|
We Worship... We Serve... We Learn... We Celebrate... Come Join Us.
|
|  | The Missional Presbytery | Spring 2010 | What is a Missional Presbytery - And How Do We Become One? Or should we ask "How are we becoming a Missional Presbytery?" We are well into our fourth year as a “missional presbytery.” In gatherings and in informal conversations we have heard this question, “What is a missional presbytery?” over and over again. This Q & A is intended to help us all to think about our experience on this journey together.
| | “Jesus said to them, 'Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” John 20:21 |
| So, what is the difference between "mission" and "missional?" | By mission we mean all the things we do for others: food pantries, housing assistance, after school programs, VBS, sponsoring civic and cultural events, literacy programs, etc. etc. etc. The characteristic of these mission(s) is that they are usually performed by a few people in the name of the church with the financial support of the wider congregation [or group of congregations for Presbytery-wide ministries]. Missional takes seriously that we are sent by God into the world as a living incarnation of God’s love for the world. It calls us from our safe distance from the world’s hurt to a personal engagement with the raw places in our neighbor’s lives. It invites us to enter a strange [Post-Christendom] world as missionaries by learning the language(s), studying the culture, making friends with the stranger, etc. |
| Ok, so what does a missional congregation or presbytery look like? | No one really knows! We are still working it out – both in congregations and across presbyteries. But there are some signs. The same people who wrote the Missional Church book followed it up with a survey [Treasure in Clay Jars] of some congregations that demonstrate certain patterns we can call missional. As we understand it, a missional presbytery is a presbytery made up of missional congregations. This, by itself, suggests that the development of a missional presbytery will be a long and always incomplete journey. Nonetheless a missional presbytery (a collection of congregations that are becoming missional) will also demonstrate certain patterns. Among these we would expect that conversations in committee/team meetings and on the floor of Presbytery would focus on the essential missional questions: - Whose are we?
- Where are we?
- What is God doing here?
- To whom is God sending us?
- How is God sending us to them?
|
| How does the idea of a missional presbytery fit with our current Missional Plan? | The Missional Plan calls for the development of the following missional characteristics and patterns in our life together:
· A focus on congregations and congregational leadership. The congregation is the instrument of God’s mission in the world. The Presbytery has a role in supporting ministries where there is no congregation or in supporting congregations to do more than they can do alone. But the primary witness of the Presbytery is in and through its congregations. · A shift from a regulatory body to a place where possibilities are named and nurtured. [See Peter Block, Community: The Structure of Belonging.] · The encouragement of partnerships among our congregations and ecumenically. In our Post-Christendom age, other churches are not our competition. Cooperation among congregations bears witness to a broken world of Christ’s ability to reconcile everything to himself. · A recognition that while theology can divide us, mission unites us – as congregations and as a Presbytery. |
| So, How are we doing? | We can see progress in several important ways: · We have seen significant shifts in the way our committees and teams work together. By building an intentional network of spiritual discernment and sharing of information the culture of the Presbytery has changed in recent years. · Many more congregations are engaging in partnerships across the Presbytery than before. A couple of factors have assisted in this transformation: o The Partnership for Missional Church (PMC) has built into it a pattern of sharing and partnering of congregations in each cluster. o The Covenant Fund has encouraged congregations to think of how they can work with (an)other congregation(s) in mission. o Both the Strategy Team and the Missional Urban Ministry Team have fostered conversations among congregations which are facing similar situations. o Groups of pastors and other church leaders have gathered together to discuss such themes as stewardship, a vision of the church in 2020, and adaptive leadership for the missional church. o A cadre of coaches familiar with missional church ideas has helped several congregations to explore their sense of call in their communities. o Several series of lunches and other gatherings have given pastors an opportunity to discuss missional ideas among themselves and with Presbytery staff. · Many congregations are embracing the Missional Church concept and living into their context in new and exciting ways. On our website are many different stories about how Missional Church and Partnership for Missional Church are redefining the congregations’ habits and culture. |
| | What is a Missional Church? | A Missional church listens for God’s specific call, experiences and participates in God’s sending into the world, and is empowered by the Holy Spirit in its mission. Both its outreach and its life together as a church are a witness to Jesus Christ.
