While Pastor Karin is enjoying her sabbatical, we are enjoying guest preachers. Rev. Annanda Barclay will return to our pulpit on February 19, followed by the Rev. Rich Pak (our Interim Director of Youth Ministries) on February 26. In March, we will hear from Rev. Joey Lee on March 12 and Rev. Jim Bennett on March 26. We are indeed blessed to experience the wonderful teaching and preaching of these gifted leaders!

Friday, March 3 • 7 pm • Sanctuary • Tickets

Invite your friends and family to our collaborative spring concert presented by more than 200 musicians with Sunnyvale Pres’s own Chancel Choir and organ, and the Cupertino High School choirs and orchestra.

The concert features Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, and also includes spirituals arranged by John Rutter.

Fauré’s Requiem is a choral masterpiece and a perfect example of French art at its best. This incredible piece presents the timelessness of the human experience, the passage of generations, our human longings, sorrows, fears of the unknown, and at the same time light, hope, and most of all peace.

All are invited to a reception immediately following the concert. Tickets are $15 general admission, $10 for seniors, and $5 for students & children.

This Saturday, February 11 • 9 am • RSVP

For those of you asking for an easy hike, here you go! Join us for an easy hike at Shoreline Lake in Mountain View as we do an out-and-back 5-mile hike along the Bay Trail. (Of course we hope all levels of hikers will join us!)

We’ll meet at 9 am in front of the American Bistro Café at Shoreline Lake, 3160 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View. Parking is nearby, but please allow time to find a spot.

After the hike, we'll gather at the American Bistro Café on their outside patio. You can bring your own beverage and snack or buy something at the café.

Please RSVP by email if you're coming. This is important so we can look for you (leave no hiker behind) and know whom to contact if a hike is canceled due to weather. We're looking forward to seeing you there!

This Sunday, February 12

11:15 am • Soulé Hall & Zoom

Are you ready to learn together? Wondering what all the letters mean? Are you confused about the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity? Why do some people use they/them pronouns and what does that mean? And how does using pronouns on our nametags show love and support? Come join Carol Heath and spend some time in a safe, brave space as we learn together. Carol identifies as a fierce, mamabear ally to the queer community and leads a group for friends and family members of LGBTQ+ folks. Bring all your questions! (Yes, this is SuperBowl Sunday but this will be over in plenty of time to get to the game.)

This Sunday, February 12 • 11:45 am–1 pm

Jake’s of Sunnyvale • RSVP

Youth Advisors! We appreciate all that you do and would like to have an opportunity to update you and discuss some of the changes to the Youth Ministry program. Join us for lunch at Jake’s of Sunnyvale, 174 E. Fremont Ave.. Please RSVP to Rich if you will be able to attend.

Youth and their families are encouraged to join the Modern Worship Collective for a contemporary expression of our faith. We know the timing is tight to eat beforehand, so come a bit before worship and have some pizza and hang out! Then join us for The Well from 7:30–8 pm to check-in and decompress.

Due to the Super Bowl and schools’ mid-winter breaks, there will be no FLASH or CLUE on Sundays for the next two weeks. Please join us on February 26 after worship for a Grill & Chill lunch on the patio of the Phoenix Center.

In our hectic, face-paced world, our hearts sometimes crave silence. We need space to slow down and listen to the often quiet voice of God. Evensong: Contemplative Worship provides that opportunity through Taizé music, prayer, communion, silence and engagement with God. Join us on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 6:30 pm in the sanctuary for this peaceful gathering.

Registration open now for February 21–24

Looking for something for your kids to do during the mid-winter break from school? From February 21–24, The Music School is offering a special vacation camp, Music & Art, for ages 4–12. Registration is open now! Check out the website for more information on this special February camp experience.

Planning farther ahead? Summer and fall schedules are also available, with open registration beginning February 27 for all ages.

As we enter the holy season of Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday on February 22, here are some special events in the life of the church:

Pick up a devotional booklet and/or daily devotional word cards at church or fill out this form to have them mailed to you. Access the digital resources on the church website (password LENT2023) or text SVPCDEVOTIONAL to 51400 to receive daily devotional text messages.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 22 this year. There are two opportunities to worship on that day:

Join us for one or both of these expressions of worship!

Join us in the beautiful Santa Cruz mountains as we gather with old friends, make new ones, and continue to build our community together. We have not met in person since 2020 so this retreat will be a supportive space to reflect and discuss how deeply the intervening time has affected us as men — our outlooks, our concerns, our laments.

Amidst these reflections, you can also expect plenty of fun, fellowship, games, hikes, cycling, and/or maybe a field trip. We have many reasons to celebrate!

See the website for more info, email with questions, or register today to grab your spot!

Over Zoom • Email

Praying in community can be a powerful experience that deepens connections with God and with others. You’re invited to join a new small group that will come together monthly to pray for our church, community, world, and whatever else is on the hearts of group members. Whether you have lots of experience praying in community or very little, we invite you to explore prayer with us in this new small group.

The group will meet over Zoom on the fourth Monday of each month, 7–8:30 pm, facilitated by Debbie Shaver and Vicki Anderson. We encourage you to come to our next session on February 27 to learn about the group and decide if you would like to continue. Contact Debbie for more information and the Zoom link.

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.

Wouldn’t it be fun for folks to have a place to get together to play some social bridge at the church? Not competitive bridge — just show up, play bridge for a couple hours, have fun, and go home.

This will be a start-up group targeted at medium-level beginners or higher, but we can work out the details as we go along. Please email Barbara Smoot at barbarasmoot@comcast.net or call 1-408-733-6541 if you’re interested.

At the next Author Meet & Greet in Trinity Court on February 19 after worship, congratulate Sunnyvale Pres member Elsbeth TeBrake on the publication of her first book!

Elsbeth, who worked in management at Hewlett Packard from 1989–2020, reveals the essential things she learned about succeeding in life and business — and upholding her faith — in The People Factor in High-Tech Business (2022).

You can also browse the Book Sale Cart any Sunday for reading material relevant to other February occasions. You undoubtedly missed National Tater Tot Day on February 2, but there’s still a lot happening:

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 Instagram or Linktree, 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.

All are welcome to a celebration of life for Alice Alden on Friday, February 17, at 10 am. It will be held in the sanctuary and will not be Zoomed. A reception will immediately follow in Fellowship Hall.

In addition to the blue prayer cards in the pew racks, feel free to 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.”