A Reconciling Congregation on Blossom Hill
Growing Hope United Methodist Church meets in the Almaden Hills neighborhood of southern San Jose, in a sanctuary with stained glass at 1200 Blossom Hill Road. The congregation is the merged home of two former congregations, Almaden Hills UMC and Cambrian Park UMC, and it carries forward the heritage of both under a single name built around the words growing and hope. Its motto, simple and firm, is "All are welcome - and all means all."
The church has been a Reconciling Congregation since 1999, meaning LGBTQ+ people and their families are enthusiastically welcomed into its life and sacraments. Members vote to participate in San Jose Pride each year and belong to the United Methodist Church Reconciling Ministries Network. The congregation also reaches out to neighbors through food ministries, backpack giveaways, joint youth ministry, and a long-distance covenant with a missionary in Nepal.
Sunday Worship at 10:00
The Growing Hope Sunday service begins at 10:00 a.m. at the Almaden Hills campus, both in person and streamed live on YouTube. Edited audio recordings of recent services are also posted. Music comes from both traditional and contemporary styles, presented by the church choir along with special musicians from the congregation and the wider community. Worship also includes hymn singing, readers' theater, projected images, and a sermon grounded in the Word. Services generally run sixty to seventy-five minutes.
After the service, in-person fellowship includes beverages and treats (church leaders joke that they are Methodists, so there is almost always food). A Virtual Coffee Hour follows on Zoom at 11:30 a.m. Recordings of past services, available on YouTube, let first-timers preview the service before visiting.
A Home That Started with Five Families
In June 1960 the Rev. Charles Rehfus knocked on doors along Brenner Way and Joseph Lane to gather founders for a new Methodist congregation. He called on the Phariss, Bernal, Tucker, and Ross families and the DeRemer family. After several months meeting in homes and then in the Los Gatos Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Almaden Hills congregation settled into a small building east of its present property on Blossom Hill Road. Sunday mornings required hauling a portable organ and everything else across the threshold, and Sunday School met in a rented house next to present-day Pioneer High School.
Board members almost named the church "University Methodist" because a university was rumored for the land behind the lot. They chose Almaden Hills instead, after nearby Almaden Road, now Almaden Expressway. Groundbreaking for the first building came in 1963, a five-room classroom unit followed in 1966, the formal sanctuary was completed in 1980 with the first service on Mother's Day of that year, the Fellowship Hall was remodeled with a kitchen in 1985, and the office, fireside library, and three classrooms were finished in 1989.
From the start, the church has been defined by a spirit of welcome and outreach into the community and the world, the same traits carried forward into Growing Hope today.
The Reconciling Story
In May 1999, after several years of study and discernment, Almaden Hills UMC voted by a large margin to become a Reconciling Congregation. The adopted statement reads, in part, that the congregation believes the church is challenged to accept the gifts of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people; rejects the historic and ongoing exclusion of LGBTQ+ people from the body of Christ; openly welcomes gay, lesbian, and bisexual people and their families; and supports their full inclusion in all aspects of church life.
The statement expresses sorrow that the church has not always treated all comers equally, and it commits the congregation to "ensure the full inclusion of all people in our church life." The Reconciling banner still hangs over the church's welcome, and the congregation participates in San Jose Pride and other community events alongside its LGBTQ+ neighbors.
Children, Youth, and the Joint Youth Ministry
The Almaden Hills campus was started by families with children in the 1960s, and young people remain central to its life. Brianna Tena leads Children's Ministry for preschool and elementary ages. Children's Gathering takes place each Sunday during the 10:00 a.m. service, with children excused about fifteen minutes in to learn scripture stories, do hands-on crafts, and play games, often with VeggieTales worship music in the background. Younger children and older youth are welcome to remain with their families; babies crying in the service are expected and welcomed.
Convivio, a once-a-month family lunch fellowship after church, builds connection among parents and children. Family Bible Camp, a one-week summer program that meets Thursday through Sunday evenings, gathers children, parents, and working families for supper and shared learning - a different shape from a typical Vacation Bible School.
For grades six through twelve, Growing Hope shares a Joint Youth Ministry with Willow Glen UMC. The Joint Youth Ministry (JYM) is open to any student who wants to be part of a community of service and faith, regardless of background, church membership, or belief. The program includes mission trips, camp, and activities, and is led by JYM Director Lisa Jacobs and Associate Director Kat Kraynik-Baker.
Food, Backpacks, and the Wednesday Table
Outreach to the surrounding Hoffman/Via Monte neighborhood and to greater San Jose runs through the church year. Each August the congregation hosts a National Night Out, joined by multiple community service organizations and the San Jose Police Department. At that gathering, Growing Hope gives away more than two hundred backpacks filled with school supplies to neighborhood children in need, alongside food, games, and entertainment.
