Valley Presbyterian Church

Valley Presbyterian's new Executive Pastor Karen Thistlethwaite addressed the congregation last Sunday, November 3, with a sermon on "A Legacy of Faith and Forgiveness." Building on the reading from Acts 7:55-60, Pastor Karen noted that Stephen asked God to forgive his persecutors with his dying breath. Karen suggested we bring forgiveness and God's love to those we are inclined to love the least, following Stephen's example. www.valleypreschurch.org

Craig Cornelius is a software engineer in Silicon Valley, a past college professor, and an active leader of the Adult Education program at Valley Presbyterian Church. On Sunday, October 27, 2019 (Reformation Sunday), Craig lead the congregation in an exploration of "Change is Hard." www.valleypreschurch.org

On Oct. 20, 2019, Pastor Jenny Warner spoke about "The Wounding and Healing of Faith" at Valley Presbyterian Church. Both of these consequences of faith tend to get tangled together like a knotted ball of yarn, difficult to separate from each other. Jenny concluded that a more mature faith acknowledges this complexity and allows for the embrace of truth where ever it appears. www.valleypreschurch.org

Pastor Jenny Warner spoke about 'Gathering Around Resilient Faith,' on October 13, 2019. She pointed out that gratitude leaves us soft, open, and connected with one another, even if we come from different tribes. It's good to remain curious, grateful, & connected to others. Reflecting on the interwoven root structure supporting our towering redwood trees at VPC, Jenny also concluded that we can grow strong as individuals, but like the redwoods, we grow best in community with others. www.valleypreschurch.org

On Sept. 29, 2019, Pastor Jenny Warner addressed the congregation of Valley Presbyterian Church about being our true selves. Often we cope with challenges by wearing a "mask" of one sort or another. God's love invites us to be our true selves, "like a divine breath passing through". At Valley Presbyterian, one of our core values is "Dropping our masks, we invite each other to be our true selves." www.valleypreschurch.org

Visiting Valley Presbyterian Church in Portola Valley, California from Minneapolis, Minnesota, author and pastor Doug Pagitt shared the message of his latest book, "Outdoing Jesus" on September 22, 2019, and discussed how we can build a more loving world. This was the third week of the church's "Gather Around" fall sermon series, as we considered our third VPC core value: Focusing outward, we build partnerships, create opportunities, seek justice and learn from each other. www.valleypreschurch.org

Welcome back to the second week of our "Gather Around" fall sermon series. Today Rev. Jenny Warner addresses creativity & joy, as part of our second Valley Presbyterian core value: "Seeking the sacred through creativity, playfulness and nature, we nurture our faith." www.valleypreschurch.org

September 8, 2019 was BaseCamp Sunday, a big day for Valley Presbyterian. Pastor Jenny Warner kicked of our new fall sermon series "Gather Around" by exploring our first core value at VPC: Slowing down, we ask questions and experience the mystery of faith. Through examples from her own recent week, Jenny reminded us to take a moment to slow down when we're caught up in the flurry of life's busy-ness, and set our hearts on a higher order. To be our best in the world requires rest, and if we can stay plugged in to God's love instead of distraught freneticism, we can experience faith as a mystery instead of as a problem to be solved on a check list.

An active leader of Valley Presbyterian's Adult Education Classes as well as a software engineer and past college professor, Craig Cornelius shared his observations on the unique experience we find when we're singing. Engaging the whole body (lungs, brain, etc.), singing leads to an altered state of being where we are transported and free. And as an antidote to social isolation, singing together brings us closer, uniting us as human beings, in our hearts, minds and bodies. www.valleypreschurch.org

On Aug. 18, 2019, Pastor Jenny Warner preached on "Releasing What Binds Us" at Valley Presbyterian. She started by summarizing an Irish short story, "The First Confession" by Frank O'Connor. As she continued, she demonstrated that only through confessing do we let down our guard and open ourselves fully to truth telling. When we "live in confession" and openly tell our truth, we discover the joy of being loved by God, just as we are, and we are able to move forward, rather than being blocked in a damaging, defensive posture. We must confess the truth, otherwise we get "stuck" in denial. www.valleypreschurch.org

