Northbrae Community Church

-- an open, affirming, and inclusive church

941 The Alameda  Berkeley, CA 94707

• Home
• About Us
• Our Church Service
• Our Worship
• Our Minister
• Our Sermons
• Sunday School
• Our Windows
• Calendar
• Our Organization
• Our Causes and Concerns
• Weddings/event venues
• Our Facilities
• Directions
• Contact
• Donations

Calendar of Events

Please contact the church office for information on our events.

Upcoming Events

• April 7, 2010 - Wednesday evening lecture:  Spiritual Life of Bay Area Tribes.  Richie Richards, of Lakota descent, is a Native American Education specialist and docent at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at U.C. Berkeley.  He has initiated outreach programs to bring Native American studies to elementary schools.  The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. preceded by dinner ($7.00) at 6:30 p.m.
• May 5, 2010 - Wednesday evening lecture:  Meeting Nature in the Body.  John Daniel, former logger, hod carrier, railroader, and rock-climbing instructor, is author of nine books of poetry, essays, and memoir, and former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford.  Recent book titles are Rogue River Journal and The Far Corner: Northwestern Views on Land, Life, and Literature (2009).  Daniel will read and discuss passages from his works.  The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. preceded by dinner ($7.00) at 6:30 p.m.
• June 2, 2010 - Wednesday evening lecture:  Spiritual Awakening and the Prayer of the Heart.  Olga Louchakova, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and a prolific writer in spirituality and science.  Her research on the psychology of spiritual awakening, non-duality, and prayer was featured on BBC news and Science Daily.   Her talk will be accompanied by slides of art works.  The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. preceded by dinner ($7.00) at 6:30 p.m.

Ongoing Events

Tuesday Group - meets at 10:00 a.m. on the second and third Tuesdays of each month to read and discuss religious topics.  The next discussion begins January 19, 2010.  The book under discussion is The Once and Future Faith.  It is a collection of articles written by authors of the Jesus Seminar.  Authors include, among others, Karen Armstrong and John Shelby Spong.  The subjects of the articles are diverse but all are related to the future of Christianity.

Wednesday Bible Study -  meets on the third Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. in the Parlor.  Led by Ron Sebring and Carolyn West, this year we are looking at the Bible as a genre of literature and the "hermeneutical circle," the idea that we need a sense of the whole to understand the parts, and we need a sense of the parts to understand the whole.  Hence, the interpretive circle that goes back and forth.

Drop by Lunch on the third Tuesday of each month at 11:45.  Drop by for soup and baguette.  $2.00 donation is requested.

The Writers' Group meets on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.  The group focuses on "Writing Our Own Stories."

Yoga - A yoga class is held every Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. to noon in the parlor. This is an easy yoga class designed to benefit seniors. There is no set fee but a donation to the instructor, Pondurenga Das, is suggested.

… Annually and Periodically                                                       

Christmas Eve Services - Christmas Eve we have two services. An early 5:00 p.m. service for children and a 10:00 p.m. service for adults. The choir goes to great length in preparing music for the service.  The children's service accommodates all children who want to be part of the celebration.

Hanging of the Greens, cookie walk, potluck dinner, and carol singing - Each year, prior to Christmas, we sell cookies members have baked, which raises money that helps support our church school. At the same time we decorate Haver Hall (Hanging of the Greens) and get ready for Christmas. Members and friends bring dishes of food and we have a joyful meal together. Later we gather around the piano and sing Christmas carols.

Easter Sunday Activities - Easter Sunday is special at Northbrae. The church is decorated with Easter lilies, which are later delivered to our shut-ins at home or in nursing homes. It is a time, like Christmas, that we especially want to remember them.

Mother's Day Brunch - This event is prepared primarily by the men in the church to honor the mothers of the church and others. It provides our men an opportunity to work together and develop camaraderie that in turn strengthens the church.                     

Children's Sunday - Children are an important part of our church, particularly their education in the church school. This day gives them an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned throughout the year.

Music Sunday - Our choir takes off during the summer but blasts off with an hour-long songfest that entertains the congregation.

Father's Day Breakfast - a pancake, egg, and fruit breakfast prepared by the women and children in the church for the men and fathers. The breakfast is followed by a church service in the sanctuary.

Annual Bazaar - Northbrae has been having an annual bazaar in October for so many years that it has become institutionalized in the community. It is one of the events that the church has to raise money to support our community outreach and social programs.

Moveable Feasts - Getting together in order to become better acquainted with one another, we have dinner at various members’ homes. Each person brings something to share in addition to good friendly conversation.

Work Parties - Northbrae is fortunate to have so many members who possess the skills and desire to keep things running around the church.  Since many groups use the church, things tend to wear out or need repair. The work parties get many things done, but also are a way of building our own church community.