Many of you will remember that our session voted to adopt a statement expressing our desire to be a fully inclusive and affirming congregation for LGBTQIA+ persons. You can find this statement on a special section of our website and it reads: “Following the risen Christ, and seeking to make our church a true community of hospitality, Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church works for the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people in the life, ministry, and witness of our church and society.”

We are continuing to work at living into the fullness of this vision. We’re trying to resource everyone in the community to understand how we can better live out God’s expansive love and grace in relationship with one another through conversations and learning opportunities. We’re finding ways to update our campus to make it more inclusive of people of all genders through an update of our bathrooms (you’ll hear more about this soon). Even the language we use to talk about God and ourselves is something we’ll be addressing more consciously as we update nametags for everyone coming into worship.

We are blessed to be accompanied on this journey of growing in God’s love by a network of Presbyterians called More Light Presbyterians (MLP). You can find out more about who they are here.

MLP has graciously answered so many questions for us and has connected us to a vast array of resources for understanding what it means to be a truly inclusive and affirming community. That’s why, this coming Sunday, July 25, I am so happy so share we’ll be experiencing the gift they offer congregations across the denomination each year—a More Light worship service with communion.

Get ready for a joyful and meaningful worship experience, and be sure to have some bread and a cup ready for communion. We’ll also have a special chance to connect with the preacher, Rev. Annanda Barclay, in our Facebook feed chat and in coffee hour. I look forward to worshipping with you and the whole cloud of More Light saints!

Peace,

Dear Friends,

The times they are a-changin’. And a-changin’. And a-changin’. :) And your staff, in partnership with medical professionals from our congregation, are seeking to stay nimble and responsive to all that we learn. We’re still planning for August 15 to be the date when all who choose to can worship together in the sanctuary. If that changes, well, you’ll be among the first to know!

For those who join us from geographically diverse locations, not so much will change for you, but you might be wondering what it will be like. We’re working toward making it engaging and always keeping you in mind as we plan and lead our worship services.

And we want to keep getting to know you, too! To that end, if you live outside a reasonable commute to SVPC, I’d love to meet you on Zoom for coffee on Wednesday, July 28 at 10:00 a.m. Bring your own coffee—or whatever beverage you like—and hop on Zoom to meet with others from different parts of our state or country… or perhaps beyond!

Looking forward to joining you for worship on Sunday—I’ll see you in the Facebook chat!

Peace,

This Sunday, July 25, we will celebrate communion during our worship service with More Light Presbyterian. Remember to have your communion elements—some bread and drink that’s common to your home and household—with you when you connect to Sunday’s livestream worship.