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| Washed in the Blood of Jesus |
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| En Jesucristo, martir de paz |
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Here is
THE WAVE, the e
lectronic newsletter of Tres Rios Presbytery for FEBRUARY 2016. Please, let us know your opinions, comments and suggestions, and forward the newsletter to all who may be interested in the work of our Presbytery.
We also invite you to check our Facebook page "Tres Rios" and our Presbytery Website on these links:
If you have any comment or suggestion about the Facebook Page please email
[email protected]
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| FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN BALLINGER IS ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNTY
La Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana de Ballinger está activa en la comunidad
By Judy Eaves, member of the church
 In 1886 one month after the organization of the City of Ballinger, a group of Presbyterians met to discuss the formation of a church and to formulate plans for a meeting place. Thus began First Presbyterian Church of Ballinger. The land was donated by one of the original nine charter members of the church. The congregation still meets each Sunday for worship in the original native stone building with milled woodwork and stained glass windows that was built in 1891. Today we are the only Presbyterian Church in Runnels County and we are on the register of historical landmarks.
Our congregation is very active in the community today. Some of the members deliver meals on wheels to shut-ins each week. Our donations to the community food pantry is an ongoing mission. Our church co-hosts a Lenten Lunch with the Glory Road Cowboy Church held in our fellowship hall. We participate in the Taste of Ballinger benefiting the Carnegie Library each year. We assisted with the Community Thanksgiving Feast in November. One of our members works in the Kairos Ministry and we sponsor a prisoner each year.
We have a Tai Chi and Yoga class that meet in the fellowship hall each Wednesday morning and a monthly meeting of a community book club. Presbyterian Women also meet in the fellowship hall once each month. We hold a Bingo night, with refreshments, once a month for members and guests. We have a monthly fellowship meal after worship. Once a year we have a pancake breakfast to raise money for a college scholarship fund for our members.
We are blessed to have many talented musicians in our congregation and music is an important part of our worship, three guitarists bring the songs of praise each Sunday. Our organist is the music teacher at the Ballinger schools and her husband was the school choir director, we are privileged to enjoy their musical talents. We have hosted the high school and junior high school choirs in a concert in the sanctuary, several school choir members have performed special music during worship. The hand bell choir from First Presbyterian, Midland visited and gave us a demonstration of their music. We had special music from a lady from Winters. One member had two of her guitar students give a program in the fellowship hall.
Our pulpit is vacant at this time, but we have had wonderful pulpit supply speakers and our attendance has remained constant.
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THE HOSPITAL IS MY PARISH
El hospital es mi parroquia
By Lauren Morris, Tres Rios seminary student at Princeton Theological Seminary
 Greetings from San Antonio!
My name is Lauren Morris, and I am a Princeton Theological Seminary alumni under care of Tres Rios Presbytery. In August, I began a one year CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) Residency at Baptist Health System here in San Antonio. I am currently ministering as a Hospital Chaplain. I work full time in the hospital providing spiritual care to patients, their families and friends, and the hospital staff. My fellow chaplains and I consider the hospital to be our parish, and we care for this place as such. No matter what nation, life experience, or faith tradition one hails from, we as chaplains are there to provide care. We visit every patient in the hospital, performing spiritual assessments and helping to support them in their illness and recovery, using the tools of their own faith tradition and in connecting them to their internal resources. We are spiritual guides, but often we are just an extra set of hands as we bring warm blankets, wipe tears, feed hungry mouths, wet parched lips, and hold cold hands. As a chaplain I witness the fullness of life, I am part of the cycle of dust to dust, and I witness to the hope that can be found in the very darkest of places. When the doctors find they have no more tools to employ, they call the chaplain. When tiny hearts stop before they have a chance to be born into this world, we share in the tears and sorrow as an expected future falls away, and we provide guidance for parents who go home with empty arms. When it is time to make a decisions about life support, we stay with families as they anguish over choices and we hold them when it is time to let go. Sometimes we witness miracles, and as we celebrate survival we join our voices in praise and thanksgiving. We receive the fear, guilt, regret, sorrow, anger, hope, courage, and love of a hundred different hearts a day, and I have come to know that there is more need I will be faced with in every single day than I could ever meet in a lifetime of service. As a hospital chaplain I witness the human condition of suffering, some sufferings that are unimaginable, but I am convinced that no one is ever left alone in their suffering. There is pain and joy in a full measure in store for each of us, and as we experience the distance in between we are experiencing the fullness of life. As a chaplain I practice a ministry of accompaniment on the journey and a ministry of presence in the experience of another.
