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Presbytery of San Jose
May 2, 2025
| | Hope to see you tomorrow! | | Photos: April 30 Meet & Greet at Covenant Pres. Palo Alto with 226th GA Co-Moderator, Rev. Tony Larson | Pictured above is the Rev. Tony Larson, GA-226 Co-Moderator (seated), flanked by Presbytery Moderator Rev. Dr. Libby Boatwright and Vice-Moderator Tim Parmentier; around them, but not listed in order, are gathered Pastor Jack Cabaness, wife Emma Cabaness, and several members of Covenant Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto (Beverley Dere, Jane Marshburn with husband Tom, Carol Holsinger, Marcia Ludwig); Presbytery staff EP Neal Presa (with Grace Presa,) Stated Clerk Erica Rader, Office Manager Collette Lynner; Pastor Bill Lane of Gonazles Pres., Pastor Deb Troester of STHPC, and PWP Moderator Rosaleen Zisch. Below are more snapshots of the lunch. |
| | Sunday, May 4: the Presbytery's Unity Candle will be at Cornerstone Church of Silicon Valley in San Jose | We're asking all churches and worshiping communities to pray for the host of the Unity Candle each week, including mention in their worship bulletins and pastoral prayer/congregational prayers. | | Cornerstone's Worship Band at Neal Presa's Commissioning Service, Sept 2024. | | |
Cornerstone Church of Silicon Valley (https://www.cornerstonechurch.net/) is one of the Presbytery's newest churches, boasting our youngest and fastest-growing congregation, and the Presbytery's largest youth program. The CCSV worship band is outstanding! The congregation is tight-knit, and 11am Sunday Worship stretches into a long, relaxed afternoon of food and fellowship. The Presbytery's office is housed at CCSV, so the church frequently collaborates with the Presbytery to conduct special events and Presbytery meetings.
CCSV's flagship mission project is participation in the City of San Jose's Safe Parking program. Other mission projects include neighborhood cleanup with Glenside Riviera Neighborhood Group, and partnership with the Presbytery and Downtown Streets Team for groundskeeping/landscaping work at the facility.
Follow the path of the Unity Candle: http://tinyurl.com/SJUnity2025
| | Attention, Teaching Elders and Ruling Elders... | A working group to review the work and purpose of the Committee on Representation and Empowerment (CORE) requests your feedback. Please take a moment to fill out this quick survey. | Contact EP Neal Presa and Stated Clerk Rev. Erica Rader with questions. | | | |
by Pastor Kim Dorr-Tilley (kim@fpcmv.org)
First Presbyterian Church Mountain View is excited to announce that we will be a host site for the world-renowned Global Leadership Summit (GLS) this coming August 7–8, 2025. This is a simulcast event originating out of the Global Leadership Network in Chicago.
For 30 years, GLS has provided a world-class leadership conference with internationally known speakers sharing their best wisdom in a multitude of fields. FPCMV’s vision as a host site in the Bay Area is to welcome young and old - those seeking to understand their own influence and those already leading – to a powerful environment with other learners and leaders to be equipped for SIGNIFICANT LEADERSHIP today and many tomorrows.
Registration is open now. All congregants of FPCMV will receive an additional discount applied at check-out as a THANK YOU to us for hosting. REGISTER NOW as the Super Early Bird Rate is in effect until May 7, 2025.
Consider inviting members of your organizations, friends, and family to come as well. We'd love our whole church to get behind this event as it’s a major outreach to our local community and a great way to introduce folks to FPCMV!
For your ease in inviting others, please click here for text for an emailable invitation that you can personalize, copy, paste, and send to those you'd like to invite. There’s nothing like a PERSONAL invitation from YOU that will inspire someone to come! (Remember that if you are inviting someone in a discounted category--see below-- to highlight the great discounted rate for them in your email.)
GREAT discounts for first responders, nurses, members of the military and veterans, high school or college faculty members, and students ages 14-23 are available! (No code, just select your category during registration).
If there is an association, company, or cohort in which at least 6 people would like to come as a group, we can invite them to be a PARTNER with us and receive our discounts as well. Please talk to anyone on our Lead Team for more on this.
To learn more about GLS and see the 2025 SPEAKER LINEUP, please click here: globalleadership.org/summit/
TO REGISTER, go to: GLS_registration_FPCMV. (Use CODE 25TEAMGLS) Rates go up over time so don’t hesitate.
