Quick Notes Update for August 31, 2022

Note our new email for the Synod Office:


One major item is the Lay Recognition Dinner which is the first item below. Deb from the Synod Office sends us this note:

Dear Friends,

The next deadline of September 16th is for the initial round of reservations, after which we will open up any remaining tables for those churches that have more than 20 people who wish to attend.  

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, and we hope to see you in October!

Blessings,
Deborah Petersen
Executive Assistant
Synod of the Mid-Atlantics
35 Seminary Place
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
848-237-1794
CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR FULL REGISTRATION AND FLYER PDF. Consider nominating someone from your church!
A WALK WITH JESUS ON THE BEACH

Pastor George Kaden (preparing to retire from Old Brick Reformed in Classis New Brunswick) was interviewed recently regarding his experience with a medical challenge. Watch it here.

October 2-7, 2022:  (Registration NOW OPEN)
PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY (Princeton, NJ)

The Art of Transitional Ministry –

Weeks 1 and 2 offered concurrently in-person — 

Click here  for more information

Registration Fee:
The $495 registration fee covers the cost of all scheduled programs and listed meals per person. 
 
Registration Ends:
September 26, 2022
 
Lodging information:
Accommodations at the Erdman Center on campus range from $60 to $120 per night, depending on availability. You may reserve a room by calling Erdman Front Desk at 609-497-7990. 
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. - Proverbs 31:14

INSIGHTS FOR CONGREGATIONAL LEADERS:
LEADING THROUGH CHAOS

I've been challenged this year to reach beyond our normal materials and find helpful insights from non-traditional sources. Here's a second installation in this series.

This summer part of my time away from the church involved attendance at a global summit of visual practitioners. This community met in Spain for four days to discuss changes in the world relating to the new post-covid normal, sustainability in the fashion industry, cross-cultural challenges in creating collaborations, addressing technology changes in organizational work and how visual communication is part of all of this. It was an inspiring time with people from dozens of countries who care about helping people work well together on significant matters.

One part of my learning involved a displacement from my own American centered-ness. There are many countries in the world and people who are focused on other things than we are. There are amazing people doing amazing things in other places and other languages who are virtually unknown but who could be inspirational to us.

For instance, I met and am doing some followup with Zulma in Colombia who is involved in peace projects. She has trained in London and Denmark in methods of supporting collaborative work in chaotic situations. Kaospilots is one of the programs she has trained with in Denmark. In their "about" information they note this:

Kaospilots are people who can creatively lead a project through uncertainty and complexity. It is a person who often cares more about creating meaningful change in an organisation. As individuals, they possess crucial skills within project management, process leadership and business development, which make them masters at leading and driving a team forward in a project, especially during challenging and uncertain times.

This sounds very relevant to what we are experiencing in our congregations and ministries. Perhaps having conversations with people beyond our culture and our particular sector can bring us insights for navigating the chaotic times we are experiencing.


Interested in talking more about this?
Send me a note and we can discuss it together.

Phil Bakelaar - rsmat communications
Greetings, dear siblings in Christ ~

We are excited to announce that registration is now open for all three of these opportunities: the She Is Called Holy Land trip, the She Is Called Women of the Bible online master class, and the CBE Conference. More details and registration links are included below.

We warmly invite you to join us and pass along these offerings to others in your faith community. Any questions? Do not hesitate to ask.

In Lavish Hope,
Liz and Lorraine
Women’s Transformation and Leadership
and Equity-Based Hospitality
CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING OPPORTUNITIES!

She is Called Women of the Bible online study, Vol. 2
Thursday Evenings, 7:00–8:30 p.m. Eastern
July 7–September 1, 2022

Christians for Biblical Equality 2022 Conference
August 5–7, 2022
Atlanta, Georgia