Three times a month, often alongside young people from the Joint Youth Ministry, the congregation prepares, serves, and shares a dinner meal with residents of the Casitas de Esperanza transitional housing program, with time before dinner for crafts and games with adults and children. Every other month the church puts together two hundred bag lunches filled with non-perishable food, which are delivered downtown for distribution by Front Door Communities.
On Wednesdays, a food table set up on the Almaden Hills campus offers beverages and take-away food to anyone walking through. The ministry began with a generous donation of non-perishables from a nearby YMCA and is now sustained by the congregation. Members report that regulars come by week after week. The congregation also joins in trash clean-ups around the Hoffman/Via Monte neighborhood.
Mission Around the World and Around the Block
Growing Hope distinguishes between Outreach, the work in the immediate neighborhood and city, and Mission, projects that stretch across the nation and the world. The two overlap at points - the annual Crop Hunger Walk, for instance, raises funds for Church World Service nationally while also supporting Second Harvest Food Bank, Sacred Heart Community Service, and Martha's Kitchen locally.
The church holds a covenant ministry with Katherine Parker, a United Methodist missionary in Nepal, supporting her prayerfully and financially in community transformation across education, health, peacebuilding, good governance, and sustainable livelihoods. When disasters strike at home or abroad, the congregation responds with directed giving to the United Methodist Committee on Relief and direct volunteer hours in the local community.
Members also participate in United Women of Faith (formerly United Methodist Women), which fosters spiritual growth, advocates for women, children, and youth, and supports peace, justice, and human rights.
A Sanctuary Shared with Iglesia Cristiana
The Almaden Hills sanctuary hosts a partner congregation, Iglesia Cristiana, an independent Spanish-language community that meets there each Sunday for worship, fellowship, and Bible study. Iglesia Cristiana is led by Pastor Ediberto Ramos and Pastora Adela Ramos. The two congregations share in community projects such as neighborhood clean-ups and National Night Out.
Music School, Scouts, and a Coffee Chat
The Free Music School at Growing Hope provides free, weekly instrumental music lessons to students in grades four through twelve, drawing homeschooled, public, and private school students from across San Jose. New beginner enrollment happens every August; experienced students and "Music Mentors" (music teacher volunteers) are welcome to join during the school year.
Boy Scouts of America Troop 262 has met at and contributed to the campus for many years. Pastor Mariellen Yoshino coordinates Bible Studies with residents at Brookdale Senior Living Center and a monthly Coffee Chat fellowship that brings together residents, longtime members, and new friends.
The independent Learning Company and Academy on the campus offers an enriched education in a creative and stimulating environment for preschool and kindergarten.
Racial and Climate Justice
The Growing Hope Racial and Environmental Justice Commission focuses on racial and environmental justice in the region. The commission, which meets monthly on-line, has opposed a pending proposal before the Santa Clara Planning Commission to strip-mine sacred tribal lands near Gilroy, hosted a meeting with leaders of the San Jose Police Department to discuss community safety, brought local concerns about unsheltered people, education, public safety, and parking to San Jose City Councilmember Arjun Batra, and engaged neighbors through National Night Out and a Halloween Party.
Small Groups, Sunday School, and a Two-Campus Footprint
Small Groups are a hallmark of Methodism going back to founder John Wesley, and Growing Hope keeps that tradition. Active offerings have included Bible study, book discussions, quilting, hiking, and life conversation, with some groups meeting in person and others online.
The Cambrian Park campus of Growing Hope, formerly Cambrian Park UMC, is the Education and Family campus. The sanctuary on the Almaden Hills campus hosts Sunday worship; the Cambrian campus hosts education and family programs as well as Joint Youth Ministry events. The Social Hall and other rooms on both campuses are available for rental to community groups and other organizations.
What United Methodists Believe Here
Growing Hope's United Methodist tradition emphasizes God's grace and serving others. The congregation confesses that Jesus Christ is the fullest expression of God's love, showing the fullness of God's care through Jesus' teachings, death, and resurrection, and that God loves all people, and that Christians share in expressing that love. United Methodists see themselves as disciples of Jesus Christ who live lovingly and justly as servants of Christ by helping to heal the sick, feed the hungry, care for the stranger, and free the oppressed.
Visiting Growing Hope
Worship is held at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays at 1200 Blossom Hill Road, just southwest of the intersection of Blossom Hill and Almaden Expressway. Dress is casual, masks are optional, and there is no admission charge; an offering is taken but giving is entirely voluntary. Children of all ages are welcome, with a dedicated Children's Gathering during the service for preschool and elementary ages. Fellowship time after the service offers a chance to meet the congregation over beverages and a treat, and recorded services can be previewed on the church's YouTube channel.