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Jan 17, 2008 Issue #87 |
Top Stories
Mission Info
News Issues
Christian Formation Info
Positions Available
Upcoming meetings!
One Good Idea |
Growing Faith Growing Churches |
Next scheduled presbytery meeting is March 25, 2008 at Donegal Presbyterian Church in Mt Joy at 9:30am. Note the change in time!
Send your docket requests to Bill Netting by Thursday, March 6th netting@epix.net
Learning opportunities scheduled are:
Using humor from the podium and pulpit
Presbytery meetings:
Do you need a baby sitter for presbytery meetings? Call the church directly and they will arrange for it!
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Personnel Resource Database! |
Need a contact in our presbytery with some special expertise? Go to our web site, www.donegalpby.com click on Resource Center and then Personnel and find some help! To add your own skills to the database, just use the password - dpres and you can add your own.
As of 1/17/08 there were 131 skilled people in this database. What skills do you need? Please Register your expertise today! |
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CONTACT |
Presbytery of Donegal
P.O. Box 10054
1861 Charter Lane ste 125
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
Important Note: If you want to have a confidential conversation regarding a possible sexual misconduct incident, call our Stated Clerk, Rev. Dr. William Netting, 717.548.3719, as indicated in our Presbytery Sexual Misconduct Policy.
Go see what's new at our constantly changing webpage!
http://www.presbyteryofdonegal.org |
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TOP STORIES GROWING FAITH - GROWING CHURCHES |
What a powerful Presbytery meeting! We are off to a great Year of World Mission! Thanks to all who made the day very special!
My goal - imprint Jesus Christ on 500 campers at Camp Donegal in 2008! Watch the video, pray and join me!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dERskVexV9E
See the updated schedules of "holy conversations" to be led by the Rev Dr John Sharick and the members of the Transition Team! http://www.presbyteryofdonegalintransition.org
Sunday, January 27th from 2pm - 5pm at Bellevue Presbyterian Church - Presbytery Committee/Department Orientation and Welcome to the Work!
This time will be spent getting oriented to the work of the presbytery. If you are new to a committee or department or just want to get smarter about the work of presbytery, we want to help you get trained for the work and become an effective member of this servant organization! Register with Kathy Bartels at kathy@donegalpby.com or by phone: 717.392.4035! Blessings!
Ask Charlie to put plea for volunteers to tile Calvin in enews! Ok, here it is! Call the Camp at 717.862.3722 and schedule the tile work for Calvin cottage!
We also need volunteers to build swing circles at Camp Donegal
We are a praying presbytery! One mark of a great presbytery meeting is the amount of time spent in prayer. We are growing faith! Consider this idea for a Lenten devotional - To further unite us in ministry and mission, pray for one or two churches per Sunday for the rest of the year. You could use the link - http://www.donegalpby.com/prayerconcerns.php to follow along and the Anniversary Prayer Booklet for background. If you like the idea, pray for Penningtonville on Jan 20th and pray for Chanceford on Jan 27th. Place these in your bulletin.
The PCUSA has a wonderful Employee Assistance Program for their pastors. It is called Cigna Behavioral Health and can be found at www.cignabehavioral.com If you are a pastor, you are entitled to some outstanding counseling to help with tough issues, decisions, and conversations. Even if you just want to talk confidentially to someone! Our Employer ID is ‘PCUSA.’ The phone number to call is 866.640.2772, then selection 2 for a counselor or advocate. Our desire is that we have a very healthy, happy new year. Blessings! Charlie Gross
Ann Hatfield from Trinity Berwyn becomes a Candidate! See her video:
http://www.youtube.com/v/DLQIpR7FknE
Matt Randolph from Donegal Presbyterian becomes an Inquirer! See his video:
http://www.youtube.com/v/JOxSWVMH0Eg
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MISSION INFORMATION |
2008 is the Year of World Mission! At the March 25th Presbytery meeting at Donegal Presbyterian Church at 9:30am, hear and see great things that God is doing around His world! The Rev. David Hall will be giving a fact filled presentation of the power of God's Spirit! Come and See!
