January 5, 2023
MLK Performing Arts Competition Approaches
January is here, and with it, the In the Loop Ministry Group sponsors its annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. presentations. This year’s performing arts showcase has been expanded to include song, dance, prose, drama, painting, drawing, and sculpture. The program, hosted by Dickey Memorial Presbyterian Church, will explore the theme: How MLK’s life exhibited the principles of Mathew 25: Dismantling structural racism, Eradicating systemic poverty.


Contest applicants can find complete rules and more information on our website - but the deadline is fast approaching! Contestants of all ages are encouraged to submit their ideas to HRPC@hrpc.comcastbiz.net and by using this online form.
Dismantling Racism in the Year Ahead
WORKSHOPS

The Presbytery of Baltimore is hosting 3 foundational Dismantling Racism Workshops in 2023. If you haven’t attended one ever or since 2019, this year is for you! Please mark your calendar now. Registration details will be announced at least one month in advance.

  • Tuesday, March 21, 2023
  • Friday, October 6, 2023
  • Saturday, October 7, 2023

We are also busy planning some new offerings with more information to come in future Tidings. Please contact Susan Krehbiel (skrehbiel@baltimorepresbytery.org) if you have any questions about the Dismantling Racism Team and its activities.

LENTEN STUDIES

The Dismantling Racism Team has also developed Congregational Studies for Lent this year. Links and more information, including video and podcasts, can be found on the Presbytery’s website.
The Cross and the Lynching Tree - A dynamic resource was prepared to encourage dialogue and transformation for congregations, centered on this powerful work by James H. Cone. The available study was created by the Rev. Michael Moore in 2018 based on a guide prepared by the New York Annual Conference Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church.
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together - This 2021 work by Heather McGhee underscores the benefits we gain when people come together across race to accomplish what we simply can’t do on our own. The available study guide contains brief, but useful questions and considerations for group discovery this season.
CLERKS OF SESSION AND PASTORS

Remember that your annual statistical report deadline is February 9th. 


It should be approved by your Session before submitting. Do not click “submit” until your session has approved the report. You cannot make changes after you “submit.” IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION OR HELP, PLEASE REACH OUT TO MARY GAUT mgaut@baltimorepresbytery.org
Shared Ministry: 2022 Contribution Opportunities Expiring
The Presbytery of Baltimore’s Shared Ministry funds provide essential support for Commissions, Partnerships, and Ministry Groups. Many of these collaborations are organizing programs or projects and providing salaries for individuals working on initiatives in their respective communities.
 
Last year’s budget was $164,800 and we have received $116,500 to date. The recommended contribution has been 2-5%, but we only have another week to accept your support. It’s not too late to remit your contribution! Please contact Chuck Brawner at cbrawner@baltimorepresbytery.org by January 12th to be sure your generosity is counted.
 
We know these have been tough and unprecedented times, and we are grateful for all the contributions to date. All of our partners in ministry thank you for your continued support.
2023 Elder Training on Zoom
Are you a new Elder eager to learn more about your new role? Are you a pastor looking for additional resources to support your Session? Are you a seasoned Elder interested in forging relationships and sharing your wisdom? Then Elder Training on Zoom might be a good fit for you.

Last October, we piloted an in-person, Presbytery-wide Elder Training event. At that time, many of you asked if we could provide an online option. Our presenters have agreed to join our Elder/Deacon Mastermind group for the next four months and reprise their sessions. The group meets on the Third Thursday of the month from 7-8pm on Zoom.

On January 19th, Rev. Dr. Carl Wilton will kick off the series with an engaging workshop on the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity for Ruling Elders. He’ll lead us in an overview of our history and walk us through the highlights of the first section of our Book of Order. Rev. Dr. Wilton is an engaging and humorous leader and teacher who has taught polity to students at Princeton Theological Seminary.

