April 27, 2017 - Presbytery of Prospect Hill...

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North Iowa Presbyterian E-News Presbytery Office Lakeshore Center at Okoboji 1864 Hwy. 86 Milford, IA 51351 319.233.1747 April 27, 2017 Presbyterian Gathering Collegiate Presbyterian Church Ames, Iowa June 2-3, 2017 Registration deadline is Wednesday, May 10, 2017 See informational brochure in this E-News, which also contains hotel information Registration form is available in this E-News and on each website: www.prospecthillpresby.org or www.presbynciowa.org The Presbytery Office will be Closed the Following Dates: Monday, May 29, for Memorial Day Friday, June 2, as Jeannie will be at the All-Iowa Presbyterians Gathering in Ames Tuesday, July 4 July 24 28 so that Jeannie can attend Synod School. Voice mails and e-mails will be checked during the evenings, but no assistance will be available during the day.

Transcript of April 27, 2017 - Presbytery of Prospect Hill...

Page 1: April 27, 2017 - Presbytery of Prospect Hill (PCUSA)prospecthillpresby.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/4.27... · 2017-04-04 · North Iowa Presbyterian E-News Presbytery Office Lakeshore

North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

Presbytery Office Lakeshore Center at Okoboji

1864 Hwy. 86 Milford, IA 51351

319.233.1747

April 27, 2017

Presbyterian Gathering Collegiate Presbyterian Church

Ames, Iowa June 2-3, 2017

Registration deadline is Wednesday, May 10, 2017

See informational brochure in this E-News, which also contains hotel information Registration form is available in this E-News and on each website: www.prospecthillpresby.org or www.presbynciowa.org

The Presbytery Office will be Closed the Following Dates: Monday, May 29, for Memorial Day Friday, June 2, as Jeannie will be at the All-Iowa Presbyterians Gathering in Ames Tuesday, July 4 July 24 – 28 so that Jeannie can attend Synod School. Voice mails and e-mails will be checked during the evenings, but no assistance will be available during the day.

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HAVE YOU REGISTERED FOR SYNOD SCHOOL?

July 23 – 28, 2017 Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, IA

You may register on-line at: www.regonline.com/Synod-School-2017 If you have any questions, please contact Deb DeMeester, Director of Leadership Development for Synod of Lakes and Prairies, at [email protected].

Did you know . . .

Each Presbytery has a website that

contains lots of great information, including

a calendar with all of Presbytery events and

the informational brochure and registration

form for the All Iowa Presbyterians

Gathering? Be sure to check them out!

www.presbynciowa.org

www.prospecthillpresby.org

Exercise Daily

Walk with the Lord

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Prayers of the Presbytery of North Central Iowa Week of April 30 United Presbyterian Church, Garner – Justin Asche, CRE Week of May 7 Pray for the Ministers in North Central Iowa who are active in Specialized Ministry: Rev. Dr. Linda Smith Rev. Kerin Lang Sorensen Week of May 14 First Presbyterian Church, Toledo – Rev. Doug Darnold Week of May 21 Candidates: Rebecca Dix, Julie Erkel Hagee, Erin Marth Inquirers: Andrew Hagee Week of May 28 Unity Presbyterian Church, Waterloo – Rev. Christine Kaplunas Prayers of the Presbytery of Prospect Hill Week of April 30 Plymouth Presbyterian Church, LeMars – Rev. Dave Koehler, Moderator Week of May 7 Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, Carnarvon – Rev. Charles Valenti-Hein,

Moderator Week of May 14 United Church of Manilla, Manilla – Rev. Vicki Fisher Week of May 21 Wheatland Presbyterian Church, Breda – Rev. Rikki Sorensen, Moderator Week of May 28 Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, George – Rev. Dale Lint, Stated Supply

Additional Prayer Concerns Please keep Rev. Loren Shellabarger and his family in your prayers. Loren’s step-father, David Goodman, passed away on April 21. Services were held on April 24 in Layton, UT. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Willow Glen Health and Rehab, 775 North 200 East, Brigham City, UT 84302. Loren is the Pastor of the Greater Kossuth Parish.

