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Meditations with Calvin
Commentary on John 1:4 - In him was life. He now attributes to [the Speech] the preservation of those things which had been created ... The Speech of God was not only the source of life to all the creatures, but his life-giving
power causes them to remain in their condition; for if it were not that
his continued inspiration gives vigour to the world, everything that
lives would be reduced to nothing.
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Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I
want to publicly thank you for your prayers, cards, emails, phone calls
and quiet thoughts of support as I underwent radiation treatment this
fall. Note the past tense! I finished my last treatment today, December
10th. Yeah!!! My side effects were troublesome the week after
Thanksgiving, but were addressed by my nurse and physician. I am now
done, and doing well, and I expect won't get worse at this point.
Praise God! I am told that the radiation will, however, linger in my
body for another month or so. So when I return to the office on January
4th, I should be nearing normal. I still don't know and won't know for
another couple of months if the treatment have been effective. I trust
that it is so. I do ask that your prayers now be directed toward the
effectiveness of the treatments with similar confident faith. Again, I
want to express my gratitude for your support, for the staff which has
covered for me, for the permission giving of the Staff Services and
Leadership Ministry Teams for this time of Sabbath.
One
of the task/movements of spiritual formation is "letting go." We can do
only so much. At the end of the day, at the end of the week, God gifts
is with rest. We surrender our efforts, laying down our burdens,
placing them in God's hands, trusting that the world will not come to
an end. Charles Olsen writes in his new book, "The Wisdom of the Seasons,"
that this same task is before us in Advent, Lent and Pre-Pentecost as
we watch and wait, alert for what God is going to do. So it is for me
more profoundly than normal this Advent season. I am learning to let
go. I already recognize and celebrate the goodness of God's presence
through you, the body of Christ for me. I watch and wait for what God
will be doing among us in the new year, and eagerly long to take hold
of that mission as God's servant, and your partner.
Advent Blessings,
John Best
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Pensions
Ministers and other
related to the Board of Pension and covered under the Benefits Plan of the PC (USA)
MUST be sure that they file any and all changes of compensation with the Board
on an annual basis. Failure to do so could cause a reduction of pension
benefits when that person retires. It is our understanding that there is no
provision for a person to go back and correct information on their records.
Church treasurers and business administrators
can now submit salary changes or confirm salaries online through a new
feature on Benefits Connect, the Board's secure benefits Web site.
Once a church treasurer or business
administrator registers on Benefits Connect, he or she will be granted
access to this new feature. Changing or confirming salaries will be
completed through an easy-to-follow online process.
To register, go to the Pensions.org homepage.
Under the Benefits Connect logo, click "Register." Then follow the
step-by-step instructions for creating your user profile and
establishing your password.
If you have questions about registering for
Benefits Connect or the new online salary change and confirmation
feature, please contact the Board at 800-773-7752 (800-PRESPLAN)
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Lectionary Discussions
The Shepherding Ministry Team is
considering starting an online discussion group based on the lectionary
readings for each Sunday. An initial article would be posted by noon on
Tuesday of each week and then those participating in the discussion could post
entries anytime during the week. The purpose of this group will be to "encourage
the sharing of ideas and deepen the understanding of the Scripture readings for
each Sunday." If you are interested in participating in this group
please e-mail Paul Tomlinson at the Cadillac church at presbypastor55@sbcglobal.net.
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Synod Grants Received
Our presbytery received 5 grants from the Synod of the Covenant. Read about these ministries and all awarded ministries by clicking here: Faith and Life Lecture
First Presbyterian-Kalamazoo
Global Hosanna Fellowship
Refuge High School Equivalency
United Campus Ministry-Western Michigan
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 Twilight Study for Youth
The Institute for Youth
Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary's most recent Youth Church &
Culture podcast is about the Twilight series. It features Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) pastor and The Thoughtful Christian.com study author Katie
Douglass. Katie wrote a Twilight study for Youth, Adults and Parents of
Teenagers. To listen to this interview, click here. |
Youth Triennium
By now we hope that you have heard about Triennium, the upcoming
gathering of PCUSA youth, which will take place next summer at Purdue
University. Our Presbytery has made a significant commitment to send a
large delegation by offering funding in three ways. First,
transportation cost for 48 youth and 6 adult leaders will be covered.