On February 16th, Rev. Steve Nofel (who serves on Presbytery staff as the Presbytery-wide Interim) will lead us in a theological exploration of who we are as Ruling Elders. On March 16th, Rev. Shannon Weston, ACC (who is a Coach Trainer and Senior Consultant with Design Group International) will lead a workshop on Group Dynamics and building trust as a team.

Finally, on April 20th, Rev. Tim Hughes-Williams (pastor of Light Street Presbyterian) will lead a session on how we might better engage with the communities around our congregations.

For the rest of the year, the Elder/Deacon Mastermind is a group where any officer (active or not) can come to build relationships, share ideas, and workshop challenges. We talk about best practices, review case studies as people bring them, and brainstorm solutions for burning questions. It always meets on the third Thursday evening from 7-8pm on Zoom.

For more information and the Zoom link, please contact Jennifer Barchi (jbarchi@baltimorepresbytery.org). We look forward to seeing you there!
In Memoriam
The Rev. Dr. William Theodore (Ted) Dürr passed away peacefully in the early morning of December 24, 2022 surrounded by loving family. Born in Baltimore City, he was the husband of 64 years to the late Barbara T. Dürr. After graduation from Princeton Seminary, he became the organizing pastor of Perry Hall Presbyterian Church in 1957, where he served for 12 years, thereafter to serve as an interim pastor to 13 churches in the Baltimore area completing his service in 2008 at the Roland Park Presbyterian Church. Ted is remembered by all who knew him as a smart, kind and thoughtful man who maintained warm and lasting relationships with many of us. A good friend, he will be missed. Full Obituary
Upcoming Events
Monday January 9 - Music Mondays at Govans Presbyterian Church at 7pm Featuring Tim Scully, who will share Redemption Songs and Stories with some of his experiences as a Public Defender in Virginia. Email Lea Gilmore for Zoom link
Sunday, January 15, 3pm - 4th Annual MLK Performing Arts Competition. Presented by the In the Loop Ministry Group Register to attend in person or online, and find more information at BaltimorePresbytery.org.
Monday January 16 at 7pm - Legacy of Black Farming & Human Rights. Join Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake on this holiday special webinar. You'll learn about the rich history of Black Farming in America and the growing push for environmental justice. Guest speakers will share how they are working tirelessly to dissolve existing barriers to create new opportunities for Black farmers.
Thursday, January 19 - Elder/Deacon Mastermind Group - The Elder training program from last October will be reprised this year in four monthly online meetings, at 7pm. The next session will feature “The Foundations of Polity” with Carl Wilton. Email Jennifer Barchi for Zoom link, and find more information on our website.
January 28 or January 30
Healthy Boundaries Refresher Course via Zoom
9:30am to 2:00pm
Register with Carol Kefford at ckeshelman@gmail.com
Employment Opportunities
Christian Educator and Church Administrator
Christ Our Anchor is hiring and we need you!! We are a small(er), family-friendly church in the Cape St. Claire neighborhood of Annapolis. Both of our open positions offer flexible hours and a rewarding, encouraging work environment. If you or someone you know might be interested in these job postings, please share this webpage with more details on each job, and encourage them to apply: www.christouranchorpc.org/jobs

Church Office Coordinator
Mt Hebron Presbyterian Church is seeking a friendly, service-oriented individual with engaging interpersonal skills, responsible for managing the office communications, and facilitating key day-day tasks. Job description

Part-Time Pastor
Fallston Presbyterian Church is seeking a part-time pastor. Visioning for our congregation to transform us into new ways of being a church. Revitalization will open opportunities to hear God’s calling in new and different directions. More about Fallston Presbyterian and our MIF

Communications Assistant
Highland Presbyterian Church, in Street, Maryland, seeks part-time Communications Assistant to begin as early as January 1, 2023. Salary is negotiable. A job description for the position is posted on our website (www.highlandpresbyterianchurch.org). Please submit letter of intent and resume, and references to Personnel Committee Chair, Pete McCallum at plmmccallum@gmail.com and/or to Pastor Ray Meute at pastor.meute@verizon.net.
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