God is calling us to learn our way into a faithful, effective future – recovering our biblical identity and living as part of God’s mission. God calls us to be a Missional church.
|
| | How does Partnership for Missional Church fit with the Presbytery of Philadelphia as a Missional Presbytery? |
Simply, a Missional Presbytery is about walking with the congregations as they live out their missional vocation. Partnership for Missional Church is a process of discerning a congregation’s missional call and vocation. We become a missional presbytery as our congregations become Missional congregations.
| Learn more about Partnership for Missional Church and upcoming Information Gatherings.
|
|
More information about the Missional Presbytery and Partnership for Missional Church is available online at www.presbyphl.org or contact Jeanne Radak at jradak@presbyphl.org or Bill Reinhold at breinhold@presbyphl.org |
| | This e-mail was sent from Presbytery of Philadelphia
Immediate removal with PatronMail®
SecureUnsubscribe. |  |
| | To forward this e-mail to a friend or colleague, use this link. | | To change your e-mail address or update preferences, use this link. |
|
|
|
|  | Presbytery of Philadelphia E-News
July 23, 2010 | Presbytery Calendar July 20-24 - Triennium July 27 - Presbytery July 28 - Zambia Trip begins | For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. Ephesians 1:15-16 Please keep in prayer this week: Zoltan Szabo, HR
James Tanis, HR
Ethelyn Taylor
Jean Taylor
Laurie Taylor Weicher
William Teague
Jeanne Thomas
Sandra Mae Thomas
William Thompson, HR
James Thornton
Paul Toms III
Tom Torosian, HR
|  | | Click on the image for more information |
| Presbytery Meeting on Tuesday On Tuesday, the July Stated Meeting of the Presbytery will be held at Manoa Presbyterian Church in Havertown beginning at 10 A.M. Please visit our website by following the link to the left to access the docket and important materials for the meeting. | | The Presbytery Office will be closed on July 30th The Presbytery office will be closed on July 30th for building maintenance. It will re-open at 8:30am on Monday, August 2nd. |  | | Click on the sailboat to link to the PMC page |
| Partnership for Missional Church Could it be that God has a Preferred and Promised Future for your Church? Are you open to the possibility that Christ Jesus is sending you to people outside your congregation to become part of what God is doing in the world? Partnership for Missional Church is a journey of discernment, not a program or strategic planning process. It’s a journey to discover each individual church’s own character and calling. Partnership for Missional Church develops leaders, builds engagement with and within the congregation, and connects the church with its neighbors and God’s mission in the community. It is the work of the Holy Spirit, which blows where it will. And blow it does. Through Partnership for Missional Church, a church learns to hoist their sails and catch the wind of the Spirit Are your ready to prayerfully consider whether God is inviting you and your church into such a journey? Learn more about Partnership for Missional Church A new church cluster will begin in early 2011 PMC information meetings September 14—3 pm September 16—7 pm 915 East Gowan Avenue, Philadelphia New Presbytery of Philadelphia Office For more information contact Jeanne Radak, Associate for Congregational Ministry, Presbytery of Philadelphia, 215-732-1842 or jradak@presbyphl.org More information at www.presbyphl.org More meeting dates will be scheduled watch www.presbyphl.org for updates. | Presbytery of Philadelphia News | | Furniture Available from the Presbytery office There are bookcases, file cabinets, chairs, tables, and other office furniture available from the Presbytery office. All items must be claimed by August 13th and picked up by September 2nd. If there is an item or items that you would like to have, please stop by the Presbytery office. Anything that has an orange paper tag on it is available. Please write your name and contact information on the paper and plan to pick your items up by September 2nd. |  | | Visit our homepage for more pictures |
| Decommissioning Service at the Presbytery office On Thursday, July 15th, the Presbytery office at 2200 Locust Street, "Presbyterian House", was decommissioned with a service of worship followed by a time of fellowship. The Rev. Stuart Spencer, along with Moderator of the Presbytery, Elder Catherine Adams, and Acting General Presbyter Elder Al DerMovsesian led the service of worship, which included prayer, a mediation, and a time for reflection on the 60 year history of the Presbytery office in its current location. The Rev. Ed Gehres' 40th ordination anniversary was also celebrated with joy! Visitors were invited to share refreshments, view a presentation of pictures of our history, tour the building and browse free resources following the service.
| | Grant Writing Workshop Ever wonder what makes for a "good grant" over an "okay grant"? Ever wonder why your grant proposal didn't make it past the "first cut"? Got an idea but don’t know how to put it into a grant proposal? Come to the grant writing workshop on September 9 at 7 pm at Presbytery of Philadelphia New Location, 915 East Gowan Avenue, Philadelphia, 19150. If you are contemplating applying for the Presbytery of Philadelphia Covenant Fund in 2011 you are strongly encouraged to attend this workshop.
