SAN JOSÉ, CA, USA
Servant Partners' San José staff are planted in both the Washington-Guadalupe neighborhood and the Mayfair neighborhood, where they live among many undocumented, low-income neighbors. These crowded, working-class communities do not match San José’s prosperous image of the “Capital of Silicon Valley.”
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Our work has three main thrusts. First, SP staff have planted a church, Shalom Iglesia del Pacto. Shalom is a multicultural but Spanish-first congregation, aiming to be fully receptive and responsive to our neighbors. We have significant emphases on our children and youth, who make up most of our population, and on the holistic transformation for our people. That includes the emotional, physical, environmental, and spiritual health of our congregation.
Second, SP staff engage in direct ministry with their neighbors through San José Bridge Communities, a community development organization and local program of Servant Partners. SJBC’s two themes are developing the leadership experience of our neighbors and cultivating friendship across class barriers between our immediate neighbors and others in Silicon Valley. SJBC’s classes and groups are largely staffed by local leaders who have risen through our own programs.
Third, SP staff lead a group of urban ministry interns, who are young adults exploring what it means to follow Christ's call to love their neighbors, locally and world-wide. This creates an opportunity for those new to urban ministry to develop skills and understanding while living in Christian community. The internship was actually the original Servant Partners ministry in San José: both Shalom and Bridge Communities grew from seeds planted as intern projects.
