George Somers has generously offered to donate his artwork to raise money for MPC! The church will receive 100% of the proceeds. The art will be displayed in the Family Room on September 18 and 25. It will be sold by silent auction with the last bids taken at 11:45 a.m. on September 25. Bids start at $100 and can be increased in increments of $20. You don’t have to be present on September 25 to win the bid, but you do have to be the highest bidder.

Get ready for the Fall Kickoff Sunday – celebrating the start of a new school and church program year. The full choir is back, Godly Play classes will resume, the new Beacon program will be rolled out, and everyone gets a chance to enjoy food and fellowship with one another. This is a great time to visit, or to bring a friend who hasn’t been to church before. We’ll be in Hawaiian shirts, so no worries about formal dress!

For several years, Montclair Presbyterian Church has been proud to be part of the ‘Faith Trio’, a partnership between MPC, the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California, and Kehilla Community Synagogue. Later this month, this group is sponsoring “Diverse Visions of Harmony: An Interfaith Art Exhibit”, which will showcase over 90 pieces of art from 40 artists.

MPC partners with Kehilla Synagogue and the Islamic Cultural Center in a fellowship called the Faith Trio. We are glad to be hosting an interfaith service on Sunday, September 11th (the ten-year anniversary of 9/11). This sad anniversary is a crucial time to remember the importance of interfaith cooperation.

Upcoming Celebrations promise to be both fun and meaningful. On September 4th we will have Jazz outside in the courtyard and then on September 11th we will be joining with the interfaith community for service of remembrance.

On Saturday, August 20th, we’ll spend a fun day volunteering at a farm in Rancho Cordova, learning hands-on about sustainable agriculture. This is an intergenerational event! It was instigated by the youth group’s demand to volunteer on a Real Big Farm… but the invitation is extended to the whole MPC family. Some young families have already signed up. Yes, there’s room for YOU to join us too!

Montclair Presbyterian Church invites all to a special celebration on Sunday, August 7th at 10 AM, followed by a lunch from 12-2. The Rev. Beth Buckingham-Brown (MPC’s interim pastor) and the should-be-Rev. Lisa Larges have been on parallel journeys for 25 years:

For their 2011 Mission Trip, members of our High School Youth Group will spend next week (July 25-Aug. 3) in Portland, Oregon.

Come join the Presbyterians Fighting AIDS! We will join a group from several Presbyterian churches on July 17th for a 6-mile walk raising funds for local and international organizations that fight AIDS and provide care for those who suffer from it.

This Sunday, June 26, Montclair Presbyterian Church will join other churches who in June will have a “More Light Sunday” service. More Light churches “work for the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA).”