Classes, Workshops, Discussions

Parkside is always providing education workshops, classes and discussions throughout the year on a variety of topics reflecting Parkside's interests and values.

My Spiritual Self - A 6-week Lenten Journey

We are Traversing Grace over this Lenten season. Come gather to have genuine, open, and safe reflective discussion about our spiritual selves. This event is for the members of Parkside, presenting them with opportunity for self-reflection and spiritual growth as they consider their spirituality and how they exist as spiritual beings from a Christ-like perspective. Sunday mornings and Wednesday evening options will be available. We seek to be more grounded in our spiritual selves as we traverse grace over the 2026 Lenten season. We hope to see you there!

Sundays from 9:30-10:15am in the Social Hall

Wednesdays from 5:45-6:30pm in the Sanctuary

More About Our Facilitators

Marji Miller

I came to Parkside in late 2016, with my husband, George, looking for people who were as horrified by the election as we were. I have loved being part of this amazing church ever since. I’m an ex-pastor, a church junkie, a Bible nerd and a most-of-the-time devil’s advocate. I have a BA in history, an M.Div. and a MA in psychology, but that was many years ago, and much of my real education is post-school, and informal. I’m currently in school taking accounting since I got elected to be the church treasurer. )-: I love dogs, cats, ancient history, hiking, rocks, dinosaurs, and, of course, the Bible.

Lisa Pshide

My husband and I joined Parkside in 2022, drawn here because of the strong social justice focus. While my career took me down a different path, I majored in history in college, focusing on ancient history. This involved study of ancient religions, including analysis of Biblical text from an historical perspective. I carry Jesus in my heart not only as a religious prophet, but also as a compelling historical figure. I look forward to hosting lively discussions about the Bible not only as a religious document but as a seminal historical treatise.

Mark Sawyer

Born and raised in Carmichael, Mark is a UC Berkeley alum and received an MDiv from the Candler School of Theology. After working in early childhood education for 25 years, he retired and met his fiance', Olu. Now he works with SacACT on affordable housing advocacy, as part of his larger theological vision of ending the isolation and precarity of young families.

Deeper Dive

Want to explore more historical context from the sermon scriptures or maybe some added theological discussions surrounding the sermon text? Great. Meet us immediately following service once a month, for those moments of diving deeper into the text. Meetings will be from 12-1pm in the Church Office.

  • Sunday, February 22nd

  • Sunday, March 22nd

  • Sunday, April 19th

What is the case for Reparations?

The California Reparations Task Force was a non-regulatory state agency in California established by California Assembly Bill 3121 in 2020 to study and develop reparation proposals for African Americans, especially those who are descendants of persons enslaved in the United States.

Our presentation will be based on the Task Force Report's Executive Summary.

After a brief period for comment and discussion, our group will choose from a list of racial justice books to read in our upcoming racial justice book group.

This is an event for anyone who wants to decide what happens to their finanical and real property possessions once they are gone. Estate Planning attorney Mauriah Conway will provide an overview of what estate planning is, the documents included, how they work, and how to avoid common issues that crop up. The State of California has a plan for you, but is that the plan that you want? Would you like to leave a bequest to a favorite non-profit, like Parkside UCC and how would you do that? Even if you already have a plan in place, there may be opportunities to update it to better meet your desires.

Please join the Discipleship Team after worship in the social hall for pizza and salad while we learn answers to the questions that many of us have about estate planning.