04491
November 4, 2004

Tentmakers pitch annual conference

Participants examine role of dual career ministers

by Evan Silverstein

RALEIGH, NC — The Association of Presbyterian Tentmakers (APT) held its 19th annual meeting here Oct. 29-31, gathering on the campus of St. Giles Presbyterian Church in New Hope Presbytery.

       The tentmakers — those who divide their time between serving the church and working at other jobs for a living — focused on how best to integrate their careers in the workplace with their church vocation.

       Under the theme “Holding It Together,” some 34 participants discussed their ministering techniques in the workplace and providing the kind of leadership needed in the church today.

       “It reminded me of how varied the ministries are in the Association of Presbyterian Tentmakers,” said the Rev. David Vellenga, a tentmaker from Raleigh, who is a research engineer and stated supply pastor at Nutbush Presbyterian Church in Townsville, NC. “And that there’s a combination of old ways of doing ministry that go to the very roots of the church that are proven to be very relevant in today’s new situation.”

       Worship, music, discussion sessions and networking were also highlights of the conference, which was co-sponsored by the National Association for the Self-Supporting Active Ministry (NASSAM) of the Episcopal Church.

       The event featured a range of keynote speakers, including Alan Blatecky, deputy director of the Renaissance Computing Institute in Chapel Hill, NC, who discussed the impact of technology on the world and the church.

       John Winings, a tentmaker who is leading a New Church Development in suburban Raleigh, shared his experiences as an executive dealing with businesses in crisis.

Also speaking was the Rev. Amy Isbell Hanschen, APT’s moderator, who is ordained as an industrial chaplain and supervises a large group of chaplains from multiple denominational backgrounds in businesses in Austin, TX.

       The group also welcomed the Rev. Phil Aspinall from Coventry, England.  The ordained Anglican priest is a Minister in Secular Employment (MSE), a Christian ministry focusing on ministry in the workplace rather than in the institutional church.

       Aspinall is also a leader in Christians in Secular Ministry (CHRISM), a British tentmaker group.  He presented an update about the European Worker-Priest Movement, and other events and issues in Europe.

      Ed Hilton, a student at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ, reported on his internship with a tentmaker pastor in New Jersey.

       The Rev. Jim Lawton, pastor of Pinetops Presbyterian Church in Pinetops, NC, coordinated worship.

       The APT elected officers for the upcoming year. Hanschen was reelected moderator; the Rev. Fred Bunning of Loveland, CO, was reelected treasurer; the Rev. Jeff Scott of Anson, ME, was reelected member-at-large of the executive committee; and Terry Pasco, of Richmond, VA, was reelected secretary.

       Ross Blount, of Allerton, IA, will serve as coordinator for the 2005 APT conference, which will take place Nov. 4-6 in Chicago, IL. Vellenga resigned as editor/publisher of “Tent Talk,” the association’s newsletter, and will be replaced by the Rev. Steve Hammond, of Alpena, MI.