News of the Presbytery of San Jose
The Lord summoned Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying: Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When any of you bring an offering of livestock to the Lord, you shall bring your offering from the herd or from the flock.

Leviticus 1:1-2

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 at www.sanjosepby.org.
SJ PBY logo.
Presbytery Meeting

The last Presbytery meeting for the year is scheduled for Saturday, November 20th via Zoom. Check back closer to the date on the Presbytery website for registration information and the docket.
Be sure and visit the Presbytery website at www.sanjosepby.org for ongoing current information.
Cultivated in Creativity

On the second and fourth Sundays of each month, Theresa Nelson of Cultivated in Creativity will teach art classes at Trinity Santa Cruz' Fellowship Hall.

Where: Trinity Church – 420 Melrose Avenue, Santa Cruz (corner of Melrose & Poplar Avenue)

Next Gathering: Sunday, October 24th from 11:45 am to 2:30 pm

More information may be found on the Presbytery website at: https://sanjosepby.org/cultivated-in-creativity-art-after-church-at-trinity-pres-santa-cruz

The registration page may be found here:
https://www.cultivatedincreativity.org/book-online
Looking for ways to help the refugees leaving Afghanistan? The Immanuel House has needs and suggestions! Click here for their latest dispatch:

Announcing the passing of

our former
Executive Presbyter,
the Rev. Paul Masquelier
and former member, the Rev. Dr. Richard A. Symes

A service of Witness to the Resurrection and Celebration of Life for the Rev. Paul Masquelier will take place:

Saturday Nov 20th at 2pm
at University Presbyterian Church
1776 E Roberts Ave, Fresno, CA

The Mercury News featured his obituary:

A Service of Witness to the Resurrection and Celebration of Life for the Rev. Dr. Richard A. Symes will be held on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2pm, First Presbyterian Church, Palo Alto.

Dick was a member of our Presbytery for many years until he left to serve with the Presbyterian Church in Venezuela in 1990. The service will also be available (for viewing only) via Zoom. The link will be available closer to the day.
Contact the church or the Rev. Diana Gibson (sacredseaturtles@aol.com) for more information.
PCUSALOGO
Current Open Positions

Stone Church
Stone Church of Willow Glen is looking for a part-time "Tech Coordinator." The position would require 15 hrs/week at $20 - $25/hr. The details may be found here:


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Sunnyvale Presbyterian
SVPC is seeking applicants for an AV/IT Coordinator

Information is available online at:

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Santa Teresa/Foothill
STHPC and FCPC are looking for a part-time youth director to oversee a combined youth group.


Contact Rev. Deborah Troester at prdebsthpc@gmail.com for more information.

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Gilroy Presbyterian Church
GPC is looking for a "Family Ministry Director." Details may be found here:

The current Mid-Council Newsletter may be found here:

PW logo
The Presbyterian Women's group is excited to announce that among other speakers, author Kathleen Norris will be sharing via webinar regarding "Resilience: Challenges of Mind, Body, Spirit."

The webinar is set to take place October 16th from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm.

The online registration page may be found here:


Or, email Rosaleen Zisch at mgzisch@gmail.com to register.

The registration fee is $25/household.

More information may be found here:

Psalms for People Like Us

Did you know that in this country, one out of four adults every year will suffer some kind of mental illness? In 2016, Christianity Today published the results of a survey asking preachers, “How often do you preach about mental illness? Of the 92% who responded, there were 3 responses… "Occasionally, Rarely, Never.” The reality is that a significant part of your congregation may not be getting the help and encouragement they need.  

The Rev. Sharon LeClaire, a minister member of our Presbytery is available for preaching and teaching related to mental health issues. More information may be found here: 


Contact Sharon at: sharon.j.leclaire@gmail.com
Our Churches in the Community....

Westhope's Little Free Library was recently mentioned on page four of the Saratoga Outlook. The link may be found here:


The Little Free Library is geared towards both adults and children and is focused on "deepening the community's understanding of racial issues." Good job, Westhope! What a great resource to the community!
Information for Prospective GA 225 (Summer 2022) Commissioners

(FYI) The meetings of the 225th General Assembly will be a blend between in-person Assembly committee meetings held at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville and online plenaries convened via Zoom. Our Presbytery will seek nominations in September 2021 and elect commissioners at our November 2021 meeting, but we wanted to alert any interested potential commissioners about the new format and timing for Summer 2022.

How will the GA meetings work? All Assembly meetings will be held between Friday, June 17, 2022, and Saturday, July 9, 2022. Commissioners and advisory delegates are asked to hold this full block of time until they have been notified of their Assembly committee assignment. Assembly committee assignment and specific dates for travel to Louisville will be distributed on or about Feb. 28, 2022. Requests to change committee assignments due to scheduling conflicts or other preferences cannot be honored due to the committee assignment requirements of the GA Standing Rules.

Link to more information :


A video link with details: https://vimeo.com/592783966

In addition, for those preparing to nominate commissioners, instructions may be found here:


Pastoral Reflection

The New York Times recently published a guest essay by Linda Kinstler entitled: "Can Silicon Valley Find God?" Among other things, it highlighted work being done on the relationship between spirituality and technology and secularized "faith" manifesting in the form of rituals.


As the pandemic has pushed the Church into online realms, the future of Christianity relative to social media and an online presence has been a hot topic of conversation. Practices and rituals are certainly a part of that discussion.

I believe Leviticus has something to offer us in this endeavor. The book opens with God speaking from the Tabernacle to Moses, but within earshot of the people. Typically, he spoke from the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. It's a book meant for the people, addressing ordinary rituals to be used for unexpected issues and thank offerings between high holy days. God made a way for ordinary people to to enter into relationship with him through accessible ritual.

As opposed to our western culture's interest in personal virtue, our Old Testament is focused on the pursuit of holiness. Perhaps the question should be: "What does holiness look like as experiences around ritual change?"

May the Church find ways to remain faithful as we meet the challenges of technology in the 21st century.

Amen

Rev. Dr. Jennifer Bales
Communications Director &
Pastor of Evergreen Presbyterian Church

Phone: (408) 279-0220 Website: www.sanjosepby.org