Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers!)

Our services are on Sundays. Our traditional service is at 9:00 a.m. and our contemporary service is at 10:30 .am.

Our 9:00 a.m. service is more traditional with the SPC choir leading us in hymns and songs, accompanied by our organ, that speak to our hearts and inspire us to praise, thank and receive God in a fresh way Our 10:30 service is more informal, gathering together with coffee and munchies in a way that is both fun and informal yet deeply meaningful. Through music that encompasses a variety of genres the SPC worship band helps us to re-center our hearts in Jesus Christ and to open us up to God's presence in our midst.

There is no dress code at SPC. We want all to be comfortable to worship God.

At SPC, children are always welcome in the church services. Also, at 9:00 a.m. there is nursery care for children under 3 in our nursery in Room 7. At 10:30 a.m. we have Kid’s Church for ages 3 through fifth grade.

There is one true God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics of personality.

The salvation of man is wholly a work of God's free grace and is not the work, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness or religious ceremony. God declares as righteous those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby forgiving all their sins.The salvation of man is wholly a work of God's free grace and is not the work, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness or religious ceremony. God declares as righteous those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby forgiving all their sins.

First and foremost, God wants us to give because it shows that we recognize he is truly the Lord of our lives. In James 1:17, it states that every good and perfect gift is from above. When we give, we simply offer God a very small portion of all the abundance he has already given to us. In I Cortinthians 16:2, we are told that we should give according to our income. Acts 20:35, states that we are blessed when we give, and in Luke 6:38, “when we give freely, we receive freely from God”. As it states in 2 Corinthians 9:7, giving is meant to be a joyful expression of thanks to God from the heart, and not a legalistic obligation. We rob God when we fail to give offerings to him (Malachi 3:8). The picture of our financial giving simply reveals a reflection of our lives surrendered to God.

The church is where you are fed God’s Word and nurtured spiritually, and the financial support provided to the church goes to build up the storehouse (Malachi 3:10), and support serving locally and in the world.

Yes. On the website, go to www.saratogapres.org/aboutus/giving/onlinegiving.

Yes. Email Susan Griggs.

he budget for SPC varies, but is in the $700,000 range.

Please contact Susan Griggs, church administrator.

SPC has been a good steward of its financial resources, managing its expenses to its income well, and ended it’s fiscal 2011 year with a positive balance.

We believe that we were created for relationship with Jesus, Community centered in Jesus, and Compassion, responding to Jesus. Community occurs in our small groups, so connecting with a small group is very important. Also, there are numerous ways to serve both inside the church and outside the church to connect with community in that way as well.

SPC has programs for Pre-School through Kindergarten (Sonshine Kids) and 1st grade through 5th grade (Kids Church), offered at our 10:30 worship hour. We also offer a fully equipped nursery for infants.

Yes, children are always welcome in worship services at both the 9:00 and 10:30 hour.

Our educational programs start at Pre-K age, typically 3 years of age (we will work with parents to determine the best place for their children). Our Pre-K program is called Sonshine Kids, held on Sunday mornings during the 10:30 worship hour. In Sonshine Kids we provide children with age-appropriate teaching and fun so that they can recognize that God loves them and begin to study and live out God’s Word.

Kids’ Church is our program for 1st - 5th graders on Sunday mornings, during the 10:30 worship hour. We seek to make God known to the children so that they might grow in their love of God. We do this through engaging music, Bible lessons, and play.

Please let our staff know when you register your child and we will make every effort to accommodate your requests.

The salvation of man is wholly a work of God's free grace and is not the work, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness or religious ceremony. God declares as righteous those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby forgiving all their sins. Click here for more information.

At SPC, we believe that in order to make Jesus Christ central in every part of our lives we have to have a relationship with Jesus. This includes spending time in worship, reading the Bible and conversing in prayer with Him. It also means being in a community that’s centered in Jesus—spending time with our community of Christ-followers through learning together, playing together, and serving together. We also need to serve out of compassion, responding to Jesus’ example of serving others. This includes serving others in our church family, serving others in our local community, and serving others in the world.

A Relationship with Jesus, Community Centered in Jesus, and Compassion in Response to Jesus. Click here for more information.

No.  SPP accepts children attending any church or even if they don't attend a church!  About half of the SPP families attend our preschool because of the religious component, the other half because of our loving staff and developmental philosophy. But if your family is a member of Saratoga Presbyterian Church, you get to be a part of Priority Registration at Saratoga Presbyterian Preschool and register BEFORE new families do!

