January 13, 2005- Issue #7 |
- New London Youth!
- Transformation Events
- New Issues from Presbytery
- Missional Church Corner
- One Good Idea
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PREPARING FOR THE JANUARY PRESBYTERY MEETING! |
The January Presbytery meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 18th at 9:30 am at Kennett Square Presbyterian Church. To get your papers, go to the website: www.donegalpby.com then go to Meetings & Papers, then to Documents to Download. |
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WE'RE PRAYING FOR YOU!!! |
The staff of the Presbytery of Donegal prays regularly for you! Join us in this by going to the website and clicking on Prayer Concerns. We are following a Presbytery wide prayer calendar which includes our churches, pastors and leaders. We are richly blessed to be in ministry partnership with you! |
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CONTACT |
Presbytery of Donegal
P.O. Box 10054
1861 Charter Lane
Lancaster, PA 17605-0054
717.392.4035 (phone)
717.392.8922 (fax)
To unsubscribe from this news, send an email to: kathy@donegalpby.com and put in the subject line - unsubscribe eNews
Thanks to Carrie Reich - the following link actually works!
http://www.donegalpby.com |
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NEW LONDON YOUTH PROGRAM SETS THE STANDARD! |
New London's Youth Pastors Mike Atkins and Drew Cope are setting the standard for building up the body of Christ! New London's youth program, Ground Zero, www.gzyouth.com powered by the Holy Spirit, is the model youth program! To top this off, Mike and Drew helped Union Presbyterian Church launch their own Ground Zero. This program is drawing record numbers of youth (140 at the Christmas program). Mike, Drew, and New London are reaching out to help others in an incredibly self-giving way! Thank-You for your witness and modeling Christ's love! |
TRANSFORMATION EVENTS SCHEDULED |
There are some exciting events being scheduled to assist you in bringing transformational ministries to your body. The first is to be held in New York City on July 14 - 17, 2005. The theme is "Witnessing to God's Radical Hope." The link below will tell you more.
www.churchwidetransformation.org/connection2005.html
The Presbytery will be partnering with interested churches in sending teams to this conference. Let us know of your interest! The second event will be held in the middle of October on a Saturday or Friday/Saturday either 7-8 or 14-15 in the Allentown area. This one is a regional event that is being planned by the Synod Transformation Network (that we helped to launch!) It will be designed to assist you in bringing fresh new ideas and energy to your worshiping community! Mark and Save the Dates! |
NEWS ISSUES FROM PRESBYTERY! |
IRS Mileage Rate. The IRS mileage rate for 2005 is $0.405 per mile. This new rate should be used in calculating your travel expenses in 2005.
Elder Training Resources. We have a 41 page document in Microsoft Word to assist you in your Elder training. It was produced by one of our Presbyterian Churches in the Pittsburgh area and could be used for your training or for ideas. Send an email to Rev. Charlie Gross for this document: cgross@donegalpby.com
Tsunami Disaster Response Update. To get current updated information about our role in the Tsunami disaster response, go to:
www.pcusa.org/pda There is a comprehensive website of information that will be helpful in your interpretation and response efforts.
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MISSIONAL CHURCH CORNER |
According to "Shaped by God's Heart, the passion and practices of missional churches," the fifth characteristic is to live apostolically. Milfred Minatrea reminds us that, first, every disciple of Christ is "one who is sent" into the world. Secondly, the term apostolically implies that the church lives in a culture more similar to the first century than different from it. Finally, the church is tasked with equipping disciples to interpret contemporary cultures and engage them in dialogue that magnifies Christ. "A person who does not believe that every disciple of Jesus Christ is sent by Him into the world rejects the essence of the missional church." Rev. Minatrea goes on to state that "the most poignant implications of this 'missional' lifestyle is the movement away from self and toward another. It is a lifestyle that involves placing the need of another above one's own desire. It is sacrificial and service-oriented; it can be uncomfortable, and it is not always safe." How do we encourage and equip ourselves for this "swimming against the tide?" |
ONE GOOD IDEA |
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I just received a postcard from Second Presbyterian Church West Chester. This postcard is a colorful one that says, "Why forgive?" Under that catchy title, it says, "How do you forgive the unforgivable? Do you feel the weight of guilt? Do you have difficulty forgiving yourself? How do you know that God forgives? How do you know God has forgiven you? Join us in January as we seek answers! Then in gives the name, address, phone numbers and worship times. I thought that this was a unique way to promote their church, the theme for the month and attract those seeking answers to questions.
If you have a good idea, I'd love to share it in this eNews letter. Send it to me via: cgross@donegalpby.com Thank-You Very Much! |
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