Midweek Newsletter - 2009 Oct 14
Midweek Musings Newsletter
October 14, 2009
The 803rd Stated Meeting of New Castle Presbytery
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Council Meeting- 9:00 am
Registration - 9:30 am / Presbytery Meeting - 10:00 am
Lewes Presbyterian Church
133 Kings Highway • Lewes, DE 19958
Documents have been posted for the 803rd Stated Meeting of New Castle Presbytery.
Please visit the docket page for more information.
Midweek Musings by Jackie Taylor, Associate Executive Presbyter
My daughter’s got a new habit. Nine times out of ten, she will do her chores with minimal prompting. But every so often I’ll ask her to do something like take her Barbie’s back downstairs to her play area. Her response, “ No, because I don’t want to.”
The book of Genesis highlights the fact that we humans were created with free will. Fast forward to today; so are our congregations. Last week a group of us met at the Hanover Church for a session with Phil Tom, GA Associate for Small Church and Community Ministry in Louisville. He talked about how congregations can reach out to their communities. He gave several suggestions which I will list in the Remix over the next few weeks.
However, the most profound statement he made was that some congregations “don’t want to.” For us entrepreneurial types, that is unheard of. Whatdayamean you don’t want to? After all, didn’t Jesus say in Matthew to “go make disciples of all nations”? Don’t we want our churches to grow in numbers, witness and finances?
Apparently not.
After I pondered this, I realized it was in some sense, okay. Why? Phil Tom told a story of a congregation that felt obligated to open its doors to the neighboring Spanish speaking community. So they erected a sign that said welcome in Spanish…but the word was spelled wrong. It’s a shame, really. This congregation didn’t take five minutes to find out how to spell welcome in Spanish.
A half hearted, forced effort will do more harm than good. New folks entering a church will not find a welcoming community. They may find desperate, angry, fearful people who wish all this “change” would just go away and the good old days would return. I want to go to a church that wants ME there, divorced, single adoptive parent, African American, city slicking ways and ALL!! I want a church that welcomes my gifts and graces, experience and wisdom. I think all of us want to be part of something where we feel completely included and welcomed, not a place that feels like they must drag us in.
Scary? More than Halloween!!! Impossible? Not with prayer, discernment and the Holy Spirit! Aquariums are beautiful, but how much more stunning is the ocean!!!
Blessings,
- Jackie
Assembly of Mam collective leadership and Tri Presbytery partnership currently visiting Guatemala.
Introducing the NEW and IMPROVED (hopefully)
Committee On Ministry
We are excited to introduce a NEW structure for the Committee on Ministry. We hope it will prove to be more user friendly. According to the Book of Order, “the Committee on Ministry (is) to serve as pastor and counselor to the ministers and Certified Christian Educators of the Presbytery . . .” (G-11.0501)
Now, be honest, is that what you think of when you think of Committee on Ministry? We didn’t either! And so, we decided to try something different.
We have taken our committee and broken it up into eight teams of 2 or 3. Each team was assigned a group of about 6 churches which they are to care for. The teams and church groupings were assigned regionally, so churches and COM representatives are relatively close geographically.
The idea is that these teams contact their churches, pastors, clerks and sessions. They may come to worship, or attend a special event at your church. Hopefully, relationships will develop and when you have a question, or a problem you will know your contact. Your team will walk you through the process for a pastor leaving, acquiring an interim, assembling a Pastor Nominating Committee, formulating a Church Information Form, etc. What ever you might need from COM, your team will be your first contact.
Ideally, every team would have 3 members; a mix of clergy and lay, one from each “class,” so that only one would be likely to “roll off” the committee in any given year, thereby adding some continuity.
Find your church in the left hand column and you will find your team in the right hand column. Contact information for all Committee on Ministry members can be found in the Presbytery Directory.
