Ash Wednesday

We will have a service this Wednesday at 12 noon in the Sanctuary, and if you desire, you can receive the ashes. Last year, we created a beautiful, intimate space of reflection, and we aim to do so again this year.

Friends,

Our church was born 75 years ago from the hard labors of many dedicated people. We are going to celebrate our ministry in style with a beautiful worship service on February 1st. Reverend Laurie Manning will be preaching. She is very excited about the opportunity as am I. Please make every effort to come. This is going to be a special celebration. 

Pastor Niels.

Beloved!

The church’s next congregational meeting is scheduled for Sunday January 18, 2026.

We will meet right after worship in the Sanctuary. 

Please put it in your calendar now. We have important business to discuss and we will tell you more as the date approaches. Do make every effort to come please.

With all my heart,

Pastor Niels

Bible Study is back. We will gather on January 12, Monday evening at 7:30 over zoom. The zoom link will be sent to you in email that evening. 

We will read and pray and ponder the opening chapter of the Gospel of John, verses 1–18. We could spend all year on these verses, instead we may take two or three weeks. I can’t wait to contemplate this text with you. 

Pastor Niels

Christmas Eve Service and Pageant

Join us Christmas Eve at 5:00 for our candlelight service and pageant. Sing carols with us and enjoy a retelling of the Christmas story put on by our children and youth. The service concludes with our annual tradition, gathering on the patio and singing Silent Night together to welcome in the holiday. Don't miss it!

Narthex for a Tag on What is Needed!

One of Hillcrest's advent traditions is to have a “Giving Tree” in Fellowship Hall or the Narthex during the Advent season with baby items needed on tags for our layette donation program.  You pick a tag or two, wrap your gift(s), and bring them to the Christmas Eve service on December 24 at 5:00pm if you plan to attend. If you are not attending, just drop them off at the office any weekday morning or on Sunday in the Narthex. Let's replenish the layette supplies at this special time of year in honor of the birth of Jesus.  

~ Layette Program, Sue La Pat

Sugar Plum Workshop is a time for kids and kids at heart to make holiday themed gifts that can be given to family/friends as gifts.

We will meet in the Fellowship Hall after Worship Service.

We are continuing our Bible Study during Advent. We are following the practice of Lectio Divina during this time. Lectio Divina is a prayerful form of reading scripture. Each week we will read the scripture that will be part of the service the Sunday following. 

This week we will read Luke 1:30–52. I am curious to see what our prayers will feel like.

Please let us know if you have interest in attending by filling out this very brief form.

Monday evening at 7:30pm on zoom. 

Here is that link.

Pastor Niels

Clergy for Reproductive Freedom invite you to:

Faith Voices for Reproductive Rights: 

An Interfaith Gathering of Sacred Support and a Fundraiser for Planned Parenthood Northern California

Monday, November 17th 7pm

Hillcrest Congregational Church, Pleasant Hill

Join together with our interfaith community, local faith leaders, and Planned Parenthood Northern California CEO Dr. Nicole Barnett for a gathering in support of reproductive health care, and to stand in solidarity with Planned Parenthood NorCal during this critical moment in the fight for reproductive freedom. The event will include hearing voices of faith across the faith spectrum share their why when it comes to supporting reproductive health care and hearing from PPNorCal’s new CEO about what this moment in the work.

Planned Parenthood has been defunded nationwide and is blocked from Medicaid reimbursements. Eighty percent of PPNorCal patients rely on Medicaid (Medi-Cal) to access reproductive care. Last year, seven out of ten PPNorCal patients were uninsured or used public health insurance. With federal funding fully blocked, the future of care for millions of patients in California is uncertain. The Care Can’t Wait Campaign will reinforce PPNorCal’s capacity, stabilize infrastructure, and protect care at all of their clinics.This is especially critical in rural service areas, where healthcare options are scarce and especially vulnerable to cuts. In these communities, PPNorCal is often the only provider of sexual and reproductive health care for hundreds of miles.

PPNorCal’s Clergy for Reproductive Freedom has set a fundraising goal to exceed $10,000 with all proceeds going to support the crucial work of PPNorCal. 

Please give from the heart. Any amount of donation is appreciated!

RSVP and please indicate in the comments if you can bring a dessert, vegetarian appetizer, or drink.

For any and all interested in helping to plan our advent season. There will be a meeting in Room 16 at 10:00 on Thursday, November 13th to plan for Advent. We’ve heard a lot of great suggestions and ideas, and it’s time to finally put them into play. If you cannot make the meeting, please feel free to reach out to Allison or Rev. Niels. We’d love to hear from you!

Between October 20 and the beginning of Advent we focus on Lectio Divina, or Divine Reading. This is a prayerful form of reading scripture. Each week we will read the scripture that will be part of the service the Sunday following. 

This week we will read Luke 6:20-31. I am curious to see what our prayers will feel like.

Please let us know if you have interest in attending by filling out this very brief form.

Monday evening at 7:30pm on zoom. 

Here is that link.

Pastor Niels 

Though we may not like to think about it, planning in advance for major health issues can make all the difference in the world. Having a Durable Power of Attorney and an Advanced Healthcare Directive can ensure that you or your loved one is well taken care of when they need it the most. Please join us after service at 12:30 in Room 16, when we will be joined by Matthew Hulse from Senior Legal Aid, who will be giving a talk about this very important subject.

Grief affects us all in various ways, and the holiday season can be difficult. We will provide you with coping tools and ideas to guide you. 

This is a “hybrid event”—you can plan to attend this event in-person or inline. 

Date and Time: November 1 from 10:30am–12:00pm.

Location: Hillcrest Congregational Church, room 16.

