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Presbytery of Philadelphia E-News
January 22, 2010 |
Presbytery Calendar
Jan 23 - Youth Worker Academy Jan 26 - Presbytery Meeting at Oxford Jan 30 - Clerk of Session training Jan 30 - Grant Writing Workshop Feb 6 - 2020 Vision Feb 14 - Black History Celebration Feb 16 - 3rd Tuesday for Pastors Feb 20 - Officer Boot Camp | 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: Donald Black, HR
Hugh Blair, HR
George (Blake) Blakesley
Bob Boell, HR
Scott Bohr
Leslie Boone, HR
William Borror
Martha Bowman
George (Skip) Brecht
Brenda Brooks
Aisha Brooks-Lytle
James Brown, HR |
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| Stated Meeting of the Presbytery on Tuesday, January 26th The Presbytery will gather for the January Stated Meeting on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. The meeting will be held at Oxford Presbyterian Church, 8501 Stenton Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19150. Please follow the link for the necessary documents. |
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| Youth Worker Academy Forum this weekend!!
January 23, 2010 9:30am-1:30pm The next YWA forum will be held on January 23, 2010 from 9:30am-1:30pm at Overbrook Presbyterian Church (6376 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19151). The topic is youth and worship – they’ll be discussing everything from youth Sundays to why youth don’t come on Sunday mornings and from youth liturgists to youth-specific worship experiences. As always, there will be good food and better company! Note that the new cost is $20/church (unlimited members/church). The registration form is available by following the information link at the left. |
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| Haiti Earthquake Response The Presbyterian Church (USA) is part of the huge international response to the earthquake in Haiti last week. As is always the case, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) was able to forward funds immediately to our partners working on the ground in Haiti. A first grant of $100,000 was made as soon as news of the quake was received. An additional $109,000 was forwarded within days from funds that were received immediately after the quake for a total earlier this week of $209,000. Daily updates on what we know and the response we are undertaking as a denomination can be found on the Presbyterian Church (USA) website. Click on the link above to read the rest of this article. |
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| Is your church involved in assembling hygiene and baby kits for Church World Service? Church World Service provides assistance to people throughout the world in times of crisis. They are currently active in enabling hygiene kits and baby kits to be given to survivors of the earthquake in Haiti. Are members of your church involved in assembling kits for those in need? If so, please send the name of your church and the name and contact information of the person in charge of the project at your church to Rev. Michelle Grunseich at resources@presbyphl.org. The Presbytery of Philadelphia would like to help network congregations who are making kits. By sending us this information, we will be able to create a webpage to help congregations in our area connect with one another. Here is a list of churches currently active in assembling kits: Ardmore Presbyterian Church
Lynn Hepp (610-642-6743, lhepp@comcast.net) Calvary Riverview Presbyterian Church
Claire Jones (cjmem@aol.com) First Kensington
Mary Kruse Zambrana (mkzambrana@verizon.net) Marple Presbyterian Church
Nancy Arico (610-550-9547, Nancy.arico@verizon.net) Norriton
Sue Ebersberger (sueebersberger@comcast.net) Roxborough
Amy Karl (RoxPresby@gmail.com or ASKarl@rpcnet.org) |
Presbytery of Philadelphia News |
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| 3rd Tuesday The first 3rd Tuesday forum met this week with 14 participants. Larry Davis led the discussion on how to “demystify” the annual budget and budget process. Information from Larry’s presentation will be available soon on the webpage.
The next 3rd Tuesday forum will be February 16th. Karl Mattison, Executive Director of PEER, will lead a discussion on “What do we REALLY need to know about Endowment Funds?”. The 3rd Tuesday forum will be held from 10 – 12:30 at Church on the Mall. |
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| Partnership for Missional Church On January 8th & 9th, Cluster B met at Deep Run Presbyterian Church for Event 4 of the Partnership for Missional Church.
Event 4 marks the beginning of Phase 2 – Experimenting. The Dwelling in the Word text for Phase 2 is 2 Corinthians 4: 1 -12. The group wrestled several times with the new text, learned about Mission Engagement Teams; Plunging; and was introduced to Hospitality Groups. During this Phase each congregation works with one Missional Challenge that challenges each congregation to examine and take action toward meeting those people to whom God calls. The bridge building team will work with ways to connect with those people and cultures around them. This phase is called "Experimenting" but perhaps it should be called “God has a wonderful Surprise in store for you”.
Phase 1 of the Partnership for Missional Church started a journey of spiritual discernment and deep listening within a cluster of local congregations to explore the change needed to be Missional Church. Now Phase 2 continues this journey by continuing our listening and adding another verb: risking. We will try some missional experimenting on one or two aspects of the life of the local congregation in which cultural change is needed, and we will reflect on those moments of risking to discern our missional vocation. |
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| Coach Training Group 2 of the Congregational Coaches, members of the COM leadership and others from outside our presbytery participated in a two day Coaching Basics Workshop at the National Christian Conference Center in Valley Forge. The Workshop was led by Rev.Laurie Ferguson, a PCUSA minister and certified coach who has led many training events nationally for the PCUSA. The Group 2 Congregational Coaches will join Group 1 for an expanded team of Congregational Coaches. The coaches are ready to assist congregations within the Presbytery of Philadelphia with issues of discernment, transformation, and other concerns. Group 2 will be commissioned at the January Presbytery meeting. |
| Partners for Sacred Places
Congregations recently participated in the third module of the Partners for Sacred Places program New Partners/New Dollars. On January 20th, 11 congregations met at Wallingford Presbyterian Church. Module III centered on the issue of capital campaigns and internal fundraising. Nancy Muth led a day long review of different aspects of the developing an internal Capital Campaign. |
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| MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!!!
The registration deadline is February 12th----You MUST register in advance! Officer Boot Camp
Saturday, February 20, 2010 Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism, An Introduction to the Unbinding the Gospel process
Leader: Rev. Nancy Wood,
Coach for GraceNet
Neshaminy-Warwick Presbyterian Church
1401 Meetinghouse Road, Warminster, PA 18974
9:00 to 4:00
All Church Officers, Evangelism Teams and Pastors are invited What is Unbinding the Gospel? Unbinding the Gospel is about untying the knots that keep us from living exciting lives in the Spirit. It’s about unbinding the Good News that God adores us and everyone else and that God has shown this to us through Jesus Christ. Unbinding the gospel is about Faith Sharing. More information will be available soon. |
| Grant Writing Workshop on January 30th 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”? Elizabeth Hein, grant writer and former director of development at Broad Street Ministry will lead an overview of the elements needed for a “good grant”. The workshop will take place on January 30th from 10am to noon at Church on the Mall. Congregations and organizations that are planning on applying for the Presbytery of Philadelphia Covenant Fund Grant are encouraged to attend. In order to ensure that we have enough handouts and chairs, RSVP to Amy Ayres at aayres@presbyphl.org |
| An Ordination Invitation The Presbytery of Philadelphia cordially invites you to a Service of Ordination to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament. Caroline Levy will be ordained on Sunday, February 7th at 2:00pm. The service will take place at the First Presbyterian Church of West Chester, 130 West Miner Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania. |
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| Hunger Action This Week This Week: January 22, 2010
Souper Bowl Sunday is Sunday, February 7! Is your church participating? Read about how we can get to at least ½ of the churches of the Presbytery participating! Click on the image for details on these and other opportunities! |
| Congregational News |
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| BOKOMOSA Youth Theatre Returns to Chester
The BOKOMOSA Youth Theatre will bring their dynamic performance of song and dance to Chester for their fourth time next weekend. BOKOMOSA means “future” in Setswana and these young people from South Africa tell their stories of survival amidst poverty, crime, despair and the AIDS pandemic. Performances will be held:
Friday, January 22 at 7:00 pm at St. Luke Christian Community Church, 320 Tighman Street, Chester, PA
Saturday, January 23 at 7:00 pm at Swarthmore-Rutledge Elemetary School, 100 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA
A free will offering will be taken at both events. The tour of BOKOMOSA in our area is sponsored by Chester Eastside Ministries, Peace in the Streets/Peace on Earth, and The Achievement Project. For more information contact Chester Eastside Ministries at 610-872-4812. |
| Film and Discussion Event at Doylestown Presbyterian On Tuesday, January 26, at 7:00 p.m., the Peace and Justice/Creation Care committee of Doylestown Presbyterian Church will show the film Food, Inc. in the Celtic Cross Room. Food, Inc. explores the role of major corporations in our nation’s food industry, investigating whether an overemphasis on profits results in compromises in areas such as consumer health, the livelihoods of American farmers, the safety of workers, and the environment. You are sure to be surprised by the findings. All who are concerned deeply about God's creation, the local farmer and health care are invited to come watch the movie. It is the beginning of a discussion about how we, as Christians, can respond to issues regarding the food we eat and how these issues are related to many other concerns facing us and what we are called upon as people of faith to do. DPC is located at 127 East Court Street, Doylestown. Child Care will be provided. For more information, please call the church office at 215-348-3531. This event is free to the public. |
| Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church presents: Theologian in Residence Lecture Series
Dr. Mark I. Wallace, Swarthmore College
Green Christianity: Five Ways to a Sustainable Future Wednesdays January 27th and February 3rd at 7:30pm
Sunday February 7 at 11:00am
Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church Congregational Hall
625 Montgomery Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
For more information, please contact Carol Schmidt (610-525-2821 or CarolSchmidt@bmpc.org) |
| Midweek Bible Study at Arch Street Presbyterian Church
Live or work in Center City and need a reprieve in the midst of your work week?
On Wednesdays from 12:10-12:40 a Midweek Bible study will be held at Arch Street Presbyterian Church that will focus our attention on vocational questions that have been around since work began. Why do we do what we do? How is our work shaped by our faith commitments? Join us for the next three Wednesdays in the social hall of Arch Street Presbyterian Church for good conversation on your lunch break. A light lunch will be provided. Enter through the glass doors located off the Comcast plaza. All are welcome! The Bible study will run for the next three Wednesdays, ending one week before Ash Wednesday.
Questions may be directed to Peter Bratt at peterbratt@gmail.com or (734) 478-0674.
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| Doylestown Presbyterian Church Winter Gala to benefit Disaster Assistance for Haiti The Doylestown Presbyterian Church’s Fellowship and Women’s Ministries Committees invite you to attend its DPC Winter Gala. The dance will be held Saturday evening, January 30, from 7 to 11 p.m. at Keenan Motors on Route 313 in Doylestown. The net proceeds from this event will be donated to PCUSA Disaster Assistance Fund – Haiti. There will be a silent auction and raffle
at the event as well. Catering by Just Foods, and music by Back 2 Life, a fabulous live band (said to be one of the very best dance bands in the region). Back 2 Life can be heard on this Web site: www.brandywinevalleytalent.com). Tickets are available in the church office. The cost is $75 per person. The event is open to all! Items for the Silent Auction and Raffle are being accepted and new donations are being added all the time. If you would like to donate a service or item, etc., please contact the church office as well. Contact Lorri Camilleri at Doylestown Presbyterian Church (lorri@dtownpc.org or 215-348-3531, ext. 233). |
| Organ and Piano Recital at First Presbyterian Church of Willow Grove On Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 3pm, David Clark Little will perform a recital of the works of Bach and Mozart for organ and piano at the First Presbyterian Church of Willow Grove. A freewill offering will be collected. The church is located at the corner of Easton and Barrett Roads in Willow Grove. For more information, please contact the church at 215-659-5938. |
