From the 2010 Mission Yearbook for May 11, 2010

May 12
10:00am

May 15

9:00am

Committee on Ministry

May 25

12:00pm

June 19

9:00am

Kits may be dropped off at one of the following locations prior to June 4th:

Flint-First
746 S. Saginaw Street

Mt. Pleasant-First
1250 Watson Road

Sandusky
104 Lexington Street

Presbytery Office-Saginaw
5560 McCarty Road

Youth Triennium 2010 will be held July 20-24, at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. Since this is open only to high school youth  every three years, this is generally a once-in-a-lifetime event for young people.

There are still some spaces available - but hurry, deadline to register is less than two weeks away.  Information may be found on our website on the Documents page.

All registration forms and fees (total of $337) are due by May 15h to Andrea Drapp at the Presbytery Office.

If you would like to nominate your church, click here to complete an online form on the TV-5 website.  Maybe we'll be seeing you on the small screen, too!

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.

Atheist-turned-Christian Lee Strobel, the former award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune, is a New York Times best-selling author of more than twenty books and has been interviewed on numerous national television programs, including ABC, Fox, PBS, and CNN. His free e-newsletter, "Investigating Faith," is available at LeeStrobel.com.

Described by the Washington Post as "one of the evangelical community's most popular apologists," Lee shared the Christian Book of the Year award in 2005 for a curriculum he co-authored about the movie The Passion of the Christ. He also has won Gold Medallions for his books The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, The Case for a Creator, and Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary. His latest book, The Case for the Real Jesus, was published in 2007.

Lee was educated at the University of Missouri (Bachelor of Journalism degree, 1974) and Yale Law School (Master of Studies in Law degree, 1979). He was a professional journalist for 14 years at The Chicago Tribune and other newspapers, winning Illinois' top honors for investigative reporting (which he shared with a team he led) and public service journalism from United Press International.

After a nearly two-year investigation of the evidence for Jesus, Lee received Christ as his forgiver and leader in 1981. He joined the staff of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL, in 1987, and later became a teaching pastor there. He joined Saddleback Valley Community Church in Lake Forest, CA, as a teaching pastor in 2000. He left Saddleback's staff in mid-2002 to focus on writing. He is also a contributing editor and columnist for Outreach magazine.

For more information, visit Flint-First's website.

For a printable flier, please visit the Upcoming Events page of the Presbytery's website.



Summer Programs For Children and Youth
Warren Avenue Presbyterian Church in Saginaw
 
As a congregation we are blessed with a wonderful ability to use our church campus for three separate and unique programs for children and youth:
 
SUMMER MAGIC, a FREE program for neighborhood children grades 1-6, will be held July 12-23rd.  This year's theme "Sailing the World" with a variety of workshops and programs on the continents of the world.  Field trips are planned for the "Tall Ships" in Bay City, Blueberry picking, Gym Jesters and the Japanese Gardens in Saginaw.  We thank the churches from around the presbytery who help to sponsor this program. For more information contact Director Debbie Davis at 752-6474.
 
SUMMER DAY CAMP sponsored by the Cathedral District Youth Center.
Where: Warren Avenue Presbyterian Church Gym   
When:  Mondays through Fridays, June 21st  -- August 19th
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Who:  For all Saginaw County youth, Kindergarten through 8th grade.
Cost:  $75 per child for entire program.  Additional fee for certain field trips.
Activities: Art/Culture Program, Recreation Program, Summer READ, Field Trips, Prevention, Academic Enrichment, Lunch & Snack.
Sponsors: Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, United Way, F.Y.I., Dow Chemical, the City of Saginaw, First Ward Community Center.
Registration: For more information contact Director, Yvonne Thomas at 989-755-6514.  The Youth Center is open in the church Gym throughout the school year as an after-school program for elementary and middle-school youngsters.
 
