MVP Mission Update

May 28, 2015

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The IRS has issued new Mileage Rates
for 2015. 
Click Here 
 
Per Capita 2015
GA
 7.07
Synod 3.25
Presbytery18.36
Total
28.68
   

Bullies

 

I don't like bullies. I never have. Growing up, my brother and his friend were often bullied by an older boy who lived on our street. One day, the big sister in me couldn't take it anymore. I decided to take matters in my own hands--I pushed the boy down and sat on him until the younger boys could get away. Not ten minutes later, the bully's mother came down to complain to my mother about my bullying her son. Somehow, I missed the parallels in my behavior and that of the bully, seeing myself instead as the heroine of the story. While my parents did not punish me, they did suggest that "an eye for an eye" (or, in this case, a push for a push) was not the most helpful response (toward empowering my brother or inviting the bully toward more reflective behavior).

 

Several years later, another group of boys tried to bully my youngest brother, I was prepared with questions:

 

-       Who bullied you? Who taught you to beat up on younger boys?

-       What do you get out of this?

-       Does bullying really make you feel better about yourself?

 

In truth, I think they found the questions much more painful to deal with.

 

Of course, the reality is that bullying is a learned behavior. Those who bully have been bullied themselves. In many cases, the wounds run so deep, the one who bullies doesn't even see the behavior. Without intervention--without an experience of God's love--we do unto others what has been done unto us.

 

Recently, Thom Rainer of Lifeway Ministries listed nine traits of bullying behavior:

 

1  -- They do not recognize themselves as bullies. To the contrary, they see themselves as necessary heroes sent to save the church from her own self.

2  -- They have personal and self-serving agendas. They have determined what "their" church should look like. Any person or ministry or program that is contrary to their perceived ideal church must be eliminated.

3  -- They seek to form power alliances with weak members in the church. They will pester and convince groups, committees, and persons to be their allies in their cause. Weaker church staff members and church members will succumb to their forceful personalities.

4  -- They tend to have intense and emotional personalities. These bullies use the intensity of their personalities to get their way.

5  -- They are famous for saying "people are saying." They love to gather tidbits of information and shape it to their own agendas.

6  -- They find their greatest opportunities in low expectation churches. Many of the church members have an entitlement view of church membership. They seek to get their own needs and preferences fulfilled. They, therefore, won't trouble themselves to confront and deal with church bullies. That leads to the next issue, which is a consequence of this point

7  -- They are allowed to bully because church members will not stand up to them. I have spoken with pastors and church staff who have been attacked by church bullies. While the bully brings them great pain, they have even greater hurt because most of the church members stood silent and let it happen.

8  -- They create chaos and wreak havoc. A church bully always has his next mission. While he or she may take a brief break from one bullying mission to the next, they are not content unless they are exerting the full force of their manipulative behavior.

9  -- They often move to other churches after they have done their damage. Whether they are forced out or simply get bored, they will move to other churches with the same bullying mission. Some bullies have wreaked havoc in three or more churches.

 

(For the full article: http://thomrainer.com/2015/03/30/nine-traits-church-bullies/).    

 

When I share this list with church people, they often nod their heads in recognition. Deep down, we know when somebody is behaving like a bully. My question is, why do we allow the behavior to continue? For the care of both the individual and the whole, bullying behaviors need to be named and stopped!

 

My prayer is that, as we move beyond the heresy of niceness, we will come to understand the power of love made visible through accountable relationships.

 

With love in Christ,


Debbie Rundlett
General Presbyter

 

 

Holy Habit: Stop Bullying in Your Church

 

Rather than wringing hands in distress, Thom Rainer offers the following antidote to bullying in congregations:

 

