July 11, 2017
Inside this Edition

Last Reading, This Year, of Church Rolls & Minutes 

Register for the 2017 Pulpit Supply List

Knox Presbyterian Church Celebrating 87th Anniversary

Mental Health First Aid Workshop postponed until July 29

Catonsville seeks Part-time Communication's Specialist

Theological Book Drive for Western Gambella Bethel Synod - Ethiopia

Massanetta Bible and Church Music Conference 

PCUSA Recommended Minimums for Church Insurance Coverage 

Leadership Institute/ Union Presbyterian Seminary Summer Courses

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

The Presbytery will be closed on Tuesday, July 4 in observance of the national holiday. 


Commission on Spiritual Leader Development will meet 1 pm on Wednesday, July 12.

Committee on Preparation for Ministry will meet at 3pm on Wednesday, July 19 at Catonsville PC

Gathering Team will meet at 1pm on Thursday, July 20
Praise & Prayer
Please pray for the continued recovery of TE Webster Brenner Jr., a parish associate at First Presbyterian Church of Howard Co., as he moves to Long Term Acute Care at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.  He has been hospitalized since November 2016 -- struggling with pneumonia and complications of myasthenia gravis. Prayers for encouragement, gracious patience, sustained hope, and the prayerful support from from his presbytery colleagues in Christ may be sent to: 
9169 Helaine Hamlet Way
Columbia, MD 21045-4057


Calendars for Sale


The Presbytery of Baltimore has a very limited amount of 2017-2018 Presbyterian Planning Calendars available for purchase. 
The cost is $9 each. 
If interested, please contact  WandaMorgan    
First-come, First-served. 


Summer Camp Gives Children a Sense of Community  

Children attending summer camp in the Woodbourne-McCabe neighborhood are learning far more than just how to make arts and crafts.  They're learning what it means to be part of a community - a community that includes not only one another but scores of volunteers from churches in the Uptown Metro Ministry Group and others from the northeast Baltimore City neighborhood who've come to lend a helping hand at the Woodbourne-McCabe Youth Empowerment Summer Camp.
 
The summer camp - located at Alhambra Park, a mostly grassy field in the midst of a neighborhood struggling against the blight of vacant houses and street crime - is the single, largest initiative resulting from a partnership between the Uptown Metro Ministry Group and the Woodbourne-McCabe Neighborhood Association. Other initiatives include Habitat for Humanity housing, community clean-ups, Christmas toy drives, Easter baskets and back to school donations. The neighborhood camp offers children a convenient, affordable and safe space to have fun while learning how to become better advocates for themselves and their community.
 
"Last year, Ashland Presbyterian Church held a weeklong camp and the kids really enjoyed it so much that we thought they'd enjoy a longer camp this year," said TE Jennifer DiFrancesco, a clergy volunteer.  "We were thinking: what can we do that's not just  transformative for the community but something we could do  with the community that would be transformative . How can we be more a part of the neighborhood and build deeper relationships with families and the community?"
 
Now, in its second year, the camp operates for three weeks in July, primarily funded by a grant from the Presbytery of Baltimore's Self Development of People committee -- a part of the Commission on Reconciliation. It also benefits from an experienced camp director and receives various in-kind support from nearly all of the Ministry Group's 13 congregations. Members from some congregations prepare hot lunch daily for the children while others volunteer to help the kids make crafts, play games share Bible stories that teach the children life lessons about healthful living; care of creation; and, personal and community advocacy.
 
"The Woodbourne McCabe Youth empowerment Camp is a wonderful example of a Ministry Group partnering with our local Self-Development of People team, The Center, Strong City Baltimore and the Woodbourne-McCabe Neighborhood Association all to empower a neighborhood to be all it can be in God's magnificent Kingdom," said Deb Milcarek, Associate for the Commission on Reconciliation.
 
Recently, on a sunny day, approximately 37 children, ages 4 through 12, gathered under a pavilion at the park to learn about heroes from the Bible who inspire Christians to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8).  Some wore their own hand-made superhero capes as the listened to the story of Esther, whose bravery saved a nation; and, learned about the Good Samaritan, who, like Superman, showed love, mercy and kindness at a difficult moment.
 
The life lessons shared have created a lasting bond among campers, say residents and volunteers. The children seem "more respectful of each to each other," said TE Shannon Meacham, pastor of Ashland Presbyterian Church. "Even though this is a tight-knit community with a park, all the kids don't necessarily know each other.  Here they get to know each other." Some even volunteer to work together in the Glenwood community garden (another SDOP-funded project) after summer camp ends.
 
