Presbytery of Southeastern Illinois Newsletter September 15, 2020 |
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Virtual Anti-Racism Training with TableSetters |
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Virtual Anti-Racism Training
September 19 - 9:00am-1:00pm
The Presbytery of Southeastern Illinois is hosting a "virtual" Anti-Racism Training event on Saturday, September 19, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm. This event is being presented by Co-Founders of The Table Setters, Marvin Wadlow Jr. and Matthew John Schmitt. They would like people to participate with at least one other person in the room and possibly more, if feasible.
The Table Setters is a faith-based non-profit (501 (c) 3) that produces improved relationships across humanly created racial, socio-economic, political, and religious lines. They combine launch events in churches, schools, businesses, and civic institutions with customized plans for ongoing cultural accountability. Diversity training days are never enough. Ongoing relationships that nurture connections and share brokenness, hopes, and dreams, can be mutually healing and productive. More information on The Table Setters can be found at https://thetablesetters.org/.
To register, please click on the following link:
We need to know about EVERYONE who will be attending and in what manner they will be joining (via Zoom or telephone).
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Boundary and Ethics Training Dates |
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Boundary and Ethics Training is a requirement every three years. LeaderWise will be conducting an online training course via Zoom for PSEI on Tuesday, October 20, 2:00-4:30pm. Registrations are required in advance to receive the link to the pre-reading materials, Zoom link and other information about the training.
To register click on the following link no later than Monday, September 28:
You will notice the registration form asks for your presbytery name. Lincoln Trail Presbyteries will have the opportunity to attend our training. If the October 20 date does not work for you, Whitewater Valley Presbytery is hosting the same training course on September 29 (registrations due by September 7).
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Understanding that there are people who may be called by God and the Presbytery to renew their terms for another three years and may thereby make this list somewhat smaller, here are the vacancies that the Committee on Representation will be seeking to fill in the next two months.
Please prayerfully consider whether God is calling you to serve in one of these roles. Additionally, if you know someone who might be interested, please talk to them and/or any of the Committee on Representation members. You can reach the COR members by sending an email to cor@psei.net. Thank you.
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Worship Music for Zoom Worship From Marion Congregation |
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Granger Odum, Zach Stout, and Lanita Ames have recorded videos of several songs that have been used for Zoom worship in the Marion congregation. When a couple of them were used for the virtual Presbytery meeting in August, several folks asked if they could be shared so that other congregations could use them in worship. Granger Odum has created a Google Drive folder with these videos, and we will continue to add new videos to the folder as they are created. Use them in your own worship services as we all continue to navigate this difficult time together! Blessings of the Triune One to all of you! |
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Executive Team Vacation/Continuing Ed Dates |
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September 20 - 26 - Cindy's remaining continuing education with the first 4 days being for Virtual Credo.
September 27 - October 3 - Cindy Vacation
November 9 - 15 - Cindy Vacation
November 22 - 28 - Cindy Vacation
November 23-29 - Bill Vacation
December 25- 31 - Bill Vacation
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After 13 years doing church in a box, Copper Creek Church has a home of our own! As a satellite campus of First Presbyterian Church, CCC spent 5 years worshipping on Sundays in an elementary school in Champaign. After becoming a new church development, CCC met for 8 years in the YMCA. We set up 200+ chairs, projectors, screens, a complete A/V system, curtains and stages over 650 times. We estimate that we brewed over 10,000 pots of coffee on Sunday mornings during our 13 years of meeting in rented space. We learned a lot as a mobile church. But we’re glad to finally have a home of our own. |
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Synod to Offer Retirement Coaching |
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Moving through a life transition like retirement is a significant challenge to do it well requires attention and intention. Retirement from an active, called ministry is one of the most significant challenges - and opportunities - any pastor faces.
The Synod of Lincoln Trails is offering a first-of-its-kind opportunity for up to fifty pastors from the eight presbyteries of SOLT, who have recently crossed the threshold of retirement or are about to.
The purpose is to help one think about and put into action the steps needed to navigate retirement well.
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Romans 12:1-8 (NRSV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Questions for Reflection & Discussion
- What might it look like to “be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect”?
- How might we faithfully demonstrate that with our different gifts, “we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another”?
- How might the Presbytery/congregation/committee be guided by this scripture?
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