The votes are in! An amazing 93% of submitted votes support our church moving forward with the construction of a new community building on the site of Pilgrim Hall and taking the next steps to find a partner to develop affordable housing on the northwest part of our campus! The Blue Fire committee is working with our architects to refine …
Pride 2020 Goes Virtual!
Pride Sunday is June 28 at 10amWatch on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/user/firstchurchmedia/live Just because we can’t take to the streets in the thousands doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate with full-throated joy the being and blessing of queerness! We’ll celebrate Pride Sunday on June 28. Rev. Quinn Caldwell, a popular Daily Devotional author and preacher extraordinaire will be our guest preacher for the day, …
The Second Arrow: Dealing With Stress in Tough Times
Learning HourSunday, June 21, 12:15 pmhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/88967740143 The second arrow is a Buddhist metaphor that is particularly useful in working with chronic pain, discomfort, or anxiety. Barbara McHugh and Bill Coffin will talk about the teaching, the science that supports it, and the practices that it leads to.
Refugee Family Picnic Photos
The Accompaniment Team hosted a socially-distanced picnic at Lake Chabot for the family we are accompanying, Melissa, Keysi and baby Ashley. We had a wonderful time getting to know them, hearing more of Melissa’s back story, strategizing ways we can help them stabilize, and just having fun in the sun.
Join the 21 Day Racial Equity & Social Justice Challenge, starting June 19
Starting June 19, Join Kristina McNaught and Emma S in doing the 21 Day Racial Equity & Social Justice Challenge by CA4Health! For 21 days, do one action (including watching videos and reading) to further your understanding of power, privilege, oppression, and equity. These actions will take about 30 minutes per day for 21 days. We will be posting questions …
Film Discussion: “Just Mercy”
Saturday, June 20, 1:30 pmhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87535610060 There’s still time to watch the film “Just Mercy,” based on the book by Bryan Stevenson, for FREE now through June 30 on Amazon Prime and Vudu. Then join Kit Dunbar & Kara Korbel-Chinula for a discussion this Sat., June 20 at 1:30 pm on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87535610060. The group will be considering questions 2, 4, 5, & 8 from a discussion guide by Dominique Gilliard, author of Rethinking Incarceration. Look for more opportunities …
UCC Churches Erase $4.4 million in Medical Debt in the San Francisco East Bay
A group of United Church of Christ (UCC) churches in San Francisco’s East Bay, with generous help from our national denomination, have erased $4.4 million in medical debt for our neighbors in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. This effort began in late February and was completed even as our communities were negatively impacted by the global coronavirus pandemic. While we …
Last Wishes Workshop: Legacy Giving
Saturday, June 13, 10 amhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/86836429728 We are reaching the last of our Last Wishes Workshops, and with it the last set of tasks related to preparing for our deaths in a healthy and holy way: wills, trusts, and legacy giving. This series has led us to gently confront the fact of our own mortality, and to take a measure of …
Green Tips: June 11, 2020
When you shop for groceries during this time when reusable bags can’t be brought into stores, put your groceries back in the cart after you purchase them and then load them into reusable bags at your car or bicycle for bringing home.
Invite a Friend Sunday, June 21!
It’s never been easier to invite a friend to church! Would you invite a friend to join you for virtual worship on Sunday, June 21? These days (perhaps more than ever), we all need spiritual community to sustain our weary souls for the long haul, help us make meaning, and accompany us and hold us accountable as we seek to step up …