She is Called Holy Land Global Experience 2022
November 9–20, 2022
A SHARED RCA/CRC RESOURCE ENCOURAGING VIBRANT CONGREGATIONS
DID YOU MISS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION IN YOUR SEMINARY YEARS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO RENEW YOUR SKILLS? CHECK THE NEW COLLABORATIVE CRC/RCA PROGRAM BELOW (Click on the link for the full brochure)
Full-time Lead Pastor for North Branch Reformed Church, a thriving congregation of 300 active members in beautiful Bridgewater, N.J. Must be an ordained minister/pastor and have prior experience. Compensation: Commensurate with experience, following the Classis of Delaware-Raritan guidelines. 
Visit https://www.nbrc.com/about/job-opportunities for complete job description and church information. Interested candidates are asked to email their resume to pastorsearch@nbrc.com.
Is God calling you to bi-vocational ministry?
The New Jersey Air National Guard is looking for clergy who meet these qualifications:
·       Be a United States citizen, dual citizenship is not accepted.
·       Possess baccalaureate degree with not less than 120 semester hours of undergraduate credit from an accredited college or university.
·       Possess Master's Degree in Theology or related subjects (not less than 72 semester hrs) from an accredited institution.
·       Be qualified spiritually, morally, intellectually and emotionally to serve Air Force personnel.
·       Be less than 40 years of age at the time of appointment. Age waivers are considered for prior military service and critical faith groups.
·       Pass the Air Force physical examination, and meet weight standards.
·       Pass a National Agency Check security background check and qualify for a security clearance.
·       Possess an ecclesiastical endorsement from a recognized denomination or faith. (The Reformed Church in America is a recognized denomination.)
·       Be available for the minimum required paid training.
·       Be available to attend the five-week paid Commissioned Officer Training (COT) and the six-week paid Basic Chaplain Course (BCC) within the first two years in the program.
·       Be sensitive to religious diversity and provide for the free exercise of religion by all military personnel, their dependents, and other authorized personnel the military services serves.
In the New Jersey Air National Guard, a Chaplain provides religious ministries of worship, religious education, pastoral care, counseling and visitation. Military Chaplains are non-combatants; as such, they are not allowed to handle weapons when in uniform. Pay is commensurate with officer rank and years in service.
Curios?
Contact: (908) 336-2869
Rev. Dr. David Kahler - Minister of Word and Sacrament, Delaware-Raritan Classis
Ch, Lt Col, David Kahler – Wing Chaplain, 108th Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN IMPROVING YOUR TECHNOLOGY USE!

Would you like to:
Discuss church software for managing member information and online donations?
Learn to use email newsletters to keep members informed?
Rework your website to a more modern look?
Create online forms for people to register for events and provide feedback?
Create online visual databases like the livestream example above?
Take your livestream to the next level?
Develop a social media plan and a team to implement it?

REPLY TO THIS EMAIL AS WE FORM LEARNING GROUPS!
CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR THE COMPLETE UPDATE LETTER

Trustees Needed for the Warwick Conference Center
 
The Warwick Conference Center is a subsidiary corporation of the Regional Synods of the Mid-Atlantics and New York. The Board of Trustees for Warwick is made up of laypersons and clergy from both synods.  We are currently looking for 5 people who are willing to serve on the Board of Trustees from the Synod of the Mid-Atlantics, especially persons with gifts in the following areas:
·      Property (maintenance, sales, leasing)
·      Legal (familiarity with NY law would be helpful)
·      Finance and investments
·      Human Resources
·      Publicity and/or fundraising 
If you are interested in serving, know of someone who might be, or if you have questions about what service on the board entails, please contact Rev. Jill Fenske (President of the Board of Trustees) at jcfenske@optimum.net or the synod office at rsmatoffice@gmail.com


THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING CHURCHES FOR ADDING THEIR LIVESTREAM INFORMATION TO OUR ARCHIVES PAGE
Wyckoff Reformed
Three Bridges Reformed
Ocean Community, Mahahawkin
Parkside Community
RSMAT churches are livestreaming and maintaining recorded service archives. This presents us with a unique opportunity to learn from each other and celebrate the amazing gifts in our community! Please use this webform to provide us with your church livestream link and a link to your recorded services archive. We will make a single page view available of all of this information so that you can visit around and get inspired!
Are you using a VR headset and exploring how virtual reality might be used in ministry? Let's have a conversation!
MURAL and other online whiteboards provide a way to add more interaction to zoom meetings. Let me know if you want to explore this further.
GATHER TOWN is a fun way to add some social involvment to your online options.
DO YOU HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF ADAPTING AND INNOVATING TO SHARE FOR INSPIRATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT? SEND IT TO US!
NJ CONGREGATIONAL CENTER FOR CANCER CARE
We have created an online gathering of all of the newsletters of the program. Find help for those facing cancer.
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.