  1. Fight bullying with the power of prayer. The most common targets of church bullies are the pastor and church staff. I encourage everyone in vocational ministry to ask humbly for people to pray for them daily. In two of the churches where I served as pastor, I had as many as 100 or more people committed to pray for me daily. They typically prayed for me for only two or three minutes each day at noon. Their intercessory prayers for me were brief, but they were powerful!
  2. Seek to have an Acts 6 group in the church. I am specifically referring to the manner in which the Jerusalem church dealt with murmuring and complaining. They appointed a group to take care of the widows who were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. The seven who were appointed to the task were thus not only to do that ministry, but they were also to preserve the unity of the church. Churches need either informal or formal groups that see their ministry as dealing with conflict, complaints, and dissension so that unity is preserved.
  3. Have a high expectation church. I have addressed the issues of high expectation churches and low expectation churches many times on this blog. Higher expectation churches tend to be more unified, more Great Commission focused, more biblically defined, and more servant oriented. Stated simply, high expectation churches don't offer an environment conducive to bullying.
  4. Encourage members to speak and stand up to church bullies. Bullying thrives in a church where the majority remains in silent fear of church bullies. Bullies tend to back down when confronted by strong people in the church. We just need more strong people in the church.
  5. Make certain the polity of the church does not become a useful instrument to church bullies. Many churches have ambiguous structures and lines of accountability. Polity is weak and ill-defined. Bullies take advantage of the ambiguity and interpret things according to their nefarious needs.
  6. Be willing to exercise church discipline. Church discipline is a forgotten essential of many churches. Bullies need to know there are consequences for their actions, and church discipline may be one of them.
  7. Have a healthy process to put the best-qualified persons in positions of leadership in the church. Bullies often are able to push around less qualified people who have found themselves in positions of leadership. There should be a spiritually and strategically designed process to choose and recruit people for key leadership positions.
  8. Have a healthy process to hire church staff. For example, an egregious mistake would be the church's hiring of a senior staff member without the enthusiastic support of the pastor. If the pastor and new staff member do not have good chemistry, a church bully can quickly pit one against the other. A unified church staff is a major roadblock for a church bully.
  9. Encourage a celebratory environment in the church. Joyous churches deter bullies. They like somber and divided churches.

How might you (and others) apply these antidotes to the life and ministry of your congregation? Spend some time in prayer and conversation with your pastor and leaders and commit to practicing at least one of the antidotes above.


 
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.



Registration is now open!

Toxic Charity - Saturday, June 13, 2015


To register to attend  "Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (And How to Reverse It)," please email your name, contact information, and affiliated church or group to Candice at [email protected]. If you are coming with a group, you must include the names and email addresses of everyone in the group.

Cash, Checks made payable to "Muskingum Valley Presbytery" and credit cards are accepted at the door.

We are anticipating a large number of registrations for this event and may need to cap attendance due to space limitations. Please register early to reserve your spot!

The Mission Center will be closed the week of June 15 - June 19
to allow for ACS Technologies to come to the office and upgrade our computer software. Phone calls and emails may not be returned until the following week.

This computer upgrade will allow us to integrate the new fiscal budget with our existing software, as well as allow for online financial donations, online event registrations and payments, and better integration of our member directory with our website.  We appreciate your understanding and patience while we work to improve the efficiency of our office!

Regular business hours will resume Monday, June 22.
 

Save the Date! -- Saturday, June 27, 2015
Mission Fair and Specially-Called Meeting!


Save the date for our first annual Mission Fair sponsored by Muskingum Valley Presbytery! During that time, we will also be holding a specially-called meeting to approve the new fiscal budget and hold the annual meeting of the corporation.

We need your help! We want this Mission Fair to provide a fun and family-friendly outing for our community members as well as raise awareness about the great local mission opportunities that are available. 

Current booths include offerings from Big Fish, Spiritual Direction, Zanesville Brighton, Fellowship of Christ's Community, Barlow, Belpre Pioneer, Seville and more! With activities like a portable labyrinth, a kid's fish prize pond, and a drum circle, the Mission Fair will be a fun adventure the whole family can enjoy.  You don't want to miss out!

Contact Candice McMath or Rick Hastings for more information about booth registration.

Please consider using this flyer at your churches to announce the date and garner interest.

 

Through the Beautiful Gate: A Pilgrimage to the Holy Land 

2016 Trip to Israel/Palestine/Petra, Jordan

College Drive Church and The First Presbyterian Church of Phillipstown, New York are co-sponsoring a trip to the Holy Land and Petra, Jordan January 29th - February 9, 2016.  The Holy Land is a blessed and complicated place.  We will not only visit the traditional Christian sites, we will engage with Israelis and Palestinians who will speak to us about their lives within the struggle for equality, freedom and safety for all.  An excursion to the south and into Jordan will immerse us in the history of the land prior to the story of our faith and show us how Israel worshipped in the wilderness.
 
The cost of the trip is $1700 which includes all but lunch (about $10 per day) and tips for the driver and guide ($10 - $15) per day.  Airfare is not included.
 
