Please read ALL of the ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Youth Group
Sunday, 12/8, 12-2pm
Join us for our next youth group gathering this coming Sunday, 12/8, from 12-2pm. Pizza will be served for lunch and we’ll have advent programming. St John’s Episcopal Church is hosting at 1707 Gouldin Rd, Oakland 94611. Lulu is available to give rides to St. John’s. Please let her know by Saturday night if your youth is attending. You can contact Lulu at office@lakemerrittumc.org
Sound Bath On Hiatus After December 13th Gathering
Thank you to everyone who has participated in this beautiful ministry.
Oakland Churches Together (OTC) Presents
Holiday Caroling at the Grand Lake Farmers Market
December 14th, 10:15am
Join us as we gather at the Grand Lake Theater at 10:15 a.m. before moving across the street to the Grand Lake Farmers Market. Wear festive lights, hats, sweaters to celebrate and highlight the Advent Season. Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church will provide songbooks and lead the singing. All are welcome!! Afterward, some of us will gather at Peet’s on Lakeshore Avenue for more socializing. For more information, contact Dan Strauss danjeffstrauss@gmail.com or Marlene Yamashita maryamca@att.net. Hope to see (and hear) you there!!
Food 4 Thought Taking Advent Break
The Food 4 Thought small group will not be meeting in December and will begin a new lecture series on the first Sunday of the New Year. More information to come! Please see Laurel Williams if you have any questions.
Thriving in Community 2025:
Art and Story Submission
As we step into 2025, the California-Nevada Annual Conference is continuing to embrace the bold and transformative vision adopted in 2023, focusing our attention this year on Thriving in Community. Rooted in the scriptural foundation of Jeremiah 29:7 and Acts 2:41-47, this part of our vision invites us to seek the welfare of our communities, nurture the spiritual growth of our churches, and witness the ripple effects of God’s love throughout the world. In preparation for this year long focus, we are inviting all in the California-Nevada Conference to get involved!
Snapshots of Thriving:
Throughout the year, we will highlight stories of congregations and ministries living out the focus in powerful ways. From innovative small group ministries to creative community outreach efforts, these snapshots will inspire and challenge us to think differently about what it means to thrive. If you have a Snapshot of Thriving to share, please submit it here! Conference Communications will turn these ideas and leads into fully fledged stories.
Art Call:
In preparation for this year long focus, we are inviting all in the California-Nevada Conference to submit art that will serve as our logo for the 2025 focus, as well as the 2025 Annual Conference Logo. Please read the guidelines below before submitting.
Submission Guidelines:
Please submit the art as a PNG or JPG. Art must be Conference header size,1,875×625 pixels. If your art is not within this size, Conference Communications reserves the right to resize and make edits to the art as needed. You are welcome to include the phrase, “Thriving in Community” within the art, as well as the California-Nevada Conference Logo, which can be downloaded here. While the art must be submitted in a digital format, you are welcome to paint, sketch or use any other mediums and then scan it for submission. We are so excited to see the creativity and hear the stories of Thriving in Community from across the California-Nevada Conference. To submit, click here. If you have any questions about either , please contact Conference Communications by emailing communications@calnevumc.org.
Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble Concerts
December 7th & 8th at 4pm
This December, two of the Bay Area’s leading choirs will come together to create a sensational tour de force of seasonal choral music. Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble and WomenSing, directed by Ofer dal Lal, will present Synergy, a varied program that will include works for double-choir, choir with solo, and other choral combinations. Allow the music to envelop you as you hear these stellar singers create a unity of sound that will be more expressive and affecting than any single part. The concerts will be held on Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8. Tickets may be obtained at www.vocisings.org
Saturday, Dec 7, 2024 – 4 PM
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
66 St. Stephen’s Drive, Orinda
Sunday, Dec 8, 2024 – 4 PM
St. Mary Magdalen Church
2005 Berryman St., Berkeley
OIGC 39th Annual Holiday Concert
December 7th, 7pm
Join the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir for an evening of soul-stirring music, holiday spirit, and interfaith harmony at its 39th Annual Holiday Concert, hosted by Amar Khalil, acclaimed singer/songwriter and former lead vocalist for Tony! Toni! Toné!. Taking place on Saturday, December 7 at 7 PM at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, this celebration of Healing Through Song features guest vocalists JaCoree Prothro, Reverend Reginald Finley, and Jackie Tolbert, with dynamic ASL interpretation by Half-N-Half (Sherry Hicks and Michael Velez). The Oakland Interfaith Community Choir and Youth Choir will join OIGC for a powerful performance to celebrate life and uphold freedom. More information can be found here.
If you would like to submit an announcement for our weekly e-blast, please adhere to the guidelines found here. All submissions are due Wednesday by noon.