If you have any questions about the summit, please contact Rev. Kim Dorr-Tilley (kim@fpcmv.org)
| | You can fit these church events into your weekend! | | | |
French Market Carnival
at Westhope Pres, Saratoga
12850 Saratoga Avenue
Friday May 2 4pm - 9:30pm
Saturday May 3 10am-5pm
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Spring Tea & Craft Faire
at Bonny Doon Church
7065 Bonny Doon Road
Saturday May 3, 10am-4pm
Benefiting CAU Fire Survivors
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PDA Film Screening + Panel Discussion & Q/A
Evicting the American Dream
Wednesday, May 7 @ 7 – 9 pm
Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church & on Zoom
Evicting the American Dream amplifies the voices and stories of children and families confronting eviction and homelessness. This film explores the root causes and systemic issues that perpetuate this epidemic. Followed by a panel discussion & Q/A with PDA filmmaker David Barnhart, Benaifer Dastoor (Bill Wilson Center), Ruby Ramirez (PACT), Dr. Tim Thomas (UC Berkeley's Urban Displacement Project). Learn more here.
Quick links:
Facebook Event (can be shared)
Digital flyer (can be attached to emails)
Web landing page (more information)
Resource guide for Evicting the American Dream
Zoom Link
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"And then," writes Neal Presa, "June 20-22 Sunnyvale will be hosting a peacemaking seminar-type weekend where we'll connect with faith leaders engaged in peacemaking work in the divided countries of Korea and Ireland. This conversation will also include one of our PCUSA mission co-workers."
More info: contact Sunnyvale pastors Hardy Kim or Annanda Barclay
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The abbreviation PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder but what does that mean? Post=after; Traumatic=a trauma experience such as abuse or being in battle; Stress= emotional and body response; Disorder=a mental illness.
PTSD is a normal response to an abnormal situation. This means a person’s brain is protecting them from the trauma. For example, if a woman is raped, she may not remember the details of what happened. The same goes for soldiers who have seen live action and perhaps the deaths of their friends. When they get home, they may not remember accurately what they went through or remember it at all.
However, someone with PTSD will often act-out in other ways like bouts of inappropriate anger, substance abuse, “flashbacks” or nightmares and inability to hold a job. Their brains may be hiding the original trauma, but it cannot hold it all without some symptoms “leaking” out.
So, how do we, as Christians help ourselves with our own trauma experience or support a loved one who is going through theirs? Take it to God…God cares about what we care about. Find a well-trained therapist and/or group that specializes in PTSD. There are several different types of therapy for PTSD. And, whether you are dealing with your own PTSD or a loved one’s, recognize that it can take a long time for your brain and body to process trauma. God has given us wonderful brains and provided professionals who can help us understand them.
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If you need support, here are some channels:
- Teaching Elders/Ministers in the Presbytery, can contact Neal Presa, Executive Presbyter and he will connect you to the Pastors Supporting Pastors (PSP) program.
- As well, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) benefit through the Board of Pensions for six free 1-hour sessions with a licensed therapist and unlimited 24/7 crisis counselor phone calls.
- For anyone (clergy and anyone) experiencing suicidal ideation, you should immediately contact 988 or 911.
Blessings.
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Sustainability Dinners at First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto
by Cynthia Chin-Lee, First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto
The next Sustainability Dinner is:
Saturday, May 10, 2025, 6 pm
First Presbyterian Palo Alto, 1140 Cowper Street (at Lincoln)
Rm is the Chapel (NOT Fellowship Hall)
RSVP to cynthiachinlee@gmail.com by May 8 or earlier.
Because we only have a smaller venue, we are limiting the dinner to 30 people.
This project is funded in part through a grant awarded jointly by the Presbytery Church Health and Growth Work Group and the Mission and Outreach Work Group. Learn more about the Presbytery of San Jose's Ministry Funding Grant Program.
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SAVE THE DATE: Fall Clergy Retreat Sept 9-11
Tuesday September 9 through Thursday, September 11, 2025
Two nights, Three days
St. Francis Retreat Center
549 Mission Vineyard Road
San Juan Bautista
Questions: EP Neal Presa or Church Health & Growth WG Chair Pastor Dave Watermulder
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2-3 May French Market Carnival, Westhope, Saratoga
3 May 8am-1pm N.E.A.R. Gathering, First Pres. Church of Monterey. (registration link)
3 May 10am-4pm Spring Tea and Craft Faire, Bonny Doon
4 May Unity Candle is at Cornerstone Church of Silicon Valley.
7 May, 6:30pm Coordinating Council Meets by Zoom.
7 May, 7pm Evicting the American Dream Screening and panel discussion, Sunnyvale Pres.
11 May Unity Candle is at Stone Church of Willow Glen.
18 May Unity Candle is at Westminster Presbyterian Church, San Jose.
18 May, 1pm CROP Hunger Walk, Almaden Hills UMC. (Collaborative Youth Ministry)
25 May Unity Candle is at Taiwanese American Presbyterian Church
1 June Unity Candle is at Trinity San Jose, GKI Fellowship
6 Sept N.E.A.R. Gathering at First Pres Mountain View
9-11 Sept All Teaching Elders* Fall 2025 Clergy Retreat
13-15 October Leaders of Color Retreat at Zephyr Point (Register)
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