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The weekly newsletter from the
Presbytery of Minnesota Valleys
December 18, 2019
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We are congregations who seek to be a collective expression of the Body of Christ, joyfully participating in Christ's ongoing life and work. "Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing."
(I Thessalonians 5:11)
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Presbytery of
Minnesota Valleys
4055 Abbott Dr
Willmar, MN
Thursday, December 19
11:30 - 2:00
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Unto Us a Child Is Born and
Unto Us a Son Is Given!
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Join your colleagues and friends for a presbytery-wide lunch, Christmas music and a special time of being together. And if you'd like to bring your guitar, flute, horn, kazoo--whatever--and play some carols with us--all the better! Looking forward to seeing you on December 19th!
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I wish you and yours the blessing of this season. May you experience in your lives the Incarnational God Emmanuel who reigns and lives among us. I see God in you and see God in our midst. I see God in our world in spite of challenges, division, violence, injustice, loss and fear. We are created good and called to live with peace. Let us be the peacemakers.
“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)
From The Ashleys (SanDawna, Murphy, and Joy)
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Closed for the Christmas/New Year Holiday: The presbytery office will be closed from Friday afternoon, December 20 through Wednesday, January 1.
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Congregation of the Week of December 22-28
First Presbyterian Church of Willmar
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Rev. Leanne Thompson & Rev. Scott Thompson, Co-Pastors
Shara Goldenstein, Administrative Assistant
Jill Boeyink, Christian Education & Youth Ministries Director, Music Team Director
Deb Lang, Financial Secretary
Sue & Jerry Schiro, Custodians
Erica Boeyink, Nursery Supervisor
Katie Gluth, Nursery Assistant
Bea Ourada, Treasurer
Betty Knutson, Clerk of Session
Please pray for: those experience a first Christmas without someone they love; the nurture and care of our children and youth as they learn to love God and follow Jesus; the spiritual leadership of our Elders and Deacons as they follow their Rabbi into the world; the passion of the gospel to take root in our hearts; the care and nurture of the spiritual lives of our congregation.
Mission focus: College campus meal ministry; the Family Promise Day Center; our local mission service project outreach; interfaith understanding initiatives.
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Committee on Representation wants you to help us be the best presbytery we can be!
We have been busy these last few weeks finding folks to serve the presbytery on several commissions, and we are still looking for:
Committee on Congregational Nurture
1 ruling elder to serve a three-year term
1 ruling elder to serve a two-year term
1 ruling elder to serve a one-year term
General Assembly
1 ruling elder to serve as an alternate
Please, if you feel called, or know of someone who would be great on one of these commissions, contact Audrey Knuth at 507-830-0520 or David Lick at 414-334-9385.
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Prayer List
- For the family of Sue Thompson, First Presbyterian Church, Maynard
- For the family of Marie Fischer, Crosslake Presbyterian Church
- For the family of Sara McKay, Union Presbyterian Church of Saint Peter
- For Rev. Michael Roys, pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Winnebago
- For Rev. Elaine and Kent Boyd at First Presbyterian Church of Amboy
- Rev. Araceli Itzep from the Occidente Presbytery; surgery scheduled for Oct 23
- For Beatriz (Betty/Beti) Cifuentes, the treasurer of the Partnership Committee, who is beginning chemotherapy.
- For the "Men in the Mirror" program. Men from Occidente that MVP supported financially to attend the classes a couple of years ago are going to share the information they gained with different churches in the eastern and central parts of Guatemala. They, along with the chaplains of the national Presbyterian church, will also be training Christian policemen in what they learned from "Men in the Mirror."
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Leadership Training for Elders, Deacons, and those serving on Presbytery Commissions
On Saturday January 11, 2020 at the First Presbyterian Church, Willmar we will be hosting a training event for Ruling Elders, Deacons and Presbytery Commission and committee members. Registration will start at 9:30. The morning will start with devotions and a plenary on 2020 Leadership by the Rev. Corey Schlosser-Hall, Executive Presbyter of the Presbytery of NW Coast. Following lunch, which is provided, Presbytery Commission and Committees will meet to set 2020 goals, meeting dates and other business. At the same time Ruling Elder training led by Stated Clerk Pam Prouty and Deacon training led by the Rev. Leanne Thompson will be held. The day will end by 4:00 p.m. Plan to attend and bring a car full. This event has had positive feedback for the past two years.
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An Invitation to Spiritual Leaders
This is your invitation to submit a short video of yourself offering a meditation of your favorite passage from the Bible for the Presbytery YouTube channel. If you are interested, please contact Steve Tyykila
(
styykila@gmail.com
) or Andy Davis (
revrn1973@gmail.com
). We'll give you more parameters and information, but we are looking for informal (not from the pulpit), personal, short (less than five minutes) videos on your favorite passage that you can record from your phone or computer. Thanks!
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Transformation Testimonies Sought
We are preparing the reporting for the Transformation Going Beyond Change Initiative grants. Please think about how you have been using the information gleaned from these events and email
Karen or
SanDawna a short testimony about how you have benefited.
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Pastor Cohort Groups
We are creating pastor cohort groups for interested pastors. Each group will meet monthly via Zoom. The format will include prayer, a book study, case studies, special speakers, cross-pollination of resources and active listening. Interested? Email
SanDawna
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You are invited to read the book recommended by GA Co-Moderators
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Co-Moderators of the 223rd General Assembly (2018), Ruling Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri and the Rev. Cindy Kohlmann, invite the church to join them in a literary journey. The Church-Wide Book Study is an opportunity for PC(USA) members, mid councils, and staff members to read, reflect, share and listen, with the help of a variety of resources and conversation-starters provided with each selected book.
