June 15, 2015
Inside this Edition

Self-Development of People Hold Regional Meeting in Baltimore

 

Healthy Boundaries Training: Unpacking the Boundaries

 

Deer Creek Harmony PC Needs Pews 

 

Northminster PC seeks a Praise Team Leader 

 

Chestnut Grove seeks an Administrative Assistant

 

Second PC Seeks Dir. of Education & Congregation Life

 

Ashland PC Seeks Dir. of Christian Education

 

"The Church in Changing Cuba"

 

Old York Rd. Prayer Walk

 

Church Kitchen Survey

 

Hurricane Katrina Anniversary "Blitz Build"

 

 

 

Meetings
Committee and Commission meetings will be held at the Presbytery's office unless noted otherwise.) 

General Presbyter Search Committee will meet from 10am to 12pm on Wednesday, June 24. Lunch will be served.

Thriving Congregations Commission  will meet 6:30pm Tuesday, June 16

Reconciliation
Commission meets 6:30pm on Wednesday, June 24

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Susquehanna Parish MG will meet 12:30pm on Thursday, June 18, at First PC of Bel Air.

 

Praise & Prayer 
Praise God for the ministries of  The Rev. Jonathan Nelson , who will be ordained and installed as Associate Pastor of Ark & Dove Presbyterian Church at 4pm on Sunday, June 21; and, The Rev. Stephen Melton, who will be installed at 4pm on Sunday, June 28 as Pastor of Churchville Presbyterian Church.  

Ferguson Scholarship Awarded to Graphic Arts and Design Student
 

by Debbie Schmidt,

Associate for Spiritual Leader Development 

 

Congratulations to Shelby Herndon, the 2015 recipient of the

Shelby Herndon
Robert and Rosa Ferguson Scholarship. Shelby is a life-long member of Second Presbyterian Church and a recent graduate of the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology. 

Each year, the Robert F. and Rosa M. Ferguson Student Scholarship Fund awards $5,000 in financial assistance to a deserving high school students who wishes to attend an accredited college or university. Mr. Ferguson, a  member of Grace Presbyterian Church, and his wife, a long-time educator, generously gave the resources to fund this scholarship.

Shelby plans to attend Virginia Commonwealth University where she will continue her art studies with a concentration on graphic arts and fashion design.  An active member of her congregation, Shelby has led worship, created art for worship, helped with vacation Bible school and participated in a weeklong mission trip to West Virginia. In addition, she maintained a high grade point average in a challenging curriculum and took opportunities to develop her art skills through workshops and art programs.

 

In sharing about her own faith journey, Shelby describes the way her interest in art has impacted her spiritual growth. She writes that her early exposure to stories from the Bible helped her understand allusions in literature and gave her an appreciation for Renaissance and Baroque masters she would not have had without her Sunday School experience. At the conclusion of her confirmation training, she decided to represent her faith statement through art for her presentation to the elders. 

 

She says: [My art] was explaining my message with an illustration showing symbolism, and how it relates to my journey and to the Bible. My drawing was of a self-portrait in which I was blindfolded, walking from a hallway into an even longer passage, guided only by a light present over my head. The art was well received, and my ministers requested that my artwork be framed and displayed in the church seminar room.

 

We wish Shelby well as she begins her studies at Virginia Commonwealth. We trust that as she builds skills and knowledge in her field of study her faith will also continue to deepen. 


 

Shelby's Confirmation Artwork (9th Grade)

To learn more about the Ferguson Scholarship and other scholarships offered by the Presbytery, email Debbie Schmidt or click here.

Take  noteTake Note /Act Now
Take Note/Act Now

 

Presbytery   .  .  . and the  Wider Church 
  

 

The national office of
Self-Development of People will hold its  regional meeting on Friday, June 26 at the Druid Heights Community Development Corp., 2140 McCulloh St. 21201. Come and engage in conversations with community, faith-based and government leaders about ways to improve life in the city; then stay for lunch and later learn how to apply for grants (Up to $20,000) from SDOP.   If you're still asking "What can we do to help Baltimore City?" you should attend this meeting.  For details, click SDOP .


