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The weekly newsletter from the
Presbytery of Minnesota Valleys
October 2, 2019
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We are congregations who seek to be a collective expression of the Body of Christ, joyfully participating in Christ's ongoing life and work. "Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing."
(I Thessalonians 5:11)
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Our Next Webinar in Transformation Going Beyond Change
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Thursday, October 3
1:00pm
Preaching in Times of Transition: Imaginative Preaching
Gerald Liu
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Gerald C. Liu is assistant professor of worship and preaching at Princeton Theological Seminary. He earned his BA in Music at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, his Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University (during which time he was also a theological fellow at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen, Germany), and his PhD from Vanderbilt University with a concentration in homiletics and liturgics. He has previously served as a British Methodist Minister in Nottingham, England before becoming ordained in the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church. Currently he volunteers as a minister in residence at Church of the Village, a United Methodist congregation in Manhattan. His classes and publications explore curiosities about the arts as theological resources and phenomena, Asian American identity, multicultural worship, and the production of believable public Christian witness.
Join Rev. Liu in a discussion about how the biblical canon can shape weekly preaching into an arc of messages rooted in the ever-expanding call to new identities in Christ, adaptive living, and welcoming all people for the glory of God.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 172 959 687
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Meeting ID: 172 959 687
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Congregation of the Week of October 6-12
First Presbyterian Church of Rushmore
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Clerk of Session: Travis Ailts
Treasurer: Brenda Krull
Ruling Elders: Gary Ailts, Travis Ailts, Charlotte Dammer, Arla Engelkes, Dennis Frazer, Corinne Hausmann, Brenda Krull, and Gary Wagley
Church Secretary: Darcey Groen
Pastor: Rev. Paul Snyder
Pray for members of our church that are healing from various conditions.
Pray for those who are grieving in our congregation and community.
Pray for a safe and productive harvest.
Pray for churches in our Presbytery who are in any kind of pastoral transition.
Pray for the Spirit to continue to lead our three congregations as we enter the second year of shared ministry between three congegations.
Pray for our sister congregations, Zion Presbyterian Church of Ellsworth and Emmanuel Presbyterian Church of Rushmore.
First and Emmanuel have been worshiping together for this past year. We have two buildings and alternate locations according to the month. Zion continues to have weekly Sunday worship services. This arrangement has been a blessing to all of our congregations and is another model for shared ministry.
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Urgent Reminder from the Committee on Representation
Applications for commissioners for General Assembly have been extended to October 15. Applications for Young Adult Advisory Delegates and alternate commissioners are also due at the same time. Please email applications to
Karen Lange
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Minnesota Valleys at the Synod Meeting
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John McKay (Saint Peter) was elected as synod moderator (pictured above, left).
Andy Davis (Saint Peter) was elected to the synod Committee on Representation
Scott Prouty (Redwood Falls) was elected to the synod SDOP
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Minister Survey
Perry Chang, Research Analyst for PC(USA), invites all of the ministers in the Presbytery of Minnesota Valleys to participate in their minister survey. So far, 1,200 ministers in the denomination have completed the survey, and here is some recent information:
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John and Sara McKay to be inducted
into the Minnesota Music All of Fame
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John and Sara McKay, (pronounced McK-eye) live in St. Peter. John, a concert pianist, performed widely in Europe, Canada and the United States. He taught piano and music history at Gustavus Adolphus for 28 years. He founded the MN Valley Sommarfest which presented concerts of chamber music every summer for 17 years. Sara sang over three hundred concerts as soloist with The Festival Singers of Canada and l’Ensemble Vocal de Bruxelles. In 1979 she co-founded the St. Peter Choral Society and directed the choir in annual performances of great masterpieces for choir and orchestra.
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Prayer List
- For Rev. Dawn Carder and family on the death of Dawn's son-in-law
- For the family of Mary Hansen of Browns Valley
- For Rev. Steve and Genevieve Tyykila and family on the death of Steve's mother
- For Rev. Michael Roys, pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Winnebago
- For Rev. Elaine and Kent Boyd at First Presbyterian Church of Amboy
- For the family of Rev. Don Crissinger-Clark, who passed away July 24.
