Presbytery of Lake Huron
Bi-Weekly Brief 
 
"The mission of the Presbytery of Lake Huron is to partner with congregations, helping people to know, grow, share and serve as disciples of Jesus Christ." 
 

October 18, 2017 


May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths,
And superficial relationships
So that you may live
Deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression,
And exploitation of people,
So that you may work for
Justice, freedom and peace.
 
May God bless you with tears,
To shed for those who suffer pain,
Rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand
To comfort them and
To turn their pain to joy.
 
And may God bless you
With enough foolishness
To believe that you can
Make a difference in the world,
So that you can do
What others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness
To all our children and the poor.

Amen

Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi
 
We Pray For 
We Lift Up In Prayer...  

New:
Michael Hosler, son of Elders Alan and Cheryl Hosler, Croswell-First  who will be having open heart surgery next week in New York. Michael is 37-years-old.

Ongoing:
The Rev. Jim Neumann, Pastor of Saginaw-Second  who is recovering from back surgery.

The Rev. Fred Gates, Honorably Retired, and spouse or the Rev. Dr. Sharlyn Gates, Pastor of Holly who is happy to be home and continuing rehab after breaking his hip this summer. 

The Rev. Dr. Tom Schacher, Pastor of Midland-Memorial and his family and congregation  as they deal with his recent diagnosis of a neurological disorder.

Pam Brackbill and the Rev. Tom Brackbill, Pastor of Alma-First as they deal with all that encompasses Pam's diagnosis of Younger Onset Alzheimer's Disease. Pam is under the care of Masonic Pathways. 

Mission Co-Workers:
The Rev. Cathy Chang and family who are serving in the Philippines.

Michael and Rachel Ludwig , our Mission Co-Workers who are serving in Niger.

    
   
 

 

For those Teaching Elders (Ministers of Word and Sacrament) and Commissioned Ruling Elders (CREs) who are celebrating Ordination or Commissioning Anniversaries in October and November:

The Rev. Tom Cundiff (11/27) - 40 years - Honorably Retired
The Rev. Joungnam Lee (10/12) - Member-At-Large
The Rev. Dr. Wally Mayton (10/25) - Associate Pastor of Midland-Memorial
The Rev. Dave Myers (10/10) - Temporary Supply of Saginaw-Countryside Trinity
The Rev. Dr. Shimon Pak (11/8) - Pastor of Saginaw-Korean
The Rev. Dr. Dan Saperstein (10/2) - Executive Presbyter
Elder Chris Wolf (11/14) - Commissioned Ruling Elder of Marlette-First and Marlette-Second
  
Presbytery Office
Dan Saperstein
From the Lion's Den

On October 31, 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther posted a list of 95 theses - challenges to the church of his day - on the door of the cathedral in Wittenberg, Germany. This launched what came to be known as the Protestant Reformation, the single most important event in the history of Christianity in the past thousand years. As heirs of that Reformation, we affirm Luther's watchwords, sola fide, sola gratia, and sola scriptura - faith alone, grace alone, scripture alone - to define our core understanding of salvation and the Christian life.

One of the most provocative theories of church history was put forth by the late Phyllis Tickle in her 2008 book The Great Emergence. She argued that roughly every 500 years the church undergoes a radical reorganization, what she calls "a giant rummage sale" in which it clears out old, obsolete ways of thinking and acting and replaces them with new ways of being the church. She traces the 500-year pattern back to the start of our story:
  • The Protestant Reformation (16th century)
  • The Great Schism (11th century)
  • The monastic movement (6th century)
  • The birth of the church (1st century)
  • Post-exilic Judaism (5th century BC)
  • Temple Judaism (10th century BC)
  • Mosaic Judaism (15th century BC)
  • Abrahamic monotheism (c. 20th century BC)
This month we mark the 500th anniversary of Luther's reformation. If the pattern holds, she argues, then the 21st century should be marked by the emergence of a new form of Christian faith. We are due for a new reformation.

We see signs of this new reformation occurring around us. This reformation is prompted by the death of Christendom - that is, the end to the church-state collaboration that shaped Western civilization since 325 A.D. The church in the U.S. and Europe has been marginalized, creating a new apostolic age in which the church's mission resembles that of the first century more than the twentieth. As with previous reformations, the "rummage sale" we are now experiencing will require parting with some forms and practices that have deep sentimental value, but which no longer serve their purpose. It may mean the death or radical alteration of our twentieth century forms of being the church. This will take time - the Catholic Church is still feeling the effects of the Reformation even today. But we can be sure that though Christendom may be dying, the witness of the Church to God's saving love in Jesus Christ will continue regardless of the institutional forms it embodies. Indeed, many believe that the emerging church is more faithful to Christ's mission than the Christendom church and its awkward power entanglements that gave birth to colonialism, economic exploitation, and Euro-centric racism.

Even now, we are adapting to the new realities of a church that no longer is supported by our communities just by virtue of our existence. We are increasingly required to earn a hearing for the gospel and to demonstrate with our lives and actions the power and reality of Christ's love. We are called to shed the power trappings of Christendom. Denominations are become less dominant and mission activity less centralized. Resources still exist in abundance, but they are not centrally stored and no longer support huge organizational structures. They are in our pockets, ready to be shared not out of obligation, but out of our own sense of discipleship and commitment.

As we look back this month, let us also look forward - not in fear, but in hope - knowing that God's new thing may look different than what we are used to, but will continue to bring the gospel to the world in transformational ways.
 
Faithfully,

Dan Saperstein,  Executive Presbyter
 
Session
Records Review
 
The annual records review will take place on three Saturdays this fall. You are welcome to attend any one which works for you. We hope that by having sites around the Presbytery, one will be geographically close.

October 21  Grand Blanc-Kirkridge 10:00am
October 28  Marlette-First 10:00am
November 4  Midland-Chapel Lane 10:00am

Be sure to bring your Session Minutes and Records books along with a filled out review form. 
 
Details, including a copy of the letter recently sent to all Clerks of Session and the review form, may be found on the Records Review page of our website.

If you have any questions or need to schedule another time, please contact Ted McCulloch at  tmcculloch@presbylh.org or 989-799-7481 x4

Newspaper - Top Border
New Parish Paper Editions Available
 
The latest editions of the  Parish Paper are now available to download. 

The topics are:
November:  Mistakes Churches Make During An Interim Ministry
December :  Does Our Pastor Need A Job Description?
 
Always great info in these! The presbytery's subscription includes the use of these by our congregations.
Pastors In Transition
Pastors In Transition
 
The fall session of the Pastors in Transition Seminar will be held October 30-31, 2017 at the  St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt, MI. This is primarily for clergy and CREs in new calls and interims and other clergy interested in leading transition. However, all are encouraged to attend.

Click here for more information.

In Our Congregations
Fish Fry
 
The Men's Club of Saginaw-Second will host a Fish Fry on Friday, October 20, 2017 from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. The dinner includes all you can eat fish (fried pollock), coleslaw, potatoes, bread, beverage, and dessert. Cost is $10.00 adults, $4.00 children 5-11, free for children younger than 5. Take-Outs are available for $9.00.  The profits of the fish fry are used to support the various efforts of the Men's Club, which includes many building and grounds maintenance projects.  These projects provide relief for the general fund budget, therefore enabling further mission giving.

A Bake Sale also takes place during the event.  Come early to find your favorite cookies, breads, brownies, etc! 
 
A SERRV sale will also be at the event.  SERRV is a fair trade organization dedicated to lifting disadvantaged artisans, farmers and their families out of poverty. 
 
Questions should be directed to Second Presbyterian Church at (989) 792-1023.

You can visit our event on Facebook at:

 Or our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/spcsaginaw 
clay-snowman.jpg
Holiday Bazaar
 
Saginaw-Second will host their  9th Annual Holiday Bazaar on  Saturday, November 4th from  9:00 am to 3:00 pm. The church is located at:  2665 Midland Road, Saginaw.
 
Artists, Crafters, Vendors,  Bake Sale, & much more.  Free admission.
Organ Recital
 
Join the Saginaw Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists for the annual Kent S. Dennis Memorial Organ Recital, featuring Adrienne Wiley on the piano and organ on November 12th at 7:00pm at Midland-Memorial.

The evening will be spent listening to works by Bridge, Moszkowski, Hammond, Wild, Percy, Franek, and Rowley.
 
