Please join the town hall meeting this Sunday, January 30

1 p.m. • Zoom

The church recently sent a letter to update you about the need to make reductions to the budget and personnel expenses. The reason for the adjustments is mainly due to the disruption in church participation and giving, and in revenue generated by the outreach groups, as a result of the pandemic. We appreciate the congregation’s continued generosity and faithfulness in giving to support the church and its ministries. Please know that our current situation is still a solid one where we have the ability to be a caring and faithful congregation, providing community and connection for many folks in our membership and far beyond.

Many of you will have questions and feedback, which is why we’ve scheduled a Zoom “town hall” meeting this Sunday, January 30, at 1 p.m. following morning worship. You can use this link or look for the Zoom link button on the church website. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

We appreciate you, newsletter readers! We also hear your feedback that the information in these emails is still important and relevant, but not as urgent as it was in the early days of the pandemic when we first pivoted from a monthly to a weekly format. For this reason, beginning in February, this email newsletter will be published twice a month on the second and fourth Fridays. This means today will be the last of the weekly format, and then you’ll see us in your inbox twice a month beginning February 11.

In addition to this email newsletter, you can find timely updates tailored to your interests on the church website, events calendar, Facebook, Instagram, and through the Youth, Children’s, and Worship Focus emails.

Click here for updated information about deadlines and how to submit an article.

This Sunday, January 30 • 9–10:45 a.m.

Register • Zoom (passcode: Welcome)

If you’ve been attending worship and are interested in the next step, come and explore membership with us. Rev. Karin Hejmanowski will be teaching the next one-session New Member Class over Zoom. Those who become new members will also need to meet with our leadership on Tuesday, February 15 in the evening, and be received during our 11 a.m. worship service on March 13.

Please register for the class here.

To connect to the Zoom meeting, click here (passcode: Welcome).

One area that the Safe Church Oversight Team (SCOT) is addressing is refresher training for staff and volunteers who last took the Safe Church training more than five years ago. If you are a current staff member, church officer, or volunteer with Children’s or Youth ministries and it has been more than five years since you took the Safe Church training course, we will be contacting you with information about a short, online, self-paced refresher course.

If you would like more information about the refresher course or any other Safe Church issue, please email safechurch@sunnyvalepres.com. Further information about the Safe Church program, including the full policy document, can be found on the church website.

Join us for Black History Month: A Case for Reparations

Wednesdays in February • 7–8:30 p.m. • Over Zoom • Register

In this year of racial reckoning, join others in our faith community as we explore a powerful resource together. The artistic graphics, clear highlights of history, and intriguing case studies all combine to flesh out how we got to this place and where we might go from here.

Led by Stephanie Lutz Allen, each session will involve discussing the materials and then participating in a creative activity. While “reparations” can be a loaded word, you’re invited to listen to these voices as we explore together. All four sessions will meet over Zoom. Register here for more information and the Zoom link.

We are excited to begin 2022 by inviting youth and their families to attend our annual Family Winter Party! Families will come together in Fellowship Hall for a “Paint and Sip Party.” Painting supplies and refreshments will be provided. Masks required. Families with children of all ages are invited! No RSVP required. We hope to see you all there!

Thursday, February 10 • 10:30–11:30 a.m. • Zoom (passcode: 112233)

Sunnyvale Pres seniors in your 80s and older are invited to a virtual coffee get-together. Join Pastor Karin and members of the Caring ministry team for conversation, community and a musical treat! If we have your birth year in our database, we’ll send you an email reminder a few days before the coffee. Questions? Contact Roger Medsker at medskerrd@gmail.com or 1-319-400-2828.

Saturday, February 12 • 9 a.m. • RSVP

Hey, Sunnyvale Pres Hikers! Our next hike will be the Coal Mine Ridge Loop. We’ll meet at 9 a.m. at the corner of Willowbrook Dr. and Alpine Rd. in Portola Valley. Parking is along both roads. The hike will be about 4.5 miles and is rated as moderate (750 ft elevation gain). We’ll meet at Robert’s Market for lunch after the hike.

Please RSVP to hiking@sunnyvalepres.com to let us know you’re coming, and to have us add you to our mailing list if you’re not already on it.

Women’s Retreat: Cultivating Love

Over Zoom • Register

All women are invited! Join us as we find unique ways to connect during the day including music, a speaker, small groups, and afternoon activity groups that will include both online and in-person options. We will offer breaks and movement throughout the day to help avoid screen fatigue. Before we join into activity groups, we will have a short worship service and communion. Retreat cost will be just $10 to go toward our speaker’s honoraria.

Our speaker, Annanda Barclay (she/her/hers), is the pastor of Mission Bay Community Church in San Francisco and a student chaplain at Stanford Hospital pursuing a full-time career in chaplaincy.

Questions? Email womens_retreat@sunnyvalepres.com.

Immanuel House is looking for a new house manager. Immanuel House is a nonprofit in San Jose that provides transitional housing to newly arrived refugees. The house manager receives free rent and utilities in a manager’s suite in return for safe operation of the refugee transition household. No salary is provided; this is a volunteer position. Responsibilities include providing new residents with an orientation on household maintenance and house rules, ensuring residents complete weekly chores, collecting and distributing mail, and communicating with the board and partner organizations. Please contact info@immanuelhousesj.org for more information about the position.

July 16–24 • Chicago • Info & Register

In July, SVPC Youth ministry will head to the Southside of Chicago, Illinois to learn from community members about the effects of segregation and institutionalized racist city policies that have kept Chicago as one of the most segregated cities in the country. We hope to return with concrete tools to address our own version of housing issues here in the Bay Area so we have eyes to see the ways we segregate our lives from each other each day. Interested in learning more or registering? Click here.

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 retired long-time employee, Suzanne Ungson.

Habit #1: Read the Bible

But which Bible? Complete English translations of the world’s best-selling book number around 100. Adding partial translations, perhaps 900. The first person to translate the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into English was Englishman William Tyndale. He was strangled and burned at the stake for his illegal efforts in 1536 near Brussels, betrayed by a Henry VIII supporter.

Translations are word for word, thought for thought or paraphrased by a single author or a team of scholars. Click here for one online comparison of translations.

The Book Sale Cart has multiple choices including the New Revised Standard Version (1989)—a literal translation by the National Council of Churches, using gender-inclusive language; The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language (1993–2002), by Presbyterian pastor Eugene H. Peterson, Tyndale House Publishers; The Harper Collins Study Bible (NRSV), with added information; and children’s Bibles.

Ask our pastors which translations they prefer and why!

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.

December 2021 (month 9)..........$K   

Church Income....................$1,190

Church Expenses..................$1,314

Church Deficit...................$ (124)

Outreach Grps:PELC/TMS Surplus...$    5

Combined Organization Deficit....$ (119)

The church reported a total deficit of $(119)k through December of our fiscal year. Giving in the month of December was strong, bringing year-to-date church income to $1,190k. We remain grateful for your ongoing giving in support of our church ministries. The outreach groups turned a corner and are showing a surplus year-to-date, despite challenges associated with the latest COVID surge. The combined deficit through December is $(119)k and will be covered by the government PPP loans we received to help us through these pandemic times. Our results continue to be better than budget and we continue to focus on managing costs in light of lower giving compared to last year.

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.”