- For Rev. David Poppen, who had a motorcycle accident on July 21. He has served churches in Ellsworth, Rushmore Emmanuel, Slayton and Iona.
- Sue Thompson, Clerk of Session at First Presbyterian Church, Maynard
- Rev. Araceli Itzep from the Occidente Presbytery; surgery scheduled for Oct 23
- For Beatriz (Betty/Beti) Cifuentes, the treasurer of the Partnership Committee, who is beginning chemotherapy.
- For the "Men in the Mirror" program. Men from Occidente that MVP supported financially to attend the classes a couple of years ago are going to share the information they gained with different churches in the eastern and central parts of Guatemala. They, along with the chaplains of the national Presbyterian church, will also be training Christian policemen in what they learned from "Men in the Mirror."
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Upcoming events at a glance
Oct 3: "Preaching in Times of Transition" webinar by Gerald Liu begins at 10:00 (email
Karen Lange
to register)
Oct 15: Boundary Training at FPC Redwood Falls
Nov 2: Presbytery meeting at Ebenezer Presbyterian in Renville
Nov 11-13: Pastor Retreat at Presbyterian Clearwater Forest
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Support Education for Children in Our Sister Presbytery in Guatemala
by Jim Krapf
Education yields opportunities. We are grateful for your support of this possibility for children in our sister presbytery of Occidente. Donating $250 scholarships provides funds for a student's required uniforms, books, and other expenses for a year. It makes a difference for that child’s future.
Their next school year begins in January. You can bring your checks made out to the Presbytery of Minnesota Valleys and noted for scholarships to the November 2 Presbytery meeting in Renville. Or you can mail them prior to that date to the presbytery office. Any amount is appreciated; but $250 per student is the goal. You may consider making this more than a one year commitment.
You might also added 5% of your donated amount, which is given to the national office of the Presbyterian Church in Guatemala as a part of our partnership agreement. This money assists in paying their administrative and program cost at the national level.
Your donations will be in addition to the six scholarships that are provided through our presbytery’s Occidente Partners budget. Our goal for several years has been a total of $4000, providing 16 children with $250 each. Keeping our donations at this level can support more children beyond elementary into middle and high school.
After their school year ends in December, donors will receive photographs, academic reports, and thank you notes from the children and/or their parents. Many churches display these to express appreciation and promote further contributions.. Examples will be on exhibit at the next Presbytery meeting. We do not reveal the names of donors to the recipients to avoid further requests for assistance. We have found presbytery-to-presbytery arrangements are a fairer more manageable way to offer assistance. Occidente's Committee on Ministry will continue to select the recipients from among their now 20 churches.
Thank you in advance
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FPC Winnebago Celebrates 150 Years
On Sunday, October 13, the First Presbyterian Church of Winnebago will celebrate our 150th Anniversary. Friends are welcome to any or all of the events. There will be plenty of food for all.
10:00 Worship
11:15 Buggy Rides
12:00 Potluck Dinner based on recipes from our three church cookbooks
1:00 Program
- Church History Trivia Quiz
- Next-to-New 50th Anniversary Presentation and Style Show
- Church History Presentation
- Memories shared by clergy with roots in the church
- Displays and presentations of our ministry
- Cookbooks and directory sales available
- Presentation on the Memory Book (being put together)
- Updates on Pastor Michael's retirement and steps toward future leadership
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News from the Presbyterian Women Coordinating Team
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Presbyterian Women of the Presbytery Coordinating Team (PWPCT) met in Windom on Thursday, September 19. We want the churches in the Presbytery to know what we are about and what we are doing, and the Valley Bridge is one good way to pass information along.
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Our mission giving this meeting included donations to Presbyterian Hunger (PHP), Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), the Horizon Magazine, and we are sponsoring a scholarship for a school in Guatamala.
We are looking for volunteers to be on the CT committee. YOU ARE NEEDED desperately!
