Remember to set your clocks back before you go to bed on Saturday, November 5.

All Saints’ Day is a time when we remember those who have passed from life unto life in the past year. The names of those Sunnyvale Pres members who have passed away this year will be read as part of the communion liturgy, and there will be an opportunity both online and in person for you to say or note the names of people dear to you. This is one way we as a church remember and give thanks “for all the saints, who from their labor rest.” Those Sunnyvale Pres members are:

Emily Macway (she/her), a beloved member of both the Sunnyvale Pres and PELC communities, will be joining Children’s Ministry beginning at the end of October as the new Assistant Director! Emily has an extensive background in education and is particularly passionate about early childhood education and curriculum. Her teaching philosophy is centered around love, respect, and support for all children, and she incorporates her love for music and dance whenever she can.

A few other fun “things to know” about Emily are that she learned how to play cello during the pandemic, and that she loves Broadway musicals. (She’s never been to NYC, but hopes to go someday!)

Emily will be a wonderful addition to our Children’s Ministry team, and we are thrilled to have her here. If you see Emily around, please do not hesitate to say hello and welcome her!

Youth Ministry is elated to welcome Mary McLeod (she/her) to the team! Mary is a lifelong member of Sunnyvale Pres, growing up as a member of the community. She is currently a junior at Santa Clara University, studying public health and psychology with the goal of becoming a physical therapist. In her free time, Mary enjoys hiking and spending time in nature.

Mary will be working with us for ten hours a week. She plans to be in the office Mondays and Tuesdays and join Youth programming as her hours allow. Please wish her a big welcome after worship on Sunday. Welcome, Mary!

We have a new person at the front desk! Please welcome Richany Mak (she/her) to Sunnyvale Pres as the Office Administrative Assistant, working alongside Church Administrator John Carroll. A graduate of San Jose State University in Business Management, Richany has diverse experiences in office management which have allowed her to quickly assimilate into her new role at Sunnyvale Pres. 

The church office is now back to our regular hours: Mon.–Thurs., 9 am–5 pm. Feel free to stop by and say hello to Richany at the front desk!

Thank you to those who have contributed to the Peace and Global Witness offering during the Season of Peace. Contributions to the Peace and Global Witness Offering are shared for mission work of the Presbytery and the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Fifty percent of this special offering supports the work for peace and reconciliation being done by Presbyterians across the globe, and 25% supports the work of the Presbytery of San Jose’s Peace and Justice Working Group.

Mission and Service chose Moms Demand Action and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance’s work with Syrian refugees as this year’s recipients to share the remaining 25% of your contributions.

Although the designated Season of Peace ended on September 25, it’s not too late to contribute to the Peace and Global Witness offering if you didn’t have a chance to give yet. You can still participate by giving online.

The Mission and Service ministry team is grateful to all who have supported this offering, which furthers efforts to bring peace and justice to the world.

Wednesday, November 2 • 7:30 pm • Soulé Hall and Zoom

Kurt Esslinger and his wife, Hyeyoung Lee, have been serving as mission co-workers in South Korea since 2013. We are excited to announce that Kurt will be speaking to us in person and online over Zoom on November 2!

Kurt works with the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) in their Reconciliation and Reunification Department. He translates and facilitates meetings to advance relationships between North and South Korea and Japan. He will be sharing his experiences in peacemaking, including trying to bring an end to the Korean war.

Hyeyoung coordinates a Presbyterian Mission Agency program called Young Adult Volunteers (YAV) in South Korea. Through YAV, young adults from the United States come to Korea for a year to immerse themselves in the culture and volunteer with schools, immigrants, and other ministries.

You can find more information at their blog, Hyeyoung & Kurt’s Korean Adventure and their mission newsletters at Mission Connections, Rev. Kurt Esslinger & Hyeyoung Lee.

All are welcome to attend this special hybrid event!

Friday–Saturday, November 4–5 • 6 pm–11 am • Register

Our annual fall retreat for FLASH returns to our lock-in format for a service lock-in! We’ll be working with various service groups in the area — including hearing from Children’s Ministry about their October service program — to discuss service and how it applies to our faith. Join us Friday evening through Saturday morning. Register here. 

If you haven’t cast your ballot yet for the November 8 election and are seeking more information, the League of Women Voters of Cupertino-Sunnyvale offers the following resources:

Saturday, November 12 • 9 am • Bear Creek Redwoods • RSVP

Attention all Sunnyvale Pres hikers! Join us for our November hike as Sandy Johnson leads us through Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve. Meet us in the Sunnyvale Pres parking lot at 8:40 am to carpool, or join us in the Bear Creek parking lot near the trailhead, 19511 Bear Creek Rd, Los Gatos, at 9 am. The hike is a 5.3-mile loop. The trail is mostly shaded with some open exposure and is ranked as moderate.

