|
|
News around the Synod of Lakes and Prairies
|
|
Amy Hartman joins the synod staff
as financial services associate
Amy Hartman began serving earlier this month as the Synod of Lakes and Prairies' financial services associate, working alongside Jim Koon,  the synod's director of financial services. Hartman brings accounting experience to the position from her time with Cherish All Children, a St. Paul, Minnesota, a non-profit organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that educates and engages congregations in the prevention of child sexual exploitation and trafficking. Hartman, who was the founder and a director of the Cherish All Children, served the organization for more than 10 years, and one of her many roles was staff accountant. "I am excited about combining my ministry background and accounting skills in a new way for the synod," Hartman said. The complete story can be found at "Amy Hartman."
Synod's Presbyterian Women
plan gathering in June in Iowa
 The Presbyterian Women in the Synod of Lakes and Prairies will conduct their triennial gathering Thursday through Sunday, June 20-23, in Ames, Iowa. The theme for the gathering comes from the gospel of John 7:38: "Out of the believer's heart shall flow streams of living water." The keynote speaker will be Kathy Reeves, who recently retired after serving more than 26 years with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s World Mission. Other plenary speakers include Elona Street-Stewart, executive of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, and Mary Newbern-Williams, executive presbyter in the Presbytery of Missouri River Valley. The complete registration booklet is at "Streams of Living Water."
Clearwater Forest names Rob Rathsack
as director of outreach, programs
Clearwater Forest Camp and Retreat Center's board of directors announced that Rob Rathsack will become its new director of outreach and programs. Rathsack comes to Clearwater with 17 years of experience as the former Camp Director of YMCA Camp Nan A Bo Sho, YMCA of the Fox Cities, Wisconsin. Sorcha McGuire, who served as co-chair of the search committee with Jon Kirschhoffer, said, "He is a strong communicator, talented relationship builder, and is excited to help us all tell our story." Rathsack will begin his service on Jan.1. He joins Tami Jacobs, director of operations and guest relations, and Lance Bauman, director of buildings and facilities, to complete Clearw
ater Forest's leadership team. The complete announcement is at "
Rob Rathsack
."
|
| Conferences, camps, resources |
|
 Regarding Ruling Elders:
Gathering the manna
Joan Gray, a former General Assembly moderator, writes another in the Regarding Ruling Elder series. She begins, "Jane serves on the nominating committee of First Presbyterian Church and has invited Kamira to serve another term as elder on the session. Kamira responded by sharing how discouraged, frustrated, and spiritually depleted she felt when she completed her last term of service. She declined to serve again. When Jane calls her next candidate, Ben, he eagerly agrees to serve. 'My time as an elder helped me grow in my faith more than anything else I have ever done in the church.'" Gray's complete column can be found at "Gathering the Manna."
Presbyterians Today offers
spiritual, visual Lenten devotional
 The 2019 Presbyterians Today Lenten Devotional offers a spiritual and visual pilgrimage through the holy season of Lent. The devotional relies on the words of the Psalms. The text, meditations and original photography are the work of the Rev. Krin Van Tatenhove, a long-time Presbyterian pastor, hospice chaplain, counselor, traveler, photographer and storyteller. Additional details about the devotional and ordering information can be found at "Awaking to God's Beauty."
WJK Lenten devotional
uses
African American spirituals
 Valuable not only for their sublime musical expression, African American spirituals provide profound insights into the human condition and Christian life. Many spirituals focus on the climax of the Christian drama, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the ways in which those events bring about the liberation of God's people. In these devotions for the season of Lent, Luke Powery leads the reader through the spirituals as they confront the mystery of Christ's atoning death and victory over the grave. Each selection includes the lyrics of the spiritual, a reflection by the author on the spiritual's meaning, a Scripture verse related to that meaning, and a brief prayer. The complete announcement from Westminster John Knox Press can be found at "Were You There?"