Secondly, the Presbytery will pay 1/3 of the $409 registration fee for
the first 40 youth that commit in the form of a down payment and
completed application by January 15, 2010. Thirdly, the Presbytery will
cover the entire registration fee for the adult leaders. For more information, click here. Applications are available in pdf, Word 2003 and/or Word 2007 formats. Click here to view options |
CONNECTIONAL and CONNECTED!
Thanks to technology we have the ability to not only be a
connectional denomination, but also to be connected! The staff of the
Presbytery of Lake Michigan wants to ensure that members in every
congregation are included when we send out news about the things you need to know. We especially want
to reach out to the leaders in the congregations -- pastors, elders and
deacons, key office personnel, Christian Educators, Clerks of Session and Treasurers often
need to receive directed communications. Please say "YES" when invited
to be on our "Constant Contact" lists! Our lists are private, never
shared, and you will notice with "Constant Contact" that there is no
lengthy list of other email addresses when you receive something from
the presbytery.
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About Us
Presbytery of Lake Michigan is a middle governing body of the Presbyterian Church (USA) serving over 70 churches . If you wish to have something included in the newsletter, please read our Electronic Communication Policy then use our online form. Deadline for this newsletter is the 12th and 27th of each month.
Presbytery of Lake Michigan
1511 Helen Avenue
Portage, Michigan 49002
888.271.6567
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A Season of Giving
It has been a tradition with the presbytery staff to support a mission as part of their Christmas celebration. This year the presbytery staff has chosen to contribute to the "Presbytery of South Louisiana" for it's "Homes for Christmas" project. Click here to learn more.
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Reminder
Per Capita due January 19, 2010 and the Declaration of Intent due January 19, 2010.
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Cherry Valley NCD
Please celebrate with us the ministry that has taken place in Caledonia
MI with Cherry Valley over the past 5 years by viewing this video (click here). Final worship service is scheduled for Dec 27, 2009 at 10:30. Some furniture and equipment
from Cherry Valley will be made available to Presbytery churches
beginning in January. A list of items will be sent out on January 15,
2009. Congregations will be invited to send the New Communities of
Faith Committee a letter of application for any of these items.
Instructions for the application letters will be included in the
listing on January 15. Letters will be due in the Presbytery office, by
email or regular mail, no later than February 15, 2009. The letters
will be reviewed by New Communities of Faith. |
Coaching Skills Training
24 hour workshop, January 20-21, 2010 Click here for more information |
Snow-Fest is Coming!!!
January 15-17, 2010 First Presbyterian Church, Cadillac Download flyer - Skiing (cross-country & downhill)
- Snowboarding
- Swimming
All
Presbytery of Lake Michigan youth and adult leaders are invited to come
for a week-end of fellowship, FUN and growing in the faith. Contact Don Phillips (
presbyeducator@sbcglobal.net ) |
Link2Lead Brown Bag, Wed Dec 16, 12:30!
Pack your lunch and head over to the presbytery office to learn about Link2Lead, a FREE online tool for all Presbytery of Lake Michigan churches! Can't make it to the office on Wed? Contact Jane McGookey, news@lakemichiganpresbytery.org 616-822-3202, to find out how you can participate remotely!
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Communication Corner:
Sign up for our Brown Bag learning opportunities at the presbytery office:
- Jan 11, Making websites using Wordpress
- Feb (Location?)- Skype & web conferencing
Do you have something you want to learn or share? Would you like to host a brown bag for your region of the Presbytery? Contact Jane at news@lakemichiganpresbytery.org
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Communication Teams:
Look for a special newsletter dedicated entirely to outreach communication!
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 Are you on Facebook? Join our Group!
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