I used to be a writer, so this shouldn’t be too hard, but what do I write about when I’ve been stagnant for a year? When my screen companions relentlessly broadcast bad news that launches into my eyeballs and settles in my brain and never reaches my mouth because what’s the point of talking about it? We all know how it’s been.

It was Breonna Taylor’s birthday on June 5. I’m including this photo because my Black refugee clients still ask me who they should call for help when it’s the police trying to kill them. I pray for their safety, and I pray we never go back to normal. Going forward, I hope we cultivate more spaces for Black joy and White accountability. I’m tired but I’m hopeful. God grant me the endurance to keep up the fight.

Dear SVPC friends,

How can I possibly express my thanks for the seven years I have spent with you?

I can begin by thanking the pastors, staff, and session for their tremendous support. I can shout a loud alleluia for all the wonderful committee members on Hospitality and Discipleship and offer (virtual) hugs to our deacons and pastoral care teams who have offered compassion and deep care when it mattered. I can thank all the meal and service teams at SAGE and my small group for Bible studies, along with Dine with Nine.

I can remember the times we cried together in Grief Share and Surviving the Holidays and Finding the Good in Grief. I can remember the times we shared laughter in our SPICE group on Thursday nights and in Trinity Court. I can remember our time together in classes like Ephesians, Aging in Place, Last Things, and The Bible in 90 Days.

I can thank the countless women who served on Women’s Retreats and PW Seminars. I’m grateful for the most wonderful of music departments in the Presbyterian kingdom, with three music teams, bells, and children’s events. I have been touched by your compassion, inspired by your devotion, and personally blessed by your caring in tough times.

Ephesians tell us, “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus, and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” As I head into the next chapter, I will hold you gently in my heart and pray for you.

Thanks,

Libby

Sundays and Wednesdays • June 13–August 4 • Zoom

Our regular summer schedule will begin on June 13. No registration required!

All will be using the same Zoom link. Meeting ID: 840 7965 4524, passcode: 664376.

The purpose of the meeting is to elect an elder to fill an unfulfilled term (Class of 2022) in Worship ministry. Joe Don Heath has been nominated. A financial update will also be given at the meeting.

10:30–11:30 a.m. • Zoom

Save the date! SVPC Seniors in your 80s and 90s are invited to a virtual tea. Join Pastor Karin and members of the Caring ministry team over Zoom for conversation, community, and a musical treat! Questions? Contact Judy Beggs at [email protected] or 650-305-0810.

7–8:30 p.m. • Over Zoom • Register

This summer, please join us for a 3-part series on topics featured at the 2021 NEXT Church gathering. These discussions will provide opportunities for our community to reflect on selected keynotes/sermons presented at the March gathering. Topics include anti-racism, LGBTQIA+ inclusivity, and the opportunity for us all to live more fully in the radical call of Christ to bring hope to all peoples. The topics are challenging, which is why we want to be able to process them in community together.

Session 1, June 24: Keynote by Rev. Lenny Duncan (note: explicit language)

We will hear a prophetic lament and challenge from this activist and self-declared “heretic.” This session will push us very hard to understand how the church has oppressed many people over the years—particularly Black folks—and we will be asked to consider how we might need to change.

Using concepts from her Korean-American identity, Dr. Hong will help us reimagine what it means to be faithful in a way that is not complicit with the colonizing empires of the world.

Hear how God is calling us to faithfully and concretely combat the evils of racial injustice in our society today.

Please register in advance for Session 1 so we can plan for small group discussions. When you register, you will receive the link to watch the video. Please watch the Lenny Duncan video prior to joining the discussion on June 24.

We will meet on Zoom for a facilitated discussion and small group breakout sessions to enable us to dive into these topics as a community. To join the Zoom meeting, look for the button on the home page at svpc.us that day.

NEXT Church is a purposeful relational community of Presbyterian leaders whose mission is to strengthen a vibrant and thriving PC(USA) that shares the good news of Jesus Christ in ways that matter to and have impact on God’s evolving world. For more information, check out their website.

Join us the first week in August for mini-VAN, an adjusted CARAVAN summer service experience. Our theme this year is “Called to Connect.” We’ll work locally in Sunnyvale and San Jose, using resources from the 2021 Montreat@Home curriculum, which offers worship, small group, and devotional materials with a balance of contemplation and creation. We will provide daily opportunities to listen and cultivate our faith as a community, even in the midst of social distancing.

This is for rising 9th graders through graduated seniors. Sign up by June 30. Learn more about mini-VAN and register for this experience here.

Please fill out this form if you are interested in being a 2021–22 Youth Advisor.

*If you were an adult volunteer for the 2020–21 program year, this form will also serve as your evaluation form for the year.*

Resource: These Days

You may download the June These Days devotional from the PC(USA) Store here.

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.

Use Amazon Smile and Amazon will automatically donate 0.5% of all eligible purchases to SVPC if you list the church as your charity. When shopping with Amazon, start at smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com. It’s that simple!

Joe Lyon for the loss of his grandmother, Martha Lyon

Thank you to all who have been praying for our beautiful daughter Julie over the past several months, and who have extended their sympathy and condolences with cards and emails over the past few weeks. Her smile and warmth touched everyone just like her mother’s did, and she is deeply missed.

—Jack Cole

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

Watch the live stream broadcast of our weekly worship service. No Facebook account is required to watch on SVPC’s public Facebook page. Or you can watch on the SVPC website.