Presbytery of San Jose

May 22, 2025

A Pastoral Letter to the Presbytery of San Jose


The Rev. Dr. Neal D. Presa, Executive Presbyter

May 22, 2025

Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Ministry Partners of the Presbytery of San José,

 

Eastertide greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit! I shared at our weekly staff meeting today what my executive coach shared with me earlier this week. He and I have been reflecting upon joy, the subject of my latest book (Worship, Justice, and Joy: A Liturgical Pilgrimage). When we met, my coach shared this poem by author Jan Richardson:

 

HOW JOY WORKS

A Blessing 

You could not stop it

if you tried—

how this blessing

begins to sing

every time it sees

your face,

how it turns itself

in wonder

merely at the mention

of your name.

It is simply

how joy works,

going out to you

when you least expect,

running up to meet you 

when you had not thought

to ask.

When he shared this and when I pondered it more, I remembered Hebrews 13:1-2, “Let mutual affection continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” 

 

We know that one of the greatest commandments is “Love your neighbor.” The Judeo Christian tradition speaks of the exhortation, “Love neighbor and stranger” because in equal measure, those whom we know and those whom we don’t know, are often sacred encounters, or what Richardson describes as “how joy works/going out to you/when you least expect/running up to meet you/when you had not thought to ask.” C.S. Lewis’s famous work “Surprised by Joy” shares his reflection of his transformation to Christianity from atheism. When we speak of “God works in mysterious ways,” I change that to “God works in mischievous ways” because when we least expect it, or what the apostle Paul’s benediction declares: “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20)

 

Our work and witness as people of God, in our slice of the world called the Presbytery of San José encompassing Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey counties, and with teaching elders serving in validated ministries outside the bounds of the Presbytery, and honorably retired colleagues, and wherever you travel where you encounter neighbor and stranger alike, how is joy meeting you? In what ways are your words and witness embodying the love and justice of God in surprising, mischievous ways that the people around you least expect but which bring a ray of joy in their struggle, a ray of hope in life’s curveball that came their way, a sign of love under the suffocating weight of injustice?

 

Joy’s work and witness are surprising, come in the form of neighbor and stranger in our midst, when we least expect it. You and I are also that neighbor and stranger. After all, as we say in gatherings of the Presbytery: Called to Community, Committed to Justice.



We are neighbor, we are stranger in the world, as those around us are also sources of unexpected joy. And in our midst, along the way, in the mysterious mischief and mischievous mystery where he appears in ways beyond our thinking and imagining, the Lord Christ, who is our Joy, prompts us to love neighbor and stranger alike.

 

In Joy and Justice,

 

The Rev. Dr. Neal D. Presa, Executive Presbyter

(408) 763-5004 | Neal@sanjosepby.org

 

 

#CalledToCommunity

#CommittedToJustice

Sunday, May 25: the Presbytery's Unity Candle will be at 聖荷西台美基督長老教會 (Taiwanese-American Presbyterian Church) 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.

Above: 2025 Easter Sunday Worship



Taiwanese-American Presbyterian Church on Payne Avenue in San Jose is the only congregation in the Presbytery that offers services in Chinese. A good history of the church is here: https://tapcsj.org/tapc.html


Sunday Worship is at 10:00 am; the congregation meets in person and services are streamed online. https://www.tapcsj.org/ 

Taiwanese American Presbyterian Church (TAPC) and the Presbytery of San Jose welcomed Pastor Rev. Ting-Yin (Tim) Lee in 2023.

Photos from https://www.facebook.com/tapcsjca (>1,000 followers!)

This past February, Pastor Lee wrote about delivering God's Word and a New Year's Blessing to his congregation (translated by facebook):


...everyone is happy to receive this small red envelope full of blessings, symbolizing peace, joy and abundance in the new year. Seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces, I really felt God’s grace!


Follow the path of the Unity Candle.

Nominations sought for GA-227 commissioners

Travel to Milwaukee in 2026!

Two GA Commissioners (one teaching elder, one ruling elder) and a YAAD will be elected at the October 23 Presbytery meeting.

 

Names should be submitted to Nominating Committee chair Rev. Evie Macway, EP Neal Presa, and Stated Clerk Erica Rader. Deadline to apply is Sept 10.

 

Nominees must be available on these dates:

  • June 22-24, 2026 for Assembly committee meetings via Zoom,
  • June 25-26, 2026 for travel to Milwaukee
  • June 28-July 2, 2026 for the plenary business meetings of the 227th General Assembly, including worship and lunch with Milwaukee area congregations.
  • Including, but not required attendance: June 27, 2026 is a Community Day (featuring worship, engagement with local issues, luncheon, welcome reception, connect with PC(USA) agencies and organizations)




If you've never seen a drag show, you're in for a treat!

Flamy Grant, hip-swaying, shame-slaying, singer-songwriting drag queen, is coming to Sunnyvale Pres. The concert is open to the public and appropriate for all ages! From the tickets page on sunnyvalepres.com: Flamy Grant's 2022 debut record, Bible Belt Baby, reached the #1 spot on the iTunes Christian Chart (the first drag performer to achieve this feat.)

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.

Saturday May 29: Encore viewing of "No Other Land"

Westhope Presbyterian Church, Saratoga sold out its first screening of Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land" about life under occupation in Palestine. The film is a firsthand account of "a truth that the whole world needs to hear." (youtube)

For those who are curious but reluctant to come out, see this interview with Directors Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham for "Toolkit Podcast." Reserve your seat today for the Saturday May 29 screening, 6:30-9:30 at Westhope Presbyterian Church, 12850 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga.

NEAR Gathering II will be Saturday, September 6 (8:00am-1:00pm) at First Presbyterian Church, Mountain View where we will have as a conversation partner/preacher, The Rev. Dr. Mark Labberton, President Emeritus of Fuller Theological Seminary, with the focus on God’s Mission and Character and the Church’s Witness.

Save the Date: Sept 9-11 All-Clergy Fall Retreat

Full Stay: $250/two nights single-occupancy plus meals

Commuter registration: $90

Call for submissions to the Digest


The Presbytery Digest is an electronic newsletter produced by Presbytery staff and published weekly.


  • We welcome your stories about being #CalledToCommunity and #committedtojustice
  • We will help promote programs and events that are supported by a congregation or body of the Presbytery and that are open to all the Presbytery.


June editions of the Digest will be written in advance; please submit your notices for June and July events by May 27 to EP Neal Presa Neal@sanjosepby.org, cc: Office Manager Collette Lynner collette@sanjosepby.org.

New and upcoming dates on the

Presbytery Calendar

22-23 May Unification Commission Meeting Livestream / Documents

25 May Unity Candle is at Taiwanese American Presbyterian Church.

28 May, 9am PT Presbyterian Advocacy Hour zoom Defending Public Education.

29 May No Other Land, 2nd Screening, Westhope Presbyterian Church.

1 June Unity Candle is at Trinity San Jose, GKI Fellowship.

3 June 6:30 Taize Service at Stone Church.

8 June Unity Candle is at PCLG.

15 June Unity Candle is at Westhope Pres., Saratoga.

20-22 June Peacemaking Weekend at Sunnyvale Pres.

6 Sept N.E.A.R. Gathering at First Pres Mountain View.

9-11 Sept Fall 2025 Clergy Retreat for all Teaching Elders.

13-15 October Leaders of Color Retreat at Zephyr Point. (Register)

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