April 24, 2014 

 

   



Our Mission Statement
We, the Synod of the Covenant,
in partnership with
our presbyteries, congregations, the General Assembly
and other faith communions,
are called and sent by God
to be a living, active and inclusive witness
to the love of Christ  
In This Issue
To My Fellow Rebels...
Multicultural Youth Conference
Easter Greeting from Near East School of Theology
MHF Volunteer Meeting
Racial Ethnic Scholarships
221st General Assembly
Seminario de Desarrollo Pastoral Hispano

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2014 GATHERING
July 18-19, 2014
 

 Presbyterian

News 

A new Noah  Congregation plans celebration of its environmental efforts

A church without walls (literally)

J. Herbert Nelson to speak at National Black Presbyterian Caucus GA dinner

  

WCC member church in Kenya ordains the Rev. Dawn Gikandi 

Novel set in the Civil War wins First Book Award

  

'Interesting times'

He doesn't just listen to the Sunday sermon; he draws it

 Religious leaders release Easter statement to end war on drugs and mass incarceration 

Running the race that is set before us

500 global groups push SEC on transparency rules 

POAMN
Newsletter
and 
2014 ARMSS/POAMN
ConferenceRegistraton

Youth Mission Blast!
The 2014 YOUTH MISSION BLAST
WELCOMES 221ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Abounding in Hope

Ohio Council of Churches
ohio council of churches
Presbyteries
Lake Michigan

Western Reserve
Synod Assemblies for 2014

 

 

August 8 & 9

Muskingum University

New Concord OH

 

November 7 & 8

Synod Offices

Maumee OH

 

Other LInks
To My Fellow Rebels, I Wish You a HAPPY EASTER!

We are used to greeting and wishing one another "Happy Easter" and "Merry Christmas" depending on the season, but are we aware or oblivious to the true meaning of Easter?

To the Church, Easter is the celebration of the Resurrection Day of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ whom the Empire and Temple crucified but God resurrected on the third day. Easter in essence is a celebration of deliverance and everlasting life, it is a testimony of vindication, and of decisive victory of righteousness over evil. Easter is the successful conclusion and deserved victory after apparent defeat, life after and beyond death. Easter is precious because it is the divine intervention in the affairs of a bloody empire and the corrupt Temple, though such an overdue intervention follows suffering, sacrifice, and total submission to God's will.

In the fog of our celebration and worship extravaganza, it is easy to miss the central truth in the Easter story that Jesus was actually charged with sedition and condemned for treason, a charge, the New Testament informs us, he did not deny. It is obvious that on several occasions that the Sanhedrin, the Temple, the Teachers of the Law, the crowds, even his own disciples did not comprehend the mystery of Christ and of the coming of the Kingdom of God. Even then, hardly anyone comprehended the meaning and relevance of Jesus and his mission, or the events that unfolded during the Holy Week that led to the crucifixion and death, and eventually to the resurrection. Witness to the resurrection of Jesus the Christ is a witness to the vindication and righteousness of Jesus as it was God, the Creator and Redeemer, who raised Jesus up from among the dead on the third day.

For Christians, followers of the crucified and resurrected Lord, suffering and sacrifice are not optional in the witness protection/preparation program the Bible calls Church, the body of Christ. In the Bible, the words translated from Greek to English as "witness" and "martyr" is in fact the very same word (μάρτυς from μάρτυρ that is martyr). We are clear on what the word "martyr" means, it refers to someone who suffers persecution and death for his/her testimony or belief, but we are often unaware of our role and expectations as disciples of Jesus as we are witnesses to the birth, life, teachings, suffering, sacrifice, death, and the resurrection of Jesus. A quick search of the word witness or martyr will point to the adverb "willingly" in the description or definition. Which is also true for the disciples of Jesus, ancient, present, and future, we are either willing martyrs/witnesses or we are not counted as followers/disciples of Jesus. We cannot bear witness only to the end of the story by celebrating the resurrection, or to the righteous and just vindication of Jesus without the unjust suffering that preceded the vindication.

