Montclair Presbyterian Church is blessed with strong and vital lay leadership. We come from many walks of life and have different educations, talents, and abilities. Our program committees cover the diversity of our interests and foster the well-being of MPC, our local community, and the world. Perhaps you might like to participate in a group or form a new one to fill needs unmet. Come and visit, come and share in our spirited life together.
If you wish to contact the organizer of any of these groups, please visit Realm or contact the MPC main office.
Adult Education Committee: We offer classes covering such topics as the Bible and theology, spiritual and personal growth, cultural and social concerns. Michael Griffith chairs.
Beacons: To encourage connections within the church family, people are grouped into Beacon groups based on their proximity. The Beacon leader for each group sends birthday/holiday cards to members, organizes assistance (such as rides to doctor appointments, meals, visits) and arranges social activities. May Tong and Karen Ray Gibson co-chair.
Buildings and Grounds: The committee performs minor repairs to the facility; invites the congregation to help on workdays; oversees large projects; and works with staff to bring in contractors, as needed, for maintenance and repairs. Periodic meetings are held to review status of facility maintenance and repair needs. Allen Todd chairs.
Celebration (Worship): The Celebration Committee works with the pastor, music staff and congregation to create a meaningful worship service. We oversee the various components of the Sunday morning service: communion, greeters, lay leaders, music, flowers and seasonal decorations in the sanctuary. Shelley Kelly and Sloan White co-chair.
Children & Youth Education Committee: We coordinate ongoing and special programs for children, including Sunday morning classes (Godly Play) for preschool through grade 6. Cindy Gullickson chairs.
Democracy & Politics: This subcommittee of the EarthCare Committee involved 100-plus participants to help increase voter participation, protect voting rights, and enact bold climate policies. We write postcards and letters, phone-bank, canvass, and demonstrate. In 2022 we completed >20,000 such actions! Contacts are Suzanne Jones and Linnea Gullikson.
EarthCare: We are interested in environmental issues such as water quality, climate change and renewable energy. We support individual actions in these areas and work for policy changes that move the world towards sustainability.
Faith Trio: The Faith Trio consists of three congregations in Oakland, California, historically linked to each other as representatives of the three Abrahamic faiths of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. They are the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California (ICCNC), the Kehilla Community Synagogue and Montclair Presbyterian Church. Betsy King chairs.
Family Life: This committee creates a variety of opportunities for MPC folks to get to know one another better, including:
- coffee hour after Sunday services, special events for Christmas Eve and Maundy Thursday and birthday Sunday on the first of each month (Debbie Fallehy)
- events such as MPC @ Tahoe, Yule Feast, and women’s retreats
- small group activities around mutual interests (Bet Muth).
Food & Shelter: We give tangible help to people in need by making, serving, delivering, and supporting food for our Oakland community. Those interested can donate food or funds or cook meals. We partner with others to support local unhoused persons and to work legislatively to make our society more equitable for all. Deborah Brooks chairs.
Membership & Outreach Committee: We extend our welcome to the broader community, telling them about our wonderful, socially active, spiritually progressive church and offering them opportunities to explore formal membership. We also work to invite all into fellowship, connecting MPC members and friends of the family in order to deepen their relationship with each other. Steve McKiernan chairs.
Montclair Presbyterian Church Choir: The choir enhances the musical life of the congregation with a repertoire, ranging from classical to contemporary and including music from other cultures. We welcome anyone who loves to sing – there are no auditions. Contacts: Kim Rankin, Choir Director, and Marcia Roy, Associate in Music and Organist.
MPC Financial Committees: Montclair Presbyterian Church is a faith-based, social-justice oriented congregation. We support our financial obligations, service to the community, and care for the world primarily through:
- Our Stewardship Committee seeks to infuse the notion of grateful giving into all aspects of the life of the congregation. Cynthia Blumgart chairs.
- Our Fundraising Committee holds fundraising activities that engage the congregation in community-building, while also generating funds for operations as well as MPC’s social justice work and community mission. Leslie Louie and Suzanne Jones co-chair.
- Our Finance Committee oversees all aspects of MPC’s financial activity, guides the budget process, audits our expenditures and fulfills all government reporting functions. Al Peters chairs.
Peace & Justice Committee: Our mission is to find opportunities to work with allies within and outside our church who share our nonviolent approach to help bring about a more just and peaceful world, one step at a time. Spiritual values and consciousness energize us and are the foundation of our efforts. Eloise Gilland chairs.
Story Tellers: Our objective is to facilitate a variety of writing activities with continuity and focus. We encourage the sharing of personal experiences through writing groups, Open Mic nights, and occasional Sunday services. Margaret Irvin chairs.