Presbytery of San Francisco

Presbyterian Women Spring Gathering – March 3

Communications Workgoup — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:57:14 +0000

Spring_Gathering.pdf Download this file

My Charge to the Presbytery of San Francisco

Website Administrator — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:56:23 +0000

³ I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers. ⁴ I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy.⁵ I’m glad because of the way you have been my partners in the ministry of the gospel from the time you first believed it until now. ⁶ I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus . . . ⁹ This is my prayer: that your love might become even more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight. ¹⁰ I pray this so that you will be able to decide what really matters and so you will be sincere and blameless on the day of Christ. ¹¹ I pray that you will then be filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes from Jesus Christ, in order to give glory and praise to God. (Philippians 1.3-6, 9-11)

It’s common for the apostle Paul to begin his letters with an expression of thanksgiving. However, there are a few unique and interesting elements to this particular prayer of thanksgiving. For one, Paul chooses to use the Greek word “deomai” instead of the more common verb “proseuche.” The kind of prayer that Paul talks about here is more of a “request,” a “petition.” Paul says in verse 9 that his prayer request comes so that “your love might be even more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight.”

What also is fascinating about this petition of thanksgiving is that Paul uses the word “koinonia,” that we are partners in Christ’s service, sharing in the spreading of the good news. Therefore, Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving is a request for partnership, community, and sharing of the gospel so that love may overflow and that we may be filled with joy.

This is my prayer, my petition for you, for us. This year, I will have been a member of the Presbytery of San Francisco for eight years. In those eight years, I feel that this presbytery, you all, have journeyed with me through some important milestones in my life. In those eight years, I feel that you all have nurtured me in my call and in my spiritual growth.

Many of you have come to my wedding ten years ago as friends and family . . . so much so that people said it felt like a mini-presbytery meeting (minus the motions and amendments of course.) You all have created a warm and inviting atmosphere for my kids to sit with us during those long presbytery meetings . . . so much so that my son equates them to going to Disneyland. I’m not sure if that should be a concern or a blessing. You have made it possible for my husband, InHo Kim, and I to serve the presbytery while also having young children . . . so much so that I have often made committee reports while my son was strapped to my body in a sling . . . so much so that I have often chaired those late night meetings while rocking my baby girl to sleep.

I feel honored and blessed to have journeyed with many of you through ordinations, births, transitions to new calls, deaths, disappointments, and retirements. I have seen this presbytery through many leadership transitions, mission statements and priorities. I have sat through many long nights on contentious votes – usually holding my kids asleep in my arms awaiting the outcome. Along with that journey, I have also experienced the many frustrations, lack of trust, and disappointing times as well.

I say all this because this is to remind you of what you all have done well – for me, for my family, and for each other. However, the fact remains that we have a lot of work to do to move towards a healthier presbytery, healthier relationships, and a healthier spirit.

Council, committees, working groups, and task forces have been working hard these past couple of years on that movement. My focus as moderator this year will be on how we meet as a presbytery. You will see some small and major changes throughout the year. And my prayer, my petition to you is that we can be partners in this change. It is up to you all, the koinonia, on how we will share in ministry, partner in God’s call in order for joy and love to overflow.

My charge to you is this: love one another, listen to one another, and take a moment to meet someone you haven’t had a chance to meet yet. John Anderson, my Head of Staff, always reminds our congregation that “God loves you and there is nothing you can do about it.” Shouldn’t we then be ever compelled to share that love with one another and the world. As the song says, “They will know we are Christians by our love.” My hope is that we will believe it enough to share it and live it.

I have high expectations for this year. I have set a high goal for us. My goal is that the changes we make in how we meet as a presbytery will be so wonderful that we will actually say, “I love my presbytery.” The truth is I do love this presbytery and wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. I look forward to working together this year.

