Quick Notes Update for June 13, 2020
KEY ITEMS
- RSMAT annual meeting postponed to a date in the Fall if possible
- Crossroads Women's Conference cancelled for this year
- Lay Recognition Dinner rescheduled for Friday, October 2
- General Synod meeting cancelled this year, planned for next year, Vision 2020 report may be released this Fall.
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.
All feedback welcome as we develop this new version more fully
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copy and send them this link
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.
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Monday, June 15, 1 - 2:30pm eastern / 10 - 11:30am pacific ~ Mental Health Challenges: How faith leaders and congregations can respond during COVID-19 and beyond
For those struggling with mental illness, the COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges to their health and safety as the normal therapies, routines and expectations have been disrupted or stopped all together, and now the uncertainties around re-opening are compounding issues even more. This can leave faith leaders and caregivers uncertain on how to support these congregants and loved ones affected by these issues.
On Monday, June 15, 1:00 - 2:30pm eastern, you are invited to join a special Building God's Church Together Virtual Gathering to discuss COVID-19, share your stories, challenges and needs and hear mental health professionals advise how we as the church can respond. Host Rev. Liz Testa will be joined by Rev. Terry DeYoung, RCA Coordinator for Disability Concerns, Ms. Lynn Min, M.Div., LMHC serving in NYC, and Dr. Micah McCreary, NBTS President and clinical psychologist.
Blessings and Hope,
Liz and Lesley
Women's Transformation and Leadership
Reformed Church in America
35 Seminary Place I New Brunswick, NJ 08901
616-541-0897
Join our community on Facebook ("RCA Women" closed group and "She is Called" page)
"Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11
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General Synod delegates,
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope you and your families are well. You are in my prayers.
When the General Synod Council met on Tuesday, June 9, they evaluated the current situation with the coronavirus pandemic and determined it will not be safe to hold a special session of General Synod in October as planned.
Your safety and the safety of your families and communities are paramount. We could not see a way to hold the special session and guarantee that safety, so we prioritized safety.
Many will wonder what will happen with the Vision 2020 Team's report, which would have been considered at the special session. The team is still finalizing their report and expects to release it yet this month. The report will be posted on the RCA website, www.rca.org, when it is ready. That report will be considered and voted on at General Synod 2021, next June in Pella, Iowa.
Thank you for your leadership in the church. Please join me in praying for our denomination with this momentous decision before us, and for all our churches and leaders who are continuing to care for the spiritual needs of their communities and to share the good news of Jesus Christ during a global pandemic.
Eddy Alemán
General secretary
Reformed Church in America |
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NEWS ABOUT THE REFORMED CHURCH HOME
HELPING THE REFORMED CHURCH HOME
UPDATE FROM JUNE 4
Dear RCH families:
We cannot thank you enough for your extreme generosity to the Employee Appreciation Fund! Since the day we introduced this effort, the response has been phenomenal. To date, we have collected more than $13,000 in monetary donations, which were used to provide breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and beverages to all staff in all departments, multiple times per week, for almost 2 months. Along with countless meal deliveries from our families, vendors and local businesses/colleagues, we also have received so many donations of PPE, cloth masks and ear protectors, hand sanitizer, lotions, adult coloring books, handmade cards, inspirational posters, flowers and goody bags to keep spirits up and keep our staff going throughout these most difficult of circumstances. Our staff members certainly do feel appreciated!
Moving forward, we will be initiating a new COVID-19 Relief Fund, which will be used to offset the extraordinary expenses and costs we have absorbed due to the COVID crisis - costs mostly incurred from PPE orders, testing requirements, and additional cleaning supplies. We will also dedicate our golf outing this year to the COVID-19 Relief Fund in hopes of purchasing a robotic UV-C light machine. This device can aid our housekeeping staff in ridding the resident rooms and common spaces of organisms possibly missed during the regular cleaning routine. More information will be coming about our golf outing and this new fund once launched. Having both funds will give donors the flexibility to choose which area their donations should ideally support.
On behalf of the administration, directors, front line nurses and aides, and support staff at Reformed Church Home, we want to sincerely thank you for your compassion and support during the past 3 months. Your gifts are never expected but so very much appreciated. Please know you have truly lifted our spirits and made daily life more bearable by your thoughtfulness.
Sincerely,
Paula LeBlanc
Director of Development
and
Andrea Walls
Director of Marketing
The staff at the Reformed Church Home (RCH) is working every day taking care of their residents. We've asked how we can help make things easier for them and they've requested snacks, hand cream, and cases of water. If you are willing/able to drop any of these items off to the RCH (1990 Route 18, Old Bridge), it would be greatly appreciated. When dropping items off, go in the front door (the first set of doors) and knock on the second locked door and the receptionist will take the delivery. You can tell them you are from "Your Church's Name".
The RCH asks that anyone dropping off water bottles, snacks and hand cream do so between the hours of 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. or 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. Lunch times are a bit crazy. Water bottles need to come in the original plastic that the cases are packaged in and snacks need to be individually packaged, not homemade and must be in an original box or carton from a store.
