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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Advent Prayers
The season of Advent invites us to watch and wait for the coming of the Christ Child.
We light candles, we make preparations, we have extra worship services, and we make a special effort to spend time with our whole church family, caroling, communing, and delighting in the excitement of children. Often, congregational leaders juggle responsibilities to congregation with celebrations with families. There's little time for quiet reflection when there's so much on our to do lists.
I pray that you will take some time, as soon as you can, to establish a little time for self-care and for personal devotions.
Poetry is a great place to find solace and a manageable pause. Do you know about The Writer's Almanac? Garrison Keillor offers a poem a day for our consideration. http://writersalmanac.org/ Another great source is Methodist minister Jan Richardson's blog, http://adventdoor.com/. Or check close to home. Your congregation likely has advent devotions, studies and suggestions in your church office or church library. Tap that resource!
Take a few moments for yourself in this busy season. Let your personal prayer time be the oxygen mask you put on yourself as you seek peace even as you care for others.
Traveling mercies,
Jennifer
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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
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PRAYERS of the PRESBYTERY
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God of the unexpected, we find ourselves full of expectations for the season just beginning. In the days ahead, we expect to be harried and hurried, to spend too much, to eat too much. But help us, O God, to replace those expectations with new ones - expectations of taking time to see and hear you in new ways, of giving more of ourselves to others instead of things, expectations of sharing with those less fortunate rather than buying more for those who already have more than they need. Lead us to recapture the true meaning of this Advent season, this season of expectation.
In memory of my mother (who, if she were alive, would turn 100 years old in December), I share her favorite Christmas poem as encouragement:
"Facing Christmas" by Grace Noll Crowell
I shall attend to my little errands of love early, this year, so that the brief days before Christmas may be unhampered and clear of the fever of hurry. The breathless rushing that I have known in the past shall not possess me. I shall be calm in my soul and ready at last for Christmas: "The Mass of the Christ." I shall kneel and call out his name; I shall take time to watch the beautiful light of a candle's flame; I shall have leisure - I shall go out alone from my roof and my door; I shall not miss the silver silence of stars as I have before; and, oh, perhaps - if I stand there very still, and very long - I shall hear what the clamor of living has kept from me: The Angel's song!
Amen and amen!
Prayer provided by Rev. Paige Cantwell, Honorably Retired
Please pray for.... - Ligonier Presbyterian Church
- The Rev. Chuck Compton and family as they travel to support their 100 year old mother who has suffered a stroke
- Water protectors at the Standing Rock Reservation
- RE Judy Friend, past COM, Council & Peru First PC member as she recovers from a knee injury
- The Rev. Jeff Deardorff who is in the hospital with an unknown infection.
- Rose Deardorff who is seeking medical care for pancreatitis and an ulcer.
- The Rev. Jack Hess, Honorably Retired, as he continues to struggle with health concerns.
- Peace, grace, and tolerance!
AMEN!
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 Regarding ruling elders: after session service
The congregation I serve has a lot of ruling elders, and at no time is this more evident than on Ordination and Installation Sunday. Nearly half of the congregation comes forward to join in the laying on of hands on new ruling elders. I love the fact that our church leadership have decades and decades worth of a cloud of witnesses standing there with them as they enter the ordained ministry.
Because our congregation of 500 members has such a significant percentage of ruling elders, it is important to find ways to engage them in the life and leadership of the church beyond their time on session. The old adage is true: once an elder, always an elder. Their collective voice matters as we move forward in ministry.
There are three specific ways that our congregation taps into their collective history and knowledge, and reinforces the truism that they remain important leaders of our church long after completing their term(s) on session. Continue Reading
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2017 PER CAPITA
$39.76 total
General Assembly - $7.50
Synod of Lincoln Trails - $3.81
Presbytery of Wabash Valley - $28.45
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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 vicki@ourpresbytery.org 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
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Ministry Quick Links
Small Church Residency Program
a YouTube webinar
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New Advent Books
from
Westminster John Knox Press
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Presbytery of Wabash Valley
Revised Pulpit Supply List
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Presbytery of Wabash Valley
2016 Monthly Bible Study
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A Struggling Texas Church is Slowly Rising Again
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Commissioned to Validated Ministry Available to
Serve Communion
Jill Kitowski
(219) 325-0039
jill2536@comcast.net
David Abbott
(574) 234-2414
Carrie Munson
(574) 721-5225 Michael Shurn (574) 946-3851 judge66@pulaskicounty.in.gov |
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New Session Members?
Encourage members of your congregation to be in the Presbytery know by signing up for God Calls. It is easy to sign-up! Go to www.ourpresbytery.org enter email address in Join Our eNewsletter List follow the instructions and your done. Or send name, congregation, city & contact information to vicki@ourpresbytery.org. |
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Keeping Faith
Tony DeLa Rosa, Interim Executive Director, Presbyterian Mission Agency
This edition of "Keeping Faith" features short video stories highlighting the longing, joy, and hope that are part of the Advent season.
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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
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- 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
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RETREATS
WORKSHOPS
WEBINARS
AND EVENTS
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Upcoming Events and Meetings
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Thursday, December 110 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
9:30 am - Special Called Assembly - Community Presbyterian ~ 530 Jefferson St. ~ Rochester ( map) Click Here to Register
10 am - Council Meeting - Community Presbyterian ~ 530 Jefferson St. ~ Rochester ( map) Thursday, December 810 am - Stewardship Ministry Team - Go-to-meeting 10 am - Coffee office hours - Dan Patch Cafe ~ 308 N Michigan St ~ Oxford ( map) Tuesday, December 1310 am - Confirmation Retreat Planning Team - Go-to-Meeting 10 am - Coffee office hours - The Electric Brew ~ 113 Lexington Ave ~ Elkhart ( map) POSTPONED - Nominating Committee Meeting Thursday, December 15 10 am - PWV Search Team - Valparaiso First ~ 3401 Valparaiso St ~ Valparaiso ( 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.
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 December coffee office hours: Thursday, December 8 - Dan Patch Café 308 N. Michigan St., Oxford ( map) Tuesday, December 13 - The Electric Brew 113 E Lexington Ave, Elkhart ( map) Wednesday, December 21 - Café 339 339 Main Street, Hobart ( map)
All coffee hours are 10 am-2 pm in the time zone in which the coffee house/restaurant is located.
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PWV presents a
Combined assembly meeting/Healthy Pastor-Congregations workshop
with Dr. Richard Blackburn
Saturday, February 25, 2017
8:30 am Central Time Registration 
9am - 4pm Central Time
10am - 5pm Eastern Time
For more information, see lmpeacecenter.orgFour 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
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Community and Digital Ministry in the 21st Century
Join Pastor and author Keith Anderson facilitates this workshop to lead you through a look at our changing religious and cultural landscape, particularly in regards to rising religious un-affiliation among young adults and advances in digital social media.
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Contact Information for Wabash Valley Officers, Staff and Consultant
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