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1  Have found an approach to God through the life and teachings of Jesus,

2  Recognize the faithfulness of other people who have other names for the way to God’s realm, and acknowledge that their ways are true for them, as our ways are true for us,

3  Understand the sharing of bread and wine in Jesus’s name to be a representation of an ancient vision of God’s feast for all peoples,

4  Invite all people to participate in our community and worship life without insisting that they become like us in order to be acceptable
(including but not limited to):

believers and agnostics,
conventional Christians and questioning skeptics,
women and men,
those of all sexual orientations and gender identities,
those of all races and cultures,
those of all classes and abilities,
those who hope for a better world and those who have lost hope;

5  Know that the way we behave toward one another and toward other people is the fullest expression of what we believe,

6  Find more grace in the search for understanding than we do in dogmatic certainty - more value in questioning than in absolutes;

7  Form ourselves into communities dedicated to equipping one another for the work we feel called to do: striving for peace and justice among all people, protecting and restoring the integrity of all God’s creation, and bringing hope to those Jesus called the least of his sisters and brothers; and

8  Recognize that being followers of Jesus is costly, and entails selfless love, conscientious resistance to evil, and renunciation of privilege."
 

"The 8 Points” (version 2003)
The Center for Progressive Christianity, www.tcpc.org

 

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MISSION STATEMENT OF THE MORE LIGHT PRESBYTERIANS:

"Following the risen Christ, and seeking to make the Church a true community of hospitality, the mission of More Light Presbyterians is to work for the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA)."

Affirmed by the Session of CPC on September, 27, 2011.

CALL TO COVENANT OF THE COVENANT NETWORK OF PRESBYTERIANS:

As disciples of Jesus Christ and members of the Presbyterian Church (USA), in reliance on the promise of God’s grace, we make the following affirmations about our faith and our church:

We affirm faith in Jesus Christ who proclaimed the reign of God by preaching good news to the poor, binding up the broken-hearted and calling all to repent and believe the good news. It is Christ whose life and ministry form and discipline all we say and do.

The church we seek to strengthen is built upon the hospitality of Jesus, who said, “Whoever comes to me I will not cast out.” The good news of the gospel is that all — those who are near and those who were far off — are invited; all are members of the household and citizens of the realm of God. No one has a claim on this invitation and none of us becomes worthy, even by sincere effort to live according to God’s will. Grateful for our own inclusion, we carry out the mission of the church to extend God’s hospitality to a broken and fearful and lonely world.

The people of God are called to be “light to the nations.” As God’s people, we have a commission rather than a privilege. We believe that the place of the church is in the world and for the world: living the good news, proclaiming grace, working with others for justice, freedom and peace. Thus Christian faith has an inevitable public and political dimension. Because we believe that God is at work in culture and community beyond the church, the church need not be afraid to look and listen for God’s voice from outside its own sphere.

The words of scripture provide life and nourishment; as the psalmist says, they are desirable, delicious, sweet. The Bible is the evidence of God’s long, patient and persistent relationship with communities and persons of faith. It is the one true, reliable witness to God’s self-giving in Jesus Christ. The process of discerning God’s Word in the words of scripture depends on the faithful reading of the Bible by those who seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are committed to the ongoing task of finding in scripture God’s call to live out the Christian life in our day and time. We embrace gifts of scholarship, research and dialogue as we seek to understand the Bible’s relevance to the ever-changing needs of the world and to circumstances which scripture does not explicitly address.

We seek the gift of unity among all who confess the name of Jesus Christ as Lord. Unity is Christ’s prayer for those who would follow him, “so that the world might believe.” We hope to maintain communion fellowship with all whose lives are guided by the Christian creeds and by the confessions of Reformed faith. We pledge to strengthen our ties to those who are at risk of being excluded by recent legislative actions of our church. We also want to live in unity with those whose views are different from ours.

Because nothing in life or death can separate us from God’s love, we pray that the issues
before us will not separate us from one another.

