Dear Friends,
I think you all know that I see “prophetic preaching” as a big part of my call at Sunnyvale Pres. What I mean by that is that I believe it is part of my job to try to listen for the voice of God’s Spirit as it inspires, provokes, or convicts us to shake off the assumptions of a broken status quo, and then to candidly share what I believe I am hearing with you. Not because I am sure that I am right, but because that sharing can hopefully prompt a genuine dialogue between God and our community — both as individuals and as a larger group.
But none of this matters if that conversation ends with our own satisfaction that we’ve heard what God might be saying and that we’ve been willing to explore things intellectually. This is especially true when God’s Spirit speaks to us about the unjust suffering of oppressed people. It doesn’t matter what we say in the face of injustice, if we are not willing to act to address it. As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel taught, prophetic words speak “for those who are too weak to plead their own cause,” and they call us to interfere with what is happening — especially when it might be easier or more convenient to just mind our own business.
That’s why, as we enter this month of LGBTQIA+ Pride celebrations, I am grateful that I serve a congregation where I can preach words of welcome to all folks, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender expression, or relationships status. I am grateful that the Spirit has moved through our community to act in welcome of our LGBTQIA+ siblings. Not only by our statement of inclusion and by our membership in More Light Presbyterians — two things initiated by session during the pandemic — but also through things like pronoun pins on nametags, inclusive language in worship, and fellowship and support groups for our queer siblings and their families and friends.
May we continue to celebrate the inbreaking of God’s Spirit in these prophetic actions, in the beautiful presence of LGBTQIA+ folks in our congregation and community, and through all sorts of new ways that the Spirit will continue to call on us to speak and act for justice in the days ahead.
With gratitude,
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Dear Friends,
Hardy has already spoken about our church’s commitment to the inclusion of the queer community. I’m grateful for all the ways that we as a congregation “walk our talk” about creating an inclusive and proactively welcoming, affirming church home for our LGBTQ+ siblings in Christ.
Here’s another way in which we can live out what we believe. You received another email this week about the marches against gun violence. It’s just too much when places of sustenance, education, and healing become places of fear. We as a nation have not been willing to curb our own freedoms for the sake of the very lives of our children and fellow humans.
Tomorrow there is a march in Redwood City in the morning and Mountain View in the evening. You are invited to come and walk with other SVPCers (and/or other friends) to affirm our commitment to peace and life.
If you are not able to join in person, please join us in spirit and in prayer.
Peace,
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March for Our Lives
Saturday, June 11
Take action against gun violence. Join us at one of two marches tomorrow: Redwood City in the morning and/or Mountain View in the evening. Want to march with other Presbyterians? Meet up with Pastor Hardy and others at either location.
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Redwood City @ 9–11 a.m. — starting at the Front Plaza of Redwood City Public Library, 1044 Middlefield Rd. Meet Pastor Hardy on the sidewalk near the library (map) on Middlefield Road at 8:45 a.m. More info.
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Mountain View @ 5–7 p.m. — starting at Gateway Park, 790 W. El Camino Real (map). Meet Pastor Hardy at 4:45 p.m. at Gateway Park (on the Castro side). More info.
Our faith calls us to stand for the rights of all people—come and join us!
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Congratulations, Graduates!
We celebrated these individuals last week during our Promotion Sunday celebration.
If you missed the slideshow in church last week, you can watch it here! |
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Elementary School
Briana Birdsong
Liam Kao
Guy Mulready
Middle School
Christopher Kao
Giana Dillard
Wesley Compton
Will Peixoto
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High School
Alex Dillard
Antonio Sena
Carmen Kreider
Cassidy Yin
Lindsay Gray
Mei Corricello
Mia Scott
Owen Peterson
Sean Van Sickle
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Bachelor’s Degree
Maddie Vorreiter
Shannon Reilly
Master’s Degree
Jenny Wharram
Kelly Shaver
Kyle Vorreiter
Logan Spalding
Matthew Kelleher
Rini Susan V S
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Welcome to Jenna Burkhalter!
Children’s ministry is so excited to announce that Jenna Burkhalter has been hired as the Inclusion Coordinator! Jenna has been an active participant in the Inclusion ministry since its beginning when she was a youth, and has continued this passion in her education, most recently receiving her Master’s Degree in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Jenna has previously worked as the Special Needs Ministry Intern and is excited to jump into her new Inclusion Coordinator role as Donna transitions out. We are excited for this next chapter in the Inclusion ministry and all of the gifts and experience that Jenna will bring!
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Changing Times
Updates from The Music School and Children’s Ministry at SVPC
There is so much change happening these days — not just with our usual ways of gathering and connecting, but also with our organizations and work. Our life in ministry at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church isn’t immune to this either. I’m sure you’ve noticed changes in our shared life, as well as in our staffing. As we continue to meet the challenges of sharing life and serving others in these times, our staff resources and needs continue to shift as well.
