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Just a Thought
By Rev. Jose Luis Casal
General Missioner
"...start living... into thanksgiving"
"My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving."
Colossians 2: 6-7 (The Message)
There is an article of Adrian Rogers that challenge us to transform "Thanksgiving" into "Thanks-living." The sentence resumes the meaning of these two verses of the chapter 2 of Colossians we quoted here.
It is always easy to talk. Being thankful with words is the most easy job but the Bible challenges us to live at the level of our words and ultimate our words have no meanings if they are not supported by our actions.
Words of thanksgiving are good for speeches and sermons but what God is really waiting from us is a "thanks-living" attitude, acting with love and grace with others but especially those who are the "little ones" among us. A "thanks-living" attitude is to live with love and compassion for those who don't have the opportunities we have. A "thanks-living" attitude is to work for justice so every children of God may enjoy His blessings and denounce the situations and conditions that discriminate and separate human beings from the abundant life Jesus promised to all of us. Let us start living into thanksgiving!
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Upcoming Activities
December 2014
January 2015
December 9 (Tuesday) - meeting of the Missional Networking Team - Presbytery Office
December 10 (Wednesday) - Human Rights Day
December 14 (Sunday) - Retirement Farewell for Rev. Glenda Harbert at 11 am - St. Paul Presbyterian Church in San Angelo
December 18 (Thursday) - Workday meeting of the Missional Outreach Team - 11 am to 3 pm - Presbytery Office
December 21 (Sunday) - Collection of Christmas Joy Offering
December 24 (Wednesday) - Christmas' Eve
December 25 (Thursday) - Christmas Day
December 31 (Thursday) - New Year's Eve
January 1, 2015 (Thursday) - New Year's Day
January 6, 2015 (Tuesday) - Epiphany of the Lord
January 15, 2015 (Thursday) - Conference Call of the Missional Nominating and Representation Team - 2 pm
January 18 - 24, 2015 (Sunday - Saturday) - Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
January 19, 2015 (Monday) - Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.
January 20, 2015 (Tuesday) - Meeting of the Missional Outreach Team -10 am - First Fort Stockton
January 21, 2015 (Wedneday) - Meeting of the Missional Resource Team - noon - Presbytery Office
January 22 -23, 2015 (Thursday - Friday) Theological Convocation for Teaching and Ruling elders - speakers Rev. Dr. Paul Hooker and Rev. Dr. Chip Hardwick - First Fort Davis
January 23 - February 1, 2015 (Friday - Sunday) - Voices from the Border & Beyond - Travel Study Seminar to Mexico Border & Central America
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The Wave of Prayer
Please pray for:
Lawson Allen. Member of First Fort Davis who is in rehab after a leg surgery
Marsha Monroe, member of Sanderson who is fighting an anaplastic thyroid cancer.
Hoxie Smith, member of Grace Midland who is fighting a cancer
Cameron Maedgen, son of Karen Bartholomeo - St. Paul San Angelo
For the family of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MI and for racial justice and reconciliation in our country
Pray for the persecuted Christians around the world
Pray for peace & justice for Jews and Palestines in Middle East
Pray for those who will be affected and beneficiated by the new immigration executive action
Pray for our Presbyterian Church (USA). For our Tres Rios Presbytery's pastors, elders and congregations, especially those struggling with decisions about their future.
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Resources Available
just click the links...
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Christian Movie for Christmas
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Here is "The Wave." The electronic newsletter of Tres Rios Presbytery. November is the month when we celebrate Thanksgiving and the last Sunday of this month was the first Sunday of Advent. We hope you may enjoy the selection of articles we have prepared for you. Please, let us know your opinions, comments and suggestions, and forward The Wave to those who may be interested in the work of our Presbytery. |
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WORLD COMMUNION OF REFORMED CHURCHES SHARED INFORMATION ABOUT THE SITUATION IN FERGUSON, MISSOURI
La Comuni�n Mundial de Iglesias Reformadas comparte esta informacio�n acerca de la situaci�n en Ferguson, Missouri
The USA churches members of WCRC, United Church of Chris (UCC), Reformed Church in America (RCA) and the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) have published statements calling for prayers, pacific protests and permanent actions to promote racial justice in our country. In response to those statements WCRC said, "We stand with our members in the USA calling for prayer, peaceful protest and actions for justice." http://wcrc.ch/.../members-in-united-states-call-for-prayer-.../
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AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
Una actitud de gratitud
By Jobeth McLeod Presbytery 's Moderator-Elect
As Christians we are called to be thankful in all things and at all times. As you prepare for Thanksgiving this month, please take a few moments to reflect upon these Biblical texts, reminding yourself again why we should be thankful in all circumstances.
"Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house." - Deuteronomy 26:11
"It is good to give thanks to the LORD... For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy." - Psalm 92: 1a,4
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." - Psalm 100: 4-5
"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." - I Corinthians 15: 57
"As you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." - Ephesians 5:19-20
"I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ." - Philippians 1:3-6
"How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you?" - I Thessalonians 3:9
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - I Thessalonians 5:16-18
"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." - Colossians 2: 6-7
"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful." - Colossians 3:15
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VISIT OF A COLOMBIAN PARTNER TO ST. MARK CHURCH IN SAN ANGELO
Visita de un amigo colombiano a la Iglesia San Marcos en San Angelo.
