An eUpdate for Church Leaders - June 2025 | | |
|
Vice Moderator
The Rev. Diane Ziegler
Bellbrook Presbyterian Church
| |
The Rev. Diane Ziegler was raised in the Oxford Presbyterian Church. She has served as Stated Supply pastor of The Bellbrook Presbyterian Church since 2016 and as Parish Associate of the Oxford Presbyterian Church since 2010.
Prior to serving the Bellbrook church, Diane served as Executive Director of Kirkmont Center, as transitional pastor for the Belle Center United Presbyterian Church, and as pastor of the Reily Presbyterian Church. Within the Presbytery Diane has served as a Commissioner to General Assembly, a Commissioner to the Synod of the Covenant, Chair of Staff Support, Chair of the Executive Presbyter Search Committee and the Stated Clerk Search Committee, Member of the Transition Visioning Team of the Presbytery, co-leader of the Small Church Transformation Project, and Missional Presbyteries Project Participant. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Theology.
Diane lives in Loveland with her husband and three cats. She has two adult sons.
| | |
|
A note from Terry Kukuk
Our Executive Presbyter’s Summer Sabbatical
| |
Dear Siblings in the Presbytery of the Miami Valley,
The Lord be with you!
During my report at the May 13 presbytery meeting, I shared with those gathered in person and online that I have been partnering with you in ministry for seven years, which means this is my sabbatical year. I will be on sabbatical from June 1 to August 31, 2025. I am grateful for this generous gift of time for rest, renewal, and curiosity. My time of sabbatical is a double grace in that my husband, the Rev. Brad Sheppard, pastor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, is also on sabbatical this summer.
| | |
|
SAVE THE DATE
Tod Bolsinger on August 23
Sponsored by Presbytery of the Miami Valley
| |
Tod Bolsinger, MDiv, PhD, will be in Miami Valley on August 23 for an event sponsored by our presbytery. More details will be coming as they become available.
Tod is the co-founder and principal of AE Sloan Leadership, Inc, an executive coaching and consulting firm that works with church, non-profit, university, and marketplace leaders in leading change. The mission of AE Sloan Leadership is “Helping Faith Leadership Thrive as Change Leaders.”
Tod has served as Executive Director of the De Pree Center Church Leadership Institute, as a Senior Fellow of the De Pree Center for Leadership, as Associate Professor of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary, was the founder of the Fuller Leadership Platform, and served as a Vice President of Fuller Seminary for six years. Prior to his educational career, he served as a Presbyterian pastor for 27 years.
Tod is the author of Canoeing the Mountains, Tempered Resilience, It Takes a Church to Raise a Christian and Show Time: Living Down Hypocrisy by Living Out the Faith.
| | |
Boundary Training for Church Sessions | |
The Book of Order now requires Boundary Training for members of church sessions at least every three years. More important than the requirement, however, is that Boundary Training provides an opportunity for meaningful conversations within sessions about how churches can create safe, welcoming, and transparent communities.
Presbytery of the Miami Valley is partnering with Practical Resources for Churches (PRC) to provide this training. PRC is a nonprofit, non-denominational, education-based service organization providing consultants, educational webinars, workshops, and resources.
| | |
The PMV Spring Bulletin/Newsletter Insert | |
A Presbytery of the Miami Valley produces a quarterly News and Information Bulletin/Newsletter Insert and emails it to its congregations for distribution to church members.
It is our hope that distributing the Bulletin/Newsletter Insert in this way will help connect church members to what’s going on in the presbytery, its churches, and our denomination.
| | |
|
Synod Gathering of Presbyterian Women
June 27-28, Battle Creek, Michigan
| |
The 2025 Synod of the Covenant Gathering of Presbyterian Women will be held June 27-28 at First Presbyterian Church, Battle Creek, MI. The registration fee will be $75 and a block of rooms has been reserved at the Double Tree Hotel.
