04Jun 2013 by Pastor

Update and thank-you from CROP Walk

Events
Dear Friends, Today in the office we got a very nice thank-you note from one of the corrdinators for the Berkeley CROP Walk. Part of her message reads as follows: "The good work you do in supporting the Berkeley Food Pantry goes far beyond anything we have contributed, and we value your faithful dedication to feeding the hungry who line up at your door Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons. As of May 31, we have received donations totaling $28,116--one quarter of which will be shared by the Pantry, YEAH and Dorothy Day House. We hope that total will increase a bit in the next few months. Although it was difficult to get an exact count, there were over 250 walkers." We will post the card in the fellowship hall so…
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31May 2013 by Pastor

This weekend @BFC: Trustees, green bags, Giuseppe Rensi speaking, MOCE and more!

Events
Dear Friends: Here's what's happening this Sunday, 6/2 at Berkeley Friends Church: First off, don't forget to bring your green bag with you when you come to worship! The Berkeley Neighborhood Food Project's bimonthly Harvest Day is next Saturday, and we want to bring all of the church's contributions together this Sunday in worship so we can give thanks together, and pray for all of the hungry folks in our community. So before you head out the door this Sunday, be sure to grab that bag full of food and bring it with you, and then when you get here, bring it into worship with you! Also, if you can come to help at the Harvest Day on 6/8, volunteers are welcome from 10 AM to 12:30 PM to weigh,…
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23May 2013 by Pastor

This weekend @BFC: James’s Journey, worship, PECSC, and more

Events, Movie Night
Dear Friends: Here are this weekend's events at Berkeley Friends Church: 1) Tomorrow, Friday, 5/24, is our monthly Friday Night at the Movies. This time we present the 2004 drama James's Journey to Jerusalem. In his remote African village, young James is chosen to undertake a mission: a pilgrimage to holy Jerusalem. But Israel is no longer the Holy Land that James and his people imagined. Arrested for entering the country illegally, James's journey takes him through the cruel heart of our globalized economy. See attached flyer for more details. ADMISSION IS FREE! Please invite your neighbors and friends. Refreshments at 6:30 PM, film at 7:00 PM. Discussion follows the screening. 2) On Sunday, 5/26, at 10 AM, our regular Sunday School classes for adults & children will convene, including…
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16May 2013 by Pastor

This Sunday @ BFC: Singing Ensemble, worship, Meeting for Business

Events
Dear Friends: Here are the happenings for this Sunday at Berkeley Friends Church: The Singing Ensemble will start things off with rehearsal at 9 AM. Then, Sunday School classes for children and adults, including the Quakerism group, will meet at 10 AM. We gather for worship at 11 AM, seeking God's presence together with an extended period of open worship, and the meeting and Ensemble raising their voices in joyful song. Our monthly potluck lunch follows worship; please bring a dish to share if you can, or a few dollars to help with the purchase of supplies. (If you are bringing something to eat, please also bring a list of ingredients so that people know what's in your dish.) Then at 1 PM, we will gather for Monthly Meeting with…
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10May 2013 by Pastor

Thoughts from Dallas Willard

Reflections
Dear Friends: Some of you have already heard of the death this past Wednesday of this past Wednesday of influential Christian author and philosopher Dallas Willard, who left this mortal life at the age of 77, as a result of cancer. Dallas was personally known to many of the long-timers at BFC, through his having led at least one retreat for us in the mid-70s, and then later when he spoke at conferences that various of us attended. Dallas was an important leader in the Renovare Christian formation movement, which he helped to shape along with the movement's founder, Friend Richard Foster. Renovare has an appreciation of Dallas's life, with links to others, here. For those of us, like me, who never had the privilege of meeting him, there are…
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09May 2013 by Pastor

This weekend @ BFC: Knit & Crochet, CPT dinner, Stewardship & Finance, worship, Singing Ensemble!

