Your Weekly News & Updates |
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From Rachel Yates, Presbytery Executive |
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PARALLELS (link corrected)
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This past week, I received an uplifting story about a family building a Habitat home together. They are tackling the problem of unaffordable housing one house at a time. Common Ground, a Presbytery partner, announced its new agenda for community organizing, and it includes a focus on jobs, especially for those reentering society after incarceration. The members of Common Ground are tackling the problem of recidivism and unfair employment in Wisconsin communities. At least a dozen people came together to donate necessary furnishings for two apartments to house 5 men, who have escaped labor trafficking. Our churches are tackling the problem of exploitation through care for individual workers.
Even though our Presbytery focus has shifted to...(read more)
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CELEBRATING THE INSTALLATION OF THE REV. TERESA LARSON AT IMMANUEL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH |
Dear friends of the Presbytery of Milwaukee,
Sunday, October 31, at 10:00 AM, we will joyfully (and finally) celebrate the installation of the Rev. Teresa Larson at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Milwaukee. We hope you can join us for this service of worship of the presbytery, in person or from the comfort of your home. The broadcast link is https://youtu.be/2O1u7ymh7AQ. Whether you are able to join us masked and in person, online, or only in spirit, you are invited to lift up prayers for Teresa and the Immanuel congregation at 10:00 AM on October 31.
With thanksgiving,
Rev. Nicole Farley, Moderator
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THANK YOU FOR HELP IN COMBATING LABOR TRAFFICKING |
The Presbytery is helping five men who have been recovered from labor trafficking and are cooperating with federal authorities against the traffickers. Thank you to the many members and friends of Covenant, Crossroads, Forest Park, Heritage, Immanuel, Tippecanoe, and West Granville who donated or purchased new items to stock the two apartments. A special shout-out to Joann Steidinger with Crossroads, who organized our treasure hunt and tracked down needed items from her minivan! |
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REACH YOUR PRESBYTERY STAFF BY PHONE |
Greetings from the Presbytery Office! Because we are working remotely, our office telephones are now forwarded to our cell phones. You can easily reach us on either number. We look forward to your call! |
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2022 PRESBYTERY GATHERING DATES ANNOUNCED |
Mark your calendar! The 2022 dates for Presbytery Gatherings have been announced!
- Saturday, February 19 @ 9:00 a.m.
- Tuesday, May 24 @ 4:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, September 13 @ 4:00 p.m.
- Saturday, November 19 @ 9:00 a.m.
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COMMON GROUND MEETING RECAP |
The Common Ground assembly met on October 17 to announce its new agenda with four focus areas: gun violence and gun safety (including urging development of new technologies to secure guns from accidental use by children or theft), education (for example, making tutoring more readily available), safe neighborhoods (with an emphasis on preventing reckless driving on residential streets), and jobs (especially for those reentering society after incarceration). This agenda was formed after interviews with more than 900 people about their community concerns and desires, giving voice and leadership to people of diverse races, languages, and theologies. The Presbytery had strong representation from our congregations (Apostle, Good Shepherd Trinity, Immanuel, and Wauwatosa) and Presbytery staff. Rev. Rob Ater led the discussion of the new agenda and interviewed Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. If you also want to lend your voice and leadership in these areas, contact Common Ground for more information.
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20TH ANNUAL GHANA MISSION NETWORK MEETING HIGHLIGHTS |
The Ghana Mission Network met on Saturday for its annual – and 20th Anniversary – meeting. Partners from the US and Ghana met to share about projects and to uphold one another in faith.
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Matthew 25: I was hungry and you fed me... |
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PRESBYTERIAN HUNGER PROGAM RESOURCES |
Resources and materials are available from the Presbyterian Hunger Program, including educational resources for congregations and individuals. Many resources are available as free downloads or as printed copies for purchase. Below you will find links to specific resources created by the hunger program as well as recommended resources produced elsewhere. |
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Download current and previous issues of the Hunger Program’s quarterly journal. Each issue focuses on one hunger- and poverty-related topic and includes updates about PHP programs as well as reflections, scripture and activities. Email php@pcusa.org to sign up to receive the Post.
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News from the Denomination |
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THE CLIMATE IS CHANGING HYMN |
The Climate is Changing is a hymn-prayer was written by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette to support efforts to counter climate change, including at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland (October 31-November 12, 2021). COP26 (Conference of Participants) is the main decision-making body of 197 countries working to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions and to counter dangerous climate change.
Permission is given for free use of this hymn, including in online worship services.
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FIRST WOMAN ORDAINED BY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH REFLECTS ON 65TH ANNIVERSARY |
The Rev. Dr. Margaret Towner featured on ‘A Matter of Faith’ podcast days before historic anniversary
The episode dropped just three days before the 65th anniversary of her ordination on Oct. 24, 1956, by Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery in New York. While “A Matter of Faith” usually tackles several topics an episode, the Oct. 21 edition focuses solely on Towner and her stories.
Read more about Towner, who grew up active in the church, but did not feel called to ministry until after having served as a medical photographer for the Mayo Clinic.
