The Ministry of Stewardship, Finance, & Administration (SF&A) wishes to thank everyone who has committed to being a sustaining giver for the coming year so First Church Berkeley can continue to thrive as a faith community and place of transformation. As of December 1, the church has received 111 commitments totaling $508,266 in sustaining giving commitments for 2022. If you …
Advent Text Prayers
This year we’ll have the return of our Advent Text Prayers, which will arrive on your phone at 10 am and 4 pm each day in Advent for those who sign up. When you receive the text, take a moment to breathe deeply and pray. Even one minute of prayer, twice a day, will help you feel connected to God …
Advent Already??!
You may be surprised to see Advent has started to appear at First Church. “Wait, isn’t Advent only four weeks long?” Advent is the church season leading up to Christmas, when we practice waiting and longing for the world God has promised. Four-week Advent has been the standard practice for Christian churches for decades— although some of our older members …
Bay Association Annual Fall Meeting on Zoom
Sat., Nov. 6, 9:30 amPre-register here for the Zoom link. All members of the 33 churches who make up the Bay Association of the Northern California Nevada Conference of the UCC are invited to our annual Fall Meeting Zoom to conduct business required by our bylaws and to hear a word from our guest preacher, The Rev. Dr. Irie Session. …
People’s Park
by Rev. Molly If you’ve been following People’s Park controversy, UC Berkeley is trying to redevelop that piece of land to provide extremely low-income supported housing for formerly homeless folks and will maintain some green space. They have encountered significant opposition that may slow down construction. If you support the redevelopment plan, as I do, you can help clear the …
Oct. 31 Learning Hour: Berkeley Mutual Aid Network
Sun., Oct. 31, 12:15 pmhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/88967740143?pwd=M1pqRE92SnZBbjZKNmpvelBKVTNRdz09ID: 889 6774 0143 Passcode: 261432 Beyond the simple joy of neighbors helping neighbors, how can mutual aid networks actually change the world, undermining the extractive economy and promoting an entirely different kind of local economy that values all people, of all abilities? Join David Peattie of the Berkeley Mutual Aid Network and Rev. Molly in …
Pastoral Staffing for the Future
As we prepare to vote to affirm Rev. Kelly’s call to be a settled pastor at First Church Berkeley, and discern our way to calling a third pastor for Youth, Young Adult, and Emerging Ministries, you might be curious how we anticipate differentiating the three pastor roles. First, to learn more about Rev. Kelly, click here to read a narrative …
Worship Leaders Wanted
The hybrid services have several places that could use some extra leaders, so you are invited to participate! We especially need more people who are willing to film things for upcoming services. This means even if you’re not coming to in person church yet, you could be a leader on the screen! The options are children’s moment, scripture reading, or …
After Party Changes
As you may have noticed, we’re worshiping in a hybrid way these days, with some of us in the sanctuary and others at home. We’ve restarted the in-person After Party with snacks and coffee, and we’re not sure whether there are still enough people who want to gather on Zoom for a Virtual After Party. If you’d miss the Virtual …