Right now we are having two meetings, one in the Spring, and one in the Fall, usually in a central location like Windom. We have a Spring Gathering and that is some of what we spend our time at the meetings on, along with other business items. It’s a great bunch of women and you would enjoy working together with them. We no longer have a Fall Gathering. So it is not a huge time commitment!
We also want to keep our list of leaders/contact persons for your local PW current, whether you consider it an active group or not. Last year we sent a separate letter to many to update our list. If there are any changes from last year, changes could be emailed to Gloria and/or Betty.
We pray that someone from your church ... Minister, Lay Leader or women’s group will
respond.
KEEP THE DATE: Our next Spring Gathering is going to be in Renville on June 2, 2020. All
are invited to attend. More information will be out later.
Blessing to all!
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Matthew 25 Resources
by Rev. Andrew Davis
Congratulations! Our presbytery is part of Matthew 25. We have pledged to work for congregational vitality and against systemic racism and poverty. Now, you might feel that these goals are daunting, so I'd like to suggest some accessible resources in this newsletter from time to time.
Let's start with dismantling racism. One of the best first steps is to educate ourselves about the history of racism in the United States. To that end, I recommend two podcasts. The first is "Seeing White" by Scene on Radio. The host and producer is John Biewen, who grew up in our area, in collaboration with Duke University. The series is complete, so you can binge it on your next long drives. The series also includes a salient episode on the U.S./Dakota War. The second series that I'm recommending is "1619" by The New York Times, which is being released week by week. So far, "1619" is re-framing the history of slavery and racism in America in a way that I find to be quite provocative and helpful.
I hope these two podcasts will be helpful to you!
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American life has changed radically over the past generation. The Christian share of the U.S. population is declining across every region, age and demographic group, and the number of adults who do not identify with any organized religion is growing. As a result, the church is no longer at the center of American culture. Some say the church is no longer relevant at all. As much as this new reality is alarming, it is also an opportunity for our congregations, worshiping communities and mid councils to wake up and seize the moment.
What is congregational vitality?
You might think that the vitality of a congregation or worshiping community is based on the number of members, the scope of programs, the size of financial gifts or some other statistics.
Not so — at least not entirely.
Rather, a community’s vitality is primarily its spiritual strength and its capacity for purposeful mission. Congregational vitality is evident in a worshiping community when its structural systems, finances and discipleship practices are aligned in such a way that the community is actively engaged in the mission of God in their local community and the world, and they are powerfully focused on growing as disciples in the way of Jesus Christ. Faith comes alive when we boldly engage God’s mission and share the hope we have in Christ.
What must we do to revitalize our own congregation?
To some extent, many local churches find themselves spiritually exhausted, financially fragile and structurally unsound. Sometimes, congregational life is discouraging — both for pastors and other church leaders who see apathy in their members, and for members who see the numbers in the pews declining year by year.
The Presbyterian Mission Agency of the PC(USA) has made a profound commitment to help you turn things around.
We propose that there are seven marks to help you determine your current level of vitality — and then various processes for self-assessment, discernment and renewed commitment to the habits that foster an energetic engagement with the Spirit’s work in the world.
Here are the seven marks:
- A commitment to forming disciples over every member’s lifetime. This leads first to personal transformation, as people put on the heart of Christ, and then to social transformation, as people joyfully go forth into the community and tackle the issues facing today’s culture.
- Embracing the call to evangelism. We show forth the love of Christ by our actions and our lives even more than by our words. Our relationships are genuine and caring. People know we are Christians by our love.
- An outward focus. Our church is not a place to escape from the world, but rather our gateway to our community where we may be the hands, feet, heart and mouth of Jesus Christ for people who are suffering or marginalized.
- Empowering every member to discover their individual calling and the gifts God has given them so they can go forth and serve.
- Spirit-inspired worship that challenges, teaches, transforms, convicts and energizes us so when we are sent out, we have experienced the wonder of God and are changed for the better from when we arrived.
- Caring relationships modeled on God’s love. We open our doors and hearts to all people, and we build relationships modeled on God’s love, which leads to genuine reconciliation and peace.
- Congregations with healthy systems. Our mission focuses are clear. There is fiscal responsibility and accountability. We have thoughtful decision-making structures. Our leaders and staff enjoy a sustainable balance of work/rest time.
