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For the week of
February 7, 2011 | | |
| News around the Synod of Lakes and Prairies | |
 2011 SYNOD SCHOOL CATALOG GOES IN THE MAIL: The 2011 Synod School catalog went in the mail this week and the catalog will soon be posted on the synod's website. Synod School 2011, with the theme, "All My Relatives," runs July 24-29 at Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, Iowa. Anna Carter Florence, associate professor of preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Ga., will be convocation speaker. Evening worship leaders are Susan Phillips, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Shawano, Wis., and Mara Liz Rivera, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Winneconne, Wis. Promotional materials for Synod School 2011 can be found at "All My Relatives."
 SYNOD POSTS NARRATIVE BUDGET ONLINE: For those who may wonder where the Synod of Lakes and Prairies expends the funds it receives, the synod has posted a narrative budget online. In 2011, the synod anticipates it will spend $939,000 on ministries in partnership and another $201,000 on ecumenical and institutional ministries. Additional detail can be found at "Narrative Budget."
CHURCH IN FUTURE MIGHT NOT HAVE A BUILDING: Harry Olthoff, general presbyter in East Iowa Presbytery, writing in a recent edition of "Reading Between the Times," a presbytery newsletter, noted, "I am finding that meeting with visioning task forces or sessions or elders' groups or pastors' groups can be a dangerous enterprise. It used to be that leadership from one church to the next looked and acted rather the same. That is no longer true. In fact, it is an assumption you make at your own risk!" Olthoff introduced a column written by Tom Ehrich, who writes the "Multichannel Church" column in The Presbyterian Outlook magazine. Olthoff wrote, "The desire to grow God's church deep and wide is giving voice to creative, energized and forceful leaders" who are " ... different ages with flexible goals, technologically connected, visionary, and focused on results." Ehrich's column begins, "More and more congregations are imagining a future that doesn't revolve around maintaining an inherited facility - and they aren't seeing that imagining as a defeat, as the next logical step in a failure scenario." The complete column can be found at "Multichannel."
 HILLCREST RECOGNIZED FOR RESIDENTIAL EDUCATION: Hillcrest Family Services of Dubuque, Iowa, has been notified that the Coalition for Residential Education will accredit Hillcrest's residential education program. Hillcrest, which is in covenant with the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, is the only provider of residential education in Iowa accredited by CRE. John Bellini, Hillcrest's director of residential education, also announced that Kent Nelson, a residential education supervisor at Hillcrest, has been named the 2011 National Residential Supervisor of the Year by CRE. Nelson will be honored during CRE's national conference in Hershey, Pa., March 16-18. Additional information about Hillcrest can be found at the organization's website.
LONG-TERM VOLUNTEER FOR DES MOINES' 'OUR SISTER PARISH' BLOGS: Alisha Lundberg of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines, Iowa, began serving in February as a long-term volunteer for the "Our Sister Parish" mission of Des Moines Presbytery in El Salvador. She is blogging while she serves. A recent blog begins, "Today has been a pretty good day. I slept soundly throughout the night until about 4 a.m. when a crowing rooster woke me up, but I quickly went back to sleep." Her blog can be found at "alilorraine."
CHASKA CHURCH VIDEO OF MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY CELEBRATION ONLINE: A video of the Martin Luther King Day celebration that took place last month at Shepherd of the Hill Church, Chaska, Minn., is now online. The video runs on Chaska Community Television and is available at "Chaska Church."
CHALICES FROM 219th GENERAL ASSEMBLY STILL AVAILABLE: Chalices from the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that took place in Minneapolis last summer are still available through the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. The chalices are on sale for $10. Those interesting in purchasing a chalice are invited to visit the presbytery office, to call 612.871.7281 or to write office@ptcaweb.org. |
| Conferences, camps and other resources | | |
 EHLERS IS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT OKOBOJI: Beth Ehlers began serving in December as the new executive director at Presbyterian Camp on Okoboji, Milford, Iowa. The camp's newsletter noted that Ehlers is originally from Mason City, Iowa, and spent the past 12 years as director of Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church in Mason City. She and her husband, Steve, have three daughters who attend college. Steve Ehlers is a systems nnalyst for Trinity Information Systems. They will be living at the camp.
SCHOOL FOR PASTORS SLATED IN JULY IN HASTINGS: The 55th annual Omaha Presbyterian School for Pastors will run July 6-13 at Hastings (Neb.) College. The faculty for the weeklong school will include the Rev. Jennifer Lord, associate professor of homiletics at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary; Kenneth Sawyer, associate professor of church history at McCormick Theological Seminary; the Rev. Monya Stibbs, assistant professor of New Testament at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary; and the Rev. Patricia Tull, professor of Hebrew Bible at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Additional information is available at "Pastors School."
