John Calvin Presbytery
P. O. Box 787, Shell Knob, Missouri 65747
September 29,
2017
THANK YOU FROM FORT SCOTT P. 1
PRAYER LIST / JOYS P. 2
CONTACT INFO / ANNOUNCEMENTS P. 2
EQUIPPING THE SAINTS P. 3
JC LIVING WATERS P. 4
BOOK OF ORDER /BOOK OF CONFESSIONS P. 5
PRESBYTERY DAYS P. 5
Psalm 90 : 14 ( Voice )
With every sun’s rising,
surprise us
with Your love,
satisfy us with Your kindness.
We will sing with joy and celebrate
every day we are alive.
Dear JCP:We certainly took our sweet time deciding how to put the JCP mission money to work! But we are so grateful for the gift and for what it made possible in our congregation. Thank you.
We decided to use those funds to develop a new (and ongoing) relationship with PCUSA Mission Work-ers. Through a long discernment process, we connected with Charles and Melissa Johnson, who work in Eastern Zambia. They use their gifts and skills in many ways, but their primary efforts involve teaching at Chasefu Theo-logical Seminary and leading at Chasefu Farms. While the seminary trains new pastors to prepare them to serve congregations, they also train them to become productive farmers so that they can earn a living and provide for their family while doing pastoral work.
Charles has a background in agriculture and business. We were looking to connect with mission work that would help us think creatively about our own agricultural context here in rural Kansas. It proved a wonderful match. We were able to fly Charles and Melissa to Fort Scott for a long weekend. We hosted a dinner in their honor. They presented on their work prior to services on Sunday and then both were involved in worship and Charles preached for us. They left us a beautiful Zambian cloth that we have already used on our communion ta-ble.
We are now in conversation about how we can continue to nurture this new relationship to the Johnsons and to the lovely people of Zambia. This might involve financial support. But we also hope that it might involve teams of people traveling to Zambia from Fort Scott (and maybe
oth-ers from JCP will join us!) to see what the good news looks like in Zambia. We are also excited about how the connec-tions between faith and farming in Zambia might enable us to take a fresh look at our own agricultural surroundings. Again, thank you for sharing with us. We look forward to a growing relationship and a deepening of our sense of mis-sion.
In Christ,
Jared Witt, on behalf of the Session, Members and Friends of First Presbyterian Fort Scott Kansas
J
oyful, holy community of Christian believers, diverse yet united.committed to serving Christ in the church and in the world.
P
r
epared by God through the Holy Spirit for mission and ministry.Please email all items, joys, and concerns wishing to be at
[email protected] by 12 noon on
Wednesdays.
CONTACT….
Pastoral Presbyter,
Susan Rosenbaum
By cell phone:
620-674-1844
or by email:
[email protected]
Stated Clerk,
Melana Scruggs
By cell phone:
417-489-0024
or by email:
[email protected]
By mail: P .O. Box 46, Crane, Missouri 65633
John Calvin Presbytery website is
jcpresbytery.com
Please send your
Shared Mission, Per Capita Apportionment and all special offerings
to….
John Calvin Presbytery, P.O. Box 787, Shell Knob, MO 65747
Prayers requested …..
•
The congregations of John Calvin Presbytery…
•
For all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, that they may know the peace that passes all
hu-man
understanding in Jesus Christ our Lord….
•
Churches that are seeking a new pastor, to understand God's call moving forward.
•
JCPDA
•
JC Living Waters Mission Team
•
All Pastors of John Calvin Presbytery
•
All who have been affected from all effects of all recent hurricanes
•
Sam Stover,
Rehabilitating
from stroke. Cards of encouragement can be sent to: 623 W.
Walnut, #405, Springfield, MO 65806. Sam is the pastor at First Presbyterian Mt. Vernon.
A. ELDER TRAINING ~ Reverend Melana Scruggs Available WORKSHOP SESSION 1 & 2
The workshop on Elder Training will utilize case studies to facilitate conversations among participants about best practices in session meet-ings. We will talk about the role of an elder in the leadership of the congregation.
B. NAVIGATING the POTHOLES ~ Reverend Dr. Emmet Powell Available WORKSHOP SESSION 1
Congregations often encounter heartbreaking conflict when there is an unclear vision or they are unequipped with creative conflict manage-ment solutions. This workshop will explore strategies to contain and address certain unhealthy outcomes in congregations.
C. DOING CHURCH DIFFERENTLY ~ Reverend Dr. Jared Witt Available WORKSHOP SESSION 2
Forms of worship and ministry need to change, but making large scale changes often feels unworkable. So how can we adopt some smaller scale, experimental projects that will help us learn on the fly? Jared will offer case studies of what some congregations are doing differently, with the goal of inspiring us to experiment more on a smaller scale.
D. STEWARDSHIP ~ Reverend Charles Spencer Available WORKSHOP SESSION 1 & 2
Session 1 - A Telling Secret - We’ll explore how keeping secrets suppresses generosity in the church. We’ll consider how we can open
conver-sations about financial discipleship in ways that inspire and motivate generosity.