Hence, to greet or wish someone "Happy Easter" which also means "Happy Resurrection Day" is akin to a secret handshake among fellow conspirators, it is to confess or proclaim God's mission, to attesting to its meaning or purpose. How the death of Jesus, including his triumphal entry to Jerusalem, the Last Supper, the betrayal (plot), the Temple and the Palace trials (hearings), the charge, and the sentencing of a marginalized Palestinian Jew led to his resurrection. Since Easter cannot be understood without the Cross, the hallmark of discipleship for Jesus' disciples, ancient, modern, and post-modern, then wishing a Happy Easter is the greeting for sojourners who are on their way to the Cross each carrying her/his cross and following in the footsteps of Jesus.

In essence, two realities, an unconditional submission to the will of God and a non-violent resistance to the World and its empires, shape the life journey of every disciple of Jesus that will culminate in the resurrection. Disciples who look, sound, and act like Jesus must be heading the same one-way to the cross. By calling, all disciples of Jesus are co-conspirators in the insurrection against evil and over death however manifested in their generation. Disciples are guilty by association and summarily convicted of treason for helping to transform societies and healing our broken world. Therefore, as we meet again in courtrooms and various neighborhoods and community battlegrounds, and until sin and evil are overcome with righteousness and love, my fellow rebels I wish you a very "Happy Easter". 

 

Grace,

Raafat Zaki
Synod Executive 

MULTICULTURAL YOUTH CONFERENCE 2014

 
Easter Greetings
purple cross

Dear Friends, 

  

The students, faculty and staff of the Near East School of Theology would like to wish you a Happy Easter. We celebrate Christ's Resurrection this year again under the heavy shadows of continued violence, displacement and death in neighboring Syria. Especially painful and sad during Lent was the murder of a 75-year old Dutch Jesuit priest in the city of Homs. Father Frans Van Der Lugt spent the last 48 years of his life in Syria serving its people, but he was brutally killed on April 7, 2014 by two bullets to the head. He had stayed behind in the besieged quarter of Homs, refusing to leave as long as there were Christians under his care. He was a man who believed in Christ's infinite love for people and in Christ's life-giving power, and so he was not afraid of death. He was a true believer in the Resurrection! His last public words inspire us, give us guidance and illuminate the true meaning of Holy Week and Easter:

 

"The Syrian people have given me so much, so much kindness, inspiration and everything they have. If the Syrian people are suffering now, I want to share their pain and their difficulties... I don't see Muslims or Christians, I see, above all, human beings (who) hunger to lead a normal life. How can I leave? This is impossible."

 

Christ is Risen!  

George Sabra 
President 
Professor of Systematic Theology 
Near East School of Theology

MHF Volunteer Meeting

On Saturday April 12, 2014 the Synod held its first Health Fair Coordinators, Team Members and Volunteer meeting to share information, learn other practices around the Synod and to connect our Synod in a new way. Highlighted in this first meeting were the Detroit Presbytery Hands On Mission, Second Mile Center and Kimo Kim. The Hands On Mission coordinates a large number of fairs throughout the summer. Second Mile Center hosts yearly fairs with attendance over 200 people consistently. Kimo Kim organizes a group of physicians that travel to most of the Michigan fairs to provide exit interviews and some additional services after the fairs. For more information about the Mobile Health Fair, the 2014 Health Fair Season, and how you can be a part of this ministry of the Synod, please contact Doris Evans, Synod Program Coordinator at d.evans@synodofthecovenant.org  

 


 

Racial Ethnic Scholarships

For college, university and seminary students who are . . .

  • Minority persons
  • Members of a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregation within the bounds of the Synod of the Covenant
  • In good academic standing

Source of Funds: Annual mission giving to the Synod

Guidelines

  • Scholarships are for one year
  • May apply for a second year
  • Demonstrated financial need
Guidelines and Application
221st General Assembly (2014)  JUNE 14 - 21, 2014

Committee on Local Arrangements (COLA)

DETROIT, MI

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) meets biennially in even-numbered years. It consists of commissioners elected by each of its 173 presbyteries. The GA is full of activities: business sessions, committee meetings, an exhibit hall, daily worship services, and mission tours sponsored by the  Committee on Local Arrangements. 

 

The assembly acts on hundreds of items of business, which it receives through the reports and recommendations of various assembly entities, and through overtures from synods and presbyteries.

 

The 221st General Assembly (2014) will be held in Detroit, Michigan -  June 14 - 21.

 

More information     Watch Video-WHY DETROIT?

Detroit Presbytery

Seminario de Desarrollo Pastoral Hispano