jean Quan respond to a presentation of the Oakland Climate Action Plan this Sunday, May 1st. We will be serving a delicious lunch in the Family Room at 11:30 AM. The 1-hour program will start at 12:15 PM in the sanctuary with Q & A afterwards. Come and get to know Mayor Quan and learn about all the exciting things happening in Oakland. This MPC Community Forum on Climate Change will be hosted by the SPLASH TEAM.
HAVE YOU TURNED IN YOUR PLEDGE FORM? MPC’s regular annual pledge drive is winding up. Our sincere thanks to those of you who have already turned in your pledge, but as of Easter Sunday, we had received forms from less than two-thirds of last year’s pledgers. Honestly, this is a little better than usual but please remember that responding to the pledge drive is a responsibility of membership. If you don’t let us know your plans, a member of the committee will call you to check in, starting Monday, May 2nd. So just give us your best estimate right now, and reply today, remembering also that you can change your pledge later if needed. Mail it to the church office, or email your pledge to Barbara Vaughn, Stewardship Co-Chair (barbara@lawsource.com), and 482-5181. We really need to have all pledges in ASAP in order to plan for the coming budget year. Thank you!
SPECIAL THANKS: The Celebration Committee is grateful for all of the contributions that the congregation made to the season of Lent. Special thanks to George Somers for the beautiful wilderness painting that graced our chancel; Jim Allardice, Hope Boije and Phil Reagan for the delicious soup and salad they provided for the Maundy Thursday dinner; Meta McAulay for the beautiful calla lilies on Easter; Rosanne Nocerino for our Palm Sunday decorations; the choir, Kim Rankin and Marcia Roy for the spectacular music; and last, but not least, our pastor Beth for her inspiring services.
DONATION OF AZALEAS: Thank you to all who purchased an Azalea .Please take your plants home at the close of our celebration on Sunday. If there are any left after the service, we will give them to the members who are visited regularly by the pastoral staff.
CLASSES COMING IN MAY: “Ball Room Dancing” with Marilyn Moore (this is a new posting) will be on Wednesdays, May 4, 16 and 23, at 7:30 pm in the Family Room. “Evolution and God: How We Got Here” with John Turpin and John Hadsell (there is room for a few more in this class) will be on Sundays, May 1, 8, 15 and 22, at 8:30 am in Room 10. “The Once and Future Church with John Hadsell, Bruce Reyes-Chow and Carol Miles (there is room for a few more in this class) will be on Mondays, May 2, 9, 16 and 23, at 7:30 pm in the Thornhill Room.
FAMILY CAMP MPC STYLE: Please join us for this year’s MPC Family Camp at the beautiful South Lake Tahoe area during the week of June 19th. The morning program will be lead by our Rev. Beth & Rev. Katie Morrison. Check out the variety of accommodations – Cabins, Lodge rooms, or camping. Registrations continue this Sunday in the Family Room or check out the registration forms on the MPC website. Co-Deans: Debbie Fallehy & Carrie McKiernan – Registrar: Cindy Gullikson
FOOD JUSTICE FOR ALL: Announcing “Food Justice for All” webinars from the Presbyterian Hunger Program. Do you want to make sure families in need have access to good, healthy food? Learn from others’ experiences about how your congregation can get involved in the movement to bring communities together around fresh, healthy and local food! Sign up for 1 or all 3 of these webinars.
April 28, May 12, or May 26 – the Basics, 2-3 p.m. (EDT) – Food Justice for All Webinar: What congregations are doing to build community food security
May 5, 2-3 p.m. (EDT) – Food Justice for All Webinar: Growing community through local food
May 19, 2-3 p.m. (EDT) – Food Justice for All Webinar: SNAP outreach and Summer Feeding Programs
MEASURE Y BRUNCH: Save the date! After the celebration on Sunday, May 15, come to a brunch (sponsored by the Community Connection Committee) to get an update from the directors of “Lifelines to Opportunity,” the Oakland program that achieves violence reduction and prevention through the efforts of street outreach workers. The program is funded by Measure Y, but in order to continue, it needed Measure BB to pass by a two-thirds majority last November, which it did. This passage would not have been achieved without the support of MPC and Oakland Community Organizations (OCO). Several guns have been turned in to the outreach workers over the past several months. Come and hear more about this life-saving program on May 15!