 'BIG TENT' OPENS IN INDIANAPOLIS IN JUNE: The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will conduct its second "Big Tent" event in Indianapolis, Ind., June 30 through July 2. The church's last "Big Tent" took place during the summer of 2009 in Atlanta, Ga. Nine national church conferences will all be gathering under one roof. Event details and registration information can be found at "Big Tent."
 "God in America: How Religious Liberty Shaped America," a documentary from PBS that interweaves current footage, historical dramatizations, and interviews with religious historians to explore the historical role of religion in American public life, and the political and spiritual journeys of historical American figures, is now available through Iowa Religious Media Services in Des Moines. The six hours of video on three discs come with printable materials, a study guide, eight "Visiting Sacred Spaces" guides and more. IRMS is supported in part by the Synod of Lakes and Prairies. The video can be found at "IRMS."
POPULAR PBS VIDEO ABOUT RELIGION IN AMERICA AVAILABLE THROUGH IRMS:
 ORDERS BEING ACCEPTED FOR 'ECO-PALMS' FOR PALM SUNDAY: Orders are being accepted for eco-palms for use in Palm Sunday worship services. According to the website for the University of Minnesota Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management - CINRAM, the center and the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation worked together with the Rainforest Alliance TREES program and Smartwood to ensure that palms from the forests of Mexico and Guatemala were harvested sustainably. Partnerships with wholesaler Continental Floral Greens and distributor Hermes Floral have enabled Eco-Palms to be distributed throughout the United States for Palm Sunday. In addition, partnerships with faith-based organizations such as Lutheran World Relief, United Methodist Committee on Relief and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have helped expand awareness of the Eco-Palms program. More than 300 million palm fronds are harvested each year for U.S. consumption alone - most of them for Palm Sunday. Purchasing eco-palms helps protect forests, local jobs, and sustainable livelihoods in the harvesting communities. Eco-Palms can be purchased through the PC(USA) website at "Palms."
'THOUGHTFUL CHRISTIAN' LAUNCHES INCREASED DISCOUNTS, BLOG: The Thoughtful Christian, an online resource center available through the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, has launched increased discounts on books available on its website. Discounts range from 35 to 75 percent off the retail price. In 2010, TTC expanded into a fully developed, online marketplace, offering books in addition to its popular downloadable youth, adult, and parent studies. The complete press release can be found at "The Thoughtful Christian."
 PRESBYTERIAN WRITERS GUILD PLANS SPRING WRITERS CONFERENCE: The Presbyterian Writers Guild will hold its annual Presbyterian Writers Conference May 16-17 at Louisville (Ky.) Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Michael Jinkins, president of the seminary since September 2010, will be the conference's opening keynote speaker. Jinkins previously taught at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary where he was a professor of theology, served as a member of the administration, and as seminary dean. He is the author of 12 books, including "Christianity, Tolerance and Pluralism: A Theological Engagement with the Social Theory of Isaiah Berlin," "Letters to New Pastors," "Invitation to Psalms" and "Called to be Human: Letters to My Children on Living a Christian Life." Some of the sessions during the conference are "Writing on Environmental Issues," "Chancel Drama and Big Heads," "Writing Hymn Text," "Writing Poetry," "Ghost Writing" and "Writing as a Spiritual Practice." Registration will open soon at "Presbyterian Writers." |
| Colleges, universities and seminaries | | |
SAN FRANCISCO SEMINARY PLANS TO CLOSE SOUTHERN CAL CAMPUS: In an surprise announcement at the conclusion of their Feb. 8 meeting, San Francisco Theological Seminary's Board of Trustees said it is closing the seminary's Southern California campus by June 30. Citing an estimated short fall of $850,000 in fiscal year 2012, the board reduced travel expenses, laid off personnel and closed the 21-year-old Southern California program, which represented about $450,000 of the seminary's total budget. The complete Presbyterian News Service story can be found at "SFTS."
