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Call for Workshops for November 2016 Presbyterian Learning Day
Hancock PC Celebrates 175th Anniversary
Faith PC Sponsors Prayer Walk & Vigil for Victims of Orlando Massacre
Faith Presbyterian Church:
- Boost Summer Camp
- Art With A Heart
- God with a Tall, Cool One
Roland Park PC Seeks Part-Time Director of Christian Education Harundale seeks a Part-time Administrative Assistant Maryland PC Offering Silver Communion Trays Prince of Peace seeks Part-Time Summer Office Workers
Advent Resources
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Committee and Commission meetings will be held at the Presbytery's office (unless noted otherwise.)
CALLED MEETING: 10am on Thursday, July 7 at Faith Presbyterian Church, 5400 Loch Raven Blvd.
******
COM (CREST) Committee will meet at 3pm on Wednesday, June 29
Reconciliation Commission
will meet 6:30-8:30pm on Wednesday, Jul 13.
Committee for Preparation for Ministry will meet 3-5pm on Wednesday Jul. 20 in Catonsville
Baltimore/Dakota Learning Camp Partnership will meet 7-9pm on Tuesday, Jul 12 in Catonsville
The Cuba Partnership
meets 2pm to 3:30pm the third Wednesday of each month.
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Thank you to the following congregations who have pledged toward Our Shared Ministry 2016. At his date, he Presbytery has received $173,963 in pledges toward our budget goal of $225,000.
Ark & Dove
Barrelville
Brown Mem'l Woodbrook
Catonsville
Central
Christ Our King
Churchville
Covenant
Dickey Memorial
Faith
Fallston
First & Franklin
1st of Annapolis
1st of Bel Air
Franklinville
Frederick
Good Shepherd
Granite
Grove
Hagerstown
Havre de Grace
Hunting Ridge
Kenwood
Light Street
Maryland
Mount Paran
Northminster
Prince of Peace
Roland Park
Second
Springfield
Towson
Woods Mem'l
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Find Out What's Happening at GA222!
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Keep up with the activities of our commissioners and members of Presbytery of Baltimore wh
o are attending this week's Presbyterian Church (USA)'s 222nd General Assembly in Portland, OR.
You can follow them through their periodic messages; on
FaceBook;
on
Twitter at #BaltimorePresby@GA222;
visit
www.pc-biz.org;
or, for those who
are generally interested in what's going on at GA, download the Guidebook event app at
www.pcusa.org/ga222mobile
.
And please keep all of our GA commissioners in prayer using the
GA222 Prayer Booklet:
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PoB Commissioners at GA222 donning crabhats.
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GRACE AND GRATITUDE
by Joe Small
The Christian life is shaped by gratitude - gratitude for the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. It is by God's grace that we receive the gift of our own lives, and so we are called to shape the whole of our lives by our grateful response. "The stewardship of all of life" is a common phrase, yet too often stewardship is reduced to an annual program, the annual program is reduced to the means to achieve an end, and the end is reduced to the church budget. "Gratitude for all of life" may be a way to broaden and deepen our understanding and our use of the gifts God has given us.
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Taking "The Offering" is not a modern development in Christian worship. From the outset, Christians who gathered for worship shared their resources. But in the early centuries, the offering was not for salaries and buildings, not even for church programs. A fascinating description of the offering is found in
Tertullian's Apology, written at the close of the second century. He contrasts Christian use of the offering with the "dues" paid in pagan cultic associations.
[The offering] is not made up of money paid in entrance-fees, as if religion were a matter of contract. Every man once a month brings some modest coin - or whatever he wishes, and only if he does wish, and if he can; for nobody is compelled; it is a voluntary offering. You might call them the trust funds of piety. For they are not spent upon banquets nor drinking-parties nor thankless eating-houses; but to feed the poor and to bury them, for boys and girls who lack property and parents, and then for slaves grown old and shipwrecked mariners; and any who may be in mines, islands, or prisons.