Session 2 - Reluctant Stewards - Overcoming our reluctance to God’s work and fund Christ’s mission and ministry. How we move from
re-luctance to joy in a ministry of financial discipleship.
E. GA RESOURSES FOR SMALL CHURCHES ~ Rhonda Kruse Available WORKSHOP SESSION 1
When it comes to mission, a vital congregation is one that actively engages in the outward-focused ministry to which God calls us. Rhonda Kruse, our regional Mission Engagement Advisor for Presbyterian Mission, will update us on many ministry programs, initiatives, and tools available through the denomination to help our congregations be more vital, and explore ways we might partner in shared mission.
F. THE SAILBOAT CHURCH ~ Reverend Dr. Joan Gray Available SESSISON WORKSHOP 2
Encouraging congregations to shift concern from the many daily, practical concerns of their local church to consider how new directions might be found by allowing the Holy Spirit to provide fresh ideas.
EQUIPPING THE SAINTS WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS…….
Registration for Equipping the Saints…..
Please indicate below the workshop letter from the description above
Equipping the Saints is for everyone! Please bring as many people from your church as possible! Child care is provided - if requested.
Fee per person:
$20
by
September 30
/
$25
beginning
October 1
Name: Address: Phone: Email: Church: Morning Workshop: 1st _______ 2nd _______ 3rd _______ Afternoon Workshop: 1st _______ 2nd _______ 3rd ____________ I am requesting childcare and realize that lunch is not included for the child, but can be purchased for $2.00. Age of child / children ___________________________
Email your registration to…… Gail Wilson - [email protected]
Or mail to………. Gail Wilson, P. O. Box 787, Shell Knob, MO 65747
October 21, 2017
8:45 a.m. to 3:30
Southminster Presbyterian Church 2245 S. Holland ~ Springfield
REGISTER BEFORE OCTOBER 1
JC Living Waters Mission Signs Covenants
in the Dominican Republic
Last week we were in Jarabacoa, DominicanRe-public for covenant meetings with candidates for a Living Waters for the World water treatment system. Our first stop was at the Escuela Basica Luis Eduardo Ortiz Delgado, an elementary school in Limonal, where we met with Elsa Valerio, the principal. Following an extended discussion about their needs, we looked at possible locations for a system and agreed to return in the afternoon for a meeting with the teachers. During our meeting with the teachers it was agreed that the school needed a water treatment system. We worked with them to set up Water and Education Commit-tees and concluded by signing a covenant.
Next we turned our attention to an eagerly anticipated visit to Los Chiquitines de Yaji, the school in El Callejon where we installed a
sys-tem in January. We were warmly wel-comed by Yajaira, director of the school and were thrilled to see and visit with her again. Rudy, the Water Com-mittee chairman was unable to be there to meet with us but we happily greeted Rosaly, our interpreter. We were pleased to see that the system we helped to install is operating and providing safe water for the students. While visiting with Joel and Yajaira, we learned about a potential need at their church in Jarabacoa. Joel immediately set up a meeting with the pas-tor for later that afternoon. As we met and visited with Paspas-tors Pérez and Barbosa, we learned that they had been praying about how to meet the greatly increasing demand for bottled water at the church. New programs that were bringing in a lot of youth from high poverty neighborhoods near the church created this demand. We quickly determined that this church was a prime candidate for a Living Waters for the World system. We hasti-ly gathered the necessary information and signed a covenant with Pastor Pé-rez for a system at Fraternidad Cristiane Amor a Quisqueya. We left with our heads spinning and our hearts full. God is Good!
We plan to return to Jarabacoa to install these systems in February 2018 and are looking for individuals who are interested in going with us. We will be offering training sessions in January 2018. More details and an applica-tion will appear in this space for the next several weeks. We invite you to prayerfully consider this invitation to join us in providing safe water for these children.
Rich and Sharon Marsh, Team Leaders
[email protected] (417) 880-5988
JCLWM Committee
Todd Morriss, Moderator Kathy Morriss, Secretary
Rich Marsh, Treasurer
Members…. Tamara Barnett Sharon Marsh Carol Minton Sarah Meugge Ted Scott Chris Scrivener Rich Williams Associate Member Martha Bledsoe
We are taking orders for the
2017-2019
Book of Order
, and the
Book of Confessions
,
available for pick-up at the
November 4, meeting of Presbytery,
at Trinity Presbyterian, Springfield
.
The cost of each book will be determined
by the amount ordered.
Please email your order to Gail at
[email protected]
Or text or call Gail - 417-838-4402
Upcoming Presbytery Days…..
October 26 at First Presbyterian Church Webb City Missouri ~ 10 until 2
November 16 at Westminster Presbyterian Church Springfield Missouri ~ 10 until 2
We will provide the mandatory boundaries training for persons serving churches in pastoral roles, from 10 a.m. until noon with lunch following.If you are staying for lunch please RSVP by Tuesday before Presbytery Day to: [email protected].
Each participant will be required to read the training manual before attending the training and then participate in case study discussions at the group meeting.
