Midweek Musings Newsletter

September 4, 2008 

 

797th Stated Meeting of Presbytery

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Elkton Presbyterian Church

209 E. Main Street / Elkton, MD  21921

 

Council Meeting - 3:00 pm

Registration - 3:30 pm / Presbytery Meeting - 4:00 pm

 

Speer Trust Grant Writing Workshop

 

 

September 19, 2008

10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

 

St. Francis De Sales Church Hall

413 Wicomico Street /Salisbury, MD  21801

 

Workshop Fee is $15 (includes lunch)

Registration deadline is September 12, 2008

 

Download registration brochure here: 2008 Brochure for Speer Trust and CCHD.pdf 

Midweek Musings by Kathi Busch, Moderator

 

ACTS 16:5 INITIATIVE IS COMING!

SAVE THE DATES

November 13 & 14

 

The churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

Acts 16:5

 

Deep and wide.  Seeking to be faithful to Jesus' famous last words in Matthew 28:19-20, the 218th GA committed to growing Christ’s church deep and wide.  To grow in evangelism, in discipleship, in servanthood, and in diversity.  Who among us does not long to see their congregation grow in spiritual vitality and ministry to our communities and even the world?  Whether your church is experiencing great life and growth or is on a plateau or declining, our hearts as leaders are always for more:  more strength, more vitality, more sacrificial service, more self-less love.  More people with whom to share the good news of the transforming power and purpose of God’s love in Jesus Christ and serve with and among in mission and ministry.

 

If you, like me, want to lead a congregation that is faithful to the great commission, growing disciples who are deeply rooted in God’s love and reaching out widely with His arms of grace, I am so excited to ask you to save these dates:  Thursday and Friday, November 13 and 14.  On these days, the Rev. Dr. Stan Ott will be joining us to present the Acts 16:5 Initiative Seminar I.  If you were blessed to hear Stan at the May presbytery meeting at Buckingham, I know you will be anxious to sit under his leadership again.  If you didn’t hear him in May, don’t miss him this time!

 

Seminar I is designed to be both a launch event for the Acts 16:5 process and a stand alone event.  It serves as a launch event in that attending congregations will be invited to continue in the Acts 16:5 process and make a 3-year commitment, if they so choose.  Attendance at this initial event permits each pastor and congregational team to make an informed decision about the process.  Stan recommends bringing a team from each church that includes the pastor(s) and six other leaders.

 

This seminar also serves as a stand alone event for those attending congregations that choose not to make the 3-year commitment.  They will receive a great deal of material that they may apply on their own to their congregational life – as is typical when a pastor and church leaders attend most church leadership seminars.

 

To whet your appetite, we’ll have DVDs of the first talk Stan gave at the May meeting available (free!) at our September meeting in Elkton.  You may pick them up when you register.  Jim and I will be contacting you in the coming weeks to encourage you to join us for Seminar I in November.  Let’s grow Christ’s church in New Castle Presbytery deep and wide, strong in faith and growing in numbers – together.  That’s what I love about Presbyterians – we work and walk together.  Join us!

 

With joy,

 

- Kathi 

Chesapeake City Presbyterian Church

 
2nd Wednesdays Senior program, beginning September 10, 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM. 
Program and lunch [bring sandwich: beverage and desert provided]. 
First program: Local Historian Robert Hazel will share information and photos of Chesapeake City History. For information go to www.chescitypresby.pbwiki.org.
 
Download flyer here:  Senior Poster.pdf 

 

Career Insights for Teens (CIF)

 

What should we do after high school?

 

 

An Invitation to Peacemaking

  

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God,” said Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace (Matthew 5:9).

 

Peace is the wholeness and well being that God wills for all creation.  Although humans can interfere with this, God is continually at work in the world offering healing, wholeness, mercy, justice, and peace.  God’s peace is always available - in individual lives, families, congregations, communities, nations and creation.  We just need to recognize and access it.

