Quick Notes Update for May 23, 2023
(single item addition)


EDITORS NOTE: AN AI CONVERSATION ABOUT PENTECOST

There has been much interest in how artificial intelligence will be reshaping workplaces. As a communication professional and teacher, I've been exploring it as a tool that can offer ideas when developing messages and lesson plans.

So since it is Pentecost this coming Sunday, here's a link to a conversation I had recently with GPT-4 about Pentecost, various Scriptures, Paul's view of "the flesh", pneumatological heresies of the early church and the challenge of Pentecost for our kind of mainline congregations (see the final two questions especially for that!).

I'm glad to host a conversation with anyone interested in talking more about how ministers and congregations might benefit from using this new innovation carefully.
Congratulations to our new President, Rev. Deborah Pierce, our new Vice President, Rev. Gene Ryan, and to Rev. Steve Eckert who was elected to another term as our Stated Clerk. We are grateful for their willingness to serve, for the service of our outgoing President, Rev. James Brumm, and for the service of all the delegates to our annual meeting - thank you!
THE REFORMED CHURCH HOME GOLF CLASSIC: SEPTEMBER 12
(click on the image below for the full brochure)
We have two positions opening up at NRC.  Be apart of our growing church and active preschool! Click on link below to see full job descriptions and apply on INDEED
Full description for Preschool Administrator to come.
We are in need of many food items this month.
Cereals, pancake mixes and syrup, oatmeal, peanut butter and jelly, coffee, fruit juice, mac and cheese, pasta and sauce. Mayo,
small bottles of vegetable oil. We quietly feed area families in need each month and are hoping for your support.
"I was hungry and you gave me something to eat"~Matt 25:35
CLOVER HILL REFORMED CHURCH, SEEKING PART-TIME PASTOR
(ABOUT 24 HOURS/WEEK)

Clover Hill Reformed Church, a traditional, homey congregation with an active core of about 30 congregants, is seeking a part-time pastor.
Like many churches who have had a long-time pastorate (ours was almost forty years), our path forward has had many twists and turns. Almost eight years after this pastor’s retirement, we have completed a full self study and are looking forward to our next season. We have active ministry teams that oversee all the work of the church led by a group of committed servant leaders. We are committed to each other, our community and God, and need the support of a pastor who will help translate these commitments into action, growth and ministry.
The part-time position would be about 24 hours and involve leading worship, pastoral care, and working with our teams to develop new strategies for outreach. The pastor will be president of our Consistory. The candidate should be ordained, or eligible for ordination in either the RCA or one of our denominational partners (the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the United Church of Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Christian Reformed Church in North America.)
Clover Hill Reformed Church is in Hillsborough New Jersey, which is in central New Jersey, almost equidistant between Philadelphia and New York and about 30 minutes from both the Princeton and New Brunswick Theological Seminaries. The church is located in a rural/suburban area with one of the top school systems in the State. The current parsonage is a vintage farmhouse and is adjacent to the church. 
Workload and compensation will be negotiated with the successful candidate.
Our church profile can be found here: https://www.cloverhillchurch.org/job-opportunities
To apply, please email our Search Team Chair, Marilyn Fineman, at m2fineman@gmail.com
CLICK THROUGH ON ANY OF THE IMAGES BELOW FOR A COMPLETE PDF!
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING CORPORATION

Hi Friends,

As many of you know, the Reformed Church of Highland Park Affordable Housing Corporation has grown dramatically over the past couple of years. We are proud of the work that is occurring through the programs that live under this 501c3, programs like Interfaith-RISE, Still Waters Anti Trafficking, ReEntry Housing, Asylum Seeker Housing, Global Grace Health and Accompany Now.  

Our staff is growing, but in no arena are we growing faster, right now, than in our program for Unaccompanied Minors. There is a huge need to meet in NJ, and our funding has increased from a team of 8 to a team of 38 in a 6 month period. We have not yet filled all our positions.  

We are looking for excellence in Spanish/English, a college degree and some experience in the helping professions. Some of the jobs we are filling require years of experience, and an MSW, but others do not need that high a level of experience and education.  

We have positions open in Jersey City, in Trenton, in Vineland and, due to the fact that we are serving youth all over the state, we can hire people from all over the state. 2-days a week staff will be required to be in the office nearest to them, but the other three days are spent in client homes and helping with the requirements of the program (school registration, legal consultations, mental health support, benefits, health care sign up).  

Please take a look at the listings here:  https://rchp-ahc.org/employment-opportunities/

We are hiring NOW and seeking your help in finding good candidates.

Peace, Seth
CHATGPT IS FOR YOU!

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence platform that generates text based on prompts. So for instance, you might ask it (as I did in December) for ideas for "a protestant sermon on Christmas Eve." Using this platform as a writing partner is very interesting and something you should explore. Let me know if you'd like an introduction!
Full-time Lead Pastor for North Branch Reformed Church, a thriving congregation of 300 active members in beautiful Bridgewater, N.J. Must be an ordained minister/pastor and have prior experience. Compensation: Commensurate with experience, following the Classis of Delaware-Raritan guidelines. 
Visit https://www.nbrc.com/about/job-opportunities for complete job description and church information. Interested candidates are asked to email their resume to pastorsearch@nbrc.com.