GEMS YOUTH PROGRAMS sponsored by Women of Color's Inc. meet on Saturdays in the Geneva Room in the church.    GIRL PRIDE (ages 12-18);  SUGAR AND SPICE (ages 5-11);  YOUNG MEN WHO DARE (ages 6-12).  For more information contact  Evelyn McGovern at 989-399-9275 or 989-737-9286. 
 
Warren Avenue Presbyterian Church
Rev. Tom Cundiff, Pastor
612 Millard Street
Saginaw, MI   48607
989-752-6474
wapc612@aol.com

Do you have plans to camp over Memorial Day weekend?  Come to Camp Greenwood and beat the crowds.  We have lake front camping with full hook ups for $20/night or $12/night without electric.  Of course, you have full use of kayaks, sail boats, canoes and fishing boats.   If you have a boat bring it we will launch it.  For registrations go to campgreenwood.org.  See you this summer!

Applications for the Student Opportunity Scholarship are due by June 1 for the 2010-2011 academic year. This scholarship serves PC(USA) college students in select majors - education, health service/science, religious studies, sacred music, social services/sciences - by providing financial aid for the third and fourth years of an undergraduate program. Preference in this program is extended to racial ethnic students in order to promote diversity. Visit the Financial Aid for Studies website to download an application and/or to learn more about other scholarships, loans and grants. Read scholarship recipient Tamara Pridgen's inspiring story.

A national independent corporation that evaluates the quality of higher education institutions has given its official stamp of approval for Alma College's educational programs.
 
The Higher Learning Commission, the accrediting body of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, has granted a full 10-year re- accreditation to Alma College.
 
"Accreditation provides an external validation by trained and knowledgeable peer evaluators about the quality of education provided by an institution," says Alma College President Saundra Tracy. "The HLC's favorable review of Alma confirms the progress and successes of the past decade and the momentum the College has built. This achievement is a testament to the great work and dedication of our faculty, staff and administration."
 
The accrediting team's report highlighted the College's commitment to student learning, ability to collaborate and embrace new initiatives, and successful navigation "of threatening economic circumstances in Michigan and the United States." It also cited the College's general education revisions, academic programs "that encourage and recognize academic excellence," record entering classes, facility improvements, community outreach and fund-raising efforts.
 
According to the report: "Even though Alma College will continue to face challenging financial circumstances, it has established in this past decade a clear understanding of the mission, a sense of community, and a record of academic excellence that will serve as a strong foundation for the future."
 
While Alma College has been accredited continuously since 1916, it must undergo a comprehensive review every 10 years to maintain its status as an accredited institution.
 
In preparation for the accreditation team's scheduled campus visit last November, a College committee prepared a comprehensive self-study report that examined the College's strengths and challenges. The report addressed specific accreditation criteria that focused on mission, preparing for the future, student learning, effective teaching, the acquisition and application of knowledge, and engagement and service.
 
For many institutions, the granting of re-accreditation is accompanied by a requirement for follow-up reports on areas of concern, says Tracy. Alma's re- accreditation requires no follow-up reports. The College's next comprehensive review will be in 2019.
 
Founded in 1886, Alma College is a private liberal arts college devoted exclusively to the education of undergraduate students. The mission of the College is 'to prepare graduates who think critically, serve generously, lead purposefully, and live responsibly as stewards of the world they bequeath to future generations."

A lot has changed in Mr. Rogers' neighborhood over the years, including his church.  Sixth Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, which the Rev. Fred Rogers of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" fame called his church home until his death in 2003, is in an eclectic urban neighborhood and it's thriving.

Pittsburgh Presbytery Executive the Rev. Sheldon Sorge says he was most impressed on a recent visit by the number of young people and children he saw at the church.

"I was there to preach and it was a wonderful sight of new life," he says. "They were so responsive to the sermon, they had a vigorous music program, and the marks of health in that congregation are extraordinary. There is a definite positive energy there."

So what is it that makes Sixth, whose Gothic exterior gives a hint to its traditional roots, seemingly immune to the waning interest and attendance that plagues many other old downtown churches?