MIKE CONKLIN

GETTING to KNOW

The Rev. Erik Khoobyarian

BY MIKE CONKLIN

In a move both enthusiastically and unanimously approved by Pinnacle leaders, following a year-long search Rev. Erik Khoobyarian has been named the new executive associate pastor.

“Our Pastoral Search Committee worked very hard to determine the most effective way to find and vet top candidates,” said Fred Brown, Elder for Ministry Group. “Their work gave us both an extraordinary individual and addition to our church.”

Senior Pastor Rev. Wesley Avram, speaking in a letter to the congregation, said: “Erik will help us make progress in areas of ministry development we’ve been eager to work on for some time, but time has not allowed.”

In addition to outstanding pastoral credentials, Rev. Khoobyarian brings this distinctive background to the Pinnacle pulpit: For more than a decade, he practiced law before enrolling in theological seminary. “I find definite parallels between these two callings,” he said.

Erik was raised in the San Jose area in California, in what is well known as Silicon Valley, and, as a youth, he was extremely active in the Presbyterian Church of Los Gatos. This included attending camps, work trips, advisor/ leadership roles, and, as early as 12 years old, served on all-church committees. He was a head usher before graduating from high school.

He enrolled at American University in Washington D.C., where he received a Bachelor degree in 1998 with a double major in Political Science and Interdisciplinary Studies. Following, he enrolled at Santa Clara University School of Law and, upon graduation in 2003, began his career as a lawyer.

In his legal practice, he represented clients in all stages of dispute resolution including negotiations, mediations, and litigation leading up to, and including, courtroom trials.

“I was able in my law practice to see people and hear their stories in some of the most difficult times of their lives,” he said. “I saw myself as being both a serious attorney and counselor who builds a case. I continue to see that role as a pastor.”

At the same time, he served important lay roles at his Los Gatos church, Synod of the Pacific and with the Presbytery of San Jose. This included

chairing the Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry and serving as a member of its Permanent Judicial Committee.

Rev. Khoobyarian left the legal field in 2015 to attend Princeton Theological Seminary. This change took him on a journey that led to a Master of Divinity degree and significant, related pastoral experiences.

His transition drew attention from The Quad, the seminary’s popular news and feature site. Under the headline “From Law to Theology: One Graduate’s 20-year Path to Ministry,” the story said:

“Erik worked on building community at PTS through dorm life, making sure new students were ‘seen’ and welcomed. Living in a dorm also provided an opportunity to have meaningful conversations with his fellow seminarians, which gave Erik an even stronger appreciation for the PTS community. He received the Friar Award for his efforts which is given to a graduate who has Rev. Khoobyarian comes to Pinnacle from the Presbyterian Church of Western Springs in Illinois, a Chicago suburb. He was the senior pastor there, starting in that role at the 350-member church in the summer of 2018 after graduation. He also served on two Presbytery of Chicago commissions.

“I’ve learned that many people lead integrated lives and some put up walls,” he said. “My work is to show that there needs to be an integration.”

Rev. Khoobyarian calls this a pivotal time for the ministry, which provides Pinnacle great opportunity of adding to its rich history of being a church that invites everyone to hear God’s story and experience God’s love through the life of Jesus Christ. “When I heard about the Executive Associate Pastor position opening, I became excited. I am looking forward to working with the fantastic Pinnacle staff.” Fred Brown pointed to the incoming pastor’s experiences as a lay leader being especially important in his selection. “Having both administrative and pastoral work is very helpful.”

Fred said another pastor search is in the offing. In this case, it is to fill the role of Associate Pastor for Family Ministries and Congregational Life. This position had been held on a temporary basis by Associate Pastor Terilyn Lawson, who left in May to assume a commission as a Navy chaplain.

Meanwhile Dr. Ilona KubiaczykAdler, formerly the “acting” Director of Ministries in Music and the Arts, by vote of the Session has had the word “acting” eliminated from her title. “She is the right person at the right time to take the helm of our intergenerational ministries in music and arts,” said Rev. Avram.

What’s next?

Rev. Avram, in his announcement letter, said that, in addition to general pastoral work, Erik will focus on specific administrative duties. These include the operations, finances, facilities and day-to-day organization of our ministries. He’ll have supervisory oversight of selected areas.

He added that Erik will both help us make progress in areas of ministry development we’ve been eager to work on for some time but time has not allowed. His addition will also free him, as pinnacle’s Senior Pastor,

to concentrate on areas of ministry development needed for some time in Pinnacle’s young life as a congregation in our changing world.

“Once I learned about this position at Pinnacle,” said Erik, “I became excited about the ways that the vision of the Session aligned with my call to the ministry. I’m very excited to join the church.”

