Muskingum Valley Presbytery
MVP Mission Update

January 23, 2014

Join Our Mailing List 
This week...
Save the Dates!
MVP News & Materials
Entering the Mess
Where are the 2014 Updated Forms?
2013 Session Statistical Report
Presbytery Bulletin Board
Prayer Requests/Updates

Save the Dates

 

Thursday

February 20, 2014

10 am - 4 pm

 

Beyond Interpersonal Mush to Clarity:

Caring, Passion and Compassion in Ministry

Workshop

 

MVP Mission Center

109 Stonecreek Rd NW

New Philadephia, OH 44663

Cost: $10 

for materials

 

RSVP by Feb. 13 to Candice

 

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

 

Tuesday

February 25, 2014

9:30 am - 4 pm

 

Stated Meeting:

The Presbytery Gathers for Worship and Business

  

Wooster First Presbyterian Church

621 College Avenue

Wooster, OH 44691

 

Cost: $10 for lunch

RSVP to Candice

 

Registration begins at 9:30 am 

 

Worship begins at 10:00 am

 

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

  
 
Questions?
Comments?
Corrections?

  

800.693.1147
330.339.5515

 

  

MVP Office 
Hours: 
Monday through Thursday
8:00A - 4:30P

MVP News:

 

2014 Mission Yearbooks  
are now on sale 
$15.00 each
 
 
 
Per Capita 2014
GA
 7.02
Synod 3.25
Presbytery18.36
Total
28.63
   
Beyond Interpersonal Mush to Clarity:
Caring, Passion and Compassion in Ministry

  

Taking the time every so often to have a learning conversation and clear out the mush is essential to sustaining effective partnership.  Gervase Bushe, Clear Leadership

 

Interpersonal mush.  We have all experienced it at one time or another--those times when dynamic ministry stalls out in the onslaught of solving problems, dealing with conflicts, juggling demands, communicating within and without the congregation, budgeting, and on the list goes.   In such times, leaders need "learning conversations" that move them from interpersonal mush to clarity. 

 

This workshop offers leaders a method for how to clear out the mush: at home, at church, in the whole of your life.  Using a model called Clear Leadership, developed by Gervaise Bushe, you will be invited to work on differentiation of self as you explore four elements of experience: 
  • The Aware Self: Knowing Your Experience Moment to Moment;
  • The Descriptive Self: Reducing Mush by Making Me Understand You;
  • The Curious Self: Uncovering Other People's Experience;
  • The Appreciative Self: Creating Spirals of Positive Partnership. 

This workshop will incorporate drama, self-reflection, practice, and play in the development of skills that create authentic, collaborative work places.  It will provide a model for use with sessions, ministry teams, and staff.  So come ready to be honest with yourself and others, curious, and open to releasing the best in yourself and your leaders.  Come ready to have a learning conversation that will move you and your congregation beyond interpersonal mush to clarity, creating caring, passion and compassion in ministry.

  

Event Details

  • Date: February 20 from 9:30-11:30am
  • Where: MVP Mission Center (109 Stonecreek Road, NW, New Philadelphia)
  • The Leaders: Kim Dorniden, Leadership Development, Mid Ohio Foodbank & Debbie Rundlett, general presbyter
  • Cost: $10 per person for materials
  • RSVP by February 13: [email protected] 
 
With blessing!

 

Debbie Rundlett

General Presbyter 

 

 

Holy Habit: Listening

 

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak.  James 1:19a

 

The Apostle James exhorts us to be quick to listen.  The challenge, of course, is how we listen.  Entering into a conversation with an appreciative mind-set directs the course we take both in entering the conversation and its outcome.  Ponder a difficult conversation that you've been needing to have.  Use the outline below to "coach" you through an appreciative way of listening to a brother or sister in Christ. 

 

From a Deficit Mindset to an Appreciative Mindset

Deficit Mindset

Appreciative Mindset

What you don't like?

What do you like?

How are you thinking about this as a problem to fix?

Identify what you want more of out of this relationship.

What are you doing that maintains a deficit pattern?

How can you take responsibility for your experience?

Over focus on the other person.

Focus on the possibilities, offering to God thanks for the ways in which the Spirit is moving in your relationship.

 


 

 

2014 Prayer Partners are now available, AND 

New Year Packets Arriving at a Mailbox Near You!

from Candice McMath 


The 2014 Prayer Partners list is now available! It will also be posted on the MVP Website.

It is also time to update your church directory information and submit the 2013 necrology report.  Both of these items will be mailed to the church offices within the next week.  Please return them to the Mission Center by February 15, 2014 so that we can prepare an updated directory for the Stated Meeting on February 25.

