From Rachel Yates, Presbytery Executive |
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At our Presbytery Gathering last week, we welcomed three new ministers and asked each of them the same question: for what are you thankful? We learned about gratitude for family and pets and ministry opportunities and new connections to people and the beauty of the season. How would you answer?
On this Thanksgiving Eve, as I reflect on the question, I would include...(read more)
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a prayer for Waukesha
Our presbytery mourns with our siblings in Waukesha for all the griefs unfolding and deepening and expanding after the violent and deadly event at the Christmas parade.
We know your prayers have already been ascending and we invite you to join in our shared prayer as one community of faith.
God of the wordless, of the shocked, of the afraid, of the angry, of the grieving, of the traumatized, of the numb and the raw, you have already heard the prayers we haven’t even spoken yet.
We pray for your tenderness to blanket all who weep and shake as the reality of the violence enacted upon the community of Waukesha settles in.
We pray for your wisdom to move through all the medical staff and employees who even now care for those injured.
We pray for your comfort to cling to all who were witness to the horrors and we lift up in particular all the first responders who bear the heaviness of attending to so many.
We pray for your love to surround all who now grieve - grieving for lives lost, for lives forever changed, for the loss of a sense of safety and security, for the loss of innocence for all the many, many young bystanders.
We pray for your strength to fill, over and over again, Erin, Glen, Elizabeth, Jackie, Christian, Ted, Lori, Katie, and all those ministering to the Waukesha community.
We pray for your mercy on those who wrought this devastation and we pray that you might show us the way to your grace for the good of those, as well as the good of our own souls.
We pray for you to fill us all with your gifts that they might pour out of us abundantly as we care for one another in the days and weeks to come.
We ask all of these prayers in the name of Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, who is already tending to our sighs deeper than words. Amen.
Nicole Farley
Moderator, Presbytery of Milwaukee
Rachel Yates
Presbytery Executive, Presbytery of Milwaukee
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PRESBYTERY OFFICE CLOSURE |
The Presbytery Office will be closed Thursday, November 25, and Friday, November 26, 2021, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Staff will resume working remotely on Monday, November 29th. |
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PRESBYTERY GATHERING HIGHLIGHTS |
Weren't able to make it to the last Presbytery Gathering, but interested in the good work happening in the Presbytery? Check out the Presbytery Gathering Highlights, a one-page synopsis of the November 18, 2021 Presbytery Gathering.
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A THANKSGIVING WORSHIP SERVICE FROM THE PRESBYTERY |
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As you prepare for your Thanksgiving celebrations, the Presbytery shares this Thanksgiving Service of Worship and Communion with special thanks to the pastors and participants from Calvary, Faith, Forest Park, Greenfield Avenue and Heritage Presbyterian churches for putting it together.
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WE CELEBRATE THE MINISTRIES OF REV. MARK FRALEY AND PASTOR EMERITUS KEVIN TARVID |
This past weekend, the Presbytery celebrated two pastoral milestones. Rev. Mark Fraley was ordained at Wauwatosa Presbyterian Church as a Minister of Word & Sacrament, to the position of Presbytery Evangelist. He has long dreamed of creating an intentionally multi-cultural, multi-generational worshipping community, and as Rev. Ashley Goff reflected to Mark during the service, “The church has finally caught up to you.” In West Allis, Rev. Dr. Kevin Tarvid (HR) was conferred the status of Pastor Emeritus by the Presbytery, at the request of his former congregation Greenfield Avenue Presbyterian Church. In the sermon dialogue with Interim Pastor Bruce Jones, Kevin reminisced about his years of ministry and stood firm that “The world needs the love of Jesus Christ more than ever, and we need to take it seriously.” Thanks be to God for the faithful service of Rev. Mark Fraley and Pastor Emeritus Kevin Tarvid! |
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PRESBYTERY OF MILWAUKEE ADVENT CALENDAR |
Join us as we journey toward Christmas by opening a door everyday on the Presbytery's digital Advent calendar. You might be surprised and delighted by what you find behind the door. The Advent calendar will be available on the Presbytery's homepage beginning December 1st.
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Please set aside time this weekend to pray for our partners in Dangme-Tongu Presbytery, as they celebrate the life of Rev. Samuel Atteh Odelua, a leader who visited Milwaukee Presbytery. The presbytery has also experienced the passing of two other pastors in the past month. We grieve with them.
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ATTENTION ALL HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH! |
Do you like having fun? Do you like hanging out with other people your age? Are you interested in exploring your faith with other people your age? If so, then you should join other High Schoolers from your congregation and The Presbytery of Milwaukee on a 4 day trip as we join with several thousand other Presbyterian High Schoolers having fun and exploring their faith at Presbyterian Youth Triennium! This event is exclusively for High School aged youth and only occurs every 3 years, so don't pass up this "once in a lifetime" opportunity!
Adults, if you would like to have someone come and talk to your youth about Presbyterian Youth Triennium, please reach out to anyone on the organizing committee and we'll make arrangements.
Location: Indianapolis Convention Center
Dates: July 24-27, 2022
Who can go: All youth who will have completed their freshman year spring 2022, those who will graduate High School in spring 2022, and anyone between those two milestones.
Cost: Approximately $650 we encourage congregations to split the cost 50/50 with their youth
Registration Deadline: Jan 31st, 2022
Your PYT organizing committee: Andy Holmes, Teresa Larson, Fiona Nicolaisen, and Lee Tan
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Matthew 25: Let love be genuine... |
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AN UPDATE ON AFGHAN RELIEF EFFORTS FROM WISCONSIN COUNCIL OF CHURCHES |
- Some handfuls of refugees are being resettled already, with people leaving Fort McCoy and household groups being flown into the state from other bases. The Department of Defense is eager to empty Fort McCoy. They have set a date of February 15th as their goal to have refugees off the military installations, but the resettlement agencies anticipate a longer deadline is needed.
- This week marks the withdrawal of Team Rubicon from their donation distribution efforts at the Sparta Armory. We are in conversation with United Way and are watching carefully to see whether the fallback plan in place will work, or whether we will need to cooperate to scramble help for that effort.
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We are working with Catholic Charities on creating the onboarding process/flow to get non-Catholic Charities volunteers on base efficiently. Meanwhile, interested people who can commit a week at a time or recurring weekly hours over a span of time can email volunteer@wichurches.org to get on our list. In answer to several questions being asked: we will be able to facilitate housing and food arrangements for multi-day volunteers.
- Churches interested in sponsoring families will have multiple options: working with their regional resettlement agency, working with Church World Service (if outside the area of a local agency), or forming a sponsorship circle through the US State Department/Community Sponsorship Hub. We would like to hear from you about your churches with experience sponsoring refugee families so we can develop that network as an ecumenical resource. We also hope to connect churches in this round who are sponsoring families, so they have not only the network of their individual sponsor agency, but also the wider network of churches connected to the WCC. As you hear of churches making this decision, we would welcome updates.
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While we are still fundraising and waiting for an answer on our grant application we have raised enough funds to hire for the Volunteer Coordinator position we spoke about. The job is posted publicly and we are reviewing applications on a rolling basis. We hope to have this position filled by December 1st. If you know any strong candidates, please tell them to get their applications in ASAP!
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Funds for this effort are still needed and welcome. On our donation page we have an option for Afghan Refugee Relief. We can accept gifts by EFT (lowest fee) or any major credit card. Checks can be mailed to our offices (please make sure they are marked for Afghan refugee relief).
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In this three part mini-documentary, Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity examines the power and accessibility to homeownership in our city with renowned local historian Reggie Jackson. In part 1, “The Cost of Home,” we dive into Milwaukee’s affordable housing crisis and how it came to be. Narrated by Wisconsin Poet Laureate, Dasha Kelly Hamilton.
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COME TO BETHLEHEM AND BE NOURISHED ADVENT DEVOTIONAL |
Advent’s Hunger Gives Way to Christmas Fulfillment
As we approach the 2-year mark of living in a COVID world, many of us have grown weary and are worn down. It’s easy to relate to our biblical ancestors who experienced similar despondency and spoke of "walking in darkness."
But we also remember Isaiah’s prophecy that "those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them a light has shined." Yes, God promises us hope, blessing and grace.
Advent is a holy season to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Savior and the ushering in of this new world that God promises. It is also a time to recommit ourselves to building a community that cares for the unloved, the unseen and the unheard in our midst.
Building on these themes of hope and service, this year’s devotional is a powerful and joyful tool for congregations, families and individuals. We journey with the poet Howard Thurman through the many "acts" of Advent: faith, joy, strength, trust and love. You’ll find heartwarming stories, Scriptures, reflections and prayers for every day of Advent, the 12 Days of Christmas and Epiphany.
If you delight in being prayerfully hands-on, we think you’ll enjoy the recipes included each week. Readers are encouraged to serve others by baking and sharing loaves of bread. As Thurman puts it, "I make a deed to God of all my days — And look out on life with quiet eyes."
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SOME DETALIS YOU MIGHT BE OVERLOOKING --
A MESSAGE TO SHARE, FROM LEGAL SERVICES
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The Office of Legal & Risk Management Services does not represent congregations, sessions, presbyteries, or synods, but gets questions from them and interacts with them in various ways. Our office repeatedly sees some of the same issues arise annually and has compiled a list of issues that we thought worth sharing so that councils might add them to their annual “to do” list. This information is not legal advice; it is merely information and guidance. To get legal advice on any of the issues, please contact your local attorney.
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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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CelticMKE has a long tradition of hosting holiday concerts in their Great Hall to celebrate the spirit of the season with the Milwaukee community. This year, they are delighted to bring their annual holiday celebration online with a FREE virtual show, which will feature Milwaukee-based Irish and Celtic artists (artist lineup coming soon). The virtual concert will premiere on CelticMKE’s YouTube channel on Sunday, December 12 at 2 p.m. If you are unable to watch the premiere, they will re-stream the program on Wednesday, December 15 at 7 p.m. While the concert is free, they do kindly ask you to consider making a donation, all of which will go to the artists participating in the program.
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51ST ANNUAL INTERFAITH CELEBRATION |
The Annual Interfaith Celebration this year will be virtual on the evening of December 9th at 5:30 pm via ZOOM.
The theme this year, "For Such a Time as This," (book title, courtesy of the special guest, Rev. Sharon Risher), was motivated by the staggering rise of hate crimes in the US.
For the first time, the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee’s Pardeep Singh Kaleka will moderate an intimate conversation with Rev. Sharon Risher, Mother Emmanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, Rabbi Jeffery Meyers, Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg, Jenan Mohajir, Interfaith & Muslim Rights Advocate, to highlight our interfaith commitment to respond to the growing tension that diverse religious, racial, and ethnic communities continue to face in the US.
If you are interested in attending the Annual Interfaith Celebration please contact Chris Halverson. The evening promises to be one of deep impact, inspiration, and hope.
Please join and help support the mission of the Interfaith Conference and thier diverse faith partners and communities, "To Uphold the Dignity of Every Person and the Solidarity of the Human Community.”
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ADVENT RESOURCES FROM WCC |
As we move into the Advent Season, the Wisconsin Council of Churches has resources available to help your church prepare. Written by Pastor Kellen Roggenbuck, pastor at Immanuel UMC in Jefferson, WI these resources can help you with your last-minute planning.
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All are invited to join Southminster Presbyterian Church, Waukesha, on December 8 and 22 at 6:30 p.m. for a vespers service. Vespers, also called Evening Prayer, takes place in Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Reformed, and Anglican traditions, giving thanks for the day and making an evening sacrifice of praise to God.
Holden Evening Prayer was written by Marty Haugen during the winter of 1986, while he was at Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center, in the North Cascade mountains of Washington state. It is an exquisite setting of the Evening Prayer, featuring congregational singing, soloists, and instrumental music.
During the introspective season of Advent, as light leaves the physical world, take an evening to prepare to welcome the Light of the World.
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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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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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