Sunday, December 10 @ 7:00
Union Square
Lead by MBCC's Tiffany Flaming, Christmas Rock is a multichurch musical celebration held every year in the heart of Union Square. This year quite a few MBCC folks will be part of the band that will lead the SF shopping community in Christmas carols! Mark your calendars and come on down!
Book Group: A monthly-ish book discussion group on life and faith
Date: Friday, December 15th
Time: 6:00-9:00 w/Dinner
Location: Bruce and Robin's
Book: Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense
Author: N.T. Wright
Contact/RSVP: Pastor Bruce
Please join us for another evening of conversation about life and faith. There are six copies of the book available at MBCC for $16.
From the Publisher:
Why do we expect justice? Why do we crave spirituality? Why are we attracted
to beauty? Why are relationships often so painful? And how will the world be
made right? These are not simply perennial questions all generations must
struggle with, but, according to N. T. Wright, are the very echoes of a
voice we dimly perceive but deeply long to hear. In fact, these questions
take us to the heart of who God is and what He wants from us.
For two thousand years, Christianity has claimed to solve these mysteries, and this renowned biblical scholar and Anglican bishop shows that it still can today. Not since C. S. Lewis's classic summary of the faith, Mere Christianity, has such a wise and thorough scholar taken the time to explain to anyone who wants to know what Christianity really is and how it is practiced. Wright makes the case for Christian faith from the ground up, assuming that the reader has no knowledge of (and perhaps even some aversion to) religion in general and Christianity in particular.
Simply Christian walks the reader through the Christian faith step by step and question by question. With simple yet exciting and accessible prose, Wright challenges skeptics by offering explanations for even the toughest doubt-filled dilemmas, leaving believers with a reason for renewed faith. For anyone who wants to travel beyond the controversies that can obscure what the Christian faith really stands for, this simple book is the perfect vehicle for that journey.
MBCC Worship Retreat
Date: Saturday, December 16
Time: 1:00-4:00 (noon if you want lunch)
Attendees: Anyone interested in Worship: Band, members, etc.
Location: MBCC
CONTACT:
MOTIVATION:
We are ready . . . it is hard to believe, but is has been about six months
since InHo, our previous Worship Pastor, left MBCC. During that time, we
have had an amazingly smooth transition and worship has been remarkably
consistent. This consistency allowed for a few things to happen. One, it
has allowed me to concentrate on other parts of the church that needed to be
urgently addressed and transitioned. Two, some comfort in worship has
enabled folks to handle some of the chaos and chance occurring in other
parts of their church life. And, three, it has given us time as a worship
community to grow and experience one another so we can have more meaningful
conversations about worship. In all of this God has indeed been good.
But/So . . . I think we are ready to take the next step in helping to shape
and form the worship experience here at MBCC. My hope for this not is to
dwell not so much on method and techniques of worship, but to concentrate on
approach and understand so that method/style/techniques will flow out of
common understandings, if not common agreement.
HOPES FOR THE DAY:
- To build community around the sharing of community worship expectations;
- To develop understanding of the elements and approaches of historically reformed Christian worship;
- To communicate pastoral leadership's (ME) understanding of worship in general and at MBCC specifically;
- To develop understandings and expectations about leading worship: music, speaking, etc.
- To explore possible leadership models and structures of the music aspects of worship;
- To develop covenant of core approaches/purposes/roles for worship;
- What is Worship? What has it been for you: style, approach, method, etc.?
- What is Reformed Presbyterian Worship?
- What has been/is MBCC Worship?
- What do we hope MBCC worship to be/become: method, style, approach, language, etc?
- What does it mean to be Worship Leadership (w/microphone.)?
- What does it mean to be part of worship (w/o microphone)?
- How do we see worship being planned, thought out, lead?
SALVATION ARMY FOOD SERVICE PROJECT
DATE: Saturday, December 23
TIME: 8:30am-4:oopm (3-4 hour shifts)
LOCATION: Salvation Arm y, 832 Folsom Street
CONTACT: Derrick Weston:
Hope you can take some time to come and help the Salvation Army distribute food to those in need. We need volunteers to help sort canned goods and fill food boxes. The times are from 8:30 am - 4 pm (3-4 hour shifts). Actual distribution is December 20 - 23, 2006 to low income families in need of assistance. Volunteers must be able to lift 35 pounds.
