When I was nineteen years old, I met “Ken,” a wonderful new friend at a church I started attending. He was fun, friendly, and the first to offer me — a newcomer — a hospitable invite to a party at his family’s home. He included me in his group of friends and I remember he could always make me laugh. Ken’s mother came to call me his “other sister.” Ken’s maturity, leadership, and kindness caused the pastor to take Ken aside to ask if he might consider going into the ministry.

Less than a year later, my father had a terrible accident that sent him to the burn unit of St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco where he spent six days dying. Every evening, Ken would drive up to the hospital to be with my mother and me. He had every reason not to come because of his full schedule — he was in community college while also working 30 hours per week. I can see him gently putting coverings on my feet and the feet of visiting family before we entered the ICU to see my father, and I can see him with me while I cried out loud in the stairway of the hospital. He prayed for us.

In time, Ken transferred to a college in Nevada and I moved on to UC Santa Cruz. I remember him calling me “Madam Tofu” because I stopped eating meat for a while to save money. We kept in touch by phone and letter. Soon I sensed Ken struggling with something, but wasn’t sure what it was. I wrote to him and included a quote from Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

When we next came home from college, Ken told me that he was gay and how upset his parents were. A new pastor came to the church I had come to love, and before long called Ken and another church friend and asked them each only one question, “Are you a practicing homosexual?” Both replied honestly, “Yes.” However, I am sure they would have said, if asked, that they weren’t practicing anything — that they were born that way. Ken and the other friend were both summarily excommunicated from the church in which they were each raised and had faithfully served.

Friends, I have been reflecting lately on how meaningful it is to me that Sunnyvale Presbyterian has become a More Light congregation. Some of the best Christians I have ever known and friends I have loved most dearly have been LGBTQ+. I have been humbled by their example and it has pained me to see them excluded from the full embrace of the church. In More Light Presbyterians I see the promise of a more inclusive church and society; their work has made me feel as if I am coming full circle. Let us reflect God’s enveloping love and Christ’s challenging call.

Presbyterian Peace & Global Witness Offering • Give

A gift to the Peace & Global Witness Offering enables the church to promote the Peace of Christ by addressing systems of conflict and injustice across the world. Our 25% of this offering will support PACT (People Acting in Community Together). Another 25% will go to the Presbytery of San Jose.

50% will be used by the Presbyterian Mission Agency to advocate for peace and justice in cultures of violence, including our own, through collaborative projects of education and Christian witness. An example of this work is the International Peacemakers program that involves people in peacemaking work from around the world coming to the United States during the Season of Peace in late September and early October to visit presbyteries, congregations, and community groups to talk about the work they’re doing. Due to the pandemic, the Peacemaking Program is presenting for the second year a Virtual International Peacemakers Symposium. The symposium videos will premiere on September 7 on their Facebook page.

Donate online here. If you prefer to write a check, please write “P&GW” on the memo line. Checks can be placed in a Peace & Global Witness Offering envelope found in the pew racks or mailed to Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church, 728 W Fremont Ave., Sunnyvale, CA, 94087.

Teacher Dedication & Blessing of the Backpacks/Devices

Come to worship on September 19 (onsite and online) to bless our teachers and advisors in Children’s and Youth programming, as well as all educators teaching this school year. We’ll also be doing a liturgy of blessing for children, youth, and students over their backpacks and/or learning devices (such as computers or tablets). We look forward to blessing our community as they begin the school year!

Sunday, September 19 • After Worship • In Person and Over Zoom

This year’s congregational meeting immediately follows the 11 a.m. service. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend either in person or on Zoom. The purpose of the meeting is the election of church officers. (The Zoom link can also be found on the church website.)

Elders (Class of 2024): Laura Compton, Leslie Crane, Joanne Lewis, George Tharakan, and Lynn Thomas.

Deacons (Class of 2024): Helen Conklin, Emily Ralph, Randy Ristau, and Cheryl Thomas.

Nominating Committee 2022 Members-at-Large: Carol Heath and Andreas Ott.

Book Study of Kathleen Norris's Amazing Grace

Mondays, September 20 & 27, October 4 & 11 • 5–6 p.m. • Email

Rev. Judy Joy will lead an introductory study to Kathleen Norris’s book, Amazing Grace, A Vocabulary of Faith. This study will allow participants to engage with Kathleen’s work before they hear her speak at the October 16 PW Workshop, “Resilience: Challenges of Mind, Body, and Spirit.”

No RSVP required — simply show up, or follow the Zoom link on the church website to join us remotely. Email Mary Green Vickrey for more information.

Wednesday, September 22 • 7–9 p.m. • Fellowship Hall and Zoom

For the next in our Affirming Church Series, Youth and Discipleship ministry teams invite our entire church community to a special showing of the movie, For They Know Not What They Do. This is an enlightening and engaging documentary of four Christian families caught in the crosshairs of scripture, sexual orientation, and gender identity. You can see the trailer here.

We’ll join together to view this movie in Fellowship Hall or you can choose to be a part of this event through Zoom. Please join us to share this movie and gather with friends, either in-person or via Zoom, as we continue to learn how to be an affirming church. No pre-registration is required.

Please note: Doors and windows will be open for maximum ventilation and masks will be required.

Fall programming is here! Well, almost. We’re taking a pause for students to adapt and get comfortable with their new school schedules at the beginning of September, and then we'll be back to our regularly recurring weekly programming on Sunday, September 26. Save the dates for our slow rollout of the fall programming in September.

Check out our Year-at-a-Glance Calendar, CLUE trifold, FLASH trifold for a sneak peek of what is ahead!

LOGOS Is Back In Person for 2021–22!

September 29, 2021–March 23, 2022 • Register

Registration is now open! Registration costs will be collected per semester, and will be adjusted based on the programming offered. Tuition for the September to December term is only $15! Scholarships are available upon request.

New Members Class

Sunday, October 3 • 9–10:45 a.m. • Info • Register • Zoom (passcode: Welcome)

If you’ve been attending worship and are interested in the next step, come and explore membership with us. The Rev. Karin Hejmanowski will be teaching a one-session New Member Class via Zoom. Those who become new members will also need to meet with our leadership on Tuesday, October 19 in the evening, and be received during our 11 a.m. worship service on Sunday, October 24. To register for the class, click here.

Save the date! Everyone is invited to an afternoon of outdoor fun in the park! Come for music (provided by the Music School), games, and activities. Enjoy an all-ages corn hole tournament, balloon toss, pumpkin painting, making friendship bracelets, bubbles, and more. Do you have an idea for a game or activity for this event? Email carol@sunnyvalepres.com.

Please let those you consider qualified for this position know about this vacancy. Job description and the process to apply can be found here. We’re so grateful for the faithful service of retiring long-time employee, Suzanne Ungson.

You can download the September These Days devotional from the PC(USA) Store here. Printed copies will also be available at church on Sundays.

Bestselling author Jim Wallis’s 272-page book America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America, available on the Book Sale Cart, is a book that’s good to own, underline, and reread rather than borrow. When Wallis spoke on the Sunnyvale Press campus in January 2017, almost 300 autographed copies were sold.

About 1,000 people attended Wallis’s 75-minute presentation “Bridge to a New America”— his personal call and plan to overcome racism in America. See photos of his 2017 visit on the church Facebook page or view Wallis’s recorded presentation on Vimeo.

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 microsite and Instagram, or text ‘FLASH’ (Middle School) or ‘CLUE’ (High School) to 51400 for live updates.

Check out this article for three popular ways people are giving to charities from their IRAs, appreciated stock, and charitable trust accounts.

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.”