|
|
Our Mission:
To identify and strengthen leaders
so that every congregation
makes new and mature disciples for Jesus Christ.
|
|
The Presbytery is meeting on Thursday, 2/20 . . .
|
|
. . . but first a word about Annual Statistical Reports!
|
THANK YOU to the clerks, pastors, and/or other staff and volunteers of the 40
churches who completed all (or at least some) of the Annual Statistical Report by our February 1 deadline. Congratulations!
THANK YOU, too, to the others who've completed it since then!
But there are still EIGHT to go as of this writing!
If you're responsible for the report at your church and haven't completed it yet, please reach out to me at
statedclerk@pbty.com
or (813) 868-4800 (opt. 2) as soon as you can to let me know how it's going or if you need help.
NOTE: The
required Annual Statistical Report
is
NOT
the same as the
Clerk's Annual Questionnaire
(CAQ).
If you didn't realize that, you're definitely not alone
(and I'll work on making that clearer next year).
|
And now some reminders about the Presbytery meeting coming up next Thursday, February 20 . . .
Pastors and clerks of session: Please get this information to your commissioners -- and download the docket and reports at one of the links following these reminders!
- It's time for sessions to elect commissioners if you haven't already. Consult this document for your church's number of Ruling Elder commissioners---and note that there have been a number of changes in the numbers for 2020..
- I plan to host a brief online orientation session for first-time commissioners or first-time visitors on Monday, February 17 at 7:30 p.m. Look for a link to the online meeting in the special edition eNews with the presbytery packet closer to the meeting. BTW, if you'd prefer to watch a recording of an earlier orientation session at a more convenient time, you can watch this one from November 2017 at any time.
- Please help us be better stewards in working with our host church to plan more accurately for refreshments and lunches (and limiting leftovers and waste) by clicking here and filling out an online RSVP form to let us know you’ll be attending.
- Using the online RSVP form will also make it easier for us to follow-up with you on any dietary restrictions or childcare requests so we can attempt to accommodate your needs in cooperation with the host church --- though if you haven't already notified us of a dietary need, it may be too late to accommodate you (but we'll try).
- You can also let us know you’ll be attending by calling the Presbytery office at (813) 868-4800 (please leave voicemail with your name, church, and phone number if no one is available to answer when you call).
- Need an excused absence? Minister members who cannot attend and church sessions that will not be sending any commissioners should request an excused absence by filling out the same online form as early as possible—but no later than the day before the meeting, please!
NOTE: If none of the
links to the online form will open on your computer when you click on them (some anti-virus or security software will not load links you click on in Constant Contact), please
copy and paste the following link into a
new browser window: https://forms.gle/w7gaBV1RPaGWcyc4A
Blessings,
Bill
Rev. William A. Wildhack III
Stated Clerk and Manager of Communications
(813) 868-4800, opt. 2
My work---and this newsletter---is supported by per capita funds from congregations in the Presbytery of Tampa Bay, which also help unite all Presbyterians in sharing God’s love through mission and ministry. Thank you!
P.S. A word about my email address:
- My official email address is statedclerk@pbty.com and that's the address to use f(unless I've given you something else to use for a particular reason).
- Please don't just hit "reply" to this update to send me a note. Email sent to an address some of you have seen that includes "ccsend" after "pbty" will NOT reach me. Constant Contact adds the address ending in "ccsend" in it to help verify the eNews in a way that helps it get through spam filters --- but email sent to that address does NOT reach me, so please be sure you're sending email to statedclerk@pbty.com. Thank you!
|
|
Download the Presbytery Packet here!
|
|
|
|
. . . but don't expect to be able to pick one up when you arrive.
