News of the Presbytery of San Jose
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...then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.
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And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
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Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil...
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The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.
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And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;
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but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
Genesis 2:7-9, 15-17
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We want to keep you informed! Below is a list of current events happening in the Presbytery of San Jose. Also remember to check the Presbytery website, particularly the Events page at www.sanjosepby.org.
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Presbytery Meeting
June 1, 2019
Join us
Saturday, June 1st
for our upcoming Presbytery meeting being held at
Taiwanese American Presbyterian Church
at
3675 Payne Ave., San Jose 95117
. Worship begins at
9:00 am
. Check our website closer to the meeting date for a copy of the current
docket.
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There are currently two
part-time
positions open in the Presbytery.
The first is for a Music Director at Foothill Presbyterian Church in East San Jose. A church information sheet and job description may be found here:
Church Information
and
Job Description.
Contact Andy Wong at [email protected] or (408) 258-8133 for more information.
Second, a position of "Mission Program Coordinator" is also open at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church. Contact Rev. Karin Hejmanowski at (408) 739-1892 or [email protected] for more information. Job Description may be found here:
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For those who could not attend either of the two clergy boundaries training events offered so far this year, a make-up session has been scheduled for
Wednesday, November 6th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Presbytery offices.
Note that clergy are *REQUIRED* to attend a training within 2019.
Lunch is included.
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Stone Church will be presenting a speaker from the ISLAMIC NETWORKS GROUP (ING) on the subject of Muslim women stereotypes and the teachings of the Quran. The event will be held in the sanctuary at Stone Church from
11:00am to 12:15pm on Sunday May 26 as part of our Adult Education offerings. The contact person is Bob Cole at
[email protected]
. RSVPs from those who wish to attend would be helpful.
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The Mid-Council newsletter for the denomination may be found here:
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Summer Youth Intern Position@
Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church
Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church is looking for a youth interested in serving as an intern this summer. A description of the position and contact information may be found here:
Internship Description
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First Presbyterian Church
of San Jose Closing
*SAVE THE DATE*
As it was announced in April's Presbytery meeting, First Presbyterian Church of San Jose will be closing its doors at the end of June.
FPCSJ has a long history in this community and birthed several churches in our Presbytery. We are saddened by this transition. However, steps are being taken to preserve its legacy in the downtown area, and we are grateful for the work of its session as they have been carefully and prayerfully working their way through this process.
*A gathering to celebrate 1st Presbyterian's legacy will take place on
Saturday, June 22nd at 5:30 pm at the Presbytery Offices
, located at 890 Meridian Way, San Jose. Please RSVP to Collette at [email protected]*
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Westhope Presbyterian Church is excited to announce that Dr. Andrew Fiala will be speaking on
Sunday, May 26th at 11:30 am
(following the service) on the topic of non-violence and peace.
The event is free and open to anyone. No RSVP is needed.
Andrew Fiala, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Ethics Center at California State University, Fresno. He is the author or editor of more than a dozen books. Titles include: Transformative Pacifism (Bloomsbury, 2018), The Routledge Handbook of Pacifism and Nonviolence (Routledge, 2017), The Peace of Nature and the Nature of Peace (Brill 2015), and Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues with co-author Barbara MacKinnon (Cengage, 2017--9th edition). Fiala is past President of Concerned Philosophers for Peace. He writes a weekly column on religion, politics, and ethics for the Fresno Bee:
https://www.fresnobee.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/andrew-fiala/
. Follow on Twitter (
@PhilosophyFiala
) or website:
www.andrewfiala.com
. When he is not teaching or writing, he spends his time in Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada.
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Santa Teresa Hills Presbyterian Church recently purchased new hymnals for their sanctuary. If anyone is interested in their old ones or knows of an organization that could use them, please contact Barb Overholt at (408) 629-5906 or [email protected].
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Pastoral Reflection
As I'm serving on the Presbytery Commission associated with the sale of the downtown 1st Presbyterian property and consulting with Front Door Community's Board of Directors, the issues of homelessness, mental health, addiction, and poverty have been on my mind. I'll be reflecting on the Presbytery's call to urban ministry and social justice in the coming months.
A friend posted an article recently called " 'If the Land is Sick, You are Sick': An Aboriginal Approach to Mental Health in times of Drought." The article talks about the impact global warming has on the Australian farming and Aboriginal communities. Drought leads to insecurities, financial stress, and in some cases - death. The created order as a whole is affected by the lack of water. Turning to Aboriginal traditions has helped in addressing mental health concerns. There's a focus on cultural continuity, mythology, narrative, and building a sense of belonging. Article:
As I read the article, I couldn't help but think of our own Christian mythology, narrative, and call to develop community. It all starts in Genesis with our Creation stories; stories which give us our understanding of humanity and our interconnectedness - we are all made in God's image. Genesis also provides us with our call to skillfully manage Creation and tells us who we are in relation to God and the created order. It gives us a way to relate to the land. Are we helping people tell their stories? Do we give them a community to which they may belong? How are we managing our resources?
As we carefully consider next steps for the Presbytery and our marginalized community, may the Holy Spirit help us cultivate a sense of belonging accessible to all.
Amen
Rev. Jenni Bales
Director of Communications
Presbytery of San Jose
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Phone: (408) 279-0220
Website: www.sanjosepby.org
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