TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022

Steve Wuebbens takes a break from kitchen action to chat with Linda Rice before the start of the Harvest Dinner Tuesday, October 18.

WHAT'S COOKIN'?

There's just something about the aroma of home cooking in a church kitchen that makes one feel welcome. More so, the friends that work so hard to make a church gathering successful. 

On Tuesday, October 18, the Piedmont Church Deacons and members of the Loaves and Fishes crew cooked and served a meal for a hungry group of 70 people. The dinner, held in Guild Hall, was the first such gathering to take place since the church closed for the pandemic.

- Photos by Michael Barber

LAST WEEK'S WORSHIP MEDIA

Watch It Again, Or For The First Time

Steve Schibsted preaches. Church member Lonnie Simonson leads our service. Our Chancel Choir, led by Stephen Main, provides music. Also featured are Tina Harrington, alto, and Dorothy Nemeth, piano.

THIS WEEK IN MUSIC

As part of this Sunday’s music, the Choir will sing October Sun, a moving, contemplative piece by contemporary choral composer Daniel Elder. This meditative text explores the changing seasons and the beauty of creation as we move into late fall. - Steve Main

MUSIC NEWS

DO YOU HEAR JINGLE BELLS?

By Pat Leicher

It is almost November, and that means the holidays are right around the corner. A dedicated team is hard at work to make sure this year's in-person Christmas concert and reception is the best ever. 

The musicians have all been hired. Steve Main is composing a movement to add to his original cantata that started it all in 2011 - For All This Night - and rehearsing with the choir. Scott Fitzgerrell and Michael Barber are designing the program and posters. Scott Willis is working out the details of the ticket sales. Marion Schmidt and Carol Leslie are imagining beautiful decorations for a spectacular reception in Guild Hall. Bob and Judy Wright and the Loaves and Fishes team are planning a tempting reception menu.

Mark your calendar now. There will be two performances on Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18, both at 7:30pm, followed by the reception. Tickets go on sale November 6. General admission tickets are $50 and patron tickets with special seating are $150. The concerts will be advertised to the wider community and may sell out. So, get your tickets early. And special donations to the concert are always welcome as ticket sales only cover about two-thirds of the costs.

We require lots of additional volunteers to make these evenings successful. We need ticket takers, ushers, servers, wine pourers, cooks and a clean-up team. Most of these volunteers do get to attend the performance on the evening they work. Can you help us? Please email patleicher@gmail.com with the day you are available and your preferred task. Many hands make light work, and working together is actually lots of fun.

CLASSES

'COME AND SEE' GATHERING NOVEMBER 13

Are you interested in joining Piedmont Church? Or, do you just want to learn more about who we are, what we believe and what we do? Then, you're invited to attend our next “Come and See” gathering hosted by Steve Schibsted and Don Ashburn on Sunday, November 13. 

We’ll meet in Guild Parlor from 11:15am - 2pm for conversation and lunch provided by the church. We’ll share a bit about who we are and what brings us to Piedmont Church and how we can grow together in faith and service. 

Each gathering has the same content, so you need only attend once.

Childcare is available for younger children. 

To sign up to attend the gathering and/or for childcare, please click on this link: https://piedmont.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/39/responses/new

You can also call the church office at (510) 547-5700

LIFE GROUPS UPDATE

Life Groups are small groups that gather weekly on Thursday evenings through November 10. Dinner begins at 6:15pm with discussion at 7pm.Everyone is invited to be part of a group, whether you’ve attended in the past or not. 

Sign ups for this session are closed. 

Contact Don Ashburn for more information at: Don@PiedmontChurch.org

BIBLE STUDY TURNS

TO GOSPEL OF JOHN

Whether or not you’ve ever studied the Bible before, you’re invited to a weekly online study led by Don Ashburn. Each Monday from 10 - 11 am, a group of

8-12 people get together to study scripture in light of their own lives.

Starting this month, the focus is on the Gospel of John. Contact Don at Don@PiedmontChurch.org

Here is the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83296269401

SERVICE PROJECTS - OUTREACH

DAY OF SERVICE

On Saturday, November 5, 9 - 11am, volunteers can gather at CityTeam Turning Point to do gardening or repair bicycles for kids. Turning Point is a shelter in East Oakland for unhoused families, working to restore lives and rebuild communities through innovative programs. They provide food, shelter, clothing, training, and spiritual formation.

This service project is open to volunteers ages 10+

To participate, sign up on Project Peace’s website at: https://projectpeace.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1467627. 

When you sign up, indicate that you want to volunteer at Turning Point. Contact Don Ashburn at Don@PiedmontChurch.org

CHRISTMAS STORE BENEFITS OAKLAND FAMILIES

Would you like to bring Joy to Oakland families this Christmas? Harbor House, one of our Mission partners, will be putting on their annual Christmas store on December 9-10, where families in East Oakland participating in their programs can come to buy Christmas gifts for their children at minimal cost. 

You can support this program by providing either new unwrapped gifts or purchasing them online through an Amazon wish list. New unwrapped gifts for the store can be delivered to Mike Bandrowski prior to December 4 and he will bring them to Harbor House. 

Alternatively, you can purchase them directly through an Amazon Wish List link Amazon Wish List and the gifts will be mailed to a volunteer who will get them to Harbor House. 

Finally, if you are interested in working at the store on December 9 or 10, or if you have any questions on the Harbor House Christmas store, contact Mike Bandrowski at mike.bandrowski@gmail.com

SUNDAY SCHOOL COMBINES FUN, LEARNING 

Children attending Sunday school enjoy fun times together, in addition to learning. This week our lesson was God Gives Moses the Ten Commandments. Next week, we'll be learning from Exodus: God Sees Aaron Make a Golden Calf.

CARVING FUN AT LIVEWIRE

Some of our middle school students showed their pumpkin carving skills this week. Pictured from left are Jordan Palsa, Francesca Ceccarelli, Ed Balasingham, Sophia Harris, Lucian Fang-Ring, Nora Taggart, Beach Lorin, Avey Taggart and Elsa Wallway. 

MEXICO PREP

Students were focused at Rock this weekend as we started to talk about building 15 houses for families in Mexico next spring. Our trip dates for 2023 are April 9-14 and applications will available on the church website on November 7.

YOUTH MINISTRY UPDATE

Youth Pastor Scott Kail shares his excitement about Youth Ministry at Piedmont Community Church.

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