http://donegalpresbytery.blogspot.com/ - Tell us what God is doing in your life! Record your own stories of the power of the Almighty! We are richly blessed!
Philip Schaff Library, Lancaster Theological Seminary and the Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society, 555 West James St., Lancaster, PA will hold its annual book sale Monday through Wednesday, Nov. 26-28, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Many thousands of books, tapes, and records will be available including several hundred specially priced books and sets. Among the specially priced items are a first edition Robert Frost volume, several early 19th century Pennsylvania German imprints, two 18th century folio size German Bibles, other 18th and 19th century books. Topics include religion, theology, large selection of history and literature, fiction, children’s books, science, biblical studies. All books (except specially priced) are $1.00 for hardbacks, .50 for paperbacks, .10 for tapes and records. Also for sale are a computer stand, IBM memory typewriter, picture frames, etc. The sale is held in the lower level of the Philip Schaff Library.
I have a genuine concern for ministers and their families. If the pastor’s spouse works Monday through Friday and/or the children are in school, it is almost impossible for the family to enjoy extended time together, except for vacation. If you find yourself without vacation time but have a desire to get away with your spouse or family for the weekend, I will be glad to conduct the Sunday service(s) without charge or mileage. A bonus is that after having to sit through one of my sermons, the congregation will welcome you back with open arms! Whom am I? Steve Getty. You can reach me quickly at 717-768-8343 or slowly at talktogetty@yahoo.com. Speaking of quickly, I’m also available to substitute if you are ill Sunday morning or have any emergency.
2008 General Assembly Meeting in San Jose, CA, June 21-28, Donegal Presbytery approved a new method of electing General Assembly Minister Commissioners at the September 18th stated meeting. Any minister who wishes to become a commissioner must complete a petition. The procedure and petition are available by contacting either Ed Martin or Kathy Bartels. Candidates are to submit a paper with 3 paragraphs: 1) church and current position, 2) outline of service to Donegal Presbytery, and 3) explanation of why you would like to be a commissioner. Limit of 100 words/paragraph or one side of a page. Submit a wallet size picture. Mail your petition, paper and picture to Ed Martin, 706 Edward Lane, West Chester, PA 19382 or the presbytery office. Deadline for submitting a petition is the end of the November 20th presbytery meeting. Sketches will be published and circulated in lieu of campaign speeches on the floor of the presbytery. Ed Martin, Chairperson, Nominating Committee
The holidays are difficult for many people, especially those who have experienced a loss. Losses involve the ending of a relationship, a loss of health or function, a job loss, a death, or other difficult changes or life transitions. A service of Hope and Healing will be held in the Highland Presbyterian Church sanctuary at 7:00pm on Sunday, December 16, 2007, and at 4pm on Sunday, November 25th at First Presbyterian in Lancaster. This is a special service for individuals and families who feel alone or feel empty, sad and wonder where God is in all their suffering. This special service is designed to bring hope and healing to the experience of grief and loss. Losses will be recognized and validated. God’s comfort, healing and peace will be extended in love through silence, worship and prayer. Please plan to attend one of these services if you are grieving a loss in your life or come with someone who is experiencing sadness and grief.
Important IRS requirements for contributions and end of year giving. http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1771.pdf
News For Small Churches: Beginning January 1,2008, the Board of Pensions will provide stipends of up to $3,000 toward sabbaticals for eligible pastors serving churches of less than 200 members. More information on the Sabbath Sabbatical Support Grants program is available at www.pensions.org.
The Presbyterian Association of Tentmakers now has a Web Site. To access this Web Site, go to www.yaphankpc.org.
