Garrett Yamada
Pastor

Garrett and Stephanie Yamada have been married for 26 years and have three children.  Stephanie is a Behavior Therapist for Los Altos School District and works with children with special needs.  Brent is their oldest child, and has made tremendous strides in his battle with autism.  He is 21 years old and is taking college classes and pursuing employment. Kimi is 18 years old and graduated from San Mateo High School this past spring. She will be moving this fall to San Diego State University to pursue a degree in Business Management.  Sara is 16 years old and will be a Junior at San Mateo High School. Their plan is to continue to live in the San Mateo area until Sara can finish High School. After that they will move to a location closer to the church.

Experience and Education

Garrett has been an ordained pastor for over 25 years. He received a Master of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif.  He also attended Princeton Theological Seminary in NJ.  Garrett earned a B.S. in Agricultural Ed and two teaching credentials in Vocational Agriculture and secondary in Science at the University of California, Davis.

His continuing education includes many classes and conferences on Marriage and Family, Small Group (Alpha & Serendipity), Leadership, Ethics, and Spiritual Formation. He also took classes at New College Berkeley on New Age, Sexuality, Social Justice, and 1 Peter. He's attended National Pastor's Conferences, Soul Care Programs, and Church Growth Consultation.

 

Garrett's 25 years of experience includes most recently serving as Pastor (Head of Staff) at Sturge Presbyterian Church in San Mateo, a Suburban pan-Asian church. Previous to that he served as Associate Pastor or Assistant Pastor at Pleasanton Presbyterian Church, Pleasanton, CA; Geneva Presbyterian Church, Laguna Hills, CA; First Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, CA; Union Church of Manila in the Philippines; and Calvary Presbyterian Church in Riverside, CA.

A Note From Garrett

"Just like your PNC, I am very excited to have received a call to be your pastor. I felt that this was where God was leading me and so I was thrilled when that was confirmed by your PNC. I look forward to getting to know you and to see what wonderful blessings Christ has in store for us in the years ahead. I would appreciate your prayers during this transition time and for God to help me to be the pastor that He has called me to be. "

Contact Information

Office: 510-797-8811
E-mail: Garrett@newarkpres.org