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: I was born and raised in San Jose, California where I lived until going to college in Washington, DC. I was raised by my parents Milt & Jo Ann with my siblings Kristin and Stephen. I hope you’ll have the chance to meet them along with my sister-in-law Nikki.

Q: Who has had the biggest influence on your life and why?

A: I’m extremely close with my parents and while I think this is an obvious answer for most people, for me my parents have truly been my biggest encouragers and supporters at each stage of my life. They have influenced the way I care for others and modeled for me the honest faith journey.

Q: The Bible withstanding, what is your favorite book and why?

A: I do love to read and I think my favorite book is a moving target! But perhaps the most consistent book that I return to often is The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis (part of the Chronicles of Narnia series). This book captivates me and has more than once changed my outlook on the world and on my understanding of how God calls us to take chances and experience life in ways that might surprise us.

Q: Hobbies?

A: I enjoy camping, hiking, cooking, wine, BBQ, and watching professional hockey. I also love photography, especially nature photography which has the dual benefit of an artistic outlet and getting me outside into God’s creation!

Q: What is your favorite dessert?

A: A few years ago I gave up sugar and most carbohydrates to help me promote better health. This worked well for me because I do love cheese and I’ve embraced the cheese plate as a glorious dessert! I also enjoy a cup of fresh berries with unsweetened whipped cream on occasion. PHOTOS - Page 5, Rev. Khoobyarian at his former congregation in Western Springs; page 6, Erik with his parents, Milt & Jo Ann.

MIKE CONKLIN a member of Pinnacle since 2013 with his wife, Diane, was a long-time Chicago Tribune journalist. He left the Tribune to join the DePaul University faculty, where he taught and helped found its journalism department. Now he teaches part-time, writes, volunteers and hikes a lot.

Vista del Camino

Pinnacle Mission Partner for 32 years

BY JOAN FUDALA

Nearly 20,000 people live below the poverty level in “affluent” Scottsdale, and when financial crises occur, they turn to Vista Del Camino for food and other emergency assistance, seeking a hand up, not a handout.

Members of Pinnacle Presbyterian Church began supporting Vista Del Camino programs during the church’s inaugural year 1989-90, and have continued to generously provide food, school supplies, pet food for Vista’s Pet Pantry and donations through the Arizona Tax Credit program. The weekly church bulletin announces what food item is most requested that month so PPC members can meet specific needs. PPC held several special food drives during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic to help Vista Del Camino answer unprecedented demand due to unexpected job layoffs. “I take about 8-12 bags of nonperishable food per month to Vista Del Camino,” Christie Slegers, PPC Deacon who is the liaison between PPC and Vista Del Camino, said. “Besides the Food Bank donations, our church does a Back-to-School backpack drive and the Christmas Angel Tree that also benefits many families served by Vista Del Camino. Vista Del Camino is always very thankful for the generosity of our church.”

Vista Del Camino is a City of Scottsdale community center that provides emergency social services, counseling, financial assistance, job preparation and recreation programs. Built in 1973 and located at 7700 E. Roosevelt Street, Vista Del Camino houses Scottsdale’s emergency food bank, which is stocked solely with donations from individuals, families, faith organizations, civic groups, businesses and area employee groups.

In order to provide food as well as rent, utility bill, gasoline voucher and other emergency financial assistance at Vista Del Camino, the center receives funds raised by Scottsdale Community Partners (formerly Concerned Citizens for Community Health, or CCCH), a non-profit organization founded in 1975 to meet unmet needs in Scottsdale. Scottsdale Community Partners receives a majority of its donations from individuals, businesses and groups, and also welcomes funding from Scottsdale Cares (the $1-a-month that Scottsdale water/ sewer/garbage utility bill customers voluntarily add to their payments) and from tribal gaming grant funds. SCP/CCCH is a qualified agency to receive Arizona Tax Credit donations as one that provides assistance to the working poor.

Most people needing emergency food are referred to Vista Del Camino by churches, other social service agencies, school nurses and other City of Scottsdale departments, from recreation services to senior centers.

When someone comes to Vista Del Camino in need of emergency food or other assistance, they meet first with a social worker. The social worker looks at how the person or family got into their crisis situation, then helps them find ways to get out of it. Vista links them with other agencies to help them regain selfsufficiency, such as Jewish Family & Children’s Services, Salvation Army, Community Legal Services, the Arizona Department of Economic Services (DES) for food stamps and AHCCCS for healthcare. Vista Del Camino can also help resolve immediate financial crisis needs with rent assistance, utility bill payments and transportation vouchers, as well as a visit to the career clothing bank.