Omaha Seminary Foundation invites applicants for its Apollos program
 The Omaha Presbyterian Seminary Foundation is inviting applicants for its Apollos scholarship program. The program provides financial support to selected seminary students who possess qualities of excellence for ministry, a member of a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregation, under the care of a presbytery as an inquirer or candidate, and accepted or enrolled at one of 10 PC(USA) seminaries. Details about the program can be found at "Apollos." An application form is available at "Applying."
Foundation offers webinar series
on money conversations in church
The Presbyterian Foundation is offering a series of webinars on engage church givers in stewardship and money-related conversations.  Pastors, business administrators, stewardship chairs, treasurers, session clerks and others involved in the financial life of congregations are invited to register. The webinars are free and they will also be recorded. The four remaining topics are year-round stewardship, endowing pledges, talking about money and end-of-year giving. Details are at "Speaking of Money."
APCE Annual Event planned
next month in Galveston, Texas
 The Annual Event of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators in planned Wednesday through Saturday, Feb. 6-9, in Galveston, Texas. The theme for this year's event is "Come Now to The Waters." Details about the event, along with registration information, can be found at "APCE Annual Event."
YAV program seeks applicants;
most sites are still available
 From greetings from the Young Adult Volunteers in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to a video about the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s YAV program, and then to application information, the latest newsletter from the YAV program offers up information for those who might be interested in becoming YAV volunteers. There's more information about the YAV program at "Possibilities," and application information at "Application Dates" -- now is a good time to apply. The complete newsletter is at "Greetings."
Seattle First will be host
site
to NEXT Church in March
"Ruth and Naomi's lives were woven together in a season of despair and displacement. Environmental trauma, poverty, forced migration,  food insecurity, personal vulnerability, and power differentials continue to shape our shared human experience now as it did then. God interlaced the threads of Ruth and Naomi's individual stories. Through God's weaving, these women learned mutual sacrifice, found healing community, and shared liberation." That's the way NEXT Church introduces its coming national gathering on its website. The event takes place March 11-13 at First Presbyterian Church in Seattle. The theme: "Woven Together: Stories of Dissonance, Sacrifice and Liberation." Details, including registration information, are at "NEXT Church."
Annual White Privilege Conference
planned March 20-23 in Iowa
 The annual White Privilege Conference, with the theme Understanding, Respect and Connecting, is slated Wednesday through Saturday, March 20-23, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The conference provides a challenging, collaborative and comprehensive experience, according to its website, as it strives to empower and equip individuals to work for equity and justice through self and social transformations. Additional information about the conference is available at "White Privilege Conference."
Austin Channing Brown headlines
2019 Winter Forum in Wisconsin
 Austin Channing Brown, a leading voice on racial justice, will be the keynote speaker at the 2019 Winter Forum of the Wisconsin Council of Churches planned March 9 in Madison. Channing Brown is the author of the autobiographical "Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness." She is committed to exploring the intersections of racial justice, faith and black womanhood. Her presentations infused with justice, pop culture, humor and truth-telling. Details can be found at "2019 Winter Forum."
Ecumenical Advocacy Days planned
in early April in Washington, DC
The website of Ecumenical Advocacy Days notes, "The history of engaging in "good trouble" is embedded in our faith tradition and our  history as a nation and in the world. In the Bible, we read stories of the midwives who resisted Pharaoh and preserved the lives of Hebrew baby boys. We see Moses challenging the authority of Pharaoh, and Jesus overturn tables run by money changers." In the spring, Ecumenical Advocacy Days will draw on the "good trouble" pioneers from the civil rights era and inspiration from young leaders. The event is planned April 5-8 in Washington, D.C. Details can be found at "Good Trouble."
 Pastors School planned
in May at Lakeshore Center
It used to be winter pastors school; now it's simply pastors school. Omaha Presbyterian Seminary Foundation, the host for Pastors School, is asking you to save the date -- May 13-16 -- for the event. The Rev. Dr. Ken McFayden, will be the main speaker. McFayden serves as academic dean of the Richmond campus of Union Presbyterian Seminary and professor of ministry and leadership development. He teaches courses in the areas of congregational leadership and administration. Registration for Pastors School will begin Monday, Feb. 11. Details are at "Pastors School."