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SMALL CHURCHES CELEBRATED |
This story in Presbyterians Today offers statistics about the sizes of our PC(USA) congregations and the might of our small congregations. Enjoy and celebrate!
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Rodger Nishioka has written the most recent installment of Regarding Ruling Elders, a monthly resource of the Office of the General Assembly.
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SAVE THE DATE -- GIVING TUESDAY IS NOVEMBER 30 |
The PC(USA)’s Giving Tuesday campaign is a virtual celebration of the collective power of Presbyterian generosity. With our gifts, we can accomplish far more together than any one of us can do alone. Join the PC(USA) in responding to a world
in need!
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MILWAUKEE LANDMARK HALLOWEEN COSTUMES |
Katharine Reilly Toman thought maybe this would be the year her son, Joe, would choose a costume that had nothing to do with Milwaukee. After all, he is 6 now and aware of lots of superheros and other fictional characters. But last month, she asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween, and Joe said "The spaghetti bridges."
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VOLUNTEER TO TUTOR WITH COMMON GROUND |
Common Ground has asked over 131 Milwaukee Public Schools parents, grandparents, teachers, principals, social workers, and community members what our children need to thrive in school. Parents, educators, and community members feel a robust tutoring program is essential for our children -- even more so given the disruption and trauma caused by the pandemic.
We successfully pushed Milwaukee Public Schools to allocate $10 million dollars of Federal COVID-recovery funds (ESSER III) for tutoring. We will be going through the RFP process to try to secure seed money for the volunteer tutoring program we wish to create. The old Interfaith/RSVP tutoring program with retirees as volunteers was well-regarded and could be an effective model. Common Ground wants to help start this program and is committed to recruiting volunteer tutors.
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CHURCHES NEEDED FOR COVID TESTING SITES |
Over the past six months, the Wisconsin Council of Churches Community Health Program has been asking congregations to serve as sites for vaccination clinics. WCC is proud to say they've helped facilitate 58 clinics and vaccinate at least 474 people. WCC is keeping up that work, and please do let them know if you're open to hosting a clinic.
The state of Wisconsin is bringing back COVID testing sites, at least through the winter months. Previously, these sites had been large and centralized. This time, they'll be more distributed. That leaves room for churches like yours to get testing out where it belongs, in your community. To volunteer, fill out this survey, and a DHS representative will get in touch to make arrangements.
One caution: they don't confirm the schedule until the week before, so it's best to be both flexible and ready to go on short notice. But the WCC team is always here to help, and after the event, your community is eligible for a $250 facility use payment.
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WISCONSIN COUNCIL OF CHURCHES ANNUAL MEETING |
The Wisconsin Council of Churches invites you to set aside time the morning of Tuesday, December 7th, to hear what keynote speaker Jessica Kantrowitz has to share with us for these days of crisis and change. Her voice speaks grace into those living with weariness and anxiety. She offers gentle, welcoming community spaces for those who have been actively excluded, or who feel left out.
The Annual Meeting includes WCC business meeting (hear updates on the Council's operations, vote for new members, etc), our plenary speaker, and workshops. This year, material typically covered in workshops will be spread throughout the week to allow for more participation - and so nobody has to spend an entire day with their eyes glued to the screen! Most events will be recorded so if you aren't able to attend them live, you can still listen and learn at a time better suited to you.
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Disaster Preparedness & Response Task Force |
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OCTOBER IS FIRE PREVENTION MONTH |
The Milwaukee Presbytery’s Disaster Preparedness and Response Task Force wants to encourage everyone to take time to educate your family. Throughout this month we ARE featuring a number of resources, tips, and tools that you can use that will help to keep your family safe.
Being aware of the items we purchase can go a long way toward being safe from fire. These days it is easy to buy...(read more)
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CHRISTIAN JUSTICE, EXPLOITATION, AND RACIAL VIOLENCE |
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s Hearing Stories, Seeing Activism month of events kicked off to a great start! On Oct. 6, it hosted the first session of the W. Don McClure Lectures (co-sponsored by WMI and PTS’s Continuing Education), featuring Dr. Kimberly Hill, who teaches U.S. and African American history at the University of Texas at Dallas. Dr. Hill presented her lecture, "Christian Justice, Exploitation, and Racial Violence from 'Red Rubber' to 'Bloody Sunday,'" sharing about the amazing work of African American missionaries through the American Presbyterian Congo Mission in the late-19th to early-20th centuries. Dr. Hill brought a unique perspective to the discussion about the history of mission because these are not the typical mission stories we hear about. She challenged that as Christians we should not remain silent amidst the injustice that surrounds us and stressed that justice should be the constant concern of the church. Watch the Oct. 6 session.
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The Sower - August 2021 Newsletter for the Presbyterian Women in the Synod of Lakes and Prairies
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Future Presbytery Gathering Dates |
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- THURSDAY, November 18, 2021
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2022 PRESBYTERY GATHERING DATES
- Saturday, February 19 @ 9:00 a.m.
- Tuesday, May 24 @ 4:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, September 13 @ 4:00 p.m.
- Saturday, November 19 @ 9:00 a.m.
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Presbytery of Milwaukee
414-292-2740
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