CARING AND PRAYER

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Caring Ministry

Through our Caring Ministry, trained lay people in the church provide care in a variety of ways. They offer caring support to the congregation and community through listening, visiting, calling, sending notes, praying and meeting regularly with those who are going through a time of crisis or stress. 

Deacons

Deacons serve our community by being a point of contact with new members, by regularly being in touch with home-bound members and young adults.

Learn more about Deacons

Grief Support Group

2nd & 4th Sundays @ 1 pm

If you've lost a loved one and are walking the journey of grief, come join others in a Zoom space where it's okay to not be okay. Tears, laughter, and the presence of others who also know loss will help ease the pain and provide a way to experience the love of God. Led by Pastor Annanda. Email Karlee with any questions, or learn more on the Support Groups page.

Pastoral Care Team

The Pastoral Care Team is made up of lay people who are gifted and trained to visit folks in the hospital or care facilities, make phone calls to those recovering or just to check in, and write notes and cards. They extend the love of Christ and the love of this church in times of need and celebration.

Death Cafés

Meets monthly, on Sundays @ 3 pm

Pastor Annanda hosts monthly “death cafés” — special events open to the community to share practical knowledge and help normalize talking about end-of-life, death, and planning ahead. These gatherings are 90 minutes each, and involve additional experts as co-presenters with knowledge and resources on topics such as insurance, trusts, powers of attorney, caretaking, the changes in Medicaid, and how to have hard conversations with loved ones. 

The Death Cafés are temporarily on hold for 2026, in order to increase the frequency of our Grief Support Group from once a month to twice-monthly. 

Stephen Ministry

Compassionate Christian listening with a Stephen Minister

"Being heard is so close to being loved
that for the average person they are indistinguishable."
—David Augsburger

Compassionate Christian Listeners, known as Stephen Ministers, are non-clergy members of our congregation trained to provide confidential, one-to-one care to those experiencing a difficult time in life, such as grief, divorce, job loss, relocation, chronic or terminal illness. We offer care, encouragement, emotional and spiritual support as needed.

 

We come from all walks of life, but we all share a passion for bringing Christ’s love and care to people during a time of need. We reach out with the love of God who brings healing and hope.

 

Stephen Ministry helps our pastors and congregation provide caring ministry for as long as people need it. If you feel that a Stephen Minister might help you, or If you know that a friend would benefit from Stephen Ministry (even if they are not a member of our congregation), tell them about us. You or they can email the Sunnyvale Pres Stephen Ministry anytime or call us at 1-408-598-1365.

Email Stephen Ministry

“Our Stephen Ministers are highly trained listeners who walk alongside people in times of stress, transition, or hardship. Whether you’re going through a work transition, a relational challenge, grief after losing a loved one, or other rough times, I often, and highly, recommend people allow a Stephen Minister to accompany them on their journey. There’s just no need to go it alone!”


—Pastor Karin Hejmanowski

In this powerful video, Stephen Ministry care receivers tell their stories.

Stephen Ministry Video

Prayer Ministry

Our prayer teams offer one-on-one prayer support and lift up the prayer requests received throughout the week. Visit the Prayer page to learn more about these teams and submit your prayer request. We would be honored to support you!

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