Montclair Presbyterian Church

This is our Family Sunday which means children are encouraged to stay in worship and celebrate with us.  We will enjoy communion together and Rev. Beth will be preaching on how we can be light to the world.  The Adult Choir will be singing us into the New Year.  Something surprising will happen with stars…Come and find out what!

Welcome!

Spending Christmas in Oakland? We invite you to celebrate with the Montclair Presbyterian Church community.

Join us for a family-friendly service, Christmas Eve at 5:30 PM. There is childcare available in the nursery for young children, but many families choose to keep their little ones with them in the service. It will be an upbeat and festive time, with choir and children’s choir singing. Or join us at 9:00 PM for a candlelight service of a more meditative tone. At each service expect favorite carols with organ accompaniment, the Christmas story told, and possibly a special appearance by one of the characters from the Christmas story…

Between the two services there will be a Hot Cider Social in the Family Room.

Who Are We?

We are multigenerational, kid-friendly, social-justice oriented, and welcoming to absolutely everybody. We come from a wide range of spiritual places: some of our members identify as “agnostic”, some as “spiritual”, some as Jewish, and others as “Christian with Buddhist influences.” While we’re different in many ways, we share a common desire to create a caring community and to make the world a better place. If you join our celebration this Christmas, please do not worry about wearing the “right” clothes or believing the “right” thing – that’s just not what we’re about. Come as you are, sing with whatever kind of voice you have, let your children wiggle in the pews… share the Christmas joy!

questions? contact us.

This Friday, Dec 21, at 4:20 PM, we will gather on a hillside in Berkeley, to toast the sunset and encourage the sun to rise again. We will celebrate the sacred, profane and astronomical. You may wish to bring a bell to ring or a brief song or poem to share. Please bring a reusable mug for hot cider, and feel free to bring your own favorite libation or a snack to share. Remember to dress warmly – we meet outside in all weather.
Location: the Sunstones II sculpture on the back lawn at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley (you can walk through the museum). Time: a half hour before sunset. For more information, call Cynthia Cudaback at 510-808-4075. Remember, axial tilt is the reason for the season!

This winter’s Major Work, Part 1 of Messiah by George Frideric Handel, will be performed by the MPC Choir and the Exeter String Quartet during celebration on Sunday, December 16th. For many people, Handel’s Messiah is the sound of Christmas, so this might be just the thing to get you in the right frame of mind for the holidays.

Sections to be performed include:

• And the Glory of the Lord
• And He Shall Purify
• Oh Thou that Tellest Good Tiding to Zion
• For Unto Us a Child is Born
• Glory to God
• His Yoke is Easy, and His Burden is Light

We hope to see you there!

Read about Handel’s Messiah on Wikipedia

Poster photo credits: stained glass crown image by Rusty Clark; various stained glass images for the letters are from the Flickr photostream of Messiah Lutheran Church.

Like Christmas Carols? So do we. Join us for a Christmas Carol Sing-Along on Wednesday, December 12th. We’ll start off with a simple meal in the Family Room at 6pm, then move into the sanctuary at 7pm for carols. Everyone will have a caroling songbook, and we’ll take turns choosing which one to sing together next. It’s a fun evening, and a great way to help get into the Christmas spirit. The meal is free and the event is open to all.

CHILDREN AND YOUTH CHRISTMAS PAGEANT: Preparations are being made for “Night of the Stars,” our Children and Youth Christmas Pageant which will take place as a part of Celebration on Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. The participation level is high and parents and kids have shown great enthusiasm for helping out and taking on speaking roles. The excitement is building!

MPC is a Joining Hands Church in a Joining Hands Presbytery, which is linked with Bolivia. As Joining Hands, we respond to calls for action from other Joining Hands countries. Our newest country, El Salvador, is asking for help. Commerce Group is a mining operation that has done a lot of damage in the watersheds of El Salvador. After two environmental audits, El Salvador decided to stop the mining, and told Commerce Group to clean up and go home. Using the investor-state provisions of CAFTA, Commerce Group sued El Salvador for $100 million. The World Band tribunal, ICSID, refused to take the case. Commerce Group is trying again. Please find and sign the petition to ask Commerce Group to stop the suit, clean up and go home. These other links provide more information, or contact Jean Norris.

• stopesmining.org
• CAFTA Investor Rights Undermining Democracy (PDF)

MARY JANE HOLMES: The Montclair Presbyterian Church would like to invite you to Celebrate the Life of Mary Jane Holmes on Sunday, December 2nd at 2:00 pm in the Family Room.

We hope you’ll join us for this celebration of the life of Mary Jane.

Mission Study Available for Download
The 2012 MPC Mission Study is now available in PDF format on the Mission Study information page. Go there now

If you missed the event, or would like to here Anne Lamott again, CLICK HERE.

On Thursday, November 15th at 7pm, author Anne Lamott, will be returning to MPC to talk about her new book: Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers. The book explores spiritual topics, building on her earlier works such as Traveling Mercies and Plan B.

This free event is one of a very few talks Anne will be holding in support of this book. It’s sure to be popular, so we recommend arriving at MPC a bit early to get a good seat. Parking will be available in the lot at nearby Thornhill Elementary School (see below); more parking info and directions info are available on MPC’s parking and directions page.

Looking for dinner options in the area? The wonderful Viva Vocé Café is a short walk down the street. There are also a wide range of restaurants and shops in the Montclair Shopping District just minutes away.

The book talk is co-sponsored by Great Good Place for Books in Montclair. You’ll have the option of purchasing the book from them right after the talk.

Podcast (music-samples): Play in new window | Download