The Music School continues to bounce back well from the pandemic restrictions, and classes and registration continue to move in an upward direction. Much of this success is due to the good work of our Director, Chantelle Urbina, and of her staff — particularly her assistant directors. So, it’s with a mixture of sadness and appreciation for her dedication, that we will be sending off Assistant Director Jo Smith-Nilsson to a teaching position in the Mountain View and Los Altos schools.
Since we want to keep the momentum that has been built through The Music School in recent years, it is imperative that we fill that Assistant Director position right away. The good news is that we have a candidate already lined up, whom we will be welcoming at the end of July. The difficult news is that the candidate is none other than Adam Lee, who currently serves as our Director of Children’s Ministry.
Adam has taught at The Music School over the course of many years and currently serves on their faculty. Additionally, his training is in music education for children. The role of assistant director is a very good fit, and he will hit the ground running to keep our outreach through The Music School strong. I hope you will join me in praying for Adam, and for The Music School, as he makes this transition. Adam will continue serving in Children’s Ministry through the end of July, and even now is working extra hard to make sure that VBS goes well.
At the same time, we know that serving children and their families through our Children’s ministry is a foundational priority for our Sunnyvale Pres community. That’s why we have already started a search for the next director and are posting the job description this week. You can see it here or through our church website. We hope to identify the next Director of Children’s Ministry at SVPC in the next couple of weeks, so that we can bring them on board and have a smooth transition between the end of this program year and the beginning of the next. We will be supported in this by the steady presence of our Assistant Director of Children’s Ministry, Richard Collins, and our Inclusion Coordinator, Jenna Burkhalter.
I will be working closely with leaders from our Children’s ministry, our Personnel ministry team, and my staff colleagues, to make sure that we find the next person called to direct our ministry with children right away. If you know anyone who would be a good fit for the job, please encourage them to apply as soon as possible.
We are thankful for the guidance of God’s Spirit and the support of all your prayers for the ministries of our church as we continue to display God’s love and serve the needs of our members and neighbors.
Faithfully,
Hardy
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Town Hall Meeting
Sunday, June 12 • noon (following worship) • Onsite & online
We want to hear your voice at our town hall meeting. We will be pausing to take stock of where we are at this point in the pandemic. The emphasis of the meeting will be to give us all a chance to share about the many losses we have gone through that have brought us grief.
Sharing your experience will help us discern the ways God’s Spirit is moving in our grief and loss.
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Will you pray for our upcoming VBS?
June 13–17
Vacation Bible School begins this Monday! Please be praying for the incredible volunteers, staff, and youth who are creating this special week of experiencing God’s love. Please also pray for all of the students who are attending — that they will feel welcomed, loved, and included.
We are still welcoming any last minute sign-ups for VBS as well! If you know of anyone who would like to register for VBS, please direct them to SunnyvalePres.com/VBS. |
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Food Truck Tuesday
June 14 • 11 a.m.–2 p.m. • Sunnyvale Pres parking lot
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Come join us again this Tuesday for lunch on campus! The Roadhouse 48 truck will be serving up tacos, sliders, rice bowls, and deep fried Oreos. Bring a friend, grab some food, and enjoy lunch with the community. We hope to see you there! |
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Join us at Sunnyvale Pride!
Thursday, June 23 • 5–6 p.m.
Murphy Ave., Downtown Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church will have a booth at this year’s 2nd Annual Sunnyvale Pride! Come downtown and join other LGBTQIA+ folks and allies as we share with all that Sunnyvale Pres is an affirming church. If you would like to be a part of the team in the booth, contact carol@sunnyvalepres.com. Come and join the fun as we celebrate Pride month! |
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Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group
Tuesday, June 28 • 4th Tuesdays of the month
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. • Over Zoom
Join other caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia in a group led by Diane Currier of the Alzheimer’s Association. The group that previously met at Sunnyvale Pres is currently meeting virtually over Zoom. Please contact 1-800-272-3900 to register for this group or any of the Alzheimer’s Association’s caregiver support groups now meeting over Zoom or in-person.
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Adults, would you like to learn along with CARAVAN?
Youth ministry would like to suggest the following books for your summer reading list, to connect you mentally and spiritually with the good work CARAVAN will be doing in Chicago this summer around housing rights:
This book of poetry describes the 1919 Chicago race riots (which helped frame modern-day Chicago segregation), eloquently worded by Southside poet and educator, Eve Ewing.
Students read portions of this book in their virtual “family groups” in 2020, when we were originally going to head to Chicago but had to switch to a virtual CARAVAN experience. Chang offers great analysis around Asian American identity and segregation, and highlights the issue of housing rights in the Bay Area specifically.
This little gem is the book from which we’ll be pulling our devotions each night on the trip this July. It offers a counter to the charity model, proposing instead one that supports community involvement and political education in aid spaces.
