Presbytery of Wabash Valley
Office Hours: 8 - 4 Monday - Friday
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February 4, 2015
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Passage to Ponder... Luke 15:20 (NRSV)So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.
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from the Office of the General Assembly Mid Council Ministries
Just before Christmas, the Pope blasted the leadership of his church, naming fifteen issues that are difficulties at the heart of their life together. As I read his list, I thought about how these might apply to the PC(USA) at any level. Look at them and see if any of these sound familiar in your own ministry or among the leadership of the mid council you serve. If you see yourself in this mirror, how will you address these issues for yourself and your leadership in 2015? (And remember, if you decide to bring them up, it is a lot easier to dismiss a presbytery or synod leader than it is to dismiss a Pope who names hard truths, so tread carefully!) - Feeling immortal, immune, or indispensable.
- Working too hard.
- Letting yourself become spiritually or mentally hardened.
- Planning too much (and never actually doing anything).
- Working without coordination among the various parts of the organization.
- Having "Spiritual Alzheimer's," which he defined as forgetting our initial encounter with Christ.
- Being rivals with other leaders or being boastful.
- Exhibiting existential schizophrenia, by which he meant abandoning the pastoral ministry for pure bureaucracy.
- Gossiping.
- Glorifying one's bosses. (There is a less glamorous term for this that involves a color and a part of your face.)
- Being indifferent to others.
- Showing funereal face-again, he said this is the opposite of the way we should look as Christian leaders, which is polite, serene, enthusiastic, happy, and transmitting joy.
- Wanting more.
- Forming closed circles that seek to be stronger than the whole (as in, "our particular part of the church is the only one that really works").
- Seeking worldly profit and showing off.
After writing the list, I was going to go back and then say "I see myself in nine of them or twelve of them" or whatever. But, as I review them, I would have to say that there have been times in my administrative ministry when all of those things have been true of me. Perhaps you are in the same boat. Maybe the best we can do as we work through the first part of 2015 and move toward Lent and Easter is to identify one or two of these things that we will strive to lay aside, at least for a season, and see what difference it might make as we do our work. Will people notice? Only time will tell. |
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Save the Dates
2015 COUNCIL March 17 April 14 June 23
2015 ASSEMBLY February 24 May 19 September 18-19 November 17
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PRAYERS of the PRESBYTERY
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God we acknowledge the treasured people in our lives: the friends, the colleagues, the family and the frequent strangers. Thank you for their presence and their contributions to our lives, may we treat each as a blessing.
Please lift those listed below in prayer:
- Rev. Sally Wicks, The Presbyterian Church of La Porte, who is having surgery on Friday, February 6th.
- Lori Gibson, Geneva Center kitchen staff, whose mother has just entered hospice care.
- Bruce McVay brother of CRE Jene McVay, Crawfordsville, Milligan Memorial Presbyterian Church, who has been diagnosed with brain & kidney cancer.
- Rev. Jack Hess, Honorably Retired, as he continues medical care for multiple health concerns.
- Rev. Frank Vardeman, General Presbyter and family as Frank recovers from ongoing medical concerns.
- All of our Mission co-workers
We pray for and with Oxford Federated Church who has faithfully served their community and followed you Lord since July 1976.
In your name we pray. Amen.
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Thank you for your ministry and your service...
- February 10, 1990 - Rev. Mary Ann Banning, Flora Presbyterian Church
- February 11, 1990 - Rev. Pat Kuhs, Honorably Retired
If you have been omitted or your information is incorrect please accept my apology. Help to update our records by sending your current information to [email protected].
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Presbytery Council Ideas on Traditioning
At its January 20 meeting the Council of the Presbytery of Wabash Valley discussed the need for us to be much more intentional about passing on the Reformed Tradition, of which Presbyterians are a part. We discussed the fact that more than 60% of our current members nationally grew up in other traditions, and don't necessarily know what many of us have often assumed. We also noted that many people no longer subscribe to denominational publications, where several of us as we matured picked up important clues about what it meant to be Presbyterian.
Council members identified these things as parts of our tradition which they cherish:
--that we are a connectional church, beholden to each other
--that we make our decisions as a body; we are convinced that as a
group we may discern the will of the Holy Spirit
--that we have the right to our own conscience, and we are allowed to
have disagreements within the church
--that we agree to accept, and live with, a diversity of opinion,
remembering that our unifying factor is Jesus Christ and his table
--that our tradition and polity, while not perfect, are holy and inspired
things
We concluded that we must be clear about what it means to be Presbyterian and how to articulate that identity to our churches and members. We want to develop some actual plans to help us move forward in times of crisis. Toward that end, we came up with several suggestions:
- A discussion, "What it Means to Be Presbyterian" will be a first step, at the February 10 gathering.
- The Presbytery Facebook page could be a vehicle for conveying our own self-definition as Reformed and Presbyterian.
- God Calls can be an appropriate means for sharing with the entire Presbytery what it means to be Presbyterian.
- We could have a blog section on our website where people are invited to ask questions about Presbyterianism, and different people can write answers, and we can utilize new technology for communication about who and what we are.
- We could encourage individual congregations to put on their websites information about being Presbyterian, what we believe, and so on.
- Children's messages on Sunday can be used as an opportunity to talk about specific Presbyterian beliefs, worship practices-i.e, why we light candles on Sunday morning, have a call to worship, have a prayer of confession, assurance of pardon, affirmation of faith, etc.
