Dear Friends:
Whew! What a hot and long summer it is turning out to be. Temperatures here in Louisville continue to either break or match previous high-temperature readings. Early in the summer, Texas was receiving all the rain for the entire country — not a good thing for them or the rest of us.
In the midst of all this, we continue to work on organization here in Louisville. We are trying to be more attuned to what the church wants, more receptive and more responsive.
If there are projects and programs that your presbytery or churches are particularly interested in, make certain they communicate with the appropriate area.
As for this resource center mailing, we continue to work to find the resources that are published here at the Presbyterian Center (and by the Board and the Foundation). Several of you have expressed the concern that the materials in the subscription boxes (the ones I send, not necessarily the curriculum boxes that are also part of the mailing) are not fully inclusive of what is published and sometimes not helpful.
I need your help. Whenever you don’t get resources from me, or if there is a specific resource you want, please contact me. I will work to get it to you. We will be getting Triennium videos to you as soon as they are available (thanks to an RC director who called to ask). All of us, including me, need to be vigilant about getting the church’s resources into the hands of those who need and use them.
On another note, the National Training Center for Resource Center Directors has appointed Mardee Rightmyer as the Interim Executive Director. Mardee will be working with the board to vision a future for resource center training and support that is deep and broad. We’ve also been in contact with publishers and many others to continue discussions of what to do about the Ecumenical Resource Center Gathering. There will not be a gathering in the fall of 2008, but we are seriously in discussion about joining APCE in 2009 for a joint conference.
Speaking of APCE, you may wish to make plans for attending APCE in 2008. There will be a resource center track and several workshops taught by members and leaders in the Presbyterian Association of Resource Centers. I am including another flyer just in case you have not seen it.
Presbyterian Publishing Corporation has sent out its subscription flyer for fall 2007, so if you missed it, you may want to call Vince Patton for help. Some of the resources from PPC are in this mailing, but they are not available on the PPC subscription.
I continue to make contact with presbyters (executives and associates) and to lift up the ministry of resourcing. I encourage each of you to be in regular consultation with other presbytery (or governing body) staff about ways to continue resourcing congregations, pastors, educators and all other Christians. This networking is an essential part of ministry in the 21st century.
Peace,
Michael |