Also, don't forget that the Annual Terms of Call are due to the Mission Center by February 15 as well.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me at the Mission Center by calling 330-339-5515 or emailing at [email protected].
 

"Believing Out Loud: Finding Your Preaching Voice" training for Lay Preachers coming soon!

 

"How can they call on him unless they believe in him? How can they believe in him unless they hear about him? How can they hear about him unless someone preaches to them?" 

(Romans 10:14 NIRV)

 

Save the date! 

On March 15, 2014, we will be offering "Believing Out Loud: Finding Your Preaching Voice," a one-day training session at the Mission Center for lay people who might serve as pulpit supply.  This is an excellent opportunity for those who may consider the Commissioned Lay Pastor transformation track in Fall 2014, as well as other church leaders, elders, and/or deacons.

 

Preaching is a physical activity where mind, body, spirit, voice and passion are engaged. In the process of preparing for and practicing sermons out loud, this seminar will provide the practical basics of preaching and aims for your discovery of and gaining confidence in your preaching voice.

 

  • Date: Saturday, March 15, 2014
  • Time: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
  • Location: MVP Mission Center, 109 Stonecreek Rd NW, New Philadelphia, OH
  • Cost: $25 (includes materials and lunch)
  • RSVP to Candice by email or phone (330) 339-5515 before March 11, 2014.
 

 

From the General Assembly of the PC(USA)

Invitation to Trainings regarding Immigration Issues and

Historic Fair Food Agreement with Walmart 


The Office of Immigration Issues is providing trainings to help the denomination respond to issues regarding immigration.

 

Further details are available at this link.

 

Also, the World's Largest Retailer officially joins Fair Food movement article, posted by the PC(USA)

 
Finally, an update to the General Assembly statement on Minister Housing was posted to the PCUSA website on Wednesday January 22.  Please follow this link to read the statement.
 
From the Clerk's Desk
January 23, 2014

 

This week I share with you an emergency planning resource that I hope will never have to be used by a congregation in our presbytery, or in any other place where people gather for worship.  

 

Last June, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a "Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Houses of Worship."  

This document is introduced with the following words:

 

         "Many people think of a house of worship as a safe

           area where violence and emergencies cannot affect

           them.  However, violence in houses of worship is not

           a new phenomenon.  In addition to violent acts, fires,

           tornados, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and arson

           also affect houses of worship.  With many incidents

           occurring with little to no warning, many houses of

           worship are developing and updating plans and                      procedures to ensure the safety and security of their

           congregations, staff, and facilities." 

 

This 38-page manual can be downloaded here and details how a congregation can develop (and regularly update) guidelines for dealing with an emergency.

 

I encourage each of our congregations to use this manual to develop such a plan, as a preventative measure against the emergencies that we all hope will never occur.     

 

Grace and peace,

 

Paula Lane, Transitional Stated Clerk 

 

 

Save the Date!

Upcoming Stated Meeting of the Presbytery

 

Tuesday

February 25, 2014

9:30 am - 4 pm

 

Stated Meeting:

The Presbytery Gathers for Worship and Business

  

Wooster First Presbyterian Church

621 College Avenue

Wooster, OH 44691

 

Cost: $10 for lunch

RSVP to Candice

 

Registration begins at 9:30 am 

 

Worship begins at 10:00 am 

and will include worshipping with the choir from Wooster First! Many thanks to the choir members and director for sharing their musical worship gifts with us.

 

 
You Asked: As a first call pastor, what do I need to do in order to perform marriages in Ohio?

A question came into the Mission Center this week regarding the process for ordained ministers to be able to perform marriages in the state of Ohio.  Below are the minister licensing requirements for Ohio.

Minister Licensing Requirements in Ohio

In Ohio all ministers are required to register with the Secretary of State's Office before performing marriage. The minister does not need to be an Ohio resident, though he or she must be at least 18 years old.

To register ministers will need the following:

1. Letter of Good standing (signed by a church officer)
3. $10 Application Fee

These documents must be mailed to:

Secretary of State Record and Client Services
180 E Broad St Suite 103
Columbus OH 43215

When planning the wedding, the minister must allow for processing time once the application has been submitted. When registered the minister can search for their record in the Ohio Secretary of State's Minister License Database. Once the minister's application is recorded by the Ohio Secretary of State, they are licensed to perform marriage.
 

The Illuminated St John's Bible is now on view at Canton Museum of Art

  

The Illuminated St John's Bible can be seen at the Canton Museum of Art from now until March 2014.  Further details are available at the museum website.  This awe-inspiring exhibit is not one to be missed!