HEALTHY BOUNDARIES TRAINING

Teaching Elders, Commissioned Ruling Elders and Certified Christian Educators who work or live within the bounds of the Presbytery of Baltimore are invited to attend "Unpacking the Boundaries," a three-hour training program offered by the Sexual Misconduct Response Team (SMRT).  The program will be offered for $15 from 8:45am to 12pm on Thursday, June 18, at  Central Presbyterian Church, 7308 York Road, Towson, MD 21204.  Payment must be made on-line by clicking Healthy Boundaries.

 

 

Churches

  

Deer Creek Harmony Presbyterian Church must replace its wooden pews and is in urgent need of replacements.  Should you have  pews or know of a church hat does, please email Rev. Susan Atkinson or call her at 443.252.1594.

Northminster Presbyterian Church seeks a Praise Team Leader to oversee the contemporary music component of its Worship service. Click here for details.

Chestnut Grove Presbyterian Church in Phoenix, MD seeks a part-time Administrative Assistant & Program Coordinator to support  its congregation's mission and ministry. Click here for details.  


Second Presbyterian Church seeks a Director of Christian Education and Congregational Life.  Click here for details.

 

Ashland Presbyterian Church seeks a Director of Christian Education. Click here for details 


  

Other

 

"THE CHURCH IN CHANGING CUBA," featuring guest speaker The Rev. Dr. Ofelia Ortega Suárez of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba, will be held 12pm to 1:30pm on Thursday, July 2 at The Diocesan Center, 4 E. University Parkway in Baltimore.  This free program is sponsored by the Central Maryland Ecumenical Council.  Bring your lunch and a drink.  For details, email cmecouncil@gmail.com or visit www.cmecouncil.org

 

Presbytery of Baltimore clergy, particularly those working with the McCabe St. project, are invited to join the Old York Road Prayer Walk as an opportunity to meet and engage folks in the neighborhood. Clergy are encouraged to wear collars and comfortable shoes. Click here for details.

 

Do you have a Kitchen Ministry Team? The church kitchen is a center of celebration, hospitality, and community. A professor of church growth at Simmons College of Kentucky is conducting a study about utilizing church kitchens as a ministry resource. If interested, please complete a survey. To learn more, read the church kitchen blog or contact Ken Jobst, Director of Church Kitchens Institute.

          

HURRICANE KATRINA 10TH ANNIVERSARY "BLITZ BUILD" 

Presbyterian churches in the Baltimore area played a huge role in helping rebuild communities along the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina.  This August will be the 10th Anniversary of Katrina and we will once again return to the coast to "blitz build" several houses for those in need. Aligned with Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders (FCDR), an ecumenical Christian organization, we will be working in Biloxi, MS from Aug. 23 to Aug. 29 -- although, volunteers are needed before and after that time. For details, visit http://pda.pcusa.org/page/work-teams-locations/#ms or www.fullercenter.org/disaster-rebuilders or contacting Pete Berlowitz  Individuals and/or churches are also welcome to help support the build at http://www.gofundme.com/s6e6eb3bg

 

 

taff Directory

 




  Deb Milcarek

Assoc. for Reconciliation

dmilcarek@baltimorepresbytery.org 
 


Susan Krehbiel

Dir. of Congregational Advocacy

skrehbiel@baltimorepresbytery.org

  


 

 


 
William Nickels III

 Assoc. General Presbyter

bnickels@baltimorepresbytery.org

 

Debbie Ingram Schmidt

Assoc. for Spiritual Leader Development

  
Terry Jackson
Dir. of Finance
 
tjackson@baltimorepresbytery.org  
 

 

Deborah Greene

Dir. of Communication
  dgreene@baltimorepresbytery.org 
 

 


Catherine Blacka

Judy Johnson

Ministry Group Staff

jjohnson@baltimorepresbytery.org

 

 

 Wanda Morgan

Dir. of Events/Services