On August 11, 2019, Andrew P. Quick shared his sermon with Valley Presbyterian Church on "God's Faith in Us." Andrew graduated this spring from the San Francisco Theological Seminary with a Masters in Divinity. He is currently under care as a candidate with the San Francisco Presbytery as he moves towards ordination. Valley Presbyterian Church is pleased to support Andrew's journey. www.valleypreschurch.org

Darrell Batchelder is a member of Valley Presbyterian Church, currently serving as a deacon, and as a singer in the Chancel Choir. His sermon on August 4, 2019 focused on the importance of volunteers in making community. www.valleypreschurch.org

(13:28) Rev. Jenny Warner reflects on the power of stories at the 7/29/19 Valley Presbyterian Church worship service. Stories remind us of who we are, keep us in relationship with other people, and give us something to live into. Sometimes we make up stories in our heads about what we think is going on with other people (for instance someone who cuts you off in traffic) when our version could be different from the real story. What’s important is to LIVE in a story that is expansive enough to hold the full spectrum of our lives and give us space to grow into love Remember the story behind the communion table -- that there is a God of abundance who is with us and who brings redemption, healing and wholeness. Be aware of your stories and how they influence how you live your life. www.valleypreschurch.org

On Sunday, July 14, 2019, Julie Williams addressed the parable of the Good Samaritan at Valley Presbyterian Church. By practicing the radical concept of caring for another human being in need (in spite of social boundaries), the Good Samaritan gave us an example to live by: every human being is our neighbor, and we should love each other as we love ourselves. Julie developed this idea further by describing the joy-filled approach of Rita Berger (aka Rita Rockett), who shared food and an upbeat, playful nature with AIDS patients in San Francisco for years. Julie closed her sermon by describing the endless, sustainable "Circle of Care" that forms when we bring our deepest joy to those places of the world's deepest hunger, as Rita Rockett did. How will we make a difference? Look for places where the world's greatest need can be met with your own greatest joy. www.valleypreschurch.org

(25:10)The sermon at Valley Presbyterian Church on July 21, 2019 was provided by Brian Cropper, a high school history and religious studies teacher at the Nueva School in San Mateo. Brian pursued graduate work in comparative religion at Harvard Divinity School. He's a strong advocate for developing literacy about myriad ways religion is embedded in all aspects of life. Brian contends this broader awareness of religion can help us better understand our community, as well as provide us with a multidisciplinary foundation for understanding history and culture.

Rev. Jenny Warner offered a sermon on "Walking in Gratitude" as the congregation of Valley Presbyterian gathered under the redwoods for a lovely outdoor worship service on July 7, 2019. www.valleypreschurch.org

On 6/30/19, Pastor Jenny Warner shared insight on Psalm 104 at Valley Presbyterian Church. Jenny described God's "domain of tenderness" and suggested we are invited to meet God's tenderness with trust. Rather than being overly controlling, or reckless with abandon, we can find God on a trusting, middle path, as a creature taking comfort in being part of creation. We don't need to be perfect, just present. www.valleypreschurch.org

June 23 was a memorable worship service for Valley Presbyterian, as we were treated to the return of Ashley Pogue & Andrew Quick for a joint sermon at VPC's pulpit. Andrew & Ashley shared with us the persistent questions they have lived with through their three years as seminary students. Towards the end of their sermon, they offer their answers, then challenge the congregation to consider these same questions for our own lives.

This special service starts a summer of music at Valley Presbyterian. Rev. Jenny Warner's sermon reminds us that the Trinity supports a community spirit, in which singing together is a spiritual celebration. Paul Vasile leads musical meditations with the congregation. Piano played by Paul Vasile, cello by Barbary Grant, and vocals by all three. Enjoy! www.valleypreschurch.org

Pentecost conjures up the excitement that comes from being in community with others. Pastor Jenny reflects on personal experiences like this. Being together with others heightens the sense of passion, and deepens the sense of belonging to each other; that connection is sacred. This audio file includes a musical selection at the end by the VPC Chancel Choir, singing "We Are Not Alone." www.valleypreschurch.org