Greetings!
The Church Multiplication Team has contracted with MissionInsite (see link at top) for one year. Any RCA church can request an analysis of their context. They can receive 3 different responses.  Churches may search by zip code or by street boundaries or by another geographic description.  

They will get data regarding Beliefs about God, Beliefs about Jesus, Beliefs about Moral and Spiritual Values, Faith and Religious Involvement in their context. They also get an Executive report about demographics.  They can contact me aletashepler@gmail.com for assistance.  

Peace and Grace, 
Aleta Shepler 
Church Multiplication Committee RSMAT 
DID YOU MISS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION IN YOUR SEMINARY YEARS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO RENEW YOUR SKILLS? CHECK THE NEW COLLABORATIVE CRC/RCA PROGRAM BELOW (Click on the link for the full brochure)
Is God calling you to bi-vocational ministry?
The New Jersey Air National Guard is looking for clergy who meet these qualifications:
·       Be a United States citizen, dual citizenship is not accepted.
·       Possess baccalaureate degree with not less than 120 semester hours of undergraduate credit from an accredited college or university.
·       Possess Master's Degree in Theology or related subjects (not less than 72 semester hrs) from an accredited institution.
·       Be qualified spiritually, morally, intellectually and emotionally to serve Air Force personnel.
·       Be less than 40 years of age at the time of appointment. Age waivers are considered for prior military service and critical faith groups.
·       Pass the Air Force physical examination, and meet weight standards.
·       Pass a National Agency Check security background check and qualify for a security clearance.
·       Possess an ecclesiastical endorsement from a recognized denomination or faith. (The Reformed Church in America is a recognized denomination.)
·       Be available for the minimum required paid training.
·       Be available to attend the five-week paid Commissioned Officer Training (COT) and the six-week paid Basic Chaplain Course (BCC) within the first two years in the program.
·       Be sensitive to religious diversity and provide for the free exercise of religion by all military personnel, their dependents, and other authorized personnel the military services serves.
In the New Jersey Air National Guard, a Chaplain provides religious ministries of worship, religious education, pastoral care, counseling and visitation. Military Chaplains are non-combatants; as such, they are not allowed to handle weapons when in uniform. Pay is commensurate with officer rank and years in service.
Curios?
Contact: (908) 336-2869
Rev. Dr. David Kahler - Minister of Word and Sacrament, Delaware-Raritan Classis
Ch, Lt Col, David Kahler – Wing Chaplain, 108th Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN IMPROVING YOUR TECHNOLOGY USE!

Would you like to:
Discuss church software for managing member information and online donations?
Learn to use email newsletters to keep members informed?
Rework your website to a more modern look?
Create online forms for people to register for events and provide feedback?
Create online visual databases like the livestream example above?
Take your livestream to the next level?
Develop a social media plan and a team to implement it?

REPLY TO THIS EMAIL AS WE FORM LEARNING GROUPS!


THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING CHURCHES FOR ADDING THEIR LIVESTREAM INFORMATION TO OUR ARCHIVES PAGE
Wyckoff Reformed
Three Bridges Reformed
Ocean Community, Mahahawkin
Parkside Community
RSMAT churches are livestreaming and maintaining recorded service archives. This presents us with a unique opportunity to learn from each other and celebrate the amazing gifts in our community! Please use this webform to provide us with your church livestream link and a link to your recorded services archive. We will make a single page view available of all of this information so that you can visit around and get inspired!
Are you using a VR headset and exploring how virtual reality might be used in ministry? Let's have a conversation!
MURAL and other online whiteboards provide a way to add more interaction to zoom meetings. Let me know if you want to explore this further.
GATHER TOWN is a fun way to add some social involvment to your online options.
DO YOU HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF ADAPTING AND INNOVATING TO SHARE FOR INSPIRATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT? SEND IT TO US!
NJ CONGREGATIONAL CENTER FOR CANCER CARE
We have created an online gathering of all of the newsletters of the program. Find help for those facing cancer.
CHURCH BASED MENTAL HEALTH NEWSLETTERS ARCHIVE
We've created an online gathering of all of the newsletters the program has sent out during COVID. Very helpful insights to pass along to your congregations!
The information and materials that appear in the email newsletter, facebook page or on the Website of the Regional Synod of the Mid-Atlantics of the Reformed Church in America ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE OPINION OF THE REGIONAL SYNOD OF THE MID-ATLANTICS OF THE REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA, NOR ARE SUCH NECESSARILY ENDORSED BY THE REGIONAL SYNOD. THE ACCURACY AND VALIDITY OF THE INFORMATION IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PROVIDER OR AUTHOR.
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