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PRESBYTERY MTG. Sat, Jan. 23 |
Child Care available IFreservations are made prior to Jan.20. Call Northminster church office at 1- 831-449-2717.
Lunch will be served after the meeting by church volunteers
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Health And Wellness Workshop following lunch:
Staying Well Mentally and Spiritually
Rev. Dr. Bob Butziger, pastor and leader within the American Assoc. of Pastoral Counselors and the American Counseling Assoc. will facilitate a discussion about what it means to have a healthy mind and how our churches can be "health-helping places."
For more information about Northminster Church including directions for getting there, go to their website.
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TIM BOYER
NEW Pastor at our Mountain View Church
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At the November Presbytery meeting, we welcomed the new pastor of the Mountain View Church, the Rev. Tim Boyer. Tim comes to us from Southern California where he served at the First Presbyterian Church of Redlands. Prior to that he served a church in the Redwoods Presbytery.
A graduate of San Francisco Theological Seminary, Tim has been married for the past 30 years to wife Laura who is a Special Education teacher in San Bernardino County. They have two children, a daughter who recently graduated from Cal Berkeley and is currently a nanny in Oakland Hills, and a son who is a sophomore at Long Beach State. Besides "living a jet-set existence," traveling back and forth to Redlands to see his wife who is finishing the school year, Tim enjoys exercising, playing golf, and connecting with his church members. All are invited to Tim's installation on Sun., January 17 at 3 p.m. at the Mountain View Church, 1667 Miramonte Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040.
Click here to learn more about the Mountain View Church. |
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Hunger Action Advocacy
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POVERTY SIMULATION
You're invited to a life-changing,
heart-expanding experience
Community Action Poverty Simulation
Feb. 20, 10:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
St. Lawrence the Martyr Catholic Church Community Center, 1971 St. Lawrence Dr., Santa Clara 95051-2197.
Teens and adults register ASAP by email: povertysimulation@catholiccharitiesscc.org.
More information needed: Call Pat Plant at (408) 279-0220.
To learn more about the StepUp Silicon Valley Campaign to Cut Poverty, go to: www.stepupsv.org.
CLOTHES SORTING AND DISTRIBUTION EVENT
Sunday, Jan. 31, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Join members of San Jose First and West Valley Churches as they run an all-day clothing sorting and distribution event at the Georgia Travis Center, 297 Commercial St., San Jose.
We will sort (already donated clothing) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., then distribute it to clients of local non-profit agencies that serve the poor from 1 - 3 p.m., then clean up from 3-4 p.m.
RSVP to Pat Plant at 408 279 0220, pat@sanjosepby.org
More information
"Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless." - Isaiah 1:17
(The Message)
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| YOUTH TRENNIUM |
Get re ady for Presbyterian Youth Triennium 2010! Once again Presbyterian youth from all over the country will gather on the Campus of Purdue University for 5 days July 20-24, 2010. We are looking for youth ages 14-19 (must be entering high school and generally 1-1.5 years out of high school) to attend. We also need Adult advisors ages 21 and up to chaperone our youth (must be willing to take a background test).
Registration is going on now through May 28, 2010. The Presbytery will cover all cost for travel and registration fees.
For more information about the Presbyterian Youth Triennium, contact Natasha Jackson at Natasha@sanjosepby.org, or (408)279-0220.
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Mission Advocate Position Open
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Currently we are looking for a new person to follow in the big footsteps left by Dorothy and Don Metzger and Judi Pogue as our Presbytery Mission Advocate. The Mission Advocate communicates and promotes an understanding of Presbyterian mission to our congregations.
A complete job description is available on the Presbytery website. To apply, send a letter and resume to Joey Lee, Executive Presbyter at the Presbytery Office.
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Self-Developement of People
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Grant$ available for low-income
com munity groups -
People investing in people!
To learn about the criteria to apply for a grant go to:
www.sanjosepby.org/SDOP06.htm
Questions? Contact: Greg Plant at
(408) 702-7183 (cell), or gregplant@comcast.net
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| One Great Hour of Sharing |
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Everyone of God's children deserves a life of dignity and hope.