The children are not alone in learning life lessons from new experiences. The volunteers say that they, too are changed by the summer camp experience. "There's a passion in my heart for these youth," said another volunteer known as Sister Laverne.
 
"It's not so much what we give them [these kids] it's what they give us. They motivate me. They allow us to see justice and love at work. And what they learn helps them with their own healing it helps them to understand that this world was not created for just one - but, for one another."

taff Directory

Take Note/Act Now

Presbytery and Church-wide

Last Reading of the Rolls & Minutes: a final meeting this year to review church rolls and minutes will be held 7pm on Wednesday, Aug. 16 at First Presbyterian Church of Howard Co. Clerks who were unable to attend any of the May-June meetings should email the   statedclerk@baltimorepresbytery.org to reserve a place a this last meting of the year.

If you wish to be included on the 2017 Pulpit Supply List but have not yet responded, please contact Jim Schroll at jschroll@msn.com.


Churches
Please join  Knox Presbyterian Church  in our celebrating our  87th  anniversary   beginning at 10:30am on Sunday, July 16.  Our theme is  "Transformed and Renewed to Do Great Things in Christ and our speaker is the Rev. Michael L. Moore, Pastor.  A picnic lunch will follow the worship service. Dress is casual. 

The the Mental Health First Aid Course sponsored by Grace Presbyterian Church is postponed until Saturday, July 29, 2017. Click here to fill out registration form and email to Grace's Pastor, TE Tanya Wade
Catonsville Presbyterian Church seeks a part-time Communications Specialist  to help the church explore better ways to use technology to more effectively communicate CPC's ministry to our members, friends and the wider community. Duties include managing the church's website and social media sites and developing content, including video and audio assets. This person will also edit the monthly newsletter, and create other print media, such as program brochures and event fliers.  Interested? Please contact TE Ken Kovacs at 410.747.6180 or  kkovacs@catonsvillepreb.org .
St. Andrew's is collecting theological books for the Western Gambella Bethel Synod (WGBS) Jordan Bible School of the Mekane Yesus Church of Ethiopia (formerly the Presbyterian Church in Ethiopia).  The Bible school is the only school for training the church leaders who serve 500,000 Nuer people living in Ethiopia.  The school is currently upgrading the level of courses offered and expanding its capacity including improvement of the library.  Classes are taught in English since there are no books in Nuer.  Books covering Bible studies, theology, church history, ethics, philosophy, missiology, leadership, Christian education and Bible reference materials are needed.

St. Andrew's invites other churches to join us in the collection, sorting, cataloging and packing of these books for shipment to Ethiopia.  This could be a good project for church youth groups.   Contributions to help cover shipping costs are also welcome.  For more information about the Ethiopian Book Project contact Ed Pollock at (301.831.7223) or ed_pollock@comcast.net.

Other 

Come to the Bible Conference/Church Music Conference at Massanetta Springs, July 23-29 celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation... Remembering the Reformation: Reformed, Redeemed, RestoredE nriching worship services and all meals are shared across the two conferences, including a great program for youth. Our own TE Keith Paige will preach and lead several workshops throughout the week! Visit  http://www.massanettasprings.org/conferences/.

Does your Insurance coverage meet the PCUSA Recommended Minimum Standards? For  details, please contact Linda A. Senez, CPCU ( 443.345.1055 office / 410.409.5154 cell) Click here to learn more

The  Leadership Institute at Union Presbyterian Seminary will offer several summer courses that may be of interest to your church leadership.
  • Church Business Administration courses - July 18-27, 2017:  Click here for more information and registration. 
  • Church Business Administration CEU courses - July 22, 2017:  Click here for more information and registration (this is the same information/registration form as Church Business Administration). 
  • Mission Possible: Embracing the Task of Strategic Visioning - October 9-12, 2017Click here for more information and registration. 
  • Pathways to Learning and Leadership: For the course listing and descriptions, and registration, go to Pathways.  



taff Directory

 Jacqueline E. Taylor
General Presbyter
jtaylor@baltimorepresbytery.org 


  Deb Milcarek
Assoc. for Reconciliation
dmilcarek@baltimorepresbytery.org 
 

Susan Krehbiel
Dir. of Congregational Advocacy
skrehbiel@baltimorepresbytery.org
  
Judi Forrester
Financial Administrator

William Nickels III
 Assoc. General Presbyter


Debbie Ingram Schmidt
Assoc. for Spiritual Leader Development
  
Deborah Greene  
Dir. of Communications
dgreene@baltimorepresbytery.org
 
Laura Mullen
        Book Keeper


Catherine Blacka

Judy Johnson
Ministry Group Staff


 Wanda Morgan
Dir. of Events/Services

Kate Foster Connors 
Dir. of The Center