TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2021 |
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This Week
Alternative Gift Market Open Now
Bruce Wolfe Memorial This Friday, 2pm
Purchase gifts for Adopt-A-Family
Board Report From Pat Leicher
Sunday Worship Media
NEW Concert Film to Feature Choir, Orchestra
Church Greening Volunteers Needed Saturday
Holiday Gathering in Courtyard Dec 3
Harbor House Volunteers Needed
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Your email may require you to CLICK MORE at the bottom of this page to continue reading. We could write less, but there's no fun in that!
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Alternative Gift Market Online
Make a real difference in the world this Christmas. This year, shop the Alternative Gift Market online to help alleviate the daily struggles of those in our community and abroad.
One hundred percent of your gift will go to the ministries you choose to support.
When you purchase this gift in someone’s honor, you can receive a descriptive insert that can be placed into a card to let the person know what you have purchased in their name.
Our in-person market will take place after worship Sunday, December 5. Additionally, a table will be set in the courtyard for questions and purchases on November 28 and December 12.
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It's In The Cards
AGM Offers Piedmont Church-Themed Christmas Notecards
The Mission Action Team and Board of Deacons are happy to make available this year special Christmas cards featuring the artwork of Piedmont Church member Will Adams and former Doorkeeper Nick Baz.
The 4 x 5.5 inch (blank inside) note cards will be sold in 4-card banded packages, each card featuring a different soft pencil drawing of church altar details, all from artist Nick Baz.
Also available will be a Piedmont Church-themed Christmas card designed to include the description of an AGM gift selection and sent to someone notifying them that you have purchased it in their name.
All cards are printed on Classic Crest paper and include envelopes. They will be for sale at the in-person Alternative Gift Market on December 5 after worship, as well as in the courtyard November 28 and December 12. All proceeds will go to the Piedmont Church mission program through the Better World Fund.
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Wonder Tidings
A Christmas Celebration for 2021
Choir, Orchestra Prepares for NEW Christmas Concert Film
As the holiday season arrives, so does our desire to celebrate the joyous news of the birth of Jesus. This Christmas, we reprise Wonder Tidings, a full-length cantata composed by Dr. Stephen Main.
This all-new performance will include our choir and an ensemble of eight musicians, just as Steve originally wrote it. It will also include two instrumental pieces composed by Steve. It will be filmed with eight cameras and with the editing wizardry of Michael Barber, it will become a truly magical experience.
The video will be available before Christmas Eve for you to enjoy with your family and friends this year and in years to come.
We want the choir and musicians to perform without masks. For their protection and to comply with Covid guidelines, the concert will be filmed without an audience. That also allows us to use multiple cameras and produce a spectacular concert experience.
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Make Christmas Brighter for Families in Need
The Deacons’ Outreach Committee is collaborating with CityTeam Ministries to buy gifts for poor and homeless families in the Oakland area this Christmas. We need your help!
Participants will be sent a sign-up sheet indicating the profile and gift requests of each family member. Once purchased, gifts can be dropped off in Guild Parlor (the room next to the stage in Guild Hall) from 1-5pm Thursday, December 9 through Saturday December 11.
You may also drop off gifts until 12 noon Sunday, December 12.
Thank you, and Merry Christmas from the Deacons’ Outreach Committee - Janet Peterson, Sue Coffin and Katrina Bergen
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November Trustee Report
By Pat Leicher, Church President
The Board of Trustees met on Monday evening, November 8. Here is a summary of agenda items we discussed:
- Dr. Steve Schibsted was offered and accepted a one-year renewal of his contract as Transitional Pastor through 2022.
- In accordance with new guidance from Alameda County, the Trustees voted to allow non-public gatherings of up to 25 people without masks provided that all participants are vaccinated and asymptomatic, that the group meets regularly and attendance is recorded. Occasional exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis for larger groups. Masks and vaccinations will continue to be required for all other indoor gatherings at the church.
- We will take an offering at the Christmas Eve services this year. The Mission Action Team recommended that this offering go to Pirimera Iglesia Presbiteriana Hispana (First Hispanic Presbyterian Church) in Oakland to support their feeding program. The program provides groceries for 75 – 100 families a week with increased demand during the pandemic. The Trustees approved this proposal.
- The Stewardship Committee will send out a second letter in December and hold a congregational meeting on January 9, 2022 to fully explain the campaign, which will conclude with Commitment Sunday on January 30. Piedmont Church has received its first transitional gift commitment of $50,000.
- Buildings & Grounds reported that pruning, thinning and removal of 13 trees around the church campus has been completed. Two roof leaks developed during the massive rain storm on October 24. A roof inspection was scheduled for November 12. The all-new internet wiring throughout the campus is scheduled to go live around December 1.
- The Mission Study Team (MST) reported that there were 10 town hall meetings with 70 participants and over 200 responses to the survey. Information gathered is extensive and currently being compiled.
- Finance reported that the 2020/21 audit is nearly complete with a recommendation of some enhanced controls and that the audit be annual rather than every other year. The Board approved an audit for the 2021/22 year.
- The Board discussed the retreat held the preceding Saturday. There was strong consensus that the event was very productive and constructive. he Trustees decided to hold another retreat in January once the MST report is available.
- Dr. Steve Schibsted presented his recommendation for vision/goal zero-based budgeting. The Board was supportive of employing this approach for the next budget cycle.
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Your 2021-22 Piedmont Church Board
(Click Name to Contact)
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Pastor Nominating Committee Update
By Eric Behrens and Zookie Todd, Co-Chairs
The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) has met several times and has discussed a variety of avenues to reach potential candidates for the Senior Pastor position.
