PNKS Newsletter - 2023-06-19

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Presbytery of Northern Kansas Newsletter -

June 19, 2023

PNK News/Events

Apply for a Mission Project Grant

The Mission Task Group invites you to apply for a Mission Project Grant. The MTG is charged with providing the funding for and overseeing the mission projects sponsored by the Presbytery. In evaluating applications for new and renewed funding requests, the following criteria are considered:

The project must be an expression of the Great Ends of the Church as described in G-1.0200 of The Book of Order:

· the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind

· the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God

· the maintenance of divine worship

· the preservation of the truth

· the promotion of social righteousness

· the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world

Grants will range from $300 to $3000.

We would love to hear about and support your local, national and international mission projects. Please contact one of the MTG members [Chandra Cooper (Salina FPC), Amy Jo Hawley (Ellsworth), Gordon Fiedler (Minneapolis), Pam Beardlsley (Manhattan FPC), Betsy Crawford (Hays) and John Dorsey (Topeka FPC)] or Amanda in the PNKS office for more information.

Grant Application and Guidelines can be found HERE.

Prayer Resources on PNKS Facebook

Are you looking forward to the September PNKS Ed Day where we will be learning from Sue Nilson Kibbey about the Breakthrough Prayer Initiative Program? Maybe you are looking to strengthen your prayer life starting now...On our Facebook Page during the month of June, the Resource Center is focusing on prayer resources for children, adults, and education. Check out the page for more information on some of these resources:

In Prayer - Does it Make Any Difference? author Philip Yancey probes the very heartbeat of our relationship with God: prayer. What is prayer? Does it change God's mind or ours or both? This Small-Group book and DVD is an invitation to communicate with God who invites us into an eternal partnership through prayer.

Silence is important for children; it is the stillness―both internal and external―that children need in today’s frenzied world. In Silence, Godly Play founder Jerome Berryman offers children (and those who love them) a means to contemplate words and images, to develop a comfort level with silence that creates a foundation for wonder and the creative process. “Contemplative Silence” is a core component of Godly Play as found in all sacred story, parables, and liturgical action lessons presented to children. In each lesson, children encounter silence during entering, the lesson, wondering, art and material responses, the feast, and saying good-bye.

As 2009 approached, both of author River Jordan's sons were about to go off to war-one to Iraq and the other to Afghanistan-and she was planning a family reunion to see them off. All River could do was pray for her sons' safety and hope to maintain her strength, until she unexpectedly came upon the perfect New Year's resolution-one that focused on others instead of herself. She would pray for a complete stranger every single day of the year. In Praying for Strangers, Jordan tells that the discovery that she made along the journey was not simply that her prayers touched the lives of these strangers (in often astounding ways), but that the unexpected connections she made with other people would be a profound experience that would change her life forever.

Upcoming Presbytery Events

Make sure these dates are on your calendar and shared with your congregation

August 22 (Tuesday) -- Virtual Presbytery Meeting via Zoom

September 9 (Saturday) -- Presbytery Education Day featuring Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey on "The Breakthrough Prayer Initiative"

November 4 (Saturday) -- In Person Presbytery Meeting at First Presbyterian Church of Ellsworth

?? Did You Know ??

The Synod of Mid-America has funds available for Presbyterians to use for higher education. These scholarships can be used for any accredited institution of higher learning (including trade schools and graduate study programs). Scholarships are available/awarded per school year and renewable with application annually.

Scholarships are open to active Presbyterians within the Synod of Mid-America, and whose church of membership qualifies as a “small church” using the following criteria:

- in Kansas (total of 100 members or less),

- in Missouri or Illinois (total of 50 members or less),

as determined by congregational membership statistics reported December 31, 2022.

For More Information:

http://synodma.org/college-scholarships

Austin College Offers Full-Tuition for Presbyterian Students

Thanks to a generous gift, the Westminster Scholarship Program offers full tuition at Austin College for any student on the membership roll of a Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation. Click the link below to learn more.

Click HERE for the flyer

Order Your Planning Calendars Now

It is that time again to pre-order the 2023-24 Planning Calendars. Calendar pages begin with September 2023 and end with December 2024.

Your deadline for ordering is June 30, 2023. Download and complete the order form below and send it to the Presbytery office with your payment. You can also email your order to Gail at office@pnks.org, sending the payment by mail or via the GIVE NOW button on the Presbytery's website.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Gail Frazier,

Executive Administrative Assistant

Order Form - .docx

Order Form - .PDF

Seminars, Workshops, Events

Are you a pastor who is yearning for some time away to prepare worship for the year? Or are you a commissioned pastor/ruling elder excited about getting your creative worship juices flowing in a community of other leaders?

If you are the key worship leader for your worshipping community, you'll want to attend CAMP: A Planning Retreat for Clergy, a nurtured retreat on tranquil Flathead Lake, in Montana

Click HERE to read more

Click HERE for registration

Resource Center News

Please contact the Presbytery Office with any joys or concerns you would like to have added to the PNK Prayer List.