| Read and Meet the Author at Church on the Mall Read and Meet the Author has planned a great line-up of authors for the 1st part of 2010 at Church on the Mall. Cost is $25 per person per event ($$ goes to the author of the day). Read the book prior to the meeting. Come for an inspiring and engaging discussion (authors don’t lecture) from 10 am – 2 pm (we break to buy lunch in the Plymouth Meeting Mall food court but have a working lunch so the discussion can continue). Space limited to 25 participants. Send check for $25 to Church on the Mall & payable to ‘Church on the Mall.’ You will not be registered until we receive your check. You can purchase the authors’ books anywhere; however, for our 1st author of 2010, we will also have copies available at Church on the Mall. Monday, Feb. 22nd: Rev. Dr. Philip Ryken, Sr. Pastor at 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Courage to Stand: Jeremiah’s Message for Post-Christian Times (P&R Publishing)
March 8: Rev. Dr. James Edwards, Bruner-Welch Professor of Theology at Whitworth University. The Hebrew Gospel & the Development of the Synoptic Tradition (Eerdmans)
Monday, April 19: Dr. Darrell Guder, Professor of Missional Theology at Princeton Seminary. Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World (from the Great Ends of the Church series (PC/USA’s Congregational Ministries Publishing)
Questions? Contact Rev. Phil Olson at Church on the Mall at revphil@churchonthemall.com or call 610.825.3388. Mailing address for registrations: Church on the Mall - Author Event, 500 W. Germantown Pike, Box 80 (not P.O. Box - simply Box 80), Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462. |
| "Price is Right" luncheon to be hosted by the Presbyterian Women of Calvin Presbyterian Church The Presbyterian Women of Calvin Presbyterian Church present their annual "Price is Right" luncheon on Saturday, March 20th from 12 noon until 4:00pm. The luncheon will take place at Overbrook Presbyterian Church, 6376 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA. Free parking is available. The suggested donation is $20 for the event. Tickets must be ordered by March 13th by contacting Marilyn Hamms at 215-877-6149. |
| Workshop on Group Dynamics for Clergy and Congregational Leaders The Center for Pastoral Counseling at Springfield presents "Wheels within Wheels: The Pastoral Management of Group Dynamics in the Church". This is a half-day workshop designed specifically for parish clergy and other congregational leaders. It will be held on Wednesday, May 5th from 8:30am-12:30pm at St. Mark's United Methodist Church. Registration is due by April 28th. For more information on the workshop and to register for the program, please follow the link to the left. |
| Church and Community News and Presbyterian Church (USA) News |
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| Don’t Add to the Disaster
At times of disaster (like the earthquake in Haiti) we want to do something – anything – to help. This is wonderful! But it is also a danger. When people lose everything we want to send them anything we can spare. Often it creates a huge logjam at airports blocking the delivery of critically needed items. So, the best advice from those who’ve been there and done that is to send money – preferably to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the real experts in long-term disaster response. One truly useful thing we can send is already on the way, Hygiene Kits. PDA and other Christian denominations keep a stock pile of hygiene kits at the Brethren Service Center in Maryland ready for just such a need. Thousands of these are on their way to Haiti right now. They will need to be replaced. Here is how you, your small group, women’s or men’s or youth group can help! Hygiene Kit (previously Health Kit)
1 — hand towel (approximately 16" x 28", no fingertip or bath towels)
1 — washcloth
1 — wide-tooth comb
1 — nail clipper (no metal files or emery boards)
1 — bar of soap (bath size in wrapper)
1 — toothbrush (in original packaging)
6 — Band-Aids® or other adhesive bandage strips Please do not add toothpaste to the Hygiene Kit. Toothpaste which has an extended expiration date will be added to Hygiene Kit shipments just prior to shipment. Seal all items in a one-gallon plastic bag with a zipper closure. Ship all Kits prepaid to: Church World Service
Brethren Service Center Annex
601 Main Street
New Windsor, MD 21776-0188
(410) 635-8794 Packing and Sending Hygiene Kits Complete Kits should be packed in boxes. Clearly mark the outside of the box with the contents. Include the name and address of the church, group, or individual sending the kits at the top before sealing the box. Secure the boxes with packing tape. |
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| The Presbyterian Outlook will offer a webinar on Preparing Sermons for Lent on Feb. 2nd
Join New Testament scholar, preacher, and author David Bartlett for a one-hour Webinar
- in the comfort of your own home or office- Preaching through Lent: Preparing Sermons on the Lectionary Passages on Tuesday, February 2 at 2:00 PM Eastern time, 11:00 AM Pacific time
David Bartlett is Professor of New Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga., and author of many commentaries, books on preaching, and most notably, co-author with Barbara Brown Taylor of the three volume series, Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary.
