Leadership Reflection

The first Sunday I attended SVPC in 1967, Ruth Ross (whom other oldtimers will remember) met me at the center aisle after the benediction and said “I notice you sing. Would you like to join the choir?” Since that day, this church has been a home to me; therefore I have several times over the years happily served as a home deacon to share that belonging with those no longer able to be physically present who are still part of our church. Unsurprisingly, those I visited gave me as much as I offered them. Recollections of their early lives, the startup years of SVPC, and the joy in living they retained blessed me. Choir has been a family within the larger church community, committees and classes have introduced new friends, all enriching the worship experience our pastors and musicians have proved all these years. In this pandemic year we all miss the direct contact, but we remain one in Christ, together in spirit.

Everyone, meet Rev. Steve Whitney, Parish Associate

I’m a big fan of chocolate malts and root beer freezes. I think growing up in the heat of Sacramento added to the appeal of really cold drinkable desserts.

I do almost everything at home now, but what I enjoy most is doing projects with family members. We’ve done things like recording songs, working together on a video game quest, and installing voice-controlled lights to change the mood in a room.

I like a wide range of music and recently have been listening to my kids’ playlists, which is how I learned about Hamilton, Alec Benjamin, and jazz remixes of video game themes.

I would like the ability to make politicians behave sanely—especially if I could do it at a safe social distance.

I started working with SVPC around 2015, shortly after my family and I moved back to the Bay Area from Sacramento where I was a pastor for about 10 years.

With our move to an 11 a.m. worship service time beginning this week, the Sunday Morning Bible Study may fit your Sunday schedule. Each week the class studies the lectionary passage selected for the sermon. Standard questions are used to allow all to participate in a discussion of insights and implications of the scripture. The class concludes with a brief time of shared prayer. To receive a Zoom invitation to the class, please contact Discipleship lead elder Barry Vickrey.

Let Them See Us: Black Beauty Beyond the Mask

Thursday, January 21 • 6–8 p.m. • Zoom

In his seminal poem “We Wear the Mask,” Paul Laurence Dunbar spoke of how Black people create personas—masks—to hide the pain and trauma of racism. These masks take on many forms, but the goal is always to shroud ugliness in beauty. Indeed, racism shapes much of Black experience and identity, but there is more to Black people than trauma.

Many anti-racism trainings (rightfully) give attention to the dire effects of racism on communities of color. In this unique anti-racism education opportunity, we will look at how Black beauty and creativity arise apart from and in spite of racism, prejudice, and oppression. Using examples from the visual and performing arts, we’ll have honest discussions about cultural appropriation, Black American aesthetics, and the “normative gaze.” Together, we will sensitize ourselves to the specific beauty of Blackness and envision a world in which “masks” are no longer necessary.

Rev. Denise Anderson, former co-moderator of the PC(USA) and current Coordinator for Racial and Intercultural Justice for our denomination, will be leading this conversation.

Two Centuries of Prayers by African Americans

Mondays, February 1–22 • 5–6 p.m. • Zoom

When living in Minneapolis, MN, there were many ways to celebrate Black History month every February—plays, art exhibits and more. I came upon the book Conversations with God: Two Centuries of Prayers by African Americans, and began making it a yearly tradition each February, reading through these amazing prayers that span two centuries. Church Historian and ordained Baptist minister James Melvin Washington divides the prayers into six epochs of the black experience in America, from slavery to post-modern. The book describes the prayers as “Uplifting, thankful, heartbroken, and inspired—they are a document of living, breathing conversations. At times contradictory and resentful, at others, despairing and pleading, but always speaking of a hard-won constancy.” No need to purchase the book. We’ll hear about the person/epoch of the prayer, read the prayer together, discuss, and then close with time for meditation on the prayer, as a guided Lectio Divina.

Sign up with Stephanie to receive the Zoom link.

Thursday, February 11 • 7 p.m. • Zoom

Gentlemen, it’s been a long time since you could get together with friends for a beer and hang out. So, the Men's Ministry is putting together the next best thing—Men’s Virtual Pub Trivia Night. It’s your chance to kick back with some good home brew (provided by the Grateful Goat Brewing Community) delivered to your door, and test your trivia knowledge with men from the church.

Sign up here by February 7 if you would like a beer delivery.

Do you love the Enneagram? Youth Ministry’s first Advisor training of 2021 is coming up! Our topic will be on “Knowing Yourself, Knowing Others: Exploring Leadership through the Enneagram.” All leaders at SVPC (staff, deacons, elders, advisors) are welcome. Check the Youth calendar for details on how to prepare for the meeting.

We are welcoming anyone in grades 8–12 to journey through Confirmation with us. During our 10 weeks of classes, students will learn about our faith tradition and, if they are willing and interested by the close of the class, go through the process of becoming members of our congregation.

Register by January 10.

Join Youth Ministry this winter for an SVPC Youth Retreat over Zoom and Gather Town. It is now an SVPC tradition to spend our January winter retreat having frank and age appropriate discussions about sex, gender, and sexuality as it relates to living a faithful Christian life. Want to bring a friend? Tell them to use the “FRIEND” scholarship code and they can attend for free.

Register at bit.ly/CLUEretreat21.

Sunday, February 7 • 6–8:30 p.m. • Zoom (password: PARTY)

Families will come together online for a collective virtual escape room! Each team (family) will work together to unlock puzzles to "escape" from the room. Prizes will be awarded to the families who get out first. No RSVP required. All SVPC families and their friends welcome.

Saturday, January 23 • 11 a.m. • Zoom

Grab your bear and tune in for our annual Teddy Bear concert. Faculty performers from The Music School will present a program planned especially for young listeners. This is a great introduction to a variety of musical instruments.

Visit this link for family reservations and donations of any amount. Zoom information will be shared via email before the event. Proceeds benefit the Janice Williams Memorial Scholarship Fund.

February 16–19 • 10:30 a.m. • Zoom

Approximately 15–20 minutes of daily musical stories for babies through age 7, all ages welcome. Visit this link for FREE ticket reservations. Zoom information will be shared via email before the event.

Get connected at SVPC in 2021! 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!

To learn more about virtual events, videos and at-home activities 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.

Here is the link for the January download of These Days devotionals. Look for the devotionals written by Irene Pak Lee, Associate Pastor at Stone Church of Willow Glen. They offer a special gift of insight as we move into a new year.

Please apply for a matching employer donation if your workplace offers this option. If you’ve tried unsuccessfully in the past, please try again because recent changes have made SVPC an eligible charity for more employers.

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

Follow these instructions on your phone to dial into listen only mode on Zoom: