CHANGES TO THE BOARD OF PENSIONS MEDICAL BENEFITS

A letter from Rev. Teresa Larson, Moderator of CPM; Ruling Elder Lee Tan, Co-Moderator of CTM; Rev. Will Houts, Co-Moderator of CTM 

Dear members and friends of the Milwaukee Presbytery,



For more than a year the Board of Pensions has indicated that the current benefits packages and plans are no longer sustainable, especially considering the rising cost of health care. After much conversation and discernment, information on a new benefits plan was released last Wednesday, April 3, and will go into effect on January 1, 2025. Please see the links below for more information. 

The release of the plan has generated... (read more)

RETIRED CLERGY LUNCH

SCAM ALERT! ONLINE CHURCH DONATIONS

Our siblings in the ELCA alerted us to a new scam attempted through the online giving of a church website. The scammer made a substantial gift through the website; then immediately sent the church the following message to asking administrators to take action and refund the donation.

"Urgent please refund this donation back to the account my bank said y’all would have to refund this back to my account I did not give my daughter permission to give a donation out of my account and this have took all my bill money and everything she has gotten in big trouble for this"

The donation was rejected by the processor for insufficient funds, but had the individual been taken at their word and the refund processed the church would have lost that amount of money from their budget.

Please be wary of anyone contacting you or your church and asking for refunds to be processed before the amount has been cleared by a financial institution.

SUPPORT THE PENTECOST OFFERING

Pentecost Sunday is May 19. Join the PC(USA) in receiving and celebrating the Pentecost Offering, which supports children at risk, ministries with children and youth, including the Youth Triennium, and the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program. Let’s join together to ensure that our younger siblings in Christ begin life with a solid foundation of faith.

Online resources include minutes for mission, worship resources, children’s curriculum with activities, a PowerPoint presentation and social media/newsletter images. There is also a short video titled “I Am Coming to You” for use as a minute for mission in worship and other gatherings. Posters, minutes for mission, bulletin inserts and offering envelopes are available in English, Spanish and Korean.

WORLD REFUGEE DAY, JUNE 20

Honor World Refugee Day with a worship service, Bible study, or vigil. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has provided resources for World Refugee Day 2024, as well as resources from past years, here.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Thinking about a mission trip for your church this summer? Make sure to check out Presbyterian Disaster Assistance sites. PDA currently has 11 volunteer host sites and 3 referral sites and all of them are in need of volunteers! Learn about each site and read the new work trip planning guide to answer frequently asked questions.

NEW RETREAT MODULES

And while you're thinking about summer... Looking for a program outline for a retreat? Here are new downloads created in collaboration with the Presbyterian Church Camps and Conferences Association, the Presbyterian Youth Workers Association, and POAMN:

• Grandparent Camp
• Rest and Renewal: A Youth Retreat on Mental Well Being and Spiritual Practices
• Youth Retreat: Creation and Creation Care
• Youth Mission Work Camp Retreat: Living Our Faith, Caring for God’s Many Gifts

Having worked through the Seven Marks of Vitality over the past couple of years, the Presbytery staff thought it would be fun to see images that fit into Outward Incarnational Focus. Those are the times when you're looking "out the door" with mission, philanthropy, connecting with partners, building relationships...you get the idea!

Photos sent to Kate will be shared in Fresh Impressions to celebrate you're Outward Incarnational Focus and help inspire those who are looking out their own door.

YOUR LIFE IS TOO IMPORTANT TO BE GUIDED BY ANYTHING LESS THAN WHAT MATTERS MOST

Saturday, May 4, 6:00 p.m.

Rev. Dr. Matthew Croasmun, co-author of the bestselling book, Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most, will be in conversation with colleague and friend, Rev. Lisa Lynne Kirkpatrick, and Rev. Dr. Brett Swanson. This event is free and open to the public.

As director of the Life Worth Living program at the Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School, Croasmun seeks “a world in which deep reflection on flourishing life is central to education, spiritual formation, and public discourse.”

Matthew Croasmun and his co-authors, Miroslav Volf and Ryan McAnnally-Linz, teach the most in-demand course in Yale College’s Humanities Program: Life Worth Living. Students describe the course as "life-changing," and an outside researcher's preliminary analyses show significant effects of the course on students’ sense of meaning in life. This event promises to bring some of these ideas to the Milwaukee area public.

Share this flyer with your congregation

2366 N 80th Street, Wauwatosa, WI 53213

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN VIRTUAL GATHERING

Saturday, May 4, 2024, via Zoom 9:30 – 11:30 AM

“I am with you and will keep you wherever you go.” Genesis 28:15

Kathleen Keefer, Presbyterian Women’s 2021-2024 Churchwide Vice-Moderator, will speak at the PW gathering about USAME at the border, the USA Mission Experience (USAME) to the Arizona-Mexico border, reflecting on what she witnessed and how we can faithfully respond to the realities of migration and immigration.

Make your reservation by contacting Judy Bell at jmoinebell@aol.com or 414-378-6437

Provide name, Presbytery, church, and phone number

Register by May1

(Zoom link will be emailed to registrants)

RESERVATION OUTREACH SPAGHETTI FUNDRAISER

Sunday, May 19, 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Southminster Presbyterian Church welcomes all to attend an upcoming fundraiser benefitting Reservation Outreach, volunteer-led nonprofit organization that is focused on eliminating hunger and providing support to the families of Pine Ridge Reservation through outreach projects with respect and admiration of the culture.

Lunch at Southminster will include spaghetti or Indian tacos, salad, rolls, and a beverage. A bake sale and silent auction will run concurrently with the lunch and Melanie Two-Eagle Black Bull from Reservation Outreach will share a message. Tickets are $15/adult, $12/child, or $50/family of 4.

Questions and reservations can be sent to reservationoutreach@gmail.com.

RSVP preferred by May 3, 2024.

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200 Richard Street, Waukesha, WI 53189

JUSTICE & COMMUNITY CARE CONVERSATIONS: DIGIAL EQUITY & ACCESS

April 23, 2:00 p.m. & May 2, 10:00 a.m. on Zoom

What if the digital ministry of Churches included not only live-streaming services but also helping people in your community afford access to the internet? What would it look like to use your coffee hour to increase digital access in your congregation by enrolling people in Lifeline? Or training a volunteer to sit at a table at your food pantry and help get people enrolled? What would it look like to create a designated space using church wifi for community members to attend online appointments? What if we brainstormed together to think of other ways our churches could help increase digital access and increase community care?

Take the next step with the Wisconsin Council of Churchs. The WCC will hold two online and two in-person trainings, Let’s Talk: Digital Equity & Access, as a launch to their Justice & Community Care Conversations. In-person training will take place in northwest WI and will be announced soon.

Online conversations will be on April 23, 2:00 p.m., and May 2, 10:00 a.m. Register Here

INVITE THE WCC TO YOUR CHRUCH!

Most of the Wisconsin Council of Churches staff are available to preach and/or teach on a variety of topics. If you are interested in having a member of the WCCF staff come to your church to preach in worship, to speak at an event, or to lead a workshop, take a look at their Speakers List.