If you know of any resources or training event that should be posted on our Web Site, please forward it to Eva Slayton at Eva.Slayton@pcusa.org or Phil Tom at Phil.Tom@pcusa.org. Please NOTE our new email addresses. We continue to welcome your input and ideas on how the Small Church and Community Ministry Office can continue to support and resource small, urban and rural churches. Let us hear from you. Eva Slayton and Phil Tom
Seminary Graduate Help! Greetings. I am writing to ask whether you know of any congregations within your presbytery that could use some temporary, fresh out of seminary help. I graduated from Pittsburgh Seminary in May and became a candidate under care of Carlisle presbytery in September. After checking with my own presbytery's EP and several congregations, I've found that pickings are pretty scarce! I would like to work in a congregational setting during my candidacy year. I've worked in a 220 member congregation as a student assistant in Pittsburgh and this past summer, as an assistant to the chaplain in a Pinnacle Health hospital. I want to work in any/ all aspects of congregational ministry. Thanks for your time. Blessings and peace, Meg Shoeman, He is the radiance of God's glory, the stamp of God's very being, and he sustains the universe by his word of power. (Hebrews 1:3a) M.R.N. Shoeman, 2853 Foxianna Road, Middletown, PA 17057, 717.557.1095, mshoeman@pts.edu
Two courses that are being offered which have been a great blessing to many seminarians in the past. You can download the specific information from www.pcusa.org/seminaries The first one is “Leadership in a Connectional Church”, January 7-11, 2008 at the Presbyterian Center, Louisville KY. Registration deadline is November 18. The second one is in conjunction with General Assembly: “Presbyterianism: Principles & Practices” June 20-28, 2008 at the 218 General Assembly in San Jose CA. Registration is due May 1, 2008. God’s richest blessing in your endeavors. In Christ, Bob Barcus
30 Hour Sabbath - Rest Renew Restore - January 7-8 or February 5-6. Spiritual and Personal Renewal for Churchworkers and Those who love them. Location is Australian Walkabout Bed and Breakfast, 837 Village Road, Lancaster, PA 17602 or http://www.walkaboutinn.com or 717.464.0707 The facilitator is the Rev Dr Bob Griffin who served for 20 years in the pastoral ministry. Meet Bob and his wife Lynne. The cost is $199 plus tax.
Wayside Presbyterian Church is searching for a temporary supply Pastor for May 2008 through August 2008 during a sabbatical for our Pastor. Requirements are to serve 20 hours a week with primary responsibilities being Sunday service preparation, preaching and general support in office, committees, some visitation, lead the serving of Communion. Terms would include an hourly wage, mileage (excluding commute to/from church) and phone/cell phone use and reimbursement for calls from home.
Two Parish Associates and selected elders will cover the following duties: manage staff of Music Director, Youth Coordinator, Administrative Assistant and sexton; pastoral visitation; requests for funerals and weddings, provide office hours for drop by visits and Men’s Bible study. If you can help or have questions, please contact Jeff Doane at 717-898-4165 weeknights after 5 PM.
S.P.I.R.E. (Meeting) (Spouses and Survivors are cordially invited)
Date: December 10, 2007, Place: Terrace Room at Willow Valley Conference and Resort Center, Willow Street, PA, (4 miles south of Lancaster on Rt 272/222) Time: 12:00 p.m. (Note the time!), Program: Marilyn Nettles will bring a program on "Christmas Traditions" Cost is $10 and the deadline for registering is Dec 5th. Please send your reservation to me at 453 State St.,Lancaster, PA 17603 or by phone 717-397-1253 or by email to wjb453@verizon.net Thank-you! Bill Brown
The Summer Collegium, a project in support of small congregations, is now accepting applications for the Summer 2008 event, which will take place at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA, from June 25-July 3, 2008. This nine-day, all expenses paid conference for clergy and their spouses or partners is open to those who pastor small congregations (100 or fewer average Sunday attendance) and are committed to small church ministry. Singles and non-ordained pastors are welcome to apply for the one of the 25 openings. The conference consists of keynotes and workshops on all aspects of small church ministry, with a special emphasis on worship and preaching. Keynotes include Tony Pappas, who has written extensively on small church life, and Peter Bush and Christine O'Reilly, authors of the new book Where 20 or 30 are Gathered: Leading Worship in the Small Church. John Bell of the Iona Community in Scotland will be our music leader. This is an ecumenical project sponsored by the Lilly Endowment Inc. Applications may be downloaded from our website, www.vts.edu/education/collegium, or contact Marilyn Johns (mjohns@vts.edu or 703-461-1760); applications must be postmarked by December 15, 2007. Thank you very much, and please contact me if you have any questions. Marilyn Johns, D. Min. Project Manager, The Summer Collegium
Presbyterian Endowment Education & Resource Network Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 625 Montgomery Avenue, Bryn Mawr PA; Saturday, January 26, 2008, 8:30 am — 5:00 pm Come learn how your church can enhance and develop its ministry through an endowment program. This is a conference both for the church considering creating an endowment program and for the church wanting to revitalize or enhance its endowment program. Cost is $50 per person. Go to www.peernetwork.org for more details and registration information. Special benefits will include:
- Separate tracks for churches at different levels in growing their endowment program (registration survey provided to guide in track selection)
- Worship on theology of stewardship
- Plenary on stewardship
- Networking & roundtable discussions during lunch
- Individual, professional consult before leaving conference to determine plan of action for your church
CHRISTIAN FORMATION INFORMATION |
Lancaster Theological Seminary invites your congregation to join 30-50 other congregations, primarily in Pennsylvania and Maryland, in participating in our Spring/Lenten Adult Study Series. The theme of this five-week series is “Philippians: Living Joyfully in God’s Presence.” Written by Dr. Bruce Epperly, this study will focus on what it means to experience God working in our lives and how we can awaken to God’s abundant presence through scripture study and spiritual practices. In the context of reflection on the text, take home exercises, and spiritual practices, participants will explore what it means to live with an awareness of God’s presence in the small and large details of their lives. Bruce Epperly is Director of Continuing Education and Professor of Practical Theology at Lancaster Theological Seminary. The author of twelve books in spirituality, theology, healing, and death and dying, Dr. Epperly is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ.) The study includes the following: 1. Study guide for participants and leaders, 2. Video introduction to each session, 3. Introductory and concluding lectures, for those who wish to attend, at Lancaster Theological Seminary.
