Bruce Reyes-Chow

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About Bruce Reyes-Chow
Bruce is a pastor, author, consultant, and coach. A 3rd Generation Chinese/Filipino, armchair sociologist, and technology enthusiast Bruce speaks and teaches on faith, race, parenting, and technology in a variety of contexts from seminaries to conferences to congregations to pre-schools. While he speaks to both religious and secular audiences and is committed to living and expressing a Christian faith that is beautifully complex, unimaginably just, and excruciatingly gracious.
Bruce has been a Presbyterian pastor for over 23 years and served as the founding pastor of Mission Bay Community Church in San Francisco from 2000-2012, a church of young, multicultural and progressive Presbyterians. He has served congregations that have been diverse in size, socio-economics, and ages in Portola Valley, Daly City, and San Francisco. In 2008 he was the youngest person ever elected as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the highest elected office of the then 1.8 million-member denomination.
Bruce’s main work with organizations has dealt with organizational systems, institutional change, and long-term visioning. With individuals he often addresses understanding authentic leadership styles, maintaining work-life balance, and helping people move from passion to implementation. He has experience working with the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Inventory, The Enneagram, as well as being a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths and trained in Organizational Transition Leadership and Pastoral Care and Counseling.
Bruce was born, May 3, 1969 in Stockton, CA and his home church is Trinity Presbyterian Church, a church formed to support Filipino immigrants and farmworkers. After growing up in both Sacramento and Stockton, Bruce received his BA in Asian American Studies, Philosophy and Sociology from San Francisco State University (1991), MA from San Francisco Theological Seminary (1995) and an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Austin College (2010). He was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from San Francisco Theological Seminary in 2009.
He is currently the Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, Senior Consultant with the Center for Progressive Renewal, and a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. He extremely active on social media and can be found via @breyeschow on most social networks.
Bruce and his wife, Robin Pugh, have raised three children along with multiple canines, rats, fish, and the occasional crawdad. He is an avid soccer fan, follows the Oakland Athletics Baseball Club, and photography feeds his soul. You can connect with Bruce via @breyeschow on most social networks visit his blog, www.reyes-chow.com, and/or see what others say about him on wikipedia.
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Blog postOur well of creativity has not run dry, we’ve just been taught that the life that it provides is not worth drinking. This post was originally published on Medium
Dear Pastors and Church Leaders —
I feel you. It’s been a time.
As I take a breath to reflect on these past 18 months, it has become abundantly clear that, in attempting to faithfully lead a congregation during this pandemic, my creativity has been ever so slowly withering away. In fact, the very act of writ9 months ago Read more -
Blog postOver the past few months, I have had the privilege of hanging out with folks to talk about post-pandemic worship and church. Most of the conversations have been around “Hybrid Worship” and what that might look like.
Here are all of the links that I use for general reference:
Hybrid Church Presentation Slides: Many of these slides presentations look familiar, but I do update and build on each one, so not only should you look at your event-specific show, but also the most recent1 year ago Read more -
Blog postI know that every author says that they are humbled by the endorsements offered for their writing, but seriously, I am.
The “Kindness Industrial Complex” is going strong, so I am so grateful that some folks gave of their time to take a read and get what I am trying to do.
While In Defense of Kindness does not launch until March 16 here are some ways that you can Pre-order.
Signed Copy at Reach & Teach Books | Amazon|Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | Books-a-Million <1 year ago Read more -
Blog postThanks for being part of the book launch team for my upcoming book, In Defense of Kindness: Why It Matters, How It Changes Our Lives, and How It Can Save the World (Chalice Press, 2021).
To be honest, this is the part of the book process that is always the most awkward as I have to ask friends and strangers to like me and my words. That said, I am really excited about this project and the conversations that it may inspire. So, again, thank you for being part of the team.
If yo1 year ago Read more -
Blog postWith 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic forces folks to think differently about community gatherings and worship, a good number of people have been exploring different ways to hold Sunday services. Generally speaking, there are two ways to go: livestreaming on Facebook, Youtube, or other services; or using a video meeting service like Zoom.
For those wondering about the difference between livestreaming and Zoom worship (At least according to the world of BRC) here is what I think.
Livestr2 years ago Read more -
Blog postThis past weekend we celebrated Abby’s 18th birthday and graduation by having a Filipina Debut. Often wedding-scaled, our was much more laid back, representative of our families nature, and organized by Abby and Annie. Parents, aunties, and uncles were given direction and we followed. It was a great evening of community, food, and a few joyous tears.
There are a few traditional rituals. Both mom and dad got to dance with Abby, the court does a dance, and as part of the rose ceremony,3 years ago Read more -
Blog postAs many of you have been hearing in the wind and blatant vague-booking, a big change for the RCP Family was a-coming. At last, we can fully share our news! This past Sunday, the congregation of First Presbyterian Church, Palo Alto unanimously voted to call me as the next Pastor and Head of Staff.
The day was filled with hospitality and excitement, but the best part may have been the pause that Robin gave the chairs of the search committee when we were given the vote count and were ask3 years ago Read more -
Blog postFirst, apologies for those of you have been getting all kinds of weird crap from this website. Without going into too much detail to taking up too much of your time, the short story is that I AM AN IDIOT.
A few months ago, my site get a little messed up during a wordpress update and, rather than try to go in and fix it, I just let it be. Not the smartest idea in the world as the backup that I thought I had was not what I actually had (This has since changed) and I just kept avoiding t3 years ago Read more
Titles By Bruce Reyes-Chow
In 40 Days, 40 Prayers, 40 Words, Reyes-Chow encourages readers to pause in the bustle of their daily lives to reflect, engage, and share during the Lenten season. Forty devotions are each framed around a word inspired by the daily lectionary readings and include a short scriptural passage, inspirational prayer, and reflection. Readers who feel too busy for daily engagement with God will appreciate Reyes-Chow's ability to speak to the blessings and burdens of everyday life in a concise, lively manner. Moreover, readers also have the ability to connect with others through interactive elements like QR codes that link to social media and provide access to additional reflections, graphics, and prayers. This unique resource expands the ways we can connect with God, and with each other, both during Lent and at any time along our journeys of faith. Follow along using the hashtag: #40wordprayer.
Sitting in the sweet spot between lectures in academia and activism on the streets, Bruce invites the reader into a salon type of atmosphere where he directly addresses thoughtless words and diversionary tactics, such as dismissing racial discussions as being impolite or avoiding race conversations altogether. He invites the reader to chuckle, gasp, and perhaps nod in understanding as he lists the kinds of statements often used against persons of color in a predominantly white culture. But rather than stopping there, Bruce asks readers to swap shoes with him and reconsider their assumptions about race.
Useful for individual reading, or as a tool for opening group and community discussions, "But I don't see you as Asian" puts one person’s joys and struggles on the table for dissection and discovery.
This book is not a guaranteed how-to manual, nor is it the end-all, be-all of parenting advice. It is a playful guide highlighting the importance of community, parenting the whole child—body, mind, and soul—helping children explore their world, and laughing at the word "balls." It includes words of wisdom for the expectant parent, and even letters to the authors' former, childless selves. While this book is written to help those raising children, it also contains 101 lessons directed at children, always reminding both groups of their one goal: don't be an asshat.