Muskingum Valley Presbytery
Weekly Update

July 26, 2012

This week...
Upcoming Events
MVP News & Materials
Pleasant Hill Outdoor Camp
Camp Wakonda
Camp LiMRod
Open Position at JKPC
Debbie's Weekly Message
Holy Habit
Letter from the Stated Clerk
Summary Bulletin of GA
Disaster Training
Belize Mission 2013
Lay Ministry
Thank you!!
News You Can Use
Journey Java
Prayer Requests
Join Our Mailing List 
 

Upcoming Events 

Save the dates! 

    

Thursday,

August 23rd

 

9:30A - 3:30P

 

Incarnational Leadership: Seeking the Mind of Christ 

 

Location:

MVP Mission Center

  

Renew yourself and

connect with others as we reflect on what it means to lead through the cultivation of

emotional and

social intelligence.

 

This day

apart will

introduce leaders to practices that can help them

overcome the

cycles of stress,

sacrifice and

dissonance so

prevalent in ministry today.

 

 

Cost:

$15 per person

(includes
 
lunch/materials) 

 

 

 

To register:

Please send check, with name, address, phone and email contact information to:

 

Shauna Engeldinger

Muskingum Valley Presbytery

109 Stonecreek Road, NW

New Philadelphia,

OH 44663

 

------------- 

  

Saturday, September 29th

   

 

9:00A - 4:00P

 

Dr. Tony Campolo, morning speaker 

 

Topic: 

 Creation of Sustainable Communities

 

 

Followed by:

Stated Meeting of the Presbytery

   

 Location: 

 

Christ Presbyterian Church

  

 

 530 Tuscarawas Street W.

Canton, OH 44702

 

  

Sunday, September 30th

  

 

9:15A - 10:15A

Sunday School with Tony Campolo

 

10:30A - 11:30A

Worship

with Tony Campolo

 

 Location:

Christ Presbyterian Church

  

 

530 Tuscarawas Street W.

Canton, OH 44702

 

 --------------- 

 

 Questions?

 

Concerns? Corrections?

 

 

 

 Call or Email! 

800.693.1147

 330.339.5515 

 

 

 

Email Shauna 

 

  

 

 

MVP Office Hours:

 

Monday

thru 

Thursday

 

8:00A - 4:30P

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MVP News:

  

2012-2013 Presbyterian Planning Calendar 

Only a few left!

$9.00 each 

 

2011-2013
Book of Order
Please contact
Shauna today!
$9.00 each
    
2012 Mission Yearbooks are here!
Only a few left!
$12.00 each

 


  

 

  

Pleasant Hill Outdoor Camp is a traditional Christian summer camp. 

 

Comprised of 250 wooded acres and an 850 acre lake, days are filled with traditional camp activities led by counselors committed to helping your child grow socially, spiritually and physically.  PHOC, one great camp where kids are want to be.

 

 For more information, visit their website:

www.phoc.org

 

PHOC Camp Brochure

 

 

 

Camp Wakonda Invites your Child to the Best Week of the Summer!

 

Camp Wakonda, owned by Christ Presbyterian Church, offers camping opportunities for children in Kindergarten through 12th grade.

 

We feature a Christian curriculum, spectacular arts program, and outdoor adventure.

 

Our counselors are responsible, caring, talented, and well-trained.

Find our summer schedule, counselor bios,

and more at

www.wakondacamp.com


  

 

  

Rent Camp LiMRod for your church group or family event.

  

It is located on 162 acres near Alliance, Ohio.

 

It is equipped with:

- an inground pool;

- cabins with bunk beds;

- teepees with cots;

- a challenge course;

- climbing wall;

- zip line through the woods;

- kids' mini zip line;

- showerhouse;

- lodge with kitchen;

 - hiking trails;

and

- an archery range.

 

This is a ministry of First United Presbyterian Church of Alliance.

 

Contact the church office at 330-821-5340 to get an application to rent the Camp LiMRod property.

 

Camp LiMRod rentals flyer


  

 Open Position at  

John Knox Presbyterian Church

 

The Director of Children and Youth Ministries will provide dynamic leadership in growing a "Connect-Grow-Serve" ministry to Children and Youth by discipling our youth and equipping and coordinating staff, ministry teams, parents and congregation members at John Knox Church to provide meaningful and effective ministry for all those birth through High School ages and their families.

 

This is a full-time position.

 

Please pass this on to anyone you think might be interested.

 

Position Description - Director of Children and Youth Ministries (.PDF) 

 

Visit

www.jkpc.org

for more information.

