Quick Notes Update for May 1, 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 postponed, special session possible for a date in October.
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
Help us invite others to receive our email,
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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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 participate, ask questions and take time out for yourself over the next week. Details about the topics and Dr. Francesca Nuzzolese are further below.
Tuesday May 5th @ 12pm
Thursday May 7th @ 12pm
Saturday May 9th @ 12pm
Click below to register once in advance for these webinars. If you cannot attend, you will receive a link to view to recording of each webinar. There are only 100 spots available so register now.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
May 5th @ 12 pm
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
May 7th @ 12pm
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 the current pastoral needs
May 9th @ 12 pm
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
Dr. Francesca Nuzzolese is a 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.
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NEWS ABOUT THE REFORMED CHURCH HOME
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NOTES FROM GREATER PALISADES CLASSIS
CLASSIS CPD COMMITTEE
The Church Planning and Development Committee would like to
invite you to share your practical ideas about how your church has been effective during the time of COVID-19 and being the church remotely. A couple of examples might help. On Easter, we got people to record testimonies about how they'd done some positive things they never would have, were it not for our current circumstances - for example, talking to long, lost friends. We were able to insert these video clips directly into our taped worship service. We've also been able to use materials we had on hand in our Sunday School closet to create Bible story craft kits for our town's children - it's helpful to keep them busy, and is a good witness.
SECOND REFORMED HACKENSACK
Dear Members and Friends of Second Reformed Church,
As we celebrated the Day of Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, let us also be reminded of our Gospel reading from John 1:4-5, "... in him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."
If we believe that Jesus is the light that brings life, and if we believe that no darkness can overcome this light, I invite you to join with me in showing the world that Jesus is the light of the world and is still alive and well today.
As we move through this Easter week or until this virus has passed, place a light in your window. Each night as the sun goes down and darkness falls upon the Earth turn on your light as a sign of hope.
Let your light shine in remembrance of those who have passed away.
Let your light shine for those who are on the front line as a sign of encouragement to let them know they are not alone.
Let your light shine as a sign of hope, believing that God will bring us through this and any other challenge that will try to rob us of our joy.
May God continue to bless you and smile upon you as you allow your light to shine through the dark times that may come your way.
Blessings,
Pastors Dwayne & Anna
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NOTES FROM CLASSIS DELAWARE-RARITAN
Webinar: Light in Dark Times: Healing Souls During the Pandemic and Beyond
Here is a
link to rewatch/download
As a special thank-you for being a part of this webinar, we'd like to offer you a 10% discount on registration for Fresh Expression's upcoming Social Media Academy, designed to give you the tools you need to:
Help your church feel connected again
Master communication methods you can use for counseling and discipling at a distance
Serve people in your community that might never come to a traditional church service
Use code "webinar" when checking out to get this 10% discount!
And don't forget to visit our sponsors- Fresh Expressions (http://freshexpressionsus.org), The Ecclesia Network (http://ecclesianet.org), Missio Alliance (http://missioalliance.org), and the American Bible Society (https://www.americanbible.org/).
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A project of the Churches Improving Communities
Classis of New Brunswick Community Development Corporation
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A 74 PAGE EXTENSIVE RESOURCE USED BY THE PEER SUPERVISION PROGRAM IN CLASSIS NEW BRUNSWICK
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Notes from the RCA communications office
click on the image below
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NOTES FROM THE VISION 2020 GATHERINGS
at Greenville Community Church and NBTS
March 13 and 14
Greetings everyone!
I hope this email finds you well, even as we are all experiencing such uncertain and anxious times with the COVID-19 pandemic. May we all continue to lift up one another, as well as those who lead and serve, in prayer, in our sure and present hope in Christ.
With all the changes we've had in the last few weeks, the Vision 2020 gatherings at Greenville Community Church and NBTS seem like they were months ago, even though they only took place 2 weeks ago!
Several of you were unable to make it to the gathering you had hoped to attend, and in light of our present situation, we still wanted to share the video and resource links below with everyone who wished to be present.
Here are the links to several items from those gatherings, for your reference and use. If you like, feel free to download #2-4.
- Here is a video of the presentation that Jim Herrington and Trisha Taylor gave at NBTS. Some parts of our time together were not recorded (so that conversation and questions could be freely offered by everyone present), so I apologize for anything that seems disconnected.
Feel free to share the link with others who might be interested.
- Here is the PowerPoint presentation that Jim and Trisha used for both gatherings, noting that they weren't able to get through the entirety of the slides with either group.
- Here is the list of questions that they offered for the participant's personal reflection.
- And here's a guide to being Defined and Connected in an Emotionally Charged System that they handed out.
F
or those who attended one of the gatherings,
I've been asked by the Vision 2020 Team if you'd take a few minutes to fill out the survey (linked below). Your feedback is important to the Team and to their process, especially as they get closer to making a final recommendation for General Synod in June. This survey is different from the denomination-wide survey that went out a few months ago.
This survey is confidential and will only take a few minutes to complete. If your server has disabled the link, simply copy and paste the survey into your Web browser window and you will be taken to the survey.
Please, only fill out this survey if you attended one of the Vision 2020 gatherings.
Click here for the survey:
Thanks to those who attended the gatherings and took part in our conversations and learning... and to all of you, your families, and congregations, I pray constantly for health and wholeness - in body, mind, and spirit - in the days and weeks and months ahead.
Peace to each of you - Greg Town
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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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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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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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