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A project of the Churches Improving Communities
Classis of New Brunswick Community Development Corporation
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VARIOUS RESOURCES
if you can't find something you are hoping to find or are looking for, reply to this email and we will find it for you!
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Reopening resources
(each image is linked to its source)
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also perhaps useful
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Self Care and Skills for Engaging the Now and the Next!
As pastors and leaders, it's safe to say we are all way outside our comfort zone. Not only are we trying to pastor people through this challenging time, but we are ourselves are experiencing a level of trauma, anxiety, ________ fill in your current stress. It is more important now than ever that we take time out to do our own self-care and learn some new skills to help ourselves and others to cope, process and heal from this time. To do this, the Classis of Delaware-Raritan and the Regional Synod of the Mid-Atlantics have engaged Dr. Francesca Nuzzolese to host 3 webinars at NO COST to you! We encourage you to watch the videos and read the notes provded here, and take time out for yourself over the next week.
 Dr. Francesca Nuzzolese is afrancesca native of Italy but has been a citizen of the world for most of her life. Her love for the world and for diversity in all its forms was nurtured in her family and in her home church, where she learned that faith, justice, and compassion must be always interrelated in the pursuit of loving and kin-dom like communities.
From 2005-2016 she was on the faculty at Palmer Theological Seminary and Eastern University, teaching in the areas of spiritual formation, pastoral care and counseling, and pastoral theology. She was also a pastoral psychotherapist and spiritual director at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. In 2017 Dr. Nuzzolese became associate professor of pastoral care and counseling at Methodist Theological School in Ohio.
As a scholar, activist and clergywoman, she is committed to the organic and intentional integration of theory and pastoral praxis, issues of faith and social justice, the gifts of faith communities and the needs of the world. Leading spiritual retreats and offering educational workshops on a variety of psycho-spiritual and social issues is an expression of such commitments: to see growth and transformation in individuals, families, and communities, both domestically and internationally.
Grounding: Minding our Psychospiritual Health
· Identifying the vulnerabilities pastors bring to the task of caring in the midst of collective trauma and their legacy to personal and professional history
· Providing some spiritual and emotionally grounding practices that can sustain pastors in these times of intense stress and demand
· Creating covenants of accountability and sustainability to hold the person of the pastor and the task of ministry in the midst of highly stressful circumstances
Intervening: Constructing new ways to engage grief and loss within the restrictions of social distancing and collective trauma
· Acknowledging personal history of trauma vis a vis the collective trauma we are living into
· Identifying the pastoral needs of individuals, families and communities in the particular context of the pandemic
· Naming particularly challenging cases/situations/themes in the experience of participants
· Collecting theological and spiritual resources to engage current pastoral needs
Anticipating: Preparing for the future
· Identifying the coping mechanisms of individuals and communities in this moment of collective trauma and linking them to the symptoms of PTSD, which are likely to emerge in the future
· Sharing common wisdom and generating resources to care in the present in order to prevent destructive reactions in the future
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NEWS FROM NORTH REFORMED CHURCH AND THE BESSIE GREEN PROJECT
We are a non-profit operation out of North Reformed Church. Our big claim to fame has been our response to Covid-19. When our new leadership team took over in February, Bessie Green was serving a small community of 40 people. Hot meals were served on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Our clothing barn and food pantry operated within our soup kitchen hours. Each week we would help 150 people from our three services.
Once Newark was placed in lockdown, our response was immediate. We began by changing operations to fit the CDC and Newark Public Health guidelines. Meals were to go, with pantry bags and clothing available upon request.
Once the practices were in place, we expanded our food service from three to five days per week for the public. At this time, we accepted a contract to help previously incarcerated persons isolated with Covid-19 in a hotel with hot meals. This service required us to have meals available on Saturday and Sunday.
Today we serve at least 120 people daily on our slow days. Our busiest days bring in above 400.
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click on the image below for more information,
including COVID-19 grants for church planters
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NEWS ABOUT THE FLOURISHING CHURCHES GRANTS
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IS YOUR CHURCH LOOKING FOR
ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS?
THE RCA HAS A SOLUTION FOR YOU!
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW FOR FULL DETAILS
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A 74 PAGE EXTENSIVE RESOURCE USED BY THE PEER SUPERVISION PROGRAM IN CLASSIS NEW BRUNSWICK
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WARWICK CONFERENCE CENTER
We've updated the
webpage on our site, visit today!
"Echoing God's desire for all people to be still and draw near, the Warwick Conference Center is a broadly inclusive place of welcome, hospitality, reflection, and retreat where all are invited to seek renewal, pursue personal and corporate growth, and have the opportunity to listen for God's voice."
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A MISSIONAL RESOURCE ON ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP
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CONGREGATIONS IN OUR REGION SEEKING PASTORS
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW FOR THE CURRENT RCA LISTINGS
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VISIT OUR REGIONAL SYNOD ONLINE CALENDAR!
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