Please RSVP to reserve your spot:

(888) 899-4677

jonathan@alamedahospice.com

Bible Study October 27th. 7pm via Zoom

Between October 20 and the beginning of Advent we focus on Lectio Divina, or Divine Reading. This is a prayerful form of reading scripture. Each week we will read the scripture that will be part of the service the Sunday following. 

This week we will read Luke 19:1-10. I am curious to see what our prayers will feel like.

Please let us know if you have interest in attending by filling out this very brief form.

Monday evening at 7:30pm on zoom. 

Here is that link.

Pastor Niels

Good news: There are only 8 days until the

FALL FAMILY FIESTA

Next Sunday, October 26

There is still time to choose a costume and REMEMBER the famous words of the late, great Bill Cunninham:

“All You Need is a Hat” and you have a costume!

So everyone be sure to wear a hat or costume next Sunday and join us for the festivities in Fellowship Hall after worship!  AND if you don’t have a hat, we will have extras in the Narthex!

The Multi-Faith ACTION Coalition and the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County, in collaboration with Concord Mayor, Carlyn Obringer and Concord Vice Mayor, Laura Nakamura - invite you to attend a United Against Hate Week event, Compassionate Responses Rooted in Faith - United Against Hate. All are welcome to join us in promoting belonging and relationships.

We are all too aware of the steep rise in hate in our nation, state, and communities, and we understand the immediate need for faith and civic leaders to jointly address hatred, polarization and violence. Our program will consist of a panel discussion with leaders from several different faith traditions, as well as a 30-minute breakout session to offer the opportunity for practical discussion amongst everyone in attendance. Finally, we will all, collectively, commit to diffusing hatred by taking a pledge to Unite Against Hate.

We invite you to join us for this very important evening and event! Questions can be directed to the Interfaith Council's Office Manager, Charlotte Ginn, at eye4ceeoffice@gmail.com. Thank you and see you there!

Beloved!

I want to invite you to join the worship team for a special gathering. Each year Hillcrest delights in its Advent worship. We want to start your delight early this year.

The worship team is inviting you to join them for a workshop where we will brainstorm Advent worship. 

• What would you like to see?

• What would you like to hear?

• What drama/action would you like to see?

• How would you like to have our children participate?

• What spiritual expression can make the Advent worship more meaningful for you?

• What movement would you like to feel, express?

We have two workshops planned and you can come to one or both. 

• Tuesday October 21, at 7pm.

We hope that you can come to one of these and bring your creativity and inspiration. 

Many blessings,

The worship team

(Sue Beadle, Cindy Durant, Moira Blaisdell, Allison Silva, Shelby Pickett, and Niels Teunis)

This will be our fifth week of Bible Study. We will talk about how learning Bible verses by heart can strengthen your spiritual journey. We will  look at possible examples and we will encourage you to find your own and make them your own.

Please let us know if you have interest in attending by filling out this very brief form.

Monday evening at 7:30pm on zoom. 

Beloved!

I want to invite you to join the worship team for two special gatherings. Each year Hillcrest delights in its Advent worship. We want to start your delight early this year.

The worship team is inviting you to join them for a workshop where we will brainstorm Advent worship. 

• What would you like to see?

• What would you like to hear?

• What drama/action would you like to see?

• How would you like to have our children participate?

• What spiritual expression can make the Advent worship more meaningful for you?

• What movement would you like to feel, express?

We have two workshops planned and you can come to one or both. 

• Sunday October 12, right after worship.

• Tuesday October 21, at 7pm.

We hope that you can come to one of these and bring your creativity and inspiration. 

Many blessings,

The worship team

(Sue Beadle, Cindy Durant, Moira Blaisdell, Allison Silva, Shelby Pickett, and Niels Teunis)

This will be our fourth week of Bible Study. We will talk about reading the Bible prayerfully. This is also known as Lectio Divina. We spoke about this practice in service during Lent. We now get to practice together. 

Please let us know if you have interest in attending by filling out this very brief form.

The following weeks we will talk about reading the Bible prayerfully using the ancient spiritual practice of Lectio Divina. 

Monday evening at 7:30pm on zoom. 

Here is that link.

Pastor Niels 

If you've ever been with a friend or loved one in the last years of their lives, you might have seen hospice services in action. Palliative end-of-life care can be critical to help our loved ones through this important time of transition, but it is often overlooked because we don't like to think about death and dying. On Sunday, October 5th, Christina Gargiullo-Silva, a veteran hospice chaplain, will be joining us to share her experiences and talk about what your options are for anyone who might need this vitally important service. I hope you'll join us at 12:30 in room 16 following the service for information and discussion. 

Please join us for the celebration of the life of long term Hillcrest member Beryl Vaughan Deas (February 7, 1927 – July 17, 2025).

She served our church well for a long time as Treasurer, gift program manager, community food & clothing donations volunteer, Women’s Fellowship board member, Jubilee committee planner, and bell ringer. 

The service will be held at Hillcrest Church at 2pm. We will have a reception to follow the service.

This will be our third week of Bible Study. We have explored reading scripture as poetry and as narrative.  This week we will explore the elements of letter writing and how these try to share ideas with us. 

Please let us know if you have interest in attending by filling out this very brief form.

The following weeks we will talk about reading the Bible prayerfully using the ancient spiritual practice of Lectio Divina. 

Monday evening at 7:30pm on zoom. 

Here is that link.

Pastor Niels

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, our Hispanic youths wanted to put together something to share their culture with us. Please meet after service on September 28 in the Fellowship hall so we can see what our youth had put together for us. The Sunday school children will also be making an art piece to honor Hispanic month.

Romans 15:7 “accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God."