 

http://www.cantonart.org/the-saint-johns-bible 

 

From Parish Elder Donna Westfall

A Reflection on "The Journey"

 

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  [...] I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

Psalms 139: 1-3, 14

 

Some of us have been on a Journey for the past few months. For the early Christians, faith happened on the road-- be it the road to Emmaus or Damascus or throughout Asia Minor.  On the road, Jesus revealed himself and invited us to join him.

 

For us, "The Journey" thus far has taken us through a number of exercises. These exercises have been designed to lead us to understand our Ideal selves and our Real selves. We have walked the Labyrinth, or finger-walked it on paper. We have formed clay into objects by hand-molding or using a potter's wheel.  Prayer Triplets have guided us in listening to one another, sharing a vision of our Real self.

 

We have pondered the question of "What makes us alive?" When are those moments/times we are most alive? Living you Call and being alive requires and involves understanding your passions and gifts. Through Holy Exercises, we have been encouraged to be open to taking a look at those passions and gifts-- compiling, narrowing down, and listing in order of importance to us.

 

However, for me, The Journey continues in understanding my ideal and real self, and how that impacts how I respond to my passions, my gifts, and understanding my Call.

 

A Closing Prayer:

Our Heavenly Father, we are grateful for how wonderfully we are made.  You have given us the freedom to be who we are, how we love, give response to others. We each have unique gifts and passions.  We each find our Call in different ways and respond in ways unique to us. We seek your guidance and strength as we serve you. Be with us in our discussions and decisions, that it all may glorify you.  Amen.

 

 

For those who have also been participating in The Journey, please share your experiences or reflections with others! Email your story to Candice for inclusion in future broadcasts.

  

From Christ Presbyterian Church in Canton

Gold and Ivory: Concert for Flute and Piano

February 9, 2014

 

Mark your calendars for an afternoon of great music! Sunday, February 9, 4:00 pm at Christ Canton will be "Fold and Ivory: Concert for Flute and Piano" feature Dianne Williams and Brent Schloneger. Music lovers will appreciate the duo's classical pieces, featuring compositions from Bizet, Debussy, Taktakishvili, Beethoven and Brahms.

 

The concert flyer can be accessed here, as well as a full schedule for Christ Canton's 2014 Church Concert series.

 

2014 PW Gathering: "Radical Hospitality"

From the Presbyterian Women in the Synod of the Covenant 

 

The PW in the Synod of the Covenant wish to announce their 2014 Gathering, "Radical Hospitality."

  • Date: July 18-19, 2014
  • Location: Trinity United Presbyterian Church, 5151 W Lennon Rd, Flint Township, MI 48507

Details on breakout sessions, cost, and speakers can be found in this brochure.

   

From the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary

Please find attached two press releases from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary regarding Continuing Education and Master's of Divinity cohort.

 

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

 

Thanks much,

 

Kristi Lynch
Director of Public Information
University of Dubuque
563.589.3267

 

  
 
From George Bullard, The Columbia Partnership 
Travel-free Learning Schedule available
 
 The Columbia Partnership is offering Travel Free Learning opportunities.   The schedule is attached.

 

Save the Date: May 1, 2014

Re/Entry: Rebuilding Productive Lives, Post-Incarceration

A Policy Coordination and Training Symposium for Professionals

 

Muskingum Valley Presbytery, along with our NE Ohio Presbyterian peers, are hosting a training symposium at Christ Presbyterian Church.  The symposium will cover frontline programming for professionals in a variety of disciplines, including clergy.  Further details and contact information can be found in this brochure.
 

From First United Presbyterian Church of Clinton, IA

Presbyterian Cookbook Project

 

The FUPC of Clinton, Iowa is beginning a nationwide Presbyterian Cookbook project. Details and contribution information are available at this link.

We are happy to post news and requests from your church in this section of the MVP Update.  Just email Candice or call 330-339-5515 to relay your news.  Please also let us know the "expiration date" on the news item so that we can keep this section current.

 
 
Prayer Requests/Updates

 

Prayers are requested for Vicki and Ed Nign (New Harrisburg) for healing and recovery. Their son, his wife and one of his children were killed in a tragic auto accident, and the other six children that were passengers in the car are in critical condition in area hospitals. (From Jen Baer)

 

  • If you or someone you know has a prayer request, please send them to Candice at


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

Candice McMath, Mission Coordinator 

  

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

 

  

Regular Office hours

Monday - Thursday

8:00A to 4:30P