If you missed Dr. Michael Johnson's kick off to our Year of World Mission, click here to enjoy: http://www.donegalpby.com/DrJohnson1-15-08.WMA
Put this on your calendar to enhance the Year of World Mission! There are scholarships available! New Wilmington Mission Conference – July 19 – 26, 2008 in New Wilmington, PA http://www.NWMCmission.org 2008 theme is “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” Luke 4:18 phone: 724.946.7195 or office@NWMCmission.org
World Mission Initiative Conference info: http://www.worldmissioninitiative.org/conference.htm
WMI is pleased to announce details for the 2008 World Mission Initiative Conference! "A New Day in Mission" March 28-29, 2008 Keynote Speakers: Rev. Dr. William J. Carl, III, President of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary; Nard Pugyao, first generation Christian from the Isnag language group in the Philippines, employed by JAARS, a Wycliffe affiliate; Rev. Hunter Farrell, Director of World Mission for the PC (U.S.A.); Rev. Dr. Ken Bailey, retired Presbyterian missionary, author and lecturer. Registration: $25.00 fee, plus meals and (if needed) overnight accommodations. $100.00 maximum registration fee per congregation for as many members as you want to send. To register, download the brochure at the above link
Contact: Don Dawson (ddawson@pts.edu) or Ellen Dawson (edawson@pts.edu) for more information. Scholarships are available from Mission Division of the Presbytery of Donegal - lbpc@littlebritainchurch.org
MISSION VISION AND BOOK OF REVELATION TRIP to TURKEY,
led by veteran missionary Rev. David Hall.
Monday, August 4th through Thursday, August 14th, 2008 (10 days).
Yes, there are Christians and Protestant churches in Turkey today Meeting pastors and believers and hearing what they have endured will be unforgettable experiences, as will visiting several sites of the seven churches of the book of Revelation and seeing such breath-taking sights in Istanbul as the Hagia Sophia.
$2,900. Limited to 8 participants
Since air fares spike as we get closer to summer, tickets must be purchased early. Please contact David Hall soon if you are even considering participating in this trip! David, who was ordained by our Presbytery and has over 15 years field experience, now directs Mobilization at WEC International USA.
Don’t procrastinate! Contact David while you’re thinking about this special opportunity! Rev. David Hall Cell phone: 215-692-2481 E-mail: weclink@wec-usa.org
China Mission Trip – March 24 to April 10, 2008. Led by the Rev. Clifford Liu, Pastor of the Delaware Valley Christian Chinese Church in the Philadelphia Presbytery and President of the American International Cultural Exchange Institute. He writes: Dear Friends: Our organization makes several trips to China each year and we teach classes in schools and universities on a diversity of subjects centered around American Culture. At the same time we strive to present a Christian emphasis, to the extent possible, as we teach and in our contacts with the Chinese people. In addition to schools and universities we have had the opportunity to bring classes such as Western Business Etiquette to Chinese city leaders and business people. In both 2006 and 2007, we hosted visits to the U.S.A. by Chinese citizens who wished to come and learn more of our culture here. We have also developed a fine relationship with Wilson College in Chambersburg which has led to opportunities for several Chinese outstanding young students to come and attend college there.
This year will be a very important year in China because of the 2008 Olympics which will be held in that nation. Olympic events will be held in seven Chinese cities including Beijing, Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Qinhuangdao, and Hong Kong. During our trip from March 24 to April 10, we will visit four of these cities. These include Beijing, Qingdao, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Our trip will be before the Olympics and the crowds and those who go with us will be able to see some of the important and historic places in each of these four cities. In addition, we will be visiting Shenzhen and Yantai. Shenzhen has been one of the fastest growing cities in China in recent years.
We hope that you will join with us on this or a future trip to China. Cost $2,995 includes air tickets, ground transportation in China, hotel double occupancy, 3 daily meals, admission fees, tips and gratuities. For more information contact Rev. Dr. Richard Foster at fosterwr@dejazzd.com. |
NEWS ISSUES FROM PRESBYTERY! |
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!
“It’s Not Just a Copier Anymore!” The Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Association of Business Administration invites all to attend this program addressing the uses of technologically advanced copiers for document management in churches. It’s amazing how much a copier can do for church life now! Come and hear Gary Fredericksen discuss these advances at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lansdale on Thursday, Feb 7th from 10am-2pm. RSVP to Dory Speer, dspeer@firstpreswc.com or 610-696-0554.
One question survey – Do you have a policy for caring for people who come to your church or pastor asking for money? Send your answers to Charlie at: cwgross@gmail.com Thanks!
Susan Harner reminds ministers/churches that changes to their salary must be directly reported to the Board of Pensions. Here’s some phrasing from the Change in Terms of Call form: Please Note: Changes in the terms of call of the pastor and/or any other person employed by the church and enrolled in the Board of Pensions insurance and retirement plan MUST be reported directly to the Board of Pensions by the church using Form ENR-111 which is available electronically at www.pensions.org. Click on Forms and scroll down to Enrollment/Eligibility/Service. If you cannot access the form on the Board of Pensions website, please call the Presbytery office and we will be happy to mail a copy of the form to you.
