Eastminster Presbytery

E-News
for the Week of November 6, 2019
For correspondence mailing, please use the appropriate mailing address:
General Presbyter & Stated Clerk
1201 E Market St #427
Akron, OH
479.461.4042
Business Administrator
P.O. Box 14439
Poland, OH 44514
330.505.2167
Business Hours: Tuesday-Friday 9am-3pm
Presbytery Calendar at a Glance

Nov 9, Session Minutes Review, First Church-Mineral Ridge, 10 a.m. - noon.
Nov 10, Vital Cohort Gathering, Firestone Park Church, Akron, 3:30 p.m.
Nov 12, COM, Oak Hill Church, Akron, 6:00 p.m.
Nov 13, West Area Pastor Lunch, Panera (Stow), 1 p.m.
Nov 14, Resource Meeting, First Church-Mineral Ridge, 2:00 p.m.
Attention Clerks and Session Moderators

Our first review session went well and Thank you to all those who attended. There are 19 churches that have not scheduled for the session minutes review or confirmed that the minutes have already been reviewed. It is important that we hear from each church. If you have not yet scheduled for the 2018 Session Minutes Review or if the 2018 minutes have already been reviewed, please click on the link below. For your convenience, a link for the checklist is also provided below. This checklist should be completed prior to your review date. Questions can be submitted to Cathy Ulrich at cathy@eastminsterpresbytery.org .

Saturday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at First Church, Mineral Ridge.



  • Resource for ordering Minutes of Session book, blank or numbered pages, The Church Register book, and the different pages found in the Register book, click on the link or visit cokesbury.com.
EP Pastor & CRE Google-Group

Our pastor's google group is up and running. This is an email based private group to allow the members to share information, ask questions, support one another, and communicate easily with colleagues in Eastminster. If you are a teaching elder and did not receive an email invitation to join and would like one, please email Diane (click on name).
Commissioned lay pastors/ruling elders
Co-Moderators announce plans for new conference for...

Mid Council Leaders Gathering The Co-Moderators of the 223rd General Assembly (2018) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) believe it's time to take a deep dive into training commissioned pastors. Ruling Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri and the Rev. ...

Read more
www.pcusa.org
Advent Resources

If you're a Christian educator or leading this year's Advent group study at your church, click on the box below to browse The PCUSA Store for Advent devotionals ideal for private reflection, use in church gatherings, integration into sermon and worship planning, and more!
December 1 - December 22, 2019
Christmas Joy Offering
By giving to the Christmas Joy Offering, you honor God's gift of Jesus Christ by providing assistance to current and retired church workers in their time of need and developing our future leaders at Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color. For more information, bulletin inserts, worship resources, and other details click HERE !
A Message from the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Churches
 
Friends of SLPN:
Indeed, things have been turning over at a rapid clip in the Middle East, particularly in Northeast Syria, our primary focus over the past several weeks.
Among the many lessons we have learned in the past six years is that these events are all a package, and what happens in one area has repercussions on the rest of the region. Now events in Lebanon are in turmoil and, with our partners we must watch for ways to prayerfully respond.
Below you will find a letter just sent from Rev. Joseph Kassab, the General Secretary of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL), sending this epistle as a representative of the Catholic,Orthodox and Protestant churches in Lebanon. He describes what the churches' response is to the protests now taking hold in Beirut and elsewhere in the country. He is calling us to prayer for the situation. (The letter is long, so we have attached it also as a PDF for downloading.)
Please join me and the rest of our network to advocate for the churches and the good people of Lebanon. Consider asking your church to pray for the overall situation there, remembering that we are in partnership with both Syria and Lebanon. Ask for God's mercy and for just and peacemaking people to step forward. We must remember that God always responds to our prayers!
Thank you for your support.
Tim McCalmont
Moderator, Syria-Lebanon Partnership Network
 
Subscribe to the SLPN newsletter to receive updates and information in your inbox by typing www.syrialebanonpn.org/newsletter in the search box of your browser or by clicking >>>> Subscribe

Spirited Generosity
Offering Vitality in the 21st Century

November 20-21, 2019


Coming to a Location Near You!
Generosity NEXT features thought leaders and practitioners and cutting-edge topics related to faithful generosity in the North American cultural landscape. Receiving offerings has been an ongoing part of the church's story, beginning with the earliest scripture texts. Spirited Generosity: Offering Vitality in the 21st Century will explore the history and theology of the offering, its spiritual significance, and how faith communities can continue to make congregational giving a vital practice in 21st-century culture.
 
