Presbytery of Northern Kansas Newsletter -
December 6, 2023
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PNK Book Study:
When Church Stops Working
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When Church Stops Working: A Future for Your Congregation beyond More Money, Programs and Innovation by Andrew Root and Blair D. Bertand
Join us for the PNK Book Study of When Church Stops Working.
Our Presbytery Council is offering a Book Study and EVERYONE in PNK (pastors, current session members, other officers, any church member) that wants to participate is invited. The Book study will run from the week of January 7th through the week of February 18th -- 7 weeks.
Participants can buy their own book ($18.59 on Amazon) OR they can contact Amanda Littell in the PNK Resource Center (alittell@pnks.org) to check it out through the new PNK Digital library at NO COST to any PNK church member.
Pick your day/time:
Wednesday Mornings -- 11:00 a.m. VIA ZOOM -- Leaders: Rev. Meredith Kemp-Pappan and Rev. Phyl Stutzman
Thursday Mornings - 9:00 a.m. VIA ZOOM -- Leader: Commissioned Lay Pastor Adrian Hunley
Thursday Evenings -- 7:00 p.m. VIA ZOOM -- Leader: Rev. Phil Price
CAN’T MAKE IT TO ALL SEVEN? That is not a problem. We understand busy schedules. You still must register, then join in as often as you can.
BRING A FRIEND! Whether you are active within the PNK or this is new to you, we are glad you’re joining in. Please invite another person to join you.
SIGN-UP BY Thursday, January 4th by registering via the link below and you will receive your first reading assignment and the Zoom link or address of your gathering.
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Shared Mission Support Benefits Two PNK Congregations |
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Heard from Pastor Shannon Borgman...
Recently two of our Oregon Trail Presbyterian Ministry congregations have been blessed with generous gifts of support for our mission and ministry. The Frankfort congregation received a $3000 grant from the Mission Ministry Team through the Presbytery of Northern Kansas. This grant will go to fund the new Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support group that has started meeting every 2nd and 4th Wednesday at 1:30pm. This group serves a much needed area of love and care for those struggling to care for their loved ones. With the help of the Presbytery, this ministry will provide the much needed support many have.
The Blue Rapids congregation received a $5000 grant from the Legacy Fund through the Presbytery of Northern Kansas. The legacy funds are possible through Legacy Fund gifts provided by PNKS congregations that have completed their mission and ministry and leave their legacy to grow and continue through congregations like ours.
These are only two of the many grants, made possible because of the faithful support from congregations like ours for the mission and ministry of the Presbyterian Church locally, regionally, nationally and world-wide. Our gifts to the PC(USA) Special Offerings and Shared Mission Support show that our four congregations understand the importance of this connectional church. Through shared mission and per capita contributions, we are a part of the mission and ministry of Presbyterians throughout all of God’s world.
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The Spirit calls out to us…
… in our wandering and wondering
… in our weariness and wanting
… in our waiting and worry
The Spirit calls out to us… “Come, all who are thirsty.”
“Let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.” Revelation 22:17
Come, join us at the 2024 APCE Annual Event – “Come, All Who Are Thirsty”
Sometimes our lives and ministry leave us parched and thirsting for a deeper experience of the water of life. Come join us in St. Louis for the 2024 APCE Annual Event and be refreshed and renewed. Each day of the conference we will address how God is able to renew us as we thirst for justice, thirst for life, thirst for kindness and joy.
We invite you to join us January 24 – 27, 2024, for the 2024 APCE Annual Event, either in person in St. Louis, MO, or via Annual Event Online.
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Abundant Living
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
The roots of stewardship are in gratitude!
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We are confident that pastors and worship committees have already figured out that it is a short Advent this year, with the 4th Sunday in Advent also being Christmas Eve.
Be sure you include the PCUSA Joy Offering among your advent alternatives.
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Each year during the Advent and Christmas season, we turn our eyes to Bethlehem and celebrate the wondrous gift of Jesus Christ, our Savior. |
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God has blessed the Church with incredible leadership in every time and place, but those leaders often need to be supported by their communities as well. The PC(USA) Joy Offering helps church's past, present and future leaders by assisting current church leaders with emergencies, retired pastors with quality-of-life issues and supporting racial ethnic schools to form future leaders.
