MISSION: It’s Possible!
 
We have a mission – to reach people for the love of Jesus Christ and to make new disciples for his Kingdom.  That mission is one we pursue out of love of God and love of our fellow human beings.  But have we always done a good job of it?  Have we remained focused?  Has that always been at the forefront of our minds?  Bishop Carcano has challenged all of our churches to make new disciples by engaging our community and she named the Bay District as the first to begin a pilot program to see how effective we could be at doing so.  It’s called Mission: It’s Possible. Back in February, pastors were asked to create a team of lay members who would be open and receptive to such a plan, people who would offer not only support, but new ideas and perspectives.  
 
We have formed such a team.
 
Our MIP team has been working over the past five months to come up with a plan that not only meets the challenge Bishop Carcano gave us, but is one that honors our church and who we are today.  Our team of wonderful volunteers are Naomi Akagi, Lindsay Hiratzka, Greg Suzuki, Cheryl Tekawa-Pon, and Mike Williams.  Over the next month or two, we will be rolling out that plan and giving everyone a chance to offer feedback and input as we move forward toward implementation.  Our hope is to find meaningful ways to reach people with the love of Jesus Christ with the people and the talents God has given us.  We plan to focus on two main goals:

1. Return to our roots as a community church by leveraging our unique history and cultural identity to be a safe haven and welcome home for all
2. Reach out to the college community surrounding us to offer the kind of spiritual support and love for those who are in a pivotal time of life

 
How we will do this and what we have been asked to focus on by our Bishop and our Conference will be the topic of discussion in local community forums and gatherings we will have together.  Stay tuned for those and please come with an open mind and an open heart.  
 
Peace in Christ,
Craig
 
 
90^th Anniversary is Coming – And We Can Use Your Help
 
This year marks the 90^th anniversary of Berkeley Methodist United Church!  And we plan to celebrate our past together as we prepare for the future.  We are planning a two-day celebration of God’s ministry at BMUC on October 12 and 13.  October 12 will be a celebration lunch with a keynote address by Bishop Grant Hagiya and October 13 will be a special worship service as we envision moving forward into the next 90 years.
 
Since the celebration lunch is going to be such a huge effort, we would love your help!  If you feel called upon to help us plan the event, we have a number of areas we can use help including set up and clean up, decorations, favors, catering, etc.  Just email Rev. Craig (craig@bmuc.org) and let us know.