Local Outreach

We at Berkeley Covenant Church seek to reach out to those around us with the love of Christ, both through word and deed. We believe that God calls us to serve others as an integral and natural response to his love for us. Serving others in the community takes place in many forms. We seek to serve and care for those with whom we have natural relationships our families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. We also seek to serve and care for those in the wider community of Berkeley and the East Bay who are hurting, rejected, or marginalized.

Local Organizations We Support

As a church body, we support several local ministries with prayer, time, financial support and, in some cases, use of our facility. These include: New College Berkeley ( a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the education of the Christian laity) www.newcollegeberkeley.org.

Harbor House (A multi-ethnic, inter-denominational Christian organization, Harbor House welcomes children, youth, adults, and families to social, economic, educational, and spiritual development through access to food and clothing, jobs through our four businesses, after-school programs, adult English-learning programs, and training in youth leadership, job skills, life skills, and urban ministry.) www.hhministries.org

First Resort (offers crisis pregnancy counseling and teen abstinence programs) www.firstresort.net

David and Luisa Lin (staff members for International Students Inc., providing friendship and service to international students) www.isisfbay.org

New Hope Covenant Church (our sister church in Oakland) www.newhopeoakland.homestead.comwww.newhopeoakland.homestead.com

Fiat Lux (a U.C. Berkeley student club sponsoring lectures, intellectual discussion, outdoor sports, community service, and cultural activities as a way for people from diverse backgrounds to learn from each other by asking important questions and searching for answers together in a dynamic and exciting community) www.fiatluxclub.berkeley.edu

American Red Cross (providing a safe, adequate supply of blood products and services to meet the needs of sick and injured patients throughout the community) beadonor.com

For further information about these organizations or to learn how you can get involved, contact one of the Local Sojourners (listed below).

Local Sojourners

The Local Sojourners are a group of individuals who come together to empower the congregation in its outreach efforts. Our vision is to help each member of BCC take Jesus' Great Commission seriously. We encourage church members to actively engage with those in their workplace, school and neighborhood, sharing Christ's love through word and deed. We also find ways to help members support several local ministries serving the East Bay (listed above). In addition, the Local Sojourners works with others in the body to make the church itself a welcoming and attractive place where people can meet Jesus.

World Sojourners

The Berkeley Covenant World Sojourners have world mission on their hearts. We are committed to "bringing the whole Gospel to Berkeley and beyond," supporting missionaries who reach out to meet both spiritual and physical needs around the world. Our congregation has a rich missions history and has sent families to serve in Thailand, Mexico, and Romania. Our current pastor, Al Tizon, and his family served in the Philippines for ten years before coming to Berkeley.

We meet monthly to pray for and discuss the missionary outreach of our church. We would love to have you join us! Please follow the trail to meet the missionaries we support and pray for.

If you have any questions, please call Ann and Kent Moriarty at 510.741.7093.

Community Transformation Links

For resources and information about transformational ministries contact these sites.

www.network935.org - A Christian website that serves as an informational/resource network for community transformational ministries. An excellent way to gather resources and gain in understanding. Has an amazing "links" page to other transformational ministries.

www.esa-online.org - A Christian based website that networks resources and info for Evangelicals concerned for social action. A very effective tool for evangelical Christians.

www.covchurch.org/cov/cpm/ - A Covenant based website that links to the "churches planting ministries" ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church. An Excellent resource for Covenanters wanting to learn more about compassion and justice ministries... definitely something to be proud of!

Basic Definitions helpful for understanding Community Transformation:

Transformation - is the change from a condition of human existence contrary to God's purposes to one in which people are able to enjoy fullness of life and harmony with God.

Church - In its universality the church is the one body of Christ that transcends time, space, and geography. In its locality the church is the concrete contextual expression of the one body of visible people gathered together in Christ's name and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the real of which the Kingdom of God finds expression.

Holistic ministry - reaching the community with the whole gospel for the whole person through whole churches. It means modeling God's concern for the total well being of persons and communities. This means at least evangelism and social concern.