Events
Dear Friends: It's going to be an active weekend at Berkeley Friends Church. Here's what's going on: 1) On Saturday, 5/11, the Knit & Crochet Fellowship will gather at 11 AM. Come share what you're working on, and learn from others! Note: the Friends Committee on Legislation of California will be having a workshop and board meeting for most of the day in the fellowship hall, so Knit & Crochet will meet in the worship room. 2) On Saturday evening, Tomi Nagai-Rothe will host an information session at BFC on her upcoming delegation with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). Tomi will be going to Palestine/Israel with CPT later this month. Please come to support Tomi and hear more about what she hopes to learn on this delegation. Dinner will be provided!…
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02May 2013 by Pastor

This Sunday @BFC: Trustees, Keith Barton speaking

Events
Dear Friends: Here is what's happening this coming Sunday at Berkeley Friends Church, and a reminder about an upcoming event: 1) On Sunday, 5/5, the Trustees Committee are the early birds, meeting at 9 AM. Then, at 10 AM, our Sunday School classes for children and adults, including the Quakerism class, will gather. In meeting for worship at 11 AM, our member Keith Barton will share the fourth installment in his ongoing series, "The Word through Time, Space, and Community," incorporating Scripture from Leviticus 19, Matthew 18, John 20, and elsewhere. Fellowship time follows worship. Note: the Missionary, Outreach and Christian Education Committee will not meet this Sunday due to the absence of its  clerk. 2) A reminder about the CPT dinner, information session and fundraiser on Saturday, 5/11: our…
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25Apr 2013 by Pastor

This weekend @BFC: Taking Root, Stanley Ngesa farewell, worship, PECSC, and more

Events, Movie Night
Dear Friends: Here are this weekend's upcoming happenings at Berkeley Friends Church: 1) Tomorrow, Friday, 4/26, our monthly Friday Night at the Movies presents Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai. This powerful 2008 documentary tells the inspiring story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai. Maathai's simple act of planting trees grew into Kenya's “Greenbelt Movement,” a globally-recognized mobilization of women to rally against deforestation, poverty, and government corruption, which eventually became a national political force that helped to bring down the 24-year presidency of Daniel Arap Moi. ADMISSION IS FREE!  Refreshments at 6:30 PM, film at 7:00 PM. Discussion to follow. Also: Some of you may not know that our Friend Stanley Ngesa will be returning to Kenya--possibly indefinitely--this coming Monday, 4/29. Because of a commitment made…
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15Apr 2013 by Pastor

This week @ BFC: Right Sharing, open worship, CROP Walk!

Events
There are some important events & schedule changes this week for BFC, so we're sending this reminder early: 1) This coming Wednesday, 4/17, there will be no Bible Study due to Brian's absence. 2) Instead, we encourage you to come out on Thursday, 4/18, to hear about the work of Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR). RSWR is a Quaker-run organization that supports women in the developing world through micro-credit lending, in Kenya, Sierra Leone, and India. Samson Ababu, Kenya Field Representative for RSWR, and Betty Tonsing, the organization's General Secretary, will speak about their work. See attached flyer for details. 7:30 PM on 4/18, in the fellowship hall. If you can help with setup and/or cleanup, please contact Stephanie Strait. 3) On Sunday, 4/21, the Singing Ensemble will gather…
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11Apr 2013 by Pastor

This weekend at BFC: Harvest Day, Knit & Crochet, worship, Singing

Events
1) This Saturday, 4/13, is the bimonthly Harvest Day for the Berkeley Neighborhood Food Project. All of the donations from the various neighborhoods will be coming in to the Food Pantry that morning. Volunteers have signed up to receive, weigh, sort and store the donations, but if you would like to help, another pair of hands could be put to good use. The collection officially starts at 10 AM and everything will wrap up around 12:30 PM. Also, if you're participating in BFC's "neighborhood" and didn't bring in your bag last Sunday, you're welcome to bring yours by any time between 10 and noon. 2) Also on Saturday, the Knit & Crochet Fellowship will gather in the fellowship hall at 11 AM. Come share your latest project, and get inspired…
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