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AGAPE HERALD ARCHIVES . . ARCHIVES . . ARCHIVES . . ARCHIVES . . ARCHIVES . . ARCHIVES
The file listed in months that are underlined are pdf formated
files.
SOUND BYTES ARCHIVES . . ARCHIVES . . ARCHIVES . . ARCHIVES . . ARCHIVES . . ARCHIVES . . ARCHIVES . . ARCHIVES . . ARCHIVES SOUND
BYTES April 2002 Greetings: Greetings from the Presbytery Office! I trust
that your journey through the Lenten Season was one of mystery and introspection
and the Easter Season will bring you renewal and new resolve. Presbyterian Communicators Introduced! Wow! What a joy! We now have under the convener,
Peggy Kendall, a group of 39 communicators who have
agreed on a position description. Thanks to Stu Carlson, Huntingdon, who put
the thinking of the group in written form, this mode of operation will be tested
and, I am sure, will be improved over time. Keith Smith, member of the
Administrative Umbrella Team, will have oversight and will coordinate the work
of the group with the overall Communication Strategy of the Presbytery. The
39 Presbyterian Communicators represent 36 of our 54 churches. The goal is to
have every church in the Presbytery with a communicator. Practical Application Note: Attached to the Sound Bytes is a listing of the Presbyterian Communicators and the churches they represent. Please use them in a helpful and winsome way. Snow Shoe Presbyterian Church Damaged At staff meeting, Jean Haynes reported on the
extensive damage to the Snow Shoe Church due to frozen water pipes in a hot
water heating system that failed. The water damage was enormous and hardwood
floors, plaster, ceiling tiles, carpeting, etc., were damaged beyond repair.
Even though the insurance will cover some of the loss, the defective heating
system and other things will not be covered. Even tables were destroyed. The
cost of the damage was extensive. Members of the church and community have started
the ìclean up processî, the obtaining of estimates for repairs, working with
the insurance company and members and friends have started to contribute money
to cover expenses. Attention Church Musicians The Presbyterian Association of Musicians is
presenting ìGathered By Grace ÖThe Community at Worshipî Conference at the Immanuel
Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 2002 Albuquerque Conference
on worship and music will be held for July 14-19. It is for Pastors, Musicians,
Educators, and Worship Committees from all size churches. For copies of the
brochure, please contact the Presbytery Office and we will copy the one that
we have. Contact: Janine Barony Attention College Students The 2002 National Presbyterian Student Forum will focus on ìThe Six Great Ends of the Church ÖBringing Them All Togetherî. This is a place and a time when college students gather to think and reflect theologically about the mission of the church and their place in it. The Presbyterian Collegiate Connection of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is sponsoring this conference. It will be held at Denison University in Granville, Ohio from June 12-16, 2002. If you have questions e-mail returner@ctr.pcusa.org or call 1-888-728-7228 ext.5765. We have one brochure in our office and could copy that for you. The Annual Conference on ìCritical Issues in Higher Educationî sponsored by the Higher Education Program Area of the PCUSA will take place Monday through Sunday, July 15-21, 2002 at Ghost Ranch Conference Center, New Mexico. The theme is ìCan We Believe and Think At The Same Time? The Integration of Faith and Knowledge.î For additional information contact: http://www.ghostranch.org or call 505-685-4333. The conference is for students, faculty, administrators, trustees, chaplains, and those who minister to them. We have a brochure and can copy one or more for you. Just call the Presbytery Office. Frontier Mission Project of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Kay Lewis is a person with whom you must speak about mission projects; of course she is not the only one. I will have something to say about others next. Kay can talk about Outreach in Thailand or the Global Day of Prayer for Burma or why there is suffering in Burma. Call her if you or your congregation wants to explore mission projects. She is also very involved in the New Wilmington Missionary Conference and would be happy to present a program on that conference as well. Dr. Kay Lewis can be reached by calling: 814-684-3761. Thailand Mission Trip One of the most exciting meetings that I have
been a part of was the last meeting of the Discipleship Umbrella Team when the
Bepplers introduced Judy Black from the Sinking Valley Church to talk about
her impressions of the mission trip to Pahk 5 Nan. Judy, in a very short period
of time made me feel that I had been with the group and experienced the incredible
experience myself. The mission trip was deeply moving for all the people from
our Presbytery that traveled to Thailand. This trip is a deeply significant
time for people who are on a faith journey and most are. Attached also is a
list of the ìThai Travelersî. Invite one or more to present a power point presentation
or speak at your church or community gathering. You can live part of the experience
through them. A New Journal The Christian Networks Journal is a new quarterly
magazine that has quickly earned a reputation among Christian leaders for it
bold commitment to unbiased reporting and in-depth Biblical analysis of todayís
most important and theologically difficult issues. Muslims-Jews-Christians In Open Dialogue Thursday, April 11, 2002 at the Edith Davis Eve Chapel on the Penn State, Altoona Campus at 7 p.m. you have an opportunity to experience: Presentations on The Concept of God, The Concept of Salvation and the role of the community, inter-panel discussions, audience participation and enjoy refreshments. This program is offered in order to: encourage opportunities for dialogue, renewal and personal growth, celebrate and understand our differences and learn to respect other belief systems and share concepts and commonalties through public forums and study opportunities. Among the distinguished panel of presenters is our own Reverend Kathy Colebank, First Presbyterian Church, Altoona. This should be a very informative and inspirational event. Why donít you encourage car pooling and take a number of persons from your church. Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church This Task Force, commissioned by the laying on
of hands by three moderators who appointed them has twenty members and was established
bye the 213th General Assembly (2001). It is trying to model ways for the church
to deal with fundamental and difficult issues. It has had two meetings. Interim Executive Training MALT Interim Executive Training sponsored by the Synods of Mid-America and Lincoln Trails is offering this training from October 31 to November 3, 2002 at the Mercy Center in St. Louis, MO. If you have been "recommended by your governing bodyî or if you have served as an Interim Executive or if you are in serving in an executive position now," you are eligible for such training. Our COM would be the entity in this Presbytery that would recommend to the Presbytery your name. The brochure about this can be copied and sent to you upon request.
McCormick Theological Seminary Offer Dynamic Conference ìfor such a time as thisÖî is the theme of the
April 27-29, 2002 conference in Chicago, Illinois. The presenters are a dynamic
trio: Frederick Buechner, Ann Weems, and J. Barrie Shepherd. All three of these
have touched the hearts of many Presbyterians and others. There will also be
a drama presentation by the Thuma Mina Mission Theatre Company: ìWalk with Me-Camina
Conmigoî. Thuma Mina means, ìSend me, Lordî in Zulu. Three McCormick students
are in the cast. In addition to the above, there will be a fellowship cruise
on ìThe Odysseyî on Lake Michigan and Cliff Kirkpatrick, State Clerk of the
General Assembly, will be awarded the ìDistinguished Alumnus for 2002 Awardî.
Each moment there are opportunities for growth and fellowship. If you have questions,
call, Grayson Van Camp at 773-256-0781 or email her art gvancamp@mccormick.edu Thank You As I leave you at the end of April, I leave with
such good feelings and experiences. The leadership and people of this Presbytery
are the ìsalt of the earth.î I will miss you all very much. Thank you for your
gracious support and your willingness to work hard and accomplish so much in
nineteen months. You are a ìspecial people!î May adoration and praise sound loudly in word
and deed from all of the churches in the Presbytery of Huntingdon! Peace through Love, Judson C. McConnell |
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