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LENTEN SEMINAR AT FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN
PECOS
Seminario de Cuaresma en la Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana de Pecos.
By Lynn Fowler, member of the church
Our church did have a pre-lenten seminar led by Jim Blischke, lay pastor from the First Presbyterian Church, Midland.
This was held the evenings of February 8 and February 9. We engaged in Scripture Engagement and Lectio Divina.
Our seminar was open to our community and included a light supper and desserts. This is the second year that Jim has led our Lenten seminar, and we are so blessed to have him. What a wonderful way to celebrate and start our Lenten season.
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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CURCH IN SANDERSON IS PAINTED!
La Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana de Sanderson estrena pintura nueva
By Rev. Toby Brown, pastor
Our congregation has exciting news! After years of watching our old paint peeling off the entire structure and witnessing water damage to many parts of our beloved buildings, a local contractor was hired to paint and repair the entire exterior of the church. We also were able to include the manse into the project. Being a little church of modest means, this was a huge leap of faith for us! It took several years of conversations about what we wanted to happen and also waiting for the right contractor to come along. Yet, God was pleased in His own timing to have each of the needed parts of the plan to fall into place. By the gracious gifts of many people to our Memorial Fund, we were able to pay for the full cost of the project. It took five weeks, but our church and manse are both now gleaming and bright. I like to joke with local folks that you need a good pair of sunglasses to stroll past our church in the noon sun!
What this project brings to my mind is the importance of two things for any church undertaking: Trusting in God's perfect timing and never compromising on quality. Our church waited years to do this, not only for the funding, but also for the right contractor to appear. We were not willing to cut corners or take short cuts to getting the project accomplished and God was faithful. Now, our church looks amazing, and we have renewed our sense of local pride in being an architectural landmark in Sanderson, Texas. Most importantly, we are now ready to continue serving our community for Jesus Christ. I'll conclude this article with a quote from The Return of the King, that expresses exactly how I feel when I look at our freshly painted church in the morning sunlight:
"Then Pippin cried aloud, for the Tower of Ecthelion, standing high within the topmost wall, shone out against the sky, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver, tall and fair and shapely, and its pinnacle glittered as if it were wrought of crystals; and white banners broke and fluttered from the battlements in the morning breeze, and high and far he heard a clear ringing as of silver trumpets."
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ECHOES FROM OUR 105TH PRESBYTERY MEETING IN EL PASO
Ecos de nuestra 105 Reunión del Presbiterio en El Paso
By Rev. Jose Luis Casal, General Missioner
The Presbytery of Tres Rios celebrated its 105th Stated Meeting on Friday February 26, 2016 at University Presbyterian church in El Paso. Presbytery docket was designed as a worshipful work, integrating business, worship, preaching and communion into a single body where the docket and worship bulletin were the same. UPC accommodated round tables in the sanctuary to facilitate dialogue and conversation.
We had the presence of several visitors: Rev. Kevin Keaton, Field Representative of the Board of Pensions who explained the recent changes in our Pension and Medical plans approved by the Board. Omar Chan and Amanda Craft. Mission Co-Workers in the Border and Central America who explained the work they do in their areas. The Mission Worker Offering collected in this Presbytery Meeting was dedicated to the work of Omar & Amanda. Rev. Al Krummenacher, Director of Church Relations of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary explained the most recent programs to prepare Commissioned Ruling Elders and the new program in Spanish for Hispanic leaders and Ruling Elders.
Rev. Krummenacher was also the preacher and challenged us to discover the scope of God's love. "It is troubling to think that God loves the murder that is on the death row with the same love he has for the little children who sing in our children's choir," Rev. Krummenacher said. "We cannot limit and reduce the love of God to our own image or the way we think God has to love others," he added.
The Presbytery approved the reports of the Teams, heard the reports of the Administrative Commissions of Divine Savior/St. Andrew, Grace Chapel in San Angelo and First Midland, approved the 2016 budget, heard the report of our synod commissioners and concurred with the General Assembly Overture # 32 about alternatives to divestment promoted by the Presbytery of New Covenant.
A very productive conversation was led by Jimmy Stevens who reported about the recent Retreat of the Networking Team led by the consultant Rev. Mike Murray last January at Westminster church in Odessa. After a good summary, the commissioners interacted in a very productive dialogue about the future of our presbytery and our churches in Tres Rios. It was announced that we will invite Mike Murray to be the leader and preacher for June Presbytery Meeting in Seminole on June 10th.