 

 


  

  

The Power of Habits...

 

Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God.  Deuteronomy 8:11

 

I have come to the conclusion that I am an email junkie.  This is not an easy thing for me to admit.  But when I find myself checking emails before I've even done my morning devotions... screening them during meetings and even coffee with friends... ending my days not with Compline but with one final look, it is clear to me that Outlook has taken charge of my life.

 

Charles Duhigg explores how habits are developed in his book The Power of Habits.  He notes that every habit-good or bad-has a neurological loop, which consists of three parts: a cue, a routine, and a reward.  For example, Outlook "conveniently" provides a cue by popping up a notice every time a new email is received.  I have found that when I remember to turn off Outlook when I'm not using it that I'm not as easily distracted and indeed can work for several hours without the temptation to check what is coming in.  In changing the cue, I am able to change the routine and thereby receive the reward of uninterrupted work. 

 

Unfortunately, my habit of checking emails runs deeper than being distracted by Outlooks pop ups.   But Duhigg writes that we are not to lose faith when grappling with a habit that we want to change.   Rather, we are to study the components of our habit loops so that we might then look for ways to supplant old vices with new routines.

 

Neurological studies reveal that all habits are driven by cravings.  For me, part of the compulsion to regularly check emails is driven by the reality that I receive they add up rather quickly.  Yet the thing about emails is that they expand to fit the time.

 

If I'm honest, the root craving to check my emails is driven by a desire to connect.  In general this is a healthy thing.  Yet, I know that my relationship with God in Christ needs to come first... and informs my relationships with others.  And so, having identified the cue that triggers my compulsion, I now am working on developing a new routine that connects me at the beginning and end of each day with God through the daily office and journaling.  I garner your prayers-and give you permission to hold me accountable should you receive an email before 8am or after 9pm.

 

Habits are powerful.  But almost any behavior can be transformed once the neurological loop is identified.

 

Got any habits you want to change?

 

 

Debbie Rundlett, General Presbyter

 

 

 

 

Holy Habit: Naming the Power of Habits

 

Not all habits are holy.  Is there a habit that you've wanted to address, but found yourself unable to change?  Charles Duhigg in The Power of Habits recommends the following process:

 

1.      Identify the routine:

a.       What is the "cue" the triggers the habit?

b.      What is the routine?  What do you typically do in response to the "cue"?

c.       What is the reward?  An empty inbox?  Or an empty sense of accomplishment with a long "to do" list still awaiting you?  Ask yourself, what would you like to be the reward and then...

2.      Experiment with rewards. 

3.      Isolate the cue.

4.      Have a plan.

5.      Offer it to God in prayer.

 

As Duhigg notes, change is rarely quick and not easy.  But with time and effort any habit can be reshaped.

 

Source: The Power of Habits.

 

P.S. After writing this week's broadcast, Dick sent me the following link to an article in the NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/14/your-money/companies-see-benefit-of-time-away-from-mobile-devices.html?_r=1&emc=eta1   It seems, I'm not the only email junky.  

 

 

 

July 10, 2012

 

From the Stated Clerk

 

Two years ago, I was a commissioner to the 219th General Assembly which met in Minneapolis. I served on the committee that worked to study overtures and reports dealing with the Middle East. After several very full days, I joined our other MVP commissioners (John Bassman, Rick Nutt and Jim Spain) in the plenary sessions, where over 600 commissioners from around the country debated and voted on the recommendations from all of the committees.

 

I have just returned from Pittsburgh where the 220th General Assembly met for eight days. This time, however, I attended as a presbytery staff person and had neither voice nor vote at the committee meetings and the plenaries. While I missed the responsibility for studying and voting on the minor and major important issues I had as a commissioner, I enjoyed sitting in on many of the GA committee hearings and discussions, taking photographs and catching up with friends from Western New York.

 

Each General Assembly is grounded in worship. On Saturday, June 30th, outgoing Moderator Cindy Bolbach, though weakened by treatment for cancer, preached a powerful sermon using Mark 2:1-12 as the theme. In this story Jesus is in a house in Capernaum, teaching the overflow crowd who has heard of his power to cast out evil spirits and heal lepers. When four people bring a paralyzed man on his mat and cannot enter the house by the door, they dig a hole in the roof and lower the paralyzed man on his mat until he was before Jesus. Jesus commends their faith and tells the man that his sins are forgiven. When the scribes call this blasphemy, Jesus tells the man to stand up, take his mat and walk.

