Contact information for anyone on this list may be obtained by calling
the presbytery office at 800-621-6905 or 989-799-7481.

The Resource Center has several new items that are available for your use.  To see what is new, just click here. 

The 2010 Vacation Bible School preview kits are now available.  You are invited to look at the various kits in the Resource Center.  As a reminder, these kits can not be checked out like our other resources.  They must be viewed here in the presbytery office.

Here is a summary of this year's VBS kits:

Praise Party: Worshiping God with Head, Heart, Hands, Feet, and Soul!   (Abingdon)
Learn about and experience worship through Bible stories, crafts, music, movement, and games. Both traditional and contemporary music are included. Includes worship DVD. Materials are for ages three through teen.
 
Baobab Blast: God's Great Get-Together   (Augsburg Fortress)
Set under the baobab tree, kids will have the opportunity to hear the Word, be amazed at God's wildlife creations, and be a part of a supportive community. Daily themes are trust, love, follow, care and share.
 
Holyland Adventure: Egypt   (Group)
Joseph's Journey from prison to palace gives kids the opportunity to experience the culture of Joseph's world as well as traditional Biblical customs, occupations, food and games.
 
Galactic Blast: A Cosmic Adventure Praising God   (Cokesbury)
Daily missions on the starship Galactic Praise include a space connection, Bible Booster memory verse, and Praise Phrase, as well as music and crafts.

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To search our catalog from the comfort of your home or office, just click here.  When you find items that you would like to borrow, call the presbytery office at 800-621-6905 or 989-799-7481 to make arrangements for picking them up.  If you have any questions about the Resource Center, please contact Valerie Fargo.

It's that time of year again.  Health Kits are needed to distribute at the Health Fairs this summer.  A note from the committee:

Dear Pastors:

Would you please print the two Minutes for Mission in your bulletin on two Sundays in spring found on the Documents page of the presbytery's website?  A personal word of encouragement from you in the pulpit will also make a big difference in how many respond!  Many Presbyterians know little about this significant work of our Presbytery.  Drop off points are listed on the bulletin insert found on the presbytery's website.  For further information please contact Bob Lakey at (989) 793-7869 or the Presbytery Office at (800) 621-6905.  Thank you.

 

Presbyterian youth groups across the country are invited to participate in an on-line Youth Video Challenge as part of ymiLIVE (Youth Mission Initiate LIVE, pronounced why-em-eye LIVE).  Youth groups will compete to win one of two $25,000 endowment funds established by the Presbyterian Foundation to benefit their church youth ministry programs.

Interested Presbyterian youth groups can register now at ymiLIVE.org to participate in the Youth Video Challenge. 

Registration is now open for the 11th Annual National Multicultural Church Conference, May 26-30, 2010 in Chicago with pre-conferences on May 26 to 27. This year's conference explores the theme, "H20:  Deepening our Faith, Widening our Culture" focusing on the biblical vision of Ezekiel 47:1-12.

The conference seeks to explore "growing the Christ's church deep and wide" in an increasingly diverse world. The conference is a place of differences. People with varying languages, cultures, ethnicities, theologies, genders, generations and backgrounds will come together to recognize the amazing potential of differences and, through affirming and celebrating those differences, create something new. 

Come and wade in the H2O, that is the 2010 11th National Multicultural Church Conference and be nourished, sustained and reborn.

With the spring planting season nearing in earthquake-stricken Haiti, an emergency effort to raise money for Haitian farmers to buy seeds is under way now through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s  Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP).

Corn and beans are typically planted  in March when the spring rains begin on the island nation.
           
PHP will release monies to FONDAMA, a national coalition of peasant farmers and rural organizations.  The group partners with several U.S. congregations and individuals through PHP's Joining Hands' program, which advocates on issues determined by the farmers themselves.

With the influx of displaced people to Haiti's countryside, local food systems will be taxed to feed the increasing numbers of people who are leaving cities demolished by the January earthquake.
           
Rebuilding in Haiti will take years, disaster relief officials say.
           
"These organizations have determined that the priority is to increase food production in order to respond to the surge of displaced people," says Lionel Derenoncourt, PHP's coordinator of the Joining Hands Program. "The rainy season has begun, and, with it, the time for planting has come.
           
"Corn and bean seeds are desperately needed to offset the reserve that has already been consumed by overtaxed rural communities."
           
The Haitian growing cycle is 90 days. By planting now, FONDAMA says, crops will be ready by the end of June, adding that it needs 400 tons of seeds for distribution to 30,000 farmers nationwide to meet the demand. The local cost for such an effort is estimated at roughly $1 million.
           
"We are urging Presbyterians to assist our partners as much as possible in this time," Derenoncourt  said.
           
PHP is immediately releasing $30,000 toward the purchase of seeds in areas where the need is greatest.
           
Donations to the seed fund may be made through local church channels; by calling PresbyTel at (800) 872-3283; online; or by direct mail to the Presbyterian Church (USA), Individual Remittance Processing, PO Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700.

Specify "PHP Account Number H000014" on all contributions.

Information for this story furnished by Presbyterian Hunger Program, Compassion, Peace and Justice ministries, General Assembly Mission Council.  Read it online.

 

 

 

 

The following seminars have been set up by Lake Michigan Presbytery and you are invited to attend.  They will all be held at First Presbyterian Church in Lansing and they are all led by Board of Pensions Education Specialists.  The seating is limited to the first 30 participants who register online or by mail.  The cost is nominal.  Once you have registered you will be told how and whom to pay (meals and travel cost).
 