By Rev. Craig Meyers
 On November 6, St. Mark Presbyterian Church in San Angelo was privileged to host Jairo Barriga for the day. Jairo is the General Secretary of the La Costa Norte in Colombia, a presbytery with which Tres Rios has had a partnership for some years. St. Mark has established a sister church relationship with Iglesia De Pital, one of the churches in that Presbytery. In addition, their pastor, Adelaida, was in San Angelo for a year due to threats to her family, and Craig had an opportunity to know her well. For the larger part of this year we have exchanged newsletters and information about our churches, share a circle of prayer each month during communion, and communicated the things that were challenges in both of our lands so that we could be in prayer with one another. St. Mark took up an offering of over $1,000 to be used for work with victims of the civil war in Colombia, and we received worship and devotional materials brought by Jairo and sent worship music and materials back to Pital. At lunch we shared information and fellowship with Jairo, Jose Luis, and three staff members from the City of San Angelo. The staff shared the things we were doing in San Angelo in revitalizing neighborhoods and housing rehab, while Jairo told about conditions in Colombia that Presbyterians were addressing. We spend over two hours in conversation and everybody learned from one another. In the evening he shared in a potluck with folks from St. Mark and Nazareth and updated us on conditions in Colombia. It was a great time and we would recommend to any church the benefits of such a partnership. Jairo's tools as a "teaching elder" were severely tested, as he spent the entire day trying to teach Craig how to correctly pronounce Jairo. trust me, it is not pronounced like it is spelled. He was patient. Jose Luis was not. He kept trying and I will continue communication calling him "Senor Barriga."
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GENERAL ASSEMBLY MODERATOR TRAINING
Entrenamiento para moderadores en la Asamblea General
By Rev. Jobeth McLeod, Presbytery's Moderator-Elect
The PC(USA) General Assembly hosted their annual Moderator Training November 7-9, 2014, in Louisville, Kentucky. Since this was my first visit to our headquarters, I was surprised to learn that the GA Headquarters Building is actually two buildings joined together with a high roof covering the area between the buildings, and presently used for a central lobby and a large chapel on an upper floor. This is a very visual way of symbolizing the 1983 Reunion of the Northern and Southern Presbyterian Churches. These two buildings were originally hardware manufacturing buildings, located near the Ohio River, which is the border between Indiana and Kentucky. These re-purposed buildings are a part of the extensive revitalization of the old downtown manufacturing area of Louisville, pronounced something like: LOU a VUL.
I was honored to represent The Presbytery of Tres Rios at the training, which was most instructive and very intense. As you might imagine, there were Ruling Elders and Teaching Elders from all over the country in attendance. The worship services were very dynamic as were the speakers. One evening we visited a local congregation to learn about new worshiping communities in the area. One was called "Empty Vessels Healing Ministry", which specializes in healing services and holds church health clinics twice a month. Another was an active life church called "Sweaty Sheep Ministries", which includes running, yoga, worship, and lunch as a typical programming format. I met the new GA Moderator, Heath Rada, who will be visiting our presbytery in early 2015. I also visited the campus of Louisville Seminary, which is surrounded by parks and includes a very modern chapel.
Although I will be sharing a longer report regarding this event in the future, I want to express my sincere appreciation for this insightful training opportunity.
P.S. The photo of me with a taller women represents the Texas Delegation, i.e., she was the only other person I met who is serving a church in Texas.
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221 GENERAL ASSSEMBLY MODERATOR DR. HEATH K. RADA HAS RE-SCHEDULED HIS VISIT TO TRES RIOS PRESBYTERY FROM FEBRUARY 11 - 15, 2015
El Moderador de la 221 Asamblea General Dr. Heath K. Rada ha anunciado su visita a nuestro Presbiterio de Tres R�os para Febrero 11 al 15 del 2015
In the next weeks we will announce the itinerary of our Moderator through Tres Rios Presbytery. We are planning meetings in Midland and El Paso using the schedule we prepared for the previous postponed visit.
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ONE OF MY ANCESTORS CAME ON THE MAYFLOWER
Uno de mis antepasados vino en el Mayflower
By Thomas Rogers Spaulding
Tom is founding executive director of Angelic Organics Learning Center (www.learngrowconnect.org). He was born in California and is married to Venezuelan eco-theologian and PC(USA) pastor Rev. Dr. Neddy Astudillo. Tom is inspired by farms as dynamic places of cultural, ecological, and economic revitalization.
My parents named me after one of my ancestors - Thomas Rogers - who arrived in the Americas on a cold November day in 1620 aboard the Pilgrim ship Mayflower. After that first harsh winter, he and nearly half of his shipmates were dead from hunger and contagious diseases. While my namesake died that first winter, his son Joseph survived and lived a long life, thanks to the timely assistance of the well-known indigenous leaders Squanto, Samoset, and Massasoit as well as many others from the tribal nations that were well established in the area for hundreds and thousands of years. I would not be here today, were it not for the hospitality, generosity, and gifts shared by the Wampanoags, whom on the original Thanksgiving Day, also gifted the very land at Plymouth to the newcomers.
