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The weekly newsletter from the
Presbytery of Minnesota Valleys
December 16, 2020
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"We are congregations who seek to be a collective expression of the Body of Christ, joyfully participating in Christ's ongoing life and work. "Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing."
(I Thessalonians 5:11)
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Congregation of the Week of December 20-26
Hope Presbyterian Church of Spicer
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Pastor: Seeking a full-time pastor
Clerk of Session: Nancy Birkeland
Session: Steve Barney, Stephanie Bents, Tim Block, Howard Jones, Jody Leason, Ben O’Malley, Greg Swenson, Duane Taatjes and Sandy Wersal
Session Moderator: Rev. Al Jergenson
Ministry & Staff Assistant: Karen Bents
Treasurer: Jerry Bents
Music Coordinator: Maggie Harp
Custodian: Joni Hahn-Lamphere
Prayer Chain Coordinator: Darlene Bratberg
Prayer Concerns:
We ask for prayers for our:
- Pastor Nominating Committee and our church as we continue to seek a new full-time pastor, which has been made even more difficult during the pandemic.
- members who are isolated during this time, those who are ill, in care facilities and those who have lost loved ones.
- Deacons, who are reaching out in new ways to our members.
- CARE Pantry and those who need the personal hygiene and household products we provide.
- greater community, its healthcare workers, educators, students, all those working on the front lines in essential businesses and all those working for a cure.
We are thankful for more time spent with loved ones in our households, but also pray for those who may need protection. We are thankful for the generosity of our members and their contributions. We are also thankful for being able to connect to a larger community through our radio station and a local TV station and for new ways of worshipping and connecting through Facebook Live.
During this Advent and Christmas season where we will be unable to come together and worship as a congregation, we pray that everyone finds peace and a simpler way of celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Christmas blessings to all!
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The Presbytery office will be closed from Dec 23 - Jan 3.
We wish you a Merry Christmas!!
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My favorite Christmas poem is Cross in the Manger by Anne Weems from her collection Kneeling in Bethlehem. |
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If there is no cross in the manger,
There is no Christmas.
If the Babe doesn't become the adult,
There is no Bethlehem star.
If there is no commitment in us,
There are no Wise Men searching.
If we offer no cup of cold water,
There is no gold, no frankincense, no myrrh.
If there is no praising God's name,
There are no angels singing.
If there is no spirit of alleluia,
There are no shepherds watching.
If there is no standing up, no speaking out, no risk,
There is no Herod, no flight into Egypt.
If there is no room in our inn,
Then "Merry Christmas" mocks the Christ Child,
And the Holy Family is just a holiday card,
And God will loathe our feast and festivals.
For if there is no reconciliation,
We cannot call Christ "The Prince of Peace."
If there is no goodwill toward others,
It can all be packed away in boxes for another year.
If there is no forgiveness in us,
There is no cause for celebration.
If we cannot go now even unto Golgotha,
There is no Christmas in us.
If Christmas is not now,
If Christ is not born into the everyday present,
Then what is all the noise about?
The poem quickly moves us from Bethlehem stable to Golgotha. Anne is no Scrooge, not wanting us to admire the manger seen, the star, or the Magi. Weems invites us to remember that the babe will soon grow up and face the cross. The sweet little Jesus baby takes on the work of redemption. Redemption is translated from the Greek word "agorazo," meaning "to purchase in the marketplace."
The Advent text in this final week carries the theme of surprise. King David learns that God honors the hearts of the faithful. Mary continues her song of praise. Her status is changed. She will now be called blessed. Paul blesses his readers with words of grace. In the Gospel of Luke, Mary and Elizabeth greet one another, and the unborn babes leap for joy. What will you see as you visit the manger this year? Will you proclaim that "nothing is impossible with God"?
Happy Advent! Happy Holy Season!