April 12-13    Growing into Tomorrow...Today (mid- to late career clergy and lay Benefits Plan members who are not retired and your spouses or fiancés)
April 14    Render unto Caesar (for clergy, church treasurers and personnel chairs - a seminar on understanding Terms of Call and clergy tax issues)
April 15    Getting in Shape Fiscally (designed for clergy and lay Benefits Plan members - designed to help you get on the path to financial wellness)
April 16    Post Retirement
 
Click here  to learn more and to register.

If these dates are not good for you but you are interested in attending one or more of these seminars please contract Andrea Drapp at the Presbytery Office at 989-799-7481.  We may be able to schedule at least two seminars to be held within our presbytery later in the year.

 

The Great Lakes Loons are excited to once again offer our Faith Days to your congregations. One of our top priorities is to build and maintain strong relationships within the community, which is why we want to invite you to join us for a group outing at Dow Diamond!  We expect to have church groups at the ballpark every night, but we have dedicated a few special nights as Faith Nights at Dow Diamond.  Faith Nights will be held on Tuesday, June 1; Tuesday, July 6; and Sunday August 8.  These games will feature faith-themed promotions such as post-game entertainment. Your church's name will be displayed on the scoreboard as well as be announced over the public address system. 
 
Group outings are a great way to bring your congregation together while having fun in a new and exciting atmosphere. These outing are perfect for members of all ages and a great way to raise awareness in the community.
 
We want to make this event as easy as possible for your church.  After you have decided on a date, the Loons will help you with every step of the process from promotion to securing ticket orders to distribution of the tickets.  We want this to be a fun experience for everyone involved and something your church looks forward to each season.
 
We hope to see you out at Dow Diamond this spring.  If you are interested in planning an outing for your church or would like more information, please contact Tiffany Seward at (989) 837-6167 or email to Tseward@loons.com; or Jessica Olpere at (989) 837.6136 or email Jolpere@loons.com
 

 

WNEM TV5 has uncovered the "coolest" schools in Mid-Michigan, now they're in search of the "coolest" churches. That's right, churches!

They want to know what is cool about your church. Fill out the form on their website and tell them what innovative or positive things your church has going on.

They'll feature a cool church every weekend LIVE on WNEM TV5 News.

May 16-23, 2010
With Additional Paid Summer Internships*
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Join us May 1 and 2 for a weekend of fun, fellowship and clean-up.  Join us Friday, April 30 for a good nights sleep and a warm hearty breakfast Saturday morning.  Stay until Sunday afternoon for worship and meals.  Contact the office at office@campgreenwood.org for reservations. 

 

 

Greenwood Web 
Greenwood Email

 

 

 

 

 

Responding to the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile

A sermon that examines God's providence in His care, guidance, will and purpose for all humans was selected as the winning entry in the Alma College Sermon Contest celebrating the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin.
 
Keith Geiselman, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Ypsilanti, Mich., was awarded the $500 first prize for his sermon titled "You Go Nowhere By Accident."
 
Presbyterian clergy, lay pastors and seminarians from the Synod of the Covenant - a region encompassing approximately 800 churches in Michigan and Ohio - were invited to write and submit a sermon on ways in which Calvin's 16th century theology are beneficial to 21st century Christians.
 
Calvin, born in 1509, was a French theologian during the Protestant Reformation and the father of the Christian belief system called  "Reformed tradition" or "Calvinism."
 
"We determined a year ago to acknowledge John Calvin, who is considered the founder of Presbyterianism, by sponsoring this contest," said Carol Gregg, chaplain at the Presbyterian Church USA-affiliated Alma College.
 
"Our team of faculty judges were encouraged that pastors wanted to talk about Calvin's history in their churches," she said. "We were pleased with the creative applications of Calvin's theology and how pastors made them relevant to their congregations. We appreciated all the entrants who took the time to prepare and deliver sermons."
 
Winning the $300 second prize was Robert Carlson, pastor at The Presbyterian Church of Okemos, Mich. Jeff Garrison, pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Hastings, Mich., was awarded the $200 third prize.
 
Geiselman wrote in his sermon how the simple statement "You go nowhere by accident" reinforces Calvin's teaching on God's providence and how God is "involved in our life and creation." He quoted Calvin, who wrote: "God not only drives the...world and all its parts in a universal motion, but sustains, nourishes and cares for every creature, even for the little birds. ... When we speak of the providence of God, this does not signify that God, remaining idle in the heavens, watches over what is happening on earth; rather God is like the captain of a ship, holding the helm in order to cope with every event."
 
"Faith is indispensable to anyone who wishes to grasp what the Providence of God is and how far it extends," wrote Geiselman. "Where a nonbeliever can see only the play of natural forces or the effect of chance, believers will perceive the hand of God."
 
The faculty judges described the winning sermon as "inspired, lively, appealing to a wide audience, coherent and on-point from beginning to end."
 
Calvin was renowned in his lifetime for his scholarly sermons, said Brian Stratton, chair of the religious studies department at Alma College.
 
"John Calvin is arguably history's most important Protestant theologian whose influence extends far beyond the Reformed tradition to other Christian denominations and into the secular and political spheres of life," said Stratton.