The event is sponsored by the Saginaw Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and the Memorial Presbyterian Church of Midland. This event is free and open to the public. Guests are asked to make a free-will offering to benefit the Kent S. Dennis Memorial Endowed Scholarship, offered by the Midland Area Community Foundation. The Kent S. Dennis Memorial Endowed Scholarship encourages the musical education of present and future church or synagogue organists in the region by providing a scholarship for beginning or further study of the organ.

Click here for more details.
Communications Corner
Headlines of Interest

Here are links to articles that we hope you will enjoy and perhaps spend some time discussing them with others. Click on the title to read the entire article.

Watching the Apple Keynote a couple weeks ago, I was struck by the consistency of everything. The event took place in the new Steve Jobs Theater, but it felt like Apple was giving a presentation directly from one of their flagship stores. The beautiful white and black contrast, the clean and minimal designs, and the sleek feel that we've come to love and expect from Apple was on full display.  This was intentional. This is integrated marketin g.  On a basic level, integrated marketing is a holistic approach to marketing. It presents a unified message from your organization at every single interaction with a consumer or guest. Sure, this sounds great in theory, but a company like Apple has millions of dollars in their marketing budget each year... how does this apply to a church? Here are 5 practical ways to start using integrated marketing at your church. .. continue reading .
 

Christmas may seem far away, but it's definitely not too early to start planning. The challenge for church administrators is that you may be overlooked at times when it comes to preparing for big events.  Since you're not preaching, leading worship, or have an otherwise highly visible role, it's easy for the rest of the team to forget that their plans impact you. One way to manage this is by asking a few simple questions early on in the planning process.  Here are a few questions to ask as you seek to be proactive in planning for Christmas services
.
.. continue reading .
NOTE: The articles listed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of or intended to be an endorsement by the Presbytery of Lake Huron but are shared to encourage discussion of various topics.
Connections
FB2
Connect With Other Churches In The Lake Huron Presbytery

There are so many wonderful things going on in all of our congregations.  Several of our churches have set up Facebook pages to help spread the good news not only to their members but to all who may be interested.  Liking other church Facebook pages is a great way to connect with others in the presbytery and to share ideas with each other.  Here are some of the churches that have Facebook pages:

Tawas
Vassar-First
Yale-First

If your congregation has a page and it is not listed here, please contact Staci Percy at spercy@presbylh.org

'Like' Us On Facebook

The presbytery has a Facebook page and would like you to join us.  Get updates and information faster. Connect with others to share ideas and to post information about events happening in your congregation.  Join us today! 

Contact Information

Staci Percy

Communications Manager/Recording Clerk

spercy@presbylh.org 

989-799-7481 x2

In This Edition
In Our Prayers
From The Lions' Den
Records Review
Parish Paper
Pastors In Transition
Fish Fry
Holiday Bazaar
Organ Recital
Communications Corner
Connect With LHP Churches
Join Us On Facebook


Who We Are
 
 
 
 
 
About the
Bi-Weekly Brief

Hundreds of elders, educators, and church leaders read the Presbytery of Lake Huron's email sent out every other week. 

You can reissue or modify this content for your own church bulletin or newsletter, without crediting the Bi-Weekly Brief, but please credit any organizations, photographers, etc, that we credited.

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NOTE: The Presbytery of Lake Huron retains permission to modify submissions for clarity and length. Inclusion of an item in the Bi-Weekly Brief means that we think it's interesting and/or important, and does not constitute an endorsement of its point of view or its journalistic accuracy.

   

 
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Commission on Preparation for Ministry
October 18
10:00 am


Fish Fry
October 20
5:00 pm


Records Review
October 21
10:00 am


Commission on Ministry - Outreach and Administration Team
October 25
11:00 am


Records Review
October 28
10:00 am
Marlette-First


Installation of Dawn Stoker
October 29
3:00 pm


Pastors in Transition
October 30-31


CRE Policy Review
November 1
11:30 am


Nominating Team
November 2
10:00 am


Holiday Bazaar
November 4
9-3:00 pm


Records Review
November 4
10:00 am


Trustees
November 6
1:00 pm


Coordinating Team
November 8
10:00 am


Presbyterian Women
November 9
10:00 am


Organ Recital
November 12
7:00 pm


Commission on Preparation for Ministry
November 15
10:00 am


Commission on Ministry - Full Team
November 22
11:00 am


Presbytery Office Closed in Observance for Thanksgiving
November 23-24


Personnel Team
November 27
10:00 am




Details on these meetings can be found on the presbytery's website on the calendar.