Our gratitude to the pastors, session, staff and leaders of University Presbyterian Church in El Paso for the organization of our Presbytery Meeting taking care of each detail to make us feel welcomed and comfortable. Especial thanks to Mary & Jimmy Stevens for their hospitality sharing their home with our commissioners to enjoy a wonderful presbytery party on the evening of Thursday February 25. And the most important, Thanks be to God for his blessings! |
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EXPERIENCES OF TRES RIOS PARTICIPANTS AT THE SYNOD CONFERENCE OF PERSONNEL AND TRANSITION COMMITTEES
Experiencias de los participantes de Tres Ríos en la Conferencia para los Comités de Personal y Transición de los presbiterios
By Kay Long and Rev. Tim Davenport-Herbst
 Kay Long, Presbytery Stated Clerk
The Synod of the Sun hosted a Mid Council Personnel and & Transition Committees Conference Feb. 18-20 at Hackberry Creek Presbyterian Church in Irving, Texas. Plenary and workshop leaders included RE Diana Barber, former Associate Synod Executive for Leadership Development (Lakes and Prairies); Rev. Sue Krummel, associate for Mid Council Relations; Rev. Kevin Keaton, regional representative for the Board of Pensions; and Attorney Cory Halliburton who specializes in employment law for non-profit, tax exempt organizations. Representatives from nine of the eleven presbyteries in the synod participated in the event.
Participants focused on the important role that mid council personnel committees play in creating/sustaining a healthy work place for those that serve at the staff level. As communities of faith, it is important to embrace and reflect a Christian philosophy of vocation in our personnel policies and procedures. Workshops offered information on employment law, child protection and sexual harassment/misconduct policies, best practices in developing policies and evaluation procedures, and proposed changes in Board of Pensions benefit plans and how those will affect us. It was interesting to learn of the different staffing models of the presbyteries in our synod based on size and mission.
 Rev. Tim Davenport-Herbst member of Synod Personnel Committee and pastor of St. Paul, San Angelo
The Synod of the Sunday hosted a training event for learning from experts and sharing best practices regarding staffing and employment for mid-governing bodies (presbyteries and synods).
This three day event included presentations by a lawyer, a recently retired executive of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies and other knowledgable people. 26 presbyters from Texas Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas discussed the future of staffing. We learned of a variety of models in our diverse synod. Cimarron Presbytery has had a volunteer executive since 1989. New Covenant Presbytery has a staff made up of more than a half-dozen. Most presbyteries fall somewhere in between. Every presbytery is coping with shrinking membership and financial resources. We discussed clearly identifying the mission and purpose of each mid-governing body and then determining the optimal staffing with both paid and volunteer staff.
As we face significant losses in our budget, we in Tres Rios Presbytery will need to determine what it is that the presbytery must do, what it should do, what we would like it to do, and what we are willing to make happen with our time, talent, and treasure.
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| "FAITH" THE LITTLE WHITE CHURCH IN THE VALLEY "Fe" la iglesita blanca del valle By Nancy Gardner, clerk of the session
We are a little white church and we are in the valley - Lower Valley that is.
The church has been around since the 1950's. The congregation is small but faithful. Members have moved on for various reasons, but they always come back at one time or another for a visit and stay in touch while away.
We are family. We like to get together, especially when food is involved. Let me tell you we have some of the best meals for all occasions. The two main events are Easter Sunday Breakfast and tamales on Christmas Eve. These meals are enjoyed all the more because of the family and friends gathered to enjoy them.
When our long time pianist and choir director retired, we were left with a huge void in our community that needed to be filled. That's when the Lord sent us Carlos Lopez and his wife
Lizzie. Carlos is a native of Puerto Rico and moved to El Paso to be close to his wife's family. He wanted a part time job and we wanted a music director. There you have it. A marriage made
in heaven.
Carlos has brought a little Spanish flavor to our worship by bringing us songs in Spanish to learn and sing. During the holiday seasons he includes some traditional Puerto Rican traditions. He explains the meaning of these traditions and how they are performed. Lizzie has joined the choir. Her beautiful voice is a welcomed addition to our small group. They have performed duets in
Spanish
for special music that are just beautiful. We are truly blessed to have them with us. They are a part of our family now.
We have prepared for and performed a wedding ceremony, baptized a little baby, and welcomed a new member into our fold. Another occasion for food and fellowship!
The
Sunday School Program has been involving the children in the worship service with the Children's Sermon and helping to collect the offering.
We have good times and sad times. During the past year we lost two of our members. As with all families we gathered around those who were grieving to give them all the support and love we could and then some.
Life in the valley is never dull but with "Faith" we will continue with our daily lives remembering we have a family to back us.
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If you are interested in resources and order of worship to celebrate this Sunday, please click on this link
