Adult Class Recordings

The conference was led by leaders who have been actively engaged in peacemaking work in Ireland and Korea, regions that have known deep division. Here are videos of the presentations, panel discussions, and breakout conversations.

Speakers:

• Rev. Bill Shaw • 174 Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland

• Dr. Dong Jin Kim • Hanshin University and Trinity College Dublin

• Rev. Hyeyoung Lee • PC(USA) Global Ecumenical Liaison, Seoul, Korea

• Mr. Paul Kyumin Lee • PhD Student, University of Notre Dame

Conference held June 20 – 22, 2025 at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church.

Often when we hear the words ‘homelessness’ and ‘eviction’, there is a dominant narrative that says: “There is nothing we can do to prevent this from happening.” This film seeks to reframe, humanize, and transform how the wider public understands eviction and homelessness and the ways in which this is preventable.

Watch the trailer and panel discussion here. (The film is copyright-protected, so while we can't show it here, the trailer provides context for topics covered by the panel discussion.)

Panelists: Filmmaker David Barnhart (PDA & Counter Stories Productions), Benaifer Dastoor (Bill Wilson Center), Ruby Ramirez, PACT, Dr. Tim Thomas, Urban Displacement Project/UC Berkeley, and Dr. Kathy Rowell, Sinclair Community College, Dayton, OH.

Film screening and panel discussion held on May 7, 2025. We are planning another film screening & panel discussion for Fall, 2025—stay tuned for more details.

Since Saint Augustine (354-430 AD) Christian theologians have debated whether war can be just, focusing on two questions: can it be just to declare war, and can war be fought justly? The “Just War Theory” that evolved is a view still endorsed by the Catholic Church and some others. Does this theory apply to modern war? If so, under what circumstances? We will discuss the theory and examine the arguments pro and con.

Led by Dr. Bill Prior, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Santa Clara University. Recorded April 6, 2025

During Pastor Hardy’s sabbatical travels last fall, he dove deeply into the peacemaking and historical conflict resolution work being done in South Korea and Ireland. What impacted him most were people’s stories about their everyday lives, identities, and communities — island towns being lost to military-industrial development, women struggling to support their families post-war, people stuck between national identities, and the courage of those who stood up for peace in the face of hostility.

Recorded March 2, 2025

Recorded May 18, 2025

Overview of the legal relationship between the U.S. government and Indigenous people, with a focus on the 1823 U.S. Supreme Court opinion that relied on the Doctrine of Discovery, an international law concept used to justify the taking of Indigenous land rights. We’ll also discuss Sunnyvale Pres’s support of local Indigenous people currently attempting to protect their sacred land from destruction by a proposed quarry. Led by Barry Vickrey, Dean & Professor Emeritus, University of South Dakota School of Law.

How do we approach the inevitable event of our death? Most don't know that there are options to take dying into their own hands. Hear stories from congregation members whose loved ones were faced with a difficult, terminal diagnosis and how they chose to be in charge of the way their lives would end. While this is a very heavy topic, we'll find joy, strength, love and encouragement. Books referenced: The Art of Dying Well by Katy Butler; Choosing to Die, a Personal Story by Phyllis Shacter; The VSED Handbook by Kate Christie.

RECORDINGS OF PREVIOUSADULT CLASSES

Building Communities of Peace: Conversations with Peacemaking Partners from Korea and Ireland

Evicting the American Dream: Film trailer and Panel Discussion

Reading While Black — Book Discussion

Session 1 — Chapter 7, The Freedom of the Slaves: Pennington's Triumph

Session 2 — Chapter 2: Freedom is No Fear — The New Testament and a Theology of Policing

Session 4 — Chapter 6, What Shall We Do with This Rage — The Bible and Black Anger

Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement

Middle East Perspectives

The Gospel According to John

The Problem With Christian Nationalism

Aging in Place—But How Will You Manage?

Luke's Parables

RECORDINGS OF PREVIOUS
ADULT CLASSES