For more information, to get on the mailing list, or to RSVP, email hiking@sunnyvalepres.com. Please note in your RSVP email if you’d like to carpool. Hope to see you there!

Saturday, November 12 • 10–11:30 am • Zoom

Did you know the upcoming Farm Bill could be one of the greatest vehicles in our lifetimes to help change food systems while addressing hunger, climate change, and racial equity, both in the U.S. and overseas? Come hear from hunger advocates as we gather to celebrate victories, look at how the elections inform our education and advocacy, and make plans to improve humanity’s food systems. We’ll also hear from special guest speaker U.S. Representative Barbara Lee.

For questions or to RSVP, email David Gist at dgist@bread.org. Then join us on Zoom for this important and informative event!

Over Zoom • Register by Nov. 7

If the holidays have you feeling overwhelmed or you’re wondering how to navigate them in this time of grief, consider joining us via Zoom for “Surviving the Holidays”, a program developed by GriefShare and facilitated by Pastor Karin Kennedy Hejmanowski. This is open to all who want to think with others about how to walk through the upcoming holiday season in a way that allows you to be true to your experience of grief while our culture seems to insist that we be joyful.

For those who attend this group, we will also have an optional one-hour Zoom gathering on Sunday, December 4 at 1 pm to check in on how Thanksgiving was and think together about the rest of the holiday season. Questions? Email Karin.

Registration is required. Please fill out this form by Monday, November 7.

Monday, November 14 • 7–8:30 pm • Zoom

All Sunnyvale Pres volunteers must complete this training before working with children or youth in any church program. This will be the last Safe Church training of the year; the next one is planned for January 2023. For more information, please email safechurch@sunnyvalepres.com or check the website.

I hope you are planning to join us on November 20 for our Celebration of Intersections Worship. We will worship together at 11 am, then join together in the gym for a meal and a time of sharing memories to honor 27 years of ministry through Intersections.

We want to include your Intersections memories in this special celebration! You can easily share now through your phone — here’s how!

The Reopening Committee continues to meet regularly to assess our COVID-19 mitigation guidelines. Our number one goal continues to be the health and safety of our most vulnerable members. We also are aware that many are increasingly needing community fellowship opportunities after so many months (years!) of lockdown and isolation. With both of these considerations in mind, the committee has made updates to the guidelines around events that involve eating. If you have questions, please send them to Carol Heath and she will bring them forward to the committee.

Of all the Sunnyvale Pres authors (and we have a number!), none is more diverse and prolific than long-time member Jack Hasling. Jack is the author of 11 books, including three books of humorous light verse, two novels reflecting social issues, a work of satirical fiction describing how God actually created the world, and two children’s books. Listen to Jack read Salamander the Great! on YouTube.

Meet and greet this author in our midst after Sunday worship October 30 at noon in Trinity Court. This is the first in a series of Sunnyvale Pres author meet-and-greets that the Book Sale team is hosting.

Jack is a former radio announcer and disc jockey and a speech professor emeritus at Foothill College, where he taught from 1966–1991. At Sunnyvale Pres, Jack served as an elder, co-headed the Peacemaking Committee with his wife, Elsie Hasling, taught a class for scripture readers on how to read aloud more effectively from the Bible, and has been a worship service scripture reader himself.

Additionally, Jack wrote a guide to the fundamentals of radio broadcasting, a book on how to speak so people understand what you mean rather than what you say, and a college speech text now in its 8th edition (2009) and translated into Chinese. Several dozen of his letters to the editor have also been published in the San Jose Mercury News.

To learn more about events for children and youth subscribe to their e-newsletters. Also, check out the Children’s Ministry Facebook page or Youth Ministry’s Instagram or Linktree, or text ‘FLASH’ (Middle School) or ‘CLUE’ (High School) to 51400 for live updates.

SEPT 2022 (month 6).$ K   

Church Income.......$.598

Church Expenses.....$.731

Church Deficit......$(133)

Outreach Surplus....$..69

Combined Deficit....$.(64)

Church income of $598K year-to-date was offset by $731K of church expenses, resulting in a year-to-date church deficit of $(133)K. Church income is trending lower than last year, and spending is also lower. The outreach groups (PELC and The Music School) had strong performance in September with the beginning of the new school year. They have contributed a surplus of $69K year-to-date, which partially offsets the church deficit. The combined deficit through September is $(64)K.

In place of the blue prayer cards you filled out on Sundays, please send your prayer requests anytime to prayer@sunnyvalepres.com. Be sure to include whether your request should/can be:

Look for the red banner at the top of our new website (SunnyvalePres.com). Click the white button, “Join online worship & events.”