The theology of congregational vitality
God’s gifts of Word and Sacrament establish and equip the church as the body of Christ in the world. The mission of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church flows from baptism, is nourished at the Lord’s Supper, and serves to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to all.
Worshiping communities experiencing congregational vitality will find themselves following Jesus into places of injustice and struggle bearing light and hope, demonstrating love and mercy, and working faithfully for justice and peace. Their efforts will be sustained by personal and congregational patterns and practices of prayer and worship, learning and reflection. They will be stewards of God’s abundant gifts in service to God’s children here and everywhere. They will demonstrate to the world God’s promises and life-giving power in this age and the world to come.
Scriptures for study and reflection
Matthew 25:31–46
Acts 2:42–47
John 4:1–41
John 13: 2–17
Isaiah 6:1–13
Acts 6:1–7
2 Corinthians 5:11–21
How do we build congregational vitality?
- Become a Matthew 25 congregation! Sign up and pledge to become the healthiest body of Christ possible.
Useful tools and resources for study and engagement
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From Church Campaign Services: What if you could raise capital funds and increase the annual pledge campaign AT THE SAME TIME?
Riverside Presbyterian Church in Chicago did just that. They combined their annual campaign and a capital campaign last fall, raising funds to remodel their sanctuary. And they and grew their annual revenue too.
See how they did it with our FREE guide to "Planning a Combined Financial Campaign."
With hundreds of combined campaigns in our 69-year history, we have helped churches grow their annual giving while running a capital campaign. We’d like to help you, too.
With proper attention, planning, and prayer, a Combined Campaign can fund needed capital projects and increase annual giving simultaneously.
Learn the Six Essential Principles that guide churches in fulfilling and achieving their ambitious capital goals, while protecting and preserving and even boosting the annual budget.
At the end of a three-year capital campaign pledge period, donors do not typically maintain the level of giving demonstrated during the campaign. However, by following our Six Principles, it is unlikely that they will revert to their giving level from before the campaign. The annual budget will see benefits for many years after the capital campaign.
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Books of Order now available
The PDF of the 2019-2021 Book of Order has been added to the PCUSA Store website and is available for free
download
The Presbytery has ordered Books of Order for congregations at a cost of $8.50 each. We will ask for postage reimbursement if we mail them.
Planning Calendar Orders
The PC(USA) Store will ship out Presbyterian Planning Calendars in August, and we have ordered calendars for congregations for $9.50 each. This 16-month calendar begins in September and ends December 2020. We will ask for postage reimbursement if we mail them.
Results from the GA amendments
Here is a link to the Presbyterian Outlook’s article on the General Assembly amendments:
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Youth Workers Fall Retreat at Clearwater Forest
October 14-15 (extra stay option Sunday, October 13)
Who: youth workers, Christian Ed directors, Sunday School coordinators, Youth Group leaders, paid/volunteer, full/part time
With Fall Kickoff behind us (mostly), Clearwater Forest invites you to come for a rest & renew retreat.
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Save the date for Boundary Training
Tuesday, October 15 from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church of Redwood Falls
Boundary Training is required for all minister/teaching elder presbytery members and commissioned ruling elders. The Presbytery of Minnesota Valleys will be holding a boundary training on Tuesday, October 15 from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Redwood Falls. Leaderwise will be leading the boundary training. The training will focus on a holistic approach to boundaries, looking at overall resilience and well-being as the best prevention against impaired decision making and boundaries violations. More information will be coming.
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Pastors’ Retreat
November 11-13, 2019
Leaning Tree Lodge
Presbyterian Clearwater Forest
16595 Crooked Lake Rd
Deerwood MN 56444
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Begins with lunch on Monday and ends before lunch on Wednesday.
Cost: $40, includes meals and lodging
Please email
Karen Lange
your attendance plans by September 30.
Come and enjoy the fall beauty of Presbyterian Clearwater Forest and spend time with presbytery colleagues. We will reflect on the year of transformation and take a deep breath. The retreat is in the planning stages, but mark your calendars to attend.