The worship flyer is
not in the packet this time but will be available at registration.
|
|
Meet Cindy Kohlmann, Co-Moderator of the 223rd General Assembly (2018)
|
|
Cindy Kohlmann will be our special guest speaker and preacher at the Feb 20 Presbytery meeting!
|
Cindy Kohlmann has served two churches as a solo pastor, in Carlisle, Ohio and Clinton, MA. She has been serving the Presbytery of Northern New England as their Presbyter since 2010, and in 2015, she said goodbye to the church in Clinton and began serving Boston Presbytery. In addition to serving these two Presbyteries as the Resource Presbyter, Cindy was also elected in June 2018 as Co-Moderator of the 223rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). She is married to the Rev. Eric Markman, pastor of the Hartford Street Presbyterian Church in Natick, MA, and has two adult step-daughters.
|
|
|
Commissioning for Service
|
|
At our presbytery meeting this month, we will formally be commissioning our commissioners and young adult advisory delegate . . .
|
In case you missed it, our commissioners and young adult advisory delegate (and their alternates) are:
Ministers:
Laurie Palmer (St. Andrew, New Tampa)
Andy Walton (Trinity, Clearwater)
Alternate:
Neddy Astudillo (GreenFaith)
Ruling Elders:
Kitty Rawson (Lakeview, St. Petersburg)
Sally Speer (Palma Ceia, Tampa)
Alternate:
Marsha Rydberg (Palma Ceia, Tampa)
Young Adult Advisory Delegate:
Hadley Owen (First, Winter Haven)
Alternate:
Hannah Rose Wanless (First, St. Petersburg)
|
|
Meet Bonnie Thompson from Thornwell
|
|
Thornwell has a new Advancement Officer in Tampa Bay
|
Founded as a Presbyterian ministry in 1875, Thornwell is a 501c3 nonprofit that serves to prevent child abuse and neglect, build up and reunite families, and support healthy
communities in the name of Jesus Christ.
Many of our churches have longstanding relationships with Thornwell.
Click here or on the image of the flyer to learn more about Thornwell, and look for Bonnie at a display table at our meeting on February 20.
|
|
|
A gracious invitation from our neighbors in Peace River Presbytery for Thursday, 2/27
|
|
We're invited to join Peace River Presbytery in hearing from Tod Bolsinger, author of "Canoeing the Mountains" NEXT Thursday, 2/27
|
From Melana Scruggs, General Presbyter of Peace River Presbytery:
At our February presbytery meeting on Thursday, February 27, Tod Bolsinger will be presenting for most of the day. We would love to have anyone join us from Tampa Bay who might find what Tod shares helpful in their work. His presentations will begin at about 11:15 am and be finished at 3:30pm. If people wanted to eat at the church, they could make reservations. The meeting will be at
Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota 34239
. We are encouraging people to read Canoeing the Mountains prior to the event.
Peace River Presbytery requires reservations for meals, so if you'd like to join them for lunch along with hearing the speaker, please send an email lori@peaceriverpresbytery.org or alesia@peaceriverpresbytery.org or call
the Peace River Presbytery office
at 941-426-8421. (Ann Marie in our office is NOT involved in our neighboring presbytery's reservations! 😉)
|
|
The Bus is going back to St. Simons Island!
|
|
March 13-15, 2020: SMALL TENTS, BIG MISSION
|
Did you know around half the congregations in the Presbytery of Tampa Bay are smaller congregations? Did you know that smaller congregations are engaged in creative and exciting ministry in a myriad of ways? Do you want to learn about how you can help your church engage with these opportunities?
Then the Association of Smaller Congregations Retreat is just the weekend for you!
Join with your friends and colleagues at Epworth-by-the-Sea, March 13-15 for a weekend filled with learning opportunities, times of fellowship, and moments to breathe deep. The Presbytery of Tampa Bay, through the Commission on Church Vitality, is sponsoring a bus to take care of your transportation needs.
Click here to let us know if you will be riding the bus or want more info on that.
In the meantime, please check out the conference website at
www.presbyasc.org for more information on registering for the event.
This opportunity is open to everyone; we strongly encourage both congregational leaders and ministers to attend.
Note: registering for the bus and registering for the conferences are two separate registrations --- signing up for one does not automatically sign you up for the other.
|
|
Hey, Bill! When and where are the rest of the Presbytery meetings this year?
|
|
I'm glad you asked!
😉
Three out of four of our meetings each year are on a Thursday, so don't miss that the May meeting is on Saturday instead. Here are the dates and places (with links to maps) for the rest of the year:
|
|
Remember, there's always a lot of content on the Presbytery of Tampa Bay website, with info about all the presbytery commissions and committees, resources for clerks of session, news and announcements, and more. Click the button below to start exploring!
|
|
And visit us on Facebook, too!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