-Theresa Cho

Cameron House Tea 2/27

Communications Workgoup — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:56:20 +0000

cameron house Membership Tea ’12.pdf Download this file

McCutcheon at Clayton Valley 1/20/12

Communications Workgoup — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:33:34 +0000

JohnM3.docx Download this file

2012 Per Capita Assessment

Website Administrator — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:20:31 +0000

The 2012 Per Capita assessment will be $32.00 per member.

Encouraging Developments For The Partnership Working Group

Website Administrator — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:18:03 +0000

In the winter of 2010, the Partnership Working Group made a strong commitment to two important goals:

To build relationships with all of our Presbytery’s churches;
To strategize with them about how partnerships could enhance each church’s mission involvement and outreach.

Their initial strategy included sending a simply five-question survey to all mission elders/pastors in the Presbytery, inviting them to list their church’s local and foreign mission involvement and how they believed a partnership would be helpful. Since that time, every member of the Partnership Working Group has chosen to engage personally with mission leadership/pastor contacts…

Which are close geographically, or…
With whom they already have a relationship, or…
With whom they are seeking to build a relationship.

Partnership Chair, Rev. George Gilchrist, reports that group members realized several months ago that they lacked representation from our many ethnic congregations. In short time they succeeded in diversifying the team by adding three new members:

Daniel Beteta, pastor at Latinos Unidos en Cristos, San Mateo
Jenny Kim, member at Park Boulevard P.C., Oakland
Jackie Kwan, member at Christ United P.C., San Francisco

Other Partnership members include:

Karen Thistlethwaite, minister of education at St. John’s P.C., Berkeley
Bill Campbell, Elder at Old First Church, San Francisco
Paul Watermulder, pastor at First P.C., Burlingame
Katie Freeman, candidate for ordination from Centerpointe P.C., Pleasanton
Jake Kim, liaison to the Alpha Course in northern California
George Gilchrist, interim/transitional pastor at Park Boulevard P.C., Oakland

In August 2011, three members of the Partnership Working Group met with the Compassion Team of St. John’s P.C. in San Francisco (Evelyn Ho, Jonathan Howe, Judd Anderson). The Compassion Team wanted insight about encouraging their congregation towards short-term overseas mission involvements. It was a most engaging evening, since…

Bill Campbell has extensive experience in local mission through Old First Church’s community outreach;
Jake Kim’s work with Alpha involves numerous church traditions in a variety of social settings;
George Gilchrist has led many short-term mission teams to serve with Protestant congregations in six European countries through Alongside Ministries International.

The Partnership Working Group is eager to hear from you about how they might help your church fulfill its vision for mission. Their chairperson George Gilchrist can be reached at georgeglchrst@gmail.com or 510-520-5311.

Follow That Star – A fundraiser for George Mark Children’s House, December 9 & 10 @ 7PM, Bethel, San Leandro

Communications Workgoup — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:56:09 +0000

follow-1.pdf Download this file

Protected: Mission Partnership Working Group

Presbytery Leadership Council — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:30:59 +0000

Making announcements to the Presbytery of SF

Website Administrator — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:32:47 +0000

Do you have an event happening at your church or ministry site that you would like members of the Presbytery to know about? To get an announcement about it posted here on the web site please send a very brief email to Dvorah in the Presbytery office including the following information:

1. Name/Title of the event
2. Brief description of the event (2-3 sentences max)
3. Important details (e.g. date, time, location, cost)
4. A link to a web site where more information can be found (such as your church’s web site)

Thank you! We look forward to sharing in ministry together.

We are connectional

Website Administrator — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 16:45:11 +0000

Chenoa Stock, serving Joining Hands in Sri Lanka and Bolivia, spoke to an engaging group of Middle and High School Youth groups at First Pres., San Mateo in late October. At the end of the youth fellowship, the high school group not only lifted up Chenoa for this fun picture, but more importantly, high school students and their youth advisors gathered around and laid hands on her in prayer. There were hardly any dry eyes.