Plenary speakers and topics:
  •  Dr. L. Edward Phillips, Associate Professor of Worship and Liturgical Theology at Candler School of Theology: historical and theological review of the offering in Judeo/Christian culture
  • Melvin Amerson, Stewardship Consultant for the Texas Methodist Foundation: the offering as an act of worship, discipleship, and mission
  • Robert Hay, Jr., Senior Ministry Relations Officer, Southeast for the Presbyterian Foundation: cultural influences on the offering
  • Lori Guenther Reesor, stewardship and fundraising consultant: best practices for the offering 

Attend Generosity NEXT at one of these host sites!
Please reach out to the site contact for more details.
  •  Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Offices, Chicago, Illinois
  • Robin Brown, robin.brown@elca.org
  • Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
  • Tom Anderson, tanderson@mcselca.org
  • Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Libertyville, Illinois
  • Steve Oelschlager, steve@holycrosschurch.org
  • Everence Northeast Ohio Offices, Kidron, Ohio
  • Kelly Troyer, kelly.troyer@everence.com        
 Don't miss this opportunity for inspiration, learning, and networking.
 
  Questions?  Contact us. 
Around Eastminster Presbytery
  • Allenside Presbyterian Church

The ladies from Allenside Church are doing great things! These ladies invested in a few very inexpensive knitting looms. They meet every Wednesday and bring in the hats they've finished, meet for a while and pick up more yarn to take home. If you would like more info you can contact Barb Graham at  balaba@att.net
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  • Canfield Presbyterian Church

Seeking Church Office Manager . This position involves coordinating office communications, oversight of staff and schedules, maintaining church calendar and files, publishing bulletins, newsletters and publicity, and basic clerical work.
Full-time, weekday position. Pay commensurate with experience. Weekends not necessary. Excellent communication and phone skills, a committed person of faith and the ability to be flexible and to work with diverse people in a church setting is required.
Security background check and drug test is required. See full job description at www.canfieldpresbyterian.org. Resumes can be sent to: Rev. Larry Bowald at: lbowald@canfieldpresbyterian.org


Youngstown Cantorum Concert  there will be a concert by the choral group “Youngstown Cantorum” on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2:30 PM at Canfield Presbyterian Church. The group is made up primarily of Dana School of Music students under the direction of Dr. Hae-Jong Lee, with Kathy Miller accompanying. The theme of the concert is “ … of Transcendent Reflections on Earth and Heaven” and will include pieces the group will be performing at Carnegie Hall in May 2020. There will be a free-will offering taken to support the group as they raise funds for the trip to New York.


  • First Presbyterian Church (28 E Park Ave, Columbiana, 44408)

Biblical Families: Finding Grace Amidst Dysfunction A four-part class on the ways our families work and the ways they don’t Led by Rev. Fritz Nelson and Patti Smith, LCSW Wednesdays, 7:00 pm, Sept. 25; Oct. 9, 23 ; Nov. 9 THE HUB Conference Center at First Presbyterian, Columbiana

For more information and to register for these events visit >> columbianahub.org

  • New Covenant Church (1587 W Exchange St, Akron, OH 44313)

Ohioans for Gun Safety
Petition Signature Gathering
Saturday, November 16, 2019, 10 - noon

The New Covenant Community Church is collaborating with Ohioans for Gun Safety to collect signatures to bring background checks for gun safety to Ohio. We will be collecting petition signatures at the New Covenant Community Church in Akron at 1587 W Exchange St, Akron, OH 44313-7648 from 10-noon. If you are an Ohio registered voter and want to sign, we will have volunteers to collect your signature, at the church entrance, just off of the parking lot. Your signature will help us close the loopholes in Ohio's background check law and create a Safer Ohio.
   Ohioans for Gun Safety is a grassroots organization collecting signatures to put common sense background checks for gun safety in front of The Ohio Legislature, and if they don’t act, on the ballot. As Ohioans and Americans, we understand that we must balance our rights and our responsibilities in order to stop gun violence and gun tragedies. By listening to and having conversations with Ohioans about their experiences and ideas, we have built a broad-based, inclusive coalition that will, ultimately, make our state a safer place for our children and grandchildren through common sense background checks for gun safety.

  • First Church, Niles (4 Summit Street, Niles, 44446)

Annual Pork and Sauerkraut Dinner at Niles First Presbyterian Church, corner of Robbins and Crandon Aves., Niles, Ohio.  November 16, 2019 from 4:30 - 6:00.  cost is $10, take out or dine in. Menu includes, pork and sauerkraut, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans, applesauce, bread & butter and dessert. You can make a reservation by calling the church office at 330-652-1471 , on Mon, Tues, Thurs. or Fri. between 9:00a.m. and noon.
Presbytery Staff & Officers: