Community Life

WHAT IS ST. PAUL UP TO?

St. Paul is a busy place! We organize our activities in groups called Mission Circles that help us communicate and share ideas throughout the church.

ADMINISTRATIVE

Finance and Property Committees

CONGREGATIONAL LIFE

Worship and Music, Hospitality, and Archives Committees

Click here for more information about our Worship and here for information about our Music programs.

LIFELONG EDUCATION

Children’s Ministry and Adult Education

Click here for more information about programs for Children and Youth and here for information about Adult Education.

OUTREACH AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Hunger, LGBTQ+, and Outreach Committees, Fairmont Hospital Task Force, Animal Task Force, and Alternative Christmas Task Force

Click here for more information about our hunger ministries, here for information about LGBTQIA+ issues, and here for information about our work in Fairmont Hospital.

Information about many of our other programs is below. Can’t find what you are looking for? Please contact Sheldon in the church office.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Check our Calendar and News pages for information about upcoming events.

UPCOMING COFFEE HOURS

We at St. Paul love coffee hour! Every Sunday after worship we gather around coffee, juice, and a table brimming with snacks, to catch up and get to know each other.

At many of our coffee hours we collect funds for causes close to our hearts. No one should ever feel the need to contribute, but all donations are gratefully received!

You can sign up to organize a coffee hour here.

OUTREACH

We have a special community and we hope to share it with others! Outreach is all about communication and invitation: every person who is looking for, or who needs, a faith community like St. Paul should be able to find us, and everyone should know that they are welcome here!

LEARN MORE

Outreach Committee organizes events with other groups that help reach people in our neighborhood and greater community:

  • Children’s Halloween Party (with a fantastic haunted house designed and run by our teens!)
  • A Yard Sale (donate your extra items or come pick up some bargains)
  • We are a Polling Place on Election Days, and provide coffee and cookies to those waiting to vote
  • Every summer we take a group to Woodminister to watch live theater together
  • Booths at Castro Valley Pride, Oakland Pride, Oaktoberfest, Laurel Street Fair, National Night Out
  • We work with the Property Committee on beautification projects for our front yard
  • We coordinate God’s Work, Our Hands Day activities (a national program of the ELCA)
  • We work with the Lutheran Office of Public Policy to inform our members about upcoming advocacy opportunities
  • And we invite our neighbors to other events like the Animal Blessing, Vacation Bible School and Glenview Classical concerts

Every member of St. Paul is part of Outreach. But the OUTREACH COMMITTEE needs some enthusiastic members to gather, brainstorm, and plan our activities for the coming year. We will meet monthly initially. If you have skills/interest in marketing, writing, social media, evangelism, planning, or graphic design – that would be a bonus, but anyone with an interest is encouraged to join. (YOUTH members are especially encouraged to join us)

HOSPITALITY

Hospitality is the heart of St. Paul. We want you to know how much you are welcome here. And we want to get to know you better!

LEARN MORE

Hospitality organizes events and activities for the St. Paul community, including:

  • An annual Smorgasbord to celebrate our Swedish heritage
  • Games nights
  • A Christmas Pancake Breakfast (co-organized by the East Bay Lutheran Youth Parish teen youth group) featured crafts, a hymn sing, and Santa!
  • An annual family picnic with BBQing and games

Hospitality has been busy keeping us in touch during the pandemic.

  • A Phone Tree to check in on more isolated members
  • Online Coffee Hours on Zoom follow our worship on Facebook
  • Our favorite cooks, Tim Carlon and Mitchell Hughes, delivered homemade meals to some of our members
  • We held two online game nights, hosted by Deborah and Christopher Larsen
  • Ann Johnson sent our members handmade paper cranes.

Zoom Events:

During the Pandemic, Pastor Holly has hosted regular Zoom social events for several groups including:

  • Zoom Parents Cocktail Hour
  • Zoom Teens
  • Notecards were sent to members and visitors

Trivia Nights!
Our trivia team has been killing it at Paulista Brazilian Kitchen & Taproom on Monday nights! Email the office for more information or just show up!

ANIMAL TASK FORCE

Animal Care Task Force Mission Statement:
“We believe that when God granted us dominion over animals God intended that we should exercise stewardship and care of creation; the responsibility to respect all life and to treat animals with dignity and compassion. Our goal is to explore opportunities to build awareness and offer service, and invite the congregation to participate with us in pro- animal activities and programs.”

LEARN MORE

Animal Blessing
Our Animal Blessing service returned in 2021! The Task Force sponsored the annual animal blessing on Sunday, October 6. This event was held on the Woodward lawn and sidewalk in an effort to make the event visible to neighbors.

Fund Raising
We hold coffee hours to raise funds for individual animal care organizations.