A Cup of Cold Water, a New Play by Cate DeLuca
Sat., April 26, 2025, 4 to 6:30 pmSanctuary You are invited to a dramatic reading of a play written to commemorate the 150th anniversary of First Congregational Church of Berkeley, which served as the Civil Control Center in the spring of 1942 for the registration and evacuation of more than a thousand local people of Japanese extraction who were then …
First Church Leadership Retreat
On Sat., March 22, 35 First Church members currently serving on the church’s council, its various ministries, and standing committees came together for a fun and energizing afternoon of community building and planning. We had the chance to get to know each other, to learn more about the other ministries and committees’ areas of work, and to connect to each …
April 6 Learning Hour: Will We Commit to “Care First, Jails Last”?
Sun., April 6, 11:45 amLoper Chapel What is “Care First, Jails Last”? It is the policy Alameda County adopted in 2021 to stop the mass incarceration of people with mental illness. The goal was to develop a continuum of care in order to reduce the number of people with mental illness and substance use in our jail, the Santa Rita …
Welcome Our New Members: March 16, 2025
Jed B. (he, him) Jed writes “I am from Zimbabwe but I have been in the United States since moving here for university education. I only recently found out about the UCC denomination from a friend, but immediately felt a kinship to this approach to faith. When I moved to the East Bay last year, I intentionally searched for UCC …
150th Anniversary Reunion: May 3 – 4, 2025
Sat. & Sun., May 3 & 4, 2025 We hope you received an Evite about our Love Feast & Reunion weekend, with an All Ages Prom on Sat. evening, May 3, and a potluck after worship on Sun., May 4. If you haven’t yet responded, please look for that email and reply soon – thank you. If you didn’t receive …
San Francisco Girls Chorus to Perform
The San Francisco Girls Chorus, Concert Group, directed by Monica Baruch and accompanied by Collaborative Pianist César Cancino, will perform for us during and after our 10 am worship service this Sun., March 23, 2025! There will be a number of pieces presented during a short concert following the service including: “O suuri sun rantas autius,” arranged by Matti Hyökki; …
Save the Date: Tilden Park Botanical Garden Outing
Sun., April 27, 2025, following the After Party In the spirit of creating an opportunity to gather together in a beautiful natural setting, the First Church Green Team invites you to join them at Tilden Park Botanical Garden on Sun., April 27 following the After Party. The Garden is a jewel in the Berkeley Hills, a lovely area with meandering …
Did You Know…?
…that about 30 people attended last Sunday’s “Circle of Care – New Lay Pastoral Care Initiative,” hosted by Rev. Kelly? To view the slides from the talk, click HERE. …that First Church’s Justice & Service Ministry would like to remind you of ways to help our neighbors in Los Angeles County who are recovering from the ferocious wildfires? To give …