COVENANT STATEMENT
Therefore we covenant together to:
1. welcome, in the name of Christ, all whom God calls into community and leadership in God’s church;
2. reach out in solidarity and compassion to all who are wounded or excluded by recent legislative actions of our church;
3. continue to be faithful to the Presbyterian Church (USA), supporting its mission in Christ’s name to God’s world;
4. reaffirm our denomination’s historic understanding that “God alone is Lord of the conscience” (G-1.0301) both for ourselves and for those with whom we disagree;
5. trust sessions and presbyteries to ordain those called by God, through the voice of the church, who are “persons of strong faith, dedicated discipleship, and love of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord” and whose “manner of life demonstrates the Christian gospel in the church and the world” (G-6.0106a);
6. seek pastoral and theological solutions to division in the church;
7. maintain dialogue, study, and prayer in the spirit of Christ with those with whom we differ, seeking to understand the deeper roots of our disagreements;
8. seek God’s will for the Church through the presence of Christ, the study of scripture, the guidance of our historic confessions, and the dynamic work of the Holy Spirit;
9. encourage officers and governing bodies of the church to join us in this covenant.

As we covenant together in Christ, we commit ourselves to encourage one another through prayer, counsel, and mutual support, through times of challenge, controversy, and hope.

Affirmed by the Session of CPC on September, 27, 2011.

THAT ALL MAY FREELY SERVE:

That All May Freely Serve commits to actively resist and transform structures and systems of injustice, joining in solidarity in making the connections with those disenfranchised by racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, ablebodyism, gender identity oppression, eco-exploitation, militarism, and all other structures of exploitation and oppression through the lens of our social location, and to focus on the liberation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious prejudice and exclusionary church policies.

Affirmed by the Session of CPC on September, 27, 2011.

CPC & FCCA are members of the Coalition of Welcoming Congregations and are happy to welcome the children of God of all gender identities and expressions and those of all sexual orientations to full membership and ministry in our church families.  We share an LGBT Film Series and discussion each month to continue our exploration and cultural compentency in understanding the diversity of human sexuality.

“Let’s Make it Better” Video Project:
Our video is at the top of the page, or you can view it our other church videos at:  http://www.youtube.com/user/PresbyPitt

 

Crop Hunger Walk will begin again at St. Andrew’s Lutheran (2507 San Jose  Dr., Antioch) this Sunday, April 29th at 2:00 pm in Antioch.  Registration begins at 1:30 pm.  Let Carol Hosmer know if you want to volunteer.

Midweek Evening Study for Adults:  Eastertide study Wednesday evenings at 7:30 pm in the CSR. We are reading Brian McLaren’s new book, entitled “A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith.”  We will discuss up to pages 158-177 when we resume again on Wednesday, April 25th at 7:30 pm.

Theology Pub Returns to E.J. Phairs:  Thursday, May 3rd we have the back tiled room reserved for 12-20 people from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Come on down, taste a brew (or not), and let's talk about God.

Shared Ministry Update: We have agreed to hire a consultant to help us through our process. Rev. Dr. Glenna Shepherd has met with over 50 members of both of our congregations, and she will present her report of her findings by the end of the month.  She did share her excitement at our past and future music programs, and that we are further ahead in our process than we think we are. 

Mondays in Antioch... The FCCA devotional, Bible study time meets on most Mondays in Antioch.  Pastor Christy leads the group at 10:00 am at St. George's Episcopal Church in Antioch. (301 E. 13th St. in Antioch).  The next meeting will be March 5th. 

Tuesday Morning Bible Study: We are watching and discussing Bill Moyers video series on Genesis. We meet at 10:00 am on Tuesday mornings in the Stoneman Room. 

College Group: Friday, May 11th at 1:00 pm in the Cafeteria at Los Medanos College. Once a month, our Young Adults will meet for lunch for an informal conversation about the history of Christianity and the ways of Jesus, using the book "A People's History of Christianity" by Diana Butler Bass. Ask Pastor Will for a copy. This will be an ongoing conversation on the interection of life and faith.

Explore Palestine Organizing Meeting.  Pastor Will is leading a mission trip to Israel-Palestine over 17 days October 8-25 (with travel).  We will visit holy sites, learn about the peace work of Israelis and Palestinians, and help Palestinian farmers in the Bethlehem region with their olive harvest.  For more information, contact Pastor Will.  For our next meeting, we will be watching "The Lemond Tree at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, June 5th in the CSR.

LGBT Film Series: We will next meet at 7:00 pm on Thursday, May 24th in the CSR to watch the comedy "TransAmerica."

