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| MVP Mission Update
May 1, 2014
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Comments?
Corrections?
800.693.1147
330.339.5515
8:00A - 4:30P
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2014 Mission Yearbooks
are now on sale
$15.00 each
2014-2015 Planning Calendars
are now on sale
$9.00 each
(Bulk order through Mission Center)
Per Capita 2014
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GA
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7.02
| | Synod | 3.25 | | Presbytery | 18.36 | |
Total
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A Good Question...
A good question is not a bolt to be tightened into place, but a seed to be planted toward the greening of the landscape of faith.
--John Cicardi, poet
Developmental psychologists tell us that there are four perennial questions: Who am I? What are my gifts? What is my work? What is my legacy?
As Christians, we know that there are faith questions that inform the living of these developmental questions: Who is my God? Who is my neighbor? What is my call? We also know that the developmental questions of who and what cannot be answered apart from naming our God and neighbor and call. To claim Jesus as the Messiah is to claim a particular way of being.
To journey with Jesus to touch the world involves...
- Living our lives as sent people;
- Engaging with our culture without being absorbed by its values;
- Practicing hospitality by welcoming the stranger in our midst;
- Putting the needs of our neighbor before our own;
- Relying upon God in all that we do;
- Daily meeting the Triune God in prayer;
- Daily feeding on the Word;
- Helping others to discover their call and develop their gifts in service to the world.
Glen McDonald in his book The Disciplemaking Church
identifies six "good" questions, which are worthy of our reflection:
Who is your Lord?
When everything is said and done whose agenda are you really following?
Who are you?
At the beginning of each day do you walk up knowing that you'll have to go out and win your share of security and significance or can you truly say that those are priceless gifts you have already received from God?
Who is your Barnabas?
Who is your spiritual mentor, the one from whom you are learning to follow Jesus?
Who is your Timothy?
Who is your apprentice, the one to whom you are passing on the lessons that God has entrusted to you?
Where is your Antioch?
What small cadre of special friends is helping you to discern God's special direction for your life?
Where is your Macedonia?
What field of work is most closely aligned with God's call on your life and hauntingly stirs your deepest passions?
How might these questions serve as a "seed to be planted toward the greening of the landscape of (your) faith"?
With blessing,
Debbie Rundlett
General Presbyter
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Holy Habit: Living the Question
Over the course of this next week, set aside time each day to ponder the six questions below. You might even consider journaling your responses or reflecting on your responses with a trusted friend. On the seventh day, spend some time pondering how God is seeking to speak to you through these questions.
Were there any questions that you would have liked to respond to differently? Is God calling you to live the question in a new way? How might these "good questions" serve as "seeds to be planted toward the greening of the landscape of faith," even as we remember the words of Jesus: Unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it does, it produces many seeds (John 12:24).
Six Questions:
- Who is your Lord? When everything is said and done whose agenda are you really following?
- Who are you? At the beginning of each day do you walk up knowing that you'll have to go out and win your share of security and significance or can you truly say that those are priceless gifts you have already received from God?
- Who is your Barnabas? Who is your spiritual mentor, the one from whom you are learning to follow Jesus?
- Who is your Timothy? Who is your apprentice, the one to whom you are passing on the lessons that God has entrusted to you?
- Where is your Antioch? What small cadre of special friends is helping you to discern God's special direction for your life?
- Where is your Macedonia? What field of work is most closely aligned with God's call on your life and hauntingly stirs your deepest passions?
Source: The Disciplemaking Church
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REGISTER NOW!
To attend the May Mission Immersion
in Adrian, Michigan, you must register
no later than May 2, 2014!
- Event Dates: May 19 - 21, 2014
- What: MVP Mission Immersion & Stated Presbytery Meeting
- Where: The Weber Center 1257 East Siena Heights Drive Adrian, Michigan 49221
To register, email Candice or call 330-339-5515
To offset the cost of attending retreat, we ask that each leader contribute what they feel called and able to.
The actual cost for retreat accommodations is $110, which includes 2 nights' stay (double occupancy) and 6 meals.
Roommates will be assigned prior to retreat. Roommate requests will be accepted.
Due to space limitations at the Weber Center, there are no single occupancy rooms available. Those who wish to have single rooms are asked to make their own hotel accommodations for the retreat at the Holiday Inn Express in Adrian, Michigan. ( Click here to access the hotel website.)
The agenda for the Mission Immersion will be published next week. Our focus will be on the nature of community as it informs our work. Time for open discussions and reflection will be included, and our newly-formed Calling, Equipping and Serving in Mission Commissions will be forming the activities for the retreat.
You MUST email your registration to Candice
NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014.
This is a deadline set by the Weber Center. Failure to meet this deadline will incur additional fees for MVP for the retreat.