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Church Groups
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COM Team Members
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PCOC, PCOS, Trinity, Concord
Calvary, Hanover, Elsmere
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David Teager (Elder)
John Dean (Hon. Retired Clergy)
Mae Hall (Elder)
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Westminster, 1st & Central
Greenhill, Lower Brandywine, Community
New Castle
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David Ganfield (Elder)
Lois Lehman (Hon. Retired Clergy)
Bruce Gillette (Clergy)
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Red Clay, Limestone, White Clay
Newark, Christiana, St. Andrews
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Bob Undercuffler (Hon. Retired Clergy)
Venetta Stewart (Elder)
Nora Andresen (Elder)
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Pencader, Head of Christiana, Elkton
Rock, Port Deposit, Chesapeake City
Perryville
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Billie Brightwell (Clergy)
Pat Singleton (Clergy)
John Paderson (Clergy)
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West Nottingham, Delaware City
Port Penn, Forest, New Covenant
Smyrna, Dover, Chestertown
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Randy Clayton (Clergy)
John Ames (Hon. Retired Clergy)
Roberta Bell (Elder)
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Milford, Easton, Coolspring
Georgetown, Lewes, Westminster (Reh)
Midway
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Sally Cordrey (Elder)
Ed Gazze (Elder)
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Seaford, Faith Chapel, Buckingham
Ocean City, Makemie
Manokin
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Bev Bailey (Elder)
Don Rising (Clergy)
Kerry Schull (Clergy)
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Frankford, Ocean View, Pitts Creek
Beaver Dam, Rehoboth, Wicomico
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Lee Johnson (Elder)
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At-Large Clergy, Specialized Ministry
Those not formally connected to a local church.
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Doug McPheeters (Clergy)
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Some of you have already met your COM teams and begun working with them. If you have not, they should be getting in touch with you in the near future. We hope that this will help us to keep in touch with you, the pastors and churches of our Presbytery, and in so doing, to support, encourage and equip you in your ministries.
Yours in Christ,
Doug McPheeters
Chair, Committee on Ministry
CLP CliP
The CLPProgram has a new instructor, the Rev. John T. Ames. John is teaching the Reformed Theology course offered this fall.
John Ames is a native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and a life-long Presbyterian. He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi (BA, 1961, history), Union Theological Seminary in Virginia (BD, 1965) and Duke Universiry, (PhD, 1971, history and religion).
He was ordained by Washington City Presbytery (UPCUSA) in 1965 and has served pastorates in Bethesda, MD; Lyndhurst, NJ; Louisville, KY; and East Hampton, NY. He retired in 2005 and is now “Pastor Emeritus” of the First Presbyterian Church of East Hampton.
John has taught at Duke Divinity School as a graduate assistant (church history, Presbyterian history and polity); as an adjunct professor at Louisville Theological Seminary (church history, Presbyterian history, homeletics), and Bellarmine College, Louisville, KY (theology).
After his retirement, he moved to Chestertown, MD in 2005 and became a member of New Castle Presbytery in January, 2006. He has served as Interim Pastor at the Head of Christiana Church in Newark, DE (December, 2005-January2008) and currently serves as Parish associate at the Presbyterian Church of Chestertown. He is a member of the Committee on Ministry of New Castle Presbytery.
He is married to Gillian. They have three adult children and two grandchildren.
As a member of his Reformed Theology class, I can affirm that we are truly blessed to have John Ames as our teacher and a member of our Presbyterian community.
Until next time, God bless!
- Carole Miles
The Visitor Remix
Present a gift or an info pack to visitors. They’ll remember you when they drink their morning joe!
Got a suggestion for the Visitor Remix? Send it in tojtaylor@ncpresbytery.org!
Health Care Rally
Interfaith Bridge to Health Care Reform
October 15th
Health Care Reform Insert: health reform insert.pdf
Health Care Reform Poster: health care reform poster2.pdf
Last spring, with generous support from the Presbytery, four Hanover members attended the Sojourner’s Mobilization to End Poverty in Washington, DC. Over the course of the summer we worked to educate our congregation about the issues, and this fall, Hanover’s Faith in Action decided to take action on an issue that affects many people and correlates strongly with poverty.
Join us Thursday, October 15, and voice your commitment to health care access for all US citizens. Hanover is inviting people from all faith traditions to a day of solidarity to support health care reform. The event does not endorse a specific plan or type of reform. We seek to shed a spiritual, moral light on the obligation to care for the sick and the poor, and to speak on behalf of those who are unable to speak for themselves.
Keeping Watch for Health Care Reform with display of signs, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. People or congregations can take a one- or two-hour shift on the bridge at any time during the day.
Location: The WashingtonStreetBridge in Wilmington
Rally For Health Care Reform - 5:30 to 6:15 p.m.