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Calendar Dates North Central Iowa events are shown in blue Prospect Hill events are shown in red Combined events are shown in green April 29 Ruling Elder Cohort; First Presbyterian Church, Ackley; 9:30 – 2:00 (NCI) April 29 Spring Work Day at Lakeshore Center at Okoboji 9:00 – 4:00 (see additional details in this issue of E-News) May 8 All Iowa Conversation, Northminster Presbyterian Church, Ames; 9:30 – 3:00

(NCI & PPH) May 8 COM, First Presbyterian Church, Ackley; 5:00 – 8:00 (NCI) May 9 CPM, Lakeside Presbyterian Church, Storm Lake; 10:00 – 3:30 (PPH) May 9 Moderator Team, Lakeside Presbyterian Church, Storm Lake; 11:00 (PPH) May 9 COM, First Presbyterian Church, Lake Park; 10:00 – 2:00 (PPH) May 9 Stewardship & Finance Committee, First Presbyterian Church, Ackley; 2:00 – 3:00 (NCI) May 10 Deadline to register for All-Iowa Presbyterians Gathering May 11 CPM, First Presbyterian Church, Ackley; 12:00 – 4:00 (NCI) May 11 Council, First Presbyterian Church, Ackley; 5:00 – 8:00 (NCI) May 15 Macedonian Ministry Cohort West; 10:00 -2:00 (NCI) May 16 Personnel Committee, First Presbyterian Church, Ackley; 11:00 – 1:00 (NCI) May 17 VMI, First Presbyterian Church, Ackley; 11:30 – 12:30 (NCI) May 18 Macedonian Ministry Cohort East; 10:00 – 2:00 (NCI) June 2-2 All Iowa Gathering, Ames

PLEASE REMEMBER:

THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR THE ALL-IOWA PRESBYTERIANS GATHERING

IS WEDNESDAY, MAY 10!!

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Thoughts from David Feltman, Pastor to the Presbytery, North Central Iowa

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, The nominal Christian does not realize the depths of the hour. Christmas Eve 2015 was the final service for Unity Presbyterian Church, rural Clarksville. The church was packed, as was the custom on Christmas Eve. The weekly attendance was 6-8. What does a Presbytery do with an old wooden structure on a gravel road in Butler County? The commission, charged with the responsibility of disposing of the property, could imagine what the building would look like in a decade without the loving care of a congregation, the state of disrepair, or the questionable use of what had been sacred space if it would fall into careless hands. The commission decided to tear it down, hoping to recoup the costs of demolition by selling the former manse as an acreage. The jury is still out on this as a financial decision; we are currently receiving sealed bids. It has been interesting to hear the comments of the nominal Christians in the neighborhood. There has been sadness and some anger that we razed the building. Which would lead to a conversation something like this:

Neighbor: Why did you tear it down? Pastor to the Presbytery: There was no longer a congregation to support it. There were only 6 or 8 in worship. Were you a member? Neighbor: Used to be. or Neighbor: My parents or grandparents were.

If current trends continue, in 10-15 years we will be closing more of the First Presbyterian Churches at the center of town. The nominal Christians have not prioritized to support the church with their attendance, support and dollars. And those who do participate have struggled with invitation and hospitality in Jesus’ name. We are in our third year of our Pastor Cohorts. The curriculum is structured so the first year is dedicated to refining and deepening the skills of the Pastor. The second year we concentrated on the church, helping the church retool to be an effective witness/agency for God in 2017. The third year is sending the church into the community and the world. Perhaps I’m a slow learner - 38 years of ordination this year - but it has never been more clear - the church exists for the community. The church is God’s saving agency in your community. Do you want a community where there is no place dedicated to teaching children and your grandchildren the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer and John 3:16? Where will the food shelf be housed when the church is gone? Who will stand for what is right and true when Micah 6:6-8 is no longer preached in your community? The average pew sitter and the nominal Christian do not realize the depths of the hour. With love in Christ, David Feltman

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Does this picture look familiar? Do you know where you have seen it before? Every church in our Presbytery has some unique feature. We are asking you to share a photo of some distinctive part of your church building. The location and some identifying details will be revealed in the next edition of the E-News. And of course, if you can identify the photo, email your guess to Richard Francis at [email protected]. (Obviously, you’re not eligible to guess if the picture was taken in your church!) So look around. What is something you see every time you come to church that is a little different? Share it with the Presbytery!

Richard Francis, Stated Clerk Presbytery of Prospect Hill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Moderator’s Mussings

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12 NIV) That describes our context for ministry today. We live in a heartsick world, where hope is in short supply. As devoted followers of Jesus Christ, we are blessed with a longing to see Christ’s kingdom show up on planet Earth. And because our God can do far more abundantly than we could ever imagine, ask or think, we should be looking for signs of that kingdom bringing life to the world around us. To see such signs and wonders, we must look in and around us, seeking God’s vision of reality. “O God, give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand what You are doing in me and in the world.” When we can do that, our focus is not in the past, but shifts to the present in light of the future God has for us. This kind of fresh vision for our congregations and the PCUSA is exactly what we need today. I would love to have a conversation with you about where you see God’s life-giving presence in our lives, our church, our world. Feel free to respond, for we all need to be encouraged in this amazing walk of faith with Jesus Christ. Blessings to you as you explore a renewed sense of hope and life. The Rev. Kerry Carson, Moderator North Central Iowa Presbytery