 

God’s gift of peace is profoundly exemplified in the life and ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Christ calls all who profess faith in him to share the gospel message of peace to a broken and insecure world.  Responding to this gracious gift, the church, as the body of Christ, is called to join with others to go into the world to build a culture of peace and nonviolence for all God’s creation.

 

The paragraphs above are quoted, somewhat paraphrased, from the Commitment to Peacemaking which 33 churches in our presbytery have affirmed.  This article invites you to reflect again on your own personal commitment to peacemaking.  What images or feelings or calls to action does that word “peace” mean to you?  Is love at the heart of it?  Are you willing to enrich other members of the Body of Christ, as found here in our Presbytery, by sharing with them your thoughts on peace?

 

For me, one of the thoughts that is the foundation of inner peace is a confidence that the Holy Spirit will lead us where God would have us go, if we ask for guidance and learn how to listen for it.  I think also of the many witnesses for peace in our presbytery, including the job counseling for youth sponsored through West Presbyterian Church, the tutoring activities of Community Presbyterian, and the love for the homeless found in the life of Meeting Ground.

 

If you have thoughts on what the peace of Christ is and what actions may lead to greater wholeness and well-being in our community, we would welcome an article or comments addressed to the Midweek Musings.  Please feel free to send your emails to Michelle Woodson at mwoodson@ncpresbytery.org.  Anyone interested in reactivating the Peacemaking Committee of the Presbytery should also be in touch.  If you would like to investigate further the PC(USA)’s historic commitment to peacemaking, please browse through the national Peacemaking Program’s website at www.pcusa.org/peacemaking.  Resources for current worship and spiritual nurture are also found there.

 

The rest of the Commitment to Peacemaking is found at www.pcusa.org/peacemaking/commitment.  If your church has not yet signed it, please consider it in faith.  Included is a list of suggestions for focus, including worship, prayer and Bible study, Peacemaking in Families and Community Living, Community Ministries, Study and Response to Global Issues, Global Security, Making Peace with the Earth, and Receiving the Peacemaking Offering.  In addition to these ideas, each church is encouraged to develop its own interest or select among those that are listed in the Commitment.

Commissioned Lay Pastors

Who Are We?

 

We are men and women, 30-somethings to MATURE saints. We are educators and mechanics, musicians and business people, medical professionals; working daily at secular jobs and retired.  We are African-American, Hispanic and American melting pot; from Mexico and the U. S.  We are lovers of Jesus Christ and His Church Universal.  We are life-long Presbyterians and those who chose Presbyterianism later in life.  We are Elders who have vowed to support the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Synod, New Castle Presbytery and the local churches where we are currently serving; but we desire to do more, so we have committed ourselves to study in order to be more effective and useful.  Our home churches are from all corners of New Castle Presbytery.  We gladly serve as supply preachers in our own churches, and others, when called.  Some are already serving as Stated Supply.

 

We are the Commissioned Lay Pastors and the Commissioned Lay Pastor students of New Castle Presbytery.  It is our joy to study and serve in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and we are becoming a family.  (Our First Annual CLP Picnic at Sally Cordrey’s home allowed us to meet our extended families, and was a roaring success.)  We look forward to the expanding call on our lives as we continue to serve our local church and the larger Church of Jesus Christ.

 

Thank you for making this provision for us.  We pray that you will continue to support the Commissioned Lay Pastor program by providing excellent teachers, space for classes and a library (our thanks to First Presbyterian of Dover), and funds to help defray the costs to students.  Most of all, thanks for the opportunity to learn and serve in His Kingdom.  God bless! 

 

(Class picture taken by Judy Adams) - 2nd row from left:  Carole Miles, Nancy Day, (Instructor) Tom Davis, Lee Johnson, John Allen, Hugo Cervantes - 1st row from left:  Pam Ruark, Sandra Elburn, Buzz Adams, Linda Farmer, Sally Cordrey, Roarke Moore (Judy Adams is behind the camera) 

News from the Board of Pensions

 

Board of Pensions needs your assistance in the selection of a pilot program to review learning courses

 

Friends and Colleagues,

 

The Board of Pensions is in the process of implementing a program that will provide on-line "off-the-shelf" learning courses.  Currently we’re seeking names of Benefits Plan members of all ages to form a pilot group who will review the resource materials on-line and provide valuable feedback which will enable us to fully evaluate the service.  It is important to strive for diversity in our pilot participant group to ensure that we are getting an appropriate cross-section of feedback.