Price is $29.95 for this timely and valuable lecture and discussion. Register by following the link to the left. |
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| Work and Spirit Reflection Days at Cranaleith Spiritual Center The hectic pace of our lives leaves little time for thought about what is important, let alone ordering our lives in ways that truly reflect our yearnings. How can we claim time for what matters most, discern the balance of life and work as it is, and explore what further integration may be wanting to emerge? Date: February 5, 2010
Time: 9:30 AM - 4 PM
Cost: $150
Facilitators: Marisa Guerin, Ann Rice Mullen Date: March 5, 2010 Time: 9:30 AM - 4 PM
Cost: $150 Facilitators: Rick McKnight, Jake McCormick Register by email (cranaleith@comcast.net) or phone (215-934-6206). Additional information is available by following the link the left. |
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| L.I.V.E. Symposium at Princeton Seminary The Office of Multicultural Relations at Princeton Theological Seminary will be hosting the L.I.V.E. Symposium in March. The L.I.V.E. Symposium (Learning, Inclusion, Vitality, Exploration) is a special program designed to inform, and motivate domestic students from underrepresented population groups for graduate theological education and therefore future opportunities of service in the Church. This is one of several vocational exploration opportunities offered by the Seminary as an opportunity for persons who are exploring their interests in pursuing a M.Div., M.A., dual Master’s degree and Ph.D. programs. Come experience theological exploration and discernment by discovering opportunities for practical minsitery, spiritual formation and cross-cultural dialogue at the L.I.V.E. Symposium III on March 17th-20th. The cost to possible registrants will be the travel to and from Princeton. Accommodations, meals, and all materials for this three-day event will be covered by Princeton Seminary. Prospective participants may register online by following the link to the left. The registration deadline is March 1, 2010. For further information, you may also contact 609-688-1941 or multicultural@ptsem.edu. |
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| Travel to the Holy Lands and have the Bible come alive! Many have said that you never read or hear scripture the same way after you visit the Holy Lands. You have the opportunity to see what is meant by that statement as you join others from the Presbytery and journey to the land of the Bible. On October 10, 2010 we will be traveling first to Jordan where we will explore the famous and beautiful rock city of Petra. We will then visit Jerash, Qumran and Jericho before leaving for Israel where we will see many of the traditional sites including Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, Bethlehem, the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth and more. Please see the attached for our full itinerary and more trip information. |
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| Church Security Seminar at Paoli Presbyterian on April 8th On Thursday, April 8, 2010, Kevin Robertson, Director of Security for Saddleback Church in Lake Forrest California, will present a workshop entitled, "Church Security: Is Your Church at Risk?" at Paoli Presbyterian Church in Paoli, PA. For more information on the workshop and the registration form, please follow the link to the left. |
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| Missional Church Educational Opportunity
The Center for Parish Development, one of America’s foremost advocates for missional church learning and living, is hosting a convocation in Chicago on July 22-24 on the topic “Contrast and Companionship: The Way of the Church With the World.” The guest presenter will be Dr. George Hunsberger of Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. George Hunsberger came to Western in 1989. He is coordinator of the Gospel and Our Culture Network in North America and a past president of the American Society of Missiology. He is the author of Bearing the Witness of the Spirit: Lesslie Newbigin's Theology of Cultural Plurality, co-author of Missional Church: A Theological Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, and Treasure in Clay Jars: Patterns in Missional Faithfulness. He has also contributed many articles and reviews to missiological, Reformed, and Presbyterian journals. Dr. Hunsberger is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), he has been a campus minister; a pastor; a missionary team leader in Nairobi, Kenya; and a teacher at Belhaven College. The Center for Parish Development also offers a 3-day seminar for guiding congregational transformation toward a missional community. This will follow the Convocation (July 26-28). The Convocation is held at the Cenicle Retreat Center in Lincoln Park, Chicago – a wonderful place to learn, reflect, and relax. I go to this Convocation each year and am enriched by the Bible study which is carefully designed to go with the presentations. Won’t you join me? Bill Reinhold, Associate for Mission Partnerships and Urban Ministry, Presbytery of Philadelphia. |
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. |
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