Montclair Presbyterian Church

This Sunday, November 11, at 10 am our Celebration service will be a time for “ELECTION REFLECTION.” No matter how the election goes or who ends up being the declared winner, we are all aware of how much work there is to do in our country. You are invited to join us on Sunday for a NON-PARTISAN reflection on the election. Our readings, sermon, music and prayer will focus on what needs to happen in order to move our country forward in a way that is respectful of our global community. Bring your hopes and sorrows and join us as we take some time to ponder and meditate upon our future as a country.

On Sunday, November 4th, at 10:00 am the Celebration service will focus on St. Francis. Come and join us as we experience being Franciscans! The service will include a blessing of the animals (please bring pictures of past and present animals that you would like to remember and bless), as well as communion and singing. Rev. Beth will dispel some myths about St. Francis and help us to focus on the heart of what St. Francis has to teach us today. All are welcome!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE…

On Sunday, October 28th, the Mission Study Team will unveil the final version of the Mission Study Report!  Please join us in our Celebration service on the 28th so we can thank and dismiss our Mission Study Team and so that you can receive a hard copy version of the Mission Study!  One copy will be given to each household/family in the church.  Once you have received the hard copy, if you would prefer to look at it online or keep it online, you can give the hard copy version back to the office so we can re-use it as we send copies to potential pastor candidates and other interested parties.  See you on October 28th for this exciting event!

INTERGENERATIONAL STORYTELLING GAMES AND DINNER with professional storyteller Muriel Johnson this Sunday, October 14, 4-6 p.m. We’ll open with some mixers and then Muriel will tell us a story about a childhood experience with a bully, and share what she learned by developing the story. We will then break into small, multi-generational groups to explore our personal stories. We’ll wrap up with a lasagna and pizza dinner and an open mic opportunity for those who wish to share their story. Suggested donation of $5 per person to cover food costs. Please contact Cynthia Cudaback or Rev. Katie Morrison to let us know you’re coming: 510-808-4075, cynthia.cudaback@gmail.com or katie@mpcfamily.org. Hope to see you there!
Sponsored by Family Life.

EXPERIENCE LIFE’S SEASONS: From baseball to camel races to wild & woolly bus trips to Mexico in this year’s Works in Progress program. Join us THIS SUNDAY, September 30, at 1:30 pm in the Thornhill Room. Jim Allardice, Cliff King and Carol Wolleson will read from their masterful accounts of life In Season. Cost is $5 and includes refreshments.

Ancient Stories, Modern Anthropology, and Brunch!  The book of Genesis could be a modern novel or soap opera.  It is almost unmatched in terms of family drama.  There are brothers who kill brothers, mothers who would like to kill their husbands’ other wives … and, of course, the Creation stories, the Flood story and the Famine.  The culture of the Holy Land is strange to us, now.  Come, hear how the stories of Genesis communicate to the people of Timor in their local language. International Scholar, Adriana Dukabain, an Indonesian DMin student at Graduate Theological Union (GTU), came to a new understanding of the culture around her while field-testing her new translation of the book of Genesis.  Ancient stories, modern anthropology, and superb teaching methods.  If you want to help with food, we’ll have some Indonesian main dishes, so salads, sides, drinks and desserts are welcome.  Or put a small donation in the expense basket and come unencumbered.  Contact Jean Norris, (510) 535-0498. This Sunday, September 23, Global Concerns Brunch, in the Thornhill Room, at 11:30 am or immediately after the Congregational Meeting.

On Tuesday, September 18th at 7pm, author and journalist Douglas Foster will be coming to MPC to talk about his new book: After Mandela: The Struggle for Freedom in Post-Apartheid South Africa. The book, the result of five years’ work in South Africa, is an analysis of Mandela’s impact on the region and of what his passing may mean for the entire continent. The presentation will include recordings of interviews of South Africans, a time for Q&A, and the opportunity to buy an autographed copy of the book.

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.

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.

Kick-off Sunday is September 9th.  Godly Play for children will resume. Stay tuned, details to follow!

Stay up with the “happenings” of the MPC Youth Mission Trip.  Rev. Katie is doing a beautiful job of including us in their trip as she is blogging each day to give us updates.  Please be sure to follow their progress and hear what is happening by going to http://www.mpcfamily.org/mission-trip-2012/.  You can imagine how cool it is for them to know that we are here at home and “following” them.

We are excited to offer a new children’s program this summer based on Praying in Color, a book by Sybil MacBeth, published in 2009.

Prayer is the way we spend time with God. People often describe prayer as a conversation. Conversation includes both talking and listening. We talk to God and we listen to God in our prayers… Praying WITHOUT Words is another option. One day I was doodling on my back porch with colored markers and pens. Without realizing it, I wrote the names of one of my friends on my prayer list in the doddle. When the drawing was finished, I knew I had prayed. I had offered my friend into God’s care without words. (Praying in Colors, 2009)

Each week we greet your child at the door, and invite them to a welcoming circle with song.
After that, we will explore different topics related to prayer, for example: what is prayer or what are names we use for God? Then each child will be invited into the wonderful Praying in Color process by working with art materials. This prayer time is very similar to our Godly Play art response time. Praying in Colors includes the use of vivid colors, doddle drawings, and the names of people or situations each child is praying for. We will close our time together by sharing feast, joys and worries, and saying good-bye until next time.

Our teachers this summer are: Courtney Blair, Suzanne Jones, Linda Spencer, Cindy Gullikson, and Rev. Katie Morrison. We look forward to welcoming you!

Our summer schedule begins June 24th and ends on September 2nd. Godly Play will resume on Sept. 9th.