 

General Background Information:

We will be asking the Pilot Group to review several on-line courses related to stress and conflict management. Depending upon their course choices they may have at least 10 hours of on-line courses to review and provide us feedback. They will also have access to over 900 books related to "well being" topics that are free to download at their convenience.  

 

Task-at-hand:

We need your help in providing us names.  We are assuming we will need to ask many members (possibly several 100's) to ensure that our pilot group has at least 50 participants.  We will be sending invitations and information to the potential participants on what will be involved.  Mainly, we just need names and general information from you to help get us started.

 

Criteria to consider:

When considering your list of potential participants, please make sure that the individuals:

·         have access to the internet

·         are interested in learning and developing skills to handle stress and conflict

·         are open to learning on-line

·         are willing to provide feedback

·         have good creditability with others

·         are Benefits Plan members 

 

Please consider recommending clergy and lay, church staff individuals or teams from large employing organizations, Plan members who may be part of APA, APSCE or PAM, seminary staff or students, interim pastors, Spanish and Korean speaking pastors, PCUSA Center staff, and ministers who serve in isolated areas.

 

We’ll need the following for each person:

  • name
  • presbytery
  • gender
  • ethnicity/race
  • clergy or lay

 

Please forward your suggestions to me no later than Monday, September 8, 2008.

 

Thank you very much for your assistance.   

 

Helen Locklear

Email: HLocklear@PENSIONS.ORG

Clergy Day

 

On September 23rd, Rev. John Groth will be hosting a Clergy Day at Dover AFB.  Participants should be getting a flight on a C-17 that includes a mid-air refueling, a visit to the memorial wall in the Mortuary, and a number of other stops to get an idea of the inner workings of an Air Force base, and the work of the women and men who serve there.

 

Please contact John ASAP at (302) 677-4770 or email: john.groth@dover.af.mil.

 

"Priority One Foundation":  John Groth also has information on the men's weekend sponsored by "Priority One Foundation" a local men's ministry.  Please contact John directly for more information.
Delaware Health & Social Services
8th Annual Women's Wellness Expo
Friday, October 24, 2008  -  8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
@ the Sheraton Dover Hotel

 

This year's theme is POWERFUL WOMEN; Shaping Our Lives, As We Shape Ourselves.

The Women's Wellness Expo  is a fun, relaxing, and innovative way to provide over 700 women with health and wellness services, education, information, and resources to promote HEALTHY MINDS - HEALTHY BODIES - HEALTHY IMAGES -  HEALTHY LIVES. 

We'll have a new look and feel this year; we're combining the traditional health screenings, with various exhibitors, and activities, including cooking demos, dance and fitness classes, and healthy lifestyles information.  We will also have an Expo Boutique with items for sale including accessories, fashion, jewelry, skin care, health food and dietary supplements, plus more!  For the most up to date schedule of events, exhibitors, demos, and classes visit www.dhss.delaware.gov/wwe08/ 

Download registration form here: DHSS WWExpo 2008 Reg Form.pdf

 
REGISTER to attend the Expo today!
Print the attached flyer, complete and mail the registration form,
along with a check for $30.00  payable to the State of Delaware, to
Women's Wellness Expo 2008, PO Box 1711, Dover, DE 19903
You can also register online:  wwe.dhss.delaware.gov/
Please share this information with your congregation, coworkers, fellowships, friends, family, groups, ministries, and neighbors!
 Print out copies; place them in your lobby or break room. Forward the email. Post it on your bulletin board. Add it to your newsletter, or calendar of events
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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