God Calls

November 23, 2016
         707 Main St. - PO Box 225 - Rochester, IN 46975     
Phone: 574-223-5678     Fax: 888-215-6219   
www.ourpresbytery.org               
                 Office Hours:  Monday-Thursday 8-12 & 1-5 Closed Friday


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When I served in parish ministry, the Worship Committee would wrestle with its invitation to host a Thanksgiving Eve or Thanksgiving Day service.
Depending on the leadership, some would argue that it wasn't a liturgical holiday. Others wanted any chance to give thanks in a collective way.
The best occasions were ecumenical or interfaith occasions, where we shared different traditions and ways of offering our thanks.
 
This Sunday also marks the first Sunday of Advent, as we begin another journey to Bethlehem, where our hopes for a world that knows peace, whose rhetoric is love, and whose people are diverse, respected and beloved are all found wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
 
As you prepare for Thanksgiving and then Advent, whether in a congregational setting, around a table with loved ones, or simply in your own heart, know that I am holding you, the Presbytery of Wabash Valley, in my thankful prayers and in my prayers for wholeness, healing, restoration and resurrection in your lives, congregations, and communities.
 
May we strive, as brothers and sisters in faith to see, hear and respond to one another in love and compassion.
 
 
Traveling mercies,
 
Jennifer

Presbyteries Brings Relief to Kokomo
by Rev. Lyle Ewing, First PC Monticello &  CRE Jeff Brown, Faith PC Kokomo

 
On Saturday, November 5th, over 30 people from 5 churches in two presbyteries of the PCUSA joined together and offered their talents in helping two families with repairs due to damage from the August 23 tornado that swept through Kokomo and various other parts of the state.

The photos above show Wabash Valley members of Auburn Presbyterian Church, Faith Presbyterian Church Kokomo, First Presbyterian Church Monticello and Trinity Presbyterian Church West Lebanon and White Water Valley Presbytery members from The Korean Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis.
 
Half of the group worked on the home of a young single mother that had the shingles blown off her roof on one side of her house. The tornado also thought that her home needed extra decoration and added a tree limb through the roof and another through the side of her home. Both of these holes were patched, her home was repaired, some folks washed down her siding and others trimmed her hedges.
 
Another group worked at the house of a woman who had damage to her home and her sheds behind her home.  Since the damage to the roof of her home was extensive and would need several days to repair, we chose to make the needed repairs of OSB and roofing of her sheds. Another team cleaned the siding, which had extensive storm debris.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this day possible, Jeff Brown!


 
 
Nourished by the living waters of Jesus Christ, we awaken, enliven and enhance worshipping communities to courageously extend their branches and bear new fruit in the spirit.

-The Mission Statement of the Presbytery of Wabash Valley

PRAYERS of the PRESBYTERY
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Generous God, as we celebrate another Thanksgiving, we give you thanks for the gifts of memory and imagination. We remember the times that we have strayed from your path, and we thank you for the grace you showed us - in forgiving our disobedience, whether intentional or accidental, and welcoming us back into your fold. We can only imagine what our lives might be like without your grace and strength - "There, but for the grace of God, go I."

Compassionate God, as we gather at table tomorrow with family and friends, grant us patience and understanding with those who view the results of this country's recent presidential election differently. May your peace prevail in our hearts, in our homes, and on our cities' streets. Amen.      

Prayer provided by Rev. Paige Cantwell, Honorably Retired 

Please pray for....
  • Logansport, Bethlehem Presbyterian Church
  • The Rev. Jeff Carter, Hobart Presbyterian Church and families as they welcomed Obadiah Dietrich Carter into the family on Tuesday, November 15 and Julie Carter, wife of Rev. Jeff Carter as she recovers from a Friday, November 18 foot surgery.
  • The Rev. Jack Hess, Honorably Retired, as he continues to struggle with health concerns and as he adjusts to his move to Kokomo.
  • Peace, grace, and tolerance!
                                                                          AMEN! 

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Thank you for your ministry and your service...
  • November 23, 1986 - The Rev. Rebecca Kuiken, Elkhart First Presbyterian Church
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].

STAY CONNECTED


2017 PER CAPITA 
$39.76 total
General Assembly - $7.50 
Synod of Lincoln Trails - $3.81
Presbytery of Wabash Valley - $28.45

In This Issue
Save the Dates

2016 COUNCIL

Tuesday, December 6 - Rochester, Community PC

2017 COUNCIL

Tuesday, January 10
Valparaiso First PC

Tuesday, March 28, 2017
TBA

Tuesday, April 25, 2017
TBA

Tuesday, June 20, 2017
TBA

Tuesday, July 18, 2017
TBA

Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Peabody Retirement Community

Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Lafayette Bethany PC

Tuesday, December 19, 2017
TBA

If your congregation would like to host any one of the dates listed above TBA please contact [email protected] or call the PWV Office at 574-223-5678.


2017 ASSEMBLY

Saturday, February 25, 2017
Valparaiso First PC

Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Geneva Center

Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Peabody Retirement Community

Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Lafayette Bethany PC

Ministry Quick Links

PC(USA) RESOURCES

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New Advent Books
 from
Westminster John Knox Press

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Presbytery of Wabash Valley

Pulpit Supply List

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Presbytery of Wabash Valley
2016 Monthly Bible Study

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Alban Weekly Logo

What is innovation?
Innovation can be the small experiment, not just the "Big Thing"
Victoria Atkinson White


 
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Commissioned to Validated Ministry Available to
Serve Communion

Jill Kitowski
(219) 325-0039
 [email protected]

David Abbott
 (574) 234-2414  

Carrie Munson
(574) 721-5225  

 

Michael Shurn  

(574) 946-3851

  [email protected]

 


  • Have you felt called to grow in faith and service?
  • Have you considered ministry as a vocation?
  • Have you wondered about what it might mean to serve a congregation as a worship leader or as a Commissioned Ruling Elder?
If so, you may want to participate in an exciting education opportunity being renewed right now in the Presbytery of Wabash Valley.