Three to five year old children.  Children must turn three years old during the enrolling year and be fully potty trained to attend in the fall.  Saratoga Presbyterian Preschool offers a 2 and 3 day Three Year Old Program, 3, 4 and 5 day Four Year Old/Pre-K Program, and a 4 and 5 day Junior Kindergarten (Jr. K) Program.  Our Jr. K program is for five year olds who age-wise qualify to attend Kindergarten but whose parents are giving them the gift of another year of preschool.

Saratoga Presbyterian Preschool does not require parent participation in the classroom, but does ask parents for a minimum amount of help.  Parents provide snack for the class about once a month and help with cooking projects with the class one to three times a year.  Parents also provide transportation for occasional classroom field trips.  Additional parent help is voluntary and we encourage parents, if they would like, to participate in classroom and school-wide projects that support the school such as mission projects, book orders, planning outside social events for the class, and helping the teacher with classroom celebrations.

One of SPC’s core values is compassion in response to Jesus. We provide both our time and our financial resources to serve in the local community through a number of activities, such as annual participation in Rebuilding Together, serving a full dinner each month at the Julian Street Inn Shelter, serving breakfast every third Saturday of the month at the San Jose Family Shelter. We support additional service opportunities through our local mission partners. For more information on service, please follow this link (See Local Outreach).

One of SPC’s core values is compassion in response to Jesus. SPC contributes financially to a number of global serving opportunities, as well as participating in an annual mission trip to Guatemala over the last 5 years (See global outreach).

Stop by our Information Table on Sunday so that we can match you up with a service opportunity and need, or send an email.

Another way at SPC that we grow in our faith is through small groups. Small groups give you the opportunity to take a time-out from your busy week to spend time with friends, have fun, grow in your faith, serve others, and talk about relevant life issues.

Our small groups come in all shapes and sizes. No prior experience is necessary to be in small groups. To find out more about small groups at SPC, stop by our Information Table on Sunday morning and we’ll help you find one that meets your needs or you can send an email to Small Groups.

Stop by our Information Table on Sunday morning and we’ll help you find one that meets your needs or you can send an email to Small Groups.

Our small groups come in all shapes and sizes. We do have some groups that have married couples and singles together.

Our small groups come in all shapes and sizes. We do have some groups that have married couples and singles together.

Our small groups come in all shapes and sizes. We do have some groups that have married couples and singles together.

The time and location of meetings vary by group.

Some groups meet weekly, while others meet bi-weekly.

Groups are together for at least one series (usually a year). Individuals and groups have the option to continue meeting or to join other groups.

A typically small group meeting may start with some time spent catching up with each other, then move to a time of worship or prayer, then study, and end with reflection and prayer. Groups are encouraged to also do service together.

This can vary by group. Several times a year we encourage groups to follow along with a sermon series taught by our pastors.

Every Thursday night from 7-8:30 Jr High students gather together for fuel. It's a time intentionally designed to help jr highers make Jesus Christ central in every part of their lives. It doesn't matter if you've been going to church your whole life and or never been before, fuel is a place for you! We play incredibly fun  games, watch hilarious videos, worship in a style that fits jr highers, listen to a relevant message and  interactively discuss how God's Word applies to our lives. We meet in the Student Ministries Room.  From the parking lot look for the room near the basketball hoop that says "fuel" on the door.

Every Thursday night from 7-8:30 Jr High students gather together for fuel. It's a time intentionally designed to help jr highers make Jesus Christ central in every part of their lives. It doesn't matter if you've been going to church your whole life and or never been before, fuel is a place for you! We play incredibly fun  games, watch hilarious videos, worship in a style that fits jr highers, listen to a relevant message and  interactively discuss how God's Word applies to our lives. We meet in the Student Ministries Room.  From the parking lot look for the room near the basketball hoop that says "fuel" on the door.

Students do not need to be members, Presbyterians or even Christians to come to fuel or Crave!

Every Thursday night from 7-8:30 jr highers gather together for fuel. It's a time intentionally designed to help jr. highers make Jesus Christ central in every part of their lives. It doesn't matter if you've been going to church your whole life and or never been before, fuel is a place for you! We play incredibly fun  games, watch hilarious videos, worship in a style that fits jr highers, listen to a relevant message and  interactively discuss how God's Word applies to our lives. We meet in the Student Ministries Room. From the parking lot look for the room near the basketball hoop that says "fuel" on the door.

Every Wednesday night from 7-8:30 high schoolers gather together for Crave. It's a time intentionally designed to help highs school students make Jesus Christ central in every part of their lives. It doesn't matter if you've been going to church your whole life and or never been before, Crave is a place for you! We play fun games, watch hilarious videos, worship in a style that fits highs school students, listen to a relevant message and interactively discuss how God's Word applies to our lives. We meet in the Student Ministries Room. From the parking lot look for the room near the basketball hoop that says "Crave" on the door.