Rev. SanDawna Ashley
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Notes from Stated Clerk Pamela Prouty
As some of you know I have been called to serve the First Presbyterian Church, Windom, MN as a half-time stated supply. I’m excited about this new position as I have not been in the pulpit regularly for 21 years. I will continue to serve as the Presbytery Stated Clerk and the Synod Stated Clerk. My plan going forward is to devote Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays to Stated Clerk work and Wednesdays to Windom. Fridays have traditionally been my day off. Of course, there will always be exceptions and unexpected events, meetings and so forth. You can continue to contact me through email at pam@minnesotavalleys.org or you can call me at the Presbytery office at 320-235-7910 or at my home at 507-627-5486.
I’ve had many questions about ordination and installation of elders and deacons. Here is a link to an article from the PCUSA about such occasions: www.presbyterianmission.org/story/pcusa-offers-guidance-on-baptism-ordination-during-the-pandemic/ Essentially what this article states is that installations can happen virtually, but not necessarily ordinations. If the deacon/elder elect needs to be ordained, they need to have the laying on of hands happen in person. One way to make this happen is to have the deacon/elder elect be present with another elder/deacon who can on behalf of the Session can lay on hands. Again, if you have questions/concerns, please contact me.
The annual statistic season is here, if you do not have the information from me with the details about the statistical report, please let me know. It was emailed to the Clerk and the Session moderator. The due date is January 31, 2021. This year there is no clerk questionnaire. And if you have questions/concerns, please contact me.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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2020 Remittances: In order to be counted for the year 2020, remittances for 2020 are due to the presbytery office before January 5, 2021. |
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Minnesota Valleys Personnel Committee Responsibilities
Submitted by Le Roy Ennenga, Personnel Chair
The Personnel Committee for 2020 has four members: Chair Le Roy Ennenga, Lou Perli, Bea Ourada and Rev. Nathan Lamb. Our prime responsibility is the care of our staff. The Personnel Committee is responsible for addressing any needs or concerns of the staff. The committee is also responsible for addressing needs or concerns that members of the Presbytery may have of the staff. We meet about six times a year, with the majority of those being from June through December to conduct the annual reviews of each staff member. We also recommend financial salary increases for the staff for next year’s budget to Operations.
The staff evaluations usually start in June, with the committee comprising a list of questions for the review form to be sent out to 10 or 12 members of the Presbytery. We try to include an equal number of Ruling Elders and Teaching Elders. The questions involve job performance, availability, personality and knowledge of their position. The committee picks five people for each position and the person being reviewed picks five people. We feel this makes for a fair process. Then on our next meeting in July or August, we make sure all the information is emailed to our list of reviewers. A timeline of about two weeks is given for the questions to be returned to the Chairman Le Roy Ennenga. This is where things are a little different. I receive the answers for Karen and Pam and no one else on the committee gets to see the actual results except the Chair for confidentiality reasons. I then make up a results sheet listing all the facts good and bad if there are any and share them with the rest of the committee and the staff member with no names revealed. The Executive Presbyter position question results are to go to the Synod of Lakes and Prairies Executive, who will review them and send them to the Chair with a summary of the results. The summary of the results is then shared with the rest of the committee and SanDawna in a face-to-face review with no names being revealed. I believe it is a very fair and confidential way to review the staff.
I do want to say we have a wonderful staff and that they work very well together and the reviews this year showed that it has been a struggle this year for everyone to work electronically and not face to face. We do have a number of things extra to work on this year. SanDawna was signed for a five-year contract, which will have to be renewed or a search committee set up; it is due in the fall of 2022. We also need to be thinking about a replacement for Karen who is looking forward to retiring in a few years. It will not be easy to replace her; we need to plan ahead. We have worked well together it has been a pleasure to be a part of it. We recommend this staff review model to church personnel committees.
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Minnesota Department of Health Coronavirus Resources
Updated faith related guidance documents have just been posted. Anything you can do virtually, you should do virtually at this time.