Click here to learn more

 
Grace and Gratitude is the heartbeat of Reformed Christianity. God's grace is boundless and we find it all around us, and this inspires the only thing we have to offer; our gratitude. Thanksgiving, then, is a joyful opportunity for Christians to make known all the places and ways we have seen God's grace at work.

Even our gift-giving during the Christmas season might be shaped around our gratitude, as a parallel to God's gracious gift of Jesus Christ for which we are thankful. We offer gifts recognizing the gift we have already received. The Special Offerings provide several opportunities during this special time of year for gifts to be offered in gratitude for the grace we have received. Through the Presbyterian Giving Catalog, you can purchase alternative gifts for friends and loved ones that make a Big Impact in the world instead of battling the black Friday crowds. And the Christmas Joy Offering received during the Advent and Christmas season provides an opportunity to show our gratitude for our church leaders-past, present and future. Gifts to the Offering benefit the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions for church workers and their families who need critical financial assistance, and invests in the gifts of future leaders through the education and development of students at Presbyterian-related racial ethnic schools and colleges.

During this season, we hope you find much that you are grateful for. God has given so generously to us. It is our hope that the Special Offerings will provide you and your congregation ways to offer gifts of gratitude that make a difference for people with particular needs.

Blessings,

Bryce Wiebe
Director, Special Offerings

P.S. A special day to support Presbyterian Mission is planned for November 29. Plan now to participate on #GivingTuesday. The Christmas Joy Offering and Presbyterian Giving Catalog will be highlighted opportunities through the Presbyterian Mission Agency.

 
RETREATS
              WORKSHOPS
                                  WEBINARS
                                                AND EVENTS
Upcoming Events and Meetings
 
Monday, November 21 - Friday, November 25
PRESBYTERY OFFICE CLOSED

Thursday, November 24

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Wednesday, November 30
10 am - 2 pm - Coffee Office Hours with Jennifer at Temple News Agency ~ 816 Jefferson Ave. ~ La Porte, IN 46350 (map)
3 pm - Leadership Team Meeting - Presbytery of Wabash Valley ~ 707 Main St., Rochester (map)

Thursday, December 1
10 am - Commission on Preparation for Ministry - Bethlehem Presbyterian Church ~ 5588 N State Rd 25 ~ Logansport (map)
10 am - Commission on Ministry - Bethlehem Presbyterian Church ~ 5588 N State Rd 25 ~ Logansport (map)

Tuesday, December 6
10 am - Council Meeting - Community Presbyterian Church ~ 530 Jefferson St. ~ Rochester (map)

Thursday, December 8
10 am - Stewardship Ministry Team - Go-to-meeting

Tuesday, December 13
10 am - Confirmation Retreat Planning Team - Go-to-Meeting
10 am - Nominating Committee Meeting - Presbytery of Wabash Valley ~707 Main St. ~ Rochester (map)


 All meetings & events posted on the PWV Calendar are eastern time (EDT) unless noted otherwise. Please call 574-223-5678 or visit http://www.ourpresbytery.org/calendar.htm  for more information regarding meetings and events.
 
 
  
PWV presents a
Combined assembly meeting/Healthy Pastor-Congregations workshop
with Dr. Richard Blackburn

Saturday, February 25, 2017
                                   8:30 am Central Time Registration  stack_of_books.jpg
                               9am - 4pm Central Time
                              
10am - 5pm Eastern Time

                                      For more information, see lmpeacecenter.org

Four convenient sites:
Live at First Presbyterian Church of Valparaiso
Streaming at three additional sites:
First Presbyterian Church of Elkhart First
Presbyterian Church of Peru    Bethany Presbyterian Church of Lafayette

Center for Congregations

An Exciting Initiative to Link Congregations with Young Adults!
 
Please take note of an upcoming Major Grant Initiative that the Center for Congregations is offering this spring.  This is something YOU should know about!

This initiative offers  education, study groups, and an opportunity to apply for up to $30,000 in matching funds.  

This is a competitive grant, ideally suited for Presbyterian congregations.       
                                                                                                                                

November Coffee Office Hours with Jennifer...

Stop by and connect with Jennifer at convenient coffee shops all over the presbytery. heart_mocha_coffee.jpg
  • Wednesday, November 30: 10 am - 2 pm - Temple News Agency 816 Jefferson Ave., La Porte
 And know that you can always set another time to get together. Feel free to contact Jennifer at [email protected] or 574-653-1003.


Contact Information for Wabash Valley Officers, Staff and Consultant

Visioning Connecting Leader ~ TE Jennifer Burns Lewis ~ 574-653-1003
Stated Clerk ~ RE Linda Long ~ 219-926-7098
Presbytery Moderator ~ TE Sarah Sanderson-Doughty ~ 574-264-3109
Presbytery Vice-Moderator ~ CRE Rick Ryan ~  765-490-8971
Council Moderator ~ TE David Smook ~ 574-343-0568
Financial Consultant ~RE Eric Herzog ~ 317-361-2632
Administrative Assistant ~ RE Vicki Dreibelbis ~ 574-223-5678

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