Keeping in Touch

SYNOD GRANTS CHURCH DEVELOPMENT FUNDS TO 4 PRESBYTERIES: The Synod of Lakes and Prairies approved a recommendation from its Finance Committee to allocate $16,000 per year for 2011, 2012 and 2013 from the Synod Church Development Fund to support the efforts of Homestead, Missouri River Valley, Central Nebraska and Prospect Hill presbyteries to contract with the Center for Parish Development to provide training for teams, and provide resources for the teams, coaches and congregational Bible studies. The complete Presbyterian Neighbor News story can be found at "Development Funds."

SYNOD SLOTS HEISERMAN FUNDS FOR 2 PROGRAMS: The Synod of Lakes and Prairies decided during its spring meeting May 2-4 to allocate approximately $62,000 to which the synod has access through the Heiserman grant program of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The synod plans to provide $50,000 of the funds to support the "Parish Resident Internship Program" at Church of All Nations, Minneapolis, which requested the funds with the support of the Twin Cities Area Presbytery. The Office of the General Assembly of the PC(USA) is listed as a partner on the program in the amount of $10,000. The complete Presbyterian Neighbor News story can be found at "Heiserman."

NIELSEN BECOMES 4TH GA MODERATOR CANDIDATE: The Rev. Eric G. Nielsen, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Eau Claire, Wis., has been unanimously endorsed by Northern Waters Presbytery to stand for moderator of the upcoming 219th General Assembly July 3-10 in Minneapolis. The presbytery took its action May 6. Nielsen, a former moderator of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, has served as pastor in Eau Claire since July of 2001. He is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and was ordained to the ministry in 1991. The complete Presbyterian News Service story can be found at "Nielsen."

SYNOD COMMENDS ITS MODERATOR CANDIDATES: The Synod of Lakes and Prairies voted during its May 2-4 meeting to commend two ministers within the synod for their "willingness to stand for moderator" of the 219th General Assembly that takes place in July in Minneapolis. The complete Presbyterian Neighbor News story can be found at "Candidates."

SYNOD CONCURS WITH COLLEGIATE MINISTRIES OVERTURE: Meeting May 2-4 the Synod of Lakes and Prairies concurred with Overture 102 from the Presbytery of North Central Iowa that calls on the General Assembly Mission Council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to reestablish an Office of Collegiate Ministries as "a vital and integral part of the ministry and mission of the church." The complete Presbyterian Neighbor News story can be found at "Collegiate Ministries."

CHAPLAINS SPEAK OF TRANSITIONAL STRUGGLE FOR VETERANS: Making the transition from fighting soldier to citizen is a daunting challenge for veterans - women and men - who return from life and death struggles with emotional as well as physical wounds. The military veteran who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan "has experienced some things that we really don't want to know about, ... but as Christians we need to deal with that," the Rev. Tom Conrey, commissioner to the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, told those gathered May 2-4 for the spring synod meeting at Mt. Olivet Retreat and Conference Center in Farmington, Minn. Conrey, a retired Air Force chaplain, and the Rev. Ernest Glenn, a retired Army chaplain, led the educational segment of the meeting, addressing the demands of being a chaplain and the needs of returning military service personnel. The complete Presbyterian Neighbor News story can be found at "Chaplains."

SYNOD INCREASES PER CAPITA APPORTIONMENT BY 10 CENTS: Following a year in which the Synod of Lakes and Prairies did not increase its per capita apportionment, the synod voted to approve a 10 cent per capita increase for 2011 when it held its spring meeting May 2-4 at Mt. Olivet Retreat and Conference Center, Farmington, Minn. The complete Presbyterian Neighbor News story can be found at "Per Capita."

SYNOD TASK FORCE PROVIDES COUNSEL REGARDING SYNOD OVERTURES: A statement from the synod's Administrative Review Task Force on the Future of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies that calls on commissioners of the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to "give sincere and thorough consideration to the overtures before them regarding the future role of synods in our church" was affirmed by synod commissioners when they met May 2-4 at the Mt. Olivet Retreat and Conference Center, Farmington, Minn. The complete Presbyterian Neighbor News story can be found at "Synod Overtures."

YOUTH ADVISORY DELEGATES ADDRESS RELEVENCY: Three youth advisory delegates to the Synod of Lakes and Prairies called on the church to think of its young adults in terms of mission, membership and worship, and they did so under the umbrella of relevancy. The youth advisory delegates spoke this week when the Synod of Lakes and Prairies met at Mt. Olivet Retreat and Conference Center, Farmington, Minn. Luke Bennewitz (upper right) of New Berlin, Wis., and a delegate from the Presbytery of Milwaukee said that a mission conference strengthened him at a time when he struggled with his faith. Bennewitz called on the church to "really stress mission work," adding the church should seek "more innovative ways to do that." Gina Meester (middle right) of Omaha, Neb., and a delegate from Homestead Presbytery said a contemporary worship is not necessarily a way to attract young adults to church. Instead, she said, traditional worship can be equally as relevant to young adults. Chad Schwickerath (lower right) of Ankeny, Iowa, and a delegate from the Presbytery of Des Moines said the church needs to "emphasize the importance of being a member." Schwickerath said the church currently appears to be split between two extremes, with one side "very focused on structure" to the exclusion of others and the other side "increasingly focused on people" and losing its ability to be separate from the world. "There's only a thin line between the two," he said. The Rev. Mike Hibbs, chairperson of the synod's Program Coordination Committee, invited the youth advisory delegates to speak at the end of his committee's report to the synod. Hibbs said the overriding theme of his conversation with the youth advisory delegates was relevance. "We've got to be relevant for them and for everyone else," he said.

IOWA PASTOR WITH ALS FEATURED IN NEWSPAPER STORY: The Courier of Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa, featured he Rev. Rick Vesely of Traer, Iowa, in an article recently. The article opened, "The Rev. Rick Vesely is an ordained Presbyterian minister, and for 18 years he served as pastor of the United Presbyterian Church. His interests and influence, though, extend beyond its walls. Many in town, even those within his congregation, don't think of Vesely strictly in terms of denomination or title." Vesely was diagnosed last fall with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The complete story can be found at "Vesely."