The featured Speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Rhashell Hunter, author of the 2025-2026 PW/Horizons Bible Study. Dr. Hunter has written the worship materials for “Celebrate the Gifts of Women” for multiple years. She served as Director of Racial Equity & Women’s Intercultural Ministries for 14 years and currently teaches the Presbyterian polity course at Louisville Seminary.
| | |
|
Presbyterian Youth Triennium
July 28-31, Louisville, KY
| |
In July, the Presbyterian Church (USA) will welcome thousands of its high school age youth and their adult youth workers to the 2025 Presbyterian Youth Triennium in Louisville, Kentucky, July 28-31, for four days of worship, recreation, bible study, outreach, and faith formation, all around the theme of “As If We Were Dreaming”.
To explore being a part of the Presbytery of the Miami Valley delegation, email Cody Myers at codymyers.1800@gmail.com or call him at 937-510-4327.
| | |
Christian Ministry Scholarship for a Seminary Student | |
The Oxford Presbyterian Church Deacons are honored to support the ministry and faith formation of our church’s future leaders with the offering of the Gene and Faye Santavicca Christian Ministry Scholarship.
The Santavicca Scholarship was created to help support the education of a person who is pursuing or advancing a vocation in Christian Ministry. Seminary students who are under care of the presbytery of their local church are invited to apply. Apply by June 30.
| | |
Narrative Lectionary Collaboration | |
If your congregation is using the Narrative Lectionary and you would be interested in collaborating on Bible study and preaching preparation this summer, please contact Diane Ziegler, pastor of The Bellbrook Presbyterian Church. Diane is hoping to put together a Narrative Lectionary group.
Contact her at ohiodianez@gmail.com or text: 513-260-2798. Thank you!
| | |
|
Core Trainings for Godly Play
June and August in Cincinnati
| |
Core Trainings for Godly Play will be offered June 19-21 and August 21-23 in Cincinnati with Lisa Kaufer, Licensed Godly Play Trainer.
Godly Play Core Training is the most comprehensive training for the Godly Play method and theology. This is the recommended training for every adult leading Godly Play sessions, for administrators, and for clergy. Participants experience all aspects of the Godly Play method and begin to become fluent in the Godly Play core stories and fundamental practices. Additionally, Godly Play's guiding Theology of Childhood is introduced, so participants become more deeply connected to their work. Core Training follows an action/reflection model of learning.
| | |
|
NEXT Church National Gathering
November 11-14, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Registration is now open
| |
NEXT Church is excited to announce its 2025 National Gathering taking place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, November 11-14. Leaders from all across the Church will learn alongside those asking similar questions, naming the very real/ pressing challenges, and hoping to uncover strategies to bring about wholeness as we do the work ahead. Our time together will create the space to cultivate individual and communal transformation.
NEXT Church is a network of leaders — church members, ruling elders, youth leaders, educators, pastors, mid-council leaders, seminarians, and church professionals — who believe the Spirit is moving powerfully in the Church today, even as what it means to be Church is changing. Next Church is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that operates within and beyond the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
| | |
|
Covenant Gathering July 10-14
Geneva Center, Indiana and Online
| |
The 2025 Covenant Gathering will be held July 10-14 at the Geneva Center, Indiana and online. This year’s theme is “Sabbath By Design” and will feature collaborators, the Rev. José Manuel Capella-Pratts and Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri, Regional Liaisons for the Caribbean.
The Covenant Gathering is an intergenerational faith-play event meant to equip participants for ministry in their families, churches and communities; For spiritual renewal of those who lead others; To create a greater appreciation for a connectional church; To model the Kingdom of God in our life together.
| | 2025 Summer Camp at Kirkmont Center | Kirkmont Center, Zanesfield, is offering a number of summer camps in 2025 for ages 3 through adult. Registration is now open. | | |
Post your position openings on the PMV website | |
Presbytery of the Miami Valley maintains a “Jobs” page on its website for our churches to post position openings for staff, other than pastors. (Pastor positions go through our denomination’s system.)
We encourage churches to send us their position openings, and we’ll be happy to post them. They may be sent to Don Nowak at don.nowak@miamipresbytery.org
Be sure to check out the latest position openings on our Jobs page.
|
| | | |
