Skyland Church

While I am away on sabbatical from January 5 through April 5, the congregation will have a sabbatical minister, Rev. Michael Patrick Ellard. Like me, Rev. Mike is a United Church of Christ minister. He has been the minister of several churches, most recently as a sabbatical minister.

In addition to his ministry work, Rev. Mike is an award-winning software developer. He was a software engineer and program manager for Apple until he retired in 2022. Mike is an amateur musician. He has coordinated musical projects for the Northern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ and for the UCC’s Pacific Islander and Asian American ministries. He looks forward to bringing his Sousaphone to church.

Surfnet Bringing the Santa Cruz Mountains Up to Speed with Fiber Internet Ken Nye High-speed internet access in the Santa Cruz Mountains is growing. Surfnet’s expansion of fiber-internet service is now in its third year of construction, with the goal of improving connectivity for residents and businesses that have historically had limited options. Our region’s topography has constrained internet service to DSL, cable, or wireless connections.

In some areas, residents have few or no viable options. Surfnet pursued state and federal grant funding to support the construction of fiber infrastructure in communities that have long been underserved. Fiber internet is a more reliable alternative. The infrastructure is designed to support higher capacity and long-term demand as internet usage increases across households and businesses.

Faster Uploads and Downloads. Fiber internet provides higher download speeds than many legacy services such as DSL or cable. This improves page-load times, video-streaming quality, and overall performance for households that use multiple connected devices at the same time. During peak-usage hours, fiber is less likely to experience slowdowns associated with shared cable or wireless networks.

In today’s digital world, upload performance is equally important. Activities such as video conferencing, cloud backups, online transactions, and remote collaboration depend on consistent upload speeds, which fiber supports more effectively than other internet services.

Reduced Network Congestion. Internet slowdowns during peak hours are often caused by increased demand on shared networks. This can result in lower video quality, buffering, or dropped connections during critical activities such as video calls or telehealth appointments. Fiber infrastructure is built to handle higher traffic levels and scale with future demand. This reduces the impact of congestion and provides more consistent performance throughout the day.

Supporting Work and Business Needs. Reliable upload speeds are increasingly important as more work, commerce, and communication take place online. Businesses that rely on digital transactions, remote systems, and online customer services benefit from lower latency and consistent connectivity. For remote workers, fiber internet supports stable video calls, file sharing, and real-time collaboration. Slower connections can disrupt meetings and reduce productivity. Our fiber infrastructure will remain viable for many years, reducing the need for frequent upgrades and supporting long-term connectivity in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Learn More. Visit www.Surfnetc.com to learn more and to check availability at your address. Call 831-439-7873 ext. 747 for more information. 4 0 8 . 3 5 3 . 2 2 7 8 S I L V E R M T N . C O M CheersCheers toto 2026!2026!