 

During the week, at Cindy's request, the other worship leaders provided their own interpretations of that Markan story and left me pondering the times when I have been, and continue to be, paralyzed by lack of trust, weakness and fear on my faith journey. We shared wonderful, new and long-beloved hymns from the sampler of "Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal" that will be available next fall.

 

We bemoan the graying of our denomination and long for a return to the days when our church pews and bible study classes for all ages were full. During this past week, I was very encouraged by the active and passionate participation of so many young adult advisory delegates and 30-something teaching and ruling elders from churches around the country in both the committees and plenary gathering.

 

Tempering my reaction to their presence, however, was what I felt was a palpable reluctance on the part of many adult commissioners to tackle head-on the difficult issues on which our denomination is so divided. Before the 221st General Assembly convenes in June 2014 in Detroit, Michigan, I sincerely hope we will respond to opportunities, as congregations and as a presbytery, to build trusting and compassionate relationships with each other so we can study these important issues with "...energy, intelligence, imagination and love..." as we come together to discern God's will.

 

 

 

 

 

Elder Paula G. Lane, Transitional Stated Clerk

 

 

 

Summary Bulletin of GA 2012 from The Presbyterian Outlook:

 

 

2012 Post - GA to Email (.PDF) - one side

 

 

2012 Post - GA for Printing (.PDF) - two sides 

 

 

Friends,

 

The Synod, along with the Presbytery of Detroit, will be offering Disaster Training on September 13 & 14, 2012. Below is information regarding this training and a registration form.  It is suggested that presbyteries send 3 to 5 representatives.

 

Presbyteries would pay for travel and overnight accommodations. However, if this becomes a burden, the synod has some extra funds to help with the accommodations. The synod will pay for catered meals.

 

If you have any questions please contact me.

 

Janet C. Fehlen

Executive Assistant

Synod of the Covenant

419-754-4050

 

Flyer Synod Disaster Training 9/13

 

PDA Registration

 

 

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

Since 2003 I have been involved in mission work in Belize, Central America. Over the years the mission groups I have been working with have built new homes, refurbished old homes, built bathroom facilities and playground equipment for schools as well as preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Most recently, in the past five years, Warsaw 1st Presbyterian Church has funded building projects in the San Narcisso RC School and has rewired one school building and built partitions to separate classrooms.

  

Each and every project has blessed the community of San Victor and San Narcisso in a powerful way. I have developed a relationship with Maestro Gregorio Moralez, principal of the San Narcisso Roman Catholic School. Each year, he and his staff help me to see where the needs of the school are most beneficial. In April of 2012, I went on a fact finding mission trip to the community of San Narcisso and met with Maestro Moralez to discuss the future of the school. Several needs have emerged as a result of that meeting: one need is that the new kindergarten class which began just two years ago is in need of a kitchen. The children have to go home to eat lunch, and for some families the work in their cane fields is more important, so some of the children will not make it back to school. Adjacent to the kindergarten building is a small building that needs refurbished that would provide a great kitchen area. The kitchen will provide cold storage of homemade lunches, tables and chairs for the students, and a clean up sink with lighting. The proposed goal of the Belize Mission 2013 document shows what it will take to provide for this need. The work will be done by parents of the children in the community.

  

The second need concerns the school library. We discovered that the library of the school is mostly in storage because the need for classroom space is at a premium. Only about 50% of the books are displayed in one portion of a classroom. It is difficult to send students to the library area because it interrupts the class that is using the room. Adjacent to the main school building is an area in which a library building could be placed. This will be the main focus of the 2013 mission trip. The building will have to be purchased ahead of time and placed on its foundation in time for the 2013 mission group to build shelving and catalog books. The proposed building will be constructed in the Ship Yard district of Belize by the Mennonite Community and traveled to San Narcisso RC School.

 

Also in the proposed goal document is a cost estimate for the library. Finally technology is a must for a community trying to raise the standard for the emerging workforce of the future. Many of you know that our children are born with a keyboard in their hands and a person that is proficient with a computer is more valuable in the workforce. The school has internet and a computer lab but much of the equipment is antiquated and needs replaced. Many of the computers are running Windows NT (2000) operating system. In late May, I received a donation to the Belize Mission project: 56 used computers and flat screen monitors. My son-in-law, Phil Wentworth is wading through the massive amount of equipment to build/refurbish at least 40 usable computers that are internet ready for the San Narcisso RC School. In order to get them to Belize, they will have to be shipped individually and I will be asking for donations for the shipping cost. This is exciting work for the Lord. This school of 300+ children will impact a community in a powerful way with these new innovations. In addition to the 2013 Mission trip we have several professional teachers who will be teaching seminars in various teaching techniques that are needed for the school. Seminars on Reading Comprehension, Special Education, Special Needs (ADHD) and Library Operations to name a few will help to make this school a powerful place of learning.  

