July 27, 2015
Inside this Edition

 

PCUSA'S Office of Public Witness Intern Webinars

 

Mission Crossroads 

 

Mission Educational Resources

 

Springfield PC's Music

Concert: Bluegrass, Country & Gospel 

 

Shop & Bop Event Promoted by Faith PC

 

Being the Church in the City Summit 

 

October is Pastor Appreciation Month

 

10 Tips for Church Administration

 

Board of Pensions' Call to Health Initiative

 

Youth Ministry Vacancy 

 

Meetings
Committee and Commission meetings will be held at the Presbytery's office unless noted otherwise.) 

Administration will meet at 11am on Tuesday, Aug. 4 and 11am on Aug. 11

The Committee on Ministry Leader Team will meet 10am on Wednesday, Aug. 5

Gathering Team will meet 2pm on Wednesday, Aug. 5

The General Presbyter Nominating Search Committee will meet at 10am in Aug. 19.

Praise & Prayer 
Please pray for TE Richard Link,  pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Bel Air, as he recovers from a chronic medical condition.


2015
Our Shared Ministry 
Our Shared Ministry provides vital support to our Ministry Groups, Partnerships and Commissions.   As of this date $89,500 has been received toward the   $220,000 budget for 2015 Shared Ministry We are grateful to the Sessions of the following churches for contributions made toward their 2015 Shared Ministry pledge :
Ark & Dove 

Ashland 

Brown Mem'l Park Ave.

Catonsville 

Christ Our Anchor 

Christ Our King 

Churchville 

Covenant 

Dickey Memorial 

Faith 

Fallston 

1st of Annapolis

1st of Bel Air

1st of Cumberland

1st of Howard County

Frederick 

Good Shepherd 

Granite 

Grove 

Hagerstown 

Harundale 

Hughes Memorial 

Hunting Ridge 

Kenwood 

Mount Hebron

Mount Paran

Prince of Peace 

Roland Park 

Towson 

Woods Memorial  

God Bless!

Church Kitchen Ministry   

 

 

by Ken Jobst, Church Kitchens Institute

 

                 "...and to the ladies back there in the kitchen who prepared tonight's meal; let's show them our appreciation..."

 

Polite applause follows, and there you have it.  That's about as much as we church leaders think about kitchen ministries these days. From a leadership perspective we have so many other important things competing for our attention: How will we meet this year's budget? What should we do to raise our profile in the community? How do we involve new members into the life of the church? What about our membership numbers, our worship attendance, our youth programming?


The answer to all these questions may have been right there all along -- the church kitchen ministry!


I serve as director of the Church Kitchens Institute, which is dedicated to helping churches maximize the potential of their kitchens. The Church Kitchens Institute helps churches think of their kitchen resources around three key values:     

  • Community - How do we nurture a sense of belonging among                                            members? 
  • Hospitality - How do we reach out to the community around us with                                genuine welcome?
  • Celebration - Are we doing what we do with an infectious sense of joy?

These values guide a process called "Strategic Culinary Ministry" which intentionally coordinates food-service ministry to align with the overall purposes and goals of the church throughout the year. To put it another way, Strategic Culinary Ministry brings together the overall mission of the church

Julia Clark, a longtime member of Knox Presbyterian Church, helps prepare a meal in the church's kitchen.

(the Head) with the practice of the culinary craft (the Hands) and the warmth of the kitchen (the Heart)

Vital and growing churches see the value and potential of their foodservice. We are a faith that is centered around a meal - the Eucharist - and we are being true to our calling when we affirm God's grace as it is delivered through the kitchen.  Remember, Jesus first miracle was in a kitchen.


 A Strategic Culinary Ministry plan for a church results in church kitchens that are:

  • Safe, so that we can manage the risks,
  • Staffed, so that we can engage when ready,
  • Successful, so that we can enjoy the rewards.

The Church Kitchens Institute is currently engaged in a first-of-its-kind nation-wide survey of church kitchen ministries. You can participate in the survey by going to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LDCJJWF. If you would like to learn more about the Church kitchens Institute and Strategic Culinary Ministry, check out their blog at www.churchkitchens.blogspot.com or follow them on Twitter@CKI_and_SCM. 


