Your Weekly News & Updates |
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From Rachel Yates, Presbytery Executive |
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The two shelves are side-by-side. One is neatly organized. The books are stacked by number in the series, the bindings evenly touching. The other shelf used to be that way. The books that could not fit on the first shelf carried over to the second. At some point, four books toppled over. Now they lay like fallen dominoes, precariously poised to tumble off the shelf and knock me on the head. I should
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CELEBRATING THE INSTALLATION OF THE REV. KIM TRIMBOLI AT FOREST PARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH |
Dear friends of the Milwaukee Presbytery, as the new moderator of the Presbytery, I would like to share with you that on Sunday, April 11, at 2:00 PM, we will celebrate the installation of the Rev. Kim Trimboli at Forest Park in New Berlin. I hope you can join us for this service of worship of the presbytery, from the comfort of your home.
Please email Rev. Trimboli to receive the Zoom link. Whether you are able to Zoom in or not, you are invited to lift up prayers for Kim and the Forest Park congregation at 2:00 PM on April 11, when a small Commission of the Presbytery and members of the congregation will be gathered for the installation. And, if you didn’t already do so for our first attempt (waylaid by COVID-19), you are also invited to send notes/cards of welcome or find other creative ways to reach out to Kim and friends at Forest Park in celebration.
Rev. Nicole Farley, moderator, Milwaukee Presbytery (she/her/hers)
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SURVIVAL AND LOVE: A WOMANIST PREACHING SERIES |
The Wisconsin Council of Churches is offering subscriptions to "Survival and Love: A Womanist Preaching Series."
Confirmed preachers include:
- The Rev. Dr. Joy Gallmon (St. Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church)
- The Rev. Kerri N. Allen (Advocate Aurora Health, PCUSA)
(Rev. Allen is the newest minister member of Milwaukee Presbytery)
- The Rev. Kara Skatrud Baylor (Carthage College, ELCA)
- The Rev. Dr. Donna Childs (Tabernacle Community Baptist Church)
- Minister Janice Tolliver (Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church)
This resource is available on a sliding scale based on church size. Subscribers will receive a roll-out of seven sermons on video over several months, with the first sermons made available shortly after Easter. These sermons will be centered in the preacher's own tradition and informed by a womanist ethic. A subscription to the series gives the subscriber rights to use these sermons in their church's worship service. You will also receive liturgical elements written for this project by Disrupting Worship. With your subscription, you will also receive a list of references and resources to inform your own scripture study and sermon preparation.
If you are still looking for a way to honor Black History Month and/or Women's History month, this series could be a way for you to begin: by making space in your ministry for these important perspectives. Celebrate the reality that this a year-round call, and not restricted to a particular place in the calendar.
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PRESBYTERY OF MILWAUKEE STATEMENT ON ANTI-AAPI VIOLENCE |
On March 25, 2021, Reverend Nicole Farley, Presbytery Moderator, Reverend Dr. Christian Boyd, Presbytery Stated Clerk, and Rachel Yates, Presbytery Executive, released the following Statement on Anti-AAPI Violence:
We, the Presbytery of Milwaukee, lament for all who were killed in the shootings on Tuesday, March 16, in Atlanta, Georgia. We grieve with all those who are left to grieve the lives taken.
We grieve, too, that the murders in Atlanta have multiplied the already heavy communal trauma and pain of the Asian American / Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, nationwide and within our churches.
We regret that it has taken such events to prompt us to speak in support and defense of our AAPI siblings, despite more than 3,800 hate incidents reported against the AAPI community since the beginning of the pandemic, with many more unreported incidents suspected. We declare as false any association between AAPI persons and the pandemic.
To our AAPI siblings, our congregations and communities are richer and our lives are more whole because you are in them. We are no longer asleep and we stand and act, awake, with you.
We call on all of our faith communities to condemn anti-AAPI violence, in word and in deed, and to seek ways to support and show up for the AAPI community. To help in your work, a list of resources is attached.
Today, we cry, “How long, O Lord?” and “Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.” Tomorrow, we persist in co-creating a more just world.
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Matthew 25: I was in prison and you came to visit me... |
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TIME: THE KALIEF BROWDER STORY LUNCH DISCUSSION
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As part of our Matthew 25 commitment to criminal justice reform, for four weeks, members of your Presbytery Planning Commission will lead lunch-time discussion on episodes of Time: The Kalief Browder Story, beginning Friday, April 9, and continuing through April 30. Discussions will begin at noon.