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Moderator’s Message

Greetings Prospect Hill, I hope this finds you still filled with the joy of Easter. Just like Christmas, we need to let this joy shine through us year round. Too often we are happy for the day or a weekend and then return to “Frozen Chosen” demeanor. We complain about the decline in our churches, especially among the younger people. But really, when we come across as a bunch of sober, never smiling people professing the joy of having God in our lives but never showing it, why would they come? If you check out studies done on declining church attendance, two of the top reasons younger people fall away is that people act as if church is the last place they want to be; no one seems happy. The other reason is the hypocrisy of churches. “They” say God is the source of all joy and that they care about their neighbors, the needy, etc., but then act so joyless and critical of those in need. Of course this is not true of every person or even every congregation. I have seen younger people quit coming because their ideas are consistently rejected under the catch phrase we’ve all heard, and perhaps said, “We’ve always done it this way.” By and large responses in worship are read in a monotone and automatic way. No joy, no enthusiasm is displayed, saying it like we mean it. Let us strive to follow the message in the children’s song “This Little Light of Mine.” The message – “hide it under a bushel – NO” and “Let is shine til Jesus comes” tell it all. Let us strive to follow scripture that tells us 134 times to celebrate, be joyful, happy, glad and laugh, but only refers to being sorrowful and sad 13 times. (Concordance of the Life Application Bible; other sources provided similar results.) Let us live what we say we believe by worshiping the Lord with gladness, not just in church but in all that we say and do every day and everywhere. We will soon have the opportunity to see and show the joy of Christ in our church and our lives, to become informed about what others are doing and to be inspired at the All-Iowa Presbyterians Gathering in Ames on June 2-3 at Collegiate Presbyterian Church located at the west edge of the ISU Campus. Keynote speaker will be J. Herbert Nelson, PCUSA Stated Clerk – an amazingly dynamic and inspiring Christian. Details are on the website as is registration information. You must register no later than May 10, so stop thinking about it and just do it! You won’t be disappointed. God’s blessings on each one of you. Lue Baker, 2017 Moderator Presbytery of Prospect Hill

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Cedar Heights Community Presbyterian Church, Cedar Falls, will have a Music Sunday this week, April 30, at a combined 10:00 service. The Sanctuary Choir, Worship Band, children, instrumental ensemble, vocal and instrumental soloists, and congregation will participate, and the various parts of the service will be through music, sung and played. All are welcome! For additional information, please contact Sue Feltman at [email protected].

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First Presbyterian Church, Waterloo, Hosts Program on Alzheimers/Dementia

Dr. Elaine Eshbaugh, Associate Professor of Gerontology and Davis Professorship of Gerontology at UNI, will speak on common questions, concerns, and issues surrounding Alzheimers and dementia. The program will be held on Tuesday, May 9, at 6:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 505 Franklin Street, Waterloo, in Calvin Hall. The meeting is open to churches in the Presbytery.

Dr. Eshbaugh has a master’s and PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from Iowa State University and has more than 25 research publications in empirical journals. She is currently on the executive board of the Northeast Iowa Agency on Aging and has collaborated with various continuing care communities, adult day services, and hospices. She coordinates UNI’s Memory Trunk program, which provides an empirically-based approach to interacting with individuals who have Alzheimer’s and related dementia. Dr. Eshbaugh maintains an active public speaking and community outreach schedule and does education on dementia for communities, families, and facilities. She often meets with families to provide support after a dementia diagnosis and writes a blog called Welcome to Dementialand.

We’ve Got an App for That!!

The Presbytery of North Central Iowa now has an app that you can download for your iPhone or Android smart phone. Just search “presbytery of north central iowa” in the app store. You can log in as a guest to have access to some of the information. To access all of the information on the app, you need a username and password. If you would like one, please e-mail Rev. Sara Hill at [email protected] with your desired username and password and she will create it for you. She promises to immediately forget your password once she creates your account. Thanks, and we hope you enjoy using our app and find it useful. If anything is incorrect or you would like to see something on the app that isn’t there, please email Sara.

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Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries

First Presbyterian Churches of Cedar Falls and Waterloo, Iowa are seeking a dynamic person with exciting vision to fill the position of Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries. We are looking for a person with a strong Christian faith to connect with our children, youth, families and volunteers in their faith journeys. A background education and/or experience in Christian education is preferable. This person will be responsible for helping to plan, coordinate, facilitate and grow programs that include ages birth to high school, as well as developing and expanding our ministry with families.