New updated documents are:
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Article from Church Law and Tax |
Last week the US Supreme Court ruled on a case brought by Catholic and Jewish congregations about their inability to worship in New York State based on Gov. Cuomo’s use of orange/red distinctions for the corona virus. |
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The Court overturned the Governor’s rule because it discriminated against religious organizations. (Orange counties could have 25 people in worship; Red just 10 – while businesses were able to be open with more than 10 or 25 people in their buildings as they were regulated based on capacity.) The Supreme Court in two prior votes said that there could be restrictions on churches as long as they were not discriminated against.
Richard Hammar wrote in Church Law and Tax Update:
What this means for churches
What is the practical relevance of this case to churches? Consider the following four points.
First, the central holding of the Court’s opinion is that churches cannot be treated less favorably during a pandemic than “comparable secular organizations.”
Second, comparable secular organizations include those that have similar numbers in attendance for similar periods of time each week, with similar physical interactions among attendees.
Third, a state can impose restrictions on gatherings that treat churches no less favorably than comparable secular organizations. To illustrate, a ban on gatherings in excess of 100 people that applies uniformly to every religious and secular organization would likely not run afoul of the First Amendment guarantee of religious freedom.
Fourth, church leaders that continue to hold worship services in violation of state or local restrictions that treat churches no less favorably than comparable secular organizations must understand that they are exposing their church to potential legal risks should one or more persons become infected with the COVID-19 virus as a result of
church attendance. These risks include:
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Potential personal liability of church board members if their decision to ignore government mandates and recommendations is deemed to constitute gross negligence. Most states have enacted laws limiting the personal liability of church officers and directors. The most common type of statute immunizes uncompensated directors and officers from legal liability for their ordinary negligence committed within the scope of their official duties. These statutes generally provide no protection for “willful and wanton” conduct or “gross negligence”—the same standard typically used as a basis for punitive damages (below). A decision by a church board to continue holding worship services in disregard of government restrictions may constitute gross negligence subjecting board members who participated in the decision to personal liability.
- Reckless inattention to risks can lead to punitive damages, and such damages ordinarily are not covered by a church’s liability insurance policy. This means that a jury award of punitive damages represents a potentially uninsured risk. As a result, church leaders should understand the basis for punitive damages, and avoid behavior which might be viewed as grossly negligent. A decision by a church’s leadership to continue holding worship services in disregard of government restrictions may constitute gross negligence subjecting the church to punitive damages.”
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Prayer List
- For Rev. Bill Yueill, retired pastor, Zimmerman, well on the way to recovery from a serious heart event
- For Rev. John Lindholm, retired pastor, Fergus Falls, health concerns
- For Rev. Mark Chamberlain, retired pastor, Willmar
- For Rev. Bob Bartlett, First Presbyterian Churches of Brewster & Round Lake
- For Rev. Michael Roys, retired pastor, Winnebago
Pray for Our Occidente Partners in Guatemala
- For the families of the three Occidente pastors that have recently died
- For those who have contracted the Covid virus
- For the "Men in the Mirror" program. Men from Occidente that MVP supported financially to attend the classes are sharing the information they gained with different churches in the eastern and central parts of Guatemala. They, along with the chaplains of the national Presbyterian church, are training Christian policemen in what they learned from "Men in the Mirror."
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Pastoral Leadership Opportunities
Zion Presbyterian Church, Ellsworth; Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, Rushmore; First Presbyterian Church, Rushmore - Interim Pastor
First Presbyterian Church, Lake Crystal; First Presbyterian Church, Kasota - Pastor, yoked parish
Maine Presbyterian Church, rural Underwood - Solo Pastor
Faith Presbyterian Church, Silver Lake - Solo Pastor
First Presbyterian Church, Slayton - Pastor
Hope Presbyterian Church, Spicer - Solo Pastor
First Presbyterian Church, Winnebago - Interim Pastor
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Pastoral Care
A Winter Learning Opportunity for Presbyterians
February 1-March 8, 2021
Join this class to explore what it means to reflect on what it means to provide pastoral care in a variety of settings and concerns. Rev. Lisa Watson, a long-time hospital chaplain, who currently serves as a Marriage and Family Counselor is the instructor.