BRAIN TUMOR WALK: On Saturday, May 7th, join me (Vanessa, daughter of Serin Eggling) @ the Brain Tumor Walk in SF, in honor of my mom fighting a brain tumor, in honor of all those affected by a brain tumor diagnosis. If you can’t walk you can donate to the National Brain Tumor Society – an organization that I lean on regularly and that makes a lot of research possible! Here is our team link to donate to http://tinyurl.com/3co6n5p.
STOP & SMELL THE FLOWERS: The Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma has twenty walk-through gardens, designed by the world’s finest landscape architects and designers. We will go tour these gardens on Saturday, May 7th. The admission is free. There will be lunch onsite or bring your own. We will meet in the church parking lot at 9 am, to carpool and return late in the afternoon. We need a minimum of 8 people. Please RSVP to cwolleson@hotmail.com or 658-6655. The deadline is on Wednesday, May 4, to reserve a spot. This event is brought to us by the Art Gang.
MPC WOMEN’S RETREATS: As MPC begins to review its mission, it seems appropriate that we (Francie Chan and Gretchen Garlinghouse) take this moment to gather information from the women of our church to find direction for what is presently the Women’s Retreat Program. Throughout May, Francie Chan and Gretchen Garlinghouse will be distributing a survey to the women of MPC. We ask you to take a few moments to fill out the survey whether you have attended a past retreat or not. Your views are important to us. If it is more convenient for you to take the survey by phone or online, please contact Francie Chan. Contact information will be on the forms. See you in May.
WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU!: We’re taking a look at the programs on the Giving to the World list, MPC’s alternative Christmas gift list in order to have the best possible list ready to go for next Christmas. Do you have ideas for the list? A program you’d like to suggest or possibly just areas you think that we are missing? Do you have ideas that would make the program more appealing to you and others at MPC? Send any and all ideas to Helen Hutchison (helen@helenhutch.com, 510 654 2216).
AUDITIONS: The Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus will be having auditions on May 3, from 7:00pm – 9:00pm. The location is Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church 3534 Lakeshore Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610. For more information please visit their website at www.oebgmc.org.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:
- Director of Administration and Finance: First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame (FPCB) is looking for a Director of Administration and Finance to oversee, direct, manages, and provides leadership for the financial, facilities, and administrative operations of FPCB. This position reports directly to the Senior Pastor. For more information, go to www.presbyteryofsf.org to see full listing.
- Director of Preschool and School Age Ministry: Centerpointe Presbyterian Church in Pleasanton is pleased to announce that applications are being accepted for the position of Director of Preschool and School Age Ministry. A detailed job description can be found at www.centerpointechurch.info/ and by clicking on the Preschool tab. This opportunity offers a competitive salary with benefits, and remains open until filled. All qualified candidates are encouraged to send their resume and cover letter to: job.search@centerpointeweb.org. Thank you!
UPDATE ON SERIN EGGLING: This update is from Vanessa (daughter). My mom is doing well. Radiation & chemo are done. Her brain is working hard to recover from the aggressive treatments. Life is challenging daily dealing w/ her cognitive impairments, & yet she is still living her life with laughter, grace, & gratitude. She couldn’t have come this far w/o the steady support & care from her MPC family. We are so grateful for this community. Please contact me if you want to know how you can help, or if you want more information about mom’s journey & health – though you can see her often at church since she is back to singing in the choir. Vanessa, sfvanna@yahoo.com, (415) 595-8262.
RELAY FOR LIFE: The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length. There is going to be a “Relay for Life” event at Skyline High School on August 13th & 14th. We are trying to put together a team to represent MPC. If you would like to be part of the team, please contact Sherrill in the church office, (510)339-1131.
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 pm. This is a change for all of us, so let’s try to remind each other!
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, 9:00am-4:30pm
Rev. Beth Buckingham-Brown, Office hours Monday-Wednesday, 10:00-3:00 pm
Susan Hunn, Associate for Children & Youth: Office hours, Tuesday-Thursday, 9:30-2:30 pm
Sherrill Figuera: Administrative Assistant, Office hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30 pm
Talitha Phillips: Coordinator for Children and Youth
Kim Rankin: Associate in Music
Marcia Roy: Organist
Gil & Maria Chiguila: Caretakers
Rev. John Hadsell: Theologian in Residence
Rev. Kathy Ray: Parish Associate
Ajit Abraham: International Partner in Residence