Presbytery of Southeastern Illinois Newsletter - July 8, 2019
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You're Invited!
Joint worship service of the South Shared Ministry of the Presbytery of SE Illinois
Held at Camp Carew
Sunday, September 29th
4:00pm - Worship; 5:30pm - Potluck
Come and enjoy the hearing of the word and fellowship in the beauty of God’s creation. Contact Susie Selock at
sselock@hotmail.com
for more information.
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Get Connected at Illinois
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If your student is attending the University of Illinois, connect them with the McKinley Presbyterian Church and Foundation campus ministry!
Read more about this vital ministry, including residency at
Presby Hall
, from Rev. Keith Harris.
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"Our success or failure in being a vital, educated, well-ordered, passionate, flexible, creative Presbytery that handles conflict well and openly while staying in relationship and while effectively proclaiming the good news," write Cindy Bean, "depends on the leadership of the Moderators."
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Christian Leadership Program at UDTS
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The University of Dubuque Theological Seminary Christian Leadership Program strengthens the church through quality theological education for lay persons. While course are designed for lay pastors, these classes serve the needs of all lay persons who are contributing their gifts to the ministry of the local church.
Classes are offered online (no residency component) through
udonline.dbq.edu
. Participants benefit from a theological education, including online interaction with faculty and other students. All online students are required to take the Online Learning Certification (OLC) as a prerequisite to any core course.
Find out more about the CLP/CRE Program!
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Practical Resources for Your Reading List
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Several helpful, practical resources were mentioned during the COM report at the presbytery meeting in Tilden.
"Our Iceberg is Melting"
by John Kotter is a parable about a group of penguins, and is a humorous way for leaders in the church to explore what might be going on in the life of the congregation. A practical process for problem solving is included in the back of the book.
The Five Practices of a Fruitful Congregation
, Revised by Robert Schnase is a re-write of this practical resource. In the first version, Schase presented an "attraction model" with the five practices. In this revised version, he balances that with practical ideas of how to go out (being missional) to practice the five practices. Be sure to get the
revised
version!
Canoeing the Mountains
by Tod Bolsinger helps leaders apply adaptive leadership techniques to church life. All three books are readily available at several sources.
During the General Council report, it was noted that the members of the GC will be discussing
Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Congregation into a Powerhouse for Mission
by
Krin Van Tatenhove
. Perhaps you would like to read it as well!
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On behalf of the Residents, Board of Directors, and Staff of Illinois Presbyterian Home Communities we wish all of our Presbytery leadership and congregation members a safe and happy Independence Day!
For 65 years we have been providing exceptionally valued assisted and independent living for seniors and with your help and support our Mission will remain strong and continue to grow!
Our tagline; "Where Independence and Assistance Meet" is really appropriately worded to describe what we offer seniors - made possible by the gifts of time, talent, and resources that have been selflessly shared over the years. And, this week, as we celebrate our Country's independence - made possible by the selfless service of our soldiers. In fact, on July 4, we will have a 'soft opening' of our new Veteran's Parlor with a changing exhibit of artifacts and photos of our residents who are Veterans. The Grand Opening will be on Veteran's Day, November 11 and all are welcome!
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Missionaries from Marion Impact Lives in Lithuania
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Benjamin and Tricia Groenewold-Van Dyk and their family are members of our FPC/Marion. They have been missionary professors to LCC University in Lithuania for the past 3 years. Because they are not paid by the university, all of their living expenses come from donations. They have extraordinary stories of how they have impacted the lives of young people who come from a childhood of spiritual oppression.
In addition to teaching philosophy at LCC International University in Lithuania, Benjamin and Tricia participate in transforming and equipping students to be servant leaders in their own countries and around the world.
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Attend NEXT Church Community Organizing Training!
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Don't miss this!
The Synod of Lincoln Trails will send 12 people from our 8 presbyteries to
NEXT Church
's community organizing training in Baltimore, Oct 21-25, 2019.
WHY? We believe church leaders are called to mobilize their congregations to be out in the community, for the sake of justice and on behalf of all that God is creating. We also believe NEXT Church can help church leaders do this better.
* Contact Wynesia@lincolntrails.org, before the mtg, for the Zoom link.
* Click below to view and access the application. Deadline is July 12th. Successful applicants will be notified on July 19th.
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All Session Records must be read prior to the November 21, 2019 Presbytery meeting. These events are held in regional locations, but you may attend one in another region if that day is better for you.
CLERKS - If none of these dates work for you, then send your moderator to the reading with the records of another member of Session or a previous clerk.
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For use at Presbytery gatherings/meetings. Authored by Rev. Bill McLean, Presbyter for Congregational Care.
Matthew 25:34-46 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
- What are the faithful ways we feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, and visit those who are sick or in prison?
- How do we with limited resources and incomplete knowledge decide who to feed or give a drink to, which stranger to visit, who to give clothes to, and which sick people or prisoners to visit?
- How might the Presbytery/congregation/committee be guided by this Scripture?
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(Click on church name for church website; click on address for Google map)
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