During the search for an Interim Pastor (the position Dr. Steve Schibsted currently fills), a consultant provided a list of the following six denominations whose traditions and outlook are similar to those of Piedmont Community Church: Disciples of Christ (Christian Church) (CC), United Church of Christ (UCC), Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), United Methodist (UMC) and Presbyterian Church of the United States of America (PCUSA).
Among other comments about all of these denominations, our consultant stated that “these traditions take the Bible seriously but not often literally.” Most ministers in these denominations would be very comfortable with Piedmont Community Church’s Founding Creed which was created in 1910 but is still strikingly relevant. Read Our Church Creed Online
Members of the PNC have been contacting the headquarters and some of the seminaries connected with these denominations to determine the best way to reach candidates in each of them.
The work of the PNC will begin in earnest when the Mission Study Team issues The Mission Study Report, since that document is an indispensable part of any outreach to potential Senior Pastor candidates. The PNC is fortunate that two of the members of the Mission Study Team, MC Taylor and Aaron Aubrecht, have agreed to also serve on the PNC. This firsthand knowledge of the final Mission Study Report will provide the PNC with valuable insights on how well each of the candidates will serve the needs of Piedmont Church now and in the future.
Anyone wishing to contact the PNC to provide comments on the search or to ask questions can reach us at [email protected]
The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) includes: Eric Behrens and Zookie Todd, Co-Chairs; Aaron Aubrecht, Ann Lin, Erin Peterson, MC Taylor, Adam Thacher and Steven Thorne
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Bruce Wolfe Memorial
A memorial service for Piedmont Community Church member Bruce Wolfe will be held this Friday, November 26 at 2pm in the Sanctuary.
Church policy requires participants to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or test negative 48 hours prior.
The service will also be live streamed on the church website at
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Life Groups To Resume January 13
Life Groups will resume for 4 weeks starting on January 13, with dinner provided and groups meeting indoors at church. If you’d like to participate in a Life Group, signs ups will start in December.
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NEW Sermon Series Begins Sunday
Our culture’s popular holiday songs reflect the longings of the human heart that are only fulfilled in Christ.
One of the things we most love about the Christmas season is the music! Of course, we cherish the great hymns of Christmas but also very much enjoy the secular popular songs of our culture.
But did you know that many of the Songs of the Season are deeply theological which reflect the deep yearnings of the human heart?
Don't miss worship beginning this Sunday as together we explore the hidden theology of The Songs of the Season.
Sunday, November 28
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Dr. Steve Schibsted, preaching
1 Peter 1:8-8, John 15:9-11
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Our Vaccination Policy
In order to protect the health and well-being of our community, we are requiring all participants, age 12 and over, attending Sunday worship services and church events, to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The requirement now accepts a negative COVID test within 48 hours of an event as acceptable.
All participants over the age of 2 must wear masks indoors.
This policy will adopt the honor system. There will be no enforcement, such as checking vaccination cards at the door.
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Church Office Hours
The church office will be closed for the holiday Wednesday thru Friday.
Regular office hours are weekdays, 9am to 4:30pm.
Jean Leahy is available to receive your phone calls in person. Otherwise, voicemail is available at all times and is checked throughout the day.
Call (510) 547-5700
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Church Greening This Saturday
This year, as we celebrate the re-opening of the church, the Altar Guild would like to invite members of the congregation to help with the traditional Greening of the Church.
We need about a dozen members to sign up. We gather in the Clara Barton room at 9am this Saturday, November 27 for this rather fun activity (rain or shine).
Some of the work does require climbing a small latter, but most is ground based, helping to move the decorations from the “secrete storage location” to the appropriate spots.
To volunteer, contact Jean Leahy in the church office at (510) 547-5700 or [email protected]
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Event Invites Holiday Attire, Warm Socks
Childcare Provided with RSVP
There will be a festive Adult Fellowship gathering in the Church Courtyard from 4:30 to 6pm on Friday, December 3. Put on your holiday attire (tasteful or tacky) and join us for hot mulled wine, hot spiced cider and gingerbread cookies.
Let's celebrate the season with friends!
In keeping with the holiday spirit, we will be collecting donations of warm socks that will later be filled with toiletries and donated to the homeless.
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Wednesday Bible Study
Join Dr. Don Ashburn each Wednesday morning from 10-11am on Zoom, as we journey together through the Book of Acts.
Our last meeting will be December 15. We’ll resume on January 12. We’ll also take off the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
No preparation and no previous experience studying the Bible is needed. Just join us, as we learn how the early Christians lived their faith and spread the good news in very difficult times.
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Seniors Seeking Conversation & Coffee
We meet on the first and third Wednesday of each month, gathering 9:30 - 11am in the Guild Parlor. Contact Ann Chandler (510) 444-0280
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Sunday School
We will be learning about the first Sunday in Advent in Sunday School in person at 10am Sunday.
Sunday school material is available online for those of you who wish to worship at home.
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Support Harbor House Christmas Store
Harbor House, a Christian based organization in the San Antonio District of Oakland supported by our church as one of our mission partners, will be holding its annual Christmas Store for neighborhood families on December 10-11.
If you would like to support this effort, you can provide gifts online through the Amazon wish list, up to December 6, at the following link https://a.co/dYySWOz
They are also looking for individuals to volunteer at the store. Contact: [email protected]
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Harbor House Seeks Volunteers |
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Watch Piedmont Church On Your TV
It’s easy to watch church videos on your big screen television. If you have a SmartTV, ROKU, AppleTV or Amazon Fire TV, simply:
1 - Go to the YouTube app on your SmartTV (or attached device)
2 - Search ‘piedmont community church.’
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