If you have not yet received your supplies, you can use this link to learn more and order free resources to promote this Special Offering.
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Heartland Camps Positions Available |
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Heartland Presbyterian Center has positions available and invites YOU TO APPLY!
Day Camp And Recruitment Director
Heartland Center is seeking a person who deeply loves Jesus and summer camp ministry. They must love children and be excited about creating a space where they find belonging. This includes building relationships with campers and families in the summer and programming throughout the offseason. This person must enjoy building relationships with, leading, and caring for college-aged summer staff. They also must enjoy meeting new people and sharing about the ministry impact of camp as a part of recruiting and hiring the next summer’s staff.
This would be a full-time, year-round position. The position is salaried and includes health and retirement benefits.
Summer Program Director
Heartland Center is seeking a person who deeply loves Jesus and summer camp ministry. They must love children and be excited about creating a space where they find belonging. They would be responsible for Heartland’s Overnight Camps, running check-in and check-out, scheduling, programming, and communicating with parents. This person must enjoy building relationships with, leading, and caring for college-aged summer staff.
This position is seasonal and would be part-time in March and April and full-time from May through August.
If you think of someone who might be interested and/or has the gifts for this kind of ministry -- please pass the word!
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Grant applications opening soon!
How often has the lack of funds stopped a program or ministry from happening in your church? Apply for a reKindle grant from Columbia Theological Seminary! ReKindle awards grants of up to $10,000 to applicants accepted into the program. Applications open January 1st.
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Things have been busy at the First Presbyterian Church on the corner of Kansas and Broadway in Riley this week. Tuesday morning (11/28) after digging out of 8 plus inches of snow the Hoefer Stained Glass Company began the renovation on the west window of the church. In fact it made its journey to Hutchinson Kansas to begin its facelift.
The south window will be worked on in place as it does not require as much work. The cost of this project is approximately $50,000.00.
It is amazing and exciting to see progress happening. The church plans to have a celebration of thanks when everything is completed.
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Memorial Presbyterian Church in Marysville was one of the PNK congregations that received a note from the Presbytery re: a long forgotten Mortgage Grant. In their case, the original grant was for $2,772.80 and they were informed that Presbytery paid this grant in full. The Mortgage Grant program offered these funds many decades ago to new congregations to build or purchase a new church home and to established congregations who were expanding their current facilities or making essential repairs to their structures. These grants were awarded by the Board of National Missions for the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America and the Board of American Missions of the United Presbyterian Church in North America.
The Memorial Presbyterian Church documents indicate that the original date of the mortgage grant was 6/7/1941 - by the Board of National Missions of the PC in the USA to "improve, erect or acquire a House of Worship, adapted to its wants." The documents were signed by Paul Kirkpatrick, President of the Board of Trustees of the Memorial Presbyterian Church, Marysville, KS.
Mortgage grants were made possible by the gifts of individual donors as early as the late 1800s through about 1975 and are so named because a mortgage was placed on the building as an agreement with the donors that the funds would be used to further the ministry of these congregations as they remain connected to the denomination. Therefore, unlike conventional mortgages, no monthly payments were ever required, and no repayment is required at all unless (1) the building is sold, (2) the church leaves our denomination, or (3) the building is no longer used as a church of our denomination. In cases where any of these three events occur, the grant must be paid back along with the stated interest. Since the grant to the Marysville congregation was issued in 1941, current session members actually were not even aware of its existence. However, the interest that would incur should the grant come due would be considerable.
At the April Presbytery Meeting, the PNK Finance Committee reported that full settlement had been completed on all 8 outstanding mortgage grants for churches within the Presbytery of Northern Kansas. The total due on these grants exceeded $120,000. The Finance Committee was able to negotiate a full settlement of $57,531.75 and paid that balance on behalf of the congregations. Presbytery staff worked to obtain mortgage releases and then notified congregations of the settlement and confirmed that a mortgage release had been accepted and recorded and provided documentation for the session's records.
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Please contact the Presbytery Office with any joys or concerns you would like to have added to the PNK Prayer List. |
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