 

For the 2013 Mission trip to be successful we need several commitments from you. We ask for your prayers, we are seeking a substantial amount of money and we need to ask God to provide. We need your financial support. The kitchen and library will not be built without many dollars, so I ask you to please prayerfully consider what you or your church could give. Finally, this mission trip may be what God is calling you to do in 2013. There is room for you on this trip and what you bring to the table. God has gifted you with many talents and they can be used to bless the people of Belize. Whatever God is calling you to do, please do it!

 

In Christ,

 

Pastor Tim Thomas

 

 

P.S. Gifts can be sent to: Warsaw 1st Presbyterian Church P.O. Box 193 Warsaw, Ohio 43844

 

Proposed Goals of Belize Mission Trip 2013 (.PDF)

Belize Mission Letter 2013 (.PDF)

 

 

 

Certificate in Lay Ministry (On Campus)
Sept. 2012-June 2013

The non-degree Whitworth Certificate in Lay Ministry Program is designed to help train, equip, and support men and women to serve more effectively as commissioned lay pastors, Christian-education directors, lay-ministry coordinators, youth leaders, church administrators, church elders and deacons, and church-office managers, as well as in a variety of other leadership positions in local congregations.
More...

 

Certificate in Lay Ministry (Online)
Oct. 2012-June 2013
 
Now offered online, the non-degree Whitworth Certificate in Lay Ministry Program is designed to meet the goals of the on-campus program (above) in a format that allows students both inside and outside the Spokane area to participate fully. Classes are held for nine months, from October to June.
More...

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the financial gifts from your presbytery and its congregations during the second quarter of 2012. Your gifts to the Presbyterian Mission Agency (formerly the General AssemblyMission Council) continue to make a difference regionally and around the world.

 

All of the gifts make an impact, it may be easier to see the work your directed and special offerings gifts are making. An example of the impact your Shared Mission dollarsmake comes through the Presbyterian Mission Agency'sNew Beginnings.Designed to work with churches in the latter stages of their life cycle,New Beginningsassesses both a congregation's strengths and the challenges it faces, as it seeks to engage in ministry that is not just surviving, but thriving. This assessment and follow-up training provide congregations a realistic picture of theirhealth, by looking at the resources they have for ministry, their demographic strengths, and their potential for change. The New Beginnings program is offered through the Evangelism and Church Growth mission area in partnership with local presbyteries.

               

"It's absolutely joyful, but scary, too," said Michael Davis, associate presbyter of congregational development for thePresbytery of Middle Tennessee. He was reflecting on the change happening in the congregation he serves.Glencliff Presbyterian, a congregation of fewer than 50, went through the program and decided to allocate a percentage of its resources to join a "parallel start" for a Hispanic new church development.

               

"We were in decline," says Davis. "God used 'New Beginnings' to help our congregation understand that our future as a Presbyterian church in this community would be throughministry to a different culture and generation of people."

               

Because of the gifts you forward to us and others like it the entire Presbyterian Church (USA) stands behind Michael and his congregation in a very concrete way. We valueyour continued support of the mission and ministry of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.

              

This is our second quarterly report of our receipts of Shared Mission, Directed Mission and Special Offerings from your presbytery and its congregations. We have added OtherGiving to this report at the request of several presbyteries. Other Giving includes: Extra Commitment Opportunities, Disaster Relief, Hunger, Mission Initiative, and Theological Education. Please review the attached report and compare it with your recordsfor mutual accountability.

               

If you have any questions about the numbers in the report please [email protected]. If you have suggestions that would help you in your work or improve the report, please don't hesitate to contact me.

 

Thank you for your mission and ministry,

Dave Crittenden

Director of Stewardship

502-569-5194 Office/502-554-6884 Cell

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

A full-time seminary student who is designated as a candidate for ordination or as an inquirer by a presbytery can enroll for healthcare coverage under the Medical Plan offered through the Benefits Plan of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The following information and resources will enable you to assist them with verifying eligibility and enrolling for coverage.