- Churches need to add specific information about what it means to be Presbyterian to their bulletins.
- We can encourage churches to have 3 issues of Presbyterians Today sent to their members, in the hopes some would subscribe on their own.
- Worship notes can go in church bulletins on the Lord's Supper, baptism. See the Companion to the Book of Common Worship and on-line resource.
- A List Serve discussion could be convened around a series of questions about the Reformed Tradition and a discussion site could be developed where any member of the presbytery could ask any question he/she wanted, and different people could respond.
This list is not exhaustive, of course. I would welcome other suggestions about how we might be more intentional in passing on our tradition. Please let me know if you have tried any of these suggestions in your churches already, and what sort of response you have gotten.
Thanks for your continuing partnership in the gospel of Jesus Christ and in the communion of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Jeff Cover, Council moderator
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Stats are like a family snapshot...
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Did you know that the stats for your church are posted on the pcusa.org website? They may be up-to-date, or obsolete by years - check them out!
On the landing page, use the "Find a congregation" window to enter your church's zip code or city and state. You will see a map with your church and others nearby. Click on "details" and you will focus on information for your church, plus "View statistics and records for this congregation." There is your public "snapshot," as well as an "Online Version" link that will give a graphic overview.
Gathering stats to share with our connected church - Presbytery and PC(USA) - is an annual routine, but most importantly, an opportunity to reflect upon who you are as a congregation, and collectively, who we are in northern Indiana as a collection of PC(USA) congregations who can work together. Stats can be a downer, if the trend lines are falling off to the right - or encouraging for the vitality our numbers paint, large or small - or invite efforts to identify ways to strengthen relationships and worship with neighboring congregations, or to partner in community mission projects, or to share stories of mission work we support in the Middle East or Africa or South America or progress toward 1001 new worshipping communities.
Take time to gather an accurate statistical snapshot of your congregation. Your session administers the membership records of the congregation; your Clerk records that data at http://oga.pcusa.org/section/churchwide-ministries/stats/ Then reflect upon what to celebrate, what to mourn, and what new ways to envision being the hands and feet of Christ this year and next. Yes, your congregation needs realistic numbers to plan your budget, just like presbytery needs to know accurate, active memberships when rethinking purposes and resources for supporting congregations, pastors, ruling elders, Christian educators and others engaged daily in ministry. Living and worshiping as the church of Christ is the point-stats are just an administrative tool, but an important one.
Thank you! As of this morning, 26 of Wabash Valley congregations have recorded their stats. Thursday, February 19, 2015, is the last day the statistical entry option will be available to churches Remember-the computer system tends to slow down toward the deadline as more folks pile on to make entries; earlier is better. If you miss that date, the last day to get your information to [email protected] is Monday, March 2, 2015.
Linda L. Long, Stated Clerk
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Introduction to Strategic Planning
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Strategic Planning is a process by which pertinent questions are addressed and a careful plan is developed to move a congregation in the direction of spiritual growth. This luncheon workshop is an introduction to strategic planning for congregational leaders and members. Participants will learn about strategic planning as a living document that outlines the congregation's mission, vision and long-range view for future growth and development. Falicia Brewer, a leader in organizational development, facilitates this luncheon workshop.
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Office of Public Witness Director Meets with United States Embassy Officials in South Sudan
The Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson returned this past weekend from ten days in South Sudan. While there, he investigated ways that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness (OPW) can better partner with World Mission to more effectively engage partner churches and organizations, mission co-workers, and other personnel, for more effective justice advocacy. Continue Reading
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Upcoming Events and Meetings
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Severe Weather Policy
The PWV office follows the Rochester Community School Corporation's weather delay and/or cancellation decision. Voice mail at the office will include the status of meetings scheduled. To confirm meeting status don't hesitate to call 574-223-5678.
Thursday, February 510 am - Commission on Ministry 10 am - Commission on Preparation for Ministry Friday, February 6 - Sunday, February 86:30 pm - Confirmation Retreat Tuesday, February 1010 am - Presbytery Wide Conversation Thursday, February 122 pm (est)/1 pm (cst) - Property Committee - The Presbyterian Church of La Porte (map)Monday, February 16Presidents' Day - Presbytery Office Closed Thursday, February 1910 am - Commission on Ministry (Go-To-Meeting)
All meetings & events posted on the PWV Calendar are eastern time (ET) unless noted otherwise. Please visit http://www.ourpresbytery.org/calendar.htm for more information regarding meetings and events or call 574-223-5678.
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Every week, we publish this eNewsletter to hundreds of Wabash Valley and PC(USA) members and also post online! The Church Relations Coordinator accepts articles for entry and is actively seeking new and original content sharing how your congregation is engaged in ministry. We would especially like to share photo's and stories of your confirmands, new members, VBS, mission trips and other special ministries that are occurring in your congregation and community. Please forward your stories and photos to [email protected], due each Friday.
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Presbytery of Wabash Valley & Geneva Center Contact InformationFinancial Consultant ~ Eric Herzog ~ 574-223-5678 ext 105 Geneva Center Manager ~ Cathy Adley ~ 574-223-6915 ext 200 Geneva Center Maintenance Director ~ Jeff Winegardener ~ 574-223-6915 ext 204
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Nourished by the living waters of Jesus Christ,
we awaken, enliven and enhance worshiping communities
to courageously extend their branches
and bear new fruit in the Spirit.
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