Gathering Workshop Focuses on Unconscious Bias and Racism

February 1, 2016

Inside this Edition

Thank You for 2016 Pledges

Jubilee Fund Scholarships

Guatemalan Mission Trip

Grant Assistance for Churches Damaged in Blizzard

Irish Music Vespers at Granite

ICJS: "Imaging Justice in Baltimore: A Christian Perspective

ELG Prayer Breakfast

Meetings

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

Committee on Ministry

(Leadership Team) will meet at 10am on Wednesday, Feb. 3

Transitions Team will meet at 2pm on Wednesday, Feb 10.

Commission on Spiritual Leader Development will meet at 10am Tuesday, Feb. 2.

Commission on Thriving Congregations will meet at 6:30pm on Tuesday, Feb. 16.

The General Presbyter Nominating Committee will meet 9:30am to 12:30pm on Wednesday Feb. 17.

Ministry Group Conveners meet at noon on Wednesday, feb 3

Interim Pastors will meet at Hope PC at noon on Tuesday, Feb, 2.

Healthy Boundaries workshop will be held at 9am on Thursday, Feb. 4 at Central Presbyterian Church

Baltimore Dakota Partnership will meet at 7pm on Tuesday, Feb 9.

Cuba Partnership will meet a 1pm on Wednesday, Feb. 17

ELG Prayer Breakfast

Our Shared Ministry

As the Presbytery of Baltimore welcomes a new year, we look forward to the possibilities that are before us. Much of what comes next will be rooted in the good work of the past years. We praise God for the continued support of the following congregations who generously contributed $216,086.94 to Our Shared Ministry in 2015:

Ark & Dove

Ashland

Barrelville

Brown Mem'l Pk Ave.

Brown Mem'l Woodbrook

Catonsville

Central

Cherry Hill

Christ Memorial

Christ Our Anchor

Christ Our King

Churchville

Covenant

Dickey Memorial

Faith

Fallston

First and Franklin

1st of Annapolis

1st of Bel Air

1st of Cumberland

1st of Frostburg

1st of Howard County

Franklinville

Frederick

Good Shepherd

Govans

Grace

Granite

Grove

Hagerstown

Hancock

Harundale

Havenwood

Highland

Hope

Hughes Mem'l

Hunting Ridge

Kenwood

Light Street

Lochearn

Maryland

Mount Hebron

Mount Paran

Northminster

Prince of Peace

Roland Park

Second

St. John United

Springfield

Towson

Woods Memorial

FREE BOOKS!

The Presbytery is eliminating
its resource library and offering books free to anyone who would like them. Please contact Wanda Morgan to make an appointment to review them.

Gathering Workshop Explores Unconscious Bias and Racism

by TE Michael Moore

Knox Presbyterian Church

TE Micheal Moore

The Presbytery of Baltimore continues its year-lo ng focus on Race, Class & Poverty with a large group workshop on U nconscious Bias. The workshop serves as a thematic point of focus for our 870th Gathering on Feb. 11 at Faith Presbyterian Church in Baltimore. Also featured during the Gathering will be a sermon on Unconscious Bias by the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Director of the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness. And later, during Decisions & Discernment, the presbytery will discuss an overture to the 222nd General Assembly that encourages churches within our denomination to seek racial atonement and reconciliation.

Traditionally, discussions about racism ave led to painful and guilty emotions that result in divisive and defensive reactions. However, we'll start our discussion at a different place during the next week's Gathering workshop. Unconscious -- or implicit -- bias is a relatively obscure subject within the church. Derived from the latest scientific research in brain function, the term unconscious bias suggests that everyone has a reservoir of learned and ingrained biases or prejudices that affects decision making, attitudes and behaviors -- positively and negatively.

Unconscious bias suggests a deeper issue: that racism is a spiritual matter that does matter. We'll go beyond science to address racism through scripture and the powerful statements our savior, Jesus Christ, makes about racial biases that are as ever important today in our country and for the Church.

Our workshop discussion will begin with the impact of the civil unrest that erupted in Baltimore last April , which many contend was the result of the pain and anger fueled by a long history of institutionalized racial practices. In the midst of that turmoil Teaching and Ruling Elders and of the Presbytery of Baltimore gathered at Trinity Presbyterian Church for a prayer vigil. Some even took to the streets to calm protesters and spread the word of God.

Those turbulent days led many within the church to questioned whether we, too, harbored racial prejudices -- or, are we just naive (unconscious) about a biased system of racial oppression embedded in our community. Join me next week, Thursday, Feb. 11, at the Gathering, as we explore how spirituality can help us become more consciously aware of the racial biases that surround us . . . and , how we can work together toward reconciling them.

Click here to register for a meal for the 870th Gathering

taff Directory

Take Note/Act Now

Thank you . . .

. . . to the congregations who have already sent in your Shared Ministry Pledges for 2016. We have received pledges from 19 congregations so far and are 25% of the way toward reaching our goal of $225,000 in Shared Ministry funding.

This is fabulous! Your contributions continue to make wonderful things happen within the bounds of our presbytery. Our goal this year is for 100% of our congregations to participate and we believe it can happen. Even if your congregation is only able to contribute a small amount you can do something to be part of supporting our collective mission. Be part of the "team" this year and send in your shared ministry pledge.

Interim General Presbyter

Presbytery . . . and the Wider Church

The Synod of Mid-Atlantic's Jubilee Fund is offering $2,500 Scholarships in four categories to congregations seeking to: (1) recruit African American clergy; (2) develop African American Christian education; (3) develop African American Congregational leadership; and, enhance African American youth ministry. he deadline for applications is Feb. 15, 2016. For details, call Ledonia Kimball at 410.448.9164 or visit: http://www.synatlantic.org/funding/jubilee-trust-fund/ org.

GUATEMALA MISSION TRIP - Join others from the Presbytery on an intercultural encounter April 11-16. Learn about the work of CEDEPCA, the presbytery's mission partner in Guatemala, and experience first-hand the diverse culture of this country. The cost is $1500, with scholarship help available. Registration and $500 deposit are due Feb. 19. Click here for details.

Churches who have sustained weather-related damage to buildings or property during the 2016 blizzard may be eligible for up to $7500 in financial assistance (repair grant) from the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance . For details, contact the Presbytery at 410.433.2012.

Churches

Granite Presbyterian Church will be holding an Irish Music Vespers on Sunday, February 21 at 5pm. This event will feature the music of Rigadoo with Shawn Cassady. Granite Church is located at 10637 Old Court Rd. in Woodstock. For more information please contact Frank Owens at [email protected].

Other

The Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies will host "Imagining Justice in Baltimore: A Christian Perspective"

p resented by Dr. Robert Franklin, a scholar and Director of the Religion Department at The Chautauqua Institution at 7pm on

Thursday, Feb. 11 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture.

Click here for details

.

Ecumenical Leaders Group of Maryland

will sponsor a

Prayer Breakfast for Clean Energy

in support of the

MD Clean Energy Jobs Act and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act .

Click here.

A Message from the Interim General Presbyter:

A PERSPECTIVE ON THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE

As the presidential campaign heats up many members of the PCUSA and the Presbytery of Baltimore have expressed grave concern over Donald Trump's remarks about immigrants. It is important to remember that, though he was baptized and confirmed in a PCUSA church he is no longer on their roll. He now claims membership at Marble Collegiate Church, part of the Reformed Church in America. But church officials there say he is not an active member. Nevertheless, Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the PCUSA issued a statement last fall, in the form of a letter to Trump, that Trumps comments on immigration are at odds with the denomination's policies on immigration.