Events

At whose table would we not be caught dead?

Sermons
...this was a question I asked in the message this past Sunday. If you were there, you remember that we read Peter's summary in Acts 11 of the great vision he has of all of the animals of creation, clean and unclean, and God's voice bidding him to eat of all of them--and then, when Peter demurs, saying, “don't call unholy what I have made clean.” Of course, once Peter comes into contact with the Gentile centurion Cornelius and his household, Peter realizes that the vision is about people and not food, and the Spirit confirms this by descending upon Cornelius and his people just as it did upon the apostles at Pentecost. Once Peter returns to Jerusalem, some of the Judean apostles take him to task for visiting and…
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Weekly Stoking the Fire Devotionals

Reflections
The Stoking the Fire leadership team and planning committee have been writing devotions for use as we approach the retreat weekend. There should be a new one each Tues or Weds. Please take a look and pray along with those preparing for the event!
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This weekend, 4/23-24, @BFC and elsewhere: design workshop, Sunday School, Worship, PECSC

Events
A reminder that Saturday, 4/23, there will be a meeting for worship with attention to design at Youth Spirit Artworks. Pickett Fellow Julia Thompson is working on an outdoor art space with YSA, and she would like other Friends to assist in worshipfully discerning what it means to design and build through the Spirit. 10 AM on Saturday (note: not Sunday, as previously reported)at YSA, 1769 Alcatraz Avenue In Berkeley. Then, on Sunday, 4/24, we'llbegin with Sunday School for children and adults at 10 AM. Then there's Meeting for Worship at 11 AM, including song, supplication, stillness, and a spoken message. Fellowship time follows worship, and then the Peace, Environment and Christian Social Concerns Committee will meet at 1 PM. Please join us as we seek the Presence in our…
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Quaker Heritage Day and CROP Walk Weekend @BFC!

Events
It's one of the biggest weekends of the year at Berkeley Friends Church! Tomorrow night, Friday, 4/15, we'll be having a simple potluck meal to welcome our Quaker Heritage Day speaker, Marlene Pedigo. Everyone is welcome at about 6:30 PM for food and fellowship. If you'd like to come and haven't contacted us, please let John Maurer or Brian Young know. Then, on Saturday, 4/16, QHD 2016 begins at 9 AM! Marlene will be speaking on "Forgotten Friends' Testimonies (?)" The question mark is there because, while some of us may think that we haven't forgotten about important things like eldering and supporting women in the ministry, we may very well find ourselves learning some things... see this post for the schedule and other details. Finally, we gather on Sunday,…
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QHD 2016 is coming up!

Quaker Heritage Day
We're excited about Quaker Heritage Day 2016, this coming Saturday, 4/16! I've known our speaker, Marlene Pedigo, for thirty years, and she was profoundly influential on me as a young adult, as I came to grips with Christian Quaker faith for the first time. Among other things, Marlene introduced me to George Fox's Journal, and showed me how the faith of the first Friends could challenge and guide my own. This weekend, she is going to share with us on "Forgotten Friends' Testimonies (?)" The question mark is there because I think some of us may think that we haven't forgotten about important things like eldering and supporting women in the ministry, but we may very well find ourselves learning some things... Here's the schedule for the day: Time  …
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This weekend, 4/9-10 @BFC: Harvest Day, S&F, Sunday School, Worship, Singing Ensemble

Events
This Saturday, 4/9, is the bi-monthly Harvest Day food collection for the Berkeley Neighborhood Food Project, from 9:30 AM to 12 noon. If you'd like to help, contact Pantry Director Sara Webber; if you forgot your green bag last week and need to bring it in, come by any time between 10 AM and noon. And then this Sunday, 4/10, the Stewardship & Finance Committee will convene first, at 9 AM. Our regular Sunday School classes for adults & kids follow at 10 AM. Then we'll gather for Meeting for Worship at 11 AM,seeking God together in song, prayer, and corporate quiet (this month our open worship Sunday comes one week early).Fellowship time follows worship, and then the Singing Ensemble rehearses at 1 PM. And a reminder: Quaker Heritage Day…
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This weekend, 4/2 & 3 @BFC: Work Day, Trustees, Sunday School, Worship, MOCE

Events
Another First First Day at Berkeley Friends Church approaches--but to start, don't forget that there's a Work Day this Saturday, 4/2, from 10 AM to 2 PM. There's plenty of spiffing up to do in preparation for Quaker Heritage Day in a couple of weeks. Bring gardening tools if you have them, and a brown-bag lunch. Then on Sunday, 4/3, the Trustees are first, meeting at 9 AM. Then our Sunday School classes for children and adults gather at 10 AM. We meet for Worship at 11 AM, bringing our hearts together in song, silence, communal prayer, and a message based on another of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances in John 20. Fellowship time and refreshments follow worship, and then the Missionary, Outreach & Christian Education Committee meets at 1 PM. Don't…
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Stoking the Fire Reflection: God’s Consuming Fire

Reflections
Friends United Meeting's 2016 Stoking the Fire conference is coming up! We are posting here a devotional Brian Young originally wrote in preparation for last year's gathering, and will post others in coming weeks. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29, NIV The image of God as a consuming fire may give us pause. What does it mean to be consumed by such fire? Is this the fire of judgment? Is it a fire that would mean our utter destruction? (more…)
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This weekend, 3/25-27, @BFC and beyond: Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday

Events
This weekend we remember Jesus' Passion and celebrate his Resurrection! 1) Tomorrow, 3/25, observe Good Friday with the Bay Area peace & justice community with two opportunities for public witness: A) The annual vigil at Livermore Nuclear Weapons Laboratory, this year with the theme "Empire and the Cross: Sowing the Seeds of Hope." Gather at Vasco and Patterson Pass Roads in Livermore at 6:45 AM; worship at 7:00 AM, followed by procession to the gate of the lab and acts of civil disobedience (not required of everyone!). For complete information, see the Ecumenical Peace Institute website. B) A little closer to home, the East Bay interfaith community sponsors "The Crucifixion Continues" at Frank Ogawa/Oscar Grant Plaza, in front of Oakland's City Hall, 12th & Broadway. Gather at 12 noon to…
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