Monday in Ministry

August 2, 2010                                                                                                                  Volume 6 Issue 30

www.presnb.org

 

Please Pray for:

…. The Presbytery of Eastern Virginia (from the Mission Yearbook for Prayer).

….the family and friends of Barbara Cieplechowicz, Covenant. Barb passed away on July 14 at age 54.

 

EMAIL INFO

 

Our presbynewbrunswick domain name is no longer operable.  To send emails to us, please use the following:

 

Cathie - cvolzpnb@gmail.com

Ilene - iblackpnb@gmail.com

Marcia - Marcia.MacKillop@alum.ptsem.edu

Lowell - lowelltk@msn.com

Paul - dypxlamo@earthlink.net

 

FROM OUR CHURCHES

 

Moving Forward in Christ is the Theme for TAFPC 30^th Anniversary

You are invited!!!  The Taiwanese American Fellowship Presbyterian Church is celebrating their 30^th anniversary with the theme of "Moving Forward in Christ.”  The weekend of August 21 & 22 will be full of celebration activities and thanksgiving worship service.  Visit www.tafpc.org for updates on the celebration activity schedule.

"Exit 4 Quintet" Performing at Ewing Church

 

Ewing Church is sponsoring a concert on Saturday, August 14th at 4:00 pm in Fellowship Hall. The concert is comprised of works from the classical to the contemporary including premieres of pieces by two young aspiring composers.  The quintet has a bassoon, oboe, clarinet, flute and horn. The members are all active music teachers and all graduated from The College of NJ, hence the "exit 4" name! A free will offering will be taken to benefit the church.

 

More Rocking Out at Ewing Church

 

On Saturday, October 2, singer-songwriter and humanitarian Tom Chapin is giving a family concert at Ewing Church.  Tom is the brother of the late Harry Chapin, who had several hit songs in the 1970s, including "Cats in the Cradle” and "Taxi.” Go to www.tomchapin.com to read more about this talented and exciting artist. More details about the concert will be forthcoming.

FROM OUR COMMITTEES

Discussion of "Traveling Together”

Join us on Tuesday, August 10 at 7pm at the Pennington Church as we discuss "Traveling Together” by Jeffrey Jones - hopefully a tool for us to engage with the Holy Spirit as we move together as a Presbytery. The book is available for $18 on Amazon.  For the Alban Institute, Jones offers accessible tools for clergy and lay leaders to work together to grow disciples.  Take a look at Alban’s website for more information.   http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=5892

Contact Beth Scibienski with any questions.  beth@communitypres.org, 732-297-9182

 

Change of Plans

 

The Rev. Scott Planting, Director of Mission at the Eastward in Maine was scheduled to be a guest in our Presbytery September 25 & 26, 2010 but will not be able to be here after all. We are hoping for a visit in the future.

 

FROM THE LARGER CHURCH

 

The following is the August prayer letter from Rev. Dr. Karla Koll, our Missionary-in-Residence, currently in Guatemala.

 

Dear friends in Christ,

 

It’s a rainy Sunday afternoon, August 1, here in Quetzaltenango. The last few days we have had a bit less rain here than in recent weeks, though other parts of the country continue to receive more rain than usual. Landslides and localized flooding continue. It’s nice to have an afternoon to relax and spend a bit of time with friends through writing this newsletter.

 

Javier and Tamara, my husband and daughter, returned home from Nicaragua on Thursday, so we are all together once again. Tamara now has a new Nicaraguan passport. Her mosquito bites are fading. Her stomach didn’t respond well to the amount of grease in typical Nicaraguan food, but I hope her appetite returns soon.

 

I have been asked by the Evangelical Center for Pastoral Studies in Central America (CEDEPCA) to be the interim academic dean of the Biblical and Theological Training program for the coming months while we seek to discern what the program is called to be and whom it is called to serve in the future. As I imagined, this has meant more much for work for me as well as much more time in the CEDEPCA office in the capital. I’ve been talking with students, going through files and dialoging with colleagues at CEDEPCA. The program is related to the Latin American Biblical University in Costa Rica, so I have also been communicating with the leadership there.  I ask for your prayers as I live into these new duties and set the program up for the next person.

 

I’m teaching one course this semester in the capital on Christian ethics. There are five folks who gather with me on Wednesday mornings to consider how it is that Christians make moral decisions and how we can encourage people and communities to take responsibility for the moral dimensions of their lives.

 

In addition to weekly classes, my schedule includes some special events this month. On August 11, a group of five women from Fairfax Presbyterian Church are coming to Guatemala along with Jennifer Thalman Kepler and Shannon Wooley of the Looking for Lilith Theater Company. Carolyn Thalman, Jen’s mother, is also coming along. They will be participating in a retreat with women from the Sinodica, the national organization of Presbyterian women here as part of the Faith Stories Project. The retreat will be here in Quetzaltenango, which means Tamara will also be able to be involved. The visitors will also be learning about Guatemala through CEDEPCA’s Intercultural Encounters program.  I’ll be accompanying them the week they are here in the country.

