224th General Assembly elects
Street-Stewart, Bentley co-moderators
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Installation of the co-moderators.
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Pair garners 304 votes in first-ballot election Saturday
by Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service
June 20, 2020
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The two garnered 304 votes, easily winning on the first ballot. The Rev. Marie Mainard O’Connell and Arthur Fullerton received 90 votes. The Rev. Sandra Hedrick and Moon Lee got 65 votes.
Immediately after their election, the two were installed as co-moderators by the co-moderators of the 223rd General Assembly, the Rev. Cindy Kohlmann and Ruling Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri, as well as the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
“I am hippopotamus happy and dinosaur delighted,” Bentley said.
“This is just wonderful,” Street-Stewart said. “We look forward to meeting the fabulous expectations our current co-moderators have established for us.”
Read more.
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Artwork by Langley Hoyt, @lang_doodles
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Virtual Synod School 2020
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Each evening there will be a webinar beginning at 6 CDT with pictures from the Synod School Community. At 6:30 we officially begin with a welcome by Mac Stanfield, Dean, and music by Burns Stanfield and friends. Mary Koon will share a story each day and you can download activities for children that reflect the story from the website. We are BLESSED to have four of our favorite alumni speakers sharing a short message each evening:
- Monday Rodger Nishioka, well-respected educator in faith formation and associate pastor
- Tuesday Dede Johnston, educator from Hope College who led us in thinking about cultivating civil community last year
- Wednesday Jason Santos, faith formation specialist and pastor
- Thursday J. Herbert Nelson, Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church, USA
We will have a fifteen minute time of fellowship after the speakers before the evening events begin. At that point youth can join a group just for them led by Joel Morien.
- Monday: Mini-courses -- you can pre-register for them at the time of registration
- Tuesday: Talent Show -- send in your form to share your talent that is found on Tuesday's website from link above
- Wednesday: Virtual Dance coordinated by dance maestro Jeff Dickinson
- Thursday: A conversation between J. Herbert Nelson and Elona Street-Stewart, newly elected co-Moderator of the 224th General Assembly and our Synod Moderator.
There are also suggested snacks, outfits and daily activities for those who wish to participate.
Virtual Synod School 2020 is free.
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Beginning to understand structural racism in Oregon
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As a presbytery meets to confront the racist legacy of a historical ‘White Utopia,’ federal agents pour into Portland
by Paul Seebeck | Presbyterian News Service
LOUISVILLE — As the Rev. Brian Heron was preparing pastoral leaders and clerks of session in the
Presbytery of the Cascades
for their first presbytery-wide meeting in eight months,
federal agents
deployed to the city of Portland, Oregon, by the Department of Homeland Security were starting to show up.
Protesters gathered in downtown Portland, Oregon, Tuesday.
(Photo by Beth Neel)
The document, produced by Interfaith leaders of the Common Table in Oregon, addresses the fact that in 1844 — 15 years before Oregon statehood — the Oregon Territory declared that region of the country to be a “White Utopia.”
Heron described the beating of Black people carried out in the name of a radical policy of exclusion. “You and I would not endorse such behavior today,” he wrote. “But if we are beginning to understand structural racism, we have to admit that the DNA that existed when our ancestors enforced a ‘White Utopia’ still lingers today.”
Read more
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"The Church Is Not a Building."
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Check out this brief
Matthew 25 video
that will make you (or at least some of us of a certain age) think of Avery and Marsh, and consider how your congregations might use it.
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Symbol of the Co-Moderators of the 224th General Assembly (2020) gains momentum across the church
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Rick Jones | Office of the General Assembly
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June 25, 2020
LOUISVILLE - Over the next two years, Presbyterians will be seeing and hearing a lot about the Sankofa bird standing in a stream of water. The image could be seen brightly behind the Reverend Gregory Bentley last Saturday night as he and Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart became the Co-Moderators of the 224th General Assembly (2020) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
The two selected the image of the bird standing in the Mississippi River as a representation of both African American and Native American cultures.
“We wanted people to know that we’re being part of the history of the church that we had to recognize as we move forward with whatever the church is going to be in the future,” said Street-Stewart. “We both said, that’s the Sankofa. The whole idea is that you’re moving forward, your feet are moving forward, to reach back and to take what was precious to allow us to take that wisdom and move forward, so it all came together.”
Street-Stewart says she and Bentley began discussing a symbol to represent them early in the decision to run.
“No question about it. It clicked when we gave voice to it, we knew it was the right thing, it wasn’t incidental or accidental, it was providential,” said Bentley. “Our slogan is,‘Learning from the past, living in the present.’ The Sankofa and the Mississippi River represent that slogan. It’s the pictorial image of that slogan.”