If you have any questions, contact Candice at
330.339.5515 or Candice@MVPJourney.org
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The Mission Center will be closed April 30 - May 1, 2014
Debbie, Barb, Candice and Joan will be attending the Board of Pensions Regional Conference in Philadelphia. Regular Mission Center hours will resume Monday, May 5, 2014.
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Save the Date: May 1, 2014
Re/Entry: Rebuilding Productive Lives, Post-Incarceration
A Policy Coordination and Training Symposium for Professionals
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Make A Joyful Sound: A Drum Circle Experience - Saturday, May 3!
Open to the community, and the presbytery.
Nancy Miller, Drum Circle Facilitator from Perrysville
will provide drums and other percussion instruments for this FREE event.
No previous music experience is required and ALL ages are invited to join in the fun.
Bring your family, friends and neighbors!
- Where: Milton Presbyterian Church, Fellowship Hall (downstairs) 250 North Street
Rittman, Ohio 44270 - When: Saturday, May 3rd, 10am - 12noon.
For more information, call the church office: M-F 9am -1pm 330-925-2651 or Donna Robertson at home: 330-927-2746.
This event is sponsored by the Milton Presbyterian Women.
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Announcing Healthy Congregations Facilitator Training - Summer 2014!
Information is now available for the summer 2014 offering of Healthy Congregations Facilitator training:
- When: June 17-19, 2014
- Where: MVP Mission Center.
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Announcing the 2014 Fall Cohort for Commissioned Ruling Elder Training!
We will be launching another cohort of Commissioned Ruling Elder training beginning September 2014. More information (including the CRE application packet and other necessary forms) are found on the MVP website. Questions regarding the training can be directed to Ron Walker or Candice McMath.
Click here for more information!
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A Message from PCUSA Church Support
Greetings to Muskingum Valley Presbytery! It's my pleasure to be in touch with you and remind you of some of the resources available in World Mission. Here are some items that I hope will be useful, either for you or for your congregations. Please pass this information along, as widely as you can!
1. (This one is first because it's time sensitive.) Do you know of a young person (ages 18-30) who might want to spend a year putting their faith in action and serving in mission? Is that young person interested in a career in non-profit work, humanitarian aid, or church service? Then please encourage them to apply to be a Young Adult Volunteer! The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) YAV program is accepting applications for National Service until May 15. http://www.pcusa.org/yav
2. Please remember to lift General Assembly in prayer. GA is the elected government of our denomination, and will be charting the church's course for the next two years. (People sometimes get upset with 'those people in Louisville'-including me-but the national offices are like a bunkhouse. We're just the hired hands! Your GA representatives are the bosses!) GA will meet in Detroit June 14-21. For more information, please go to http://oga.pcusa.org/section/ga/ga221/
3. Looking for help on mission involvement? Visit the mission resources webpage of Presbyterian World Mission at http://www.presbyterianmission.org/missionresources There, you can . . .
- Find tools for planning short term mission trips.
- Find information about forming partnerships between your church and other churches around the world.
- Learn about strategies to address the critical global issues facing World Mission-and all of us, too.
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Don't see what you are looking for? Please contact Christine Coy Fohr, Consultant for Mission Leaders in the Equipping for Mission Involvement office of World Mission, at christine.coyfohr@pcusa.org or 1-800-728-7228, ext. 5391.
4. Want to deepen your congregation's involvement with God's mission to the ends of the earth? Want to entangle your life with others around the world, who live out their faith in their own culture just as we do in ours? Want to broaden your perspective and enrich your prayer life? Please contact Bruce Whearty for information about how to partner with PC(USA) mission co-workers. bruce.whearty@pcusa.org or 1-800-728-7228, ext. 5157.
5. Want to know which mission co-workers will be traveling in our region for their Interpretation Assignment? Please contact Rachel Anderson at rachel.anderson@pcusa.org or 1-800-728-7228, ext. 5826, for information about how to host visiting co-workers, including our scholarship programs for helping small congregations and clusters of churches with the cost of hosting.
Thanks!
Bruce Whearty
Church Support Associate
1-800-728-7228, extension 5157
or 502-569-5157
bruce.whearty@pcusa.org
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Order your 2014-2015 Planning Calendars now!
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June - December
2014-2015
PRESBYTERIAN PLANNING CALENDAR ORDER FORM
The 2014-2015 Calendar features:
- Lectionary for Sundays and special days
- Liturgical days, programmatic emphases, and secular holidays
- Monthly planning suggestions and resources
- Synod, presbytery and General Assembly staff directories
- Foldout synod, presbytery and world maps in color
- Colors for the liturgical seasons
Order through the Muskingum Valley Mission Center to take advantage of the bulk discount rate of $9.00 each (normal price is $14.95)
(Order any number of calendars needed)
Calendars will be shipped to the Presbytery office and notice will be sent when they have arrived. They can be picked up at the Presbytery office 8AM -4:30PM, Monday - Thursday.
