Meet Our Mission Partners
EDUCATION
Meet our mission partners below. Click on the First Pres liaison and contact names to email for more information.
CRU
First Pres liaison: Martha Allen
Click here to volunteer
Contact: volunteer.hq@cru.org
Website: https://www.cru.org
Cru, formerly Campus Crusade for Christ International, has been on campuses for over 60 years, helping students come to know Jesus, grow in their faith and share the Gospel of Christ. Cru partners with 2,300 campus ministries, alongside various city ministries and marriage workshops. The aim is reach to diverse communities where the word of God finds real and pertinent usage, such as athletic, military, and international communities.
First Pres Berkeley directly contributes to the support of staff members David and Bethanne Moles who are currently serving together in the Mid-Atlantic Region. David serves on the Leadership Team, overseeing 250 staff and 50 interns who carry out the mission of Cru on college campuses and internationally.
Children Rising
First Pres liaison: Martha Allen
Click here to volunteer
Contact: Bronwyn Harris
Phone: 510-836-5100
Website: http://www.children-rising.org
This year, almost 2,000 Oakland children will begin third grade unable to read and/or add and subtract! Without these skills, they will not have the confidence—nor the ability—to continue to learn in elementary school, middle school, and beyond.
The solution is simple—Children Rising—nurtures and equips hundreds of vulnerable children to rise above the challenges created by generations of poverty, violence, and educational inequity. Children Rising programs help struggling students rise to their potential by raising awareness and rallying community support for their needs; and by galvanizing and guiding volunteers to teach, mentor, and nourish the children and youth so that they may develop academic and life skills to realize their God-given potential.
Congo Initiative (CI) is envisioned as a community of Christ-centered Congolese leaders and global partners united for the transformation of lives and of the flourishing Democratic Republic of Congo. CI educates ethical leaders who have integrity, invests in a sustainable vibrant Congolese society, and develops grassroots initiatives for peace, hope, and justice.
This past year, the Congo Initiative community in Beni, DR Congo has faced the combined threats of increased conflict and the second largest Ebola outbreak in history. This has disproportionately affected children and women.
PCUSA Duta Wacana University
First Pres liaison: Tom Elson
Contact: Farsijana and Bernard Adeney–Risakotta
Missionary link
Phone: +62274563929
Website: https://www.ukdw.ac.id
This Indonesian university attracts faithful and intelligent leaders who are committed to serving God and the people of Indonesia. To further its reach, Duta Wacana provides scholarships to pastors from all over Indonesia to study theology at the graduate level so that they are prepared to lead the church in the midst of rapid social change.
Langham Scholars
First Pres liaison: Doug Chin
Website: https://us.langham.org/
Langham Partnership is a global and interdenominational fellowship working in pursuit of the vision God entrusted to its founder, John Stott. Langham seeks to strengthen the church in maturity and Christlikeness by raising the standards of biblical preaching and teaching, working with national leaders to nurture indigenous biblical preaching movements for pastors and lay preachers. This is accomplished by providing majority world pastors, scholars, and seminary libraries with evangelical books and electronic resources.
In addition, Langham supplies financial support for evangelical doctoral students from the majority world so that when they return home, they may train pastors and other Christian leaders with sound biblical and theological teaching.
Near East School of Theology
First Pres liaison: Mae Chan
Contact: Dr. George Sabra
Phone: +961 1 738639, +961 1 329901
Website: http://theonest.edu.lb
The Near East School of Theology (N.E.S.T.) is an inter–confessional Protestant Seminary serving the evangelical churches of the Middle East. The primary purpose of the school is to train pastors and church workers for ministry within the churches and other evangelical organizations in the Middle East.
N.E.S.T. is also concerned with continuing education for pastors and church workers in active service and with theological education of the laity. N.E.S.T. welcomes candidates from other Middle Eastern churches, as well as any person seeking to learn about Protestant theology and faith, irrespective of his or her religious affiliation. Students who have a special interest in Biblical Studies against the cultural background of the Middle East also come from Islamic, Asian, and Orthodox churches and are all welcome.
New College Berkeley
First Pres liaison: Christina Davis
Website: https://www.newcollegeberkeley.org/
New College Berkeley has been a long-standing center for Christian studies and bears the motto “Let us Walk in Newness of Life.” Since its founding in 1977, NCB has served undergraduates, graduate students, and lifelong learners with wide-ranging courses, conferences, seminars, lectures, and retreats aimed at renewing minds, deepening faith, and shaping vocation.
Oakland International High School
First Pres liaison: Doug Chin
Click here to volunteer
Contact: Daryna Lock
Website: http://www.oaklandinternational.org
OIHS provides quality alternative education to recently arrived refugee and immigrant students from over 30 countries and speaking more than 35 languages. A great number of these students arrive at OIHS with significant gaps in their formal education and many have fled war, violence, and extreme economic hardship.
OIHS is committed to connecting these students to socio-emotional services that support their transitions to—and active participation in—their new US home. Transportation to and from school, to extracurricular activities, community centers, school field trips, and after-school jobs is a major hardship for many students and can be a barrier to engaging in their new communities. There is great need for long term classroom and other volunteers – people who can commit to at least a semester (ideally, the whole school year) on a consistent basis. This commitment allows volunteers to build relationships with students, staff, and program partners and become a significant part of the dynamic OIHS community.
Roblealto
First Pres liaison: Martha Allen
Click here to volunteer
Phone: 506-2286-0161
Website: http://www.roblealto.org
Although education is free and mandatory in Costa Rica, many children living in urban and marginalized communities fall through the cracks. For these children, their right to attend school is denied and substituted with work on coffee plantations, at construction sites, and in factories.
Roblealto, is committed to providing socially vulnerable children access to formal education and their parents with workshops and training that helps fight inequality and break the cycle of poverty.Roblealto provides these opportunities to 900 children in seven different programs.
Young Life Berkeley
First Pres liaison: Kathy Drake
Click here to volunteer
Find a camp near you
Contact: Tricia Singleton
Phone: 510-280-6163
Website: http://berkeley.younglife.org
Young Life’s national mission is to reach out to all high school students so that every youth has the opportunity to hear the Gospel and know Jesus Christ. Volunteer leaders educate students on the teachings of Jesus and provide homework help, college preparation assistance, and basic life skills mentoring for independent living.
East Bay students are served holistically by volunteers who meet tangible and spiritual needs and walk alongside them during formative years. One of our programs focuses on tutoring students who need extra attention in certain subjects. College-aged leaders and working-adult volunteers serve on a weekly basis by giving one-on-one attention to students in need.