The 2008th General Assembly (June 21-28, 2009) is less than six months away. If you haven’t already start praying now! I encourage every pastor or session to organize a prayer group or galvanize the groups you already have in your church to pray for our denomination. Sadly, I have found that it is far, far more common for people to complain about what they don’t like in the PC(USA) than to pray for it. This should not be so.
I plead with you to organize the people in your congregation who care about the larger church to begin now to bathe the 2008th General Assembly in prayer
Try this out! It's really easy to call and express yourself and your ideas for raising the bar in ministry! You can call in from any where and publish an entry to our blog via phone! Don't be shy! It's fun, easy and educational! Just call 214.615.6431. Enter pin – 168-049-813 and # Then select 1 to record and publish, Then select account 1000 and #, Then just follow the instructions to record your message and hit # to end. It’s that easy. In a day or so, I will make sure that it is published on the following blog area for all to hear! Give it a try! If you want to listen to my first two attempts at this, go to the following location and listen! http://www.donegalpresbytery.blogspot.com/
Get your own Self Development Of People screensaver! SDOP Sunday is Feb 25th! Visit the SDOP website to download from the homepage your very own SDOP screensaver. The screensaver has pictures of funded projects from around the world. Please visit the Dominican Republic Network page at http://www.pcusa.org/sdop/dominican.htm New email address: clara.nunez@pcusa.org or go to: http://www.pcusa.org/sdop/
For Sale - Bob LaForce (Stewartstown) has for sale two Bruno stair lifts for the handicapped. One is for four steps, the other for 12, but has an extension so it can be made even longer. We are asking $2000 for the shorter one (virtually brand new) and $1,000 for the longer one (older, but works fine). Call Bob at 717-993-2553.
Throw Camp Donegal a penny when you search the internet! Start using www.goodsearch.com for your search engine (before going directly to google) and put in "The Presbytery of Donegal" in the “beneficiary” line before you start using it and you will be tossing the camp a penny every time you search. Give it a try!
CRUISE TO BERMUDA IN 2009 Join us on this Church Sponsored Cruise. 6 Days 5 Nights via Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Mark Your Calendar & Find out more at our Informational Meeting Date: Tuesday Jan 22nd.Meeting Place: Kreutz Creek Church in Hellam. Time: 7 pm Sponsored by Kreutz Creek Presbyterian Church for fundraising What a great family vacation - Come find out more! Or email committee contact: kimblouse@comcast.net
Do you want a great way to schedule meetings and events? I am now using an interesting website that helps me schedule meetings. http://www.doodle.ch/main.html It allows a visual matrix of interactive planning for all to see. I have used this system twice with GREAT results! It is the best way to get a consensus for a meeting date and time! Very easy to use! You set up the possible dates and times and then send the link to everyone. They then put their availability online and it will tell you who can attend and who can not. Cool!
Coffee Question to all churches: I am a Deacon at Central Presbyterian Church in Downingtown. We are exploring ideas of how we can transform our traditional coffee/fellowship hour into more of a cafe setting. One of the things we want to change is the coffee itself. Our two options seem to be (1) changing the brand we use, filter our water, and purchase new percolators, or, (2) purchase pre-made coffee from an outside source, like Starbucks or WaWa. We are trying to find other churches who have switched from brewing their coffee to purchasing it from an outside source, or who have more of a "coffee cafe" concept so we can ask some questions. Would you by any chance know of a church I could contact? Thank you for your help,
Nancy Cooper - Email Nancy if you can help her! Nancy.Cooper@vertexinc.com
(New Ad! Look!) Wayside Presbyterian Church is searching for temporary Pastor Supply for May 2008 through August 2008 during a sabbatical for our Pastor. We recognize that it will be difficult to get one person to cover this entire period so we are planning to split the time period into monthly segments and cover each segment with a different individual. We seek individual pastor supply for four week periods which would include a block of four Sundays. Requirements are to serve 20 hours a week with primary responsibilities to include: preparing the Sunday service, preaching, general office support, committees, some visitation, and 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; moderate session meetings, requests for funerals and weddings, provide office hours for drop by visits and Men’s Bible study. If you can help cover a four week segment or have questions, please contact Jeff Doane at 717-898-4165 weeknights after 5 PM.