Hands-On Mission of Detroit seeks
mission work groups this summer
 The Hands-On Mission Work Group of the Presbytery of Detroit is looking forward to welcoming mission work groups during the summer. With more than 10 years of experience working with mission work groups, the organization is again offering a variety of service opportunities, from urban gardening to homeless outreach to domestic violence to Habitat for Humanity and many more. Information about Hands-On Mission is available in a video at "Feel Our Spirit." Information about taking a mission work group to Detroit is available from Michael Barconey, the Hands-On Mission coordinator, at [email protected] or at 313.903.6609. The organization's website is at "Hands-On Mission."
Planning is well underway
for PC(USA)'s Big Tent this summer
Coordinators for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Big Tent 2019 have hit the ground running in the new year. Last week, the planning team  traveled to Baltimore, the site of this year's event as well as the 224th General Assembly. The team met with the Presbytery of Baltimore and other community organizations to talk logistics and programming. "We are excited to be holding Big Tent in Baltimore this year. We're coming off of the momentum of the last General Assembly, where we engaged with the community of St. Louis. With the next General Assembly being held in Baltimore in 2020, this gives us a chance to build some engagement and momentum there," said Tom Hay, director of assembly operations with the Office of the General Assembly. Big Tent is planned Aug. 1-3. The complete story by Rick Jones of the Office of the General Assembly can be found at "The Big Tent."
Presbyterians for Earth Care plan conference at Stony Point in August
 Presbyterians for Earth Care, a national eco-justice network that cares for God's creation by connecting, equipping, and inspiring Presbyterians to make creation care a central concern of the church, will conduct its 2019 conference Aug. 6-9 at Stony Point Center in Stony Point, New York. William Brown, professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, will be the keynote speaker. Confirmed workshop speakers are Emily Brewer of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship and Ryan Smith of the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations. Additional details are at "Presbyterians for Earth Care."
|
| News around the PC(USA) and more |
|
Louisville pastor delivers Birmingham
jail message at Presbyterian Center
Martin Luther King Jr. did not have to go to Birmingham. He had options, Rev. Dr. Kevin W. Cosby recalled this week during the annual  Presbyterian Center Service of Commemoration for the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Well on his way to becoming the youngest Nobel Prize winner in history, to that point, King seemed poised for the pulpit at his home church in Atlanta, or maybe the presidency of Morehouse College. Birmingham was a powder keg, known as "Bombingham" because of the pervasive race-based violence in the Alabama city. But after prayer, King told his father and his mentor that his place was with "the suffering people of Birmingham," Cosby said. "He went down there and was arrested." The complete Presbyterian News Service story by Rich Copley can be found at "Going to Birmingham."
PC(USA)'s Matthew 25 Initiative gets introduced in Twin Cities last week
 Staff at the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area and others last week heard about a Presbyterian Mission Agency initiative already underway informally and organically in a number of Presbyterian churches. The Matthew 25 Initiative is designed to bring about what an initiative brochure calls "radical and fearless discipleship" among congregations and mid councils by engaging in three targeted missions: building congregational vitality, dismantling systemic poverty and eradicating structural racism. The complete Presbyterian News Service story by Mike Ferguson can be found at "Matthew 25 Initiative."
McNulty shares 2018's
top-10 films for believers
Ed McNulty, pastor of Blue Ball Presbyterian Church, south of Dayton, Ohio, and author of several books on film published by Westminster  John Knox Press, regularly provides a list of his selection of the top-10 films from the previous year for believers. This year he wrote, "Because the list of readers of my on-line journal "Visual Parables" consists mostly of believers, my criteria are different from those of secular critics whose lists you might have already read. Artistic excellence is important, but the films on this list do more than entertain us. Some of their makers seek to challenge viewers to uphold values of love and support (think 'Lars and the Real Girl'), and some warn us of the dangers of an inhumane set of values (this year's 'The Hate U Give')." McNulty's complete column is at "Films for Believers."
