Serve – First Pres Berkeley

Street Meal Clothing Collection List of Needed Items

Raenelle2022-04-28T19:13:44-07:00April 27th, 2022|Mission and Outreach, Serve|

Help provide care packages for our East Bay neighbors in need. Here is a list of needed new or gently used items to help our neighbors in need of shelter. (Keep in mind, this list is by no means comprehensive—if you’re wondering about whether or not we can use something, just ask!) Drop-off Information Drop off items at the Street Meal Clothing Collection table on the Pathway, first Sunday of each month, 30 minutes before and after the 10 am worship service. Contact Nancy Koerner at 510-725-2895 or [email protected] if you have questions or want to arrange a drop-off or pick-up. [...]

Cal University Study Hall

Devin Crane2022-05-25T16:02:42-07:00April 27th, 2022|News, Serve, University, University News, Young Adults|

Calling all university students! Are you a student needing a place to study with free coffee/snacks, good wifi, and a daily (free) hot dinner? Come to Cal University Study Hall! Study Hall is open 1 pm–10 pm, Thursday, May 5 to Tuesday, May 10. Help Support Cal Study Hall Want to help make study hall happen? Sign up here! Serve one (or more) 3 hour shift where you help set out snacks, serve dinner, and generally hang out with college students as they study for finals. For more information, contact Kathy Timpte at [email protected]

Our Mission Partners and the Communities They Serve Need Immediate Help

Raenelle2022-01-07T10:59:07-08:00January 6th, 2022|All Church, Mission and Outreach, News, Serve|

Partner with CityTeam Oakland and FirstPres Hayward Shelter and Resource Center to transform local communities by helping to provide shelter, food, and care. CityTeam Oakland Currently CityTeam Oakland is undertaking a huge earthquake retrofit and renovation of their downtown Oakland men’s program building. Unfortunately, the alternate location currently housing the men’s residents will no longer be available beginning Feb. 1, so they have to move out asap. There are two ways to offer support: Building Construction Service Opportunity Beginning January 8, they are seeking unskilled and skilled people to help with sheet rock, plumbing, and other construction efforts. The sheet [...]

Sacred Rest Project Overview

Raenelle2022-05-10T15:36:45-07:00December 3rd, 2021|All Church, Mission and Outreach, News, Serve|

With an invitation from the The UC Berkeley Chancellor’s office, First Pres has been called to partner with the University to establish a “Sacred Rest” temporary daytime drop-in service center on our campus. What is the Sacred Rest Drop-in Center? In a recent study on the needs of unhoused communities, interviewees highlighted that access to a safe place to rest is essential to their well-being. Efforts to connect them with support services is also a priority. The Sacred Rest Drop-In Center seeks to provide folks with a safe place during the day to wash up, get a healthy meal, rest, [...]

Stephen Ministry Training at First Covenant Church

Devin Crane2021-11-12T11:35:46-08:00November 12th, 2021|Caring, Community, Serve|

First Covenant Church in Oakland, in partnership with First Pres Berkeley, is offering Stephen Ministry training starting in January 2022. The weekly class will take place on Saturdays from January 8 to June 4, from 10:30am-12:30pm. Stephen Ministers provide one-to-one confidential Christian care to people going through life’s difficulties. After completing an initial training course, Stephen Ministers are supported through a peer supervision process and continuing education. We invite you to prayerfully consider whether God may be calling you to this meaningful journey of training and service as a Stephen Minister. If you previously served as a Stephen Minister and want [...]

Did You Miss GCC? Watch Recordings of the Sessions Here!

Fiona Meyer2021-10-21T13:51:59-07:00October 21st, 2021|All Church, Serve|

Did you miss out on attending GCC this year? Or, do you want to watch the panels all over again? Our GCC page isn't going anywhere! It has links to all the recordings, as well as speaker biographies and resources for you peruse on your own time. Visit the GCC homepage. Watch the panels on YouTube. Thank you to everyone who attended or watched a recording this year. And a special thank you to our panelists and staff who were responsible for making #GCC2021 happen!

Playhouse Build

Fiona Meyer2021-07-27T12:51:50-07:00July 27th, 2021|Serve, Youth|

At the end of June, our High School Youth joined with our legacy mission partner, Habitat for Humanity, to create and build a beautiful and sturdy Playhouse that was passed along to Berkeley Presyberian Mission Homes. The whole experience was exceptional—from the youth learning about Habitat, to writing support letters, to the actual day’s build, to seeing children play in the house! We all learned so much about supporting an organization that is doing so much good in the world, how to use some fancy tools to measure, how to apply materials, and even how to seal a roof. We [...]

A Card from the Project Mercy Team

Fiona Meyer2021-07-15T15:24:58-07:00July 15th, 2021|Serve|

We received a letter and card from our friends at Project Mercy and thought we'd share it with our First Pres family! Dear congregation of First Presbyterian Church Berkeley, Blessings of the Lord and greetings from Ethiopia. We pray and trust that you are well. We wanted to reach out and let you know how much we have appreciated and been blessed and strengthened by your standing with us through a rather challenging 2020. Your faithfulness in prayer and support has been tremendous. The education, health, nutrition, vocation and clean water programs have all continued to bless the community. Thank [...]