 

 

 

On Friday, August 20, I’ll travel to Poptún in the Peten to teach the second session of a course on the mission of the church the following day. I went up to Poptún for the first time on July 23. The students, who come from a number of mostly Pentecostal churches, were eager to learn. They had lots to share out of their own experience as well as lots of questions. CEDEPCA has been teaching classes in Poptún for almost three years now. There are no other opportunities available for theological education there. It’s a long trip, more than seven hours by bus from the capital, but it’s worth it to see people developing new understandings of their faith.

 

As I have mentioned before, Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza of Harvard Divinity School will be coming to Guatemala this month. We are expecting more than 200 participants at the conference where she will be speaking on August 26 and 27. The theme of her talks will be "Traveling the Paths of Wisdom: Feminist Biblical Interpretation”. There is still a lot of work to do to get ready for the conference.  I’ll be working on the translation of the texts for Dr. Fiorenza.

 

Once he catches up on his rest after his visit to Nicaragua, Javier will be starting back to work on his thesis. He still hopes to graduate this year with his licenciatura in political science from the Rafael Landivar University.

 

Tamara will be starting her senior year of high school on August 16 at the Interamerican School here in Quetzaltenango. It hardly seems possible! She’s taking another college course on-line, creative writing this time. She’ll also continue teaching English classes on Saturdays at a local language school. It’s time to start the college application process, which will be both exciting and tension-producing for all of us.

 

It’s certainly a time in which we all need prayers.

 

CEDEPCA profile

This month I’d like to introduce you to a couple I was able to get to know better when I was in their home in Poptún. Alvaro Perez and Elizabeth (Betty) Andrade used to live in Sumpango, about 35 kilometers from Guatemala City. They have been up in Poptún for four years now. Betty started taking classes in CEDEPCA’s women’s program before starting in the theology program. She talked to me about how important CEDEPCA has been in her life in helping her develop both her capacity for reflection and her leadership skills. Alvaro, with Betty’s help, serves as pastor for the Prince of Peace Church in Poptún, part of a national Pentecostal denomination. As president of the local pastors’ association, Alvaro is encouraging his colleagues to study. He insists on starting every meeting of the association with a class. Alvaro and Betty invited CEDEPCA to come to Poptún to offer classes. These courses have allowed Betty to continue her theological education. I’m encouraging Betty to think about studying in Costa Rica next year.

 

Reading Corner

My friend, Daniel Caño, a q’anjob’al intellectual who has participated in CEDEPCA’s theology classes in Quetzaltenango, wrote to tell me that some of his poems had been included in a new collection of contemporary Mayan poetry. I just happened to be in the capital last weekend to be able to go to the book presentation at the international book fair and hear Daniel read his work. Fifteen poets have their work included in Uk’u’x kaj, uk’u’k ulew: Antología de poesía maya guatemalteca contemporánea. Maya Cu, another of the poets included, is an educator and communicator who used to work with CEDEPCA. I don’t usually list books that are only available in Spanish, but I wanted to let you know about this important work that shares part of the revitalization of Mayan literature.  It has been published by the University of North Carolina. Unfortunately, this means it will be more available in the United States than here in Guatemala.

 

It’s a privilege to share my life and work with folks here in Guatemala, just as it is a gift for us to have you share with us. Thank you for the prayers. I also appreciate your messages even if I don’t always have a chance to answer immediately.

 

Blessings, Karla

 

Job Opportunities

 

****The Presbyterian Church at One East Oak Street, Basking Ridge, NJ is looking for a Handbell Director for two handbell choirs.   6 ½ octaves of Whitechapel handbells. Currently Tuesday evening rehearsals at 5:30 and 7:30.  This is a 10 month position (Sept. - June).  Must have handbell experience.  A bachelor's degree in music, and experience working in a church as a volunteer or in a professional capacity is required.  Email resume or contact Mary Lou Stevens, Minister of Music, at mstevens@brpc.org; 908-953-9809.  Deadline for resumes is August 1.

 

****The same church is seeking a Youth Choir Director for grades 6 - 12.  Rehearsals currently on Sunday

after worship at 11:30 am.  10 month position (Sept. - June).  Must have experience working with youth, bachelor's degree in music, vocal and keyboard skills, and experience working in a church as a volunteer or in a professional capacity.  Email resume or contact Mary Lou Stevens, Minister

of Music, at mstevens@brpc.org; 908-953-9809.  Deadline for resumes is August 1. 

 

These two positions can be combined into one position.

 

****The Presbyterian Church in New Brunswick (located at 100 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ) is seeking an Interim Pastor. All interested may forward PIF's to:  TTPCinNB@gmail.com.

Upcoming

 

Tuesday, August 24 – Presbytery Administrative Committee meeting at Pennington Church at 6PM.

Monday, September 6 – Presbytery Office closed for Labor Day.

Tuesday, September 14 – Stated Meeting of Presbytery at Frenchtown Church.  Dinner at 5:45PM and meeting at 6:45PM.

Thursday, September 16 – Urban Mission Cabinet meeting at Slackwood Church from 7 – 9PM.

Saturday, September 25 – Presbyterian Women Fall Gathering at Community Church of the Sand Hills.

Please let us know your committee meeting dates, times and locations so that we can accurately report them here.  Email to iblackpnb@gmail.com.