Read more.
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Spiritual Wellness Journey Workshop
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Do you feel like your connection with God is a mile wide and an inch deep? Have you struggled to discover meaningful ways to sustain your spiritual health? In this workshop, participants will gain a better understanding of spiritual wellness. They will assess their own spiritual wellness and identify their God-shaped connection style. They will also create an action plan to position themselves to develop a closer relationship with God and others. Presented by Rev. Dr. Candace Adams, ACC. Click
here
to download flyer for more information.
WHEN: Saturday, September 12, 2020 @10:00 am-2:30 pm (Central Time, with break for lunch)
WHERE: Virtual via Zoom (link will be sent in Welcome Email)
COST: $75.00/participant
OPSF is offering 10 scholarships of $50 each
to pastors and lay pastors within or 13-state region for this workshop.
To qualify for the scholarship, please email your paid registration receipt to
The first 10 qualified registrations will be sent a reimbursement check of $50.
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Matthew 25 event July 29
by Melody K. Smith | Presbyterian News Service
Dismantling Racism — is scheduled for July 29 from 2–3 p.m. Eastern Time via Zoom.
This event will feature mid council leaders who will share how they are using Matthew 25 to impact their ministries and communities around the focus of dismantling racism.
This online event is open to all Matthew 25 congregations, groups and mid councils that have made the commitment to embrace the Matthew 25 vision, as well as anyone interested in learning more about Matthew 25.
Register here for event.
August 10: “Awakening to Structural Racism”
This course is for people interested in learning more about structural racism and how to
resist and deconstruct its destructive power in our own lives, our churches,
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OGA staff member offers encouraging words for those seeking U.S. citizenship
Rick Jones | Office of the General Assembly - July 22, 2020
LOUISVILLE
The sun was bright on a recent Wednesday morning as nearly two dozen staff members with the Office of the General Assembly gathered at a Louisville park for a celebration. Vicente Guna, OGA’s manager of technologies, celebrated his first day as a U.S. citizen.
Guna was one of the key behind-the-scenes people for the 224th General Assembly (2020) that was held online last month at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville. At the conclusion of the assembly, the Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), called Guna to the broadcast center of the assembly to express appreciation for his work and recognition on soon becoming a U.S. citizen.
Vicente Guna celebrates as a new U.S. citizen
in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Rick Jones)
Guna was born and raised in downtown Valencia, Spain, the youngest of three siblings. With an interest in geosciences, he went to college in Valencia, studying Surveying and Mapping, and did his thesis in Gävle, Sweden. He then received his master’s degree in Geodesy and Cartography back in Valencia.
The co-founder of a couple of startup companies, Guna focused on the application of new technologies for water and environmental projects, mostly related to renewable energies, flood mapping, prevention, and forecasting.
“Because of my work, I traveled quite a lot around Europe, and later on around other areas like South America,” he said. “I met Ariel, my wife, in Brazil, and after a while of long distance relationship and back and forth travels, we decided to get married and establish ourselves in Louisville where she was working towards her degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.”
Guna began the process of gaining work authorization and permanent residency (green card) in October 2013.
Read more.
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Scholarships for Racial Ethnic Students
The Student Scholarship Fund is an educational assistance program designed to encourage racial ethnic students in their preparation for academic success in higher education. Students must have a permanent residence within the Synod of Lakes and Prairies and be active members in a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregation. The synod is committed to partner with students and schools for leadership development and quality instruction of clergy and lay persons for lifelong service. Application awards are based on personal achievement, financial need and recommendation from a teacher and pastor. Completed
applications
are
due September 30, 2020
must include an official transcript and financial aid statement. Questions? Contact
Gretchen.
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Ways to support your church in the time of virtual worship
Many churches have had to adjust how gifts are received during this time of virtual worship. Sherry Kenney discusses ways that churches can encourage gifts during this time.
Read more
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Presbyterian Association of Musicians
Did you miss PAM’s Worship and Music Conference?
Now for the first time you can register and experience the conference after it has ended! You can view all 96 recordings of our conference content whenever you like – including Worship, Routley Lectures, Art Workshop, Concerts, Choral & Handbell Masterclasses, Programs for Children/Youth, and much more! These recordings demonstrate what physically distant worship can look like and can help supplement your church’s programming for the fall, especially during the current situation in our country. Visit
www.presbymusic.org/2020conference
to learn more and to register.
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Are you doing something in your presbytery or synod from which others might learn? You have a standing invitation to send
Tricia Dykers Koenig
articles to share.
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If you no longer wish to receive Keeping in Touch, reply to this email with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
To subscribe to Keeping in Touch or Synod School, email: gmilloy@lakesandprairies.org.
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