Give generously to the One Great Hour of Sharing on Palm Sunday.
One Great Hour of Sharing Offering funds:
1. The Presbyterian Hunger Program
2. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
3. Self-Development of People
3 successful programs that help people in need locally, nationally and globally.
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From the Rev. Joey Lee, Executive Presbyter
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Greetings!
Transportation security, legislative gridlock, persistent unemployment, escalating military campaigns, 2010 is starting off as a tough year, a challenge for all of us as individuals, families, citizens, and members of the body of Christ.
Our churches have not been immune to the financial challenges that have confronted millions of Americans. And if your congregation has experienced any decline in membership or attendance, then it has become all too apparent that maintaining program and staff is becoming increasingly difficult, and adds to the mix of anxiety, apprehension and fear that seems to grip us all.
And that is why this should be the church's finest hour.
At a time when some shout to be fearful, the church claims faith. At a time when some would seek scapegoats and blame, the church claims compassion and justice. At a time when the future seems bleak, the church trusts that the God who held us in the past will hold us in the future. At a time when scarcity threatens, the church recognizes and shares our abundance.
The Church has always sought to be light and salt in a world of darkness and bitterness.As we begin this new year, with swirling demands and stresses, well aware of the challenges that lie ahead, let us not forget who we are, and whose we are. We have a message to the world: faith, hope and love.
This should be our finest hour.
- Joey (with acknowledgment to Sir Winston Churchill)
"Jesus said to them, 'Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" - Mark 4:40
" Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:11-13
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Charlotte Powers, new Presbytery Moderator
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Connecting to God and Each Other.
I'm so honored and humbled to be elected your Moderator at the November Presbytery meeting and so embarrassed that I was unable to be there. I do apologize. Serving as Moderator is such an honor, but also has a deeper meaning for me as well. My father served as the first lay Moderator of the Santa Barbara Presbytery in 1953. To follow in his footsteps is indeed a privilege.
I'm an Elder at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown San Jose, an urban church. I have been attending this church since 1963 when my late husband and I moved with our four children to San Jose. In 2008 I was also a Deacon, have taught Sunday School, and served as the Youth Leader of our High School Youth Group. Most recently I served as the Executive Coordinator of the Committee on Local Arrangements for the 2008 General Assembly held in San Jose. There were so many volunteers that gave of their time from all over the San Francisco and San Jose Presbyteries, but I found that most of us did not feel connected with each other at all.
I reflected on this for quite some time after GA and came to the conclusion that we, as churches and congregations and even pastors, are not connected. We aren't aware of each other's celebrations or our needs, or our connections to each other as the Body of Christ in the Presbytery. I was reminded of my days as a school teacher, working side by side with other educators, with the same goals and objectives, but really all alone in our individual classrooms, like individual silos. We never seemed to have time to share ideas, etc with our colleagues.
Read more...
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| PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN |
 PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN ON THE MOVE!
SPRING GATHERING: "Beyond Boundaries... Breaking Barriers: Women and Religion in America"
March 13, 12 noon - 3 p.m.
Santa Teresa Hills Presbyterian Church
Following lunch, we are pleased to have the Rev. Dr. James B. Bennett, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Santa Clara University and Parish Associate at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church, as our speaker.
Jim says this about his presentation: "American Christianity, like most religions around the world, is shaped by a fundamental paradox: a majority female membership is led by a predominantly male clergy. Too often, history has focused on the male clergy and ignored the ways that women--both as participants and as leaders--are central to the story of American Christianity. But when viewed through the lens of women's experience, religion in America takes on a very different shape. In the end, it turns out that Women's history is American Religious History!"
Come to learn more about this topic and bring along your friends, neighbors, pastors...male and female!
Because we will be having lunch, please let us know that you are coming by Monday, March 8, 2010. RSVP to Claudia Hamm at 408-356-6665 or e-mail her at jnchamm@gmail.com.
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Safe Church Practices
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From Jane Odell, Safe Church Practices Coordinator:
The Safe Church Task Force (see names below) asks that every congregation in our presbytery appoint a Safe Church Coordinator by February 1st. Name, phone number, address and email address should be sent to me at the presbytery office by that date. I will conduct an orientation for them.
