Welcome, Pastor Calvin Sodestrom!

Park Blvd Pres is delighted to announce our new Interim Pastor will be Pastor Calvin Sodestrom.

You can reach Pastor Calvin at pastor@pbpc.org

In his own words, Pastor Calvin introduces himself

I look forward to being the Interim Pastor at Park Blvd Presbyterian Church. I previously worked at New Bridges Presbyterian Church as a Pastoral Resident and at First Pres Berkeley as the Youth Director. I am a Bay Area native, husband to Kenzie, father to Elliana (our spunky 3-year-old), and human man to our dog, Mosely. In my free time, I'm a jack of all trades - I enjoy all types of outdoor adventuring (backpacking and scuba diving to name a few) and learning new hobbies, whether that be brewing beer, baking bread, or DIY woodworking. In ministry, I am passionate about preaching Scripture and exploring what it means to be and do church in the 21st century. I am hopeful and excited to discover what God is already doing at Park Blvd and discern where God is leading you into the future!

The process to find and engage Pastor Calvin was thorough. The Interim Pastor Search Team received six nominations for the position. The team’s recommendations were submitted to Session for them to negotiate the engagement. We are all pleased Pastor Calvin has accepted our offer!

The Search Team noted the following about Calvin


  • He is intellectually gifted, creative, and energetic.

  • He lives his faith out loud.

  • He has energy to do and try more to develop our congregation and address the changing needs of our members.

  • He has a good sense of humor and a delightful bent for play. He believes following Jesus, we should find joy, life and adventure, as well as meaning and purpose.

  • He is an excellent preacher and would bring a renewed energy as Park Blvd continues to reopen and re-engage the community.

  • He is adaptable to the needs of our congregation.

From his time living on Park Blvd Way, he knows our neighborhood. He knows the Ultimate Grounds coffee shop, the semiannual craft fair held at PBPC, the GlenFriends listserv, the work of the GNA. He has ideas on ways to connect more with our neighbors.

In hiring Pastor Calvin, Session has set him five priorities as follows


  1. Sunday Worship - leading and coordinating

  2. Head of Staff/staff supervision

  3. Get to know people

  4. Children’s Ministry – coordinating its revival

  5. Get to know and engage with the tenants