My feelings about my namesake are complex and contradictory. As a child, I felt pride and joy knowing that my namesake was at the center of this nation's creation story - one that focuses on the Thanksgiving scene of peace and love among very different peoples and the land. However, as an adult, I know that this idyllic scene of religious tolerance, spiritual freedom, democratic participation and respect for all peoples, did not last long, and I hold feelings of deep grief and anger knowing it was just one fleeting moment in a longer history dominated by English and European colonization, racism, and genocide.
I suspect that the nation mythologizes the first Thanksgiving as a way to shield itself from facing its full history, good and bad, on this continent. When we hide from our shadows, we lose a part of ourselves and our humanity. We need to name the truth, ask for forgiveness, and seek justice together to gain a sense of wholeness, or health.
What is true for the individual is true for the nation. We need to peel back the superficial story of Thanksgiving and embrace its deeper narratives and meaning, whether troubling or redeeming.
You will now understand why I often march alongside undocumented immigrants when they protest this nation's broken immigration system. Pick me out of the crowd at the next march. I'm the one with the sign: "My ancestor arrived on the Mayflower. The locals did not deport him. They fed him and we called it Thanksgiving!"
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PRESBYTERY OF TRES RIOS INSTALLS REV. NEAL LOCKE AS PASTOR OF FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN EL PASO
El Presbiterio de Tres R�os instala al Rev. Neal Locke como pastor de la Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana de El Paso
By Bart Teeter, Presbytery Moderator
On Sunday November 23rd the congregation of First Presbyterian Church El Paso held their regular worship service at 4:00 PM. The service was moved to 4:00 PM so that it could be combined with the installation service of the Reverend Neal Locke. Neal has a long history at FPC El Paso, with his formal service to the church beginning when he served as an intern while attending seminary. Neal was later appointed as the interim pastor of the church, and earlier this year the congregation met and voted to call Neal as their pastor. The installation commission members were: Teaching Elders Rev. Bill Schlessinger, Rev. Jessica Vaughn-Lower, Rev. Mary Beth Anton, Rev Alberto Cordova and Ruling Elders Rebecca Lenig, Ted Wehmeyer, Eric Hutson and Bart Teeter. The Rev. Dr. David Lowrie, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church El Paso served as an ecumenical community representative, and delivered the sermon as a guest of the commission and FPC El Paso. One of the highlights of the worship service was the Children's Time lead by Cara Lanigan. 18 children were present for the service. What a blessing to see so many young people in church. Following Dr. Lowrie's sermon based ln John 21:15-19, the commission proceeded with the Neal's installation. After the asking of the constitutional questions, the Rev. Bill Schlesinger invited all elders to come forward and lay hands on Neal as he offered the prayer of installation. Neal was declared formally installed and Bill delivered the charge to the congregation and pastor. Following the service, nearly everyone in attendance stayed to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and continue the celebration of Neal's installation. After many months of searching and praying First Presbyterian Church has its pastor. May God bless Neal and his family and the entire congregation of FPC El Paso.
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REV. JAIRO BARRIGA, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF COSTA NORTE PRESBYTERY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN COLOMBIA VISITS HISPANIC CONGREGATIONS IN EL PASO.
Rev. Jairo Barriga, Secretario Ejecutivo del Presbiterio Costa Norte de la Iglesia Presbiteriana de Colombia, visita congregaciones hispanas en El Paso
By Rev. Jim Miles
The Rev. Jairo Barriga, Executive Secretary of the Presbytery of the North Coast in Columbia, itinerated in the Presbytery of Tres Rios in early November.
Following events in San Angelo and a telephone planning conference between General Missioner Jose Luis Casal, presbytery Treasurer Jimmy Stevens, and Missional Outreach Team chair Jim Miles, Jimmy Stevens drove the Rev. Barriga to El Paso for events there.
Arriving Friday evening, November 8, Barriga, Jayne Ruiz (MOT member) and husband Alfredo and Jim and Angie Miles spent a productive evening of eating, sharing' and planning.
On Sunday morning Jairo was greeted at Divine Savior Presbyterian church with hugs, great fellowship, and breakfast treats including sausage, bacon, pastries and tamales. This time was followed by a very energetic service of worship led by Rev. Jayne and including a strong motivational message by Rev. Barriga. A second worship service, a weekly ministry of Pasos de Fe meeting in University Presbyterian Church, included another insightful message by Rev. Barriaga. This service was followed by a fellowship pot luck after which the Rev. Dr. John Nelson, University Church pastor, treated Jairo and Jim and Angie to a narrated tour to the border fence area.
Late Sunday evening the Miles took Jairo to the scenic overlook on Franklin Mt., giving him a breathtaking view of the 2.2 + million population Juarez/ El Paso metropolitan area.
Barriga returned to Columbia the next day.
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