Order deadline for discount through Presbytery is Friday, May 16th.
Please place your order one of the following ways:
1.) Email your order to Candice@MVPJourney.org and mail your check;
2.) Mail the order form and check to:
Muskingum Valley Presbytery, 109 Stonecreek Rd. NW, New Philadelphia, OH 44663
All orders must be prepaid to be included in the Presbytery's bulk order. Please make checks payable to "Muskingum Valley Presbytery"
If you have any questions, contact Candice at
330.339.5515 or Candice@MVPJourney.org
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Presbyterian Hymnals Available!
From Carly Jones
Wooster Westminster Presbyterian Church has Presbyterian Hymnals that they no longer need. They are now using the Glory to God Hymnals and are looking to recycle or redistribute the old hymnals. They are in good shape if there is another congregation that can use them.
For further information, contact Carly Jones at the church (info below) or via email.
353 E. Pine Street
Wooster, Ohio 44691
Phone: (330) 263-2398
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"Small Churches: Adventures in Vitality"
Coming This Fall to Columbia Theological Seminary
April 4, 2014, Decatur, GA-The Center for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary will offer "Small Churches: Adventures in Vitality" as part of its innovative programs focusing on church leadership. This program is for leaders of churches with fewer than 150 members. This energetic and creative learning event will take place at the Center for Lifelong Learning on November 3-5, 2014.
Presenters: John Wimberly, former pastor of Western Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C.; Sarai Rice, Presbyterian clergy woman and executive director of the Des Moines Area Religious Council; Dan Hotchkiss, former pastor, administrator and former consultant with the Alban Institute, will lead a course designed with the needs, interests and characteristics of smaller-sized congregations in mind. The program will offer different learning modules to address topics ranging from volunteer mobilization to stewardship, and the final session will provide participants with an opportunity to create an action plan to use in their home congregations.
For a complete program description and to register, click here.
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Updated RMMG Calendar is now available on the MVP Website!
for the Retreat Ministry Mission Group.
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Central Presbyterian Church in Zanesville, Ohio
Celebrates 100 Years of Worship
The congregation of Central Presbyterian Church in Zanesville, Ohio invites you to join in celebrating 100 years of service to Christ and the community.
The early congregation assembled for worship in 1809 in downtown Zanesville. The present church was dedicated in 1914. A special worship service to commemorate the event will be held at 10:15 am Sunday, May 4, 2014 in the church. A light luncheon will be served in the fellowship hall following worship.
We look forward to seeing you in worship and at the luncheon as we celebrate 100 years!
Please RSVP to the Church office at 40 N 6th Street, Zanesville, OH 43701 - telephone: 740-452-8459.
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Upcoming Celebration of Life for Rev. Dr. G. Kenneth Shafer - Information and Request
From Jeff Shafer
The Rev. Dr. G. Kenneth Shafer went to be with his Lord and Savior over Christmas 2013. Due to the holidays, we just had a simple service for my father with immediate family only in attendance. It was always our intention to have a public celebration of his life once spring arrived.
We have now scheduled that celebration for Saturday, April 26, 2014 at 11:00 am. The service will be at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wooster with Rev. Coetzee coordinating/officiating. We would welcome any involvement from interested representatives/members of Dad's previous churches or any clergy that knew him. There will be a luncheon served afterwards for those who care to stay. If you are interested in attending, please contact the church office so lunch planning can take place.
Anyone interested in participating should contact Rev. Coetzee at the church (330-263-2398) or by email.
Thank you so much,
Jeff Shafer
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Seeking an Organist/Pianist
New Concord Westminster Presbyterian Church
Westminster Presbyterian Church is looking for a new organist or pianist for Sunday morning worship, beginning in June. We would like to have someone who is willing to play each Sunday (10:30 worship), lead a small choir (we are extremely compliant and pleasant!) and do occasional extra services as needed. Our starting pay is $35 per worship service, with evaluation and raise to $50 as per performance. It would be ideal for a college student or a resident of New Concord.
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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.
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From George Bullard, The Columbia Partnership
Travel-free Learning Schedule available
Also, there are opportunities to join two learning communities! Click on the links below to learn more:
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From the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary
Good afternoon,
Thank you for passing along information to anyone interested in seminary Online summer courses. We will offer the following:
Worship in the Reformed Tradition
Presbyterian History and Confessions
Polity and Program of the Presbyterian Church
Cost for the course is $640 per credit hour
Registration deadline is May 31st, 2014
Classes begin June 2nd and end August 29th
Please visit our web site to fill out an application and registration form http://udts.dbq.edu/unclassified.cfm
Blessings and please feel free to contact our office with any questions!
Dana Weitz
Seminary Admissions Assistant
University of Dubuque Seminary
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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.
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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
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