MISSION & OUTREACH
Helping our community where we can
Our Community Outreach
We express God’s love by working for peace with justice in our personal lives, in our church, in our community, and in the world. The committee for Mission & Outreach meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 7 pm in the Fireside Room. The group does not meet during the months of June and July, but outreach activities continue year-round.
INTERCHURCH FOOD PANTRY
An outreach ministry in collaboration with St. Stephen’s Episcopol and Sebastopol United Methodist Church to provide groceries and food staples to people in need.
2ND SATURDAY LUNCH
Local churches provide lunches to people in need every Saturday. Volunteers from Community Church provide food and host the lunch on the 2nd Saturday.
BAG LUNCH PREPARATION
Several mornings every week, people from our church make lunches and bring them to Sebastopol Christian Church to distribute to people experiencing homelessness every weekday.
SAFE PARKING & CONESTOGA HUT PROGRAM
We provide safe parking for people sleeping in their cars and can accommodate two unhoused people in Conestoga huts. Volunteers manage the program and drive through the lot each evening to monitor safety.
SHOWER PROGRAM
Our showers are open to people in need every Tuesday morning.
WEST COUNTY ACCOMPANIMENT TEAM
Through the North Bay Organizing Project, our congregation provides support immigrant families seeking asylum.
BURBANK HOUSING & ORCHARDS
With Sebastopol United Methodist Church, our Congregation founded this low-income senior housing community, and our members continue to serve on the board of directors.
CHRISTMAS BAGS
Each year our congregation puts together gift bags for people staying at Sam Jones Hall, the local homeless shelter.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES COLLECTION
Our congregation collects school supplies for children in foster care.
PASTOR’S DISCRETIONARY FUND
Our pastor helps people pay utility and other bills.
Faith in Action Team
Our Faith in Action Team (FIAT) was formed in January 2025 to be the core team and liaison between Community Church and the North Bay Organizing Project (NBOP), a coalition of 24 faith, environmental, labor, cultural, student, and community-based organizations organizing for social, economic, racial, and environmental justice.
FIAT members educate our congregation on NBOP initiatives and task forces and encourage and coordinate Community Church participation in NBOP actions and other social justice actions in the area. We recognize that each of the coalition members needs to increase engagement to build the kind of power we need to make meaningful changes.
Initiatives and Task Forces members are working on include Deep Democracy, Civil Liberties, and Immigration.
Sanctuary Task Force
The Faith in Action Team provided leadership in the congregational vote to become a Sanctuary Congregation and is now acting as the Sanctuary Task Force to lead our Sanctuary work as part of the Sonoma County Sanctuary Coalition in the following ways:
- Publicly declaring our commitment to being a Sanctuary Congregation by placing publicly visible signage, adding a statement to our website, and communicating this as part of our identity in other formats as appropriate.
- Coordinating the efforts of both individual congregants and the congregation as a whole in resisting unjust policies and actions that target marginalized people.
- Continuing to discern what Community Church and its members and friends are called to do in support of the Sanctuary Movement.
- Developing and maintaining connections with other organizations involved in the Sanctuary Movement.
- Providing a gathering place for marches, trainings, and lobbying efforts.
- Working with other entities to provide resources and support to undocumented immigrants, other marginalized individuals, and their families.
- Directly lobbying local, state, and federal government to enact equitable immigration policies and laws that are fairly enforced with humanity and compassion, to demilitarize interactions between police and individuals, and to develop a pathway to citizenship for all immigrants.
Interested in joining our church community?
You are welcome to participate in our church whether you are a member or not for as long as you’d like. And if it’s a fit, we’d love to have you join us as a member. Here’s how you do that…
STEP 1: ATTEND WORSHIP
Attend our Sunday worship and see if you would like to become an active member of the Community Church of Sebastopol.
STEP 2: ATTEND AN INQUIRERS’ CLASS
Inquirers’ Classes are held every few months. Contact the office to find out when the next orientation will be held.
STEP 3: PARTICIPATE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH
We welcome your full participation as a member in the life of our church. As members, we commit to:
- Attend Sunday services as regularly as life allows
- Deepen spiritually by participating in one church program
- Serve faithfully with the church in the wider community
- Share our financial resources so the church may thrive
- Aspire to a leadership or volunteer role
- Tell others about our church & why it means so much to us
Frequently asked questions
What if I can’t make it to the next Inquirers’ Class?
There will be another orientation in a few months, so you can attend the next one.
What if I can’t make it to the joining ceremony?
We will have you join in absentia, then introduce you on a subsequent Sunday.
Do my kids join with me?
While all baptized people, including infants, are members of the Body of Christ, local church membership is for anyone over confirmation age (14 or so). Children are invited to join us in the Inquirers’ Class if they like, and we would love for them to be with you during the joining ceremony.
What if I still have questions after the Inquirers Class?
Our pastor can be available during the week, in person or over the phone, to continue in conversation.