Speakers on health care reform, including people who have been affected because they lacked insurance.
Location: The north end of the WashingtonStreetBridge and BrandywinePark near the old Sugar Bowl (adjacent to the Bridge).
Candlelight Vigil - 6:15 to 7 p.m.
Leaders representing a variety of religious traditions and participants will hold a candlelight vigil with readings, prayers and songs on behalf of health care justice for all. Bring a candle or other small light to show your support.
Location: BrandywinePark near the old Sugar Bowl.
Above are two documents: one can be used as a bulletin insert (print on legal paper), and the other is a flyer you can distribute or post to get the word out about the event.
For more information or to sign up for a shift on the bridge on Oct. 15, please call Alice Davis at 429-0607 or email alicewilm@gmail.com
Join Us For Saturday Academy at Church of Our Savior!
Educational enrichment, creative arts, recreational activities for Ages 5 – 18.
For more info, click here for flier. Flyer for Saturday Academy.doc
LOWER BRANDYWINE STORYTELLING FESTIVAL 2009
Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church
The Art of Storytelling for Sunday School Teachers - Michael Forestieri.
Michael teaches lay educators an easy, step-by-step process for building lessons using stories. You’ll leave with an incredibly useful, practical, and fun toolbox of ideas you can use the very next day to make your lessons even more memorable.
For more info, click here. http://lbstoryfest.com/html/workshops.html
CROP Walks for New Castle Presbytery is October 18th
All New Castle Presbyterians are invited to join a Presbytery-wide CROP Walk on Sunday afternoon, October 18th.
For more info, click here to read last week's Midweek Musings article. MIDWEEK NEWSLETTR - 2009 OCT 7
Hymns of the Reformation
First Presbyterian Church – Newark, seeking to know Christ and to make Him known, announces a special worship service, “Hymns of the Reformation” on Sunday, October 18th, at 10:30 AM. The First Presbyterian Church Choir, Bell Ringers and Brass Ensemble will focus on the great hymns of the faith from Martin Luther, Charles Wesley, Isaac Watts, and John Calvin.
First Presbyterian Church, 292 W. Main St., Newark, is ½ mile west of the University of Delaware on State Route 273. Parking is available, and the church is handicapped accessible. For more information, contact the office (fpchurch@firstpresnewark.org or 302-731-5644).
The Phantom of the Opera
Join us for an unforgettable “Movie Night” at Westminster PC:
The Phantom of the Opera
Friday, October 30th at 8:00 pm
The 1925 silent movie classic, starring Lon Chaney
with live organ accompaniment by Paul Fleckenstein
Download flyer for more information: phantom flyer.pdf
New Resource at the Interfaith Resource Center
(www.interfaithresourcecenter.com)
Safety Tips On A Sensitive Subject: Child Sexual Abuse is a 1-session DVD produced by Church Mutual Insurance Company. It focuses on the legal ramifications of child sexual abuse and practices that churches should put in place to minimize the risk. This DVD joins a growing collection of resources at the IRC to help train church leaders to truly provide safe sanctuary for all of youngest members.
Overdue resources? Please call to renew as soon as possible. More clients are simply keeping items past their due date without contacting us. Recently we have had other clients waiting of resources that have been due for months. And overdue resources cost the IRC money: in time & postage to notify clients and replacement costs for items lost. If you loan an item to someone else, you are responsible for returning it. Please be considerate.
Paula W Hartzell
Interfaith Resource Center
913 Wilson Road
Wilmington, DE 19803
302.477.0910 or 800.336.6152
www.interfaithresourcecenter.com
resource.ctr1@gmail.com or resource.ctr@dol.net
Social Security Corner
Keep up-to-date on Social Security with the Midweek Musings Newsletter
Social Security Column
AN EXTRA YEAR OR TWO OF WORK BEFORE RETIRING CAN PAY OFF FOR MANY WOMEN
By Laurie Stuchlik
Social Security Manager in Georgetown, DE
A recent study asked this interesting question: “Why do women claim Social Security benefits so early?” The study pointed out that nearly 60 percent of women choose to apply for Social Security retirement benefits as early as possible, at age 62.
Many women might say, “And this would be bad because…?”
Read entire article here: Women Retirement.pdf
WHAT YOUNG WORKERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY AND SAVING: Young Workers.pdf
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