08611
August 26, 2008
Synod and presbytery news
SEATTLE — At its recent synod assembly, the Synod of Alaska-Northwest lifted up one of its featured mission partnerships — the Tierra Nueva (New Earth) Underground Coffee Project.
Tierra Nueva is an ecumenical community outreach ministry in Burlington, WA, in North Puget Sound Presbytery, working primarily with migrant workers, new immigrants and permanent Hispanic residents of western Washington.
Through its Skagit County Jail Ministry and community of organic growers in the Minas de Oro district of Honduras, Tierra Nueva has created the coffee project. Growers are paid more for their beans than “Fair Trade” standards require. The coffee is then roasted and bagged by ex-offenders who are part of the jail ministry, and marketed and sold through Tierra Nueva.
The goal, say Tierra Nueva Underground Coffee Project leaders, is “to invest lavishly in the communities of both the Central American farmers who grow the coffee and the local ex-offenders who roast and bag it … as one part of a larger movement for social renewal in both communities.”
LEXINGTON, SC — Trinity Presbytery has announced that its New Kirk New Church Development will formally charter as a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregation on Oct. 19.
The service will take place at Sandlapper Elementary School in Blythewood, SC, where the congregation has been meeting. The congregation has grown to more than 200 attendees since 2004, when it began with a few folks gathered in the home of organizing pastor the Rev. Scott Bowerman.
The congregation has purchased property and conducted a successful capital campaign to begin construction of their church building, which will also be in Blythewood in northeast Columbia, SC.
CLEVELAND — The fall leadership event for the Presbytery of the Western Reserve is set for Oct. 3-4 at Pioneer Memorial Presbyterian Church in Solon, OH.
The theme for the event is “Restoring Spiritual Vibrancy to Our Congregations.” It will explore how spiritual atrophy is causing churches to decline, and how this decline can be overcome through an intentional emphasis on grounding in the Holy Spirit.
The event will be led by the Rev. Graham Standish, pastor of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Zelienople, PA.
ANCHORAGE, AK — Yukon Presbytery is known its churches reaching out to each other. This summer Chapel in the Mountains Presbyterian Church in Anaktuvuk Pass — in north-central Alaska south of Barrow — was both a receiver and sender of mission.
A Vacation Bible School Team from Trinity Presbyterian Church in Anchorage made its annual visit to Anaktuvuk Pass, bringing not only 10 workers, but also VBS supplies, a mini-fridge and microwave oven, painting supplies and church supplies.
At the same time, Chapel of the Mountains chartered a plane to send a mission team to Kuukpik Presbyterian Church in Nuiqsut — on the north slope east of Barrow — to help build a new Sunday school room.
OVERLAND PARK, KS — The Synod of Mid-America is poised to enter a period of thoughtful self examination to determine what it wants to do and how it wants to accomplish the task. To that end, commissioners to the summer synod meeting Aug. 8-9 at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Overland Park, KS welcomed a new interim leader and pondered ideas about change from a church transformation consultant with worldwide experience.
The synod’s new interim executive is the Rev. Nancy Kahaian, former chair of the General Assembly Council. She succeeds the Rev. John Williams, who retired earlier this year.
The assembly’s exploration of effective change was led by the Rev. Paul Borden, executive minister of Growing Healthy Churches and a nationally known consultant on directing church leadership toward issues of change.
PANORAMA CITY, CA — San Fernando Presbytery is gearing up for an Oct. 19 workshop on “experiential worship.”
The workshop, funded through a worship renewal grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and the Lilly Endowment, will take place at Kirk O’the Valley Presbyterian Church in Reseda, CA. It will be led by the Rev. Bob Rognlien, a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary who is pastor of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Torrance, CA.
The prospectus for the workshop states: “Genuine biblical worship is a transforming encounter with the living God. Yet, many who participate in our weekly services come and go unchanged. This workshop shows pastors and worship leaders how to create worship gatherings using Jesus’ great commandment to engage people in all four aspects of human experience: encountering God with heart, soul, mind and strength.”
LANCASTER, PA — The Peace, Justice and Care of Creation Department of Donegal Presbytery, in partnership with Presbyterian Women, is sponsoring the presbytery’s first Mission Fair on Sept. 20.
Featured guests at the event — to be held at Leacock Presbyterian Church in Paradise, PA — will be the presbytery’s mission partners from Mthatha Presbytery in South Africa.
The fair will also include displays by a variety of mission groups and the presbytery’s congregations and workshops on such topics as the Africa mission partnership, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Presbyterian Women and the mission experiences of a number of the presbytery’s congregations.
CHARLOTTE — The Presbytery of Charlotte is joining with folk from other denominations for its second annual Multicultural Festival.
The festival will be held Oct. 4 at Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church. It will include family fun for all races and nationalities from every continent.
Scheduled activities include a soccer tournament, a multicultural worship service, a parade of nations and food, music and dancing from around the world.
IOWA CITY, IA — Work groups from all over the country continue to travel to East Iowa Presbytery to help with the recovery from devastating floods that inundated much of the presbytery this spring.
Christ Church Presbyterian in Cedar Rapids has recently hosted groups from Feasterville, PA; Towson State University in Maryland; Duluth, MN; The Church of the Master in Omaha; and Great America Leasing Company. In addition, First Presbyterian Church in Davenport, IA, has been sending a work group twice a week for several weeks.
Westminster Presbyterian in Cedar Rapids hosted a group of young adults from Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago; a group of local Eagle Scouts; a Lutheran church from Naperville, IL; Southwest Partners from Lenox, IA; Newton, IA; and students from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary.
St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Iowa City hosted a work group from First Presbyterian Church in Jeffersonville, IN and a youth group from Chisholm Trail Presbyterian Church in Yukon, OK.
Faith-based crews have also worked in at least 102 homes in Oakville, including 14 homes worked on by Presbyterians. Presbyterian city planners are coming from St. Louis to help determine needs for Oakville.
| 