Retreat Speaker Rev. Jennifer Hope Kottler is a spiritual director/certified life and leadership coach and yoga teacher in private practice in Florence, SC. An ordained pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with standing in the United Church of Christ, Jen serves clergy and lay leaders who want to deepen their own spirituality and lead their communities with intentionality and grace. Jen facilitates retreats and events for congregations, non-profit organizations, and church leaders. In all her work, Jen incorporates ancient spiritual practices with modern techniques including Energy Leadership Coaching and Conversational Intelligence®. Jen is married to Rev. Gavin Meek, Transitional Executive Presbyter and Stated Clerk in New Harmony Presbytery (NE South Carolina) and she enjoys hiking, tennis, cooking for family and friends, and traveling with Gavin.
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Church Staff: Schedule a Day with Karen
Associate for Administration Karen Lange is available to spend a day with church office folks to share tips on setting up bulletins, newsletters, making a Facebook page or to help with any general questions. The cost is Karen’s mileage to and from the church plus providing lunch. Please email
Karen
to schedule.
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Pastoral Leadership Opportunities
First Presbyterian Church, Fulda
- Solo Pastor
Faith Presbyterian Church, Silver Lake
- Part-time Solo Pastor
Hope Presbyterian Church, Spicer
- Solo Pastor
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From the Presbyterian Historical Society
Preserve vital church records for free at the Presbyterian Historical Society. Order digital copies at a PC(USA) discount. Join our Church Membership Program and receive further digitization savings. Find out more at
www.history.pcusa.org/records, email
[email protected] or call 215-627-1852
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From Columbia Theological Seminary: New Walker Presidential Scholarship To Make Seminary An Affordable Reality For PC(USA) Students
At Columbia Theological Seminary, we are committed to providing an accessible, affordable theological education that is both academically rigorous and spiritually transformative. Scholarships are an essential part of this commitment. Columbia Seminary offers one of the most expansive financial aid programs in the country. Financial aid awards include scholarships, grants, and tuition waivers that are awarded based on both merit and need.
Columbia Seminary continues to deepen our commitment to providing an affordable theological education by working with strategic partners to create new scholarship opportunities for our students. This fall, Columbia Seminary is excited to announce, once again, the creation of the Rev. Dr. Thomas W. & Jan C. Walker Presidential Scholarship. The Walker Presidential Scholarship will be awarded to Master of Divinity students from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) who show outstanding promise for pastoral ministry. The award will cover the full cost of attendance (tuition + fees) and provide each recipient with a
$5,000 living stipend
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Are you interested in being considered for the Walker Presidential Scholarship?
Apply online today
! Visit
#
to begin your application. The priority deadline to be considered for the Walker Presidential Scholarship and other merit-based scholarships is February 1, 2019. All application materials must be submitted by this date to be considered.
Full-Tuition Awards:
- The Columbia Scholarship covers full tuition, a single living unit and the full meal plan. Full-time enrollment is required, and each recipient must maintain a 3.50 GPA over the course of the degree program.
- The Honors Scholarship covers the full cost of tuition and is awarded to a full-time student who must maintain a 3.3 GPA.
- Take the next step on your journey to seminary: schedule a campus visit.
About the Scholarship:
The Walker Presidential Scholarship was made possible by an endowment gift from an anonymous donor in honor of the life of Christian ministry and service by the Rev. Dr. Tom W. & Mrs. Jan C. Walker of Palms Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Columbia Theological Seminary was formative in Tom’s pastoral leadership and this endowed award will provide permanent recognition of Tom and Jan’s ministry and will continue to support the development of future ministerial leaders at Columbia Theological Seminary.
About the Seminary:
Columbia Theological Seminary “exists to educate and nurture faithful, imaginative, and effective leaders for the sake of the Church and the world.” As an educational institution of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Columbia Seminary is a community of theological inquiry, leadership development, and formation for ministry in the service of the Church of Jesus Christ. Columbia Seminary offers six graduate degree programs and dozens of courses and events as a resource for church professionals and lay people through The Center for Lifelong Learning. For more information, please visit
www.CTSnet.edu
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