To participate, watch episode 1 before April 9, episode 2 before April 16, episode 3 before April 23, and episode 4 before April 30. The series is streaming on Netflix. (If you don't have access to Netflix but wish to participate, contact the office and we will try to assist.) Then, come for a guided discussion about each episode.
Also, please be sure to register at the link below in order to be sent the Zoom link.
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PRESBYTERY ANNOUNCES NEW MATTHEW 25 INITIATIVE FOR CASH BAIL RELIEF |
The Presbytery is pleased to share this invitation and challenge for support of the Joshua Glover Justice Fund in Racine. This letter explains why we’re called to act and answers questions about how cash bail works. We hope you’ll join us between now and our May 22 Gathering!
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News from the Denomination |
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SYNOD SCHOOL, JULY 25-30, 2021 |
A beloved summer tradition returns this year: the Synod of Lakes and Prairies Synod School! This is a learning and personal enrichment experience designed for laity and clergy and for individuals and families. More than 60 different classes will be offered on a variety of topics, from Bible study to bird watching, and from discipleship to tie-dye, as well as multiple opportunities for worship, fellowship and recreation. There are also programs for children and youth.
Synod School may be held in-person (at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa), virtually, or in a hybrid format. For the most up-to-date information, or to register beginning April 1st, visit http://www.lakesandprairies.org/SynodSchool.
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LYRID METEOR SHOWER, SUPER PINK MOON, AND OTHER ASTRONOMY EVENTS HAPPENING THIS APRIL |
There's a lot happening in the skies in April! Here's a preview from AccuWeather at some astronomical events to look forward to in the coming weeks:
A mysterious pyramid of light, called the zodiacal light, will be visible in early April after sunset. The zodiacal light is caused by interplanetary dust particles reflecting light from the sun.
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ARTIST TRANSFORMS FAMOUS PAINTINGS INTO REALISTIC 3D FUZZY ARTWORK |
Classical art has been an inspiration for many artists who try to constantly bring the artworks back to life with an original spin. Turkish art director and illustrator Murat Yıldırım imagined how famous paintings would look if they were made of fur and as a result, six of the world’s greatest art masterpieces got a hairy makeover in the “Furry Artworks” series by this Istanbul-based creative.
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PRESBYTERY OF MILWAUKEE PW SPRING GATHERING |
Join women from around the Presbytery in welcoming Ellen Smith, PC(USA) Mission Co-Worker to Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Poland to this year's virtual PW Spring Gathering, "Being a Hope-Giver." Ellen will share about her experiences as the 2020 PW Birthday Offering Grant Recipiant, Preobrazheniye (transfiguration), Assisted Living Facility for special needs individuals in Davydoyo, Russia. The PW Spring Gathering will be held on May 1, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
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DANCES OF UNIVERSAL PEACE |
Venture into the powerful yet simple elements that make the dances sustaining and transforming body prayer with the Living Waters Contemplative Life Center. April 9th will focus on listening; listening to sound, to sound within sound, to your own and other's voices, to silence; listen for wisdom, guidance, compassion, and peace; listen with your hears, heart, and connection. Practices and dances from many spiritual traditions as well as chants and body prayer/movement will be shared.
Universal Dances of Peace will be guided by Judith and Hal from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Please email to receive Zoom link.
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INVITATION TO THINK ABOUT THE CHURCH AS IT EMERGES FROM COVID-19 |
The University of Dubuque Theological Seminary is offering Not Going Back to the Old Normal, a series of six hour-long workshops April 15-17. The Workshops each try to answer the question, "What comes next for the church?" They will help pastors and church leaders to reflect, brainstorm, and plan for emerging from the pandemic beyond returning to in-person worship. Participants may attend the entire event or pick and choose workshops that are relevant in there church. The event is free and open to all, but participants must register. Please note on the event and registration websites that workshops are in Central Time.
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HOW TO BE A HYBRID CHURCH |
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The Sower - February 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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- SATURDAY, May 22, 2021
- WEDNESDAY, September 22, 2021
- THURSDAY, November 18, 2021
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Presbytery of Milwaukee
414-292-2740
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