Quick Notes Update for February 24, 2023


TRI-SYNOD GATHERING: Representatives from the three eastern regional synods met on February 10 and 11 to think about our shared ministry in light of the restructure process. The group shared times of prayer and worship, provided members of the restructure team with feedback, and identified areas of shared concern such as aging buildings and part-time ministry. We hope that ongoing conversations will lead to shared insights and shared ministry.
Greetings Friends,

In November of last year, Gov. Murphy signed into law that all houses of worship with a seating capacity of 500 or greater will be required to file an Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) in the case of something happening within your organization. It is primarily designed to help houses of worship be proactive in knowing what to do in the case of an emergency, whether it be flood, fire, natural disaster, but the main impetus behind it is the rise of mass shootings and hate crimes occurring in our facilities, especially during times of worship.

FEMA has a training session to teach people within the Houses of Worship to learn what goes into an EOP. Harlingen Church is inviting you to attend such a training from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday March 1. A flyer is attached to this email with more information and a link to RSVP.

Please share this information with other churches in your community, and we pray you are able to join us.

Blessings and Peace,

Chris Heitkamp
Pastor, Harlingen Church
CLICK THROUGH ON ANY OF THE IMAGES BELOW FOR A COMPLETE PDF!
Long-Term Substitute Pianist Wanted

Pianist needed for regular Sunday services, March 1, 2023-June 30, 2023, in beautiful Freehold, NJ. The job includes Sunday worship services at 10 am, plus additional services during Holy Week and as needed. The salary is $200 per service. Knowledge of Reformed Church liturgy is a plus but not required. Experience preferred.  

Please send a resume and letter of interest to Office@freeholdreformed.org
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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