 

The Rev. Dr. Ken Jobst  is the Director of The Church Kitchens Institute and author of the study The Bib and the Apron: Developing a Strategic Culinary Ministry for the Local Church. He is the principal investigator for the first nation-wide, multi-denominational survey of church kitchen ministries, and author of Starting Your Culinary Ministry: A Workbook for Churches. Ken is also the Executive Vice-President for Institutional Effectiveness and Professor of Church Growth at Simmons College of Kentucky in Louisville, KY. In addition, he serves as the Executive Assistant Pastor at St. Stephen Church in Louisville, KY.  Contact Ken Jobst




 

Take  noteTake Note /Act Now
Take Note/Act Now

 

Presbytery   .  .  . and the  Wider Church 

Join PCUSA's Office of Public Witness at 2pm on Tuesday, July 28 for a special series of brief webinar presentations about the work their interns have engaged in over this past year. After the presentations, Dir. J. Herbert Nelson will moderate a Q&A session. The 15-minute presentations include:

  • Barred from Prosperity: The Church's Response to Mass Incarceration as a Root Cause of Poverty 
  • On the Wrong Path: A Faithful Response to Current Immigration Policy
  • Finding the Balance: The Implications of Trade Policy

  Register Now! 

 

Mission Crossroads is making changes! On-line resources can now be found at www.pcusa.org/missionresources . There, you will find tools for planning mission trips, organizing committees, connecting with mission co-workers and leading mission-oriented Christian education courses. Additionally, consider attending Mission Magnified , a mission leader event, to be held November 19 -21, 2015 in Kansas City, MO.; and, check out World Mission Today webinars , too.  

The Presbyterian Mission Agency offers resources for creating a vision for educational ministry.  For details click here.

  

 

Churches

 

Springfield Presbyterian Church is gearing up for its 8th annual concert series.  On Sunday, Aug. 9 the congregation welcomes  Walt Crider and The Old Time Way , a 

 

5-piece band playing bluegrass, old time country, and gospel music.  The concert is free and open to the public although a free will offering will be collected.  A summer time ice cream social will follow the concert.  Click here for details.

 

This summer,  Faith Presbyterian Church 's fellowship hall was filled with young people and their colorful artwork thanks to Art with a Heart's Summer Job Program . Participants learned soft job skills while creating marketable works of art for HeARTwares , Art with a Heart's social enterprise/retail store in Baltimore CiTy. As a result, all are invited to Art with a Heart's annual Shop & Bop event from 5pm to 9pm on Friday, July 31, from 5-9 p.m. (at The Castle at Keswick, 3355 Keswick Road) where the student's artwork will be sold.  The event also features food trucks, loc al vendors and live music. Visit  http://www.artwithaheart.net/events/ .

 

  

 

Other

  

October is "Pastor Appreciation Month." The Presbytery's Clergy Care Team encourages all congregations to recognize their pastors in some way during October. Some ideas can be found here: http://blog.thethoughtfulchristian.com/2014/10/10-ways-to-show-your-pastor-you-care.html

 

10 Tips for Church Administration, click here to learn what they are! 

 

How's your health?  Each day we're reminded of the need to protect and cherish our personal health and the health of our families, loved ones, and broader community of faith. The Board of Pensions' Call to Health initiative is one way we can each demonstrate our respect and gratitude for God's gift of life and support our obligation to care for ourselves and those we love and serve.  Last year, 53.5% of plan members in the Presbytery of Baltimore completed Call to Health. This year, the goal is 50% or more.  Please actively answer the 2015 Call to Health to achieve their best health as well as savings on their 2016 deductibles. Answer the 2015 Call to Health before September 30th! 


Christ Congregational Church (UCC) in Silver Spring, MD and Takoma Park Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Takoma Park, MD, are seeking a half-time Director of Cooperative Youth Ministry.  For details, visit: http://www.cccsilverspring.org/youth-ministry-search, or email youthsearch@cccsilverspring.org.


 


taff Directory

 Mary Gaut
Interim General Presbyter
mgaut@baltimorepresbytery.org


  Deb Milcarek

Assoc. for Reconciliation

dmilcarek@baltimorepresbytery.org 
 


Susan Krehbiel

Dir. of Congregational Advocacy

skrehbiel@baltimorepresbytery.org

  


 

 


 
William Nickels III

 Assoc. General Presbyter

bnickels@baltimorepresbytery.org

 

 

Debbie Ingram Schmidt

Assoc. for Spiritual Leader Development

  

Terry Jackson
Dir. of Finance
 
tjackson@baltimorepresbytery.org  
 

 

Deborah Greene

Dir. of Communication
  dgreene@baltimorepresbytery.org 
 

 


Catherine Blacka

 

Judy Johnson

Ministry Group Staff

jjohnson@baltimorepresbytery.org

 

 

 Wanda Morgan

Dir. of Events/Services