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| News from the Board of Pensions | |
BOARD OF PENSIONS POSTS TAX RESOURCES ONLINE: The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has a Tax Resource Center that houses a collection of specialized resources for ministers, church organizations and members designed to boost awareness and knowledge of specific tax issues. These resources can be found at "Tax Resources." |
| News around the PC(USA) | |
GA LEADERS INVITE ALL TO JOIN IN CONVERSATION ON FUTURE OF THE CHURCH: This is indeed a rich time of ferment and deep discernment in the Christian Church and denominations like the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Many talk about this era as being like a wilderness experience for the church, from which we can learn the lessons of being the vibrant people God leads from exile into life. At General Assembly we heard from Phyllis Tickle, who talks about "the incrustations of an overly established Christianity" that are being, even as we speak, broken open and reformed. The complete announcement from General Assembly leaders Cynthia Bolbach, Gradye Parsons and Linda Valentine can be found at "Future."
CHORUS FOR CHANGE IN PC(USA) GROWS LOUDER ACROSS SPECTRUM: Declaring the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) "deathly ill," a group of 45 Presbyterian ministers - including the pastors of nine of the denominations 15 largest congregations - said in an open letter to the church Feb. 2 that they will " ... change course, forming a new way for our congregations to relate." The group - all men and calling themselves "the Fellowship" - said they "are determined to get past rancorous, draining internal disputes that paralyze our common life and ministry. ... We hate the appearance of schism," they said, "but the PC(USA) is divided already." The complete Presbyterian News Service story can be found at "Ferment."
 PARSONS JOINS CALL FOR RESUMPTION OF PEACE PROCESS IN MIDDLE EAST:On Feb. 2, Churches for Middle East Peace issued a statement calling on the United States to not stand in the way of the resolution submitted by Lebanon to the United Nations Security Council seeking immediate resumption of peace talks between Israel and Palestine and a halt to settlement construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. CMEP - a coalition of 24 national church communions and faith-based organizations advocating for robust U.S. government policies to help end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - includes the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). General Assembly Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons was one of the signatories of the statement. The complete Presbyterian News Service story can be found at "Middle East."
PC(USA) MEMBERSHIP, CONGREGATIONS DECLINE AT DIFFERENT RATES: Both the number of members and the number of congregations in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have decreased over time, but at very different rates: In 2009 there were 10,657 congregations, a net drop of 1,005 (9 percent) from the 11,662 in existence at the denomination's founding in 1983. New congregations were added in each of the last 26 years, but in every year more were lost; the annual net loss averages 36. Over the same period, more members were lost than gained in every year, falling from 3,131,228 to 2,077,158, a decline of more than one million (34 percent). The complete "Go Figure" column can be found at "Declines."
OREGON CHURCH USES EXTRA SPACE TO HOUSE HOMELESS: Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Portland, Ore., has 38 members. The average age of congregants is 80. And until recently, the church had several unused Sunday school classrooms. But while these traits were once seen as weaknesses, members at Eastminster have begun to see them as strengths. In fact, it was these qualities that made the church a good fit for its new ministry: a warming center for homeless families in Portland. The complete Presbyterian News Service story can be found at "Homeless."
GAPJC REINSTATES 'NOT GUILTY' VERDICT IN SOUTHARD CASE: The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s highest court has reinstated a "not guilty" verdict on charges that Presbyterian minister Jean Southard violated the PC(USA) constitution and her ordination vows by conducting a same-gender marriage ceremony in Massachusetts after that state legalized gay marriage in 2008. In overturning a "guilty" verdict it said was mistakenly handed down by the Synod of the Northeast Permanent Judicial Commission on appeal of a "not guilty" verdict rendered earlier by Boston Presbytery's PJC, the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission ruled Feb. 8 that state laws like Massachusetts do not trump PC(USA) law - which defines marriage as between a man and a woman (W-4.9001) and that the liturgies for marriages and same-gender unions should not be confused or misconstrued. The complete Presbyterian News Service story can be found at "GAPJC."
DENOMINATIONS DISCUSS ROLE OF CHURCH IN CULTURE: In a different spin on the traditionally separate denominational lunches, attendees from the five partner denominations of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators annual event dined together Feb. 3. The focus of the lunch was a panel discussion on the relationship between church and culture, led by members of the Christian Reformed Church, the Moravian Church, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the Reformed Church in America. The complete Presbyterian News Service story can be found at "Culture." |
| And just one more | | | AND STILL MORE HUMOR FOR/FROM CHURCH: It's difficult to move away from a successful formula for attracting readership to "Just One More." Humor works. From a Web page titled "Random Church Humor," the editor of "Keeping in Touch" discovered this one under the heading, "Good News/Bad News for a Pastor:" Good News: Church attendance rose dramatically the last three weeks - Bad News: You were on vacation. More can be found at "Random Church Humor." |
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