Both Waterloo First and Cedar Falls First are welcoming, supportive, smaller sized churches with a strong focus on mission and outreach. This individual will work collaboratively with our pastors and church leaders, act as an administrative liaison, and be involved in worship and Sunday School. Responsibilities of this position include:

Lead in planning for children and youth ministries in the following areas: Sunday School, curriculum, teacher and leader recruitment and training, fellowship events, confirmation, possible mid-week programming, camp promotion, etc.

Teach a weekly youth group and other classes as needed.

Reach out to families with children and youth through personal contact and visitation to get to know their faith journey and to share about church programs.

Explore collaborative efforts with other area Presbyterian churches and other churches in areas of children’s ministry, youth ministry, and family ministry.

Interested persons should send or email a letter of interest and resume ASAP to:

First Presbyterian Church 902 Main Street

Cedar Falls, IA 50613

or

[email protected]

More information about the churches can be found on their websites: FPC Cedar Falls, firstprescf.org; FPC Waterloo, 1stpresby.org.

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ACREAGE FOR SALE

The Presbytery of North Central Iowa is accepting sealed bids for the property located at 27045 220th Street, Clarksville, Iowa, the former location of Unity Presbyterian Church. The house, a three-bedroom ranch constructed in the 1950s, and entire acreage (approximately two acres) will be sold. The house will be open for inspection on Saturday, May 6, from 10 a.m. – noon. Individual showings will not be possible. Questions may be directed to Rev. David Feltman at 319-231-3570. The deadline for bids is May 15, 2017. The Presbytery reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids. The Presbytery will require 10% down at the time of bid approval, non-refundable, and the remainder at the time of closing shortly into 2017. Please mail your sealed bids to:

The Presbytery of North Central Iowa P.O. Box 186

Waterloo, IA 50704

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PENTECOST OFFERING: INVESTING IN OUR GREATEST RESOURCE April 17 – June 4, 2017

When is the Pentecost Offering Received? The Pentecost Offering is traditionally received the day of Pentecost. However, you can help sustain the important PC(USA) ministries and programs that are supported by the Pentecost Offering by making a gift at any time throughout the year. Donations can be made online (https://pma.pcusa.org/donate/make-a-gift/gift-info/PC999999) or by mailing a check in care of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700. How is My Gift Used? A gift to the Pentecost Offering helps the church encourage, develop, and support its young people, and also addresses the needs of at-risk children. 40% of the Pentecost offering can be retained by individual congregations wanting to make an impact in the lives of young people within their own community. The remaining 60% is used to support ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency:

Young Adult Volunteers

Ministries for Youth

Children-at-Risk

Pentecost Offering Financials Resources PC(USA) has the following resources for promoting Pentecost Offerings in your church. To order resources directly or to check your congregation’s standing order, call Presbyterian Distribution Services at (800) 524-2612 or email [email protected].

Leader’s Guide

Worship Resources

Poster

Video

Bulletin Inserts o Christ Works in Our Youth o Why We Give

Minutes for Mission o Pentecost Offering o Children-at-Risk o Youth Ministries o Young Adult Volunteers

Sample Pastor’s Letter

Curriculum o Younger Children’s Lesson Plan (Grades K-4) o Older Children’s Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8) o Children’s Sermon o Ideas to Connect Worship and the Congregation

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There’s still time to register for camp!!

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If you or your church has anything to be included in the E-News, please submit it to Jeannie in the Presbytery Office by emailing it to [email protected] If you know of someone who would enjoy receiving this communication, please email Jeannie or call her at 319-233-1747. Please consider making copies of this E-news for your Session and also running several copies to make available to your congregation on your information table.

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--Are you looking for a way to serve God?

--Do you have a mission project in mind?

--Do you need start-up funds to launch

a new project or program?

Then, the Ministry & Mission Committee, North Central Iowa Presbytery,

has news for YOU.

APPLY FOR A MISSION PARTNERSHIP GRANT!

An application form will be sent out

to all churches this summer!

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If you are interested in Pastoral Coaching Assistance,

contact Gary Eller at [email protected]

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Apply for the Educational Debt Relief Grant

Apply for the Marilyn A. Jackson Grant

Omaha Presbyterian Seminary Foundation

7101 Mercy Road, Suite 216

Omaha, Nebraska 68106-2616

(888) 244-6714

EnJOYing God’s Presence

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UPCOMING EVENTS TO ATTEND WITHIN THE

PCUSA

BIG TENT July 6-8, 2017 Be inspired - Become equipped - Get connected

St Louis, MO, Washington University

presbyterianmission.org/big tent