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The Co-Moderators of the 223rd General Assembly (2018) have selected a new book study for Presbyterian churches. The Reverend Cindy Kohlmann and Ruling Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri have selected
Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Congregation into a Powerhouse for Mission
, by Presbyterian leaders Krin Van Tatenhove and Rob Mueller.
Kohlmann says the book focuses on the initiatives that both the Presbyterian Mission Agency and the Office of the General Assembly have lifted up as essential to Presbyterians.
“If our churches follow Jesus as he’s called us to do, we will be in our neighborhoods, pursuing justice for our neighbors. That ties directly to our goal to be a Matthew 25 church. The whole story of the judgement of the nations is about people feeding, clothing, visiting, healing, loving, supporting, and being present to our neighbors,” she said. “Jesus defines our neighbor as anyone whose path we cross. Vital congregations combating systemic racism and poverty, the Hands and Feet Initiative that calls us to be the hands and feet of Christ, all of these things are wrapped up in what it means to be church.”
Cintrón-Olivieri says the book is a “good starting point” for people or churches that don’t know where to start or are hesitant about working and connecting in their neighborhoods.
“One of the things I like about the book is its practical way of guiding individuals and congregations into doing work on what it means to be neighbor. It provides many tools, references to more reading, guiding questions and reflection questions and case studies, examples of what other churches are doing,” she said. “Most importantly, I think the scriptural base of what it means to be church in the context of where God has placed us, is very real in the examples that the authors give.”
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2020 Per Capita
$41.45 Total
$27.00 for Presbytery
$8.95 for GA
$5.50 for Synod
2020 Compensation Policy
link
2020 Per Capita Apportionment and Mission Pledge Form
link
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A Winter Learning Opportunity for Presbyterians (Jan 5-Feb 29)
Join an online group to learn the basic theological understandings of worship and sacraments in the Presbyterian Church (USA). This course will be facilitated by Rev. Elaine Boyd, pastor in Amboy, MN.
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Who should consider this?
- Anyone who wants to grow in their faith and understanding of being Presbyterian
- Worship Committee members
- Church musicians
- Commissioned Pastors/Ruling Elders
- Those who might be called to be commissioned pastors/ruling elders
What will this involve?
- Some reading and reflecting
- Opportunities to talk with pastors about their practices around basic elements of worship including special services such as weddings, funerals and baptisms – how do they prepare? What does preparation entail?
- Two “class meetings” online – one in early January and one toward the end of February
- Access to mini-lessons on worship and the Reformed Theology that informs worship
What is the cost?
- $150 plus some books. For those interested in the whole series of 11 classes in the Academy, there is a discount.
Who is sponsoring this?
- This is a class offered through The Academy, a series of classes for church members designed to deepen faith as participants encounter Christ in a new way. For those who are called or are exploring a call to become a Commissioned Pastor, this is a program that can help that happen.
- The Synod of Lakes and Prairies and the Presbyteries of Minnesota Valleys, North Central Iowa and Prospect Hill are the current sponsors of the Academy.
How do I register?
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Interested in a Communications Workshop?
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Can your congregation say yes to these statements?
- Our church has a clear and concise goal in mind for its communications.
- Our church maximizes the use of its social media platforms.
- Our church’s website is easy to navigate and tells the congregation’s story
If you’re not sure about your congregation’ s responses to any of these statements, you may want to schedule a communications workshop in 2020.
The presbytery is considering an in-person or webinar for this. If interested, please contact
Karen
.
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Safety Checklist
The end of the year is a great time to think about church safety. Here is a handy checklist from Church Mutual:
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Webinar Zoom for Churches in Transition
Executive Presbyter SanDawna Ashley will lead two Zoom webinars for PNCs and churches in transition on the following dates:
Monday, January 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, January 7 at 10:00 a.m.
Who should attend:
PNCs, Session members, and COL liaisons
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Pastoral Leadership Opportunities
First Presbyterian Church, Ashby
- Pastor, yoked parish
First Presbyterian Church, Fulda
- Solo Pastor
Faith Presbyterian Church, Silver Lake - Solo Pastor
Hope Presbyterian Church, Spicer
- Solo Pastor
First Presbyterian Church, Winnebago - Interim Pastor
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Do you remember?
The Cambria Presbyterian Church is celebrating its 100
th
anniversary this year! On December 2, 1919 the Cambria Presbyterian Church was organized and it became a part of the Bethel and Horeb parish. As we celebrate we would like to recognize the small churches around us which helped us along the way.
We are in search of people who remember the Jerusalem Presbyterian Church, the Bethel Presbyterian Church, the Horeb Presbyterian Church, the Salem Welsh Congregational Church, the Carmel Presbyterian Church, and the Salem Townline Church and have a connection.
All of these churches were located in rural Judson, Lake Crystal, Cambria, and New Ulm. We would like to hear your stories and see your pictures if you have them. Please email Penny Johnson at
pjtjohnson@hickorytech.net
or call 507-947-3955 if you have questions or contributions.
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Make room this Advent for refugees
111 years of empathy
Gen Z seeks devoted discipleship
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