The cost of the study is $150 per congregation, with some scholarship assistance available. For more information or to register, please contact Rikki Jones at 717-290-8758 or rjones@lancasterseminary.edu |
POSITIONS AVAILABLE |
Cedar Grove is searching for an Interim Pastor! To begin a conversation about this, call Wendy Gross at 717.314.1034 or email: WendyJWT@aol.com
Worship Leader Needed at Unionville! Part of our purpose as a church is to provide authentic, God-honoring opportunities for worship that are expressive, faithful, and attentive to our local context. At the present time Unionville Presbyterian Church has two traditional services on Sunday mornings and we are looking to permanently add a new worship experience on Sunday evenings. Our task force has been visiting other contemporary worship services in our area and praying for God’s guidance. Worship teams from other churches have come and led Sunday evening worship for us so that we can see and feel what it is like to worship “at home.” It is our prayer that we will be able to lead this worship with our own team once a month with the expectation that the service will evolve to every Sunday evening in God’s time. Leadership is key. We are praying for a volunteer who would help UPC birth this new worship experience with the hope that it will evolve into a paid staff position once we are ready to worship on a weekly basis. This is a wonderful opportunity to make your own mark while formulating and creating this new worship experience in conjunction with Pastor Jen Howat and the task force. If you feel that you are gifted in this area and that God is calling you in our direction please contact Pastor Jen at 610-347-2327 or email her at pastorjen@comcast.net. Thank you!
Youth Leader wanted in Jan 2008! The Session of Doe Run Pres in S. Coatesville PA is seeking a parttime (up to 10 hours a week) youth leader to lead our youth in fellowship, service and study. Youth group of 10 youth (7-12) meet weekly ususally on Sunday nights. $10 per hour plus mileage. If interested in applying, contact adickey543@comcast.net or minister@doerun.org.
Wrightsville Presbyterian Church, an equal opportunity employer, seeks a Director of Christian Education. This newly established, part-time position will evaluate, resource and direct the educational needs for children, youth and adults. This includes extended programming, seasonal events, Vacation Bible School, and the recruitment, development, and training of volunteers. Must be able to build relationships with children and adults of all ages in order to engage them in learning and in service to the Lord. Additional qualifications include: education in graduate, undergraduate, or seminary specializing in Christian education preferred; leadership skills and ability to work with volunteers; applicable clearances; ability to work 15-20 hours per week. Qualified candidates should send resume with applicable experience, cover letter, and references to attention: Chair, Search Committee, Wrightsville Presbyterian Church, 205 North Second Street, Wrightsville, PA 17368.
The First Presbyterian Church of Phoenixville is seeking a Worship & Praise Team Leader to lead the music and direct our Praise Team during our contemporary Rise & Shine service. This is a salaried, part-time position (approximately 10 hours per week). This is your opportunity to contribute to a loving, growing and thriving church. Interested musicians should forward their resume to secretaryfpc@comcast.net or mail to: The First Presbyterian Church of Phoenixville, 145 Main Street Phoenixville , PA 19460 RE: Praise Team Leader. |
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