rsmat
Quick Notes Update for July 6, 2019

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Have you checked the synod calendar to see what's happening? For more information on the events below, click on the calendar link.  Don't see your church's event listed - be sure to include the synod on your email and mailing lists by sending information to rsmat@rca.org.

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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.


 MINISTERS PLEASE NOTE: REALLOCATION OF PENSION FUNDS OPPORTUNITY


ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE
NOTICE FROM
 Earl James, Coordinator for African American/Black Council & Advocacy

The psalmist wrote "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell in it." (Psalms 24:1) God's heart and mind and purposes are all embedding in this planet God has blessed us with. It all belongs to God. We humans look after this blessing and manage it on God's behalf and by God's will. The 2019 General Synod adopted overture ONB 19-1: "General Synod Council (GSC) and the Advocacy initiative (are) to encourage and equip RCA institutions, congregations, and members to reduce fossil fuel consumption and work to transition to renewable energy."
As Coordinator for Advocacy, I share with you a fantastic, but fast-approaching, opportunity to live into both the Scripture and the adopted overture.



 The PC-USA's Presbyterians for Earth Care are offering their "Peace for the Earth: From the Bible to the Front Lines" conference. The conference occurs on August 6 (7pm) to 9 (noon), at the Stony Point Center, 17 Cricketown Road, Stony Point NY. Here is the link to the conference packet: http://presbyearthcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2019-PEC-Conference-Program_updated-May-2019.pdf. Conference registration is on page 19.

The worship, workshops, reflections and networking look amazing! Clearly, there promises to be much enrichment personally, for families and congregations, and for advocating to reduce carbon footprints to promote reducing the impacts of climate change.

Additionally, this conference will be multi-racial, recognize that Christians, Jews and Muslims share geographic communities and therefore share responsibility for reducing fossil fuel use, and is inter-generational (involving children, teens and adults) - equipping all to make tangible differences in caring for God's earth.

As an encouragement to participate, the RCA's Advocacy office will reimburse the first 5 registrants (no more than 2 per church) $275 each. That will cover the costs of full registration plus a bit more! To qualify for reimbursement, please email a copy of your completed registration and proof of payment to creationcare@rca.org.

Persons who receive reimbursement will be expected to participate in a couple communications opportunity with the RCA to benefit and bless others of us in our denomination.

Will you participate? Do you see practical ways to where this conference can enrich your, your family's, and your congregation's lives around creation care and worship, conversation, energy efficiency, and advocacy? Please share this invitation with others in your congregation, your classis, and your regional synod. I look forward to supporting all who participate both at the conference and afterwards!

Earl James

Coordinator for African American/Black Council & Advocacy

Keeping Calm in the Already-and-Not Yet:
Doing Ministry While Waiting for the 2020 Vision

These discussions are open to EVERYONE -ministers, deacons, elders, non-ordained members-in EVERY kind of RCA ministry-progressive, conservative, and everywhere in-between. They are meant to help us all keep anxieties low and creativity and receptivity to the Holy Spirit-who just maybe isn't yet done speaking.

Each evening will include a simple supper, a discussion (presented as dispassionately as possible) of what happened at Synod, a discussion of the polity implications, and a discussion of how we can reduce anxiety and reactivity in our congregational and classical systems. There will NOT be talk of strategizing about how to help progressives win or how to help conservatives win. These evenings are all about how we listen for the Spirit so that God's Church wins.

The three events are listed below. Please plan to attend the one that's easiest for you, even if it isn't in your Regional Synod. Come when you can; leave when you must.

Monday, July 8th, 6:00-9:30 pm at New Brunswick Theological Seminary
35 Seminary Place, New Brunswick, NJ
Dinner will be graciously provided by Project Hospitality
Facilitators: Anna Jackson, Paul Janssen, and Micah McCreary

Tuesday, July 9th, 6:00-9:30 pm at the Reformed Church of the Tarrytowns
42 North Broadway, Tarrytown, NY
Dinner will be graciously provided by the Regional Synod of New York\
Facilitators: Tim TenClay, Linda Burlew Gold, and Micah McCreary

Thursday, July 11th, 6:00-9:30 pm at Community Reformed Church of Colonie
701 Sand Creek Road, Colonie, NY
Donations toward the cost of dinner will be gratefully received
Facilitators: Jonathan Vanderbeck, Matthew van Maastricht, and Paige Convis

Please RSVP to jbrumm@nbts.edu by July 3rd, indicating which session you plan to attend, so that we have enough dinner to go around.

UPDATE: There will be limited Internet connections for each gathering!

While the gatherings will NOT be live streamed, a limited number of people who just CANNOT be physically present at any of the events will be able to follow along on Zoom. The picture and sound quality won't be as good as the livestream, but the hookup will be monitored, and those on-line will be able to send in questions via Zoom chat; someone monitoring the computer will then share those questions aloud. To take part via Zoom, you must receive a Zoom link from the Reformed Church Center; e-mail jbrumm@nbts.edu by NOON the day of your event to request one.

James Hart Brumm, Director
The Reformed Church Center
The Seminary Archives
The Theological Writing Center;
General Editor, Beardslee Press
New Brunswick Theological Seminary
848-237-1760
New Brunswick Seminary position
Dear NBTS Family,
We are currently searching for a talented, organized, resourceful, contentious, and self-directed individual to join NBTS as Executive Assistant to the President and Human Resources Coordinator. Please forward and post to your networks.
In Joy and In Justice!
Rev. Micah L. McCreary, Ph.D.
President
John Henry Livingston Professor of Theology


CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR THE FULL FLYER

RCA MISSION 2020
January 16-18, 2020

 


click on the image above or below for the current news!



CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR REGISTRATION FORM
CLERGY FINANCIAL FLOURISHING GRANTS AVAILABLE AGAIN

The RCA is relaunching the Ministerial Excellence Fund. Through a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. and a matching gift from BOBS, over the next year, the RCA plans to give away over $300,000 to pastors to relieve and eliminate personal debt.

About the grant:
The Ministerial Excellence Fund is used to give grants to pastors to relieve the burden of personal debt. Half of the fund is a generous gift from the Lilly Endowment, and BOBS will match those funds to double the amount to give away.

The Lilly Endowment states this conviction: Financial burdens carried by pastoral leaders are significant barriers to effective, faithful, and fruitful ministry. BOBS couldn't agree more, which is why it has utilized this fund to help clergy become financially healthy.

Along with distributing money, BOBS will offer financial planning and education to equip pastors to lead well in their ministries.

If you want to donate to the fund-and have your funds matched-to help lessen pastors' personal debt, you can do so below.

Who can apply?
RCA pastors: ordained ministers of Word and sacrament (including specialized ministers) and commissioned pastors. The grant covers a range of debt, including student loans, medical debt, credit card debt, and other common forms of debt. Average grants given in the past have been $5,000. Grant amounts are based on need and criteria met.



Click here to apply and for more information

ATTENTION CHURCHES
IN CLASSIS DELAWARE-RARITAN

The Classis of Delaware-Raritan has established a foundation whose
purposes are to support Church Multiplication, Clergy Renewal, and
Congregational Revitalization Projects to churches within the Classis of Delaware-Raritan. This foundation will provide grants to congregations,  not loans. (For loans, congregations may avail themselves of the Synod Foundation or the Reformed Church in America’s Church Growth Fund).  The first round of applications will be considered in the fall of 2019. The  deadline for applications (see attached) is September 1. All applicants for  grants for the coming year will be notified of the disposition of their  applications as soon as the Trustees have met and awarded the grants.







CONGREGATIONS IN OUR REGION SEEKING PASTORS

Lincoln Park First Reformed seeks Pastor:
We are a conservative, Bible-based Church, seeking a long-term, full-time, residential (manse provided), senior pastor in search of a pastor who will lead us in glorifying God through serving each other and the community. We offer a salary and full benefit package commensurate with experience and in accordance with RCA guidelines.   Our congregation deeply desires a pastor who is adept at both pastoral care for all (especially the elderly) along with a pastor who is deeply concerned with and personally involved with the children and youth. We seek a pastor whose love for Jesus is obvious from spirit-filled, life- application sermons, strong Biblical leadership, and interest in maintaining and growing our congregation. Our pastor should be adept at church and staff administration, be available for counseling and be actively involved in our surrounding community.  For an overview of our church and community please visit this website created for our search https://sites.google.com/view/frcoflpinfopacket. If interested please email resume and any other pertinent information to frcoflpsearchcommittee@gmail.com



LONG ISLAND CHURCH SEEKING MINISTER


CLICK ON THE PARAGRAPH ABOVE FOR MORE INFORMATION
VISIT OUR REGIONAL SYNOD ONLINE CALENDAR!



Remember that the Synod Foundation has opportunities for loans and even some and even some starter grants for new missions
...visit their  webpage on our website

Wise men and women in 1987 created an independent, not-for-profit corporation named the Synod Foundation:

To receive, hold, manage, invest, and re-invest the real estate and investment assets of PSMA [aka RSMAt], and to process and act upon loan requests and upon requests for grants from the churches and classes within the jurisdiction of PSMA from its commissions and subsidiary corporations, and from others within the scope of its concern and mission.

The Synod Foundation is governed by eight trustees appointed on an annual basis at RSMAt's annual meeting. The Trustees approve the loans and grants and manages the other investments. The Foundation currently has 20 active church and social responsibility loans totaling over $1.1 million. The balance of the funds, $1.8 million, are invested in a wide variety of short and long term securities.

Churches secure loans for new roofs, parsonage or church furnaces replacement or upgrades, repointing brick or stone, interior church and parsonage renovations, removing accessibility issues, purchasing a building, and hurricane cleanup and repairs. Recently, four churches have secured loans for solar systems as a witness to green stewardship and expecting to lower their future electrical energy costs even as the solar system loan is being paid. With the Federal and New Jersey government assistance, the expectation is for the loan to be paid in around 12 years with the life of the solar panel system good for another 15 or so years.

See the Foundation flyer for commonly asked questions or contact the Synod Office for more information.



FREE Online Learning Opportunities
Mediated Organizations: 
Technology for your church ministry

We are setting up online seminars for the Fall season. Please let us know which topics are of interest to you. Seminars are usually held online using Zoom or GoToMeeting on Thursday evenings. Other times are available on request.
Consider having a custom training for your own church team or board! On-sites are possible with enough notice.

Let us know what you are interested in or if you have questions!

  1. Using Facebook 
  2. Using Twitter 
  3. Using free and low cost websites
  4. Using higher end paid websites
  5. Using podcasts
  6. Using mind mapping for planning and meetings
  7. Using visual thinking for planning and meetings
  8. Using online collaborative platforms for teams and organizations: basecamp, slack and more
  9. Using projection in your church ministry
  10. Using email newsletters: constant contact and mailchimp
Courses are taught by The Rev. Dr. Philip Bakelaar, , rsmat communications coordinator, pastor at Ocean Community Church in Manahawkin and adjunct professor in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. 

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