Such work of love (for so it is) puts a mark upon us, in the eyes of some. "Look," they say, "how they love one another" and "how they are ready to die for each other."
What Tertullian doesn't say is that it was common practice in the early churches to share the fruits of their offering not only with fellow-Christians, but also with pagan neighbors. They provided food for the poor and burials for the indigent; they opened their homes to orphans and discarded slaves; they rescued sailors; and they provided for prisoners in Roman "gulags." Tertullian doesn't mention that Christians typically cared for victims of Plague and other dangerous diseases. All of these were "thrown-away people" in Greco-Roman society.
We modern Presbyterians would do well to be reminded of the origin of "The Offering" as the plates are passed each Sunday . . . or as we write a monthly check, contribute online, or set up an automatic withdrawal account. We might also pay closer attention to what "The Offering" is for.
Reprinted from the June 16, 2016 edition of The Pastor's Life, a correspondence of the Presbyterian Foundation.
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Presbytery
. . . and the Wider Church
The
Gathering Team
is now issuing a call for workshops for the day. We especially invite Commissions, Ministry Groups, and others in the Presbytery to consider offering a workshop on the theme for the day, or some related theme. If you would like to submit an idea for a workshop, please contact Jack Carlson, at
jvcarlson47@gmail.com
, or 410.978.1017, or call the Presbytery office.
Congratulations to Hancock Presbyterian Church, whose congregation celebrated their church's
175th Anniversary last weekend.
May God continue to bless you abundantly!
Faith Presbyterian Church and
St. Matthew's Catholic  Church have organized a
Silent Prayer Vigil Procession
for
7pm on Wednesday,
June 29
to remember the 49 victims of the shooting in Orlando. We will
meet at the Homewood Friends Meeting House at 3105 N. Charles Street and process to the Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation at 4 E. University Parkway
, where a Silent Vigil will take place on the steps of the Cathedral. The banners will say, "Love for All: Hatred for None" and "Faiths United Against Hatred." All are welcome.
Roland Park Presbyterian Church seeks a
part-time Director of Christian Education to serve as leader and developer of education programming for all ages, including our Sunday morning children's program, youth program, and adult education. $20 - $25/ hour depending on experience Click
Roland Park for details.
Harundale Presbyterian Church is looking for a part-time pastor's administrative assistant. Contact Rev. Dr. Tracey Davenport at 410.766.4338 or
tracey@harundalepc.org FMI.
Maryland Presbyterian Church has 5 silver color communion trays (fits the plastic cups) and 2 bread platters free to any church that could use them. The top covers are not included. Call MPC at 410.825.0719 if you would like them or e-mail at
mpc@mpchurch.org.
Prince of Peace Presbyterian Church in Crofton is looking for people seeking part-time employment to help out in the church office this summer. The position involves answering phones, greeting visitors, and if possible, some limited word processing. This paid job will typically be on Tuesday mornings from 9am-12noon, but may involve a few other isolated days during the summer depending upon the candidate's availability. For details, contact Rev. Elizabeth McLean at
410.721.2313
.
Other
"A Well of Advent Resources"- A New Collection of Advent Resources
By August or October, at the latest, pastors and churches are making plans for Advent. Although our congregations embrace the familiar, we are often seeking new ideas and new ways to celebrate the season.
T
his year the Susquehanna Ministry Groupwould like your help in preparing an Advent resource which may be shared with the entire presbytery.
Send us your best Advent ideas - sermons, lessons, crafts, congregational events, liturgies, etc. by August 31, 2016, and we will put all this information on a flash drive. This "Well of Advent Resources" will be FREE to all who make a contribution. Others may be able to purchase the flash drive for $10. Send an e-mail to Dr. Stephen Melton
pastor@churchvillepc.org
Attach the item to the e-mail - ideally in WORD or PDF. Let's share the blessings of our faith with one another.
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