As church membership declined and we realized the vastness of our building, in proportion to our needs, we decided to make the building available as a community center. A center endowment fund provided some funds for programs. The building was new and required little maintenance.

We saw need for childcare and created a childcare program with some government subsidy for low-income families. We saw need for senior activities and created a senior center in collaboration with the Berkeley Public Schools. The center director was paid with public school adult education funds. We made our space available to Boy and Girl Scout troops and musical groups, including two youth orchestras. And we converted a large room initially planned for junior high activities to a dance room and allowed use of the room by a liturgical dance company, which occasionally participated in our worship services.

Church members were a part of these activities. Scout masters and families often came from the congregation. Many volunteers and participants in the senior center were church members. Many members of our first youth orchestra were children of the church and the orchestra sometimes performed with our church choirs. Many years later, we opened our doors to 501(c)(3) groups and to occasional use by public schools and for city and neighborhood meetings. Our infant care program, a jewel in the community, produces no income and is a cost to the church. The Senior Center, an activity center , produces no income and is now a cost to the church. The church now funds the director's compensation, too.