After meeting with a Vista Del Camino social worker for needs assessment, the individual seeking emergency food receives a food box containing approximately $40 in nourishing items – soup, canned vegetables, canned meat, beans, pasta, cereal, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, rice and canned fruit. They also receive a bag of miscellaneous food items, depending on what’s been donated recently. They can also receive baby food, formula, paper products and toiletries. Individuals and families can request emergency food boxes up to four times a year to get them through a crisis, not for long-term sustenance. Since July 2021, Vista Del Camino has distributed 1,440 emergency food boxes as well as 59 bags of ready-to-eat food for the homeless. An additional 1,511 “Healthy Packs” – weekend food for students that are identified in the Scottsdale Unified School District as perhaps going hungry all weekend without weekday school meals – have been distributed, thanks to

To keep basic emergency food boxes stocked, Vista Del Camino has a high-priority item wish list for community donations: peanut butter, jam/jelly, cereal, soup, diced tomatoes, canned tuna/chicken and Hamburger Helper. They also need paper products like toilet paper and paper towels.

Besides the annual Back-to-School program – which distributed school supplies in backpacks to over 1,000 students last year – Vista Del Camino and Scottsdale Community Partners host two other programs that link families in need with caring neighbors − the Thanksgiving and Christmas Adopt-A-Family programs. The Thanksgiving program provides eligible Scottsdale families with a special holiday meal provided by adopting donors who bring their food to Vista Del Camino for distribution. The Christmas program emphasizes the needs of children – Vista staff provides adopters a short biography about the (anonymous) family, including gift suggestions and clothing sizes for the children. Donors are asked to provide gifts or a gift certificate from a local store for each child, plus a turkey or ham for the holiday dinner.

“Community volunteers are an essential ingredient at Vista Del Camino,” said Human Services Manager Rachel Smetana. “They ensure the center’s personal touch in serving Scottsdale residents by staffing the food bank, helping with the Adopt-a-Family programs and other duties. After a break in volunteer staffing due to COVID protocols, Vista Del Camino is again welcoming those helping hands.”

Your food donations are always welcome on the racks located in the Sanctuary building at PPC. For more information on how to make an in-kind or monetary donation, or volunteer at Vista Del Camino, see www.scottsdalecommunitypartners. org, or call Vista Del Camino, 480312-2323 Monday through Friday during regular business hours. JOAN FUDALA is an author and community historian. She’s been a member of Pinnacle since 2012, serving as a trustee on the Pinnacle Foundation board, and co-chair for Amigo’s group.

Treasures in Pinnacle’s Field

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. ~ Matthew 13:44

Over the past months, I have come to think of Pinnacle as a field with many treasures, some visible, and some hidden. Some of the treasures are people; some are events, and some are material objects that help us create a church here.

One of the first treasures I encountered here was the sanctuary organ. Unlike any other in the valley, it was built to replicate 18th century organs, which are considered to be the height of organ-building. Between the key and the pipe there

is no electricity. Rather the organist actually opens the pallet that lets the air into the pipe as she depresses the key. This allows the organist to have control over the pipe’s speech, opening the pallet more quickly or slowly. This allows for sensitive playing and variety in the organ’s touch. I found there was more. In the chapel is a beautiful smaller instrument, built as an American classic instrument. Many congregations would love to have an instrument of this quality in their sanctuary. We have it in our chapel, and put it to good use for Sunday worship, smaller services, and teaching. It is also a treasure. Where else would we find two organs in one place?

Speaking of twos, do you know Pinnacle owns two sets of handbells and 2 sets of hand chimes? One is used for the adult Pinnacle Pealers and experienced youth, and is of the highest quality. The other set is used by the children, so they can learn the techniques of ringing without fear of damaging the most expensive bells.

On Easter Sunday both sets were used, as well as hand chimes by the children. Where else would you find that?

Deep in the recesses of the ‘tunnel’ (the spaces under the choir seating) are the steel drums that the youth have played this year. There are also a variety of African and Latin drums, enough for a drum circle. What resources they are for experiencing global music with indigenous instruments! They have enhanced our teaching of global hymns from our new hymnal Glory to God numerous times. Using them allows us to hear new hymns more like they would have originally sounded.

All these treasures remain hidden, though, until we use them in worship. The real treasures are all the people who use their gifts to sing and play in our worship. The chancel choir, the youth, children, and even preschoolers learn how to offer their musical gifts to God. What a treasure each one is. Thanks be to God!

LORRAINE BRUGH is Artist in Residence, sharing choral directing, the organ, and other leadership in worship, music, and arts. She has a Bachelor and Masters of Music in organ performance from Northwestern University, and PhD in Religious Studies from NW/Garrett Seminary.