|  | | Click on the logo for more information |
| Triennium 2010 The 2010 Youth Triennium ends this weekend and the participants will be returning home soon. It's been an amazing and transformational week! Check out the Triennium page for pictures and updates. The following youth have been participating in the 2010 Youth Triennium: Ryan Iles, Jenny Young, Carol Young, Eliza Brooks, Yro Sedzro, Grace Heard, Jennie Wilbur, Katie Merin, Maggie Radak, Stephanie Strouse, Heather Brown, Molly Hurley, Brynn Hurley, Christopher Noone, John Kosinski, Scott Rossiter, Traci Benson, Brianna Hadden, Angie Salvucci, Victoria Solomon, Roman Griggs, Lynden Lewis, Lawra Marie Tidwell, Kevin Hutchinson, McKenzie Hollenbach, Dyana Baurley, Julia Lake, Zara Cannon-Mohammed, Caitlin Vanderworf, Lindsay Peichel, James Gibson Hartley, Samantha Fickling, Hannah Butler, and Rachel Smith. The adult leaders are: Rob McClellan, Debbie Hahn, Sharyl Marshall, Lindsey Evans, Debbie Hadden, Deb Walters, and Christian Heyer-Rivera. For more information on this year's Triennium, please follow the link to the left. | | 2020 Vision September Event What will your congregation look like in ten years? The final presentation of the 2020 Vision Event will take place on September 11th from 9am to 4pm at The Church on the Mall in Plymouth Meeting. Tony Robinson will present on Building Congregations and Communities, Strengthening Leadership, and Discovering our Adaptive Challenges. You can register by calling Nan Best at 717-515-7769 or healthycongregations@donegalpby.com. The fee for the day is $25, which includes lunch. |  | | Click on the logo for more information |
| Summer at Kirkwood! There are a variety of programs to choose from for youth and families. Traditional camp sessions are offered for those entering 4th through 12th grade. Activities include swimming, crafts, low ropes course, archery, adventure on the Delaware River and several surprises. Bible study, worship and singing are key parts of our program. One of the Traditional camps is Joy of Creation, a great program for youth to use their creative gifts such as vocal and instrumental music, creative writing, drama, dance, woodworking and more. You can enjoy Kirkwood as family! Sign up for one or our Family Camps in August. What a wonderful way to spend time with your children and parents get to be campers too!
REGISTRATION
Go to our web site at www.kirkwoodcamp.org for the camp dates and cost. Print out the registration form, and mail it with your deposit as instructed. Also you can register on line by clicking on the link on the home page. Questions? Contact the Camp Administrator by email at Kirkwood@presbyphl.org or by phone at 215-732-1842. |  | | Click on the image for more information |
| Hunger Action This Week This Week: July 23, 2010 Fighting Hunger—Fall 2010 It may not be too early for you to think about these dates! Sunday, September 5 Labor Day Weekend & Labor in the Pulpits: Resources Available! Sunday, September 19 “Stand Up Against Poverty” & Jubilee Sunday Monday, September 20 Summit on Millennium Development Goals begins! Let us keep our world leaders in prayer. October, November, & December dates, too! | | Congregational News | | Philadelphia Police and Community Residents: Transforming Spaces On a warm Saturday in April, about twenty Philadelphia Police officers from the 26th District, Norris Square residents, and our friends from MIMIC (Men In Motion In the Community) descended into the basement of the West Kensington Ministry at Norris Square to begin the process of creating space for a community clay studio and other programs. The first step was to remove dirt and debris from the basement. Garbage and bucket after bucket filled with dirt made its way up a narrow staircase and into a dumpster. That dumpster was quickly filled and a second one had to be ordered. The work was laborious and the officers and neighbors looked like extra terrestrials as they surfaced from the dark basement covered in dirt and wearing breathing masks. Today, we are filling another dumpster with dirt. Our youth, neighbors, and friends stop by for a few hours at a time. Last week a youth group from Iowa and some of our youth removed dirt bucket by bucket by bucket. One room is already prepared for classes in ceramics that neighbors will be teaching. Our neighbors, Kukuli and Doug, donated money to the West Kensington Ministry to pay an electrician to install lights and upgrade the electrical grid in order to install a kiln for firing the ceramics. The lights are up and the tables are set and students are registered to begin class on July 19th. These are the first steps of a thousand miles to---bucket by bucket by bucket we progress. | | Church Pew Cushions wanted
Temple Presbyterian Church is looking for 14 long church pew cushions and 4 short cushions. Please contact Elder Anita Moss at templechurch@verizon.net or amossi@verizon.net if you have cushions available that the church could have. | | Teen Relationships Workshop All teens in 7th through 12th grade are invited to a free event and discussion, “Teen Relationships:
God’s view on sex and relationships” which will be held at Christ’s Presbyterian Church (10th and