Who might want to take this class?
- Deacons who provide pastoral care and make pastoral visits
- Commissioned Pastors who would like to improve their pastoral care
- Those who might be called to be commissioned pastors as it meets the criteria of participating presbyteries
What will this class involve?
This course is designed to introduce you to pastoral care and the issues that commonly arise in this ministry. Our goal is to address topics that are directly relevant and applicable to your ministry work. Through readings, discussion, and self-reflective exercises, you will:
- Increase your understanding of the essence of pastoral care.
- Identify theological, scientific and awareness resources for future use in pastoral care
- Deepen self-reflection awareness and skills needed to provide thoughtful pastoral care. There will be one book to read in advance and two instruments to take prior to the class.
The class runs asynchronously, meaning, you will participate in weekly activities at your own pace, based on your schedule. Each week, you will be expected to complete an assigned reading, participate in a discussion, respond to two of your classmates’ discussion posts, and complete an assignment. We estimate that you will spend about two hours weekly on coursework. There will be two Zoom meetings with the instructor: February 15 and March 1 from 7-8 p.m.
What is the cost?
- $125 for those whose presbyteries support The Academy. $150 for those whose presbytery is not a partner. For those interested in the whole series of 11 classes in the Academy, there is an additional discount.
Who is sponsoring this?
- This is a class offered through The Academy, a series of classes for church members designed to deepen faith as participants encounter Christ in a new way. For those who are called or are exploring a call to become a Commissioned Pastor, this is a program that can help that happen. The Synod of Lakes and Prairies and the Presbyteries of Minnesota Valleys, North Central Iowa, Northern Waters and Prospect Hill are the current sponsors of the Academy.
How do I register or find additional information?
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Formation for Mission: Dipping into the Well of PC(USA) Resources
A Spring Learning Opportunity for Presbyterians
March 13-14, 2021
This weekend class offers participants the opportunity to learn more about the breadth and depth of resources available for Presbyterian church leaders. This course provides the opportunity to interact with a number of national staff people for the PC(USA) and to become acquainted with the resources their offices offer to aid and further the ministry of local congregations.
Who should consider taking this class?
- Anyone who wants to grow in their faith and understanding of being Presbyterian
- Session members and Deacons
- Committee chairs
- Commissioned Pastors seeking a helpful continuing education opportunity
- Those who might be called to be commissioned pastors
What will this class involve?
- Through a series of interactive panel discussions with national staff for the PCUSA, participants will dip deep into the well of resources for:
- Understanding and engaging the Matthew 25 initiative of the denomination and its focus on building congregational vitality, eradicating system poverty and dismantling structural racism.
- Forming lifelong disciples who are grounded in the reformed tradition and equipped for evangelism, equipped to be peacemakers and witnesses to the world, and who engage the reformed tradition to work towards justice and equity for all God's people.
- The Presbyterian Publishing House will share new resources for faith formation of all ages and participants will explore a variety of resources and how they can be used in local congregations.
- This class will meet by Zoom on Saturday 9:00-5:00 and Sunday 9:00-3:00 CT.
What is the cost?
- $125 for participants from partner presbyteries. $150 for participants from non-partner presbyteries. For those interested in the whole series of 11 classes in the Academy, there is a discount.
Who is sponsoring this?
- This is a class offered through The Academy, a series of classes for church members designed to deepen faith as participants encounter Christ in a new way. For those who are called or are exploring a call to become a Commissioned Pastor, this is a program that can help that happen. The Synod of Lakes and Prairies and the Presbyteries of Minnesota Valleys, North Central Iowa, Northern Waters and Prospect Hill are the current sponsors of the Academy.
How do I register or find more information?
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