Both CPC and FCCA have committed to being a safe space for all those affected by bullying or in need of counseling. Please call us rather than consider any acts that would be self-destructive.

A New Way: is our multicultural, alternative worship service which leads our Sunday morning service once a month (normally on the fourth Sunday of the month). Our next New Way Service will be Sunday, April 22nd at 10:00 am for our annual Earth Day Service. 

Youth Group:  We will also have other Youth Group activities planned on the 3rd or 4th Saturday's of the month.  Our next gathering for a Secret Trip will be Saturdday, May 12th from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. for a Secret Trip.  Bring $10.00 and good walking shoes.  Permission slips for the July 15-19 Disneyland Trip are in the Narthex, Vestibule, and will be in the May CT.  $100 per teen (incoming 6-12th graders) and scholarships are available. 

On the first Sunday of each month, as we feast at the Lord’s table, remember all those in our community who are suffering physical hunger and bring your food donations for our East County Food Banks.  We gave over $2,000 to local food banks in 2011

Upcoming Small Group Meetings:
• The Joint FCCA-CPC Luncheon will meet Wednesday, May 2nd at Country Waffles in Pittsburg at 11:30 am. 
• Men’s Breakfast Group will meet again Saturday, May 5th at 8:00 am at Nana’s Place, Pittsburg.

Sparkle Sunday: We share the light of Christ each 3rd Sunday, this month it will be May 20th as we celebrate the baptism of Dylan Weiland (Lynn & Roger Lessley's grandson).

Session Meetings: Session now meets on the 4th Tuesdays of the month from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, rotating between the homes of our Session members.  Our next meeting will meet on Tuesday, April 24th at 6:30 pm at the home of Myrdel Dybdall.

Safe Place Youth Group:  We had a great lock-in on March 16th with 30 teens from East County Shared Ministy.  We are planning our next Lock-in – interfaith activities for teens and young adults aged 14-17, in partnership with the Empowerment Program led by the Center for Human Developement in Antioch.  Safe Place Youth Group provides special programming for teens and their parents, building life skills, large group activities, and a special art show where friends and family members can celebrate the life and gifts of their children.  If you know any teens or parents that would be interested in the teen programs or meeting with the pastors, please let Pastor Will or Pastor Christy know.   Our next event will be a Brunch for Families and Friends on Saturday, May 19th at 10:00 am.  We will have programs for teaching teens how to cook, expressing their artistic abilities, and sharing those gifts with their families adn friends.  Parents permission slips will be available soon.

Westminster Woods Camp
It is time to start looking at the schedule and deciding which time works best for your family. You can find the information at http://www.westminsterwoods.org/summer-camps/. You can register at this link, too.  I'm hoping all of you can go to camp this year. And you are welcome to invite a friend. Even if they don't go to our church.  The only difference is they will have to pay their entire camp fee. The fundraisers we are doing will be just for our ECSM kids. There are scholarships offered so you can take advantage of those.  Camp is so fun!  Just ask anyone that has gone in the past. If you have questions please call me at (925) 427-7225. - Mary Burks

Biblical Self Defense: By appointment, Pastor Will has offered to lead a conversation about what the Bible really say about LGBTQ inclusion. Come study the “clobber texts,” gender identity, and biblical conceptions of marriage in their context.  The next presentation will be an evening in May with Rev. Dawn Roginski somewhere in central county.

The Next Presbytery meeting:  Tuesday, May 8th from 3:00 to 9:00 pm at John Knox Presbyterian Church in Dublin.  The first two elders to sign in will be comissioners.  Let Pastor Will know if you will be attending.  FPC Concord will be hosting the September meeting and will welcome volunteers to help with hospitality and dinner. 

The NCNC UCC Annual Gathering:  Thursday to Sunday, April 26-29 at the Sofitel Hotel in Redwood City.  Registration at www.ncncucc.org.  Let's send a carpool down on Friday and Saturday!

 
 

Social Hall Rentals: Please contact our new Events Coordinator, Lisa Hansen for information.  Rates are based on number of attendees and Church Member rates available for your event.  Lisa can be contacted at 925.356.1918 or lisamichele01@sbcglobal.net.  Please check with Office Manager before borrowing tables and chairs from the Social Hall. We have rentals that are promised a certain amount when they book their private event. Thank you.

 

Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County:

http://interfaithccc.org/