Kimball Streets) on Saturday, August 21st from 10am to 4pm. Light breakfast and lunch will be served. Please call to reserve a place! The number is 215.389.2281. This event is facilitated by the Urban Family Council. | | Oxford Presbyterian Church Crab Feast The Oxford Presbyterian Church Annual Crab Feast will take place on Saturday, August 28th from 6-9pm at the church. Join them for all you can eat crabs, southern fried chicken, farm raised fish, corn on the cob, black eyed peas and rice, cole slaw, and homemade corn bread. Donations in advance are $30 per person for adults and $15 per person for children under 12. (Donations at the door are $35.00 each). Oxford Presbyterian Church is located at 8501 Stenton Avenue in Philadelphia. For tickets and more information, please contact Bettye Hawkins at 215.514.0974 or Robin Hammonds at 215.242.4967. | | Church and Community News and Presbyterian Church (USA) News | | 2011 Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) Conference Information The 2011 Association of Presbyterian Church Educators Conference will take place from February 2nd-5th, 2011 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The APCE conference, with over 1,000 participants from all over the United States and Canada, has gained a reputation as an excellent continuing education event for pastors, educators, youth leaders, and volunteers serving in educational ministries. This year’s conference offers a variety of pre-conference options and excellent workshops. APCE’s partner denominations are the Christian Reformed Church in North America, the Moravian Church in North American, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Reformed Church in America. The registration information and conference packet will be available online at www.apcenet.org on September 1st. If you have questions about online registration, please contact the APCE registrar at 1-866-338-7737 or apcenet@aol.com. |  | | Click on the image for the link to the CIW website |
| Coalition of Immokalee Workers Modern-Day Slavery Museum On Wednesday, July 28th and Thursday, July 29th from 9:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M., the Coalition of Immokalee Workers will present the Modern-Day Slavery Museum at the Visitor's Center at Independence Mall (5th Street between Market and Arch in Philadelphia). The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is a community-based organization of mainly Latino, Mayan Indian and Haitian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida. THe CIW has assisted the US Department of Justice and the FBI in investigating and prosecuting six cases of modern-day slavery in the fields and freed over 1,000 persons. The CIW developed the Florida Modern-Day Slavery Museum in consultation with forced labor survivors as well as leading academic authorities on slavery and Florida labor history. The US Department of State recently hosted the museum on the national mall during the release of its 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report, in which the CIW's anti-slavery coordinator was named the first US-based anti-trafficking hero. During this Northeast tour of the museum, visitors will be invited to call upon Ahold, which owns Stop and Shop and Giant grocery chains, to join McDonald's, Whole Foods Market, Aramark, and five other major food retailers in working with the CIW to end these human rights abuses in the fields of their Florida suppliers.
|
Information about the Presbytery E-News This is our newest edition of the Presbytery E-news. We encourage you to invite your friends and colleagues to sign up for their own copy. When you sign up you can ask for a text only version (useful for our dial-up members) or a full graphics version with pictures and formatted text. We do encourage you to forward the E-News to others. Churches and other organizations within the Presbytery of Philadelphia: Please note that we publish on Friday afternoons (the publication date varies during the holidays). We do this so that by Monday morning all of our churches have access to the information. Please include items that you feel are important for your congregations in your own newsletters and bulletins for the week. Please send your information to be published by NOON ON THURSDAY. Anything received after this time may or may not be able to be published until the following week. - We can include pictures but they must be in JPEG format. Other formats cannot be used.
- Please send article and announcement information in a WORD document. Please do not send your information in other formats such as WordPerfect or HTML. We would appreciate it if you sent the information as an attachment and not embedded in the email.
- We will accept hardcopies sent by mail.
Please send announcements, special events, and other information for the newsletter to Rev. Michelle Grunseich at resources@presbyphl.org. Thank you! All announcements and articles are subject to editorial review and all decisions made by the editors are final. |  | | Click on image to go to Presbytery of Philadelphia webpage. |
|
|
| | This e-mail was sent from Presbytery of Philadelphia
Immediate removal with PatronMail®
SecureUnsubscribe. | |
| | To forward this e-mail to a friend or colleague, use this link. | | To change your e-mail address or update preferences, use this link. |
|
|
|
|
|
