Quick Notes Update for September 15, 2020
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE ONLINE ENGAGEMENT
So you have learned to use zoom for various (way too many!) meetings and are now fully enmeshed in this virtual world. Would you like to take some next steps in learning ways to engage participants in interactive collaborative ways? Join us for a our next TECH OFFICE HOURS on Wednesday Sept 16 at 7:30pm. We will explore breakout rooms, polls, annotation as well as the integration of MURAL as a collaborative whiteboard.You don't need to know much more than how to start a zoom call to join in! Expand your virtual repertoire and stay current!

LAST MEETING OUR TECH HOUR EXPLORED ZOOM SETTINGS FOR POLLS, VOTING, BREAKOUT ROOMS AND DIFFERENT RECORDING SETTINGS. WE ALSO WORKED WITH A COLLABORATIVE ONLINE WHITEBOARD CALLED MURAL. JOIN US NEXT TECH HOUR!
Who is doing what?
As we head into the Fall season, its a good moment to check in with each other about how we are doing worship, youth and children ministry, Bible study, fellowship, outreach...JOIN US FOR AN RSMAT ZOOM CHECK IN where we can share and learn from each other. We will use breakout groups, a Mural board and this pre-meeting survey to prepare for a meaningful hour together. Watch the survey results develop here!
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 AT 7:30PM
Save the Date: 
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Synod of the Mid-Atlantics 2020 Vision Report Processing Webinar
7 PM

This webinar is being hosted by NBTS and the Synod of the Mid-Atlantics. It is a time for church leaders to hear from 2020 Vision Team members, ask questions, and discuss the recommendations being made by the 2020 Vision Team to the 2021 General Synod.

Links for registration will be forthcoming. Registration will be required.
ZOOM BASED TRAINING FROM
CHURCH BASED MENTAL HEALTH
Trauma Informed Care for Socially Engaged Communities

Free Zoom Training: Save the Dates 
Church Based Mental Health Services is pleased to sponsor two workshops on Trauma Informed Care for professional staff and non-professional volunteers on October 7th and October 14th from 9:30am to 11:30am. Please RSVP to Carol Turner at cjteddpc@mac.com to reserve a place. Zoom links for both workshops will be released 24hours before each event.  

Trauma Informed Care for Socially Engaged Communities
Providing trauma informed care is no longer optional in this world where traumatic events are happening all around us. It is a necessary approach that operates under the principle that those we seek to help, and those of us who help, are all impacted by trauma in some way. This two-part training will educate participants about trauma and the impact it has on thoughts, emotions and the body, and offer basic trauma-attuned relational, clinical and self-care skills that are necessary to work with culturally diverse populations. Workshop on October 7th will focus on deepening our understanding of Trauma and the workshop on October 14th will focus on applying this understanding in our work settings. 

More About Our Presenter
Debra Ruisard holds an MSW and DSW from Rutgers University. She is the Project Director, SAMHSA-NCTSN Grant and Senior Trainer at The CTARI Institute at The Center for Great Expectations, a non-profit agency in Somerset, NJ that provides trauma informed residential, outpatient and in-home treatment to individuals who struggle with mental health and substance use issues. She is also a Trainer for CGE’s CTARI Institute. Dually licensed as an LCSW and LCADC, she has extensive clinical experience in simultaneously treating trauma and addiction issues with adolescents and adults. Dr. Ruisard is a Part Time Lecturer at the Rutgers School of Social Work and has a private practice at Ivy Counseling Group in Skillman, NJ. 

More About Our Format
RSVP is required to access Zoom link and password for both workshops. Meetings start promptly at 9:30am with a featured presentation, followed by ten- minute break. Small breakout discussion groups (with a designated group facilitator and focused questions for discussion) begin promptly at 10:30am and report back to the group as a whole by 11:00am.
Workshops end promptly no later than 11:30am. Additional questions or concerns can be addressed to Carol Turner at cjteddpc@mac.com.
UNDERSTANDING THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION IN THE RCA
The 2020-2021 academic marks the anniversary of important events for theological education in the RCA: the fiftieth year since the start of the Bi-Level Multi-Site program—an innovative but short-lived attempt to yoke the denomination’s two seminaries—and the thirty-fifth anniversary of the start of the Theological Education Agency (TEA), the precursor to the Ministerial Formation Certification Agency (MFCA). This year is also seeing potential major changes in theological education, as the General Synod Council has taken steps to eliminate the MFCA, and the role of the Certificate of Fitness for Ministry is being re-examined.

In a time such as this, it is appropriate to reflect upon what theological education has been in the RCA as well as what it could be. So the Reformed Church Center at NBTS is hosting a series of noontime colloquies around the theme Understanding Theological Education in the RCA. The five programs planned for this year will all be webinars on Zoom, beginning at 12:00 pm with a presentation followed by open discussion, intended to be done in an hour.

The premiere program will examine Reformed Theological Education in the Twenty-first Century on Tuesday, September 22, at 12 noon. It will be led by Richard Mouw, past president of Fuller Theological Seminary. Raised in an RCA pastor's family, Mouw earned a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Chicago before teaching for seventeen years at Calvin College and thirty-five years—twenty as president—at Fuller. He served a term as president of the Association of Theological Schools, and in 2007 was awarded the Abraham Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life, by Princeton Theological Seminary. 

There is no charge for attending this colloquy, but participants need to register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eD7oa1fjRd2ikGdxeJ3tIw. There will be four more programs in this series during 2020-21:

·    October 20, on Changing Challenges Facing NBTS, with Robert White, Norman Kansfield, and Renée House.

·    November 17, on Women in Theological Education, with Lynn Japinga and Liz Testa.

·    January 19, on the Ministerial Formation Certification Agency, with Cor Kors.

·    February 23, on Certifying Fitness for Ministry, with Carol Bechtel, Micah McCreary, and Felix Theonugraha.
PENTECOSTAL ACTIVITY
Strange happenings at Ponds Reformed! Watch this video they prepared for Pentecost 2020.
(8 min)
Churches in our Regional Synod are participating in Churches Learning Change. Read some testimonials from Wyckoff Reformed about the impact on their church life.
CHURCH BASED MENTAL HEALTH NEWSLETTERS ARCHIVE
We've created an online gathering of all of the newsletters the program has sent out during COVID. Very helpful insights to pass along to your congregations!
The information and materials that appear in the email newsletter, facebook page or on the Website of the Regional Synod of the Mid-Atlantics of the Reformed Church in America ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE OPINION OF THE REGIONAL SYNOD OF THE MID-ATLANTICS OF THE REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA, NOR ARE SUCH NECESSARILY ENDORSED BY THE REGIONAL SYNOD. THE ACCURACY AND VALIDITY OF THE INFORMATION IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PROVIDER OR AUTHOR.