Please contact Pastor Anne Weirich at College Drive if you would like to come along or have any questions.  This will be Anne's 11th trip to the Holy Land.
Cell number - 616 252-9242 or [email protected].  There are about 14 people going already - so there is plenty of room!

 

Upcoming Events of the Synod of the Covenant


The Synod wishes to invite you to participate in the following events:

The Multicultural Youth Conference, June 29 - July 3, 2015
Applications are still being accepted! Details and registration form available at this link.

Mobile Health Fair Ministry
We are currently taking reservations for the 2015 Mobile Health Fair Van.  Details can be found at this link.

MUSA--Mission to the USA
What would a "reverse" mission trip look like for your congregation? For more details, about MUSA, please contact Doris Evans at [email protected].
Church application is available at this link.

 

PC(USA) Announces Registration for Big Tent 2015

July 30 - August 1, 2015, University of Tennessee Conference Center, Knoxville, TN

 

Big Tent 2015 registration is up and running and everyone is excited about what it will bring!

 

Please consider including the Big Tent video (https://youtu.be/xShTbAESJj8 ) and the Big Tent web site link (http://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/big-tent/ ) on your presbytery web site or in other promotional opportunities.   The video is just 1 minute long and gives a quick overview of what makes this Big Tent unique and would be a great minute for mission at a presbytery meeting!

 

Thanks so much!

Tom

 

Thomas D Hay

Director of Assembly Operations

Associate Stated Clerk

Office of the General Assembly

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)



John Knox Presbyterian Church: Director of Children & Youth Ministries


John Knox Presbyterian Church (North Canton, Ohio) is seeking a person to lead their ministry to children, youth and their families. The church has been intentional in listening for God's voice and they are living into their calling to "radiate the peace of Christ...every day, every way!" The Director of Children and Youth Ministries will work collegially with a gifted team of leaders on the church staff. He/she will be expected to disciple young people and to equip and coordinate ministry teams, parents and congregation members to provide meaningful and effective ministry for children, youth and their families. The person must be a person of deep faith and a self-starter who has a passion for touching the lives of young people and their families. More information about the position is available at www.jkpc.org/ChildrenYouthMinistries.pdf.

Candidates are asked to apply by June 1st.

SEVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SEEKING A COORDINATOR OF MUSIC MINISTRIES


Part-time organist / choir director, traditional worship service.  We are seeking a candidate who works well with others and communicates strong leadership qualities.  No music degree required, but experience in playing the organ and piano is necessary.  Guides the choir to enhance the musicality and words of the songs chosen to sing, is flexible, and is committed to bringing glory to God through worship! 

Please e-mail a resume and cover letter to Rev. Marc van Bulck at [email protected]


Formational Prayer Seminar to be held in Ashland
June 10 -13, 2015

As we take our journey most helpful in the whole process is offered in the Formational Prayer Seminar to be held at Ashland Theological Seminary on June 10 - June 13, 2015. Information is available from [email protected] or by calling Lynne at 419-207-5547.    

This seminar has helped so many of us along the path and provides a great opportunity for healing and growth through the Holy Spirit.                         

Blessings and thanks,
Kathy Adams
 

Discernment of God's Call-- Opportunities to Serve at the 2016 General Assembly

 

We are looking for nominations to serve as a delegates for the 222nd General Assembly of the PCUSA, to be held in Portland, Oregon from June 18-25, 2016. 

The nomination applications for both Minister/Elder commissioners and Young Adult Advisory delegates can be found at the link above and need to be returned to Candice via email or mail to the Presbytery office no later than October 31, 2015.

John Bell Event, June 2015
Sponsored by the Presbytery of West Virginia

The Nurture Committee of the Presbytery of West Virginia is pleased to announce that it will be hosting John Bell, from the Iona Community in Scotland, on Friday, June 19, and Saturday, June 20, at First Presbyterian Church, Charleston, WV.   Complete information can be found at http://www.wvpresbytery.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/John-Bell.pdf.  For more information, contact Susan Sharp Campbell, Associate for Educational Ministry for the Presbytery of West Virginia, at 304-645-4568 or [email protected]
 
 
Prayer Requests/Updates 

  • Prayers are requested for: Ron Pinkowski, Jackie Pinkowski, Floyd Starr, and Hugh Berry.

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

 

  

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