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The weekly newsletter from the
Presbytery of Minnesota Valleys
January 29, 2020
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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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Congregation of the Week of February 2-8
First Presbyterian Church of Ashby
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Pastor: Gerald Peterson CRE
Ruling Elders: Kyle Rylander, Cindy Welch, Lois Ellingson, Judy Grecco, Judy Helle, Ron Bowman, newly elected Kim Bailey and Hayley Stevens
Treasurer: Jim Risbrudt
Clerk: Barb Dewey
Music: Kris Williams, Lori Risbrudt, Jane Rosenow, Becky Williams
Administrative Secretary: Hayley Stevens
First Presbyterian Church of Ashby is going into its eighth year in our Shared Ministry relationship with Our Savior's Ten Mile Lake Lutheran church of Dalton, Minnesota. We have a growing Sunday School of 38 students, Confirmation class of 8 students and community VBS which involved 65 children. We are looking for a full-time pastor to guide us into the future.
Missions we support besides those of Presbytery and their Disaster Relief are the Grant County Food Shelf, Ashby School Backpack program, Friends of the PEB sponsoring a student, Haiti Eye Mission, Gideons Bible, Caring Neighbors (free clothing and furniture) and Morning Watch (local radio devotional program).
Prayer Concerns:
- A new pastor
- Those in the military and emergency workers, especially the firemen and EMT's in our congregation
- Those dealing with health issues and in nursing homes
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SanDawna visited the First Presbyterian Church of Maynard congregation on Sunday, January 26.
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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 Rev. Mark Chamberlain, retired pastor, Willmar
- For Rev. Bob Bartlett, First Presbyterian Churches of Brewster & Round Lake
- For Dave Hollis, First Presbyterian Church of Slayton, hip replacement
- For Rev. Michael Roys, retired pastor, Winnebago
- For Rev. Elaine and Kent Boyd at First Presbyterian Church of Amboy
- Rev. Araceli Itzep from the Occidente Presbytery
- 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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Trip to Occidente
A group representing the Minnesota Valleys Presbytery is now in Guatemala. Please hold SanDawna Ashley, Elaine Boyd, Mark Ford, Colette Meidinger, Edith Alvarez, Judy Jackson and Logan Ford in your prayers during their visit.
Thank you for your donations to the Occidente Presbytery, which recently has
- purchased sewing machines for Presbyterian Women groups so that they can make and sell their creations as a way of fundraising
- supported education for the children of pastors in the Occidente Presbytery
- provided for reformed theology training for the Occidente pastors and seminary students
- set aside funds for future trips of Occidente delegates to Minnesota as well as for delegates from Minnesota going to Occidente
- paid for the 5% administration costs of sending funds to Guatemala
Activities during this trip include meeting with all of the committees of Occidente Presbytery, cooperating with maintenance of one of the manses partially funded by MVP, attendance at a church service (SanDawna will preach and Mark will assist her in serving communion), conducting a day-long workshop on making quilts (Colette) and four will attend - along with four from Occidente - the Mission Networking Conference in Guatemala City. Other Americans whose presbyteries have a partnership with a Guatemalan presbytery will also be there along with delegates from their respective presbyteries.
Be on the lookout for articles in the Valley Bridge written by the delegates listed above upon their return from Guatemala.
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Scholarship recipients in 2019 are pictured above with their pastor fathers. There are 13 recipients designated for 2020.
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Transformation Going Beyond Change Survey
We have created a survey to help us understand benefits and insights gained from our Transformation Going Beyond Change events over the past year. Will you please take a moment and answer the question in the survey we have linked?
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8GKLCM2
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"Will You Be My Neighbor”
Led by Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri, GA Co-Moderator
at the Stated Presbytery meeting in Redwood Falls
Saturday, February 15
10:00—3:30
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Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri is a teacher and a Presbyterian Ruling Elder. A life-long Presbyterian, she considers serving as a Youth Advisory Delegate (YAD) to the 205th General Assembly (1993) a pivotal experience in understanding for the first time the scope of being a connectional church. Soon after serving as a YAD, Vilmarie was ordained as a ruling elder at the Iglesia Presbiteriana en Caparra Terrace, San Juan, Puerto Rico. At some point in her life, she has served at the session, as a member and chair of several presbytery committees —including the Committee on Preparation for Ministry and Nominating Committee—, vice moderator of Synod Boriquén and council member, a commissioner to the 212th General Assembly and as a member of the General Assembly Committee on Theological Education. Vilmarie has found great joy in working as an interpreter (Spanish/English) at the biennial General Assembly meetings since 2006 and at the past two Presbyterian Women Churchwide Gatherings. At a professional level, Vilmarie holds a B.A. in Education (English as a Second Language) from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master’s in Education (Curriculum and Teaching) from Turabo University. Dedicating most of her adult life to education, teaching high schoolers and adults, she began her teaching experience as a Sunday School teacher. In 2011, Vilmarie and her husband, Rev. José Manuel Capella-Pratts, moved from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida, where he is the pastor of First Spanish Presbyterian Church. Since moving to Miami, Vilmarie has taught ESL to adult students from all over the world in a language school in Miami. A member of First Spanish and a PW You
(Presbyterian Women)
, she has served as the Moderator of the Presbytery of Tropical Florida (2017), is currently a member of the Leadership Council, serves as clerk of the Presbyterian Hispanic Latino Caucus, Synod of the South Atlantic chapter, and is a faculty member of a CREDO team. An organizer at heart, she loves arts and crafts, decorating and…Christmas! Vilmarie also enjoys spending time with friends and family relaxing over a good cup of Puerto Rican coffee.
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Public Theology for the Common Good
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Led by Phil Tom
Tuesday, March 24
9:00—4:00
Hope Presbyterian Church
7730 N Shore Dr, Spicer
$15 for Presbyterians
$25 for others
"Public theology is the Christian engagement and dialogue within the church and especially with the larger society. It seeks the welfare of the state and a fair society for all by engaging issues of common interest to build the common good. This is Christian theology that talks with society, not just to society." (Wikipedia)
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The reality is that many congregations are disconnected from their communities. In our workshop, we will explore how the tool of faith-based community organizing can help your congregation to learn how to connect with and to serve your community.
Phil currently serves as Executive Director for the International Council of Community Churches, and as a consultant to The Riverside Church in New York City. He has served in the following capacities: the PCUSA General Assembly for 10 years as Associate for Urban Ministry Office, and 3 years as Associate for the Small Church Ministry Office (urban, rural, suburban); Co-Director of McCormick Theological Seminary Church and Community Ministry Project; pastored for 27 years with congregations in Chicago, St. Paul, MN, Indianapolis, IN and New York City; and as Director of the White House Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnership Office in the U.S. Department of Labor in the Obama Administration.
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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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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 Please send to the presbytery office by January 31, if possible.
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Pastoral Leadership Opportunities
First Presbyterian Church, Ashby
- Pastor, yoked parish
First Presbyterian Church, Fulda
- Solo Pastor
Maine Presbyterian Church, rural Underwood - 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 100th 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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