CHRISTIAN FORMATION INFORMATION |
Exciting things are happening in Christianity today. Rather than seeing post-modernism as a threat, many Christians are seeing the emphasis on relationship, experience, pluralism, and change, characteristic of post-modernism, as an opportunity to share the good news in creative and life-transforming ways. Christianity's faith is mission-oriented and the whole world, as well as the immediate neighborhood, is our mission. In this spirit, we invite you to participate in a four week seminar on Emerging and Missional Christianity, led by Presbyterian pastor Tony Sundermeier, and UCC pastor and LTS professor and director of continuing education, Bruce Epperly. Over four weeks in April (4, 11, 18, 25), we will reflect on the following themes: forming the vision, preaching the vision, equipping the vision, and living the vision. The cost of this program is $150, with some scholarship assistance available. For registration information, please contact Rikki Jones at 717-290-8758 or rjones@lancasterseminary.edu. For questions, please contact Bruce Epperly at 717-290-8759 or bepperly@lancasterseminary.edu. To learn more about LTS programs in continuing education, please consult our web site (www.lancasterseminary.edu) under "continuing education."
Lancaster Theological Seminary - You are invited to attend a special jazz worship service one week from Friday on January 18 in Santee Chapel from 1:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. The Rev. Cliff Aerie, Minister for Special Events, Creativity and the Arts, and his band will be on campus and have agreed to share one of the worship services they have prepared for the Epiphany Season. There are musicians and vocalists involved and they specifically focus on interweaving worship and arts. The presenters look forward to engaging in conversation with participants following the worship service. They have been touring other UCC seminaries, churches, and judicatories and will appear in our region at the following locations:
Fri 1/18 7:00 p.m. Global Village Jazz concert -- Church of the
Apostles, Lancaster
Sat 1/19 All day Ministries and Mission Training -- St. Paul's UCC,
Amityville
Sun 1/20 11:00 a.m. Sunday worship at Old First UCC -- Philadelphia
Sun 1/20 7:00 p.m. Global Village jazz concert -- Goshen UCC, West
Chester Riess Potterveld |
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
New Position at Westminster! Facilities Manager. We would like the congregation’s assistance in identifying candidates for a new full time position at Westminster. The individual will be responsible for: supervision of custodial staff; maintenance of the church buildings, grounds and equipment; oversight of HVAC systems. The candidate should have knowledge of building systems and a capability to handle basic electrical, lighting and plumbing repairs. If you know someone who is qualified and may be interested, email Tom Snyder at tsnyder@westminsterpc.org
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!
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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CALENDAR OF COMING MEETINGS! |
Use the webpage calendar at: http://www.donegalpby.com/cgi-bin/calendar.pl or:
Monday, January 21 – Martin Luther King, Jr’s Birthday observed – office closed
Wednesday, Jan 23 - Women in Ministry meet at 1pm at First Pres Strasburg
Friday Jan 25-Sunday Jan 27 - Camper Reunion Retreat for grades 7-12 at Camp Donegal
Monday, Jan 28 – Transition Team, 2-9pm at presbytery office
Tuesday, Jan 29 – Transition Team, 10am-9pm at presbytery office
Thursday, Jan 31 – Abortion Study Task Force, 7-9pm at Bellevue Church
Monday, February 4 – Committee on Preparation for Ministry, 1-4pm at Highland Church
Tuesday, Feb 5 – Outreach Department, 7:15pm at presbytery office
Thursday, Feb 7 – back-up date for Abortion Study Task Force, 7-9pm at Bellevue Church
Monday, Feb 11 – Transition Team, 1-9pm at presbytery office
Tuesday, Feb 12 – Christian Formation Division, 9am at presbytery office; Staff Meeting, 1:30pm at presbytery office; Transition Team, 6-9:30pm at presbytery office |
ONE GOOD IDEA |
One good idea from the Rev. Dr. Bob LaForce at Stewartstown
Sunday was our first experience with doing a "Global Sunday". Session set apart the 2nd Sunday of the month as "Global Sunday". We begin the service with a video clip from missionaries somewhere in the world, our youth pass out hand-outs about the mission and missionaries, all designed to make us more globally aware Christians. I saw where Michael Johnson was speaking at presbytery Tuesday. They have a nice short video clip of he and his wife on the WGM web site (just short of 2 minutes) and we showed that at the beginning of worship. It was very well received.
Extravagant Blessings! Charlie
If you have a good idea, I'd love to share it in this eNews letter. Send it to me via: cwgross@gmail.com Thank-You Very Much! |
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