Human trafficking affects
30 million women, girls annually
According to a United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime 2016 Global Report, nearly 71 percent of human trafficking victims are women and girls, and one-third are children. Born to an alcoholic and drug-  addicted mother, Cyntoia Brown was already vulnerable and at-risk. No longer under the protection of social services, she ran away and became romantically involved with a man who eventually became her pimp. In Nashville, Tennessee, Brown was found guilty of killing Johnny Allen, a man who paid to have sex with her. She was 16 at the time of the murder. She received a life sentence with the possibility of parole. During these early days of January, which is designated as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and as one of his last acts in office, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam commuted her life sentence. The complete story by Cathy Chang for the Presbyterian News Service can be found at "Human Trafficking."
Stated clerk looks to challenges, opportunities facing the church
For two and a half years, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, has listened to the heartbeat of the church. The Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has been on the road for most of his  tenure, meeting with presbytery and synod leaders and listening and worshiping with churches facing difficult times. Nelson says one of the challenges is the continued need to lift the spirits of those who have been through trauma over the past 30 years in the life of the denomination. "Congregations that are representative of splits from larger congregations that existed and the struggles that we've had in becoming an all-inclusive church are among those challenges," he said. "There have also been struggles in addressing or not addressing some of the contextual realities that we are dealing with in the world." The complete story by Rick Jones of the Office of the General Assembly can be found at "Nelson Looks Ahead."
Co-Moderators see Presbyterian Church evolving, moving forward
Ask the co-moderators of the 223rd General Assembly what they think of their first six months in office and they will tell you a lot has  changed since they were elected in St. Louis last summer. Their election came seven months after they decided, in a telephone call, to stand together as co-moderators. "When I decided to run, I wanted to stand with someone who is Hispanic and there was a deep conviction inside of me to stand with someone from Puerto Rico," said the Rev. Cindy Kohlmann. "I felt that if God called me to this service, God would provide the person to serve with me." "As we began talking, and I heard Cindy's vision, love for the church and the passion in her voice, I decided to stand with her," said Ruling Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri. The complete story by Rick Jones of the Office of the General Assembly can be found at "Evolving and Moving Forward."
Mission co-worker: Migration
is human issue, not political one
On Thursday, President Trump traveled to the southern border of the United States to make his case for a $5 billion border wall to protect  the country from an invasion of migrants. Mission co-worker Mark Adams has lived on the border since 1998. He believes that Christians are called to see the migrant issue very differently. "We as the church are called to respond in faith and not fear. It's not just the current administration, but previous administrations as well, who have led us to respond in fear about issues of migration," said Adams. The complete Presbyterian News Service story by Kathy Melvin can be found at "A Human Issue."
Sunday for Cindy Kohlmann:
Connecting with congregations
For the Rev. Cindy Kohlmann, a typical Sunday will involve a morning worship service, one to two hours in the car, a quick stop at a drive-  thru, an afternoon meeting or church gathering and a possible preaching engagement for an evening service. But in this case, she's not operating as the co-moderator of the 223rd General Assembly. This is the regular job that has her running for 12 hours on this particular day. Kohlmann serves as the resource presbyter for the Presbyteries of Boston and northern New England. The complete story by Rick Jones of the Office of the General Assembly can be found at "A Kohlmann Sunday."
|
| Just one more |
|
Humor - again
Christ Church Presbyterian in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, kept your editor entertained this week with the humor page on its website. First, you must realize that not everything on the page is humorous, but that's OK. Second, there's a lot of stuff here, and you have to get beyond the funny signs from Indian Hills Community Center (recently in Keeping in Touch). Third - or finally - you have to realize that Nat King Cole's widow didn't buy a new television for someone who helped her when she was stranded alongside the road. She probably would have, but that would be a different story. Your editor smiled away nearly 30 minutes of an afternoon when he should have been working, but your editor is just a slow reader. It's at "Humor from Christ Church Presbyterian."
|
|
|
|
|
