drawn map of church campus showing closure of Channing St. parking lot entrance and opening of Durant St. entrance

Pilgrim Hall Demolition & Parking Lot Entrance Closure

The Blue Fire Team, architects, and contractor have been working toward demolishing the burned out Pilgrim Hall in early April. They expect the permits and contracts to come together soon. In preparation, the south end (Channing entrance) to the parking lot will be closed to allow for construction access. The Durant entrance will be open and the lot will be …

person looking skyward in posture of prayer

April 10 Learning Hour: Why Pray? Let’s Talk About Prayer

Sun., April 10, 11:45 amLoper Chapel The Adult Education ministry and the Prayer ministry team invite you to a Learning Hour about prayer. It will be in-person and conversational. What we hope for is a session where we hear and learn from one another about our prayer experiences and questions. It is so often said and heard “you are in …

logo for Covenant House of California with hand, dove and sun

Funding for Homeless Youth! Letters of Support Needed for CHC by Friday, April 1

Vera Hannush, Development Officer of Covenant House California (CHC), is asking our community for letters of support to be sent to Representative Barbara Lee’s office in Washington, DC, in their efforts to secure the necessary funding to complete their renovation project at CHC’s 200 Harrison St. site in Oakland (adding 25-30 more beds)! CHC was invited to participate and as …

colored Easter eggs with eyes, noses, and mouths with different expressions

The Easter Egg Hunt Is Back!

Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022 The annual First Church Easter Egg hunt is back after the Covid hiatus. Everyone is invited to participate. Please bring a dozen decorated hard-boiled eggs or plastic eggs filled with candy and fun of your choice or condiments* for our Egg Feast Buffet after the 10 am Easter Sunday worship service.  Drop off the eggs …

Did You Know…?

…that African American farmer and inventor Henry Peterson co-founded First Church Berkeley in 1874? Read the recent Berkeleyside article “Black Berkeley Town Father Invented the Lawnmower Grass-Catching Pan in 1889,” written by Richard Schwartz here. …that your Sunday collection plate donations make a real difference? In January our church collected $3,958 for the Ethiopian Village Schools Foundation. In February we …

Virtual Lenten Retreat: Home by Another Way – Coming Home to Ourselves

Sat., March 26, 9:30 am to 12:30 pmZoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83678735981?pwd=ck1TNE53STRXMUtkdDBXbWZ3RXRndz09 This year’s virtual Lenten Retreat, led by Becky Wright, Kerrie Hein, and Judy Huston, will explore the theme “Home by Another Way: Coming Home to Ourselves.” Join us for community, poetry, and reflection as we journey home together. Please register by signing up here.

Graphic of a house with porch

Art Hour March 27 – Home by Another Way 

Sun., March 27, 2022, 11:45 am Play Yard Do you have a childhood home you are deeply nostalgic for? Or perhaps a house you used to dream about living in? Or even a church, a park, a playground, a friend’s house–a place that for you invokes safety, warmth, belonging, sacredness? On Sun., March 27, Corinne Lucas, a multidisciplinary artist who …