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

October 7, 2010

Montclair Presbyterian Church…

The Community Organizes and

Orders Its Life Through the Flow of Information

October 10, 2010

THIS SUNDAY our guest pastor will be the Rev. Ray Campton, who many know from being a much-loved Family Camp speaker in years past.

YOUTH GROUP will meet this Sunday, Oct. 10, 7-9 PM in room 2.

A NOTE OF APPRECIATION TO ALL OUR CHILDREN AND YOUTH who took part in last Sunday’s Celebration.  Special thanks to youth EMMA CARRAY, JULIA GULLIKSON, SARA LITTLEFIELD, STACY CANZONERI, KAREN BOWEN, CHRIS SINGER, CHARLIE KAPZIAK, JOE BESSETTE- DENWOOD, OLIVER PALMER and to children LINNEA GULLIKSON, NORY & KENNA KLOP-PACKEL, DEAN ELIA, CLAIRE KELLY, BRENDAN SINGER, CARLEE BOWEN, MIKAYLA & KATIE NICHOLAS.  What a joy to celebrate with so many of our children and youth.

WHO WENT ON LAST SUMMER’S SR. HIGH YOUTH MISSION TRIP? The names were not in the bulletin last Sunday when we heard the story of the wonderful trip. Youth: JULIA GULLIKSON, SARA LITTLEFIELD, STACY CANZONERI, PHOEBE LETT, DAN TURNER, BRANDON SHARP.  Advisors: LISE THOGERSEN, DAVID McEWAN, CAITLIN HEALY, SUSAN HUNN.

A NOTE From Talitha: I am working part-time with Susan as Coordinator for Children and Youth. One of our newest ideas is to have the children incorporated fully into celebration on the first Sunday of the month, which we’ll call “Family Sundays.” We began this Oct. 3rd. At the “Time For Children” I shared the story of The Good Shepherd and World Communion. We had set a smaller table in front of the big communion table, and I told the story on that. On the small table was a tiny Godly Play table with dollhouse-size bread and wine… we had a story within a story within a story. Oliver Palmer, youth group member, read the story as I moved the figures. The Good Shepherd led his sheep around, over to the good grass, and gathered them around the table. Then I started adding people to the circle, until the table was surrounded by people of all races and ages and manners of ethnic dress.
At the end of the story I asked the wondering questions. “I wonder if you have ever seen such a crowd of people gather around the table of the Good Shepherd?” The littlest ones bantered back and forth “I did.” “I didn’t!” “Well I did…” until one child’s voice rang through – “I see it! Right here, right now!”… and we suddenly entered into sacred time and space.
We kept wondering. I wondered who was invited to the table, and was gravely informed by a little boy, “all the people, and all the ‘aminals’ too.”
I wondered where the people came from, and whether the people were hungry, and what they might say when they got to the table: “yummy!” “hi to the Good Shepherd,” “thank you.”
Spend as long as you will in confirmation classes and seminary, I will contend that these kids “get it” – the essentials of communion. The food is good, everyone’s invited, and we are one family in the Lord. What a holy moment, and a privilege to facilitate it.

Leonard’s ordination! Leonard Nielsonis being ordained here at MPC on the afternoon of October 17.  We will celebrate in the Family Room after the official service. Debbie Fallehy will be coordinating the refreshments & would prefer monetary contributions to be used toward the purchase of the food (please mark checks “Reception Food”). Questions – please call the office.

Gifts for Rebecca and Leonard: Rebecca is leaving, and Leonard is being ordained. This is a chance for us to let them know how much they mean to us.  If you would like to contribute toward gifts toward either or both of them, please send your check to the office, marked “gift for Rebecca,” or “gift for Leonard.”

ADULT ED ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Sunday, October 10, at 8:30, Carol Miles will start a four-week course on the book of Job and the problem of suffering.  Sign-ups can be done by calling Marjorie at 510-632-9868 or at the first class.

The Dancing class will have to be canceled unless more people sign up before Monday; it is important to call Marjorie at 510-632-9868.

We would love to have more people concerned with non-violent living to come to Jean Gregory’s class on Tuesday, October 12 at 1:00.  Sign up by calling Sharon at 925-943-5685 or come to this first session.

ALL IN THE  FAMILY :

CULTIVATING COMPASSION BRUNCH.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.

COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Family Room Upgrade:The Men’s Team finished the Family Room upgrade Saturday in plenty of time for the big Forum Friday 10/8 (You all come!). Helping were: Allen Todd, Bob Roat, Bobbie Moore, Brant Nicholas, Bud Sisson, Charlie Boije, Dave Miller, Don Alter, Gil Chiguila, John Zoranovich, Rob Elia, Steve McKiernan, Tom Davies, Al Peters, Russ Bruno and Peck Drennan, Designer/Architect, and Phil Reagan, project manager.The 15 panels are acoustical and can also be used as tack panels for announcements and photos. Check it out!

CALLING ALL POTTERS/CERAMICISTS OF ALL AGES!! The Art Gang invites you to share your clay works with the MPC family for fun and amazement on Halloween Sunday, October 31. We’ll set up the exhibit in the Family room on Saturday October 30 for viewing at coffee hour the next day. Children’s work will have a special table. Please contact Elsa Wollenweber or Virginia Poulton.

Last call for our Stop the Violence Forum: this Friday, 6:45 PM at MPC.  Come and discover what’s being done to reduce crime and violence in Oakland.  The choir will sing, an Assistant Police Chief and other panelists will tell of Measure Y programs, Measure BB on the upcoming ballot will be explained, and all ten mayoral candidates will be in attendance.  We hope you are there too! Refreshments and discussion afterwards.  Childcare upon request.  For more information contact Jean Gregory, jeancgreg@gmail.com or (510) 635-8838.

PRAYER LIST. We would like to start a Prayer List at our church that could be accessed by those who want either to ask for prayers or pray for those in need. It might be an email that is circulated to a group who asks to be included. It would not be an openly-accessible document such as Contact.

We welcome your ideas about how this might be handled. Please contact Christine@MPCFamily.org with your comments. We’ll let you know as soon as we set up the process. Thank you.

Entertainment Books for 2011 are here and on sale.The Entertainment book is chock full of hundreds of coupons—you’ll have lots of choices for restaurants, theaters, travel, shopping, movies…just all kinds of ways to save money, have some fun, and help Pastor Sirirat’s Orphanage.  Watch for the E-Books table in the Family Room.  If you’d like to reserve a book, call Bill Neely (531-1361). Sponsored by the Global Concerns Committee.

FAITH TRIO HARVEST DINNER, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16,  5:30 to 9:00 PM, the ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTER, 1433 Madison St., Oakland. (510) 832-7600 x1433.  MPC’ers, please bring desserts for 8-10 persons as part of our potluck contribution.  Between dinner and dessert, we’ll have an Interfaith Prayer Exchange in which a representative of each congregation will read a prayer (in English) of another tradition than its own to symbolize our solidarity with each other.  Hand-out sheets will facilitate following the prayers (and studying them afterward).  Also, we want to choose just the right hymn to represent us.  Give your hymn suggestions to Jean Mudge:  Jeanmudge@comcast.net.

OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS

Back Row, from left:  Jean Dormann, Brant Nicholas, Rich Larsen, and Arthur Horn.

Middle Row, from left:  Don Poulton, Bob Faulkner, Janice Kidd, Sara Littlefield, John Fassett.

Front Row, from left:  Dean Elia, Nory Klop-Packel, Kaitlyn Nicholas.

MPC Calendar:

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