News of the Presbytery of San Jose
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,”even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.
Psalm 139:11-12

SJ PBY logo.
2022 Presbytery Meetings

February 5th
May 7th
September 24th
November 19th
To list an event that is supported by your church or committee, and that is open to the entire Presbytery, go to
West Hope Presbyterian Church invites you to participate in a co-sponsored celebration on January 15th in remembrance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

There will be a march down Fruitvale Ave. and a guest speaker among other points of interest.

Meet at Saratoga City Hall located at 13777 Fruitvale Ave., Saratoga on January 15th at 10:00 am.
PRESBYTERIAN YOUTH TRIENNIUM 2022

Do you have youth at your church (entering 9th graders - 12th graders) that would like to go to Triennium? The dates next year are July 24-27, 2022 in Indianapolis, and we'd like to send a delegation from the Presbytery of San Jose. We are also looking for adult leaders to help lead this trip.

If you're interested or if you have questions, please contact the official registrar for our Presbytery, the Rev. Irene Pak Lee at Stone Church (pastor.irenepak@gmail.com), and provide her with the number of youth who will be attending.

Registration is $515 for youth and $535 for adult. This does not include housing and travel, but we may have scholarships and grants available to assist with that.

More info may be found at https://presbyterianyouthtriennium.org.

Official registration begins in early February, so we need to know if you're interested! 

A gathering for retired clergy/church professionals and their partners is scheduled for the SAN DAMIANO RETREAT CENTER (Danville) for Monday and Tuesday, February 7 & 8, 2022

This year's speaker is the Rev. Alan H. Jones, speaking about “Palaver and Power: Exploring our Experience, Uses and Abuses of Power.” The registration deadline is January 15, 2022. Retreat Flyer and Registration Form.
Pastoral Reflection

In reflecting on light and darkness in this season of Christmas and Epiphany, Evergreen Presbyterian Church is delving into Barbara Brown Taylor's book
Learning to Walk in the Dark. It's Taylor's reflections on the "dark night of the soul" and what it means live out a "lunar" spirituality.

In her introduction, she reminisces about her childhood fear of the dark and how the imagination conjures up images of monsters under the bed or in the closet once the lights go out. Rather than exploring her fears with her and finding ways to "breathe into the darkness," her parents decided on an easy fix and plugged in a night light. As a child, Taylor was never forced to come to terms with her fear of the dark.

She compares this experience to spiritual practices. She states that she believes we need the dark! Do we look for easy fixes and avoid the hard work of the dark night or do we develop our skills in navigating difficult circumstances with our faith intact? I would add the question of how many individuals walk away from their faith because of a dark night experience? A lack of satisfying answers regarding God's role in those moments can be challenging. Perhaps the witness of the Church's ability to walk in the dark acts as a critical connecting point for those outside the church.

May we the Church find ways to live out the reality of a present and loving God as we cultivate our hope and develop our own lunar spirituality.

Amen

Rev. Dr. Jennifer Bales
Director of Communications
Presbytery of San Jose
Phone: (408) 279-0220 Website: www.sanjosepby.org