If your congregation has a training model for safe church practices already in place, please send an outline of that to me at the presbytery office (jane@sanjosepby.org) The November issue of the Monarch Messenger listed what should be included in training models. This information is also on the Safe Church Practices web page.
The Safe Church Practices Task Force:
Rev. David McCreath, Moderator; Elder Erik Khoobyrian, Los Gatos Church; Rev. Julie Kim, at large; Elder Nan Notor, Westminster, San Jose; Elder Paul Seever, Trinity, Santa Cruz; Elder Evelyn Wong, Palo Alto First; Elsa Amboy and David Hunt, Sunnyvale Church.
Mandated Reporter and Abuse/Misconduct Prevention Training forMinisters of Word and Sacrament, Elders, Deacons and Youth and Children's Ministry Directors
1. Saturday, February 20, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Westminster Presbyterian Church
1100 Shasta Ave, San Jose 95126
2. Saturday, March 20, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Watsonville United Presbyterian Church
112 E. Beach St., Watsonville 95076
Lunch provided at each event
RSVP a week ahead of each workshop to Natasha Jackson at natasha@sanjosepby.org; 408 279 0220.
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| Refugee Ministry Advocates |
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From Elsa Amboy and Melissa Kreisa, Presbytery Refugee Advocates:
 Special thanks to Los Gatos Presbyterian Church for the opportunity to share our journey with refugees, for your generous donation towards bus passes, and for your ongoing support of our African friends.
Thank you to Nancy Harrington and Evergreen Presbyterian for allowing us to take up so much of your service! Your donation and support is so greatly appreciated.
Stone Church -- you are wonderful! Thank you for the opportunity to share at your PW luncheon, your bus pass donation and for contributing your time and talents to help reunite the family from Kenya and nurture the family from Afghanistan.
Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church hosted a Christmas giving tree for refugee youth. Thank you so very much for your time and effort with this and with the way you are wrapping your arms around the two families from Africa! In December, the Sunnyvale JustFaith classes participated in an evening event called a "border crossing." They hosted a meal for newly arrived refugees at the Sunnyvale Refugee Transition House.
In all of these ways, our churches and members were enriched as they enriched these new residents as they adjusted to life in America.
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| F.Y.I. |
 2010 Presbytery Meeetings:
· Sat., April 10 at the Saratoga Church
· Sat., June 5 at Wastsonville United
· Sat., Sept. 25 at Christ Community Church, Milpitas
· Sat., Nov. 20 at First Presbyterian Church of San Jose
GA IS ON ITS WAY
The General Assembly 2010 website is up and running. General Assembly (the 219th) is on its way this summer (July 3-10) in Minneapolis, Minn. For up-to-the-minute reporting of the plans for this gathering, you can go to this website: www.pcusa.org/ga219/. Those of us who participated in GA when it was here in San Jose in 2008, won't soon forget it. Consider attending the assembly: this is the best way to get the big picture view of all things Presbyterian. If you can't make the trip, please add the host Presbytery and the planners of this mammoth GA to your prayers.
Be a Commissioner: One way to get to GA is as a commissioner. You have until Jan. 22 to apply for this great opportunity. We can send two elders and two ministers. The requirements and procedures for application are on a link on the Presbytery website.
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Presbyterians Today GA P:hoto Contest
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Presbyterians are invited to submit photos inspired by the theme of this year's upcoming General Assembly: "Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). Photos will be judged on quality, originality and how well they capture the theme. Winning photographs will be published in the June/July issue. The deadline: March 1, 2010
Format: Email to: today@pcusa.org DIGITAL photo in your camera's highest resolution (Camera Raw, TIF or JPG format).OR mail a sharp, professionally developed PRINT (4" x 6" or larger) to: Presbyterians Today Photo Contest, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202-1396.
Only one photo per entrant, please. Photos must not have been previously published (in print or online). Entries must be accompanied by the photographer's name, address, email address, phone number and church membership.
For more information about this year's General Assembly (to meet July 3-10 in Minneapolis) visit the 219th General Assembly Website.
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