PBPC Announcements

PBPC Family, This Sunday, we'll be worshipping alongside 4 other Presbyterian Churches for World Communion Sunday. This will be the third year we've gathered with our Presbyterian siblings and I love these services. They remind me that we are connected with many other Christians in the Bay Area. And on World Communion Sunday, we remember the worldwide Body of Christ gathered together at the Lord's Table. What a blessing that we are members of such a global, diverse, and expansive family. A few things to remember for this Sunday. First Pres Berkeley is at 2407 Dana Street. GPS will take you to the front of the church - the parking garage to the church is at 2420 Channing, Berkeley Service will begin at 10:00am. Please give yourself plenty of time to find parking. There is a parking lot under the church (entrance on Channing). We ask that if you are abled bodied, to please park in the Channing Parking Garage (2435 Channing) across the street from the church. There will be val...

PBPC Family, This Sunday marks the end of the Season of Creation. I've enjoyed the creation language woven throughout our liturgy, the songs that remind us of the beauty of this earth, and the presence of our pets in worship. All of it has been quite grounding (pun intended!). In our striving after God and cultivating a rich spiritual life together, it's helpful to remember that all of it takes place here, our feet on the ground, our bodies moving through the earth. We are a part of creation and our future redemption is wrapped up in creation's redemption as well. As we wrap up this Season of Creation, here are a few resources to help you continue to in delighting and caring for our world. Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist, has a wonderful weekly newsletter where she shares good news about creation, some not so good news about our changing climate, and some concrete action steps. I've deeply appreciated her writings. I recently finished reading An Immense World by...

PBPC Family, I missed being with you all on Sunday - we had a great time camping with friends in the Santa Cruz Mountains and it was also a weekend where I felt the need for church. Last week was a heavy, grief filled week for our country. Charlie Kirk's assassination. The release of the brutal video of Iryna Zarutska's murder. Another school shooting in Colorado. And this week, Israel's ground invasion of Gaza which will further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis there.  I'm turning to a prayer written by Douglas McKelvey while holding all that is happening in our country and world. Grieving a National Tragedy O God who gathers what has been scattered. Shelter us now in the shadow of your wings. O Christ who binds our wounds, be our great healer. O Spirit who enters our every grief, intercede now for hurting people, throughout this broken land. Be present in the midst of this far-reaching pain, O Lord, for we are reeling again, at news of another loss of life that touc...

PBPC Family, The month of September is the Season of Creation,  a recent addition to the church calendar that celebrates God as Creator and reminds us of our role to collaborate with God in stewarding the gift of creation. This is one of my favorite seasons of the church calendar because it is so concrete. Trinity Sunday is great, but it's hard to wrap my mind around what it means for daily living. But talking about Creation and how God entrusted humans with the work of stewarding the earth is eminently practical. It involves our hands and feet. We live in God's creation and we are God's creation - these are things I don't need to get my mind around because I live these truths every day. Each day, we engage with the created order; the season of Creation invites us to pay attention to this truth and to recognize God's presence in all of it. What will you do this month to celebrate God as creator? How will you live into our collective calling to steward creation, to c...

PBPC Family, I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! We had a great time at camp - I'll provide a more full update on Sunday and in next week's newsletter. For now, please remember this Sunday is the first of the month. We will worship in the Cafe and enjoy a potluck afterwards. Please bring something to share if coming in person. Grace and Peace, Pastor Calvin " There In the Beginning" Genesis 1:1-2:4 Calvin Sodestrom Pre-Service prayer in the Cafe from 9:30-9:45 Scripture Memorization: Psalm 46:10 Click here to join Livestream Lectionary Readings for September 7 Worship in Cafe - September 7 We will gather for worship in the Cafe on September 7. We will celebrate communion and enjoy a potluck after the service. Please bring a dish, dessert, or drink to share if coming in person. Food Pantry - September 10 Our next food pantry is Wednesday, September 10 from 5-6pm. Please come at 4:30 to help pack bags. Pet Blessing - September 21 Bring your pet (or a pict...