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Our Vision and Mission

Our vision is to be wholly committed disciples of Jesus Christ who make God known to a world in need.

Our mission, as a pan-Asian, multi-generational congregation, is to reach out primarily to young Asian-American families in the San Francisco Bay Area by:

• Worshipping together in celebration of God's gifts to us,

• Seeking knowledge, understanding and wisdom of our Lord God through prayer, study, and fellowship, and

• Sharing the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the world as the Holy Spirit equips each disciple for ministry.

God's Leading So Far

In 1923, a group of Japanese speaking Christians began to meet, shepherded by Dr. Adolphus Sturge, M.D.  They established the Japanese Independent Union Church of San Mateo in 1925 and met at the Congregational Church of San Mateo.

When Dr. Sturge passed away in 1934, he left his San Mateo home on Elm Street to the Japanese Church.  The house was later sold and the proceeds were used to purchase two lots and a house in 1938 at the present site.  The house was named the Sturge Memorial Cottage and the members met there for worship and fellowship.  Clergy from San Francisco were invited to minister and preach the Word of God.

While people of Japanese ancestry were relocated and interned during World War II, the Sturge Memorial Cottage was used to store personal belongings of church members.  When the Japanese returned to San Mateo from the War Relocation Centers in 1945, the Cottage was made available as a hostel to the returning evacuees.

After the war, Presbyterian ministers, Revs. Eiji Kawamorita and Howard Toriumi, and others helped to reestablish the church.  On July 1, 1951, the Japanese Independent Union Church of San Mateo became a member of the Presbyterian Church, USA.  It retained the Sturge name in memory of Dr. Sturge and his missionary work among Japanese immigrants.

Abraham Hajime Dohi was the first pastor for the Sturge Presbyterian Church.  He served for thirteen years.  He was followed by Revs. Thomas Woodbury Grubbs, Minoru Mochizuki, Kent Ikeda, and Thomas Umholts.

Rev. Chinen was called to serve in December 1989, and he served for eleven years.  With the growth and changes in the composition of the congregation during Rev. Chinen's ministry, a mission study was conducted in 1995.  We have evolved into a multi-ethnic/multi-cultural church body with many young families.  Pastor Leslie Yee was called to serve as Pastoral Associate for Family Ministry in 1996, and he served until August 2000.

Besides the English speaking ministry, the needs of the Japanese speaking members have been served by Revs. Dohi, Grubbs, Kiyoshi Ishihara, Kazuo Masuno, Ken Saito, and Sumio Koga.  Rev. Taku Kusakabe was called in November 1995 and ordained at Sturge Church in January 1996.  He served until September 2002.

Since the departure of Rev. Chinen, Sturge experienced challenges while seeking God's purpose.  During this transition, our new vision and mission statements were prayerfully formed and finalized.  A mission study was conducted in 2001 and 2002, and the final study was accepted by an overwhelming majority vote.  Dr. Margo Houts served as our interim pastor during this time.

In February 2004, God has led Garrett K. Yamada to Sturge to serve as our new Pastor.  This is a new beginning for us, and we are looking towards the future with excitement, anticipation, and renewed energy!  Together with Pastor Garrett, we desire to faithfully and prayerfully serve to fulfill the vision and the purpose God has set forth for us.