Enrollment Period: August 1-September 30

Seminary students can enroll for coverage under the Medical Plan between August 1 and September 30. However, if a student first enrolls at a seminary during the spring semester, he or she can enroll for coverage up to 30 days from the start of the semester. Exceptions will be made only within 30 days of a qualified life change event in which a spouse loses coverage, or within 30 days of a seminary student being initially classified as a "Candidate" or an "Inquirer."

Other than the noted exceptions, the Board will only accept enrollment applications postmarked within these open enrollment periods. Coverage begins the first of the month following the Board's receipt of the application and is not retroactive. A student may defer the effective date of coverage for up to one month, but the application still must be postmarked within the open enrollment period. 

To enroll in the Medical Plan, the student must provide the Board of Pensions with 

  • a completed Seminary Student Benefits Plan Membership Application;
  • written confirmation from a person authorized by the presbytery verifying that the student is a candidate for ordination or an inquirer;
  • written confirmation of full-time student status from the seminary; and
  • payment for the first month's dues.

Seminary Student Enrollment Packet

When a student requests an enrollment packet from the Board of Pensions, the Board mails 

If you have any questions about the medical coverage offered to qualified seminary students, please call the Board of Pensions at 800-773-7752 (800-PRESPLAN). You can also find information on the Board's website, pensions.org. 

 

Sincerely,

Gweneth Abrams
Manager, Special Programs 

 

 

  

Journey Java
 
Contact Jim Spain at [email protected] to order or for more information.

 

Journey Java Varieties:

"Cup of Excellence"

$16 per pound

"Fair Trade Organic" & All Other Regular Coffee

$12 per pound

"Fair Trade Organic" General Presbyter's Dark Roast Blend

$12 per pound

"Natural Process"

$10 per pound

"Decaffeinated"

$14 per pound

Varieties change on a regular basis due to harvesting dates in coffee producing countries!

Please give one weeks notice for roasting.

Fund raiser for churches available.
All proceeds support MVP mission!!

The Journey Java is a way to bring attention to the plight of the oppressed countries that withhold a fair wage to their employees for the sake of a larger profit. "Journeying with Jesus" coffee is to also help the good employers around the world that take an extra effort in the growth of "FINE" coffee with GREAT "cupping" qualities that honor our earth with organic farming while paying employees above poverty levels.

Journey Java also provides an income for mission within and designated by the Muskingum Valley Presbytery. Profits from the sale of this "FINE" coffee go to the mission of the Presbytery. 

 

 

  Prayer Requests:    

 

Prayer Update:

 Work began Monday, July 9th on the First Presbyterian Church of Cambridge, for Asbestos removal and clean up.  Prayers as the congregation lives into this new reality and discern God's call for their future. 

 

------------------------------------------------

   

Burnetta Armour of Millersburg First and Clark Community Church delivered a

healthy baby boy, last Thursday evening. His name is Collin James Armour. The entire family thanks you all for your continuous prayers.

  

  ------------------------------------------------ 

 

Craig Butler, Transitional Associate for Congregational Support for the Presbytery of WV has had major surgery and is now recovering.  He will be in the hospital for 7-10 days, then home recovering for approximately 6-8 weeks.  We ask that you keep Craig and his wife Caroline in your heart and prayers as he heals. 

  

Cards can be sent to:

Craig Butler

413 4th Street

Marietta, OH  45750

  

  ------------------------------------------------

 

Ellen Thomas of Westminister in New Concord had surgery two weeks after she fell and broke her foot in two places. She now has one plate and two screws in her leg and is healing well. We ask that you keep Ellen and Tim in your prayers as she heals.

 

------------------------------------------------

 

Please pray for Barbara Bartholomew as she is healing from her surgery on Tuesday, July 3rd to repair a torn quad muscle on her left knee. Two weeks ago on a beautiful summer evening, while walking her greyhounds, one of her greys pulled her off balance and she fell.  It will take about 3 months of healing and rehab. She would appreciate prayers as she undergoes surgery and the healing process.    

 

 ------------------------------------------------

 

If you or someone you know has a prayer request,

please send them to: Shauna at [email protected]

  

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journeying with Jesus to touch the world...
Empowered by the Spirit to:
Make Disciples, Nurture Our Faith, and Serve the Needs of the Community! 
 

Shauna Engeldinger, Administrative Assistant

  

Muskingum Valley Presbytery

109 Stonecreek Road NW

New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663  

330.339.5515

1.800.693.1147

Fax: 330.339.6225

 

 Visit our website: www.MVPJourney.org

 

Office hours

Monday - Thursday

8:00am to 4:30pm