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE - 11:00am
DATE: Sunday, December 24th
TIME: 11:00am
LOCATION: MBCC
CONTACT:
DESCRIPTION: PARTY! Well maybe not an raver or club scene, but a celebration nonetheless as we remember the birth of Christ and all that that means to us and the world.
Evening Christmas Eve Services can be found at:
CHRIST UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
7:00PM An Evening of Stories and Candlelight
SEVENTH AVENUE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
7:00pm Christmas Eve Service of Lessons and Carols
LAKESIDE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
10:00pm Christmas Eve Service of Lessons and Carols
OLD FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
10:00pm Christmas Eve Service of Lessons and Carols
Covenant Presbyterian Church
(Westportal/Parkside Area)
7:00pm Service of Lesson and Carols
Christmas Day Service
Calvary Presbyterian Church
(Pacific Heights)
11:00am Worship Service
Sermon Series - Scheduled to Death: Finding God in an Overactive Life
Have you ever felt a tad bit overwhelmed with life? It seems like these days we are just walking Appointment Calendars with the layers upon layers of commitments to navigate: work, family, church, relationships, self-care, fun, and on and on. So what do we do? Do we try to escape? Do we simply run away? What about just pretending that we can handle it and somehow, someway it will all get better someday? While these may seem like good option, a better strategy may be to discern how God is present and active in it all and how we may need to claim, adjust and transform our lifestyle choices. Over the next month or so we will look at ways, theoretical and practical, but spiritual to better navigate the complexities of todays culture of being over-scheduled. Hope you can make room in your calendar to take part.
Series Details
CORE SCRIPTURE: Luke 8:22-25 - "Jesus Calms the Storm"
December 31
Main Question: What kind of "Calm" are we searching for?
We will look at issues around what exactly we things life should be like and why. How much of our life is supposed to be storm-like?
January 7
Main Question: Can our craziness be filled with Joy?
We will look at what we hope to get out of the busyness and how/if the activities we engage in are God-driven or not.
January 14
Main Question: Staying sane, myth or reality?
We will explore ways for us to maintain some kind of realistic and faithful balance in our life.
Book Group Update
Date: Friday, January 26
Time: 6:00-9:00 w/Dinner
Location: Bruce and Robin's
Book: Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives
Author: Richard A. Swenson
Contact/RSVP: Pastor Bruce
Please join us for another evening of conversation about life and faith. There are six copies of the book available at MBCC for $11.50.
Book Description
RX: FROM THE DESK OF RICHARD A. SWENSON, M.D. Overload is not having time to finish the book you're reading on stress. Margin is having time to read it twice. Overload is fatigue. Margin is energy. Overload is red ink. Margin is black ink. Overload is hurry. Margin is calm. Overload is anxiety. Margin is security. Overload is the disease of the 90's. Margin is the cure.
As a medical practitioner, Dr. Richard Swenson sees a steady stream of exhausted, hurting people coming into his office. A majority of them are suffering from an uncontrolled societal epidemic: living without margin.
Margin is the space that once existed between ourselves and our limits. It's something held in reserve for contingencies or unanticipated situations.
As a society, we've forgotten what margin is. In the push for progress, margin has been devoured. So we feel distressed in ill-defined ways. We are besieged by anxiety, stress, and fatigue. Our relationships suffer. We have unexplained aches and pains. The flood of daily events seems beyond our control. We're overloaded.
In Margin, Dr. Swenson provides a prescription against the danger of overloaded lives. Focusing on margin in four key areas-emotional energy, physical energy, time, and finances-he offers an overall picture of health that employs contentment, simplicity, balance, and rest.
If you yearn for relief from the pain and pressure of overload, take a lifelong dose of Margin under the care of a specialist. The benefits of good health, financial stability, fulfilling relationships, and availability for God's purposes will follow you all your days.
