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Together Transforming…Lives. Church. World.

All are Welcome to attend

The Installation of Sarah Diehl on Sunday, Jan 9

at Towson PC at 4 pm.

Prayer Concerns

Charles Thomas’ wife, Shirley, and son, Elgin, who were involved in a car accident.

People

Committee Night - Jan 4, 2005

Council Meeting - Jan 10, 2005 at the Presbytery Office

A Special Called meeting of Presbytery has been called for 2 PM, January 13, 2005 at Catonsville Presbyterian Church for the sole purpose of acting on a request to rescind the Presbytery’s action on the Overture from Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church regarding Civil Marriage for same gender couples. [read more] No other business may be considered at this meeting. [Call]

A Remedial Complaint has been filed with the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Synod regarding the action taken by the Presbytery at the November meeting in support of the right of same-gender couples to marry. Rev. Joe Condro and David Wilson filed the complaint and have requested the Synod PJC to grant a “stay” that would stop the Presbytery from acting on the resolution until after the PJC heard the complaint. Additional information is available on the Presbytery website [complaint].

Check out Local Church Announcements and the

Presbytery’s Yearly Calendar

The Presbytery meeting scheduled for June 23 will be held at First of Howard County at 4:00 pm.

Current Events

Text Box: Presbytery of Baltimore 5400 Loch Raven Blvd. Baltimore, MD 21239 Office: 410-433-2012 1-800-511-0087 Fax: 410-433-2066 www.baltimorepresbytery.org General email: office@baltimorepresbytery.org Staff Peter Nord Executive Presbyter pnord@baltimorepresbytery.org Bill Millen Associate Executive bmillen@baltimorepresbytery.org Julie Helms Administrative Associate jhelms@baltimorepresbytery.org Charles Forbes Stated Clerk cforbes@baltimorepresbytery.org Terry Martin-Minnich Education/Resourcing tmartinmin@baltimorepresbytery.org Judi Forrester Coordinator of Financial Services jforrester@baltimorepresbytery.org Alice McGee Coordinator of Information Services amcgee@baltimorepresbytery.org Dot Sanchez Coordinator of Communications dsanchez@baltimorepresbytery.org Mary Ellen Barrett Resource Librarian mebarrett@baltimorepresbytery.org

January 3, 2005

. Bridging into the New Year

Tidings will be sent weekly on Monday afternoons.

Our primary audience is church professionals in the Presbytery of Baltimore.

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions of alternate names for Tidings. The outcome of the vote was to leave the name Tidings.

GA has set up a fund for the South Asia Tsunami Disaster Relief. Checks sent through Presbytery should be made payable to the Presbytery of Baltimore, reference number DR 167.

New Mileage Rate for 2005 from IRS - 40.5 cents

Per Capita for 2005 is $27.50. (Presbytery $19.84, Synod $2.09, GA $5.57) 2005 Per Capita is based on the membership reported on your 2003 Statistical Report.

Final 2004 remittances - Please be advised that 12:00 noon Friday, January 7, 2005 will be the deadline for accepting remittance checks for 2004 – that includes mission and per capita money. Any checks received after that time will be credited to 2005. In order to avoid any confusion in the beginning of 2005, please mark your checks with the year into which the remittance should be credited. This will enable us to apply your contributions correctly, without having to call you for clarification.

Judi Forrester, Coordinator of Financial Services

The Peace and Justice Committee has announced that Beryl Smith, our Public Policy Advocate in Annapolis, will retire following the 2005 legislative season. The Presbytery is seeking a replacement who will work alongside Beryl during the 2005 Maryland General Assembly and assume her position in May of 2005. Interested persons should contact the Rev. David Pollitt, Chair of the Peace and Justice Committee, at 410-638-6022.

Check out the Job Opportunities posted on the Presbytery website.

Current and past issues of Tidings can be downloaded from the Presbytery of Baltimore’s web site. [link]

TakeNote/ActNow

Questions or comments? Email Dot at: dsanchez@baltimorepresbytery.org or call 410-433-2012

To subscribe or unsubscribe please Email Alice at: amcgee@baltimorepresbytery.org or call 410-433-2012

Text Box: I began the new year considering bridges. Not as much a “structure carrying a pathway or roadway over a depression or obstacle” as “a time, place or means of connection or transition” (Webster, 1976). From the Latin, pons, pontis: we get pontoon, a portable float used in building a temporary bridge; pontifex, literally a bridge maker, and pontiff, bishop, pope. The early church identified its leadership in terms of bridging. Today, we too, are called upon as leaders in the church to help build bridges of hope, bridges of ideas, bridges of opportunities that will move us and our congregations, committees, sessions, and Presbytery, from where we are to where we need to be. From Letty Russell’s The Future of Partnership (1979) to Joel Barker’s video, Leadership (1999), 21st century leaders are challenged to create shared vision to build bridges to the future. The most effective visions -- shared by everyone in a congregation, committee, session or presbytery -- are positive, and support the community. I think there is no more important time for bridge-building than now: as we respond to international need for tsunami relief in south Asia and as we prepare for this Presbytery’s January Special Meeting. Thursday is Epiphany, a celebration of light and hope to the whole world. We have an opportunity once more to affirm that light in Jesus Christ by working together to build bridges of hope, ideas, and opportunities. I welcome your stories and examples of bridge-building in 2005 to include in my monthly articles. Please email me at tmartinmin@baltimorepresbytery.org. Whether we are talking about committees, congregations, sessions, presbytery -- everyone will benefit from having a powerful shared vision for building bridges to the future. Merry 10th Day of Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Epiphany! In the hope, peace and love of Christ, Terry Martin-Minnich

New Imani Community NCD asks for your prayers to help them grow in the year 2005 in three key ways:

The church will grow spiritually. Each member of New Imani will grow in their relationship with Christ, self, neighbor, and community.

The church will grow in worship attendance and in membership. God will lead us to effectively share Christ with others and to nurture them into consistent members.

The church will grow financially. God will bless the ministry to not only take care of operating expenditures for 2005, but will bring an increase in finances that New Imani will also bless other ministries and the Presbytery with mission dollars.

Aaron Lee

Prayer Concerns