Presbytery of Lake Huron
Bi-Weekly Brief 
 
"The mission of the Presbytery of Lake Huron is to partner with congregations, helping people to know, grow, share and serve as disciples of Jesus Christ." 
 
January 23, 2019 
We Pray For 
We Lift Up In Prayer...  

New:
The Rev. Glenn Grant (Pastor of Grand Blanc-Kirkridge) and wife, Debbie Grant (Assistant Director of the Presbytery's Disaster Response Team) whose daughter Caitlin Ritenour passed away earlier this month. ( Click here for her obituary.)


Mission Co-Workers:
The Rev. Cathy Chang and family who are serving in the Philippines.

Michael and Rachel Ludwig , our Mission Co-Workers who are serving in Niger.

    
   
 

 

For those Teaching Elders (Ministers of Word and Sacrament) and Commissioned Ruling Elders (CREs) who are celebrating Ordination or Commissioning Anniversaries in January and February:

The Rev. Doug Abel (1/5) - 5 years Pastor of Vassar-First
The Rev. Cathy Chang (2/17) - Mission Co-Worker serving in the Philippines
The Rev. Mary Anne Evans-Justin (2/25) - Honorably Retired
The Rev. Dr. Rhashell Hunter (1/8) Member-At-Large serving the    PC(USA)  as  Director of Racial Equity & Women's Intercultural Ministries
The Rev. Scott Kroener (1/19) - Pastor of Birch Run-Taymouth
The Rev. Rich Lawther (1/4) - Honorably Retired
The Rev. Larry McMellen (2/12) - Honorably Retired
The Rev. Chris Moody (2/25) - Member-At-Large
The Rev. Alex Peterson (1/22) - Pastor of Lapeer-First
The Rev. Dawn Russell (2/9) - Pastor of Linden
The Rev. Betsy Stilwell (1/22) - Member-At-Large

Presbytery Office
Dan Saperstein
From the Lions' Den

A church member in our Presbytery recently asked me some questions about the Presbytery for an article in a church periodical. It struck me that to many of our church members, Presbytery is an abstraction - part of the great mystery of the wider Church-with-a-captial-C. So, I thought I would share some of the questions posed and my answers here.

Q. Who is included and how large is the Presbytery of Lake Huron?

The Presbytery of Lake Huron consists of 46 congregations with about 7200 members in Mid-Michigan, in a region roughly approximating the weather map on the evening news. Each church session is entitled to select one or more ruling elders to serve as voting commissioners at Presbytery meetings. In addition, all ministers on our rolls are members of Presbytery.  If there are more minister members than ruling elder commissioners, a balance is achieved by assigning additional elder commissioners.

Q. What are some of the primary goals of the Presbytery?

This question can be answered many ways. Constitutionally, the Presbytery is responsible for the governance of the church, the support of congregations, the administration of mission, and the regulation of the ministry of Word and Sacrament in its district. Officially, our mission statement is: "The mission of the Presbytery of Lake Huron is to partner with congregations, helping people to know, grow, share and serve as disciples of Jesus Christ."  Informally, our aim is to build the presbytery and its churches into agents of mission that is "inside-out, upside-down, and sticky" - that is, which sends its members to serve God in the world; divests itself of power and privilege to serve and welcome the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized; and practices mission that builds relationships with those served and invites them to join in the mission. Additionally, each year the Presbytery Moderator selects a theme for the year to direct the content of our presbytery meetings. Moderator Chris Wolf (a lay pastor from Marlette) has chosen her theme for 2019 to be Matthew 25:40: "As you did it to the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it unto me."

Q. What is accomplished at the Presbytery meetings?

Each presbytery meeting consists of three components: Worship, Equipping, and Governance. The first order of business is Worship. We try to offer worship that reflects the gifts and diversity of our presbytery. At recent meetings we have been inspired by Korean drummers, a gospel choir, and a jazz guitarist, as well as by outstanding preachers, creative liturgy, and gifted accompanists. After worship is our Equipping Time. The equipping time is part of our commitment to making Presbytery meetings a "value-added" experience-so that every commissioner feels the meeting was beneficial to their church's mission. Recent equipping times have included presentations and conversations on building congregational mission; welcoming diversity; clergy self-care; youth ministry; and creative approaches to stewardship. Upcoming themes include Elders as Spiritual Leaders (March); Becoming a Matthew 25 church (with General Assembly Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson - June); and Facing Racism (September).

Q. What else would you like our members to know about the  Presbytery of Lake Huron or the Presbytery meetings?

Presbytery is not "them" - it is all of us together! The Presbytery exists to serve Jesus Christ by serving our congregations - in the firm belief we can accomplish more for God working together than we can separately. Thank you for your faithful support of our work and your generous sharing of your time and talents!

Faithfully, 

Dan Saperstein, E xecutive Presbyter
 
Free Notary Service

In need of a Notary Public? Tracy Carr, our Financial Secretary, can assist you free of charge. Contact her directly at either  tcarr@presbylh.org or 989-799-7481 extension #3. Note that she is a part-time employee and not in the office every day, so please call or email her ahead of time.
You're Invited
Celebrating The Ministry of Rhonda Myers

The congregation of Midland-Chapel Lane invite members of Presbytery and friends to help them celebrate the ministry of the Rev. Dr. Rhonda Myers on her last day as their Pastor.  A public celebration will follow worship and will begin at approximately   11:30 a.m. on Sunday, January 27, 2019  at the church. 