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Mission and Service Spotlight
Although we as the Sunnyvale Pres community were individually quite isolated during the pandemic, the Mission and Service ministry team was still able to extend outreach by investing in organizations that address our primary mission concerns of homelessness, hunger, refuge, social injustice, and food injustice. I am pleased to report that this work continues in our new 2022–2023 budget year. In April and May we invested:
- $400 with the Bill Wilson Center helping homeless youth
- $8,000 with Sunnyvale Community Services helping homeless and hungry adults and families
- $1,000 with Helping Hands of Silicon Valley for homeless assistance, and
- $2,500 with the Northern California Innocence Project assisting the wrongly incarcerated.
Very nice thank you notes keep coming in, reflecting the impact your giving continues to have on people throughout our community. Thank you, Sunnyvale Pres!
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Summer Reading:
The Best $10 Investment You’ll Ever Make
Find great summer reading — and a springboard for discussion — for $10 (often less, sometimes slightly more) on the Book Sale Cart in Trinity Court after Sunday worship.
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- Some more copies have surfaced of Homemade with Love, a 2003 cookbook of timeless classic recipes of the Sunnyvale Pres congregation.
- Look for autographed copies of the beautifully-illustrated children’s books God Is Always with Us Even in a Pandemic and God Is with Us Even in a Tsunami by members of our own congregation.
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5 Love Languages of...Teenagers, Children, Singles, or Love that Lasts (Can’t we all speak a little more love?!)
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The Shack, a controversial NY Times bestseller later made into a 2017 movie, and The Shack Revisited, exploring the implications of the novel
- Packable-sized gift Bibles
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America's Original Sin—Racism, White Privilege and the Bridge to a New America by Jim Wallis
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Spirituality of the Psalms by theologian Walter Brueggeman
Discover summertime reading that just might change you — and the world. An excellent return on a $10 investment.
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Get connected at Sunnyvale Pres! We have weekly and monthly online events for all ages, plus frequent special events on a wide variety of subjects. We’d love to have you join us!
Special Events
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March for Our Lives • Saturday, June 11 • 9–11 a.m. in Redwood City • 5–7 p.m. in Mountain View
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Town Hall Meeting • Sunday, June 12 • 12–1 p.m. • Onsite or online
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Vacation Bible School • June 13–17 • Mornings • Info • Volunteer
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Food Truck Tuesday • June 14 • 11 a.m.–2 p.m. • Sunnyvale Pres parking lot
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Sunnyvale Pride • Thursday, June 23 • 5 p.m. • Downtown Sunnyvale • Email
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CARAVAN Commissioning • Sunday, July 10
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CARAVAN 2022 • July 16–24 • Chicago • Info
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CARAVAN Sunday • July 24
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Town Hall Meeting • Sunday, September 18 • 12–1 p.m. • Onsite & online
Ongoing Connections
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Bible Study • Sunday mornings • 8:45–10 a.m. • Email
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In-Person and Online Worship • Sunday mornings • 11 a.m. • See usual links in blue box below to connect online • Sign up for child care
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Children’s Church: STARS + BLAST • Sunday mornings • Register
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DipJar to support Sunnyvale Community Services • 1st Sunday • Give in the courtyard or online anytime
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Grief Support Group • 1st Sunday (NOTE: not meeting in July) • 1 p.m. • Zoom (passcode: 265200) • Email
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College-Age & Young Adult Small Group • Mondays • 6–7 p.m. • Check the calendar
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Men’s Bible Study • Tuesdays • 6:30–7:30 a.m. • Email
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LGBTQ+ Family and Friends Group • 1st Tuesday • 7 p.m. • Email
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Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group • 4th Tuesday • 11:30 a.m. • Over Zoom • Call 1-800-272-3900
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JAM (Just a Moment) Parenting Group • 1st & 3rd Wednesdays • 9:30–10:30 a.m. • Over Zoom • Email
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MINT (Moments of Intentionality) Parenting Group • 2nd & 4th Wednesdays • 8–9:30 p.m. • Over Zoom • Email
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Prayer Shawl Knitters • 3rd Wednesdays • 7:30–9 p.m. • Over Zoom • Email
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Spice Dinner • 2nd Thursday • 6–8 p.m. • Check the calendar
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Queer Fellowship Group • 3rd Thursday • 7–8:30 p.m. • Email
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Want to pay less in taxes?
Check out this article for three popular ways people are giving to charities from their IRAs, appreciated stock, and charitable trust accounts. |
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In Our Thoughts and Prayers...
- Hilde DeMarco who is in recovery
- Kristy Freese who is recovering from a stroke
- Lisa McManis who broke her wrist
- Vicki Anderson for the loss of her son, Theo
- Elaine Mansfield for the loss of her husband, Gary Schultz
- Jackie Mattison for the loss of her sister, Julie Ann Odom
Praise...
- For the birth of Henry Emerson Bui to parents Jennifer Codding-Bui and Holt Bui and big sister, Emma
Have a prayer request?
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:
- Shared confidentially with the prayer team and pastors only
- Listed in the weekly newsletter
- Shared during prayer time on Sunday
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Join Us Onsite or Online for Worship on Sundays @ 11 a.m.
in lieu of virtual coffee hour.
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If you’re not ready or able to join us in person, you’re invited to join the livestream broadcast of our weekly worship service.
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