Rhonda has served as Pastor of Chapel Lane for more than seven years. She has also served the presbytery most of that time as the Moderator of the Commission on Preparation for Ministry, as a member of Presbytery Council and is currently the Vice Moderator of presbytery.

The church is gathering pictures, momentos and messages for a scrapbook to give to Rhonda. If you would like to contribute to this, please contact the church at  989-631-2081.
Youth Triennium 2019
Youth Triennium Information

The Presbytery of Lake Huron is forming a delegation to attend Triennium. We want
YOU to be a part of this life changing event! Please contact Philomena Ofori-Nipaah
( nhyira5@gmail.com) or Nikelle Johnson ( nejohnson23@gmail.com) with questions and/or to indicate your interest in attending.

Click here for a flier with additional details.
Volunteers Needed
Volunteers Needed

From Mary Lloyd, Water Justice Work Group (whom we met at the December presbytery meeting):
The City of Flint is looking for volunteers to manage the Information Desk during the following times: 8:00 am to 10:00 am and 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm). Volunteers will be trained and should report to the front desk in the main lobby of City Hall.

Click here for details.
Mission To The U.S.A.
Synod Logo
MUSA 2019

Mission to the USA - Synod of the Covenant
 
Reverse mission. You do not go to Africa; our Synod brings Christian leaders to you. For three weeks. This coming October. They come from Muslim majority countries to inform and participate in your congregation and community. Most of it paid for by the Synod. Here is one great opportunity we have been doing for 35 years. Contact our MUSA Director, Steve Gorman, for details: 216-801-2036 stevegorman48@gmail.com. God is opening one big door here!

Click here for more details.
Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network
2019 Older Adult Ministry Certificate Course 

It's time to register for Older Adult Ministry Certification!!!  Two courses are being offered in March at the Center for Lifelong Learning, Columbia Theological Seminary: The Process of Aging and Implications for Ministry, with Dr. Mary Ann Johnson, and Teaching for Transformation with Joyce MacKichan Walker, are offered March 11-15, 2019. 
 
Increasingly, older adults make up a significant percentage of our congregations and communities.  We need to be prepared to serve then well and to tap into wisdom and resources they bring to our congregations.  OAM Certification is a collaboration of POAMN and the Center for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary dedicated to continuing education.  Come join us!
 
Please take a moment today to register yourself AND forward this email to others you know who may be interested (NOT LIMITED TO PRESBYTERIANS!).  Early registration is extended until Feb. 1, 2019.


Click here for more information.
Connections
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Connect With Other Churches In The Lake Huron Presbytery

There are so many wonderful things going on in all of our congregations.  Several of our churches have set up Facebook pages to help spread the good news not only to their members but to all who may be interested.  Liking other church Facebook pages is a great way to connect with others in the presbytery and to share ideas with each other.  Here are some of the churches that have Facebook pages:

Fairgrove  *** NEW ***
Tawas
Vassar-First
Yale-First

If your congregation has a page and it is not listed here, please contact Staci Percy at spercy@presbylh.org

'Like' Us On Facebook

The presbytery has a Facebook page and would like you to join us.  Get updates and information faster. Connect with others to share ideas and to post information about events happening in your congregation.  Join us today! 

Contact Information

Staci Percy

Communications Manager/Recording Clerk

spercy@presbylh.org 

989-799-7481 x2

In This Edition
In Our Prayers
From The Lions' Den
Notary Service
You're Invited
Youth Triennium
Volunteers Needed
MUSA
POAMN
Connect With LHP Churches


Who We Are
 
 
 
 
 
About the
Bi-Weekly Brief

Hundreds of elders, educators, and church leaders read the Presbytery of Lake Huron's email sent out every other week. 

You can reissue or modify this content for your own church bulletin or newsletter, without crediting the Bi-Weekly Brief, but please credit any organizations, photographers, etc, that we credited.

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NOTE: The Presbytery of Lake Huron retains permission to modify submissions for clarity and length. Inclusion of an item in the Bi-Weekly Brief means that we think it's interesting and/or important, and does not constitute an endorsement of its point of view or its journalistic accuracy.

   

 
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Commission on Ministry
January 23
11:00 am


Nominating Team
January 23
1:30 pm


Planning/Equipping/
Visioning Team
January 24
2:00 pm


Celebrating of Ministry for Rhonda Myers
January 27
11:30 am


Personnel Team
January 28
10:00 am

Investment Committee
January 29
10:00 am


Trustees
February 4
1:00 pm


Warren Avenue Administrative Team
February 11
12:00 pm


Mission Coordination Committee
February 11
1:00 pm


Presbytery Council
February 13
10:00 am


Commission on Preparation for Ministry
February 20
10:00 am


Personnel Team
February 25
10:00 am


Commission on Ministry
February 27
11:00 am


Nominating Team
February 27
1:30 pm



Details on these meetings can be found on the presbytery's website on the calendar.